Radio-Canada announced today that it filed a licence request to launch a new 24-hour television sports channel. The new french-language service, called Radio-Canada Sports, would primarily focus on Canadian sports content produced by the SRC. Radio-Canada claims this is part of their strategic plan to better promote Canadian lifestyle and culture.
Radio-Canada requests licence for new sports channel
Posted by Jose Alvarez on October 20, 2009
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Canada, tv, French, Radio-Canada, SRC, CBC, CRTC, Sports | Leave a Comment »
Design firm rebrands Swine Flu?
Posted by Jose Alvarez on October 20, 2009
A Toronto-based marketing and design firm might have a little explaining to do after it inadvertently sent out a press release stating that it had “unveiled a new brand identity for the H1N1 flu virus.”
In its apparently bogus statement, AmoebaCorp, which has clients varying from Coca-Cola to the Toronto FC, claimed that it had rebranded the H1N1 virus because of a need to clear any confusion between seasonal flu, H1N1, and Swine Flu.
“Despite a significant effort made to educate the public on the symptoms and differences that exist between these viruses, consumers still appear not to understand that H1N1 and Swine Flu are one-in-the-same,” Mike Kelar, Co-Creative Director and Partner at AmoebaCorp said on the press release. “This confusion weakens H1N1’s position in the marketplace as the most severe flu because it splits brand awareness between 2 seemingly unrelated viruses and reduces H1N1’s ability to compete. We had no other choice but to do whatever we could to clear up this confusion by providing those in a position to influence and educate with the ammunition they need to do so.”
The press release also states that the new H1N1 brand was “designed with a classic, iconic aesthetic in mind,” and is “intended to convey a weight of authority and efficacy assurance while at the same time, reinforce the relationship that exists between H1N1 and Swine Flu.”
A couple hours later AmoebaCorp released another statement notifying media outlets to disregard the H1N1 brand press release for it was sent by mistake.
Was this a bad joke or is there really a whole marketing campaign behind H1N1?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: AmoebaCorp, brand, branding, Canada, design, flu, H1N1, health, marketing, Mike Kelar, swine flu, Toronto, virus | Leave a Comment »
Cirque du Soleil performer dies after training accident
Posted by Jose Alvarez on October 17, 2009
The Cirque du Soleil performer who fell during a training session Friday died today at Montreal’s Sacre-Coeur hospital.
Oleksandr Zhurov, a 24-year-old Ukranian circus artist, fell from a Russian swing Friday morning during a training session at the Cirque’s Montreal training facility in St-Michel. He was immediately taken to Sacre-Coeur hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Cirque du Soleil was notified of Zhurov’s death on Saturday.
In a statement, Cirque’s founder Guy Laliberté said he was “deeply saddened” to learn the news.
“My thoughts are with his parents and his family, to whom I offer my deepest sympathy,” Laliberté said. “An incident like this reminds us of the courage and determination displayed by our artists each and every day,” he added.
Cirque du Soleil refuses to further comment on the incident until the coroner’s inquiry concerning the accident is completed.
Posted in Canada, Entertainment News, Montreal, News, Quebec | Leave a Comment »
Canadian weathercasters could co-host Live! With Regis and Kelly
Posted by Jose Alvarez on July 27, 2009
Although Tom Brown and Tamara Taggart are nothing more than local TV weatherpeople, they might soon appear in millions of TV screens across Canada and the United States.
Brown, from CTV Toronto, and Taggart, from CTV BC, are semifinalists in the “Live! With Regis and Kelly From Local to LIVE: Co-Host for a Day” contest. They are both competing against 20 other local broadcasters from Canada and the US for a chance to fill in for Regis Philbin or Kelly Ripa in the popular morning show.
“It would be such a thrill to fill in for Kelly Ripa on LIVE!” said Taggart in a statement. “I am a big fan of hers and would love the opportunity to represent British Columbia in The Big Apple!”
For his part, Brown wants to use this opportunity to promote how great his city is. “I would be thrilled to share what makes Toronto special with fans across the continent,” he said
Both Brown and Taggart now depend on your vote in order to make it to the Big Apple. Online voting is taking place right now and it closes tomorrow July 28 at 10pm ET/7pm PT. The two winners -one male, and one female- will be announced on Wednesday July 29 during Live! With Regis and Kelly.
You can vote for Tom at ctvtoronto.ca and for Tamara at ctvbc.ca
The best of luck to our two Canadian semifinalists .
Posted in Entertainment News, Television | Tagged: BC, Canada, co-host, CTV, Kelly, Kelly Ripa, Live!, local TV, New York, Regis, Regis Philbin, Tamara Taggart, Tom Brown, Toronto, tv, weathercaster, weatherman, weatherwoman | Leave a Comment »
Harry Potter goes 3D in IMAX theaters
Posted by Jose Alvarez on July 15, 2009
Harry Potter fans around the world will get up close and personal with the famous magician when the new Harry Potter film hits theaters this Wednesday.
Those lucky enough to live near an IMAX theater will be able to catch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 3D – or at least the first 12 minutes of it. This as a result of a partnership between IMAX and Warner Bros. Pictures that has led to what the movie studio’s people are calling “the widest IMAX release ever internationally.”
The Harry Potter IMAX experience will open July 15 in 62 theaters around the world and several others within the United States.
“We’re pleased to be able to share this film with our expanded audience, which has grown significantly since the previous installment in the Harry Potter series, thanks to the rollout of our digital projection system,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond in a statement. “Special features in IMAX continue to attract fans and repeat viewings, and we are looking forward to sharing the special 3D opening with consumers around the world,” he said.
The list of participating IMAX theaters includes venues from Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico, India, and the UK among other countries, but Canada is noticeably missing. Cinepelex, which owns many IMAX theaters in Canada does not seem to have the IMAX version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince scheduled yet in any of its locations, so Canadian Harry Potter fans might have to wait until they get a chance to see Harry in 3D.
UPDATE
IMAX has released an updated list of IMAX theaters showing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which includes theaters in Canada:
UNITED STATES
Arizona
Mesa – Gateway 12 IMAX
Phoenix – AMC Deer Valley 30 with IMAX
Arkansas
Little Rock – Dickinson Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre
California
Aliso Viejo – Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20 & IMAX
Anaheim – CinemaFusion IMAX Anaheim GardenWalk
Arcadia – AMC Santa Anita 16 & IMAX
Burbank – AMC Burbank 16 & IMAX
Camarillo – Edwards Camarillo Palace Stadium 12 & IMAX
Cupertino – AMC Cupertino 16 & IMAX
Dublin – Regal Hacienda Crossings Stadium 21 & IMAX
El Dorado Hills – Regal Cinemas El Dorado Hills Stadium 14 & IMAX
Emeryville – AMC Bay Street 16 & IMAX
Escondido – Regal Escondido Stadium 16 & IMAX
Fairfield – Edwards Fairfield Stadium 16 & IMAX
Fresno – Edwards Fresno Stadium 22 & IMAX
Irvine – Edwards Irvine Spectrum IMAX
Long Beach – Edwards Long Beach 26 & IMAX
Los Angeles – IMAX Theatre at The Bridge: cinema de lux
Los Angeles – AMC Universal CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX
National City – AMC Plaza Bonita 14 & IMAX
Ontario – Edwards Ontario Palace 22 & IMAX
Rowland Heights – AMC Puente Hills 20 & IMAX
Sacramento – Esquire IMAX Theatre
San Diego – AMC Palm Promenade 24 & IMAX
San Diego – Edwards Mira Mesa Stadium 18 & IMAX
San Jose – AMC Eastridge Mall 15 & IMAX
San Francisco – AMC Loews Metreon 16 with IMAX
Santa Clara – AMC Mercado 20 & IMAX
Simi Valley – Regal Civic Center Plaza 16 & IMAX
South Gate – Edwards South Gate Stadium 20 & IMAX
Stockton – Regal City Centre Stadium 16 & IMAX
Torrance – AMC Del Amo 18 & IMAX
Woodland Hills – AMC Promenade 16 & IMAX
Colorado
Colorado Springs – Cinemark Carefree Circle IMAX Theatre
Denver – UA Colorado Center Stadium 9 & IMAX
Highlands Ranch – AMC Highlands Ranch 24 & IMAX
Westminster – AMC Orchard 12 & IMAX
Westminster – AMC Westminster Promenade 24 & IMAX
Connecticut
Manchester – IMAX Theatre at Cinema de Lux Buckland Hills 18
District of Columbia
Washington – Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater at the National Museum of
Nat. History
Florida
Altamonte Springs – AMC Altamonte Mall 18 & IMAX
Aventura – AMC Aventura 24 & IMAX
Fort Lauderdale – AutoNation(R) IMAX(R) Theater at Museum of Discovery
and Science
Fort Myers – Regal Gulf Coast Town Center Stadium 16 & IMAX
Jacksonville – AMC Regency 24 & IMAX
Orange Park – AMC Orange Park 24 & IMAX
Orlando – Regal Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 & IMAX
Orlando – Regal Waterford Lakes Stadium 20 & IMAX
South Miami – AMC Sunset Place 24 & IMAX
St. Augustine – World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theatre #
Tampa – AMC Veterans 24 & IMAX
Tampa – Channelside IMAX
West Palm Beach – Parisian 20 & IMAX
Georgia
Augusta – Regal Augusta Exchange Stadium 20 & IMAX
Buford – Regal Mall of Georgia Stadium 20 & IMAX
Kennesaw – AMC Barrett Commons 24 & IMAX
Morrow – AMC Southlake Pavilion 24 & IMAX
Hawaii
Honolulu – Regal Dole Cannery 18 & IMAX
Idaho
Boise – Edwards Boise Stadium 22 & IMAX
Illinois
Batavia – Randall 15 IMAX
Chicago – Navy Pier IMAX Theatre
Lincolnshire – Regal Lincolnshire 20 & IMAX
South Barrington – AMC Barrington 30 & IMAX
Woodridge – Cinemark Seven Bridges IMAX
Indiana
Evansville – Showplace Cinemas East 18 & IMAX
Indianapolis – Kerasotes ShowPlace 16 & IMAX
Indianapolis – IMAX Theatre at the Indiana State Museum
Noblesville – Hamilton Towne Center 16 & IMAX
Portage – Portage 16 IMAX
Iowa
Council Bluffs – Kerasotes Star Cinemas 16 & IMAX
Des Moines – Science Center of Iowa & Blank IMAX Dome Theater #
Kansas
Olathe – AMC Studio 30 & IMAX
Kentucky
Louisville – Cinema De Lux 20: Stonybrook IMAX
Newport – AMC Newport On The Levee 20 & IMAX
Louisiana
Harahan – AMC Elmwood Palace 20 & IMAX
Maine
Saco – Cinemagic & IMAX in Saco
Maryland
Baltimore – AMC Loews White Marsh 16 & IMAX
Baltimore – Maryland Science Center IMAX Theatre
Columbia – AMC Columbia 14 & IMAX
Massachusetts
Danvers – AMC Liberty Tree Mall 20 & IMAX
Methuen – AMC Methuen 20 & IMAX
Natick – Verizon IMAX 3D Theater at Jordan’s Furniture – Natick
Reading – Verizon IMAX 3D Theater at Jordan’s Furniture – Reading
Michigan
Dearborn – The Henry Ford IMAX Theatre
Grand Blanc – Trillium Cinema 14 & IMAX, Grand Blanc
Grand Rapids – Celebration! Cinema IMAX Theatre
Lansing – Celebration! Cinema IMAX Theatre
Sterling Heights – AMC Forum 30 & IMAX
Ypsilanti – Showcase Cinemas Ann Arbor IMAX
Minnesota
Apple Valley – Great Clips IMAX Theatre
Roseville – AMC Rosedale 14 & IMAX
Missouri
Independence – AMC Independence Commons 20 & IMAX
Kansas City – AMC BarryWoods 24 & IMAX
St. Louis – Wehrenberg Theatres Ronnies 20 Cine IMAX
Nevada
Henderson – Regal Sunset Station Stadium 13 & IMAX
Las Vegas – Brenden Theatres and IMAX at the Palms Casino Resort
Las Vegas – Regal Red Rock Stadium 16 & IMAX
North Las Vegas – Regal Aliante Stadium 16 & IMAX
New Hampshire
Hooksett – Cinemagic & IMAX in Hooksett
New Jersey
Atlantic City – Tropicana IMAX Theatre
Cherry Hill – AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 & IMAX
Hamilton – AMC Hamilton 24 & IMAX
New York
Albany – Regal Crossgates Mall 18 & IMAX
Brooklyn – UA Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14 & IMAX
Deer Park – Regal Deer Park Stadium 16 & IMAX
Garden City – Leroy R. and Rose W. Grumman IMAX Dome Theater #
New Rochelle – Regal New Roc City 18 & IMAX
New York City – AMC Loews 34th Street 14 & IMAX
Rochester – Cinemark IMAX Theatre at Tinseltown USA
Stony Brook – AMC Stony Brook 17 & IMAX
West Nyack – IMAX Theatre at Palisades Center
White Plains – IMAX Theatre at City Center: Cinema De Lux 15
Williamsville – Regal Transit Center 18 & IMAX
North Carolina
Charlotte – Regal Stonecrest At Piper Glen Stadium 22 & IMAX
Concord – AMC Concord Mills 24 & IMAX
Raleigh – Wachovia IMAX Theatre at Marbles Kids Museum
Ohio
Columbus – AMC Easton Town Center 30 & IMAX
Cincinnati – IMAX Theatre at Springdale 18: Cinema De Lux
Oklahoma
Tulsa – Cinemark IMAX Theatre at The Tulsa
Oregon
Tigard – Regal Bridgeport Village Stadium 18 & IMAX
Pennsylvania
Bensalem – AMC Neshaminy 24 & IMAX
Harrisburg – Select Medical IMAX Theater at The Whitaker Center
Homestead – AMC Waterfront 22 & IMAX
Philadelphia – Tuttleman IMAX Theatre at the Franklin Institute
King of Prussia – UA King of Prussia Stadium 16 & IMAX
Reading – RC Reading Movies 11 + IMAX
Tarentum – Cinemark IMAX Theatre at the Galleria Pittsburgh Mills
Rhode Island
Providence – Providence Place Cinemas 16 & IMAX
Tennessee
Knoxville – Regal Pinnacle Stadium 18 at Turkey Creek
Nashville – Regal Opry Mills 20 & IMAX
Texas
Austin – The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum IMAX Theatre
Dallas – Cinemark IMAX Theatre at Cinemark 17
Garland – AMC Firewheel 18 & IMAX
Houston – AMC Gulf Pointe 30 & IMAX
Houston – Edwards Houston Marq*e 23 & IMAX
Mesquite – AMC Mesquite 30 & IMAX
San Antonio – Santikos Palladium 18 IMAX Theatre
Sandy – Megaplex 17 IMAX at Jordan Commons
Sugar Land – AMC First Colony 24 & IMAX
Tomball – Santikos Silverado Station 18 IMAX
Virginia
Alexandria – AMC Hoffman Center 22 & IMAX
Hampton – Riverside IMAX Theater at the Virginia Air & Space Center
Midlothian – Regal Commonwealth 20 & IMAX
Virginia Beach – AMC Lynnhaven 18 & IMAX
Woodbridge – AMC Potomac Mills 18 & IMAX
Washington
Bellevue – Lincoln Square Cinemas IMAX Theatre
Kent – AMC Kent Station & IMAX
Lacey – Regal Martin Village Stadium 16 & IMAX
Seattle – Pacific Science Center Boeing IMAX Theatre
Seattle – Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14 & IMAX
Tukwila – AMC Southcenter 16 & IMAX
Wisconsin
Fitchburg – Kerasotes Star 18 & IMAX
CANADA
Alberta
Calgary – Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre Chinook IMAX Theatre
Edmonton – Cineplex Scotiabank West Edmonton Mall IMAX Theatre
British Columbia
Langley – Cineplex Colossus Langley IMAX Theatre
Richmond – Cineplex SilverCity Riverport IMAX Theatre
Nova Scotia
Halifax – Empire IMAX Theatre
Ontario
Gloucester – Cineplex SilverCity Gloucester IMAX Theatre
Mississauga – Cineplex Coliseum Mississauga IMAX Theatre
Toronto – Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre Toronto IMAX Theatre
Vaughan – Cineplex Colossus Woodbridge IMAX Theatre
Quebec
Montreal – Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre Montreal IMAX Theatre
# denotes 2D theatre *denotes later launch
Australia
Melbourne – Highpoint Hoyts IMAX
Melbourne – Melbourne IMAX
Perth – Carousel Hoyts IMAX
Sydney – Entertainment Quarter Hoyts Sydney
Sydney – LG IMAX Theatre Sydney
Austria
Graz – Cineplexx 8055 Graz
Vienna – Cineplexx Apollo Das Kino
Brazil
Sao Paolo – Bourbon Shopping Center IMAX Theater
China
Beijing – IMAX Theatre at the China National Film Museum
Beijing – IMAX Theatre UME Beijing International
Beijing – Shijingcheng Wanda Cinema
Changchun – Wanda International Cinema Changchun
Changsha – Changsha Wanda International Cinema
Shanghai – IMAX Theatre at Peace Cinema
Suzhou – Suzhou Science and Cultural Arts Centre
Czech Republic
Prague – Oskar IMAX Theatre – Palace Flora
Ecuador
Guayaquil – Nescafe IMAX Malecon 2000
France
Paris – Gaumont Disney Village IMAX
Germany
Berlin – CineStar IMAX 3D, Sony Center Berlin
Hong Kong
Kowloon – BEA IMAX Theatre
India
Hyderabad – PRASAD IMAX Theatre
Mumbai – IMAX Adlabs Theatre
Kolkatta – Aeren R. IMAX Theatre at Mani Square Pvt. Ltd.
Japan
Kanagawa – 109 Cinemas Kawasaki
Minoh – 109 Cinemas Minoh
Saitama – 109 Cinemas Shobu
Korea
Gwangju – CGV Gwangju
Ilsan – CGV Ilsan
Seoul – CGV Wangsipni
Seoul – CGV Yongsan
Mexico
Cuernavaca – Cinemex Diana IMAX Theatre
Guadalajara – Cinepolis Galerias Guadalajara IMAX Theatre
Juarez – Cinepolis Las Misiones Cd. Juarez IMAX Theatre
Mexico City – Cinepolis Perisur IMAX Theatre
Mexico City – Cinepolis Universidad IMAX Theatre
Monterrey – Cinepolis Galerias Valle Oriente IMAX Theatre
Toluca – Cinepolis Galerias Metepec IMAX Theatre
Torreon – Cinemas Martinez
Veracruz – Cinepolis Las Americas IMAX Acuario de Veracruz
Netherlands
Amsterdam – Pathe Arena
New Zealand
Auckland – SKYCITY IMAX Theatre Queen Street
Philippines
Edsa – SM City North Edsa Mall
Manila – San Miguel Coca-Cola IMAX Theatre
Russia
Moscow – KinoStar City @ Mega Belaya Dacha
Moscow – Nescafe IMAX Theatre
St. Petersburg – Coca-Cola IMAX Kinostar City
Spain
Barakaldo – Yelmo Cines Megapark
Malaga – Yelmo Cines Plaza Mayor
Oviedo – Yelmo Cines Los Prados
Taiwan
Taipei – Samsung IMAX Miramar Cinemas
Thailand
Bangkok – KrungSri IMAX Siam Paragon
Turkey
Ankara – Ankara AFM IMAX
Istinye – AFM Istinye Park IMAX
UAE
Dubai – Grand Megaplex 21 IMAX
UK
Birmingham – IMAX Cinema Millennium Point
Bradford – National Media Museum IMAX Bradford
Glasgow – Glasgow Science Centre IMAX Cinema
Greenwich – ODEON Greenwich
London – BFI London IMAX Cinema
Manchester – ODEON Manchester IMAX Cinema at The Printworks
Wimbledon – ODEON Wimbledon
UKRAINE
Kiev – IMAX Theatre
Posted in Entertainment News, Film | Tagged: 3D, Canada, cinema, Cineplex, film, Harry Potter, IMAX, movies | Leave a Comment »
En anglais s’il vous plait?
Posted by Jose Alvarez on March 8, 2009
Have you ever walked into a store or a restaurant in downtown Montreal and seen this sticker on the front door?“Here we do business in French,” is basically how you get greeted at may retail outlets. Now, of course, you may think -as I do- that having these stickers on the doors of Montreal businesses is absolutely unnecessary. After all, it’s Montreal, I know you speak French. What I would really want to know is if I’m going to be able to order my cheeseburger in English. How about a “we speak English here” kind of thing? You know, just so I can feel more welcome. I looked for a “we speak English” sticker the other day as I walked into a clothing store. It must be somewhere, I thought, but in smaller print of course. But no, I couldn’t find it.
The “Ici on commerce en français” stickers are part of the Office québécois de la langue française’s (better known by anglos as the language police) latest campaign against the English language. And yes, I say against the English language because it is exactly that. It is more an attempt to suppress English than to encourage French. The message is very clear: here we do business in French, deal with it, if you want to get served in English, go to Toronto.
Well, surprisingly, in Toronto they’d be more than happy to serve me in French. A recent article in the highly acclaimed 24 Heures explains how Toronto is increasingly becoming French friendly. There are roughly 200 thousand francophones living in Toronto, the article states, and the population of French-speaking Torontonians seems to be on a rise. But unlike us Montrealers, our anglophone friends in Toronto aren’t putting up “here we do business in English” stickers in an effort to protect the English language. On the contrary, they’ll do anything it takes in order to make francophone customers feel welcome, including serving them in French.
Why then do francophone Quebecers insist in making anglos feel like strangers in their own home? Of course I’ve never had any problem getting served in English in downtown Montreal, but those blue stickers, along with some other French-language campaigns, seem to me almost confrontational. And let’s not mention the fact that you can get fined if the language police finds that your business is breaking one of the absurd language laws. Better make sure your English signs are smaller than the French ones!
What’s going on in Toronto is an example of how things should be done. Rather than confronting people, we should make them feel welcome. Anglophones are an important part of Quebec and they feel as proud of being Quebecers as francophones do. It is of course very important to protect the French language, but not at the expense of alienating others.
Posted in Opinion, Quebec | 1 Comment »
Ten tips to be a better student
Posted by Jose Alvarez on March 4, 2009
School has been a part of my life since I was 4 years old and my mother had to endure my everyday crying each time she dropped me off at pre-school. Nearly 20 years later, I now have to face an imminent new reality: that of becoming the worker instead of the student. The thought that I will soon have to face a world relatively unknown to me is frightening, perhaps even more frightening than my first day of pre-school. Because let’s face it, being a student is easy, the real challenge begins when you can no longer depend on the comforts of the academic system. Having said that, getting your way through school can often seem like an ordeal to many students. The papers, the exams, the oral presentations, they all can be hard to handle and create a lot of stress. For that reason (and at the risk of committing premature professional suicide as a result of my unorthodox methods), I have decided to give students, particularly those who are or will be attending university, some useful tips that helped me deal with school with less stress while still getting good grades:
1. Go to class
Going to class is probably one of the most important keys to academic success. Whether your teacher is good or bad, fun or boring, nice or mean, young or old, or hot or not, there is always something to gain from going to class. Does your teacher simply repeat what’s on the book? Does he or she post all the notes on the course website? It doesn’t matter. I can assure you that attending class and listening – or half listening- to your teacher while you go on Facebook, text your boyfriend or girlfriend, or fall asleep, will dramatically increase the chance of that information getting in your head. “Should I then not skip class?” you may ask. Not quite. Skipping class is essential to staying sane during the term, but do not skip more than two classes on any given course and you’ll do fine.
2. Learn how to write properly
There is nothing teachers hate more then than bad writing. Please, please do yourself a favour and learn how to wright write properly. Watch out for spelling and grammar mistakes, especially very obvious ones. You might want to start by learning how to use Word’s spellcheck function properly, but that’s not all their there is to it. Buy or download a dictionary and get yourself a copy of a writing style handbook (The Elements of Style is highly recommended). But most of all, familiarize yourself with the basic rules of grammar, and identify your common mistakes in order to avoid making them again. On this note, the most common mistakes include the use of their/there/they’re, its/it’s then/than, etc. Learning how to write properly doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes at all, there are probably a few mistakes in this blog entry itself, but reducing the amount of grammatical and spelling errors will definitely increase your chances of academic success. Trust me, teachers tend to prefer well-written papers that may lack some depth to badly-written papers with a lot of substance.
3. Learn how to cite your sources
It is really not that hard. You can find many online resources that will tell you how to cite your sources in any given style. Proper citation not only guarantees a better grade, it also spares you from potential plagiarism accusations.
4. Procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate
Relax, take it easy. It’s not worth it to stress out about a paper that’s due in two or three weeks. Procrastination has been my motto all throughout my school years, particularly in university. Why would you start writing a paper two weeks before it’s due and go through all the stress and work that it entails when you can do it the day before the due date? In other words, it’s better to have a full day -and more often than not a full night- of stress than a full two weeks. Trust me, one or two nights is all you need to write that paper. Once you learn to write properly you won’t even need to write first, second, or third drafts anyway. Your first draft is good. Just give it a quick read before printing it and you’re good to go. Don’t obsess over it but remember to check for spelling and grammar mistakes as well as typos. As a side note, the only negative aspect I have found about procrastinating is the lack of books at the library. I have often faced the problem of searching for books on whatever topic I need to write about only to find that they all have been already checked out by other students in my class. Two simple solutions: first, even though you won’t start writing your paper until the due date is fairly close, gather your research materials in advance, and second, turn to other sources of information such as your local library or the internet (use only scholarly sources and whatever you do avoid Wikipedia because teachers look down on it).
5. Don’t waste your time reading all those pages
Every term I end up with a couple hundred dollars of unread books and course-packs that only create more clutter in my room. The fact that I don’t read all those books does not mean you shouldn’t buy them. It is always good to have them around. Also, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do the required readings at all but you need to adopt reading techniques that will help you avoid all that bullshit unnecessary information in academic writings. After all these years of reading scholarly articles, I have noticed a thing or two about the way academics write. They usually begin with two or three pages telling you what they will be talking about, followed by ten pages of rambling, french, german, and latin words and phrases, and English words you’ve never heard of and will probably never use, to finally end with one or two pages telling you what they just wrote about. My advice? read the first two or three pages and the last page or two (also known as the introduction and the conclusion, which in shorter pieces of writing might simply be the first and last paragraphs) and make sure you understand them well enough. Then proceed to reading the middle pages in the following way: read the first two and last sentences of every paragraph, read any sentence that has something in bold or italics, and avoid all the foreign-language and unknown English words (these are just meant for the author to show off how smart he/she is or at least thinks he/she is). Whatever you didn’t grasp by skimming through the readings will probably come up in class, hence the importance of going to class.
6. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit
In your papers and exams (the ones with essay-type questions) make sure you give a general understanding of the topic (whatever you got from skimming through the readings and half-listening to your teacher) followed by a bunch of bullshit additional insight. In other words, do what those scholars do in their academic writings but without sounding as pretentious as them. But above all, and I can’t stress this enough, write well!
7. Hand everything in on time.
I already mentioned the importance of procrastination in order to live a less stressful academic experience, but this doesn’t mean you don’t have to meet the deadlines. Handing stuff in on time is highly important because it gives your teachers the impression that you’re a responsible student, and you won’t suffer from lateness penalties. However, if for some reason you can’t meet the deadline, I have found that simply contacting the teacher and telling him/her you’re aware your work is late and that you’ll be penalized works more in your favour than coming up with far-fetched excuses.
8. Sleep, don’t study
Where as it is totally fine (and in my case, imperative) to pull an all-nighter while writing that paper you postponed until the last minute, it is not OK to spend the night before an exam studying. Nights before exams are meant to get proper sleep. Make sure you get a full 8-hour sleep (at least) so that you will be well-rested when it’s time to take that test. Trust me, all that studying will be worthless if by the time you get to the exam you’re half asleep or under the influence of five energy drinks. If you want to study -and I’m not a big fan of it- do it during the day. Personally, I don’t study per se. Rather, if I feel the need, I skim through the readings (even more quickly than the first time around) and through whatever notes I have just to refresh my memory. I also find it highly effective to get to the exam room at least 15 minutes in advance and just stand or sit near the inevitable group of people discussing frantically the course material.
9. Focus on what the teacher is saying, not on taking notes
I do take notes sometimes but I find it’s better just to sit back, relax, and enjoy the lecture. I might write some key concepts down from time to time, wonder off to Facebook, check my email, and send a few text messages along the way but I don’t take huge amounts of notes. I find it distracting and useless for I seldom read my notes afterwards. The bottom line is, if you’re focused on writing down everything the teacher says, you’re probably not paying attention to the meaning of what you’re writing. My suggestion: first listen, if you hear something worth writing down do it, but don’t simply write everything down as if you were a freaking stenographer.
10. Have fun
Your school years might be stressful and tiresome at times, but just think it might be worse. You might be an employee with an actual full-time job, a parent, or even worse, a recent unemployed graduate lost in the immensity of the professional world.
Posted in Opinion | Tagged: academic, college, essay, exam, graduating, graduation, grammar, job, paper, reading, school, spelling, stress, stress-free, study, survive, teacher, test, university, work, write, writing | 1 Comment »
Federal election..part deux???
Posted by Jose Alvarez on November 28, 2008
It seems it was only last month that Canadians went to the polls to elect the same federal government we had before. Oh wait..it WAS only last month! Now brace yourselves, sharpen your pencils, have your photo ID at hand, and remove your veils my fellow Canadians because this is no joke, we might be heading towards yet another federal election.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced his much anticipated economic update this afternoon, and the three opposition parties didn’t like it one bit.
Among other things, Flaherty’s plan includes cutting the $30-million public subsidy granted to political parties on a per vote basis and limiting public-sector salariesincreases to 1.5 per cent. But what pleased opposition parties the least was in fact something that’s missing in Flaherty’s update: a stimulus package.
So the Liberals, the NDP, and the Bloc have made up their mind: there is no way they will vote for this plan. And this being a confidence vote, we’re facing and imminate dissolution of parliament.
But wait, it turns out we might be spared the agony of all those campaign rallies and debates since there are some rumours of a coalition government between the opposition parties. For now these are just rumours but the possiblity is there and if you ask me, it’s a pretty good idea.
Although the idea of a coalition government might seem a bit abstract for us, it’s a formula that has been used quite frequently in Europe. The opposition parties understand that Canadians don’t want another election, and a coalition government seems like the best option if they are not willing to support the Conservative’s economic plan.
Let’s hope Dion, Layton, and Duceppe can come to an agreement in order to form a new government without sending us back to the polls.
Posted in Canada, Opinion | Tagged: Canada, coalition, economic update, economy, elections, federal elections, Gilles Duceppe, Jack Layton, Jim Flaherty, Ottawa, parliament, recession, Stephane Dion, Stephen Harper, stimulus package | Leave a Comment »
