Car insurance too high for young men, says young driver

By Samantha MacKinnon

When Thomas Carmody moved out on his own he made the choice to buy a car.

What he didn’t take into account was the price of insuring the car of the fact that he would be paying much less if he was a young female.

For a long time now young men have paid more for car insurance because of their high-risk status as drivers.

Some young men, like Carmody, feel this is discrimination.

He is only one driver and thinks being categorized in a group isn’t right, Carmody said.

“Maybe (young) men are more likely to get in car accidents, but that doesn’t mean I am.”

Sex shouldn’t be a contender in how much you’re paying for car insurance and neither should age, Carmody said.

“The fact that I’m paying more just because I’m a guy is crazy.”

Young men are paying two and a half times more than young women as a new occasional driver, said an insurance agent from Charlottetown.

While young men complain about the high rates, young women are thrilled that their rates are so low in comparison, said the agent, who asked not to be named.

“They expect the rate to be as high as the young men so they’re pretty happy to hear how low it is in comparison.”

Although the issue seems to remain one that not everyone can agree on, it doesn’t seem like it will be changing either.

Dealing with the price is something he’ll have to live with, said Carmody, who drives to work each day.

“Let’s hope they find a different way to distinguish rates in the near future.”

Alliance, boards oppose energy drink sales

By Ryan Conway

     The Healthy Eating Alliance is quite concerned about the selling of energy drinks to children, said Charmaine Campbell, provincial school nutritional coordinator for the alliance.

     The alliance is a multi-sectoral organization dedicated to working together with the community to encourage children and youth to indulge in healthier eating habits.

     Campbell said energy drinks are displacing healthier drinks 100 per cent fruit juice, water, and milk.

     “This is one of the reasons why we think energy drinks should be kept away from schools.”

     She said another reason is because of the high caffeine content.

     “These energy drinks have up to 160 milligrams of caffeine. Health Canada says the average recommended amount of caffeine for an adult is 400 milligrams a day, which is about three cups of coffee.”

     “The daily recommended amount of caffeine for kids and teens is less than 100 milligrams.”

     Campbell said these drinks also have negative side effects that could be a risk to a child’s health.

     “Energy drinks can give children to have panic attacks, stomach pains, irregularity, and an increased heart rate. Energy drinks can also cause children to have trouble sleeping.”

     “These problems tend to happen because students tend to abuse the drinks and they do not know the dangers of doing so.”

     Campbell said the alliance has been talking to both teachers and principals throughout the province about their stance on energy drinks.

     “Both the Eastern School District and the Western School Board have policies prohibiting energy drinks on school property.”

     Donna Dawkins, the manager of policy and planning for the Eastern School District, said there isn’t actually a ban on energy drinks in the district but rather a referendum to ask students not to take the drinks onto school property.

     “We are asking students for their compliance and there will not be any penalty for bringing the drinks onto school property. This is more of an educational focus rather than a disciplinary one.”

     Dawkins said schools in the district will provide students with information about the dangerous effects these energy drinks can have when abused.

     “These methods seem to have worked so far. The students have been compliant for the most part, with the schools saying they haven’t had any problems.”

     She said the school district did receive a letter of support from the provincial health officer.

     “In the letter he commended us for warning the students about the dangers of these energy drinks.”

     The issue was brought to the district’s attention when the principal of Souris High School voiced her concerns, said Dawkins.

     “She had noticed strange behavior from the students who were consuming energy drinks. It was one school that brought it forward. All schools polled agreed that the energy drink problem should be issued.”

     On Oct. 13, 2008, a board meeting made the new policy regarding energy drinks on school property was made official.

     The superintendent released his directive regarding the issue, saying all schools in the district will prohibit the consumption of energy drinks on school property. 

Oceanic “dead zones” a major concern for fisheries industry

By Jillianne Hamilton

            Dead zones in the ocean will have a major impact on the fisheries industry, says an aquaculture student.

            Trisha Lewis, 20, is a student at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro and the daughter of a Five Islands fisherman.

            Oceanic dead zones are caused by human-made chemicals, like certain fertilizers, entering the water systems. These particular ocean areas are low in oxygen and have become inhabitable by many species of fish.

            All living species need oxygen to live, said Lewis.

“When there is a lack of oxygen, living species may no longer be supported. In areas where there is a decreased oxygen, many fish may be faced with hypoxia.”

Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen in the fish's tissues. This can be lethal if the species doesn't find a way to get the oxygen it needs, she said.

“Hypoxia can lead to death very quickly and it is very stressful for the fish, which means the immune system will also become weak and the fish will be more succeptible to disease.”

The oceans are affected by a decrease in fish and also an increase in organic matter settling on the bottom of the areas with decreased oxygen.

“If dead zones are created, many aquatic species will no longer be able to live in those areas and be forced to go to other areas of the ocean which do have an adequate supply of oxygen,” Lewis said.

These dead zones can have a huge impact on the fishing industry if something isn’t done soon, she said.

“Since these dead zones are usually along coastal areas, fish will begin to move into deeper waters.”

Many people fish for recreation along the coast and many fish for a living, she said.

“If the fish are forced to move, the fishermen may see a decrease in their catch which directly affects their pocket book as well as the supply of fish for people to eat.”

Central Northumberland Strait Fisherman’s Association president Mike McGeoghegan is troubled by the issue.

“It is a concern,” he said.

McGeoghegan, a commercial lobster and crab fisherman, said it doesn’t take much to upset the environmental balance.

“The ecosystem is very fragile.”

However, he’s skeptical about these types of reports and the science community.

“Our voices are not heard very well,” he said.

These dead zones – and other oceanic anomalies – could be better understood by the scientific community by working closer with people who are impacted by them most, he said.

“When you’ve been out on the water, you learn a few things.”

Where do students find the money?

            By Leslie Keeping

 

            We’ve all heard it in news stories, heard the complaints from students and experienced first hand what it’s like to be a so-called “starving student.” Living paycheque-to-paycheque, eating more than an unhealthy amount of pasta, and working the late-night shifts just to make ends meet. 

            Now a days, however, it’s been occurring to me that the starving student is a dying breed.  Though tuition costs are higher than ever, there seems to be a suspicious amount of spending going on within the early 20s age group. 

            Personally, I have a ratty pair of sneakers I’ve had for three years from Walmart, I shop at Value Village, I sew my own clothes when I can, I usually get my meals in the form of a coffee cup, my paycheques barely cover rent and groceries for the month and I use student loans. 

            But I feel like I missed a meeting at some point since the students around me don’t seem to be doing too badly.  New clothes over the weekends, cellphones (I do not how anyone can afford cellphone bills) laptops, ipods and a different pair of boots to go with each new outfit. 

            For me, it begs the question: where do students find the money?

            Statistics Canada found in a study back in 2001-2002 that of post-secondary students enrolled in the  more expensive programs (over $5,000) 85 per cent funded their tuition with personal savings,  though the savings usually won’t be enough to cover the entirety of the fees.

            Surprisingly, only 26 per cent of all post-secondary students rely on student loans for their tuition and not-so-surprisingly 90 per cent of students rely on several sources for their money.  Scholarships, part-time jobs and family funding are just a few.

It still sounds to me that unless students have some sort of inheritence or are enrolled in very cheap programs that it still should be a bit of a struggle to pay the bills each month. I suspect high-paying entry-level work such as call centres may be the reason for this, but that still doesn’t explain it for those of us who can’t make the commute to the industrial park.

             I might be wrong about all this, perhaps the new clothes and boots are old ones dug out from the closet.  The ipods, cellphones and laptops could be gifts.  But when people my age cringe at me when I say I shop at Value Village, or they do a double take when I say I don’t have a cellphone, it makes me think otherwise.

            I say letss stick to the cheap status symbols like ripped jeans and dollar store headphones connected to the no-name mp3 players our mom got us thinking it was an ipod. Choke down our pasta and drink coffee to surpress our appetites until we get our paycheques and can afford real food. 

There used to be an honour to the humble life of a poor student, and I say we should re-capture it.  Or at least, you well-off students should share your money secrets with the rest of us.