April 19, 2024

Students teaching abroad share experiences and offer tips

Students looking to teach abroad are in high demand in Asia and some Ontarians have met the call. Kristofer Kravis has just begun his six-month teaching expedition in Thailand while Robert Lawson has recently returned home from teaching in Seoul, South Korea, and Spain. Both of them have advice and tips for students planning to teach abroad. Provided below are some pointers on how to follow Kravis’s route to teaching … Continued

VIDEO: College students who ‘forget all the rules’ about recycling could vastly improve their recycling habits

Waterloo Region has a rich history with the blue box, particularly Kitchener which started the first blue bin program. But the student population seems neither to know nor care about this. Kathleen Barsoum, coordinator of waste management in Waterloo Region, says students need to put more effort into sorting their recycling and garbage. In this video, she speaks about the history of the blue bin and youth involvement in recycling.

Rabbits need a new home for Easter

By Ryan B Chan   Rabbits at the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth are looking for new homes after several bunnies were dropped off at the Kitchener Waterloo Animal Centre overnight Sunday, April 3. One of the rabbits was found inside a truck engine on Wednesday evening but was removed and taken to the Humane Society.  This adds to the additional surge of rabbits the Humane Society … Continued

REVIEW: Attack on Titan needs a third instalment for the fourth season, but fans feel misled

The anime that has taken the world by storm, Attack on Titan, has announced that there will be a third instalment of the “Final” season. But the “Final” instalment of the popular anime won’t be released until early 2023, which means fans will have to wait just under a year for the conclusion of the gory, complicated, philosophical experiment that is Attack on Titan. The series follows the lives of … Continued

“Holy reviews, Batman!” (The Batman spoiler-free review)

Riddle me this, what’s dark, dreary, and makes you have to pee?  With a runtime that is four minutes shy of three hours, The Batman feels longer than it needs to be.  The runtime of this movie has been met with some support from die-hard fans who suggest that it needed to be this long, but the die-hard fan within me tells me it was not necessary. Both Seven (David … Continued

Conestoga College Recovers from Phishing Email Scam

By: Ryan B Chan Feb 24. 2022.  Conestoga College has recovered from a phishing email attack that targeted the student body and faculty.  At 3:21 PM on Feb. 4, Conestoga College’s Cyber Security team announced that a phishing email was sent to some of the email addresses that are associated with the college. “Several Conestoga accounts were compromised through a phishing campaign. That access was leveraged by the malicious actor … Continued

OPINION: I’m unsure of where I stand on the convoy, but I’m not convinced it’s a white nationalist movement

What was once labelled as a “small fringe minority”  with “unacceptable views” by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the “Freedom convoy” has evolved into a large-scale movement with independent protests across Canada, including Waterloo Town Square last weekend. There were some legitimate concerns on both sides of the political spectrum, but there’s been one commonly cited criticism that seemingly dismisses the movement as a whole. The blanket statement that the … Continued

Federal program aims to restore main streets and local businesses, but residents are confused over transparency

The Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) announced support for local businesses in Southern Ontario through the My Main Street program.  $23.25 million in funding will come from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), but residents are concerned about how this money will be spent.  “I think it was only a few years ago when Kitchener got an ‘F’ rating from … Continued

Cybersecurity experts warn of social media impact. Phishing a particular risk

By Ryan B Chan Cybercrime has nearly doubled since 2018 with a total impact on the global economy nearly reaching one trillion in 2020, according to Parachute. While cybercrime usually impacts businesses, there is still a significant risk for individuals through social media phishing. While phishing has historically been done via email where users would click links that would expose them to malware, a study by Blackhat found that social … Continued

New building for youth experiencing homelessness nears completion

You can listen to the audio of the report, or read the full news article below! “One youth on the street is one too many,” has been the long-standing motto for OneROOF, an organization that seeks to help youth experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region especially during the pandemic.  Despite the hardships OneROOF has faced during the era of COVID-19, a new building is in development near OneROOF’s current operational facilities. … Continued

Getting a handle on winter maintenance for 2022

Infrastructure services staff at the City of Kitchener have to propose a budget to city council every year on the estimated winter maintenance costs. Though the numbers for 2022 won’t be officially passed by the city council until Dec. 13, it’s expected to be similar to previous years.  Winter maintenance covers anything from the labour force of the mechanics and drivers that provide 24/7 coverage in the winter, to supplies … Continued

Students look forward to studying abroad post-pandemic

“There isn’t any place I’d rather be,” said Biplov Ramal, 26, a Sheridan College graduate who recently travelled back to his home country of Nepal. “Traveling is an experience that lets you come back with new perspectives.” Over the last decade, Asian academic communities have seen a massive uptick in international students. Low tuition and living costs are often cited as key factors in the economic decision as to why … Continued

Future Entrepreneurs Need to Beware Ransomeware

Spoke had the opportunity to speak with David MacBride, an operations manager at W.A Stephenson Mechanical who spoke of his horror stories with ransomware after his company was hacked. His experience was complicated and difficult, but with the right insight, he says there is a way out. 

The Personal Stories of Orange Shirt Day

Ryan B Chan This was the first year that Canada recognized the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation which now takes place annually on Sept 30. The day is to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.  The event also coincides with Orange shirt day which is a symbolic day to represent the culture that was taken from Indigenous peoples. The story behind Orange … Continued