1 RE Rte a ro mE Peer ee ee oem News Shorts By Kristina Mameli — Cell phone laws enforced B.C. drivers who have been counting down the days until new laws prohibiting cell phone use while driving become strictly enforced need wait no more. As of Monday, the law which bans texting or talking while driving will see $167 fines for talking, and the fine plus three points against licences for texting handed out to offenders. The law came into effect January 1, but was given a one month grace period. For more information, visit http:// www .drivecellsafe.ca/ New West wins Gay Pride Day Last Monday at the City Council meeting, a motion to make August 7, 2010 New Westminster’s first ever Gay Pride Day was passed. The event will acknowledge the gay community living in New Westminster and promote tolerance amongst all residents. For its first year, the event will remain small with plans to expand in coming years. A scientific reason to take a break A study from New York University, which recently appeared in the last issue of Neuron, backs up what students have been claiming since the dawn of the lecture: taking a break during class helps you retain information. While sleep has long been known to help the brain file and retain information, even a short break while awake may have similar effects, claims the report. Your brain acts as a filter, cutting the majority of information learnt quickly and better retaining material learnt prior to a rest. cr Js LF Where have all the newspaper boxes gone? Olympic restrictions on street based advertising may be to blame for the disappearance Kristina Mameli news editor s you wait for the bus at the SkyTrain Station in the Annie you may have noticed one particularly glaring staple missing—the newspaper boxes. Even The Other Press box which once resided at New Westminster Station has been temporarily relocated to the hallway outside our offices for at least the duration of the Olympics. But why have the SkyTrain stations been left so bare? It may have to do, in part, with Olympic by-laws restricting street based advertising. the 2010 Winter Games By-law, and can continue to be distributed through the Games period through-out the City. The updated 2010 Winter Games By-law (December 2009) clarifies that newspapers with no more than 70 per cent advertising content (based on the Canada Post criteria) are not advertising-matter. As a result, the temporary restrictions on the distribution of advertising-matter near Games-related sites will not affect newspaper distribution.” In the case of the missing paper boxes, most notably missing from such suburban stations as Braid and Edmonds, however, this does not seem to be the case. Under those rules, the boxes should not be missing from areas as far removed from Olympic venues as the aforementioned. Early one morning, The Other Press spoke to SkyTrain staff unofficially in passing only to find that the boxes had been removed due to the simple fact that they’re seen as “The boxes had been removed due to the simple fact that they’re seen as safety hazards. Upon further investigation, the removal of the boxes within 100m of some Olympic sites, though not mentioned in the by-laws, was always set to happen in order to address the concerns of the Integrated Security Unit.” According to the FAQ on _http://olympichostcity. vancouver.ca, the City’s 2010 Winter Games By-law includes strict rules about advertising during the Games in an attempt to “minimize litter and congestion in key spectator areas.” Under the bylaw, the distribution and display of various forms of advertising ranging from product samples to pamphlets are banned anywhere near an Olympic venue. Outside of the restricted areas, however, all advertising is fair game “as long as it does not cause litter.” It’s interesting to note that VANOC is responsible for all of the Olympic advertising that adorns public transit due to a $17 million deal struck with TransLink. VANOC bought all available advertising spaces and then flipped it to Olympic sponsors. The deal does not negatively affect TransLink’s bottom line, but instead sees the company able to budget for extra staff, additional hours and longer service. So where do those restrictions leave newspapers? According to the site, “Newspapers that contain a balance of editorial and commercial content are not impacted by safety hazards. Upon further investigation, the removal of the boxes within 100m of some Olympic sites, though not mentioned in the by-laws, was always set to happen in order to address the concerns of the Integrated Security Unit. The boxes will be returned ee the > Sekiani ot re Re ae Ey I ter ER “Sexting” courses aim to teach youth the dangers of recringioay By Tanya Colledge, Staff Reporter e all received sexual education in middle school, W but a new course will soon be introduced to 100 Canadian Grade 7 classrooms to shed light on the dangers of explicit mobile messages, textual harassment and other known dangers linked to youths’ wireless communication. After alarming statistics from various studies and reports, including one from LG Electronics, suggested that 22 per cent of teens aged 12 to 17 claimed to have received a naked picture on their mobile device, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association have come together to create a pilot course on the subject, “textED.ca.” The course is set to begin in classrooms across the country this month, with full program implementation due in September. The first of its kind in Canada, the curriculum will help address an education gap that had made young people vulnerable to many text-related risks such as harassment, privacy and “text-lurking.” Although some text-education is required by provincially mandated health courses, educators [gag across the country who have agreed to take part in the pilot program are eager to see the plan put into action. TextED.ca course is made up of three lesson plans ranging from 40 to 90 minutes in length. Teachers will use a combination of curriculum-based safety lessons, combined with the website to help guide their students through safe and respectful text messaging, skills that are sure to help them through life in our highly technological society. Once feedback from teachers is collected and the necessary adjustments are made, the program will be sent to junior high schools across the country with details on the optional curriculum in hopes of it being adopted in as many schools possible. With 100 million text messages being sent every day in Canada, the majority by youth, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association has been proud to financially support a program to teach youth how to use technology respectfully and to know what to do when someone crosses the line.