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- Research finds transit may be good for more than the environment

COREE we pasa!

By Siavash Emamzadeh

he findings of a study conducted
by UBC researchers may give
hope to people forced to leave
their cars behind in favour of taking
transit.
The good news is that taking
transit may very well constitute the

E , philosophy to a whole different stage,
a a 5 os where one can exercise and be aware
‘ % of it only on a subconscious level.
After all, the exercising is interlaced
in activities like taking the bus to run
errands or the SkyTrain to go to work.
However, I can’t help but wonder
if they accounted for an important
factor: stress.

daily dose of required exercise. Granted
though, the study simply addresses the
likelihood of getting enough exercise,

  

 

Can the positive health effects of
taking transit be offset by the stress
encountered by taking the bus or

as it doesn’t take into account every
possible scenario.

The study found that driving
contributes negatively to physical
health. The researchers attributed these
findings to the fact that people need to
do some considerable walking to get
from a transit stop to their destination.

For starters, the benefits of taking
transit may ease the pain of people
that have to leave their cars at home
because it may put somewhat of a
positive spin on saving money as a
result of the unstable economy. It

SkyTrain? Because in the end, that

is one of the biggest reasons people
dislike using public transportation.
Stimuli, like a person speaking loudly
on their phone, a baby screaming or
general etiquette violations can lead to
a lot of stress.

Nevertheless, I’m sure over time
this study will attract more attention
and analysis. Overall though, I’d say
it’s a pretty good result that could get
people to change their lifestyles on a
relatively large scale.

does seem contradictory, but today’s But clearly, the finding’s biggest
economic constraints may have a hint impact affects those concerned with
of silver lining buried deep in all the their physical health.
misery. Often, people suffering from
What’s more, it may serve as an obesity are told to watch their favourite
incentive to reduce automobile use in television program while they’re on
order to curb global warming (much the treadmill or listen to their iPod.
to the chagrin of the struggling GM This reinforces the idea that they’re not
and Chrysler). And seeing as how exercising per se, where they regularly
TransLink seems to be perpetually check how much time is left in their
considering a hike in fares, future routine. Rather, it makes them feel
increases may be met with fewer like it’s just another task in their day.
complaints — but not by much. The research’s results advance this

     

 

 

Are we too afraid of law enforcement officers?

 

 

By Siavash Emamzadeh

ooks can be deceiving. This idea
| was reinforced when I watched
an episode of the TV show What
Would You Do?

It’s an ABC program hosted by
John Quinones that examines how
people react in provocative situations.
After catching their reaction on the
camera, Quinones approaches the
subjects and informs them of the
experiment.

 

In one scenario of this episode, an
actor with a cap, wearing a dark leather
jacket on a black shirt, approaches
shoppers at a grocery market and asks
for their help. He identifies himself
as a bounty hunter and requests their
assistance in capturing a woman (also
an actor) he describes as an outlaw.
After showing the first subject his
fake badge, which seems real, he orders
her to swipe the outlaw’s purse while
the outlaw is not looking. The shopper
obeys.

 

 

re as Te my oe

And after that, he orders another
subject to steal the outlaw’s stroller,
which carries a fake baby. At first, it
seems that this shopper will not go
along with orders, but later agrees that
he will impede the “outlaw” while the

bounty hunter runs off with her stroller.

Overall, nearly 80 per cent of
shoppers complied with the impostor.
This number, however, is not
particularly surprising, as I’ve heard of
this type of fraud in Vancouver.

For instance, there was an incident

in the Lower Mainland where a couple
pretended to be SPCA staff. They
approached a person at their home

and explained that they needed to

take their pet away in light of animal
cruelty charges. Their credentials? An
“official” document. The result? The
pet was abducted.

It’s hard to know what accounts for
the excessive trust in these situations.
Could it be that we are too afraid of
law enforcement authorities? This is
not such a baseless suggestion because
there have been instances that actual
cops take advantage of innocent
citizens. A recent example is the
altercation involving a taxi driver and
three police officers, where it seems
that the officers preyed on the man. His
mindset was probably, “They’re the
cops; I do as they say.”

As I see it, the whole purpose of
fearing law enforcement officers is to
save us from bouts of carelessness. It’s
to steer us in the safe and morally right
path.

Sometimes though, we shiver at
the mere sight of an animal control
officer or a police cruiser, thinking
that perhaps there is some way that we
have done wrong. I’m not suggesting
that we should resist law enforcement
officers, as most of them are dedicated,
hard-working people working for our
safety. But clearly, our fear of them has
evolved to insecurity about ourselves.
The system just doesn’t work.