AIM
April 2014
on knowledge
HEALTH
»
»
Music for Therapy
LEARNING
A Day in the Life of Kelly
» Sports!
A Shortcut to
Success in Your Studies
THE PLANET
» All Fired
» A Misleading and
Mind-Blowing Pyramid
SOCIETY
»
Overpopulation:
A Serious Concern
LEARNING
by Charlotte Lemieux-Bourque
by André Wall
Osteoporsis: The Neglected Disease 06
Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. 22
Involve me, I understand.
A Day in the Life of Kelly 04
by Alexandra Dostie
The Unforgettable: People with Potential 08
by Marie-Hélène Lessard
Music for Therapy 10
by Kimberly Bourque
Sports: A Shortcut to Success in Your Studies 20
by Christine Poulin
THE PLANET
Why Should We Explore the Ocean More? A Misleading and Mind-Blowing Pyramid 26
SOCIETY
Serial Killers: Are They the New Super Stars? 12
by Roxanne Hilchey-Huot
Overpopulation: A Serious Concern 14
by Andy Larochelle
28
All Fired by Alexandre Buteau
by Élisabeth Dupuis
e-Sports: The Past, The Present, The Future 16
by Jean-Raphaël Poulin-Arguin
Our Society Under Hogwart’s Spell 18
by Stacy Breton
Written by
Alain Gilbert
English teacher
Credits
[email protected]
24
by Maude Paré
Editorial
This is the second edition of AIM on knowledge, a
magazine written and produced by students from
the Cégep Beauce-Appalaches. Just as it was the
case for the first version, the articles were written by
students taking the English 103 course last fall. As
for the magazine’s layout, students from the Printing Management program took the good work that
was done last year and improved what was already a
pretty good magazine.
This year’s AIM on knowledge is divided in 4 sections: health, our planet, society and learning. It
must be noted that the student-journalists chose
their topics mainly based on personal interest and
with very little input from their teacher, the result
giving a variety of topics ranging from oceans to esports to osteoporosis.
The students who worked on the “look” of the
magazine were challenged to suggest ideas to make
AIM on knowledge better, more attractive and closer to what you may find in “real” magazines. These
students came up with fantastic ideas that they proposed to their client, namely me, all this done in
Content
Health
English so they get to work in a situation that is as
close as possible to a real-life situation. Needless to
say that it was hard to make choices and especially
hard to put aside some of the good suggestions
these students made. Fortunately, Sonia Cadoret, a
teacher in printing management, was of great help
in accomplishing that and many other aspects implied in the making of such a project.
AIM on knowledge is most definitely a work in
progress. We are thinking of making an online version of the magazine with video documents, and
updated data. I also wish to possibly bring more
variety in the type of articles written, oriented towards possible use in class. I absolutely welcomed
any suggestions or comments teachers from high
schools have had about last year’s magazine and I
hope to get more input for this edition; some teachers even ordered extra copies of the magazine to use
in their courses.
Finally, I hope you enjoy reading this edition of AIM
on knowledge, both for the articles and to hopefully
read former students of yours.
Journalist’s Pictures:
Alexandre Duclos-Ferland student in Arts visuels
Magazine’s Layout:
Students in Gestion de projet en communications graphiques: Cynthia Doyon, Karol-Ann Larochelle,
Josianne Drouin, Catherine Arguin-Bilodeau, Michelle Fortin, Melyssa Lachance, Pier-Luc Poulin and
Nathalie Savard
Customer Service Representative:
Students in Gestion de projet en communications graphiques
Printer:Tactic
Financial support:
AGÉ and CBA
44
Health
A Day in
The life of Kelly
Written by
Charlotte Lemieux-Bourque
K
elly is five. She lives in a small town,
goes to kindergarten and is followed by several health professionals
because just like one on every twenty
children all over the world, she has a
hard time grasping what others are
talking about when addressing to her
and a harder time expressing her ideas
when she has to answer.
Kelly doesn’t exist, but she could: she is
all the kids who suffer from a language
disorder that affects not only their communication skills but also their whole
behavior. The consequences are enormous on their future lives, and the first
challenge for everybody who surrounds
them is to be sure they will be able to
develop communication tricks that will
ensure them a job and, ultimately, a life.
7h15 - Wake up. Kelly’s parents smile at
her. They talk to her slowly and they wait
for her to answer, even if it takes a little
time. Her mother and father are patient.
You must not and cannot be in a hurry
when you have a daughter like Kelly.
Never.
There are two distinct forms of language disorders: the receptive and the
expressive. Kelly has both. It means
she has both a hard time understanding the meaning of words and using
them. When she talks, she needs time:
she cannot hold a normal conversation
at a normal rhythm. However, when she
talks, her diction is perfect. How so?
There is a difference between a speech
disorder and a language disorder.
Speech is “the verbal means of communicating” and can be separated in
three aspects: the articulation, the voice
and the fluency. A problem affecting
such does not influence the way we
understand the message of a sentence;
it only makes the container less perfect
- not the content. Stuttering is a speech
disorder. The language, as for itself, “is
made up of socially shared rules”, such
as what the words mean, in which order we must put them together and
how to make them – like with “friend”,
“friendly” and “unfriendly”. It is officially divided in four different domains:
phonology, grammar, semantics and
pragmatics.
8h15 – The bell rings. The school day begins in the kindergarten in which Kelly
spends her days. The first period is free.
As all the children get in pairs or groups
to talk freely and randomly, Kelly prefers
staying in retreat, playing alone.
One of the difficulties experienced by
the children suffering from language
disorders is the interaction with people
in general and with other children specifically. Young ones do not have the
capacity of attention that is necessary
to be able to wait for Kelly to talk or, at
least, to understand what they said; it is
therefore almost impossible for them to
be friends.
9h15 – Arts and crafts. Today, the class is
making piggy banks out of plastic bottles.
Everyone is sitting around a table, listening to the teacher. She hands out the
material and all the kids begin painting
and decorating their bottles - all except
Kelly. The boys sitting next to her, seeing
that she didn’t understand, tease her and
when the teacher asks her what’s wrong,
she stands up and explodes, screaming
and throwing feathers, glue sticks and
scissors on the floor. She is put in isolation to calm down, like almost everyday.
Problems with language do not only affect the communication skills of those
who suffer from them; it also affects
their behavior in general, as not being
able to understand what the others are
trying to tell you is highly frustrating.
They make social interaction one of
the hardest parts of the life of children
suffering from them and can lead to
chronic anxiety and depression.
13h15 – After dinner, and like every
second Monday of the month, Kelly misses class to go to her speech and language
pathologist (SLP), directly at the school.
Her parents attend to the meeting.
Kelly would progress faster with a meeting per week, but there are a lot of children experiencing difficulties with the
communication and reading skills that
are needed to stay in regular classes –
and, as we know, there are far too few
places in classes for children with spe-
AIM on knowledge
cial needs. With the SLP, the family discusses about applying one of various
therapies that all have the same goal: that
Kelly develops the ability to use language
at an age-appropriate level, as quickly as
possible. Indeed, as mentioned by Mary
Kristen Klark and Alan G. Kamhi in the
International Encyclopedia of Rehabilitation, “children who normalize language by early school age are less likely to
have subsequent reading and academic
problems”. Every therapy includes a lot of
participation from the parents - singing
her songs, reading her stories and playing one-on-one games with her.
14h30 – When the meeting finishes, and
as the little girl and her parents are preparing to leave, the SLP hands Kelly’s mother
the business card of a psychologist – just in
case, to help her deal with the behavioral
and emotional problems that come along
with language disorders.
19h30 – Kelly’s day is over. She goes to
sleep, exhausted, preparing for another
day to come, where she will still have to
work twice as hard to keep up with the
other children.
We have a lot to learn from Kelly, and
from all the other kids struggling everyday to read, write and talk in classes all
over the world. They are more numerous
than we could think and we have to learn
to deal with them and help them, as we
did with those suffering from an ADHD,
another disorder that is mostly specific
to children.
We have to pay attention to them, because even if now they have trouble expressing it, they are people with great
ideas that can and will bring a lot to society – if we give them the tools and the
time to do it.
55
66
Health
Osteoporosis:
The Neglected Disease
Written by
Alexandra Dostie
D
id you know that, according to the
National Osteoporosis Foundation,
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the National Institutes
of Health, the costs linked to osteoporosis were estimated at 17.5 billion dollars in 2000? Did you also know that, in
the United States, there are 34 million
people who have low bone density, 10
million people who have osteoporosis
and on that 10 million, there are 2 million men infected? Those numbers are
not only high in the U.S.A but also in
Canada where there are 1.4 million infected people. Furthermore, everybody
has to think about osteoporosis one day
or the other because 1 woman on 4 and
1 man on 8 over 50 years old are going
to have this bone disease in the future.
Therefore, in this article, I will explain
what this illness is, the causes, the risks
factors, the diagnostic, the prevention
and the treatments.
What is the osteoporosis disease?
Osteoporosis is a progressive and generalized skeleton disease characterized
by low bone mass and thinning of the
bones. Therefore, it leads to an increased level of bone fragility and promotes fractures. It should also be noted
that it is possible that the disease goes
undetected until a fracture occurs. This
disease is asymptomatic.
What are the causes of this illness?
There are many causes of this sickness but before I explain them to you,
it is important to know a little bit
more about the cells that create bone
and those who destroy them. In our
body, there are two kinds of cells that
are needed to keep healthy bones, the
osteoclasts and the osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are cells that create bone particles
and osteoclasts are the opposite; they
destroy the bone. In a healthy body
there is a larger amount of osteoblast so
we create much more bone than what
the osteoclasts destroy. In a normal
day, bones receive little shocks when
we walk or stand. After the osteoclasts
damages are filled in with the bones
that the osteoblasts create, the amount
of bones that is left is used to restore the
bone damage caused by our daily activities. Someone who has osteoporosis
has more osteoclasts than osteoblasts
so the body of the patient is not able to
regenerate the skeleton. That is why the
bone mass goes down.
This alteration can be caused by many
phenomenon and those ones are the
cause of osteoporosis. The first one is
the decrease of calcium in the body.
Calcium usually has the effect of increasing the action of osteoblasts, so
it increases the formation of bones. If
there is less calcium, the osteoblasts
don’t have enough energy to create
bones so their mass goes down. The
second one is the reduction of vitamin
D. Vitamin D is a substance that helps
the body absorb calcium so if there is
less vitamin D, there is less absorption.
There is a lower action of the osteoblasts
cells. The third cause is the increase in
parathyroid hormone (PTH).The main
function of PTH is to increase bone resorption to maintain the right level of
calcium by increasing the amount and
action of osteoclasts. If the actions of
PTH are amplified, there is a perturbation in the calcium level so it creates a
multiplication of the osteoclasts action.
Fourthly, the last cause is reduction of
estrogen among women, during menopause for example, because estrogen
is a hormone causing decreased bone
resorption, so if there is less estrogen,
there is an amplification of the action
of osteoclasts. As you can see, there are
many causes of osteoporosis but they
are all caused by a change in the balance
of the body.
Are there risk factors?
In addition to the causes, there are also
risk factors. Here are most of them: to
be over 50 years old because your bones
become weaker with age, heredity,
smoking (one pack of cigarettes a day
gets your bones density down 5 to 10%),
early menopause among women(before
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age 45), immobility period because if
you don’t move, your body stops producing a high amount of bone particles,
endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal
diseases, diseases of the bone marrow,
collagenoses, some drugs also put you
more at risk and other things such as
rheumatoid arthritis and major depression.
Is there a way to prevent
osteoporosis?
Although there are a lot of risk factors
and causes, it is still possible to prevent
the disease. The way to prevent it is by
taking care of your diet, to have a good
intake of calcium, minerals and vitamin
D. Dairy products, some seafood, nuts
and almonds, and various other products may help to increase consummation of calcium, minerals and vitamin
D. You could also do physical activity,
such as walking, aerobic dance, tennis,
etc., quit smoking, reduce or stop drinking, reducing or stopping caffeine, make
falling prevention to avoid possible
fractures and make a hormone therapy
during menopause after talking to your
doctor.
How can we diagnose this disease?
Osteoporosis is an asymptomatic disease, so it is very difficult to diagnose it
but we can see if someone has osteoporosis after a stress fracture, like getting a
fracture while sneezing or going down
the sidewalk. In addition, osteoporosis
is a decrease of bone mass and it is impossible to make a mass screening of
osteoporosis, therefore the method is
rather screening subjects at significant
risk. Although it is difficult to make
a final diagnosis, it is possible to do a
radiograph of thoracolumbar spine,
make the measurement of bone mineral density through various tests as the
absorbance of dual energy x-ray of the
lumbar spine or make bone remodeling
markers. The diagnostic of osteoporosis
is usually made after a fracture because
x-ray shows the illness.
What kind of treatment can you
have if you have osteoporosis?
After the diagnostic, you
have to take a treatment.
Osteoporosis
can
be
treated in two ways, the
non-pharmacological way
and the pharmacological
way. In the non-pharmacological way you have to
pay attention to the different technics of prevention.
For the pharmacological
treatment, you have to
take drugs such as bisphosphonates (most used),
etidronate, alendronate,
risedronate,
estrogens,
selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs),
parathormone, strontium
or fluor. Some surgeries
can also be performed.
Despite this, it should be
noted that those treatments do not completely
cure the disease, but it
slows it down, because the
body, although we take
more care or take medication, suffers from an habituation effect of drug or
calcium intake so it is impossible to fully reverse the
effects of osteoporosis.
Conclusion
To conclude, osteoporosis
is a progressive and generalized skeleton disease
characterized by low bone
mass and thinning of the bones. There
are a lot of risk factors, the diagnostic is
really hard to give, there are many different ways to provide it and there are
also treatments to slow down the bad effects. Lastly, did you know that taking a
sunbath provides you with a higher level
of vitamin D? So the only fact that you
go outside often can help you prevent
osteoporosis.
7
8
Health
The Unforgettable:
People with Potential
Written by
Marie-Hélène Lessard
P
eople affected with hyperthymesia
can remember their whole life in
specific details. Although some may be
envious, is this unique phenomenon
rather a disorder?
What if we could remember our life on
a day-by-day basis? This may sound impossible, but experts recently diagnosed
patients with unique cases of Highly
Superior Autobiographical Memory
(HSAM). Believe it or not, these people
possess the amazing capability to recall
their life down to a minute. Dr. James
McGaugh, a Professor of Neurobiology
at the University of California Irvine,
is the first to investigate and research
HSAM. Thirteen individuals, from
around the world, have been diagnosed
with this remarkable ability. Six of them
appeared on 60 minutes, a CBS show,
and gave the world a chance to witness
the uniqueness of their memory.
Understanding the Brain and its
Functions
Scientists used to describe memory as
a phenomenon in which information
was stored in different memory folders. They soon realized it was way more
complex. A theory commonly accepted
by experts is that the prefrontal cortex serves as a storage space for shortterm memories. Carlyle Jacobsen first
mentions this idea in 1935, analysing
short-term memory deficits when this
region of the brain is damaged. There
are three types of memory; the sen-
sory memory, the short-term memory
and the long-term memory. The brain
detects a stimulus through sensory organs, meaning that smell, touch, sight,
hearing or taste is involved. If we perceive this information, it moves into the
sensory memory and reaches the processing system. People unconsciously
see countless pieces of information
throughout a whole day but only few
ones are perceived and thus sent to the
analysing memory system. Short-term
memory, also known as working memory, is retrieved when we pay attention to the information stored in sensory memory, otherwise it disappears.
With an average capacity of remembering seven items for a small interval
of time, short-term memories can be
transformed into long-term memories
through consolidation or rehearsing.
The long-term memory has an unlimited capacity and a permanent storage of
information.
Other types of memory exist, such as
eidetic, commonly referred as photographic memory. Photographic memory involves being able to recall information with extreme precision. Barry
Gordon, a professor of neurology and
cognitive science at the Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, doubts
the existence of photographic memories. The eidetic memory ideal would
involve the possibility to retrieve it
from our mind and examine it at our
will. “But a true photographic in this
sense has never been proved to exist.”
he says. For instance, experts suppose
that the capacity to remember increases
when it is stimulated by visual material.
For example, it is commonly known that
it is much easier for the majority of us to
remember faces rather than the names
associated with those faces. Although
visual memories sound very similar to
photographic memories, it is still far
from truly being the same. This type of
memory results from constant rehearsal. Photographic memory involves the
exact visualization of previous experiences without requiring rehearsal. Individuals possessing such an ability are
extremely rare.
Endless Memory: Superhuman
Memory
Hyperthymesia, also defined as Highly
Superior Autobiographical Memory
(HSAM), is a unique condition in which
affected people recall the vast majority
of previous events in accurate and stunning detail. They only retain information with a personal significance. Their
memory is described as uncontrollable.
Scientists found intriguing variations
in the brain of people possessing this
ability. In fact, differences in the mind
of these affected individuals were recognized in nine structures of the brain.
The linking between the front and anterior parts of the brain seemed more
robust compared to a normal person.
Surprisingly, these people affected with
HSAM did not get a higher score on the
routine laboratory memory test. A line
AIM on knowledge
needs to be drawn between savants and
people affected with HSAM. Let’s see
examples of savants. Kim Peek, a savant,
memorized every single word of 76,000
books. Daniel could remember PI to
22,514 numbers. After having heard
it only once, Leslie Lemke was able to
play Tchaikovsky’s symphony at piano.
Savants must rehearse to be able to increase their memory.
People with HSAM do not voluntarily
recall events through mnemonic techniques; information is automatically encoded in their mind and is retrieved effortlessly. Aurelien, a British 20-year old
boy with HSAM, says: “It’s like someone
saying to you what’s your name? You just
know that it’s your name, it’s just something that comes straight to you.” An
MRI scan was performed and it showed
increased activity in the occipital lobe, a
part of the brain that is responsible for
mental imagery. This difference may account for the patients’ explanations of
how images are constantly provided in
their brain by external stimulations. It
also explains how they see their memories as distinct pictures. The actual
cause of this condition has not yet been
proven because of the lack of data. It
was only discovered in 2006 and the
diagnosis of a larger group of people is
essential to learn more about this ability
from a scientific approach. For instance,
experts cannot clearly define this newly
discovered condition. People documented with HSAM were found to all
be left-handed. This might just be a coincidence or it could be a clue to reveal
the hidden secrets of this phenomenon.
A Gift or a Curse?
The interviews with hyperthymesic patients suggest that they usually have a
hard time with relationships. It may
be hard to argue with someone who
is always right about dates, conversations, or any trivial detail. Knowing
that people possessing such an ability
can analyse whatever he or she wishes
to and figure out any holes in your story
might sound frightening since there is
no possible way to lie to them. They remember basically everything. They recall happier as well as hurtful memories
that may have occurred years ago, which
makes it difficult to move on with their
lives. Forgiveness is the key to good and
remaining friendships. Hyperthymesic
people’s inability to forget makes it rather hard to live with. AJ, the first woman
diagnosed with HSAM, considers her
accurate recollection of previous events
as “a burden” rather than a gift.
9
10
Health
Music
For Therapy
Written by
Kimberly Bourque
S
ince we were children, we have been
listening to music, either to calm
ourselves or just to have fun. It was also
a way to entertain or to express ourselves. Nowadays, with downloading
and Internet, it has become more accessible than ever. So, is music more
than a beautiful melody to listen to?
Since its expansion is so extensive,
could it be used for something more?
Actually, it can be. A technique was developed to help surmount emotional,
intellectual and social difficulties, challenges and problems. It is music therapy, but to understand its benefits, you
have to understand what it is fundamentally and who can perform it.
In Ancient Greece, according to philosophers, music could heal body and
soul. As for themselves, Native Americans used singing in some healing rituals. During World War II, U.S. Veterans Administration hospitals decided to
use music to help the soldiers with shell
shock. Nowadays, music is still used all
over the globe in a therapeutic way. For
example, in Africa, they listen to lyrical
music to diminish the pain that is anticipated while being circumcised or
during other painful procedures. It was
in 1944, at Michigan State University,
that the first music therapy degree on
the planet was established.
In many ways, music is one of the most
important parts of music therapy. From
listening to music, to writing songs,
talking to someone while music is
playing or even writing music, music
is constantly present in music therapy
sessions. Music therapy is a technique
of complementary medicine used to
help surmount physical, emotional,
intellectual and social difficulties, challenges and problems. Before a session
can begin, the music therapist needs to
define or establish the goals that need
to be achieved and the problem affecting his patient. There is no such thing as
a regular or normal session. Each and
every single one depends on the patient,
so it varies constantly. Music therapy
can be performed in groups from 5 to
40 people. In these group sessions, the
patients can play music together, share
how they are feeling with the others in
their group.
Music therapy is an established health
related profession. To have the right to
give sessions, you have to be a board
certified music therapist. Where can
they work? The possibilities are almost
endless. They can work in schools, hospitals, cancer treating centers, hospitals
that work with psychiatric patients,
correctional facilities and many more.
In today’s society, the American Music
Therapy Association has approved
over seventy college and university degree programs. First, to be a certified
music therapist, a bachelor’s degree is
required. Second, 1200 clinical hours
must have been done. Third, an internship is obligatory.
Music therapy can be used for people
of every age, elderly people and adolescents included. Music therapy is a useful
way to help teenagers with mood disorders. It helps with their attitude, behaviour, self-esteem and much more. They
can relate to the lyrics which help them
communicate how they are feeling. It
improves their mood by reducing their
anxiety and decreasing the sensation of
depression. By obtaining many day to
day benefits, music therapy helps them
create themselves in a way.
Combining regular therapy and music
therapy (rhythmic music) in patients
who were victims of a stroke enhances
the recovery rates. A Jeong & Kim study
was made on thirty-three subjects who
had just suffered a stroke. Only half of
them were treated with music therapy.
In this group, the results of the recovery
demonstrate that patients have a tendency of showing more enthusiasm and
motivation and a fuller rehabilitation.
As Mathew Lee, the active director of
Rusk Institute in New York said: “Music
therapy has been an invaluable tool with
AIM on knowledge
many of our rehabilitation patients.
There is no question that the relationship of music and medicine will blossom because of the advent of previously
unavailable techniques that can now
show the effects of music.” Music therapy also reduces the chances of having
social and emotional deficits caused by
the stroke. The only problem with music
therapy is that it is not always covered
by someone’s insurance policy.
Furthermore, music therapy is a wonderful way to start recovering. As Jodi
Picoult, author of the bestselling book
Sing You Home, said: “Music therapy,
to me, is music performance without
the ego. It’s not about entertainment
as much as it’s about empathizing. If
you can use music to slip past the pain
and gather insight into the workings of
someone else’s mind, you can begin to
fix a problem.”
To conclude, because music is represented in so many ways, it’s something
that each and every one can refer, identify or relate to. Music brings all sorts
of people from multiple environments
together and is used in treating illnesses.
In my opinion, it’s absolutely wonderful
that such a common way to spend time
can do so much. You can also make a career out of it. Even better, it also has no
inconveniences and can only improve
the rates of rehabilitation. Take a second
to imagine; if now with music therapy,
we can improve so many things, what
else will we be able to find when it is developed to its full potential? The cure
to depression and mood disorders? Or
even the replacement of some medication?
11
S O C I E T Y
12
Serial Killers:
Are They the New Super Stars?
Written
by
Roxanne Hilchey-Huot
W
ith the movies, the TV-series,
the books and the news, we’ve
all heard about serial killers. We’ve
all heard about Hannibal Lecter, the
prolific cannibalistic psychiatrist or
about Robert Pikton, the serial killer
in Vancouver who dismembered
prostitutes before feeding his pigs
with their remains. Why are we so
interested in them? With all the TVshows and movies like CSI, Criminal
Minds, The Silence of the Lambs, etc.
are we glorifying these killers? Is the
media making killers super stars? Is
the media glorifying violence, rape
and actual murder?
First of all, we might want to start
with what a serial killer actually
is. The FBI classes them like this:
a serial killer is someone who has
murdered 3 or more people over a
period of more than a month, with
a down time, known as a cooling off
time, between the murders. There are
approximately 4 motives; visionary,
mission-oriented, hedonistic and
power/control. The visionary suffers
from psychotic breaks with reality.
He is compelled to murder by God
or the Devil himself, maybe angels
or demons as well. The missionoriented killer kills in attempt to
change society, cure a societal ill
like prostitutes, homosexuals, a
certain type of religious group, an
ethnicity, etc. Hedonistic killers
experience pleasure by murdering;
they see people as expendable
means to their goal and happiness.
There are 3 subtypes to this type:
the lust seeking, the thrill killer,
and the comfort searching serial
killer. The lust seeking type uses
sex for gratification by torturing,
mutilating, degrading, etc. his/her
victims. The thrill seeker likes to
induce pain or terror in their victims
before killing them. The comfort
seeking one searches material gain
by these killings.
In the United States, 80% of serial
killers are of Caucasian decent while
65% of their victims are females. The
United States has a great problem
with the increasing percentage of
violence. Between 1925 and 1949,
there had been only 33 serial killers
whereas from1975 to 1995, 153
serial killers had been found and the
killings were much more violent and
disturbing. In Canada, violence has
decreased and is still diminishing, so
we’re a little safer.
Serial killers have all or almost all
have had a hard childhood; abuse
in the family is often present, if
they had had sexual abuse during
childhood, they are most likely
obsessed with extreme pornography
with a lot of violence. The quality of
a child’s attachment to his parents
and other members of his family is
critical, let me repeat that; critical
to how the child will relate to other
members of society. If a child has
been abused by his mother, he will
see women as awful people and if
you add the pornography in today’s
society that treats women as sexual
objects that prove men’s virility,
they will most likely end up hating
women and want to kill them to
prove their self-worth. Not all kids
that are abused will become killers or
criminals but almost all serial killers
have been abused in the household
and their development was never
finished. This explains serial killers
but nothing could ever excuse taking
someone’s life.
Hereafter, there has been a new
fascination with serial killers for
only a short period of time; the
title ‘serial killer’ was only invented
in the late 1970s by an FBI special
agent. The term is quite new and has
a lot to do with the mediatisation of
serial killers. The term was probably
meant to describe one of the most
known serial killer to this day; Ted
Bundy. He had many ‘groupies’ even
though Bundy had murdered at
least 30 girls. He was captured the
first time in 1975 yet he escaped, he
also escaped in 1977 before finally
being apprehended for the last
time in 1978. He was a narcissist
and he always had to be in control;
he actually represented himself at
his death trial to prove his virility.
AIM on knowledge
Many women would go to his numerous trials and
would profess their love to him, some women would
yell out marriage proposals. This is explained by many
things; they believed they could save him from his ways,
almost like he was a ‘bad boy’ they could turn good.
They knew where he was since he was incarcerated so
there were far less chances of him cheating on them.
They had fantasies about being controlled in a way that
is unhealthy and dangerous. It could also be as easy as
‘daddy issues’. He was finally found guilty and was sent
to death row; he died by electrocution in 1989. The
media followed Bundy around like they do Paris Hilton
and that brought an almost glorifying light to this
psychopath. Ted Bundy was also a big influence in the
Silence of the Lambs since when the killer grabs his last
victim he used Bundy’s technique; he faked an injury
to get the attention of the woman who helped him get
a piece of furniture in his truck while Ted Bundy had a
Volkswagen beetle.
Media also does a terrible thing; they give out names to
the killers, for example they named Gary Ridgway The
Green River Killer, John Wayne Gacy The Killer Clown,
etc. They elevate the killers to a different subspecies
of superstars by giving them fun names as if they are
part of our popular culture. We should not be giving
them nicknames as if they are celebrities; they are no
Lady Gaga. We see serial killers and profilers as some
horror story of an antagonist against the protagonist
and vice-versa; in the end the serial killer will be caught.
The truth is that there are many killers we have not yet
stopped as well as victims we have not yet found; the
reality is much scarier than a Stephan King novel.
Finally, there is such a fascination with these people that
some websites sell things related to murders, murderers
and other violent crimes as well as buying paintings,
poems, and books written by serial killers. It is called
murderabilia and it is scary. If you ever Google it, be
prepared to puke or cry.
In this modern era where information is at our
fingertips, we can find so much information. The many
newspapers, magazines, websites, etc. are fighting each
other to get the big scoop and to get the biggest paycheck
so the truth about serial killers in the media is that
these murderers and their stories actually give money
to the industry since we also do live in a capitalistic
society where the bizarre, the scary, and the odd is what
sells. Most of these killers search all the attention they
can get, so the media is a great resource. There is no
stopping the media’s attention on these killers because
both the media and the serial killers get what they want.
It’s a mutual understanding and together they impact
us as a society everyday. The industry has always had a
fascination with serial killers, of course a great example
of this, would be H.H. Holmes who murdered more
than 100 people in his hotel in Chicago during the 1893
World’s Fair. When he was found guilty, the newspapers
only talked about him.
In conclusion, serial killers have always been in a twoway street relationship with the media whether it be in
the 1970s or the 1800s. There are different types of serial
killers and most of them are petty little boys who have
had a difficult childhood but we seem to forget that
the people we should remember; the people we should
be talking about in the media are the victims, not the
murderers who have killed them. When will we finally
cease to romanticize the monsters and start thinking
about the people we should be mediatising; the victims?
13
S O C I E T Y
14
Overpopulation:
A Serious Concern
Written
by
Élisabeth Dupuis
S
ince the apparition of human
beings on Earth, our population
has kept increasing; although the
biggest expand has been noted
in the last fifty years. The United
Nations (U.N.) has estimated
that the current world’s human
population is slightly over 7 billion,
which is, for some scientists,
considered as overpopulation.
This phenomenon happens when
a population exceeds the carrying
capacity of its environment. But,
if the whole Earth’s population
was standing shoulder to shoulder,
it would only fill the city of Los
Angeles. Accordingly, space is not
the problem, then why do we need
to worry?
Did you know that every second,
two people die, but 5 are born?
As a result, the world population
is increasing by approximately
74 million people per year. Many
experts project that this growth may
reach as high as 9 billion in 2040,
and 11 billion in 2050. However, the
most noticeable expansion will occur
in the less developed regions. In
fact, a country’s gain of population
is strongly linked to its economic
stability. For example, in the period
between 1990 and 2009, the greatest
inflation of the population happened
in Africa, with a rate of 58.4% in
population growth compared to a
rate of about 9% in Europe.
To begin with, several causes have
influenced the number of people
on Earth. Above all, dramatic
expansions have been recorded
in periods of great technological
revolution, such as the Agricultural
Revolution
(1700-1800),
the
Industrial Revolution (1760-1820),
and the Green Revolution (19501990). All of these allowed a greater
part of the Earth population to
access food easily, which resulted in
a population explosion every time.
For example, because of the Green
Revolution, the population of India
grew of 235% in 60 years, passing
from 361.1 million people in 1951
to a little over 1.2 billion in 2011.
Besides that, medical advancement
has had an enormous influence
on the population. In fact, life
expectancy was just above 45 years in
1900. In comparison, it was around
70 years in 2000, an augmentation of
about 30 years in only one century.
Never before was an expansion that
considerable noted. In addition,
human psychology affected its
population over time. Consequently,
whenever a society faced a crisis,
it reacted by engaging proactive
measures, like giving birth. Poverty
or warfare, have had that impact on
populations. People who already
experienced calamitous conditions
are more likely to greatly procreate.
They are afraid of losing members of
their families and overcompensate
by having many babies. Although
this cause is mostly seen in less
developed countries, it markedly
affects the whole Earth population.
Also, high birth rates and low
mortality rates contribute to an
increase. In short, many factors have
influenced the number of people on
our planet for a long time.
Furthermore, David Pimentel,
Professor Emeritus at Cornell
University, once said, “With
the imbalance growing between
population number and vital life
sustain resources, humans must
actively conserve cropland, fresh
water, energy, and biological
resources. Humans everywhere must
understand that rapid population
growth damages the Earth’s
resources and diminishes human
well-being.” As Professor Pimentel
explained, it is only a matter of time
before humans get to live in less than
acceptable conditions, especially in
poor countries where resources are
harder to find.
Concerning fresh and clean water,
it is well known that its majority is
contained in the polar icecaps. With
this in mind, it is easy to understand
that with a growing population,
our water reserves are going to
diminish. Consequently, agricultural
production will also suffer from lack
of water. As a result, with less water
AIM on knowledge
and food, it will be harder to feed an entire population.
However, the resources to be considered are not only
access to fresh water, food and clean air. It also includes
access to medical care, education, proper sewage
treatment, waste disposal and a secure environment.
If those cannot be accessed by a population, it results
in a diminished quality of life. Other than that,
the InterAcademy Panel Statement on Population
Growth, circa 1994, affirmed that many environmental
problems were to come because of overpopulation,
such as rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and
sea level, global warming, and pollution. Given these
points, overpopulation is one of the biggest issues the
human society has ever faced.
Fortunately, many solutions have been identified to
slacken this global problem, but some of them would
not be unanimously accepted all around the world. First
of all, the first option to reduce population growth is to
focus on education, family planning and birth control
methods, especially in less developed countries. As a
matter of fact, about 40% of pregnancies worldwide are
unintended. Regrettably, many societies do not have
access to birth control nor even information about it.
Sometimes, it is a matter of lack of services, and in other
cases, religion is against any kind of contraception,
both situations worsening the overpopulation problem.
Secondly, several leaders and environmentalists
consider implanting a one-child policy, like in China,
an adequate way of restraining the number of people
on Earth. This kind of method was used in the 1970s
in India and was criticized a lot. It was blamed mainly
because it created a public aversion to family planning.
This type of critics could also be made in other
countries. Last of all, if any of these solutions did not
work, urbanization would be the best accommodation
for a global population expansion, for the simple
reason that cities concentrate a large number of people
in a restricted area. This would only be efficient if the
quality of services offered is maintained or improved.
In summary, experts provided our population with
many solutions; it is now time for us to choose which
one is the best for our society.
To conclude, overpopulation is a problem which
concerns every human being on our planet. This
particular issue has been considered since the
beginning of human society by many philosophers,
including Plato and Aristotle, it is not a recent
phenomenon. Knowing this, is there really something
to worry about, since many centuries before us, people
were also concerned about it? Are we only exaggerating
and creating a problem where there is none?
15
S O C I E T Y
16
e-Sports:
The Past, The Present, The Future
Written by
Jean-Raphaël Poulin-Arguin
I
n this day and age, people around
the world enjoy watching professional sports. Watching sports has
become a popular way to entertain
ourselves. However, recently, a new
kind of entertainment is gaining in
popularity. Electronic sport, also
known as eSport, is a new trend
gaining attention across the globe.
The goal of this article is to explain
the phenomenon known as eSports.
In the following lines, I will introduce you to the world of eSports by
defining what it is, talking about its
origin, its current state and the major reasons why eSports is currently
as big as it is.
The expression electronic sport
might cause confusion when seen
for the first time since sport and
electronic are two words that are
pretty far from one another. Simply
said, electronic sport is the name
given to the competitive side of
video games. This competitive side
to video games has led to many great
events to be held around the world
where players compete for prize
money.
Initially, E-Sport started pretty small,
it is said that the first appearance of
video games competitions was during the arcade era, when people who
wanted to play video games had to
put dimes in machines in order to
play. The most rudimentary form
of eSport and the first to exist was
the score system; it led people to
compete against each other for the
first place on a leaderboard. The
competitive nature of video games
of the arcade era (from the1970s to
the 1990s) led to the appearance of
the “Space Invaders Championship”
organised by Atari and held in 1981
where 10,000 players fought for the
pole position. Many arcade games
tournaments later, more and more
games started to use the internet as
a way to make players compete directly against each other. The score
system was no longer the only way
to compete against strangers and
players were now playing directly
against each other over the internet.
In the mid-90s, players who played
online games could compete in online leagues and offline tournaments
where they could play against each
other in the same environment for
a prize. During these days, eSports
had a hard time making itself known
since western television stations
were not interested in it and the process to make the videos of the tournament available was far from being
a walk in the park: “I can remember
the early days, back in the 1990s,
when tournaments were recorded
on VHS tape, then converted to
digital files and uploaded to the web
as tiny thumbnail videos(…)It was a
process that sometimes took days,”
said Sundance DiGiovanni, cofounder and CEO of Major League
Gaming, an important organization
in eSports these days.
Nowadays, eSports are bigger than
they have ever been and are far from
what they were initially in terms of
scale and popularity. The number
of eSports tournaments has moved
from 10 to 696 from the year 2000
to 2012. The total prize money for
these during a year has also experienced a massive growth, in 2000 ,
the total prize money was of $350
000 USD and has increased to 10
million in 2012. One tournament
named the The International 2013,
had a total prize pool of a little bit
less than 3 million where the winners, which consisted of a team of
five players, won $1,437,190 USD.
Another tournament, called the Season 3 World Championship, where
professional players from around
the world played the popular online game League of Legends had a
total prize pool of $2,050,00 USD.
The tournament happened at the
Staples Center in Los Angeles which
has around 20,000 seats. The tickets
for the finals of this event sold out
in an hour. Altough the price pool
is pretty huge for something that
seems so unknown and niche, it is
not the only surprising thing about
eSports, players which are often portrayed as young adults or teenagers
AIM on knowledge
living in their parent’s basement because of popular
prejudice, are actually considered celebrities by eSports fans. Generally, most professional eSports players are part of a team. Just like in profesionnal sports,
these teams and players are sponsored by companies
seeking to promote their products which creates revenue for the team and the players. In addition to their
tournament earnings, players receive a salary by their
team which allows them to make a living off playing
video games without necessarily having to win.
One of the major reasons why eSports have become
this big during the last ten years is the improvement
of the technology, especially the technology related
to the internet which was a major issue before. “The
people hosting the tournaments were paying a fortune
to stream the matches live”, said Breslau, a competitive
player during the mid-90s. Now, the internet is much
faster and cheaper which makes the hosting of a tournament more accessible to everyone. Another reason,
strongly related to the first one, why eSports have become this big, is the apparition of streaming websites;
these websites allow anybody with a decent internet
connection to stream whatever they want over the internet. Simply said, streaming websites allows you to
have your own TV channel online. These websites allowed many companies to have their eSports tournaments streamed live over the internet which increased
the popularity of eSports dramatically since eSports
could be watched by a larger number of viewers. The
final major reason why eSports got this big is South
Korea. South Korea could be called the birthplace of
modern eSports. They took eSports and transformed it
into a form of entertainment, not only for the players,
but created interest for the viewers by adding broadcasters as in traditional sports and broadcasting the
games on TV. Even if eSports had been broadcasted on
TV before, the South Koreans were the first to make it
viable financially and is currently the only place where
eSports shows are broadcasted regularly on TV. They
also created leagues where different teams would pit
their players against each other each week in the same
way professional sports do it. The success of eSports
in South Korea is what woke up western organizations
and made them realize there was potential in eSports.
In conclusion, I think eSports is rather entertaining
and I do not mind if it does not become bigger since it
probably will not change my viewing experience much.
I am more than happy with the current state of eSports,
although, I have no doubt that eSport will become bigger in the following years. Esports certainly will not be
as big as any traditional sport anytime soon or ever, but
the growth at which it is currently expending is huge.
17
S O C I E T Y
18
Our Society
Under Hogwarts’ Spell
Written by
Stacy Breton
“You’re a wizard Harry.”
T
housands and thousands of adults
as well as teenagers and children
read those books and a lot more saw
the movies based on them. What we
could call a love story between the
Golden Trio and the “Potterheads”,
a nickname for the fans of the series, started back in 1997, with the
release of the first Harry Potter book
and has been going on for more than
fifteen years now and appears to be
there for a lot more. What brought
J.K. Rowling to fame is now one of
the most well-known series of our
generation, marking our memories
for a lifetime. However, could we
say the books and movies that we
all know were a good influence on
people’s lives? Or is it all a way to
keep us away from reality?
To some, the story behind the books
is, by itself, an amazing example of
how it was a truly good influence on
the reader’s lives, since it was a true
rollercoaster for the author to get
her story published. J.K. Rowling’s
personal story behind the release
of the Harry Potter series is quite
inspirational. The young woman,
who had lived in Portugal for a few
years, came back to her homeland
divorced and a single mother of a
daughter named Jessica. Together,
they lived for many years in such
poverty that it would not take much
before they found themselves living
in the streets.
At some point, the woman wrote a
story for her daughter. “There won’t
be a child in this world who will not
know his name” was one of the lines
of the first book. The author would
have never guessed that would actually happen. After twelve harsh refusals from different English editors,
Bloomsbury, a publication house
in London, accepted to publish the
book and sold 300 000 copies in two
years. This here is an inspiration to
new young writers who try to make
it to the top, telling them that there
is hope and you should never stop
before the goal is reached. How
could that be a bad thing?
Some think that what has been really
important for years, like family, took
the backseat. Witchcraft is promoted and even though we do know that
we cannot light up a room by only
saying “Lumos”, the dream is enough
to keep us from reality. Adults are a
part of this phenomenon too. If you
only take a look at what the waiting
lines looked like when a new book
or movie of the series was released,
those present were not only young
kids. Responsible people of all ages
put their life on hold to attend those
events, some even missing work.
Can that be a good consequence of
the fantastic world of witchcraft and
wizardry?
However, other people do not agree
with what was said above. From
another angle, no matter how great
the story behind the publication of
this world phenomenon was, the
buzz around Harry Potter only created a generation of young people
who live in their imaginary world,
disconnected from what is happening around them. Becoming a wizard, receiving their acceptance letter
to Hogwarts and casting spells are
what they wish they could do. How
about the “normal” things, like having a family, doing well in their studies so that they have a good job later
or enjoying life with their families?
On the other hand, the fact that the
characters are so realistic and relatable makes us forget a bit about the
above. Those popular figures were
great role models. None was perfect, but each of them could make
the readers of all ages relate. You
had Ron, the lovable, clumsy ginger who was there for his friends.
His loyalty to those he loved was a
big part in the positive conclusion
of each adventure, proving that you
do not have to be the popular leader
to achieve great things. Then, Hermione Granger was probably one
of the best models in the book. Far
from the typical female leader, her
strong head, intelligence and love for
AIM on knowledge
her friends were what
many girls today aspire
to. In the books, she
was never the beautiful
girl, but still went far
in life, found love and
her happy ending. In
conclusion, she was a
great model compared
to the idea some have
of what women should
be today.
“...could we say the books and movies
that we all know were a good influence
on people’s lives? Or is it all a way to
keep us away from reality?”
Last, but not least,
Harry Potter himself
could inspire everyone.
He was loyal, courageous and a real example
of determination. Many
of the readers could relate to him since he saw
it all; he lost his family
and many loved ones,
was the victim of heartless bullies and was
not always supported
by everyone, but still
he did his best to help
when he could and get
through everything life
sent his way.
The best way to see
the reality of how important the characters
are is to tell the story
of Evanna Lynch. This
girl wrote the author
when she was 11 yearsold and begged for her
help as she was struggling against anorexia and had
to stay at the hospital because of it. She told Rowling
how Luna, a lunatic character from the series, was her
model. She was described as weird, but Evanna could
relate to that girl and realised with Luna’s help that being yourself was the most important thing in your life
to be happy. Many of the readers might not know, but
Rowling actually replied
to that girl and helped
her. She told her that if
she got rid of her anorexia, she would be rewarded. Evanna Lynch
is now well-known for
her interpretation of
Luna Lovegood in the
theatrical version of
Harry Potter.
Yet again, no matter
how lovable and relatable the characters are,
they still are a part of
a dark and disturbing
story. The main plot line
is about an eleven yearold boy who is vainly
chased by an awful
killer. Many people get
murdered and the deeper you get into the story,
the darker the scenes
are. Can the presence of
so many dark forces and
fighting scenes really be
good to young people?
The debate about the
presence of fantasy in
people’s lives will, of
course, not stop here.
The fantastic world of
Harry Potter and many
other worlds created
from our imagination
are a great way to provide us with an escape
from reality from time to time. However, let’s not forget that those stories are also a great way for producers to make money, although it might not have been
Rowling’s first intention. Still, no matter what your
final position will be on the subject, to many of you out
there, Harry Potter will always be “the boy who lived”,
be the influence positive or negative.
19
20
LEARNING
Sports!
A Shortcut to Success
in Your Studies
Written by
T
oday, in most countries, everyone
needs to go to school and learn. But
sometimes, it is more difficult than it
looks. Some children do not have the
capacity to stay focused on a subject and
concentrate fully on this one. In addition,
many of these kids often have other occupations like a physical activity or are in
a competitive sports club as a hobby. But
is it a good idea to put less time in schoolwork and more into sports in the process
of achieving better grades? Surprisingly,
it is! This text will relate on how our brain
reacts to physical activity, what are the
different positive effects of physical activity on our schooling and how it affects
our behavior in general.
Firstly, it is important to understand how
our brain reacts to a physical activity.
What explains that when we do certain
activities we feel relaxed, happy and satisfied is the natural reaction of our brain
to these activities. The human brain has
a complex neuron activity of 86 billion
neurons to control how we feel and how
we react to certain events in our life. The
portion of the brain that controls our
feelings is the hypothalamus. It links the
nervous system to the endocrine system
of the body, the system that produces
hormones. The hypothalamus is actually
the size of an almond in the human body
and controls body temperature, hunger
and, of course, the production of hormones for our moods.
The hormone that concerns us is the beta-endorphin. This endorphin is a pain
dull, like morphine, but beta-endorphins
are even 80 times more effective than
morphine. So during a physical activity, our muscles send messages to our
brain through the neurons composing
the nervous system that they are doing
a movement that is in some way hurting the body. The brain receives the pain
alerts and begins the production of betaendorphins to dull the pain.
This hormone provides to our whole
body the feeling of well-being and the
feeling of a relaxed and more easily concentrated brain. A thirty-minute activity
will give us this well-being sensation for
four hours straight. The body is warm
during this period of time so, after, our
body starts to cool down and feels even
more relaxed. Therefore, after a thirtyminute physical activity, the human brain
will have the capacity to learn new things
more efficiently during a few hours. Later,
it will be in a proper moment to relax and
fall asleep.
Secondly, physical education in school
is quite positive on the school results of
kids. A study done in Sweden, during a
period of nine years, used two hundred
students from first to third grade and split
them into two groups. The first group of
students would follow a normal school
schedule of one class of physical educa-
Written
by
André Wall
tion per week as the other group would
have a class of physical education every
day. The results showed that 96 % of the
sports group had the grades to pursue
their studies in the higher levels unlike
the normal group who had 89% of their
students that had all the requirements necessary.
These results may seem quite insignificant because of the small difference between them, but it is important to notice
that the sports group spent less time in
other classes such as math, health class,
English and Swedish than the normal
group and still managed to achieve better
grades in all of these classes, especially in
physical education. Another similar study
was done in Trois-Rivière and presented
similar results and concluded that even if
the grades were the same in all the other
classes, at least physically, the kids were in
better health and were more sensitive in
keeping this good habit of theirs.
Finally, physical activity has a great positive mental impact on our methods to
react to educational challenges. As mentioned previously, physical activity will
release beta-endorphins that give us a
well-being feeling. This feeling generates a
new perception of ourselves, we feel good
and strong in our body and proud of our
achievements. This self-confidence causes
the student to be more self-disciplined
and wanting to be independent and re-
AIM on knowledge
“We can achieve more in less time
by practicing a physical activity”
sponsible in his studies. It is important to
acquire these qualities at a young age because they will be useful during our years
of studies and our whole lives.
In addition to that, in all the sports that
we practice, there are rules. These rules
that we know in sports, such as keeping
the soccer ball in the lines, have an impact
on our behavior in school, since we have
been trained to follow rules elsewhere
ever since we could remember. Also, the
fact that in sports the goal is to win and
achieve positive results, students in more
competitive sports will give themselves
realistic goals and will try to achieve
them.
Furthermore, in various team sports, the
players rely on each other giving them
responsibilities. These responsibilities in
games make the players bring out the best
in them, especially when it is younger
players with older ones, because they try
to impress them. Playing in a team sport
has an influence in the life of people who
have experienced this, because they are
used to doing the best they can when they
want to satisfy themselves and others.
In conclusion, practicing or playing a
sport feeds our brain and helps it to function better. We can achieve more in less
time by practicing a physical activity
and we use sporting experience unconsciously in our everyday lives to achieve
our goals. As an athlete myself, I believe
everyone should practice a sport they
enjoy for themselves and teach the new
generations to be active at a young age
since it provides so many beneficent factors to our health and studies throughout.
21
22
LEARNING
Show Me, I Forget
TellWritten
Me, I Remember
Involve Me, I Understand
by
O
ver the years, education has evolved
quite a lot. It started with homeschooling and became elementary school
then followed by high school, college and
university. Education has changed a great
deal and, unlike what people did in the
past, not only the basics are learned. Of
course, if the system evolves, teachers
also have to be creative to find new and
better ways of teaching. These techniques
are called teaching methods. Everyone
can recall some teachers they had. You
remember some teachers either because
they were really good and interesting or
because they were simply bad. Let’s now
have a look at the evolution of teaching
techniques, the combination of teaching
and technology, but also at why some
teachers are good and why others are not
as good.
Kids have not always had access to education as we do today. In the early days,
education was only about learning the
basics so everyone was able to live and
provide wealth to their family. Nowadays,
education still helps us get a job but it accomplishes more; it helps us understand
what is surrounding us and gives us tools
to be part of the society we live in. At the
very beginning, education was mostly
down to homeschooling. Often only the
essential things were learned so that, for
example, girls could read their Bible and
take care of household expenses. Then,
about 350 years ago, elementary schools
were established and teachers had to
teach reading, writing and also the Bible.
These days, almost everyone has access
to education but only a hundred years
ago, it wasn’t the same. For example, only
13% of Americans had their high school
diploma. In 2009, 87% of Americans had
their high school diploma. As for the relation between teachers and students, if we
go back only 25 years ago, teachers were
always right and no one could argue on
what they did or said. Today, curiosity is
important and the students’ knowledge is
really important. Teachers are much more
aware of students’ needs now than they
were before. We have to say that today’s
kids are really lucky to have access to the
education that is provided to them.
In the first place, different ways of creating interest can be used like involving
students and using technology. Throughout the years, the number of students has
increased in America and teachers developed some techniques to adapt their
teaching. In the mid 1800’s, there were
about 3.68 million students as there were
some 77 million students in 2009. To help
these students learn better, teachers have
developed a lot of teaching techniques
and technology also helped them reinventing these methods. Technology definitely changed the way things are taught
and learned; it started with chalk and
Written
by
Christine
Poulin
chalkboard and ended up with stylus and
Smartboard. Computers are another good
example of the adaptation and they can be
used to communicate ideas in a different
way. With all these tools, the possibilities
are almost infinite. Even if technology can
create interest for students, it is important
not to forget teaching methods. Technology should not always be used. To keep
students entertained, the use of new or
different ways of teaching might be interesting. So technology is a great tool if it
is used with moderation. Another way of
involving students could be to ask questions, use team work and projects. With
these few ideas, students can participate
actively in class. The more students are
involved, the best their retention will be.
Also, the use of technology is important
because it is the future and it already is a
big part of today’s life.
There are a lot of different teaching methods. Among them, explaining is a commonly used one and it is also known as
lecturing, which is “giving spoken explanations of the subject that is to be learned.”
This technique is used by a lot of teachers even if it is not the most effective one.
However, if it is used with visual aids, it
becomes more interesting. For example,
the use of technology like a Smartboard
could bring more interactions and the
method becomes more effective. This
technique can also be combined with an-
AIM on knowledge
other one like bringing a debate in which
students are involved, if the subject is appropriate, or simply involving the students
by making them take some notes. Finally,
the use of this method should mostly be
to summarize ideas, to introduce a topic
or to reemphasize main points.
Let’s have a look at some other basic
methods of teaching that can be used
with or without technology. First, there
is “Past to Present” which consists of
teaching the subject in chronological order, either from past to present or from
present to past. It gives students a foundation on which they can build their knowledge. Of course, this method is mostly
used to relate history or when the subject
is extended over a certain period of time.
Secondly, there is “Simple to Complex”
which is simply to start with the basics
and end up with a much more complex
subject. This technique helps students
understand a part of the simple subject
at first and leads them to understand
the whole subject better afterwards, with
more details. Another method would be
to start from “Known to Unknown”. This
third method is quite simple, the teacher
can use “something the student already
knows as the point of departure [and lead
it] into new ideas and concepts”. With
these three methods, teachers simplify
the student’s learning by organizing the
subject so it is easier to memorize and
understand.
On the other hand, it is important for
teachers to adapt their teaching methods for students. Nowadays, the student’s learning is more important than
the teacher’s teaching. It is important for
them to adapt their teaching techniques
to put students in priority. So it is not
much about how teachers like to teach
their subject but more about how students will best learn. Of course, it is also
important for teachers to feel comfortable
with their teaching methods. They can
“If we go back only 25 years ago,
teachers were always right
and no one could argue
on what they did or said”.
still change some details from the methods they choose to use to adapt them to
their own teaching style.
To conclude, teaching methods have
evolved throughout the years and they
help students learn better. They can be
combined together and the use of technology is an important part of education
and teaching methods nowadays. Personally, I consider that these techniques are
necessary to help students in their learning process. But even with the use of all
these methods, not everyone can become
a teacher. To be a teacher, you need some
authority, some charisma and a lot of
other qualities.
23
24
The
Planet
W hy
should we
explore
the ocean more?
Written
by
Maude Paré
E
veryone must already know that the
ocean occupies a very important part
of our planet ecosystem. As scientists
affirmed, the ocean takes up to 71% of
the Earth, houses 99% of the biosphere,
and contains some of the Earth’s most
magnificent geological features. Even so,
about 95% of the ocean remains yet unexplored, unseen by human eyes.
That fact is quite terrifying if we think
carefully about it, oceans have an immediate effect on us and to which we
are still strangers. The purpose of this
article is to show how scientists should
spend more of their research on the
exploration of the ocean because it
may be very useful to the human kind.
Important to the oil industry
The oil industry is actually the main explorer of the deep ocean. In the last 20
years, oil has become a very important
good all over the world. It is one of the
major sources of energy of our civilization. With oil, there is fuel that is made
to run our vehicles, buses, airplanes and
to heat our homes. There has been an
absolute explosion of deepwater exploration, using fantastic subsea robots that let
us see and work down to 10,000 ft depth.
Unfortunately, the oil industry must
spend a lot of money on expensive subsea
surveys for pipelines and anchors and oil
well infrastructure. In fact, a simple seafloor survey to run a 100 mile pipeline
costs a cool $50 million.
This shows the importance of how we must do research to upgrade subsea robots
and surveys. We actually mainly use Remoted Operated Vehicles ( also known
as ROVs) and trench diggers to bury subsea pipelines, with new technology,
we could have access to a deeper part of the ocean and all the oil that it contains.
Biodiversity to discover
If there’s still 95% of the ocean that remains unexplored, can you imagine the number
of undiscovered species that live in these water abysses? The most unthinkable and
exceptionnal creatures live in the deep sea such as the frilled shark, a 5’3 feet specimen
who is considered a living fossil, or the fangtooth fish, who has the largest teeth in ratio
of their body of any fish and who can be located at crushing depths near 16,500 feet.
We also need to know more about this biodiversity because commercial fisheries need information about new species that they can commercialize. As
you see, these companies are depleting the species that live closer to the surface and they need a new merchandise. If they don’t find one at a deeper depth,
how can we confirm that seafood will still be abundant to our future generations?
It controls our climate
The bottom of our ocean is concealed with mountains and canyons far larger than
those we may find on our land. In the Atlantic Ocean, there are plenty of canyons as
deep as the Grand Canyon. As you may already know, mountains on land affect the
flow of air in the atmosphere and they have a significant impact on the weather. Similarly, these mid-ocean ridges and canyons affect the ocean’s currents. Sadly, we don’t
really know how, since it’s very difficult to get observations at the bottom of the sea.
The only thing that oceanographers achieved to observe is that there is a very important movement created by the contrast between dense and light water, which leads to
a very important source of kinectic energy. By combining water of different densities,
there is a constant transformation of energy that takes place. The mixing in seafloor
canyons is being organized by the topography in powerful currents that extend for
hundreds of miles. A great amount of motions is formed and they create great turbulances throughout the ocean floor. Ultimately, the ocean’s circulation moves heat and
chemicals such as carbon dioxide around the planet to determine its climate.
AIM on knowledge
That’s why we should investigate the deep ocean more. That way, we’ll be able to know
more about these currents, it is very revelant right now because the rapid melting of ice
at the poles is increasing the amount of cold water into the deep sea. We must be able
to monitor great deep-sea changes so we can better predict future crises, such as rising
sea-level, for heavily populated coastal areas.
There are many mineral deposits in the deep sea
In the vicinity of hydrothermal vents, there are very valuable mineral deposits, including silver and gold. We can also easily find cobalt, nickel and manganese in a bunch of
so-called “manganese nodules” that cover thousands of square miles of the deep-sea
floor. We need to invest our scientific research on new technology that could help us
take advantage of all those precious mineral deposits. As we are slowly (but soundly)
mining and using all the mineral we can find on land, deep-sea ocean mining could be
a new way for us to get what we will soon lack.
However, we don’t know what effect all this mining could have on the fragile deep-sea
habitat. Oceanographers and scientists will need to be very wary about that.
I think that our main problem is that we spend way too much time and energy on outer
space exploration. Yes, it is a very interesting and important domain of research, but if
we think about it, our immediate future depends much more on how the ocean may
affect us with all the climate changes than how outer-space ever would. It is startling to
think that we actually know more about astronomy than our nearby seas. In conclusion,
I suggest that our governement should spend more money and energy on the exploration of our oceans.
25
26
The
Planet
A MISLEADING and
MIND-BLOWING Pyramid
Written
by
Andy Larochelle
M
ankind has accomplished numerous
things since its existence. Science,
technology, and architecture are three
domains the human race created and
will conserve through time. The Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World, which
refers to remarkable constructions of
classical antiquity, are a perfect example
of how we humans combined these
three domains to create something huge,
impressive, and beautiful. Did you know
that the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only
one of the Seven Wonders that remains
standing, and that it was the first one to
ever be built? There are many mysteries
floating around this Egyptian building.
We have to speculate, even Egyptologists
cannot find explanations.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, also known
as the Pyramid of Cheops or the Pyramid
of Khufu, is the oldest and the largest of
the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis
(an archeological site close to Cairo,
Egypt). Egyptologists believe that it was
built around 2560 B.C. under the reign of
Cheops, as a tomb for himself. Historians
believe that it took over ten or twenty
years to construct the pyramid. There are
many speculations on how the pyramid
was actually built, but none of them
could ever be proven. The most accepted
hypotheses are based on the idea that it
was built by moving the immense stones
from a quarry by dragging them and
lifting them in-place. It is constituted
of an estimated amount of 2.3 million
limestone blocks, with some of them
weighing up to seventy tons and being
transported from 900 kilometers away.
First of all, how did they build it? The builders of the Great Pyramid leveled out a
hill and then embedded giant blocks of irregular shapes into the ground, each one
weighing more than a ton, on around 60,000 square meters. This fact is very often
ignored by Egyptologists because the methods they used to achieve this remain
unknown. Then, they had to transport, for over nine hundred kilometers, a hundred
and thirty granite blocks, all weighing between twelve to seventy tons. They then lifted
them about seventy meters from the ground, which would still be barely possible
today with our modern cranes. Concerning the interior of the pyramid, there are
three ridiculously small rooms: the King’s chamber, the Queen’s chamber, and the
subterranean chamber. We can access the subterranean chamber by a one meter large
and high tunnel that sinks on about a hundred meters with an excellent precision.
Many architects and engineers agree on the difficulty of maintaining an angle with
such exactitude on the whole elaboration using the limited tools they had, considering
that all they had to work with copper chisels, rock mallets, and hemp ropes; they did
not know about the wheel, steel, or iron. In addition, working conditions must have
been extremely binding considering the tiny dimensions of the tunnel. According to
Egyptologists, they managed to build it in twenty years. That is one block trimmed,
adjusted and placed every two minutes and thirty seconds, twelve hours a day, and 365
days per year with two million blocks. Twenty years, why do Egyptologists stick to this
duration? Probably only because they affirm that the Giza Pyramid was built under
the reign of Cheops, and if it was not, most of the Egyptian history would be revealed
totally wrong.
Secondly, the astonishing overall precision. Every block has a different shape; it would
be much easier to be as precise with blocks of the same shape, but Egyptians still
managed to pull it off perfectly. Considering this last fact, how impossible would it be
to make the King’s chamber perfectly horizontal and vertical? They actually fulfilled
this task. Its accuracy is superior to modern constructions. A one centimeter gap would
be barely visible to our eyes, but the chamber’s gap does not exceed 0.1 centimeters.
Chris Wise, structural engineer of the London Millennium Bridge stated, “I think that
many people would say that it is too difficult for most builders to reach an equivalent
precision today”. Moreover, the Cheops Pyramid is oriented with such perfection
that it is misaligned from the true north of only five hundredths of centimeters; this
precision has only been achieved recently. In the 17th century, the Paris Observatory
was misaligned of twenty-five hundredths of centimeters. Lastly, did you know that
the pyramid actually has eight sides? Each side is gently dug, making the construction
even more complex. Pier Luigi Copat, architect for the Berlin Potdzdammer Plats,
highlighted this fact, “Maintaining this octagonal base on the four sides of the building
during the construction with a precision control grazing the centimeter, even the
millimeter, represents a gigantic difficulty.
AIM on knowledge
Third, there are multiple mysteries surrounding Cheops’ tomb. The pyramid has
eight sides that cannot be seen from the ground, but can only be seen from the air
and only under proper lighting conditions. It can easily be seen at dawn and sunset
in the spring and autumn equinoxes. That means that the Egyptians knew quite a lot
about astronomy. Previously, it has been stated in this article that the King’s chamber
is perfectly horizontal and vertical, but additionally, the chamber’s height on the top
of its rafters is also exactly equal to the height of the pyramid divided by two. Divide
an additional three, which would be the height of the ceiling of the king’s chamber.
Four, the Queen’s chamber’s height on the top of its rafters. By five, it’s the subterranean
chamber’s floor. Furthermore, if we divide the biggest visible surface (the eight faces
of the pyramid) by the biggest invisible surface (the base), we obtain the golden ratio,
represented by phi (φ). The golden ratio represents the perfect proportions of natural
objects as well as man-made buildings, or even financial markets. It does not stop there,
if we subtract half of the perimeter of the pyramid’s base by its height, we obtain 314.16
meters, referring to a very precise value of pi (π). There are many other fundamental
proportions that express pi and phi. The weight of the pyramid is estimated at 5,955,000
tons, multiplied by 10^8 gives a reasonable estimate of the earth’s mass. They possibly
had a lot more knowledge than we think they had.
No one seems able to explain all these facts. Yes, these are facts that cannot be denied or
dismantled. Egyptologists, engineers, archeologists, architects and many more studied
the Great Pyramid of Giza, and none of them could give satisfying explanation. Why
is it so complicated, even with our technology, with our knowledge? How could they
know so many things? It could just be luck or randomness, but there are too many facts,
too many references, too many mathematical relations. I personally think that we do
not tend to consider every possibility; maybe the Egyptians knew a lot more than we
think they did, maybe they used modern technologies such as machines, as stated in the
documentary Le secret caché des pyramides d’Égypte révélé. It is a possibility.
27
28
The
Planet
All
Written
F ired
by
Alexandre Buteau
T
he Sun, central part of our solar system,
is a star. It is the source of heat that
makes life possible on Earth. A star, like
everything on our planet, has a certain
lifetime and a life cycle, which has a lot
of similarities with the life of humans.
Starting with their creation, a nebula,
and finishing in an astonishing way, the
supernova, stars are better known when
they are in their main sequence, like the
Sun is actually in.
Before describing the life cycle of a star, it
is useful to know what a star is. A star is a
giant ball of plasma which center has the
necessary temperature to start reactions
of nuclear fusion. These reactions
generally transform hydrogen into
helium, the two principal components
of stars. Stars have an average lifetime of
10 billion years. Unlike what you might
think, all the stars that you see in the sky
at night are not alike. In fact, their mass
is 0.08 to 300 times the mass of our Sun,
which has a mass of 2.1030 kilograms.
If their mass varies, their size does the
same. So, if the Sun has a diameter of
1,392 million kilometres, some stars have
a diameter 1000 times smaller and others
are 1 billion times bigger.
The Formation
Everywhere in the universe, especially
in the spiral galaxies like the Milky Way,
there are huge clouds that contain gases
and dust. They are so vast that they are
up to 10 to 100 times the size of our solar
system. The highest density regions of
these interstellar clouds are called nebulae.
A typical nebula has enough matter to
form at least 100 stars at the same time.
Under the influence of gravitation, the matter contracts at certain places in the cloud.
As it contracts, it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces in a hierarchical manner,
until the fragments reach stellar mass. At this point, there is no more gravitation
between the celestial bodies, but the gases that surround them are still contracting.
The resulting object is called a protostar. The star in formation gathers energy, and
thus heat, through this gravitational contraction. Finally, when the temperature is high
enough, hydrogen begins to fuse in the core of the star, and the rest of the enveloping
material is cleared away. The formation of the star is now completed and it enters in
its main sequence.
The Self-Regulating Systems
All stars have a core region where energy is generated by nuclear fusion. To support
the remainder of the star, the temperature and density of the core are at the necessary
level to sustain the energy production. If it had not been the case, like a reduction
of the energy production, the overlaying mass of the star would compress the core.
So, the temperature and pressure would increase, resulting in a higher fusion rate.
Therefore, the star forms a self-regulating system that is generally stable during all its
main sequence.
Astronomers class stars by using their temperature and their luminosity. There are 4
types of stars. First of all, the brown dwarves are stars that do not have enough mass to
start nuclear reactions. They are “missed” stars. Second, the red dwarves are the most
plentiful stars of our galaxy. Their tiny mass and their low temperature give them the
red color and allow them to live longer. In fact, because they fuse hydrogen slower
than any other stars, they have the longest lifetime. Third, yellow dwarves, like our
Sun, are the “normal” stars. They have the average mass and temperature. Finally, the
blue giants are at least ten times the size of our Sun. When their core does not have
any hydrogen remaining, it starts to fuse helium into other elements. They have the
shortest lifetime; they consume hydrogen at a huge rate.
Too Much Instability
When hydrogen runs out in the core of a mid-size star, the nuclear reactions stop. It
is now composed of helium and it is surrounded by hydrogen that is still burning. In
one hand, the core contracts and starts the fusion of helium. On the other hand, the
external layers expand, cool and become red. This is what astronomers call a red giant.
When the core has no more helium to burn, the outer layers are expelled and form
a planetary nebula. The core becomes a white dwarf and it will slowly cool until it
becomes invisible, ten billion years later. The new frozen object is called a black dwarf.
In the case that the star is a blue giant, it will start to fuse every element after hydrogen
in the periodic table, until the fusion of iron. The star is now a red supergiant. Because
it is impossible for the star to gather energy by its fusion, it becomes unstable, so
AIM on knowledge
unstable that it will explode in what we call a supernova. It creates huge layers of gas
with different colors, each color represents an element. During the explosion, the core
implodes under the shock and contracts extremely quickly until it reaches only few
kilometres of diameter. There are two possibilities of ending: a neutron star or a black
hole. A neutron star is the vestige of a star that had ten times the mass of the Sun. These
stars are very small, but they are also very dense. In the case that the original star was
bigger, it creates a black hole. A black hole is a celestial body that has a gravitational field
so intense that no matter or radiation can escape. These objects do not emit light and
are perceived as black.
29
In conclusion, the matter that remains
after the explosion of the star can be used
again to form new stars billions of years
later. It is an eternal cycle that will end
when the universe disappears. Scientists
are not sure about how it will end, but
there is one thing that we are sure about:
it is not going to happen soon.
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