Winnipeg Adult Education Centre

I heard recently that some countries were thinking about forgiving all debts as a solution to the current world debt problem. As you may know Greece is in a current state of economic turmoil. They have a massive national debt and are in danger of becoming a bankrupt nation..meaning they don’t have money to pay for services anymore like pensions, and other various social programs. My question to you is what are your thoughts on this issue? should the IMF (international monetary federation) forgive the massive debt as gesture of good will?…is this really the answer to the problem?? Please let me know and leave a comment. Feel free to bring up other issues in the comments as well.

Slum Lords
As a young adult in Winnipeg renting can be very risky. For some reason landlords don’t feel the need to be honest with their new tenants, and with the outbreak with bed bugs most aren’t doing enough about it. Back  in November as I struggled to  find a  affordable, decent place in the  Winnipeg school division I found it very difficult. When I asked the landlords if there had  been any previous issues with bed bugs every one of them told me no. Later on I found out from friends and people’s tips on Kijiji that three of the places did have bed bugs before. But bed bugs aren’t the only thing they will lie about. They also won’t tell you of many other things. Once I thought my search was over and I had landed a cozy bachelor suite. I later found mould mildew all in the bathroom that someone had tried to do a cheap job at covering up, and mice which they even denied knowing about after confronting them. So let this be a  warning to all new tenants and anyone looking for an apartment, don’t always trust what the landlords tell you. They may be a slum lord!

by Sarah

I am a single parent with a 18 year old daughter, a 2 year old son and a one year old grandson. My problem is the boys have been biting, hitting each other and throwing things. My daughter and I are getting upset. We have tried timeouts, getting them to try to use their words, getting down to their level and talking in a calm voice, but nothing seems to work. I have been told that they’re just boys.  Any ideas?      

by Donna

I wanted to take this time to talk about the sudden death of Johannie Rochette’s mother, when I first heard of the death, I honestly didn’t think that it would be such a big deal. But the outpour of emotion and support that came from everyone who was a part of the Olympics really made me realize how much it really affected me, not on a personal note but I was understanding the situation and I felt so sad for her. Just a couple of days after the death, Johannie had a phone call from Celine Dion, who also lost a parent and performed the same day of the death. Celine was doing a show in Las Vegas when the news came of her father’s death, during her last song, she dedicated a song to her father. I watched in amazement as she struggled through the whole performance before she finally collapsed on stage, and her brother who is her stage manager came out to come get her off stage.
I thought that in itself is true bravery, for Johannie Rochette to perform the 3 days she did, was a complete and utter joy for me because it takes a real champion to do something like that. I know that it must have been hard for her, and still have to go to a funeral after the Olympics was just heart breaking. That for me was the moment of the 2010 Olympics I will always remember. On Johannie’s last Performance she did a song by Celine Dion that was her mother’s favourite song, and throughout  the whole performance, I couldn’t help but cry. I give kudos to Miss Johannie Rochette for those amazing performaces.

JP

I’m here to talk about the YMCA-YWCA. The YMCA-YWCA is a really good place to work out, and to bring your children to play and have fun. There are so many opportunities, games, sports, and day care. I used to play basketball there. I was one of their team members when I was younger. It was lots of fun. Every time I go it  helped me stay fit, energetic and always has a good place in the community. The YMCA-YWCA also helped me stay out of trouble and not to associate with any kind of gangs, which helped me out to be a better person today. I am 20 years old. I’m healthy and physically fit, drug and alcohol free.

I have a little boy. His name is Deshaun Jayden Jameson Kent. When he gets older, I’m going to get him involved into the YMCA-YWCA. So I know he will be in a safe place to be healthy and having him playing sports, and all kinds of activities. I got introduced to the YMCA-YWCA through my school Eagle Circle. I’m glad they did. I still go to the three til this date, March 5, 2010. My first day was in 1997.

In the year 2002. I was trying to quit smoking many of times, but I failed. I tried everything; the patches -Nicorette gum. I still didn’t have any luck. So I tried going to the YMCA-YWCA and eating regular gum. I started to see better results, I wasn’t craving or really thinking of cigarettes. It took me 3 months to fully quit. Then I started on a new task. I tried to quit drinking in 2005. I found it was easier to quit drinking then smoking. I still haven’t smoked or started drinking. It’s been over 5 years now. The YMCA-YWCA helped out a lot with this goal.

by Jesse

Winnipeg Transit definitely has some pros and cons. Some of the cons that stand out for me are Transit fare, bus schedules and the limitation of buses. Also, here’s a few positive reasons why riding on a transit bus can be beneficial. A lot of people including myself believe that paying for transit fair can be pricey, especially when you have children over the age of five. When you’re going from one place to another, it can be pricey. I think another problem  is bus schedules. For example, in the area that I live in, there are only a selected number of buses that run. After 6 p.m. some buses in that area stop running and it’s hard when you have places to be and so on. Also when you’re heading home from wherever and there are no buses running, your only option is to walk. So you can see why these are problems for me. My last negative opinion about Winnipeg Transit is the limitation of buses. What really annoys me, is the limitation of buses running. I find when I’m on my way to and from school during rush hour when yI’m traveling on the transit buses, they can get so packed to the point there is not enough room for people who want to board the bus. I think they need to put more buses out there for the buses that are most popular for passengers to be riding in during the morning and afternoons.

On the other side, there are definitely some benefits to traveling on transit buses. Here are a few. If you’re a student or working you can get a reduced monthly bus pass. You can also claim a full year of receipts on your taxes from riding the Winnipeg transit. So definitely that can be beneficial financially. Also traveling on Winnipeg transit can also be beneficial to the environment, less fuel is being used from vehicles. Also people would be breathing in less toxins. There would be less wear and tear on the road. So overall Winnipeg transit can definitely have some negative and positive aspects to it. Whether you take it in a good or bad way, Winnipeg transit will always be there, the only way our voice’s will be heard regarding these issues is if we do something about it, instead of just talking about it.

by Jo-Anne

Music is really good. Some may say it’s “pure deadly”. You listen to it when you’re in a good mood or a bad mood. It can even get you through hard times. There are so many different genres of music. I personally like rap/hip hop the most. I also enjoy lots of other music from rock to some techno. The music just has to have a good beat, has to attract my ear and can’t have bummy lyrics. I wouldn’t say that there is bad music out there; to each their own because there is music that I don’t like personally and that’s just my own opinion. My top 3 music artists are 2Pac, Eazy-E and Wu-tang, but the list goes on. I’m pretty sure that I haven’t gone a day without listening to music for a very long time. I listen to music getting ready,  walking, driving, going to school and even in school. My brain is like 60% music and like 40% other stuff. I can remember tons of songs but can’t even remember my Mom’s birthday.

by Tia

Winnipeg is sometimes also known as Winter-peg because of its cold winters. Unfortunately in the winter we wake up to 30 below; sometimes worse; sometimes better. Winter can be hard with all the snow. At times we get tons of snow and times we get just a touch of snow. Either way we can have all that snow and cold but still have fun.

In the winter we might get a brutal snow fall but that’s when some people find out how kind some people are, a neighbour or friend can come along and help shovel or even do it. Myself – I love it, I get outside and get some exercise. My dogs even come out run in the snow and play around.

The things we have in Winter-peg are amazing such as every year in the winter we have the Winter Wonderland light show at the exhibition grounds. At The Forks there’re events almost every day. Some people even carve up some ice sculptures. All around there’s something going on. We  just got to keep your eyes and ears open.

My favourite part of winter is definitely the sledding, skating, snowboarding and throwing snowballs. There’s lots of fun to be had with the snow! I love wrestling in the snow and sledding. With all that being said I hope winter in Winnipeg is a little less depressing. Remember to dress warm and have fun!

by Kyle G.

Lets face it!  We all make mistakes but what makes the difference  is what we learn and take from each experience.  Last November I got the courage to run for the title of Miss Club 200 2009-2010.   I never thought in a million years I would win but in fact did.   I get to host shows on Fridays as well as represent the gay community of Winnipeg at events across Canada till next November.  One of the biggest faults I have encountered while working with other title holders is how ignorant some can be.   A lot think they are better than others but one thing I can’t get over is most forget why they are there in the first place!  Most forget that they’re there to represent the people.  I never judge on how you look, how you dress, or even who you hang out with!  I never once thought I was better than anyone mostly because I know how it feels when someone brings you down for something you can’t change.

So what makes a good role model?  A role model is different for everyone but I know what a role model isn’t and that’s someone who, like some of the people I work with, think they are better than others.    I’m still young and learning but one day I hope the younger generations can look up to me and say  wow she’s doing a good job!  This title may only last a year but my work for the Transgender Community will never stop!

by Twyla

This form of communication has become a major one. A person could find a date through an online chat without leaving the comfort of their own home. Maybe you’ve seen that commercial that has stated that text messaging could increase your risk of an accident 23 times. This form of communication has infiltrated our love lives and driving habits. Before it has affected these aspects of our lives, I ask if it has affected our grammar first? I get some misspelled text messages and facebook posts. For example, someone had replaced the word cool with “kewl” or that’s with “tats” and tomorrow with “tmrw”This can only be limited by a persons creativity. It is a form of shorthand that has become an electronic language. I just hope that we don’t forget the correct spellings and punctuations.

by James