Happy New Years!

Happy New Years!

A Year End Review (Nipissing University)

          When people think of North Bay they generally think of a cold, small city from Northern Ontario. And yes, they’re completely right. But, there was quite a lot happening in the City and on Campus this past year so I have ranked what I think to be the top stories of 2010. Enjoy:

9.) Library near Completion- This story is near the bottom of the list, but it still makes the list. We’ve known about the library for a few years now and we are watching it quickly come together. It’s going to be ready for next year which is pretty wicked. Finally Nipissing and Canadore students will have a place to learn that they deserve!

8.) New Mayor of North Bay- Municipal elections were held this semester and it’s “out with the old and in with the new.” Nipissing University will be wishing a warm farewell to former Mayor Vic Fedeli and hello to Mayor Al McDonald. Who’s AL? 

7.) Lakers Soccer- Well, our women’s Varsity Soccer team played exceptionally well this year. And if the weather kept you from seeing their games this season, you missed out. The Lakers had a great season (5-7-4) that landed them a spot in the playoffs. They made it all the way to the OUA quarter finals only to be shut down by the No. 1 ranked Golden Gales (in a close 2-1 OT loss). Great job Lakers.

6.) New PhD and Masters Programs (on the way)- PhD in education, and a couple of Masters programs in the field of environmental science/geography... more info to come soon!

5.) Surtees Expansion- Out of nowhere explosions were going off, and parking lots were being lost. The Surtees Centre is now expanding allowing for some much needed elbow room. The AC expansion will add 2 more gymnasiums, research space, classrooms, larger weight rooms, cardio room, squash courts and more. This is a 3 phase project and might be a while until it’s completed, but the first phase should be ready next year sometime. 

4.) Twiggs on Mckeown- With new buildings shooting up everywhere around McKeown, we (the students) will have more places to blow cash. The new Twiggs Coffee Roasters that popped up beside Lucky 13, is a social hot-spot for Nipissing and Canadore Students. It’s a great place to study, go on dates, or just enjoy some good eats. If you haven’t BEAN yet I recommend you check it out.

3.) Lakers Hockey- They were the “Top Local Newsmakers of the Year”  in 2009, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they did it again. The boys are having a great season, sitting currently in 5th (Eastern Division) and will hopefully have a long playoff run. Check out some more Lakers games next year (in 2011). You won’t be disappointed. 

2.) Our NU Chancellor- In early December Nipissing University installed a new chancellor. A pretty epic ceremony took place that all students could attend. With video messages of congratulations from all stretches of the country it was a really cool experience. Dr. Jon Dellandrea received a honourary degree at last year’s convocation, and will make a great addition to the university during his 4 year term. Jon, was appointed as a member of “The Order of Canada” in 2006 due to his contributions to higher education. With a pretty impressive resume he’s only raised a few billion dollars for universities in his life. Wow!

1.) Homecoming!- Finally, Nipissing hosts a highly successful homecoming. It was a weekend full of sporting events, guest lectures, and more. It was a very inclusive event for current students and many alumni made their way back to North Bay. For those of you who missed this year's festivities, please make sure you register for homecoming early next year!

          So that’s it folks, I’ve listed some of the stories that really stood out to me this year. I didn’t really come across any negative stories, which means we’re doing something right in the north. Leave a comment if you have a story that should have made the list!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Useless and obscure stats 2.

Boohoo Sid.

I couldn’t help but bring up yet another useless and obscure stat, which seems to be flooding sports highlights every morning (for the past month or so). Sidney Crosby, ever heard of him? On top of his Stanley Cup, and Olympic gold medal he’s now chasing a “most consecutive points” record. What this record means is: who can play the most games with at least 1 point in each of them. The other night Sid made it game 22 ...inching ever so close to the all time record, or is he?

A real picture from the NHL lockout

TheScore.com told me today that “Crosby tied Dany Heatley for the longest consecutive point streak since the cancelled season. Heatley also recorded at least one point in 22 games back in 2005-06 while playing for Ottawa.” Crosby has since added another game to his streak making it 23 (against Washington)  and making him sole record holder.

The cancelled season is referring to the lockout we all remember 2004-2005, a sad year of Canadian history. On average, an NHL lockout will last 10 years (1994-1996 was the other lockout). This means that anyone who wants to challenge Crosby’s [post lockout] record will have to do so in the next 6 years ...which to me makes this Crosby hype just another useless and obscure stat. 

Good hockey players get statues

It’s funny how most Canadians can easily name a few of Gretzky’s records off the top of their head. Gretzky has the most goals (894), most assists (1963), most points (2857), and ALSO has the most consecutive points (51 Games). That’s right ladies and gentleman, The Great One actually holds the all-time record at 51 games.  

 So over the coming weeks when you’re eating your cereal  and checking out the sports highlights please remember to really listen and understand what these “records” actually stand for. 

I'm really excited to see this so-called record crumble before Crosby's eyes, and hopefully it all ends at the Outdoor Winter Classic (Jan 1, 2011). What can I say I'm an Ovechkin fan ha ha ha. When all is said and done, the Great One, is in fact a great one, AND – Sid the kid, will always just be a kid.

***Gretzky also has 39, and 30 game streaks respectively. 

Super Nintendo Anyone?

Contra III: The Alien Wars (1992)

Konami- Super Nintendo

           Some of the best roommate bonding experiences originate not just from studying and partying, but playing video games. Most student houses have at least 2-3 game consoles where mindless hours are spent gaming. Before you read any further, let me tell you that today’s game Contra III: Alien Wars is not supported in HD, dual-shock controllers, or surround sound. It’s one of the best 2D MULTIPLAYER games of our generation that we can enjoy with our roommates and friends. To play this wicked side-scroller online just click here.

Shoot & Shoot More

           The storyline involves aliens invading earth, and that’s really all there is to say. To be frank, the plot doesn’t really make any sense at all. It’s based around two characters named Jimbo and Sully that have to save the planet in the year 2636 from an alien race. One minute you’re driving a tank down the streets of LA, and the next minute you’re shooting your way out of a giant alien body (you have to shoot your way out of almost every situation). Some of the levels are your standard 2D side-scroller, while other levels are played from a birds-eye-view... a nice little change up.

Konami takes full advantage of the Super Nintendo’s stereo sound, and 16-bit graphics. Some levels might be likely to cause epileptic seizures, but what game doesn’t these days? The only buttons you really need are: Left, Right, A (shoot), B (shoot more), and Trigger (change what you’re shooting). 

Hover-Bikes in 2636?

 

From the vast arsenal of guns, bombs, and vehicles you’ll find yourself replaying this 6 level game all day long.  The game has easy, medium, and hard modes... all of which are pretty difficult. At the end of the day this is definitely a great game. If you don’t have many plans for the day I recommend you take a look at this game.... who knows, maybe you’ll save the world today?

All Joking aside, this game is the perfect way to waste time, procrastinate, and much more. These two- dimensional games have become a part of our childhood memories, and are still worth playing. 

This game gets a whopping 5 guns out of 5.

Zach Morris VS BP Oil Spill

          The way we watch TV will never be the same. Streaming movies online, buying TV shows by the season, and downloading mp4 torrents for our IPhones, we are slowly but surely moving away from commercials. There are many companies out there looking to make our lives easier when we missed the latest episode of Jersey Shore TVshack, Sidereel, MTV just to name a few.

          The last DVD purchase I made was “Saved by the Bell” seasons 1-4. And let me tell you this has been one of my finest investments. I ended up watching all four seasons in a matter of days (commercial free 20minute episodes!). I stumbled upon an episode that directly related to the BP oil spill disaster. The episode was called “Pipe Dreams." It starts off with the high school, Bayside High, sitting on some very large oil reserves. An oil company comes in to do some drilling (which will make the school rich) and then an accident happens. The Oil ends up spraying all over the school pond and wildlife. Zack Morris’ pet duck ends up dying because of it. From there a large protest arises and the oil company packs up and leaves Bayside.

           The episode ends with all of the Bayside gang (Zack, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Lisa, Jesse) doing an epic 6 person high-five. Then the 1990s guitar solo kicked in and the credits role, another masterpiece for Zack and the gang.

           “Saved by the Bell” was definitely a great show of the late 80s/early 90s. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to grow up watching TV shows that would provide me with lifelong lessons and morals. Zach Morris and the gang were friends of mine growing up, and it’s always bittersweet watching these episodes (considering the original version of the show ended roughly 20 years ago).

 *Fun fact: BP actually purchased the search words “Oil” and “Spill” so it shows up first in the Google search!

Epic High-Five

No Title Needed.

Maybe if Dwight was the one making the marketing decisions for this university...