Posts By: Karl Low

Francesca Carone

Francesca Carone is a full-time mother and student. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, she moved to Nova Scotia for a more peaceful life. She is completing her BPA in Criminal Justice with plans to move on to a Masters in Counseling. Most of her free time is spent with her children and dog playing outside, sports, and gardening.

Is Amazon Spying on You?

Amazon’s electronic device is known as Echo.  It is the conduit for their voice activated virtual assistant, Alexa, similar to Apple’s Homepod for Siri, and Google Home with the Google Assistant.  With this device a user can find answers to many questions as well as change your thermostat, stream music, and schedule appointments.  Alexa software… Read more »

Gluten Free Doesn’t Always Mean Healthy

As students, our lives are busy and can be demanding.  We don’t always have time to think about what we are eating but some people are concerned about what they eat. The gluten-free diet has been striking up a lot of interest lately.  Almost any grocery store now carries gluten-free products such as gluten-free cake… Read more »

The Best Gas Efficient Cars for Students

Having a car is great, but it can be very expensive because of things like insurance, maintenance, repairs, and, of course, gas.  As students, keeping expenses down is important.  We know the price of gas is high, so finding a car that is good on gas, is a must these days.  The Saudi Arabian Oil… Read more »

The 2019 Federal Budget—Student Perspective

The federal government just released its new federal budget and some changes have been made that may affect students at Athabasca University receiving loans.  Some of these changes will be exciting for students For one thing, the budget proposes to lower the interest rates on student loans.  I think this would be a great thing… Read more »

Student Engagement at a Distance

Distance education has been rising throughout the world thanks to computers and the internet.  Traditional on-campus classroom environments have been the norm, and, until the 1980’s, really the only possibility. The history of distance education is longer than you might expect.  In 1922, Pennsylvania broadcasted some of its courses through radio.  In 1953, the University… Read more »

Seven Reasons Why AU Students Should Get a Dog

The domestic dog is a member of the genus Canis (canine).  They have been bred through hundreds of years from a type of wolf, extinct today, to become the friendly, loyal companions we now know.  The dog was one of the first species to be domesticated and selectively bred for various behaviors and physical attributes. … Read more »

Trudeau’s New Changes to Election—Vote Fraud Fears

Prime Minister Trudeau’s government passed more than 200 changes in the way Canadian elections take place.  Some of the changes that Canadians should be aware of include limiting the length of federal election campaigns, allowing those outside the country for more than five years to vote, and new ways to punish “politically motivated groups such… Read more »

Changes to Ontario’s Student Loan Plan

Doug Ford recently announced changes in the Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP), Ford’s government also introduced other changes such as tuition cuts (which are welcomed), as well as changes in grant eligibility.  But many students in Ontario have complained and worry about what these changes will mean for them. Before the changes, people whose families… Read more »

Don’t Believe Everything you Read

“FBI Raids CDC for Data on Vaccines & Autism,” “Obama and Michelle to Divorce.” These are examples of headlines you can find online.  Well, these are actually fake news headlines because Michelle and Obama are still married! Now, of course there are places (like those who claim aliens are living among us and the government… Read more »