Dear Sandra, As a new AU student my life has been pretty busy. I’m always studying and that means my wife has had to pick up a lot of the slack. She is an amazing woman, wife and mother and this year I would like to get her an amazing Mother’s Day present to say… Read more »

Last week Debbie Jabbour wrote about her experiences taking AU exams, and I asked students to send me their exam stories. I’m sure many of us have strange stories to tell about writing exams! I am currently working towards a Certificate in French language proficiency, so exams, especially in another language, can be unnerving. During… Read more »

When Even The Bank Tells You To Spend More The Toronto Dominion bank recently released a report (http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/April2003/22/c2879.html/62342-0) praising Alberta as being the only region in Canada that has U.S. levels of wealth while preserving the Canadian-style quality of life. The report is not all wine and roses however, and points out that in order… Read more »

Very rarely do I ever purchase what I call “feel good” books. They are often expensive and the content is mostly glitz. Holistic Home, however, described on the front cover as a book for “creating an environment for physical and spiritual well-being” delivers just that and is my exception in the purchasing books department. This… Read more »

Dear Sandra, Exams are coming up for me at the end of the month and I am STRESSED! So stressed in fact, that I cannot get to sleep at night! Any suggestions? Jittery & Tired in Strathmore, AB Dear Jittery & Tired, I hope my advice helps you because the most important thing to do… Read more »

PREVENTING DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN ALLEVIATES ADULT CONDITION Researchers at McGill University have found that “prevention of depression in childhood is the best way to thwart the condition in adulthood.” John Abela, the McGill psychology professor who conducted the study, finds that “children are currently experiencing pessimism, sadness and depression at an unprecedented rate,” and that… Read more »

Dear Sandra, I’m in a cooking rut. My family is sick and tired of Hamburger Helper and fish sticks, but I don’t have the time, money or the know how to do any better. Any suggestions? Hamburgered-Out in the USA Dear Hamburgered-Out, You don’t have to cook like Emeril and have Oprah’s bank account to… Read more »

For a long time, Distance Education [DE] was considered inferior to traditional learning. That stigma is slowly being eroded, and AU has played a large role in legitimizing DE. For the next Sounding Off, tell me about your experiences as an AU student. How do people react to when they hear that you are attending… Read more »

Education Week From April 27th to May 3rd, it’s Education Week (http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/200304/14212.html) in Alberta. In typical Alberta fashion, this means a concentration on the kindergarten to grade 12 school system through-out the province and a near neglect of post-secondary institutions. If you go to the link, you’ll see a number of events going on around… Read more »

Most of the time I watch films that have able-bodied characters – don’t we all? But Door to Door is a whole different – and delightful – kettle of film. The star, William H. Macy, is the humble, cerebral palsy victim Bill Porter. His appearance won’t win him any Academy Awards but his acting did!… Read more »