6 THE DAILY VOICE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013 EDITOR QUINN MELL-COBB Walking dogs? Go get your paws ona real job og walking used to be an Dee for kids not yet old enough to get a real job, but not anymore. Thanks to a special program at Langara, you can become a profes- sional dog walker in just 3 1/2 days. I must have missed the memo that dog walking became a career. No disrespect to any dog walkers out there — it seems like a pretty nice way to make some money and get exercise at the same time. But paying almost $500 to learn how to do —* #74) it seems a little i uy excessive. A quick OPI N ION Google search ANDREAANTHONY will teach you everything you need to know. The only benefit, if you can call it that, is at the end of the program you can apply for the professional dog-walker certificate. That way, you’ll have something to show for yourself proving that you are the best person for the job. In theory. If you are a dog owner, you might think hiring a professional dog walker means getting top-quality service for your prized pooch. But you should know the program has no prerequisites. You still run the risk of letting your dog spend the day with someone who doesn’t care about poor Sparky’s strict diet. But don’t worry: your trained dog walker will know the ins and outs of all the city’s dog bylaws. One of the courses in the program offers students real practical experience in the world of dog walking. That’s right, you can pay $105 for something that you could already be getting paid for. But don’t worry, once you com- plete the program you can start earning money! Or at least start the tiresome process of paying off your debt from enrolling in the program in the first place. We want to hear from you Did we get a fact wrong? Tell us. Got a different point of view? Write to us. Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Journalism instructor Ethan Baron oversees The Voice. Email him at ebaron@langara.be.ca QUINN MELL-COBB cartoon It's the TSN-d of an era $5.2-billion Canadian television deal with Rogers Sportsnet broke late Monday night, pushing previous holder TSN (who had possessed the exclusive rights since 2002) and its gold-standard roster of anchors, analysts and announcers off to the sidelines after the end of this season. Curiously, the first to break this story, the biggest changeover in Canadian media history, was TSN’s own Bob McKenzie, generally regarded as the undisputed king of hockey insiders — a delicious twist of irony, but extremely fitting at the same time. Speaking purely as a diehard who grew up watching the NHL on TSN various times week in and week out, I was taken aback when the reports first started coming in on Twitter, saying that Rogers and its band of networks had outbid their greatest rival, the Bell-owned and -operated TSN. After years spent as a relative bridesmaid, with hockey coverage N= of the NHL’s new 12-year, that paled in comparison to TSN’s esteemed panel of the aforemen- tioned McKenzie, James Duthie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Ray Ferraro, among others, Sportsnet will now find itself at the forefront of hockey in this country ~arelatively unfamiliar position. The on-air talent that Sportsnet currently employs is lacklustre at best, aside from local anchors Don Taylor and James Cybulski, national analyst and former player Nick Kypreos, and national host Daren Millard. One would hope the expected abandoning of the TSN broadcasting ship will lead to the replacement of hapless ex-general manager Doug MacLean, whose anecdotes about his piss-poor tenure as a team executive have probably run dry OPINION QUINN MELL-COBB with other viewers besides myself. Just envision MacLean, NBC’s Mike Milbury (famous for drafting hospital mainstay Rick DiPietro first overall in 2000, and dealing future franchise goaltender Roberto Luongo away for a bag of pucks), and TSN’s Craig Button one day banishing themselves to a desert island somewhere to host the Questionable Trading Variety Hour ~a lock for the best comedy Emmy! But I digress. One benefit of the new agreement is Rogers’ partnership with the CBC. National staple Hockey Night in Canada will be preserved on CBC until at least 2018, along with full rights to the Stanley Cup Final, at which point both may potentially move over to Sportsnet — but only time will tell. This upcoming new age of Canadian hockey broadcasting certainly has its perks and pitfalls ~— but it won’t be easy for the unproven Sportsnet to outshine the tremendous coverage TSN has treated us to over the past 12 years. Don't waste time on gadgets ncouver is aiming to become Ve« of the world’s greenest cities by 2020, but with the Christmas season upon us, this holly and jolly time of year is when residents are more likely to amass a lot of electronic waste. Instead of spending countless hours pushing through malls and parking lots trying to score the newest gadgets and hottest styles, try minimizing waste by taking a more personalized approach and gifting handmade presents that people will cherish. Around Christmas, many people are dead set on buying the latest tablets, laptops and cameras that end up becoming obsolete as soon as a newer one is released. In a few years, people are asking for the newest versions of the technology that they already have, as their old products are tossed aside to collect dust in their closet — and the endless cycle of electronic waste continues. The city is trying to encourage residents to reduce its electronic waste through a holiday campaign called Green Angel, which encour- ages people to create memories, not waste. However, there are still people who prefer something physical and tangible to open around the Christ- mas tree. There is an alternative - a halfway point between creating special moments and generating more unnecessary electronic waste. Enter the Handmade Revolution, anew exhibition at the PNE Forum. The Handmade Revolution offers one-of-a-kind handmade accesso- ries, art, jewelry, baby items and home decor from more than 250 designers and crafters. This exhibition and similar holiday craft fairs scattered throughout the Lower Mainland allow Christmas shoppers to take a step back from the stress of shop- ping and focus on finding a present that people will cherish for years to come. People often forget that Christmas is about spending time with family and friends, despite constant advertising that emphasizes buying the perfect holiday gift. Give someone a ticket to a play or a concert and go with them. Make them something from scratch that has more sentimental value than a price tag. In the end, that is what people will remember the most ~ a gift from the heart that is true to the spirit of the holiday season. OPINION KENDRA WONG The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity. Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number. HOW TO REACH US PHONE 604-323-5396 FAX 604-323-5398 E-MAIL thevoice@langara.be.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College There is a mailbox at the entrance to the journalism rooms. SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. VSY 226 WEBSITE wwwlangara.bc.ca/voice EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Quinn Mell-Cobb PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Kayla lsomura PAGE 2 James McLaughlin PAGE 3 Jacqueline Langen PAGE 4 Kristen Harpula PAGE 5 Brian Horstead PAGE 7 Dana Bowen PAGE 8 Warren Jané WEB EDITORS Patrick Colvin Deanna Cheng Angela Holubowich REPORTERS Andrea Anthony Brenna Brooks Marie-Andree Del Cid Nick Eagland Tammy English Bill Everitt Gavin Fisher Tyler Hooper Amy Jones Jesse Lam Tricia Lo Jenny Peng Nadim Roberts Vanessa Szpurko Glen Truax Kendra Wong Contact us: Our blog at www.langara- voice.com Twitter at @langaraVoice Youtube at VoiceLangara flickr at Langara Voice