EDITOR MATT HYNDMAN THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012 5 Gaming expo a celebration of old school Iconic games and live music are on tap for retro gamers as an alternative to events across the border By LEV JACKSON Expo will take place March 17 at the Columbia Theatre in New Westminster. For years, the Lower Mainland has had a large community of retro gaming enthusiasts. The Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo will be the first large scale community event to cater to the needs of this grow- ing community. This gaming expo is taken from the mould of cities such as Seattle and Portland, which have put on annual ex- pos in years past. “It’s great that we don’t need to go down to the States for these things any- more,” said Terrence Magallan, a sec- ond year biology student and retro games enthusiast. The expo will include many vendors, gaming, various tournaments, panels, costumes and a charity auction. The venue is also licensed for drinks and will feature a DJ kicking every- one’s favourite old school beats. The retro gaming culture celebrates nostalgic games from the early years of video gaming. Games such as Pac-Man, the original Donkey Kong, Atari 2600, as well as many console games from the Ninten- do Entertainment System are often cel- ebrated for their originality and sim- plicity. Guests at the event include MEGA- STEAKMAN, a group of filmmakers and passionate gamers that are best known for creating the viral video, Pokemon Apokelypse. Geeks After Dark, a group of girls performing what they call “Nerd- lesque” will also be featured guests. Burlesque is performed by a group of beautiful women with an emphasis on video game culture. Video game historian John Hancock will be in attendance. He and his large game collection have been featured by many media outlets over the years. Other guests will be: Happy Console Gamer, Awesome Video Games, Retro City Rampage, and Game to Win. The one day event begins at 11 a.m. and tickets are $15. For more information visit www. vancouvergamingexpo.com. T:: first Vancouver Retro Gaming Bloggers offer up their wares Fashion bloggers will sell their old clothes, raise money for charity By DANA BOWEN e Waldorf Hotel will be welcom- ing some of Vancouver's favou- rite fashion bloggers to sell clothes, shoes and accessories at bargain prices, March 17 for the first Fashion Blogger Sale. Alicia Quan, who runs the blog Ali- cia Fashionista, says she decided to put together the event to get rid of all her old clothes she thought others might get better use out of. Cee Fardoe of Coco and Vera helped Quan put the event together. “TSome of my clothes] are just not for me anymore, but there are lots of other people who can get wear out of it,” said Fardoe. A whole list of local style bloggers will be selling clothes at the event in- cluding Randa Salloum from The Un- precedented, Alexandra Grant from To Vogue or Bust and Jen Tam from Her Waise Choice. Proceeds from the $2-per-person en- try fee goes towards Dress for Success Vancouver, an organization that pro- vides women who cannot afford busi- ness attire with a suit for interviews. Once they are able to find a job, the women are able to go back for another suit to wear to work. The bloggers will also be offering gift bags to the first 50 guests who ar- rive, with swag from places like I See Noise, Barefoot Contessa and Social Experiment. The bloggers will be selling items from a variety of styles. “A mix of everything,” said Salloum. “T have vintage items, classic staples and fun pieces that can all work togeth- er in any one’s wardrobe.” Fardoe said her style, “tends to be very feminine and romantic.” Melissa Knight of Miss-Melissa said she has plenty of blazers she thinks people will enjoy. But for the bloggers, the purpose is not to make money and sell clothes. “T hope that our readers can get to know us as more than bloggers,” said Salloum. “Tt’s easy to fix us all into an internet shell but there’s more to us. We get to share our style and have a great time with these girls.” Knight agreed and said that it will be great to touch base with her readers. Selling clothes is just a bonus, she said. “We're just hoping for a fun after- noon, a chance to meet our readers and make room for new and exciting piec- es,” said Fardoe. The event sets up in the Hideaway in the Waldorf hotel from 12 to 4 pm on March 17. More information can be found on the bloggers’ websites. 66 We get to share our style and have a great time with these girls RANDA SALLOUM Clockwise from left: Cee Fardoe, Alicia Quan. Group picture: Matina Somlai, Alexandra Grant, Alicia Quan, Jen Tam, Cee Fardoe. Smart eating can benefit grades Nutrition month a chance for students to learn more about healthy options and improve their overall diet By CARA McKENNA arch is nutrition month, and Myine students may want to focus on the fact that food choices can affect everything from en- ergy levels to brain function. Nutrition month, an annual informa- tion campaign put forth by the Acade- my of Nutrition and Dietetics, is meant to remind Canadians of the importance of healthy eating and its positive impli- cations on daily life. Making good choices can seem diffi- cult when you're a busy college stu- dent, but to avoid spontaneous trips to the vending machine, simply planning ahead can make life a lot easier. “Nutritious eating is fairly easy but it does take thought [and] decision- making,” said Monica Molag, regis- tered dietician and Nutrition and Food Service Management instructor at Langara. “It takes trips to the grocery store and planning.” Molag said that making small chang- es, such as chopping extra vegetables when preparing dinner and packing them for school the next day can make the biggest difference. Making grocery lists prior to shop- ping and making large batches of dish- es like soup or casserole to freeze can also make healthy, nutritional eating a lot simpler. To keep costs down, the Dieticians of Canada website recommends looking for in season or local produce and buy- ing dried beans and grains in bulk. When planning meals and snacks, nutritionists recommend looking for nutritionally dense foods and avoiding empty calories when possible. The Aggregate Nutrient Density In- dex (ANDD, is a fairly common mea- sure used to rate foods on a scale from one to 1000 based on nutrient density and can be helpful when making deci- sions. Kale, watercress and collard greens all got the highest possible ANDI scores. Sunflower seeds, strawberries, lentils and wild brown rice are also top ANDI scorers in their categories. For optimal brain function at school, Molag recommends eating healthy snacks between meals (to keep blood sugar level balanced) and staying hy- drated. “When you are thirsty, you’re al- ready dehydrated, and once you’re de- hydrated your brain doesn’t function as well.” Maintaining moderation and keep- ing recommended portion sizes in mind are also important when indulg- ing in foods that are especially high in fat, sugar or sodium. MOST nutritious GREEN VEGETABLES Mustard, turnip, collard greens, kale, watercress NON-GREEN VEGETABLES Radish, bean sprouts, red pepper, radicchio, turnip them,” said Zbar. FRUIT Strawberries, blackberries, plums, raspberries, blueberries BEANS Lentils, red kidney beans, great northern beans NUTS AND SEEDS Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds WHOLE GRAINS Oats, barley, wild brown rice, brown rice Source: Whole Foods Market Plan to be voted on in spring or summer Continued from page 1 help keep plan costs down. “We could save two or three dollars per student and not have any negative affect on If ceramic fillings are added to the package, the insurer will “charge a sig- nificant amount more ... two or three dollars per student,” said Zbar. Reductions in pharmaceutical cover- age are “not on the table” for bargain- ing, Zbar said. Once the LSU negotiat- ed all the details with StudentCare there will be a student referendum to decide the matter. The vote could held either at the end of this semester or during the summer semester, depending on how long the bargaining process takes. If it’s rejected by students, the LSU and StudentCare will have to go back to the drawing board. “We are for a 100 per cent transpar- ent process,” said Zbar.