6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 2015

EDITOR BAILEY NICHOLSON

lewpoints

Standing desks just don't sit right

od gave me a large bum for a good reason.

Stand-up desks are available in the library at Langara College for stu- dents to use while doing their course work, but stand-up desks aren’t new. Winston Churchill, Leonardo Da Vinci and Ernest Hemingway were known to use their stand-up desks.

They became popular in Silicon Val- ley, where peoples’ desire is to brag about long work hours and introduce new trends to draw attention to their own trumped up self-importance.

Supporters of stand-up desks reference a study from 2010, Sedentary Be- haviors Increase Risk of Cardio- vascular —_—-Dis- ease Mortality in’ Men. This study claimed that people who sit for 23 or more hours per week had a 64 per cent great- er chance of dying from heart disease than those who sat for only half as long.

Those who support the promotion of this ill-conceived fad argue that sitting for extended periods of time can send indi- viduals to an early grave. But the advice they give is false, and those who choose to stand can end up in the same place.

An October study by Cornell Univer- sity Ergonomics Web shows that stand- ing while working is problematic. It is

6 6 more tiring for

OPINION

MURRAY B. HUNT

men with heart disease because it

Twill increases the load ° on the circulatory continue to system. Prolonged plant my standing at work also increases the

bum on a risks of varicose chair when veins. Fine motor Iwork skills are reduced

when people stand rather than sit, and standing requires 20 per cent more energy than sitting. Standing all day is unhealthy.

I will continue to plant my bum on a chair when I work at my desk and promise to do my share of exercise. I am not prepared to trade in my desk and comfortable chair for the stand-up desk fad without true benefit.

CORRECTION

In last week’s edition of The Voice, we incorrectly printed “Hula Hoop Dancing” in our front page masthead, when in fact it should have read “Hot Hula fitness”. We apologize for the er- ror.

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Puppies relieve pressure

can honestly say that I’m feeling pretty stressed, and I’m sure I’m far from the only one. Having some cute, cuddly puppies on cam- pus would certain- ly take my mind

off things. UBC and SFU = have tonnes of

things that we don’t have, and

a we | OPINION typically that

doesn’t bother me. A CHOLSON But bringing in

stress-relieving

dogs during exam time seems like it shouldn’t be this difficult.

I feel like ’'m constantly walking past empty classrooms that could be donated for a few hours of puppy time. Also, we have a giant, grassy lawn just begging for paws to run all over it.

In terms of people with allergies or a fear of dogs, it seems easy enough to just avoid the room where the ‘scary’ puppies are being held. I’m not too fond of birds, but I still manage to shuf- fle past the crows that line my morning walk to school. I think that if a room full of puppies terrifies you, not enter- ing that room would be easy.

Stress can take a toll on you mental-

ly. Yes, there are counsellors on cam- pus willing to listen, but there’s just something about the calming nature of animals that provides a different kind of relief and relaxation.

It’s not like we’re asking for puppies all-year-round (although I wouldn’t ar- gue against it), just briefly during the time of year that we all need it the most.

I understand that certain policies may need to be put in place, and that it isn’t as easy as just finding dogs and transporting them over here to be played with, but for something that so many students would love, Langara should try a little harder.

MICHAEL LYLYK comic

Organic beer: passion over price

hen it comes to what they con- Wie: Vancouverites are most

passionate about organic hor- ticulture and craft beer.

Naturally, the two have joined forces in South Vancouver to form Dogwood Brewing, the Lower Main- land’s first ever all- organic craft brew-

ery and_ tasting room. And _ while organic breweries might feel easy to label as a market- ing gimmick, if the passion from brew- ers for organics is real, it’s hard to dis- miss.

But why is organic beer easy to dis-

OPINION

BEN BENGTSON

miss in the first place? Organic food and drink, while ideal in theory, is so often coopted by corporations that seek to exploit it. Companies like Whole Foods Market, for example, are the kind of big-box organics that go against what proper organics stand for, which should be hyper-local, small- batch products that are free of plastic.

Buying organic can also be an ex- pensive endeavour, and since the health benefits of eating “naturally” are relatively unproven it’s a tough sell for anyone.

However, if a brewery makes the de- cision to go organic and do it properly, such as Dogwood Brewing has, their attempts should be supported. Organic brewing should be focused on the im- portant stuff: cultivating relationships with farmers and creating beer in an ethical manner.

Most breweries aren’t organic be- cause it’s expensive. It’s expensive to purchase all-organic ingredients to brew beer, but if a brewery chooses to do so they should do it because they favour organic principles, not selling organic beer for it’s trendy marketabil- ity.

Brewers, for example, should be pas- sionate about dealing with local farm- ers and knowing where their ingredi- ents come from - that’s what’s important to consumers and, hopefully, the brewers as well.

Organic beer won’t be a game chang- er, but it’s hard not to be impressed with the passion and principles that can go into it when a place like Dog- wood Brewing does it. If other brewer- ies want to go this route — if they really believe in it, if they don’t treat it as a gimmick — then I say go for it.

Fil fay ce)

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