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Things you need to know before buying a car Buying a vehicle, whether new or used, represents a huge expense for most people. That’s why it is crucial to be wellinformed before signing a purchase contract. Here are a few tips to help you save time and money.
Get all the facts Firstly, before you even start shopping around, determine your needs and the type of vehicle you prefer. Set a maximum budget and find out the selling prices of vehicles that interest you.
After narrowing down your choices, get as much information as possible about the vehicles in question. If you’re thinking about purchasing a used vehicle, a visit to the Transport Canada website can be very useful for finding out about any current recalls applicable to the models that interest you. Other sites that publish consumer reviews about the reliability of makes and models can help you steer away from lemons and sniff out money-saving deals. If you’re interested in a new car, be sure to read up on road tests carried out by different car reviewers. The opinions of these experts will help you confirm or discard your choices.
PHOTO: sam jordash / THINKSTOCK
Road tests and inspections The next step is the road test, for both new and used cars. This is one of the most important steps, as a particular vehicle doesn’t neces sarily suit every driver. Don’t hesitate to ask for a longer road test than the one that is suggested to you; after all you’re the customer.
In the case of a used vehicle, it is always best to have a road test and a mechanical inspection. Most car dealerships will agree to let you have the car inspected by an independent mechanic you trust. Negotiate Lastly, prepare to negotiate. Whether you are looking for a new or used vehicle, keep in mind that the car dealer has fixed his or her price to include a margin of profit, which is totally normal. This leaves you some room to negotiate. Be on the lookout for any deals that are being offered by manufacturers. Also, month- and year-ends are a good time to buy. Car dealers often have monthly objectives to meet and therefore will be able to offer rebates to clear the lot for the arrival of next year’s models. For a used vehicle, compare the prices of other similar models. Once you have come to a decision, make an offer in order to get the best price possible. Don’t be in a rush to buy; remember this will be an important investment for you, so make sure you think things through.
It’s cool to drive carefully Driving doesn’t just mean learning to control a vehicle and being familiar with road signs. It also involves knowing how to behave responsibly and safely while sharing the road with others. Some people seem to experience a sudden personality change when they get behind a steering wheel. Even-keeled and responsible people can suddenly become speed demons, too happy to “flip the bird” at another driver in frustration. Car manufacturers often take advantage of this change in people’s behaviour when they advertise the freedom and excitement that purchasing their products can procure.
PHOTO: RYAN MCVAY / THINKSTOCK
What kind of driver will you be? Will you use your car to attract attention or impress your friends? Do you have impulse-control difficulties? Are you a genuine thrill seeker? However you see yourself, keep in mind that people who love speeding aren’t always aware of the dangers involved and often overrate their driving skills and their ability to react quickly. Likewise, the more stressed they are, the more likely they are to press a little too hard on the gas pedal. Even worse, when speed is combined with alcohol and drugs, there is very often a heavy price to pay — both financial and in human terms.
Your first car
If you’re thinking about purchasing your first car while you’re still at school, you may not be rolling in money. To get your hands on a good deal in terms of insurance and coolness factor, opt for an inexpensive used vehicle that doesn’t have too much power under the hood. And when you pick up your friends, remember that they want you around for a
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long time to come. It’s all about being sensible and responsible while enjoying your newfound freedom.
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The North Thompson Star/ Journal and the Clearwater Times are published each Thursday by Black Press Group Ltd. We welcome readers’ articles, photographs, comments and letters. Al contents are copyright and any reporduction is strictly prohibited by the rightsholders.
Thursday, September 5, 2013 t PASSPORT TO KAMLOOPS 3
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Hyundai has a great lineup for 2014 Now that South-Korean Hyundai is one of the world’s top car manufacturers, it has to offer a complete lineup of vehicles. It does just that for 2014, starting with the smaller Accent, an entry-level sub-compact available as a sedan or hatchback that offers great fuel economy. It continues with the superbly designed Elantra, now offered as a sedan, a hatchback, or coupe. All are powered by the same 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine. Hyundai also offers a bigger sedan in the form of the Sonata, a car with a very modern look that can be ordered with a regular four-cylinder engine, a hybrid-equipped version of the same engine, or a smaller but turbocharged four-cylinder. One can also find bigger cars at the Hyundai dealer, including the mighty V-6 or V-8 powered Genesis sedan or the turbo-four or V-6 powered coupe of the same name. And for even more room and luxury, there is always the impressive Equus. But let’s not forget Hyundai’s most fun car for its price, the unique looking three-door hatchback Veloster. Your Hyundai dealer will also have a selection of SUVs, such as the compact but great looking Tucson with front- or all-wheel drive or the recent mid-sized Santa Fe, now offered in its base or Sport 2.0T trims with a regular or turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Both can both carry five passengers, while the longer V-6 powered XL version can carry seven passengers.
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PHOTO: Altrendo images / THINKSTOCK
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The coffee of the future is now at hand
Watches that are in time with technology The smart watch market is growing rapidly, and some models have already been relatively successful. Of course all those techies out there will revel at the thought of being able to discretely access their messages and calls from their wrists, anywhere and at any time. One thing is sure: large manufacturers are scrambling to dominate the smart watch segment. Sony, for example, has never hidden its desire to launch its own product, trying in both 2010 and 2012 to take the lead with its smart watch. Earlier this year, Sony presented its latest technology, the SmartWatch, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The SmartWatch from Sony synchronizes with a cell phone using Bluetooth technology.
This product is aimed at tech fans who, by using Bluetooth, will be able to reply to or reject calls, consult e-mails, and look at social network notifications without having to get out their cell phones. Sony’s SmartWatch has been sold online in several European countries since the summer of 2011 and will soon be marketed on a much larger scale. A few competitors are also venturing into this sector, including Apple, with its iPod nano, which can be used as a watch, and Motorola, with the Motoactv. But at the moment, all eyes are turned towards Apple developers who may soon reveal the true watch of the future. Until then, there’s the Pebble, whose next developments fans can support on the entrepreneurial website Kick starter. The Pebble promises to liven up the competition, thanks to its e-paper screen such as those found on e-readers. Able to connect to both iPhones and Android smart phones, this watch will be equipped with sports and fitness apps, a silent vibrator to alert you to incoming messages, a microprocessor, and a battery that lasts up to seven days.
The advent of packaged coffee capsules revolutionized coffee drinking a few years ago. Since then, the early morning routine has never been the same for those of us who are busy or who love the latest gadget. After all those years of mucky grounds and drippy filters, we can now conjure up a hot cup of joe with a simple push of the finger. Fans of good quality coffee will be happy to learn that Scanomat, a Danish company, is now offering an automatic coffee machine with an ultra-modern design called TopBre wer. This model can make up to four coffees per minute thanks to an iOS (Apple) app specifically designed for the TopBrewer. If you don’t own an iPhone or iPad, it is still possible to program the TopBrewer on the machine’s embedded touchscreen. Without wasting a second, you’ll be served a delicious cup of coffee using either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The machine can be installed under a counter or used as a freestanding unit. Three different sizes of stainless steel brew units are available. They each contain all the ingredients necessary for coffee making (milk, sugar, coffee beans) and are topped by a steel coffee faucet. This unit can even be integrated into existing installations and be combi ned with seve ral ma chines side by side. Once integrated, the result is a simple stainless steel tap for serving. The iPhone app not only allows you to program the time at which you want to drink your coffee, but also to select from a wide range of coffees, including cappuccino, macchiato, and espresso. The TopBrewer can also serve hot chocolate and even fruit juices.
NFC technology Making consumer purchasing more efficient gy in order to allow its citizens and visitors to pay their parking fees via their telephones.
During the last Paris Motor Show, telecommunications giant Orange, automotive supplier Valeo, and car ma nufacturer Hyundai presented a solution for vehicle sharing systems. Once a user’s time slot is con firmed, they receive on their cell phone a temporary, non-transferable “key” in complete security. They then simply hold their cell phone near the vehicle’s door to unlock it and again near the dashboard to start the vehicle. Hyundai is the first and only manufacturer to have Hyundai has unveiled a new system by which NFC announced their plans to martechnology can lock and unlock a vehicle. ket this type of vehicle before 2015.
Launched as a pilot project in Nice, France, in 2011, NFC is slated for mass marketing this year. It will revolutionize in one shot our interactions with the world by gradually supplanting the use of credit and debit cards. Large ma nufacturers, such as Samsung, Acer, and No kia have already an nounced that their next smart phones will be equipped with NFC chips. However, it has been said that the race towards NFC will be slowed down by the fact that it is not iPhone-compatible.
This technology targets several different sectors, especially the tourism, car, and home appliance industries, as well as public transport and public fee-paying. For example, the town of Strasbourg, in France, has recently equipped all its parking meters with NFC technolo-
A new range of domestic appliances with NFC chips was recently shown by appliance manufacturer LG during the 2013 Consumer Electro nics Show. With these appliances, smart phones become remote controls to communicate with refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines. Panasonic has also incorporated NFC into its latest televisions and Panasonic Lumix cameras, which were also unveiled this year.
The TopBrewer can make up to four coffees per minute, thanks to an iOS application.
PHOTO: john foxx / THINKSTOCK
Do you know what NFC technology is? Near field communication is a close proximity, high frequency wireless technology. It allows contactless information exchan ges between different devices, such as a cell phone and an appliance, thanks to a chip and electronic tags.
Thursday, September 5, 2013 t PASSPORT TO KAMLOOPS 5
Inviting Mom and Dad to live with you Your ageing parents are coming to the end of their lives and you all feel that they can no longer stay in their own home. What are their options? Your heart tells you to invite them to live with you. Your mind tells you not to make any hasty decisions. It’s true that there are all kinds of homes for seniors, but many people believe that welcoming a still-independent elderly parent into your home can be a winwin situation, despite the hectic pace of modern life. In such a situation, seniors would have to be able to adapt to the dynamics of their new home. That could be a difficult feat for them, especially if they consider that they are past the age of being able to cope well with big changes. Indeed, their best interests must always be kept in mind. A good, clear agreement on the living situation is vital to their well-being. Honest, open, and respectful communications, compatibility of temperaments, and the sharing of the same values are all essential in maintaining harmony. After all, visiting one another and living under the same roof are two very different things.
The context is quite different when you welcome into your home a parent who is losing their independence, who suffers from a serious illness, or who requires palliative care. In your role as Helping parents carer you will have to put aside at the end of their your own life priorities for the lives is a beautiful time being, in order to make this way to say “thank difficult stage as peaceful as pos- you”. sible. However, close emotional ties to parents may cause caregivers to devote too much time to them, so much that they neglect their own well-being. Caregivers have to learn to take care of themselves and ask for help from family, friends, community organizations, or healthcare services, when necessary. Before making such a serious decision, be sure to put all the cards on the table and ensure that everyone concerned gets their say in the matter. Follow the dictates of your heart, but don’t forget to listen to reason.
Even though you love your elderly parents or other seniors very much, it can be very difficult to find the time among all your other responsibilities to pay them a visit. That can be especially true if the encounter feels burdensome, such as when maintaining a conversation is a struggle because of hearing loss. But it is possible to turn these visits into truly rewarding occasions for both of you. Here are a few suggestions to help liven up these intergenerational visits: • Ask them to tell you their life stories. You will learn more about the events that forged their characters and the values that guided them. Ask them about their youth and how they met the love of their life. • Do some home cooking with them or bring along home cooked meals inspired by their favourite recipes. Seeing that their knowledge has been passed on will give them personal satisfaction. They might really appreciate being able to enjoy dishes that were so much a part of their favourite family traditions. Even seniors with dementia will
be thrilled by this initiative, as smells are a powerful tool in stimulating memories. • Take them out on trips down memory lane or, if they’re losing their mobility, look at photographs together of family vacations, the places they lived, or their schools. This could awaken many Be creative and turn happy m e m o r i e s, a visit to an elderly parent or helping to bring you other senior into a rewarding closer together. experience for everyone • Play together: cards, concerned. puzzles, or board games are an easy and effective way to occupy the time and facilitate pleasant conversation. • If it suits the person, touch them whenever possible. People living alone are often deprived of human contact, especially human touch — so essential to the well-being of the soul.
PHOTO: Comstock images / THINKSTOCK
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Influenza, so commonplace and yet so deadly In October, the Canadian government is encouraging its citizens to protect themselves against a very common illness but one which can be dangerous to certain segments of the population: flu. During this period, which has been designated Influenza immunization Awareness Month, many different publicity campaigns will try and make us all more aware of some basic rules to follow.
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Influenza is an affliction familiar to us all and its symptoms are well-known: headaches, coughing, sneezing, nasal drip, congestion, muscular aches and pains, fever... On the other hand, the risks to people already weakened by other illnesses are less well-known. These include such things as respiratory diseases which undermine the immune system. Statistics show that every year there are more than 20,000 people admitted to hospital in Canada because of flu, as well as 4,000 deaths. It is important to know that, even though influenza can slow us down and often involves many days of enforced bed rest, it can be deadly if transmitted to people at risk of complications. Yet the solution is very simple and known to us all: prevention. Avoiding public places when we’re ill, washing our hands, coughing into our forearms and, most important of all, getting a flu shot. The government has organized this awareness campaign during October because this is the time of year when the flu is the most contagious. Make the most of this month to find out more about influenza and its symptoms from your doctor or local healthcare clinic. Also ask about the possibility of being vaccinated. This isn’t necessarily expensive and is sometimes free of charge if you are a person at risk or if you work in certain professions.
Being vaccinated is essential for people at risk. (Photo SP)
Thursday, September 5, 2013 ▼ PASSPORT TO KAMLOOPS 7
Are you, or one of your friends, a victim of bullying? Is your child a victim, or perhaps even the bully? Several resources are available to you: • Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or www.kidshelpphone.ca • Your local police station
Is this bullying or not? A few simulations worth discussing Even though adults are increasingly aware of the problem of bullying, it isn’t always easy to determine with any certainty if a particular type of behaviour should be considered as such. This is especially true if we did not witness the act. This is why it is important to be able to tell the difference between bullying and regular conflict, misunderstanding, or harmless teasing. Generally speaking, a conflict involves two people of equal strength, and the resolution of this conflict is part of the growing up process all children go through. On the other hand, bullying involves two parties between whom there is a real or perceived power imbalance. Here are a few situations to help you understand this problem that far too many young
people have to confront.
EXAMPLE #1 : NICKNAMES
Calling a peer by a nickname with the sole purpose of gently teasing that person cannot be classified as bullying. Example: calling a friend a turtle because he or she walks slowly to school. However, if a nickname hurts or humiliates people and causes them distress, then this is considered to be direct verbal bullying. Example: calling someone a turtle as a way to publicly mock their learning difficulties.
EXAMPLE #2 : EXCLUSION
Refusing to play with a friend or to sit next to him or her in the cafeteria the day after an argument is not necessarily bullying, but rather a dispute between
friends. But this exclusion can be described as social bullying if it involves a group of people and becomes repetitive and hurts the victim by humiliating him or her.
EXAMPLE #3 : CYBERBULLYING
Posting compromising photographs of other people on the Internet, sharing derogative remarks about them, or even writing phrases such as “I’ll make you pay; you’re a dead man!” are all examples of cyberbullying. Even if you have no real intention of hurting others, you are making a death threat. This type of behaviour is considered to be illegal in the eyes of the law and can lead to an arrest and legal action.
Let’s all unite to eradicate bullying
TYPES OF BULLYING Bullying is not only about pushing people around or calling them names. There are in fact four principal types of bullying, and being able to identify them is a first step in the fight to eradicate this scourge.
• Verbal bullying (Insults, sarcasms, teasing, the spreading of rumours, threats, inappropriate sexual comments, and slurs about culture, race, religion, gender, or sexual-orientation.) • Social bullying (Group threats, making a scapegoat of someone, exclusion, public humiliation, and demeaning graffiti.) • Physical bullying (Hitting, pushing, pinching, hounding, jostling, stealing or destroying possessions, and sexual touching of an undesirable nature.) • Cyberbullying (Using the Internet or text messaging to bully, humiliate, make fun of, or circulate rumours about someone.)
DEVASTATING EFFECTS Just as there are many forms of bullying, there are also many devastating effects. Victims can experience an inordinate amount of insecurity, distress, withdrawal, isolation, fear, stress, anxiety, loss of self-confidence, and nightmares. Some victims can also feel physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, nausea, fatigue, and panic attacks. Bullying can even lead to academic problems, including dropping out of school. In a few cases — and only one case is too many — the pain caused by bullying can cause the victim to consider committing suicide. No one should have to feel wounded, humiliated or live in fear or isolation. Let’s all unite to eradicate bullying.
PHOTO: GEORGE DOYLE / THINKSTOCK
According to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, at least one Canadian teenager out of three can tell stories about what it’s like to be a victim of bullying at school. Other Canadian studies show that bullying occurs every seven minutes in the playground and every 25 minutes in the classroom. Do these statistics shock you? Whether you’re a student, parent, or educator, you have a role to play in putting an end to bullying.
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