MAN: Hi, how can I help you?

WOMAN: Hi. I bought a table from your online store last week and it seems like it got a bit damaged during the delivery.

MAN: Ok. Is that the table there?

WOMAN: Yeah. We got a great deal and it’s of excellent quality. But when my husband started to assemble it, he noticed the damage. I really like the table, so I’d actually just like to exchange it. Here’s a copy of the invoice.

MAN: All right, let’s have a look here . . . Hmmm, I can see the scratch on the top. Were you home when it was delivered?

WOMAN: My husband was home, but he only noticed the damage after the truck had left. I tried to do an online return, but the instructions were confusing.

MAN: I’m sorry about that. Let me just open your file on the computer. The system is a little slow, so this might take a moment

MAN: Alright. I just need a few more details from you. Did you pay with our store credit card?

WOMAN: No, I paid with my debit card.

MAN: That’s too bad. If you’d used our credit card, you could’ve received a 15% discount. We also offer an extended warranty on all items purchased with this card, which includes free delivery on your replacement table. The standard warranty doesn’t cover that.

WOMAN: That sounds great! Can I apply for a store credit card here?

MAN: I’m afraid you can only apply online. When you go to our home page, you’ll see an image of a credit card and next to it there’s a button that says ‘apply’. Just click on that and fill out the details.

WOMAN: All right. How long before the card arrives?

MAN: You’ll get it in the mail in about 10 business days.

MAN: Okay. I checked and it seems like we don’t have the exact same table in stock, my apologies. We have this circular one, which is easy to assemble. Another option is this brown one. It’s more of an office desk, but it’s solid wood.

WOMAN: The brown one is nice, but it’s not really what I need. How much is that glass one?

MAN: It’s almost the same price as the one you bought. It’s a very popular style.

WOMAN: Yeah, it’s pretty nice, but I still prefer the table I got, it’s a nice rectangular wooden table with a drawer. I’m going to shop around, if I can’t find the one I originally bought anywhere else, I’ll come back for this glass one.

MAN: No problem, I will hold it for you until the end of today.

WOMAN: Sounds good. Thank you.

WOMAN: Welcome to the Ocean Breeze Hotel. How may I help you?

MAN: Hi. Can I please get two rooms together for tonight? Side-by-side together with a connecting door. My name’s Hank Gruber.

WOMAN: Let me see what we have available. We don’t have rooms with connecting doors, but we do have a suite that includes two bedrooms. It also has two bathrooms and a kitchen. That’s probably your best bet.

MAN: That might be convenient, but we don’t need a kitchen. How much does the suite cost?

WOMAN: It’s $350 for one night, plus taxes. I do have two separate rooms on the sixth floor. Each of these rooms would be $150 plus taxes. Would you prefer these?

MAN: Well, the kids are young teenagers, so we want them where we can see them. Would the four of us fit in one of those rooms?

WOMAN: There are two queen-size beds in each room, and the bathroom is quite large. For two additional people it would be $25 extra per person.

MAN: Well, we may as well go for the suite, then. It’s not much more, and then we can keep an eye on our kids. What about restaurants? Is there something in the hotel?

WOMAN: We have complimentary breakfast every morning. For dinner this evening, you should try the Breeze Bar and Grill which serves a variety of food, including burgers and fries. I’m sure everyone will find what they like on the menu.

MAN: Oh yeah, that sounds great. What about parking? Oh, and I think you have a pool, right? The kids would love to play around in the pool for a while.

WOMAN: Here’s a parking pass to put on your vehicle dashboard. The parking area is behind the hotel. Actually, I’m sorry but the pool is closed this week for repairs. Instead I can provide free movies and internet games on your TV if you like. Your children might like that.

MAN: Well, the pool would tire them out more, but we’ll accept your offer anyway. Sign us in for one night in that suite!

WOMAN: Hi! I just moved to this neighbourhood and I’m excited that there’s a city aquatic centre right here! I’ve never learned how to swim and I’d like to take lessons.

MAN: Great! My name’s Matt. I’m a lifeguard here and I teach swimming lessons! What’s your name?

WOMAN: I’m Andrea. Nice to meet you! How do I begin swimming lessons? I’m a bit nervous.

MAN: Nice to meet you too! Don’t worry, everyone is nervous at first. What level of class you start in will depend on your comfort level. Let me ask you a few questions. Are you comfortable putting your face under water and holding your breath?

WOMAN: Yes, I’m pretty comfortable doing that. I can hold my breath under water in the bathtub.

MAN: Great! That’s a good first step. Can you blow bubbles with your face in the water, without getting water up your nose?

WOMAN: Yes! . . . I can do that.

MAN: Perfect. Are you comfortable floating in water?

WOMAN: No, definitely not. I fell out of a boat when I was a child and was a bit traumatized. That’s why I have always been scared of water. But I’ve always wanted to learn how to swim, and now is as good a time as any to face my fear!

MAN: I agree! Swimming can be really fun if you feel safe in the water. I’m going to recommend you start in Adult Beginner Level One classes. They run on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evenings. You can do anywhere from one to three classes a week, for forty-five minutes each. I teach the Saturday evening classes.

WOMAN: I can do Wednesdays and Saturdays, so that works perfectly. What will I need to bring?

MAN: You’ll need a swimsuit that you can move comfortably in, a towel, and 25 cents for the lockers in the changeroom. I’d also recommend swim goggles, which we sell here. If you want to protect your hair from the chlorine, we also sell swim-caps. WOMAN: Great! I don’t have a swimsuit yet, but I’ll go buy one.

MAN: Excellent! Let’s get you signed up for classes!

Last Friday night, a Kelowna couple found a surprise while clearing the attic of their heritage house.

Alex and Rebecca Castillo found a paper wasp nest in the attic. The nest was built by stinging insects that chew on wood fibre, mix it with their saliva, and spew out a substance they use as a building material.

But this was no ordinary wasp nest. It was bright red, blue, and yellow, looking more like a pinata or party balloon than a nest. To solve the mystery, the Castillos didn’t have to look far. In another room of the attic, they found four dusty boxes of old superhero comic books, which the wasps had used as raw material. Most of the comics had been chewed to shreds, but several were still sealed in their original plastic packaging.

The Castillos brought the unharmed items to a collector’s shop and were told that one, a rare 1952 Superman comic in mint condition, is worth $1,600 dollars. Resolved to continue working on their house, the Castillos are now deciding whether to keep the item or sell it on eBay.

As video gaming rises in popularity, the debate about its benefits and risks rages on. Reviled by some as a cause of poor grades and aggressive behaviour in children, video gaming is now just as likely to be touted as a way to develop important skills and facilitate learning.

Psychologist Thomas Moreau sees a link between lower grades and frequent, unrestricted recreational video gaming. In his study of 1,500 students ages 8 to 18, those who devoted less time to video gaming boasted consistently higher academic achievement. Moreau is quick to add that these findings should be interpreted cautiously, since academic underachievement and the inclination to play video games could both stem from an unknown cause. Moreau applies similar reasoning to his previous research correlating video gaming and aggression. Moreau can’t say that one causes the other, both might be attributable to a third factor. Thus, for Moreau it’s too soon to say that video games pose a risk to children’s thoughts and emotions, but he does note that 85% percent of video games include violence, and children tend to mimic what they see.

Forty-year-old Mike Hornvelt is no child, but he’s an avid gamer. A University of Toronto professor specializing in the history of Canadian education, Dr. Hornvelt believes video games teach people how to learn. Hornvelt says video games engage players in a problem-solving cycle. Hypothesis, experimentation, and eventual deduction are involved as players try different options in an effort to solve a challenging problem. Hornvelt says he enjoys collaborative multi-player games, especially entrepreneurial business startup and management simulations, and he insists that they’ve helped him develop skills such as teamwork, mediation, and self-assessment.

Where Moreau and Hornvelt see eye to eye is the claim that video gaming can become habit forming. Moreau points out that the average North American student plays nearly 10,000 hours of video games by the time they graduate college. Even Hornvelt admits that he himself has fallen prey to the lure of interactive technology. The former compulsive 25-hour-a-week gamer now observes a strict weekly limit: four hours, weekends only. A similar ability to self-regulate would be hard to find among children, Moreau notes, arguing that it is mostly up to parents to curb or even stop their child’s video game playing before it gets out of hand. Children’s brains are highly plastic, says Moreau, and excessive game playing at a young age could have lifelong impacts. He recommends that parents not let children under five play video games at all and says a limit of two hours a week is enough for everyone else.