YOUTH ARE AWESOME
Youth Are Awesome, commonly referred to as YAA, is a blog written by youth for youth. YAA provides the youth of Calgary a place to amplify their voices and perspectives on what is happening around them. Youth Are Awesome is a program of Youth Central.
Any views or opinions expressed on this blog belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people or organizations that the blog may be associated with, unless explicitly stated. All content is for informational purposes only.
Four weeks until Christmas holidays…
For starters, if you are a Youth Central volunteer, there are already tons of Christmas-related projects, so it’s close. Here’s a nice timelapse video to jump-start the festive spirit.
My YAA colleagues have already brainstormed their Christmas blog post ideas, so go check ’em blog posts out once they get published.  😀
This past week, the global community saw the collection of delegations at the UN climate change conference in Warsaw, Poland (click here to visit the context in more detail at CBC news). Many looked forward to the active debate of climate change and the solutions to thwart the pending issue. But then, the delegates were rife in a state of deadlock.
“Developing” nations, namely China and India, objected to the word “commitment” in the resolution as they wanted to distinguish their responsibilities from developed nations. China, coherently, was the largest contributor to global carbon emissions in 2012. Previously, China and India had referenced an article from the 1992 UN convention on climate change to argue that it was only developed nations who had to make “commitments” to hinder climate change. At this recent conference, developed nations, such as the United States, expressed their desire to eliminate this distinction or “firewall” between the obligations of developed nations and developing nations. In the end, the word “commitment” was changed to “contribution” in the edited resolution. The revised resolution also gave more liberty for developed countries—with rich economies—to feel at ease that they were not going to be held accountable for any future climatic disasters in developing worlds.
Sufficient decisions were made at the conference, including reducing deforestation and aiding developing nations to transition towards cleaner energy. However, at the end of the day, is this enough? A climate activist for the World Wildlife Fund, Samantha Smith criticized the outcome of the annual conference with her remarks, “Negotiators in Warsaw should have used this meeting to take a big and critical step towards global, just action on climate change. That didn’t happen.”
The terms of the conference are expected to be adopted by 2015. Whether, we regard thwarting climate change with the word “commitment” or “contribution,” climate change is among us and it is something that the whole global community must account for.
Sometimes it can feel good to remind oneself how good we have it, and it can’t be humorous!
When I got the book “My Grandma follows me on Twitter”, I wanted to share my favorite First World Problems (slightly altered so they make sense for our generation!)!
Since Marc and Craig Kielburger are brothers dedicated to leave our world a better place, please become active, since all these problems have possible solutions that we, in the first world, can make a reality!
#1
My triple-scoop ice cream is melting too fast for me to catch all the sprinkles.
FYI: Canadians consume $2.1 billion in ice cream annually – 11 times more money than we contribute to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and enough to stack scoops halfway to the moon.
#2
There’s nothing to watch on TV but poker tournaments and four different versions of CSI.
FYI: The average Canadian spends 17 hours a week watching television and 10 hours worrying about where they left their DNA.
#4
Whenever I order a book online, the courier comes when I’m still at school and I have  to go to the delivery depot to grab it.
FYI: Your local bookstore is probably closer than the next-day delivery outlet tucked in a strip mall on the outskirts of town. The public library is probably even closer, and the books are free!
#5
My significant other still hasn’t successfully captured my ideal peanut butter-to-jam ratio on my sandwich.
FYI: Yours personal PB-to-J ratio preferences are unique to you – like snowflakes.
#7
The price of gas is almost too high for me to drive the five blocks to the gym.
FYI: Cars account for 63% of total household greenhouse gas emissions and almost 10% of Canada’s overall contribution to climate change.
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#9
I scored the last seat on the bus, but the belly of the pregnant woman standing beside me keeps bumping my head.
FYI: 95% of seniors and pregnant women have sorer feet than yours – let them have a seat!
#12
The homeless guy outside my local mall is so friendly that I feel bad for ignoring him every day.
FYI: 17-year-old homelessness advocate Hannah Taylor, who inspired Hannah’s Place Emergency Shelter in Winnipeg, says the greatest gift to give a homeless person is to acknowledge that you see them.
#13
I’m starving and the fast food restaurant across the street doesn’t deliver.
FYI: 40% of Canadian seniors don’t get enough calories and protein on a daily basis.
#15
My cottage doesn’t have internet so I can’t update my Facebook to tell everyone I’m at the cottage.
FYI: The average Canadian surfs the Internet 45 hours a month, mostly posting wildly glamorous party pictures of themselves or watching videos of rodents on water-skis.
Smile; you have it pretty good.
To check out the numbers that aren’t written above, I would suggest you get the book – it’s great (Or follow me on Twitter at @YAAMueller)
Source:
Craig and Marc Kielburger’s book “My Grandma follows me on Twitter …and other first world problems we’re lucky to have”
I recently visited the Toscana Grill. When I entered the restaurant, I immediately felt at home, with the perfect decor for a casual restaurant. The waiters were extremely friendly and constantly checked in on our table.
I first ordered the Feta Bruschetta and was delighted by the seasoned bread and fresh tomatoes. We received constant refills of bread throughout the entire meal. During this time I ordered the Costolettine Oli Agnello (lamb chops with roasted potatoes and vegetables)Â .
Around 20 minutes later the food arrived, quite quick for what I had ordered. The vegetables were quite bland and un-seasoned but the roasted potatoes were cooked fantastically and seasoned just fine. The lamb chops were cooked to perfection and tasted great. Lastly I ordered dessert – cheesecake with raspberry coulis. The plate was decorated nicely and the cheese cake was light and delicious.
When the snow is falling, it’s the perfect time to watch a good movie, or two, or even five.
Here my top 5 movies to watch when the snow makes us freeze. My favourites either make you laugh, make you understand that we could have it way worse, or are simply heartfelt.
1. Ice Age
A great family movie about making friends and not discriminating between people, but doing what’s right for those who can’t fully themselves. A must-see this winter.
2. The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow – Trailer
Talking about having it worse. This movie really shows us that our winters could be way worse than they are, but also the more serious side explaining while our winters keep getting colder and colder: global climate change. This movie shows us that we either become active and take action regarding the developments, or soon we will be frozen before we can even voice our first complaint about how cold it is.
3. Happy Feet
A beautiful family movie with great music and love put into every animation throughout the entire movie. The comedy and heart-felt moments that are included in the movie are already hinted on the movie cover, with the warning, and the release date. This movie is simply great, and one of the cutest things is that penguins are the main characters. Simply adorable!
4. Narnia 1 – The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe
When you think of Narnia at first, most don’t remember the relation to snow in this movie. Nevertheless, the first movie plays almost entirely in a frozen Narnia! When my 11th birthday passed and I wasn’t invited to Hogwarts, I was super sad (how many people out there have felt the same?), but then I read Narnia, and I thought that maybe this magical story would come true in my life. As I can now say, it never did, but this movie makes you dream of a country beyond the imagination of this world, in which the good does indeed beat evil. Even if it’s cold outside, the good guys never rest.
5. Into the Wild
This is one of the most emotional movies I have ever seen. It tells a real story about a man taking off to go to Alaska after selling and giving away all of his belongings. Alaska is known for not being the warmest country in the world, and for a man without any belongings or winter clothes to take off and live in the wild for some time, I don’t think we should complain about the cold. After all, we have the possibility to just snuggle on the couch in our favourite blanket and stay warm.
Those movies are literally the best movies to watch when it is snowing out, but it is best to enjoy them with a cup of hot chocolate. Oh, and also grab some friends!
Happy snowfall!
With our world becoming so interconnected these days, it’s not so much a luxury anymore to be able to speak another language; it’s becoming more of a necessity. With post-secondary opportunities and job markets becoming increasingly competitive, knowing even just two languages can give you a huge advantage over others applying to the same thing as you. Not only does it make you more competitive, it can also open up doors to you that wouldn’t be there if you only spoke English.
Practical application of language skills
As I mentioned above, knowing a second or third language gives you a great advantage when applying to jobs or even post-secondary, but those are not the only practical uses for your language skills. Travelling is another fantastic opportunity to put your language learning skills to use! Going to a foreign country and being able to communicate with locals in their native language is one of the coolest things, in my humble opinion. It is so neat to go to a foreign country and be completely immersed in a foreign language. Of course it’s intimidating, but it’s a good kind of intimidating 😉
More than communication
Learning another language has more benefits than just being able to communicate with others. Learning a new language challenges the way that you think and understand the world around you. It forces you to think in a way that you may not be used to and in turn gives you new ways to think about things. Studies have shown that being multilingual helps to improve your problem solving and memory skills, as well as fend of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
When I was in Germany this past summer, I was able to understand basic words and conversations even though I don’t speak German. I was able to figure out what certain things meant based on similarities between words in both French and English, as well as within the context of whatever was being said or whatever I was reading. It was exciting to be able to have a certain level of understanding of a language that I didn’t even speak, and I thank being multilingual for that.
The ability to learn more languages faster
I am bilingual in French and English and I’ve recently started to learn Portuguese… I could carry a basic conversation or ask for directions, but I’m far from fluent! I can tell you for sure though that learning French prior to learning Portuguese has help immensely with the  learning process. You see, once you pick up a second language, it makes it easier to pick up other languages. The reason I found it somewhat easy to pick up the Portuguese was because both French and Portuguese have the same background; they’re both Latin based romance languages. There are words in both languages that are either very similar or practically the same. Once you get your head around learning a new language, it makes learning others a whole lot easier. It’s still challenging, believe me, but I think that it’s totally worth it. I can honestly tell you one of my favorite feelings in the world is when you work so hard to learn a new language that your brain starts to feel like mush. Sounds really weird (and maybe I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to learning languages…) but it is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. That is when you really know that you are learning the language.Â
If you’re interested in learning another language here’s a quick list of the 10 easiest ones to learn according to the newspaper The Telegraph, in no particular order:
Do you speak more than one language or are you learning another language? Feel free to leave a comment letting me know!
As we all know, on November 8 typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, killing as many as 4,000 and leaving millions displaced from homes and without food or water. Aid has slowly been coming in, however damage complications in rural areas are complicating recovery. Although the typhoon has passed, the worst is yet to be over as many survivors are still lacking their basic needs and many who are dead have yet to be identified, along with many still missing. Below, I selected a few photographs of the aftermath in the Philippines since the typhoon nearly two weeks ago.
After the typhoon, people sought out the church as a way of solace and refuge along with comfort, turning to God in their time of need as this woman is doing.
For many, the road to recovery will be a long one, however the Filipino spirit holds strong in the midst of disaster.
To donate to Typhoon Haiyan victims, please refer to my article about how to help here.
Using a virtual keyboard has its advantages, especially with tablets. There is no need to waste the effort of trying to thumb-type the width of the screen, or to attempt the half-screen keyboard. Using this keyboard with a cell phone may or may not be a good choice, since thumb-typing has become a widely practiced skill. A disadvantage of this keyboard is that it is only utilizable on a flat surface. As well, it may still feel uncomfortable for some people, due to its non-key-like feel.
However, the main point is that its always up to the consumer to decide what they like best. Above all else, mankind has furthered another step with technology with this virtual keyboard.
Check out this website:
There are many people out there who don’t know what they want to be when they grow up. You can blame it on becoming apart of a community you didn’t feel like you belonged in. Many times parents contribute to children being unhappy with their jobs. Remember what they say: if you love your job, it will feel as if you have never worked a day in your life. Also, it doesn’t matter what your age is; you shouldn’t feel bad if you don’t know where you want to go with your life and which path you want to take. Choosing what you want to do for your life is a very hard decision. It is never easy making hard decisions so this blog will help you choose what is right for you.
Be prepared
To find out more information about cashews, check out these links:
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/7-health-benefits-of-cashews.html
http://foodtofitness.com/health-benefits-of-cashew/
http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-cashew-nuts/
Also, some fun recipes on cashews:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rosemary-roasted-cashews-recipe/index.html
http://rasamalaysia.com/chinese-food-recipe-cashew-chicken/2/
For some reason this weekend, I was reminded of all the great old pop punk music from  back in the day (Panic! at the Disco, Fall out Boy, All American Rejects, etc.) Since then I have been obsessing over all of my old favorite songs and many other things from my childhood. I hope my random compilation of music, television shows and anything else I loved brings back some good memories. I was born in 1999, so no, I do not consider myself a 90’s kid, so you will probably not see any of that down below.
1. Pop Punk: Because I could and would have made this whole list about old Panic! and Fall Out Boy, I have decided to keep it simple and say Pop Punk. I will however list a few songs; I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! at the Disco, This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race by Fall out Boy and Teenagers by My Chemical Romance.
2. Those Squishy Water Things: Enough said.
3. S.O.S by Rhianna: Ahh yes, the long haired Rhianna; so young, so keen.
3. Jungle Run: Anyone else remember this jungle themed game show for children? I dreamed about being on this show as a child, too bad I was only six years old when it went off air.
7. Late Night Family Channel: Zoey 101, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide and Phil of the Future, anyone?Â
8. Ollo: Aka the best PC game ever! I literally wanted to eat the cakes that they made so bad, I salivated while staring at my Windows 98 Computer screen.
9. Â S Club 7: There ain’t no party like an S Club Party! (The TV show was even better)
10. Halloweentown: I still watch it every year.
Okay now that I am sad and wish I was seven years old again, I’d say it’s time to go. Don’t forget, If you liked any of these things as a kid or if you have something to add to the list, leave a comment down below.
Since this is a tag I am going to tag a few other bloggers to do this as well. I tag Bryna Turk, Jordan Illagan, Lauren Morris and Wentao Li to try and fill out a list of 10 of their favorite things from their childhood!
There is the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Now, there’s the iKnife. No, it doesn’t have apps and games and music on it, but it does so much more than that. It identifies cancer cells. When removing cancer, surgeons try to cut as precisely as possible: not too much should be out, but there shouldn’t be any infectious tissue left afterwards. Hungarian chemist Zoltán Takáts wanted to speed up the identification process, and made the iKnife so that it could analyze smoke from the electrosurgical knives of surgeons to separate cancerous cells from normal, healthy ones. He now works at Imperial College of London with Jeremy Nicholson to try to put it into the surgery room. Currently, results from 81 cancer surgeries show us that the iKnife is working just as well as your average pathology lab result.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting the surgeon to use it. Most cancer-treating surgeons know the complete image before they step into the room whereas the iKnife detects the infectious cells during the surgery. It will take longer in the surgery room. So should we use it just to check everything, not use it, or rely on it completely?
To learn more, watch this video:
You are chatting with your friends or someone special. Your conversation is at the peak, then comes a word you have no idea about. You don’t wanna ask its meaning and spoil the tempo of the conversation. But then what should you do? To avoid such situations, here is the basic list of internet slangs you need to know.
1) LMAO – Laughing My A** Off! This is saved for those moments when ‘haha’ or ‘LOL’ just won’t convey the amount of fun you are currently experiencing.
2) ROFL – Rolling On the Floor Laughing! A more desperate word for LOL.
3) TL;DR – Too Long; Didn’t Read. If this is the message you got while chatting, you probably wanna stop sending long messages. But this slang is sometimes used on formal notices, or to sum up the content of the whole document.
4) SMH – Relatively new, yes, but SMH has given Twitter and Instagram junkies a new way to say “shaking my head”. Just try not to use it in the wrong context as others could mistake the first letter for “shut” and the other two as something highly offensive and that could instantly end the relationship you have with your new boyfriend/girlfriend.
5) GOML – Get On My Level! In today’s day and age, every individual now has a certain “level.” It can be taken to a whole other “level” but in most occasions, you just want someone to GOML, or simply “get on your level”.
6) IMHO – In My Humble Opinion. This slang is normally used only before not-so-humble statements.
7) AWK – Not exactly an abbreviation, it is actually a short form of the word ‘awkward’ (lazy peeps!)
8) YOLO – You Only Live Once! The ever so fresh Twitter slang was coined by hip hop star Drake in one of his songs and is said to be all about living life to the fullest for as long as you can. The worst part of the trending term: everyone, including your grandmother and annoying boss, has been known to use it.
And then there are always words like LOL, OMG, BTW, ETC. that everybody who uses internet knows about! So use these slangs and HAND (Have A Nice Day!)
Image Sources:
Image 1
Yes, I am fully aware it isn’t even December yet. But many houses are already lit up with christmas lights, so I say… ‘Tis the season! Not only to be jolly, but to go to the Spruce Meadows International Christmas Market.
Become immersed in the sound of Christmas carols, the smell of hot cocoa, the taste of international food, the sight of fuzzy-antlered reindeer and the feel of pure joy. Go ahead and say I’m exaggerating, but really there’s no way to find out unless you experience it all for yourself.
At The Spice Cabinet, you can sample hot chocolate flavours ranging from gingerbread to banana cream. Buy a pair of unbelievably cozy slippers at Pasu Farms. Jewellery, clothing, baking, crafts, tea, glassware, ornaments, carvings, nail polish, pet treats, toys; there’s something for everyone on your list. Skip the hectic malls, and check off your shopping list while welcoming the Christmas spirit.
The market runs for three weekends this year, one of which has already come and gone. So… put on your jacket and boots, and head on down. Here’s the times and dates for your convenience:
November 22: 10am – 8pm
November 23: 10am – 7pm
November 24: 10am – 5pm
November 29: 10am – 8pm
December 1: 10am – 7pm
December 2: 10am – 5pm
Entrance is just $10, and it’s free for those under 13 or over 64, so don’t make excuses. Just go. You will be amazed. Even if you don’t buy anything, you can see real reindeer, listen to carollers, watch dancers, pig-out on samples, and just soak in the holiday spirit.
Images from:Â http://www.sprucemeadows.com/christmas_market.jsp
Nothing is better on a cold day then a hot bowl of soup, which is why during the snowy months of the year, soup becomes a pretty big staple in my diet. Hearty homemade soups are always a better choice then store-bought ones. Not only are they healthier, more nutritious, and contain less sodium, but they also can be much tastier and be made to be any kind of soup one desires. Soup can be a great way to incorporate different kinds of vegetables into one’s diet, gaining plenty of vitamins, which might otherwise become depleted during this fruit scarce time of year.
One such vegetable is the squash, which is high in fibre and also offers a plethora of vitamins. Squash is not a vegetable many young people find appealing, which is why squash soup becomes the perfect option. The squash’s texture is no longer a problem, and with the right blend of spices you’d be surprised how good it will taste!
The recipe I chose to follow for my soup was skinnytaste.com’s Roasted Red Kuri Coconut Curry Soup, mainly because I had a red kuri squash  and because I love coconut. If you are unsure what kind of squash you’ve bought, Google “squash types” or describe the appearance of your squash in the search engine.
My recipe instructed me to roast my squash for an hour in the oven, but since I didn’t have the time, I microwaved my squash in a layer or water until it was soft and permeable when stabbed with a fork. In retrospect, I would suggest roasting your squash if you have time as this will add more flavour to your squash then microwaving it.
After all ingredients have been added to your soup, pour it into a blender and puree it until smooth to make the texture of your soup even and consistent. Just before serving, taste the soup and add any additional last minute spices which you feel would enhance the flavour. A touch of curry power can always add a hint of spice, or if your soup has a great flavour which you can’t quite taste enough simply add a pinch of salt to amplify it a little.
For a finishing touch, try garnishing your soup with a topping of bacon, pumpkin seeds or parsley.
