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Give Panono a go-go

Rebecca Yang
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Do you like caputuring the moment with panorama shots? Well now you can capture the moment completely. By completely, I mean 360 degrees. Photo fanatics or the like may have a fan girl moment when they hear about Panono. Panono is a “throwable panoramic ball camera, which captures everything in every direction for amazing 72 megapixel, 360° X 360° full-spherical panoramic images.” Once the image is taken, it can be uploaded to a smartphone or tablet. By moving the smartphone or tablet, the image can be moved to look at all directions in the image. With a mere weight of 300 grams, the device is incredibly light to serve its purpose.

A shot of Hong Kong using the Panono.
A shot of Hong Kong using the Panono.

Panono is currently offering its device and other services on Indiegogo. The device will run for a startlingly high price of $549 or the early bird price of $499 and will be released in the fall of 2014. For tech lovers like me, this innovative camera may be inevitably luring you in. With the holidays just around the corner, should we dare to ask our close friends and family members for this extravagant gift? You can always use the excuse that the price is not for one camera, but more like 36 cameras inserted into one device. If your situation allots for it, give Panono a go-go.

 

Doctor Who: Top 3 favourite doctors through time and space

youthareawesome
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With the long awaited 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, the longest running sci-fi show in existence,  premiering on Nov 23, I decided to do something special for the occasion. I’ve compiled a small list of some of my favourite fictional characters ever. Here it is, my top three favourite doctors through time and space. 

 

3) Matt Smith (11th Doctor)

11th doctor

Geronimo!

Matt Smith is the youngest actor to play the Doctor, but that certainly doesn’t mean he lacks talent. Matt’s charismatic, lively character is completely oblivious to popular culture in almost any era, making a massive fool of himself. He’s probably one of the most secretive Doctors, as he’s always keeping things from his companions, but is very light-hearted and fun at the same time. Although Matt is afraid of losing his companions and knows he’s endangering them, he cares about them very much and would do anything to assure their safety.

 

second doctor

2)  Patrick Troughton (2nd Doctor)

The very first regeneration of the Doctor, the show might not have continued had it not been for him. Patrick Troughton offered a slightly new dynamic of the show, with new tastes and ideas. Troughton acted like a bumbling idiot, to fool his enemies into underestimating him and then showed them his full potential once it was too late for them. Clever, scheming, unpredictable and always a bit ahead of the game, this doctor always followed his morales and heroically rescued any maltreated species he encountered.

 

10th doctor1) David Tennant (10th Doctor)

David Tennant was the whimsical Doctor I grew up watching and was also voted “the UK’s favourite Doctor” in a survey done by the Radio Times magazine. Tennant was an enthusiastic, high energy Doctor, who would usually start rambling on about who knows what, leaving others around him a bit confused. His witty comments in stressful situations and sheer cleverness make him a favourite amongst many. He just brought pure fun to the show and entered every situation with absolute excitement and gusto. And who could forget the iconic Chuck Taylors ten is known for wearing that look just a tad out of place with his suit and tie? With his confident and allons-y attitude, David Tennant will always hold a special place in my heart.

The best teen book sequels of 2013

Talia Santarossa
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DISCLAIMER: This post contains minor spoilers.

Being an huge bookworm, I am always waiting for new books to be released. There are series that I have been reading for years, impatiently awaiting much-anticipated sequels. I dare declare that 2013 has been a great year for teen book sequels. Of course I have many to share, but I narrowed it down to three of my personal favourites.

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) – Cassandra Clare

CP2_coverThe final instalment of The Mortal Instruments prequel trilogy, The Infernal Devices, is sure to strike a note with readers. I could not put it down until the very end. Heartbreak, death and destruction ravage the London Institute, the only home known to Tessa Gray, Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs. Will they be able to take down Mortmain’s army of automatons, save Jem’s life and find a happy ending? I won’t answer that one for you. What I can say is that I had a major case of the feels by the end. By the way, if you get a first edition hardcover copy, there is a family tree at the back, so if you get a copy like that, DON’T read the family tree first. It will ruin the outcome of the book for you.  house-of-hades-us-cover

The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus #4) – Rick Riordan

After a killer cliffhanger at the end of The Mark of Athena (released fall 2012), we find the Seven divided not only by location. With Percy and Annabeth en route to the deepest, darkest depths of the Underworld and Frank, Hazel, Jason, Piper and Leo torn between paths to the Doors of Death, there is certainly no lack of action. They encounter deities they had yet to meet and have run-ins with others that they may not have wanted to see again. On a personal note, at least one of my favourite characters from a previous book makes a triumphant return and is sure to please all those who enjoy cute, fuzzy, undead creatures.

Allegiant (Divergent Trilogy #3) – Veronica Roth

 I’m still having mixed feelings about Allegiant. It was well written, the plot deepened and there was unprecedented character development. However, for those of you who are fine leaving the story where it leaves off at the end of Insurgent (book 2, 2012), don’t bother reading Allegiant. I read it in one shot and I was bawling by the end of it. I guess I saw the ending coming but I’m still not pleased. In a way, Allegiant was a allegiant-book-cover-high-resbit of a Mockingjay 2.0, given that there is a convoluted series of plot twists, it gets confusing at points and the ending is rather disappointing (No hate on Mockingjay though!). I’m not saying that I disliked Allegiant as a whole, because I really did love it, but there were definitely bits and pieces I would have rewritten.

What does it mean to be camera shy?

Ailin Li
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Back when we were kids, mom would pull out the camera, and we would make our silliest faces or do the strangest dance. We weren’t afraid to be weird or not “look our best” in front of a camera. It didn’t matter what clothes we were wearing, what was stuck in our teeth, or how messy our hair was that day. So when did it start to matter? Thinking about this question myself, I’m not too sure of the answer. Looking back at old photos circa ages 3-6, I was always in some weird pose with my arms in every which way and a goofy, crooked-toothed grin on my face. Starting ages 7-10, I still smiled for pictures, although I was just standing. No more weird poses. After age 12? I hated taking photos. The words “picture day” at school struck fear in my heart, and you could see the sheer terror of everyone else in the room. But as kids, we weren’t afraid.

Recently, I found a video by Dove (one of their Real Beauty Sketches) for their beauty campaign entitled:

Camera Shy – When did you stop feeling beautiful?

http://1-ps.googleusercontent.com/x/www.becomegorgeous.com/static.becomegorgeous.com/img/arts/2013/7/dove-camera-shy-campaign/main/Dove_Camera_Shy_self-esteem_campaign_2013.png

Light-hearted as this video is, it brought a very serious question to my mind; it wasn’t until a few seconds into the video that I realized the trend. Why do we stop wanting our picture taken? As we get older, whenever someone has a camera, we try to duck away. Is it because we start becoming less confident about our appearances? “Get it away from me!” No one wants their face to be recorded without them having two hours prior notice. Although in this video, it is only females being represented (since Dove’s campaigns target the female population), the same can be said for males.

Can all of this be attributed to our society’s version of “beauty”?

We see thin models in lingerie plastered on billboards every day. Almost every commercial nowadays is about how great it is to feel skinny, or how you can become skinny in some way or another. It is a very specific demographic that ads target with the long-haired, tan-skinned, bursting-eyed, and not to mention photo-shopped, models. And it’s fair to say that less than 1 per cent of the population actually looks like that. But being surrounded by all these women who seem perfect, it is hard to be confident that you’re beautiful the way you are.

On the other hand, is it right to say that women who are naturally thin and have nice hair aren’t beautiful? Should we degrade our standards so that those who try harder for their looks, wearing makeup and dressing up, are perceived as “vain” or “fake”? No matter how people try to put it, the fact is that 90 per cent of teenage girls and women do look better with makeup. Neither “skinny” nor “fat” are necessarily healthy body types. All of these descriptors are completely subjective depending on where you are. Someone living in the United States who is considered a size small could be an extra large in China or Japan.

At the end of the day, why must we categorize people based on their appearance? Is it out of biological ease for our brains when looking for a mate, or are humans just vain and shallow creatures?

No matter what the answer is, there’s nothing wrong with looking silly in front of a camera.

Have a wonderful day you beautiful people!

10 reasons why you should join Youth Are Awesome

E
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It is a boundless world. Many visualized it as channels and interconnections between sender and receiver – information anxiously speeding along police-free highways to their destination. I’ve always seen it as an ocean, though, where waves lapped at the shore in the fog and sparkled at sunset. Millions and millions of individuals like ourselves trapped and lost in the midst of swarming 1s and 0s, with misspelled yous and ares leaping out of the freezing waters into the fresh breeze; a moment later only to go back into its murky depths, as if one cannot be appreciated enough in another’s mind to bear a three-lettered pronoun. Only a total blackout of our senses could save us from the conniving sirens. But then again, thank goodness you’ve charged your laptop and phone before it all happened.

This is our method of communication now: one-lined texts pregnant of abbreviations and acronyms striving to beat the 140-character limit. It may seem as if we are condensing our thoughts down to the most pertinent, much like how English teachers prefer. Or it could end up to be a tiny sample of your watered-down thoughts. I’m not so sure which is which, but one thing I know for sure is that we underestimate the power of good writing, and the benefits to constant practices of it.

Ernest Hemingway quote
image via Pinterest

You may say “blogging is not for me.” I would respond, “is thinking ‘not for you’, then?” A lot of us may be intimidated by the process of writing, but there is nothing more to it than putting down your thoughts into a concrete medium. Like typing on a typewriter or writing with a fountain-tip pen, one must not be afraid to make mistakes, to carry on without correction tape. To have patience. Having written more than 100 blogs with Youth Are Awesome, I personally feel like I have grown from sharing interesting pictures or videos to using them as inspiration in forming my own ideas.

And it’s not just so that you can brag to your friends you’re part of “YEAH!” (YAA, that is). It’s not just for the volunteering hours. Blogging with Youth Are Awesome is an amazing experience and a great opportunity. Here are ten (compelling!) reasons on why you should be a part of this awesome team:

  1.  You learn how to open your mind to different ideas and become accepting of new perceptions.
  2. Get updated on current events: both societal/political AND fun things you can do in your community!
  3. Meet incredible people and get inspired by their general awesomeness.
  4. Share stuff you love. Excitement is contagious.
  5. Advertise your own project. Show off your awesomeness.
  6. Get insight into how a website works.
  7. Attend cool events… for free!
  8. Hone your writing skills (you’ll find that you’ll be able to digest and organize information much easier).
  9. You don’t have to have any experience with blogging. Really.
  10. Count toward volunteering hours. (This is more of a bonus than anything).
  11. (Second?) bonus: It’s fun!
image source: elena
image source: elena

Check out Lisa and Carrie‘s blog posts for their thoughts on blogging with YAA!

The joys of a sourdough starter

Laurie
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In the back of the fridge, we have a jar. My parents ignore it, my sister avoids touching it, and my grandparents have continuously refused to store it in their fridge. Its name is Bartholomew and, as of last month, it is now four years old. Originally its name was Loxley, and apparently I had some sort of clever pun but no one ever got it, and quite frankly I’m horrible at puns anyways. Besides, in the end, Bartholomew was simply a more suitably dignified name.

Bartholomew is a sourdough starter I started back in Grade 8 for a school project, and thanks to my (abusive) love, it has somehow continued to hang onto life and produce an occasional heavy and slightly odd tasting loaf. Sourdough starters are essentially flour and water vehicles for your local strain of wild yeast and lactobacillus bacteria (what gives it the acidity associated with sourdough.)

sourdough
Bartholomew looking positively dashing in a newly cleaned jar.

To be honest, my love for my sourdough starter is more idealistic than anything else.  It’s supposed to be a symbiotic relationship, mutualism: I feed the sourdough starter and it makes me wonderful bread. Whereas, in reality, every few months I feed my sourdough starter, use the excess to bake a brick masquerading as a loaf which then sits on the counter until it either a) becomes hard enough to actually serve as a construction material, or b) if in a bag, molds. It does, however, enable me to superciliously scoff at those who make bread with commercial yeast, even when I make bread several times worse than anyone else.

sourdoughmultiple
A select few of Bartholomew’s many offspring

But why should you have a sourdough starter? There are actual advantages as well: consider that in a typical lean dough, the yeast is likely the most expensive ingredient, and if you really like, make Tuscan bread and cut the salt as well. Secondly, a particular glory of the sourdough starter for me, convenience: you have neither obligation, need, nor demanding voice in your conscience, to make a pre-ferment—the sourdough starter (well, ideally) is the preferment, so (again, ideally) you should have a step up on gluten and flavour development… of course, the “developed flavour” that my sourdough starter contributes is usually an off, bitter, slightly alcoholic taste.

But really, with a sourdough starter, you are inheriting a legacy. Leavened bread first began to appear in Ancient Egypt, around 1500 BC (thank you grade 8 bread research project). Bread bakers were high-class figures in Roman times. I have a bit of a hundred-year old starter in our fridge right now, courtesy of relatives in Montreal (which is unfortunately going uncared for). Like urban beekeeping, raw food diets, and Justin Bieber, sourdough culture is a big, fantastic and fabulous thing, and what I love most about having a sourdough starter is being able to be part of it.

Let me leave you with a charming article I recently read about starter culture and bakers much more wonderful than me.

Why you shouldn’t buy new-generation consoles (and games) at launch

missCarrie
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For those who have pre-ordered a PS4 or Xbox One, good for you! If you’re the impatient type of gamer who wants to get on the ball for everything, then I can’t really stop you. If you are the type of person who likes to get new things, but doesn’t really play a game enough to merit its expensive release price, or doesn’t use their new console enough before the price lowers; then please continue reading.

Do you play it enough to justify the price you bought it at?

I’d like to first make a disclaimer: I have a horrible habit of spending a lot of money on games that I rarely play immediately; I usually rack up a huge library but have no time to play it immediately before the price gets cheaper. That’s why I have only invested in games on sales, primarily Humble Bundles that rarely have repeat sales, and occasionally Steam sales if it’s a very, very good price. Instead of hurting your wallet every time a big Steam sale happens (Halloween, Winter, Summer), consider if you will play the game in the next month. If you can justify the time you play with the price you bought the game at, go ahead! Otherwise, wait. You’ll save more money with this mentality.

The same goes for a console: if you don’t see yourself using it more than a few times a month, I’d say you should wait until the console gets cheaper, or an excellent bundle comes along.

Your current generation consoles are still going strong… support will continue for a few more years

In 2006 (seven years ago) the PS3 was released; in 2005, the Xbox 360 was released. The gap between the current gen and the new one has been the longest in a long time, but for a good reason. The current generations are quite powerful with huge audiences; even though the graphics are not at its peak compared to high-end PCs, both of these devices will be supported for a few more years. Microsoft spent their first 15 minutes of their E3 presentation reassuring customers that the Xbox 360 was still a priority, and Sony says the PS3 will have a 10-year lifespan.

Don’t be quick to throw out your console yet. I’ve still got the first release of the 40 GB PS3 (gotten as a birthday present – otherwise I would have waited for the Slim version) and it’s going strong (although a few years ago I upgraded the hard drive to about 120 GB).

Looks the same to me…Is it worth the couple hundred dollars for a graphics update?

Games available at console launches are unimpressive… plus most of them are developed on multiple platforms

Unless there’s a game you are dying to play as soon as it gets released (some Playstation ones vs Xbox ones), or you are obsessed with the best graphics possible, you should wait until more exclusive titles are released, or until developers stop making games for the current generation (Nintendo did a great job of making their customers upgrade to different handheld systems because of the games released on them). A lot of highly anticipated titles will be released on the next generation (Watch Dogs, Metal Gear Solid V, Halo: Spartan Assault).

You will likely face hardware problems in the beginning… or miss out on awesome upgrades

Remember the Xbox 360 history and all the issues it faced with the red ring of death? Plus Sony is already looking into reported PS4 hardware issues. Over years, companies will continue to upgrade these consoles; Sony has traditionally created slim versions of their consoles 3-4 years after the original console launch. The wait is usually worth it because you get more upgrades and better bundles (plus special edition ones if you’re interested in that).

These are the biggest reasons why you should hold off on a new generation console. You can read more at Mashable, Lifehacker and WeKnowGames.

Featured image by MariaKoch on DeviantART

How to boost your confidence

Jordan Ilagan
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We all know how hard it is to be a teenager, and we all know how hard it is to be human. But here are some tips to lift you up when you are feeling down, and boost your confidence level.

Don’t judge

The more you judge other people, the more likely you are to judge yourself. And the more critical you are of people, the more critical you will be of yourself. So make sure you try your best to accept others, just the way they are, because that will make it easier for you to accept yourself.

FotoFlexer_Photo

Know your flaws and strengths 

If you want to feel good about yourself, then you have to know that you do have strengths. No matter how hard it is to believe sometimes, you have something to offer to the world. And if you want to be happy, you have to acknowledge that you have some really great qualities.

Another part of being confident is knowing that you aren’t perfect. You may be bad at sports, but that’s okay! As long as you aren’t negative about your lack of skill, people won’t care. Just be positive and fun doing whatever you aren’t good at. Knowing you aren’t good at something and enjoying yourself is part of making yourself happier.

Do what you want

Dress the way you want to. If you wear makeup, wear as much or as little as you like, or don’t wear any at all – whatever makes you feel good about yourself. If you feel pretty when you straighten your hair, then straighten it. If you feel at your best while wearing sweat pants, wear your sweat pants with pride. It doesn’t matter if other people think you dress weird, or that they think you wear too much makeup, if you feel good, it will show. And if people see that you’re happy with the way you look,then they won’t say anything about you except for how confident you are.

motivational-quotes-insecurity-will-destroy-youFake it til you make it

A lot of us aren’t confident, and that’s fine, but people don’t have to know that you don’t have the highest self esteem. If you walk with a straight back, make eye contact with people, and speak with confidence, doing all these things will become natural and you won’t even think twice about it. Acting with this sort of confidence will eventually lead to you having this sort of confidence.

You’re not alone

Everyone deals with insecurities, adults and teens alike. Truth is, people are often too busy fussing their own appearance to judge you. So relax a little. People often only judge themselves, and hardly others. In fact, people are generally more accepting of others than themselves.

Write it down

Acknowledge your insecurities, and write them down on a piece of paper. Now tear that paper up. Rip and turn it into confetti and throw it in the garbage. After this, on little pieces of paper, write down everything that you like about yourself, and them hang up in your room or locker, face down. So whenever you are feeling down, you can turn it over and read a positive message for yourself.

Dr-Seuss-Be-You-Picture-Quote

Wear it on your sleeve

Don’t try to chip away at your insecurities, wear them down. The more you openly admit to being bad at something, or acknowledging your imperfections, the less you feel bad about them. The more you admit that you aren’t perfect, the less it will bother you.

Count your blessings

There are things you should be grateful for: your family, friends, music, tumblr, books. Sometimes it takes remembering that things could be worse to make things a little better. When you are feeling a bit down on yourself, remember the things you are lucky to have!

It could be worse

Remember that a lot of people have worse problems than awful hair. So when you feel self conscience about your looks, try to remember that some people have it worse than you. And yeah, you may not have a “perfect body,” but it could be worse.

You can’t change yourself

You are you, and that is a fact. You can’t change that, so you should just accept yourself. It’s not easy, but it can be done. Your happiness is up to you. So, learn to be comfortable in your own skin.

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Break that fast: Have breakfast

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It is no doubt that breakfast is proven to be the most important meal of the day. Many treat it as an essential component to health, but many skip it also. Remember that breakfast kick starts your amazing day by burning up your calories as well as kick starting your metabolism. So I found some very easy to prepare breakfasts, making you wanting more.

In a milkshake

Having a smoothie is a great idea. Blend some bananas, Greek yogurt, almonds, and some protein powder if you wish. For the milk or alternatives to make the milkshake  go for regular milk, almond milk, or just keep as is with the Greek yogurt.

Toast

Better Toast

It is something you have been making since you were very young. Toast is great because when the toast gets toasted it acts like a cracker. You can top your toast off with anything of your choice fruits, vegetables, honey, or jam.

Bagels

Tim Horton’s bagels have been my go-to spot for when I am in a hurry. Making your own bagel can cost less, and be healthier. Bagels can be eaten in toasted or non-toasted form. Think of a bagel as a donut and use fresh homemade cherry jam on a whole wheat bagel bun. How delicious does that sound? Remember bagels can be used as pizza, sandwiches etc. Decide what you’re in the mood for.

Eggs

Eggs are super easy to prepare in a variety of ways. The best part about egg is you can eat them on bagels, bread, and in wraps. The pictures will give you some inspiration on how you can prepare you simple egg. Remember you don’t need to be a chef to get amazing results. A tip would be to add some vegetables for a boost of vital vitamins.

Cereal

Many people enjoy cereal on its own, in milk, and on doughnuts. Yes! Believe me I have seen captain crunch cereal on doughnuts and oh how delicious and delightful they looked. Cereal is something you can never go wrong with as it comes in so many flavours, textures, colours, and sizes to choose from. The good old fashioned Cheerios is exactly what its name is it cheers your belly up and fuels you to excel for the day.

Make sure you decide what breakfast works best for you.  Some questions you can ask yourself are listed: Are you looking for more protein? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to get good grades on a test? Are you playing a sport?  Just make sure your getting breakfast in no matter what. Did you know that breakfast is named breakfast because it is breaking the fast you do in your sleep?

Adventure Time conspiracy theories: More than just a kid’s show?

youthareawesome
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I’m slowly becoming a die-hard Adventure Time fan and am loving the show more and more with each episode. If You haven’t seen the show yet, here’s a brief synopsis:

a.tfirstpictureAdventure Time follows the lives of two best friends, Finn the human and Jake the dog, as they travel through the Land of Ooo, a world  with endless possibilities for adventuring. Ooo is filled with various landscapes and climates for the two amigos to explore and plenty of bizarre characters to save.

Anyway, I’ve been watching the show for a while now and have been noticing some odd little details. Naturally, I spent a few hours scouring the internet for forums dedicated to pointing out and explaining these quirky little details in the series and let me tell you, there are A LOT.  Here’s some of my favourite little odds and ends I’ve discovered and come up with.

P_027Pendleton Ward, the creator of Adventure Time, has stated that the Land of Ooo is actually a post-apocalyptic Earth, the result of a disaster called the Great Mushroom War, which would explain a lot of the weapons and technology that you can see strewn about. The Great Mushroom War is also rumoured to have caused extreme mutations in all the inhabitants of Ooo, explaining why it’s filled with such wacky and unusual characters. Except for Finn, who is apparently the last human. He wasn’t left completely unaffected, though, since Finn’s eyes are drawn as little black dots, instead of normal looking ones. During the war, it is said there was a gargantuan nuclear bomb dropped, taking a huge chunk out of the earth. It may not seem plausible, but there’s a globe and a few world maps featured in the episodes, The Real You, The Litch Five Short Graybles and Five Graybles More, that are missing about a fourth of what they’re supposed to have, which really makes me wonder if the rumours are true.

AT_earth2

These are just a small fraction of little quirks that have really peaked my interest, but I’m afraid this post will pass 1000 characters  if I attempt to explain the rest of my conspiracies and complicated back stories to you guys.  If you’re not already obsessed with the show, I highly encourage you to start watching and make your own theories!

Wonderful YouTubers: Improv Everywhere

Ailin Li
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Life might be smooth sailing, or in the rough waters right now, but there is always time to stop and take a second to realize the wonderful and quirky things that go on in our world. YouTube is a well-known and favourite mechanism used for procrastinating, and today I have decided to share one of my favourite YouTube channels of all time: Improv Everywhere. The basis behind this channel is hiring several actors and intricately planning out a skit or large-scale prank in public. Occasionally, they involve citizens of the cities they travel to in their annual MP3 Project videos (click here to watch the one from last year), and their No Pants Subway Ride.

Recently, I have found a video that I absolutely love: Real Life Matrix. It comes from their new series, Moves in Real Life. Spoiler if you aren’t going to watch the video: A man dressed in the well-known getup from The Matrix goes on a regular day, trying to shop for man dresses in Macy’s. Suddenly, a gang of suited ninjas pile into the store, where a full-scale slow-motion attack ensues!

Several of their other videos that I thoroughly enjoy (although quite old) include:

Food Court Musical

Frozen Grand Central

and Best Buy Uniform Prank

So take some time from your busy schedules, and check out Improv Everywhere. Who knows? They might come to Calgary one day, and you could have the chance to be involved in a prank of your own.

I challenge you…

Julia
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Homework, debate, choir, homework, school, work. November and December are busy months for me, and I’m guessing many of you can say the same. So I challenge you to do something in these times of busyness. I challenge you to do something for others. I challenge you to change someone else’s day for the better.

Row of Trees in Meadows, Mountain Range in Background. November Mood.

Everyday, ask yourself this: What did I do today to make this world a better place?

 

Image from: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/370561875560537860/

Typhoon Haiyan 2013: Call for aid

Eryl David
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On Nov. 8, the unexpected happened to the Philippines: Typhoon Haiyan struck, affecting as many as 11 million people with the official death toll standing at 2,300, and could possibly rise much higher.

The numbers of the effects as a result of the typhoon, still growing.
The numbers of the effects as a result of the typhoon.

John wrote an article here about the typhoon and about the relief efforts.  With relief slowly trickling in and the panic lessening, it has given away to desperation for the basic needs of food and water.

Children hold up signs begging for food and water near Cebu.
Children hold up signs begging for food and water near Cebu, a sight becoming common among typhoon victims.

A great deal of aid and the staff needed to distribute it are stuck in Manila and the nearby airport of Cebu, a 45 minute flight away.

The Tacloban Airport area before and after the typhoon, extensive damage to buildings has led to a delay in aid.

The Tacloban Airport area before and after the typhoon, extensive damage to buildings has led to a delay in aid.

This lead to some residents raiding to get food,overrunning a rice warehouse in Leyte, collapsing a wall killing eight people. Despite this incident, the police say that the situation is improving on the ground.

Relief goods are packed by volunteers in Manila before being shipped out to devastated provinces hit by the typhoon.

Relief goods are packed by volunteers in Manila before being shipped out to devastated provinces hit by the typhoon.

For the survivors of the typhoon in the Philippines, the question comes to what we, as people of Calgary, can do to aid them. When calamities like this occur, it is natural for people to want to immediately help in anyway they can, however, some aid can hinder more than help. This article talks about what  the survivors really need and how some donations aren’t always wanted.

The government and humanitarian organizations are stressing that we donate money rather than give good like clothes or food. Some organizations accepting donations include:

  • Typhoon Relief Fund: Any donation of up to $100,00 to a registered Canadian charity involved in the relief effort will be matched by the Canadian Government, with donations being accepted until December 8th.
  • UNICEF: An airlift has been sned by the UN children’s organization to the Philipines with sanitation supplies and other needs. Donations towards the aid can be made here.
  • donationpage_ENWorld Vision
  • Doctors Without Borders(Médecins Sans​ Frontières): This organization currently has 15 staff in the City of Cebus on Cebu Island,  and plans to send an additional 50 people along with medical and relief supplies in the next few days. The donation page for aid is here.
  • Salvation Army

More charities and organizations can be found here and here.

Also, in Calgary, the Filipino community is rushing to gather supplies and cash to help typhoon survivors. Some volunteers are organizing a telethon on December 1st called Pasko ng Pagbangon (A Christmas Fundraising) collecting canned goods and other relief items to help the victims of the typhoon. The telethon is going to be held at the Pacific Place Mall at 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 10 phone lines will be available to receive pledges from anyone who wants to help flood victims.

To find out more about the relief drive, contact the people listed above.
To find out more about the relief drive, contact the people listed above.

The Samaritan’s Purse in Calgary is also helping with the typhoon aid, putting together 3,000 hygiene kits for typhoon victims.

If you have any family of friends in the Philippines, Google has set up a special site dedicated to helping find or share information on loved ones. Telus and Shaw Communications are also temporarily offering free land line phone calls to the Philippines for Albertan customers.

On a final note: Please be wary of the charities and organizations you donate money towards the flood relief,  rather unfortunately, there are some people out there who use natural disasters like this as a way to steal money. To verify whether the charity you are donating to is a registered one, please check this website. Also, doing the research on how much of the money donated to the charities actually goes towards the aid helps you know if your money is being used usefully. Finally, my prayers and thoughts are with those affected by this typhoon, and I hope that help and aid will come soon to those who need it.

The negative effects of candy

Obayd
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thCandy’s tantalizing colors and addictive tastes are devilishly tempting. It’s an assortment of colors that fill your mouth with excitement and fulfillment. Candy “guaranteeing satisfaction” would be an understatement. As a matter of fact, I’m having some right now. I don’t quite think we consume candy; it works the other way around. So what gives candy its addicting features? Today, I’ll be looking through the different health effects candy can have and the best way to prevent it.

So why do we enjoy candy so much? Candy has one characteristic that separates it from the rest: sugar. Candy consists of sugar, loads and loads of it. Sugar prompts us to come back for more every bite. It pleases our taste buds by using different chemicals and special ingredients. Sugar triggers a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. Some researchers had recently discovered that processed sugar could be more addictive than cocaine. They conducted an experiment, investigating how rats would react when given the choice between water, sugar, and cocaine. To many people’s surprise, 94% of them had prioritized sugar over the other two. Some of the rats had earlier been addicted to cocaine. When they were given the choice to switch to sugar, many had done so. This proves just how inevitable the taste can be.

There are several health effects candy can have on us. One thing that candy does to you is raise your insulin level. This hinders the process in which growth hormones are released, which negatively impacts your immune system. Major intakes of sugar can result in an unbalanced sugar-blood ratio. Whenever we eat sweets, we are more vulnerable to gaining weight since insulin builds up fat. All of these detrimental health effects can later lead to harmful diseases, and maybe even cancer.

th-2So what’s the best we can avoid candy in its entirety? For the most part, we humans dwell on candy because its something we “turn to” as an alternative. If you’re not feeling well, or something’s not going your way, you turn to candy. The best way to avoid candy is simply to just stop. With a hint of will power, anything is possible. For example, limit your candy intake to once a week. As you adapt to this new routine, it will become a habit. Try staying away from convenient stores, or fast food restaurants. When you want something to snack on, why not try an apple for a change? Maybe even a granola bar? My point is, try looking for alternatives. So the next time you go to pick up a pack of gummies, stop and think! Remember the healthier you are, the better off you’ll be.

Sources:

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm
http://gregoryenglish1.blogspot.ca/2012/10/why-is-candy-so-addictive.html

A stream of satisfaction

Wentao
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Before we start, feel free to have a listen to this music as we go along. I usually get infected with the relaxation music brings, and nostalgia from Pokemon music.

Satisfaction is a concept we use in food, but it certainly isn’t a word only used to described the pleasure of savoring the different flavors.  In a broader context, it’s a sense of confidence, fulfillment, and joy gained from cherishing perhaps the different flavours of life. Perhaps this source of contentment forms an ideal state of living, but an ideal world isn’t the only place you can realize satisfying elements of your everyday story.

Satisfaction is a diverse concept; there is no one way to gauge how satisfied you are with your life. Satisfaction is derived from appreciation, however, for something in your life; god knows what that might be for you. For me right now, it’s my new-found friendships with the most valuable people in my life. There’s no laws dictating that it has to be a broad stroke concept; maybe you’re satisfied with our website as you are surfing, learning about the youthful views of our bloggers. Satisfaction is dynamic; we all transition from being nurtured by a source of everyday happiness to one of new excitement, and vice versa.

Satisfaction is the foundation to contentment; living in Canada, we might be satisfied with the social security we might carry, just as an example. I know I’m fine with the route of maturity that I’m taking and I like to let the course of nature just take us on our trip. Satisfaction should not be a barrier in goal-setting, however; just because you might be content with life the way it is doesn’t mean you are not allowed to make goals or plans for the future. In fact, especially for youth, satisfaction for who we are right now allow us to actually look forward to the upcoming life events, especially if this feeling can remove any pounding stress. Satisfaction doesn’t have to come from an ideal path; you and I could be just as happy with the revisions we made along the way, even though perhaps we planned everything with the most satisfying outcome in mind. Satisfaction is dynamic in its nature to pop up at the most unexpected times; there is no way we can predict how fulfilling something is, so we can only cherish it as it arrives.

Cute, eh? (Image source)

Satisfaction allows us to have a voice; this might sound paradoxical to my previous paragraph, but contentment leads to confidence. In turn, this confidence leads us to voice our satisfaction and allow others to learn and to gain their own dose of satisfaction as well. If we are unsatisfied with something, we have the ability to have our opinions heard, such as with the very nature of blogging or a trustworthy friend. Keep in mind though that satisfaction can come at others’ expense; satisfaction, despite a positive feeling, can be derived from actions of a negative nature. We might be satisfied the way we voiced an opinion, yet we might not have considered the effects that others might have on our remarks.

Satisfaction can be achieved regardless of personality, status, and who you are in general. I remember to this day that when I wrote my Security or Poverty series, particularly when I described some of the accounts as found in this report, that many of the seniors in the report carried an underlying sense of determination due to their satisfaction for the improvements they’ve reached. Of course, they may not be satisified with poverty, but they might not label themselves with that term due to their own satisifaction. To this day, even though I was barely out of my writer’s block at the time, I still think seniors in poverty was one of the best topics I’ve tackled thus far.

Satisfaction is always there to be manifested. I look forward to be there to hear your stories about what marvelous things you might be satisfied with. I’m satisfied with my point, and the topics I’ve tackled as a blogger, and the new blog redesign, and being able to meet our wonderful bloggers, and having worked out some interviews for admirable people, and finding some ideas for collaboration, and so on… everyone can go on and on, but the longer the list the merrier. 🙂

Image source.
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