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Everything is OK Calgary

rachelle
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Today I wanted to feature the YouTube channel of “cveitch“. His videos are a simple reminder to educate ourselves, be aware of our surroundings and what’s going on in the world (and not necessarily through regular news channels) and most importantly to love and interact with one another. One video I particularly liked is: Everything is OK on the New York Subway (which you can watch below).

It got me thinking how much safer inner cities would be if we all made an effort to make eye contact with each other, if we celebrated each other for simply being individuals and if we stopped living in little bubbles, listening to music and playing games on our iPhones; all things that make us avoid the vibrant life that surrounds us. It would not only make us more aware of our surroundings but it would also probably make us a lot happier – which is something I’m sure a lot of people could do with here in Calgary.

I resolve to greet more people on the C-Train when I come to and from work. I don’t know how well received I will be – but who knows where it will take me?

[youtube 27Jj0lcmm5Q]

AMV of the Day

Hamzah
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[youtube -KkpLVyoinY]

This week’s AMV features Neon Genesis Evangelion along with Muse. It was picked for the song “Butterflies and Hurricanes” and how well that goes with the protaganist Ikari Shinji. If you listen to the lyrics of the song with the entire chronology of Neon Genesis Evangelion  in mind, you realize that the two really complement each other. The melancholic melody of the song along with the melancholy and psychological nature of the Anime fits perfectly; it seems like a match made by Angels (Evangelion reference, watch the anime and you’ll get the joke). All in all the anime is wonderful in terms of thematic and character development along with other aspects, but those two are most powerful. I strongly recommend this Anime and this band to every Anime fan that has or hasn’t partaken in the two.

Youth Week: BOWNESS YOUTH BLOCK PARTY AND RESOURCE FAIR

tonny
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Youth WeekFree on the 29th of April? Want to discover new opportunities and new people in your community? Why not head down to the Boys and Girls Club and participate in the Youth Block Party and Resources Fair for Teens and Adults, as part of Youth Week?

In its third year, the Youth Block Party aims to break misconceptions of youth to adults and connect teenagers to their communities. Through talent demonstrations, interactive activities, and other interesting stations the event hopes to make teens realize their crucial role in their communities and the potential they possess. For youth seeking ways to get involved, community organizations will provide resources and options for those who seek active participation.

It is a free event with food that will feature vibrant displays, exciting art demonstrations, free information and goodies. If you are interested in discovering your hidden potential and your role in the community, why not drop by and participate in the numerous events? It starts at 2 p.m. and goes until 7 p.m. in the parking lot in front of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary Bowness. The address is 36, 7930 Bowness Rd. NW.

Thank you to Tina Buikema for providing information for this event.

Forever Alone?

TheGentlemanScholar
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Across many of the forums and imageboards of the internet, you’ll find the saying “forever alone” thrown about with little care, referring to the fact that the person to whom they are talking will never find that “special someone.”

Many people spend a great deal of their time and energy on special people in their lives, and for someone who is looking at this spectacle, never having experienced it themselves, it can be a little downtrodding.

Most people don’t realise that being alone is OK. Sure, society is set up so that those who are alone get the shorter end of the stick, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Sometimes, it’s better. Take a look 🙂

[youtube k7X7sZzSXYs]

Enchantment Theatre presents a captivating One Thousand and One Nights

lisa aka "Mangomaru"
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Coutesty of Calgary Culture

Enchantment Theatre and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra wonderfully weave together Scheherazade dramatically and musically. One Thousand and One Nights is a perfect combination of grand orchestral music and expressive masks, puppet, movement and magic.  This was the last Symphony Sunday for Kids for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) 2010/2011 season and I was interested in the performances the CPO offered outside of their other concerts. (Plus I am naturally a gracious big sister and wanted my little brother to experience the great CPO!)

Though several years have pasted since my childhood, the pre-concert instrument petting zoo proved be an exciting experience, not only for the kids. Allowing children to approach orchestra instruments up close and personal was a great touch by the CPO, as they proffered blank music sheets and bingo markers for music making. These completed compositions, with various ink dots placed on and between the lines, were offered to CPO musicians to play out for the children that created them. Pure delight shone from the faces of many children, as violins, a cello, a bassoon, and a trumpet played their simple scores. I was a little jealous as I watched several children who were given a chance to hold a violin and slide a bow down its strings. I thought this was a lovely introduction to many children to the world of classical music.

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Impact Society’s Spotlight a Hero event

jen
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Here’s a poster for a really cool upcoming event that is part of Youth Week Calgary 2011! For more events, check out www.youthcentral.com/youthweek/events

Youth Week lunch-making for the homeless

dennis
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As part of Youth Week, the Youth Volunteer Corps South will be making lunches to donate to the Inn from the Cold Family Shelter on Wednesday, April 20. The best part is that they will be accepting food donations for Inn from the Cold as well! If you would like to donate food, drop it off at St. Mary’s University, room C117 from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. You can drop off nut-free foods such as fruit snacks, granola bars, and other nut-free items.

If you would like more information, email Sylvia Galica at yvccommunities@youthcentral.com

Make sure to donate some food for the homeless!

Badminton in Calgary

tim
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[youtube lTmIp-91dko]

One of my favorite games from 2010 and of course, I play just like the players there.

The last couple of months spelled another major lapse in my blogging record. However, with the close of the badminton season, I can finally say goodbye to my hectic schedule and continue blogging.

This season, I competed in Senior Boys Singles for Division Two and was once again paired with my rival, Logan. Unfortunately, despite all my efforts, I have to settle for silver again this year. Nonetheless the experience not only fun, it also provided some much needed strain on a under-worked body.

In Calgary, there are three divisions for badminton. Within each division there are around a dozen high schools that send one representative to compete in each category for each grade. As typical of all badminton competitions, the categories are strictly composed for boys singles, girls singles, boys doubles, girls doubles and mixed doubles. Doing some simple math, there are eight representatives for each grade and therefore twenty-four students on a full badminton team roster.

In a round robin tournament called the Divisional Tournament, the representative students from each school and within each division compete against each and are ranked. The top four students advance to the City Championships where they challenge players from other divisions. The top four players from each division play in a seeded elimination mini-tournament and then the top two players advance to the Zone Qualifier tournament held on the same day. In the zone qualifier tournament, another round robin is played out to determine the top two non-club students in the city and they play club players. (For those new to badminton, club players are trained by professionals and at exclusive facilities.)

This year, the Crescent Heights team did especially well, boasting excellent players coached by a very qualified team of dedicated badminton lovers. Stellar performances from Aberhart and Centennial are also worthy of note. Two exceptional players to observe in the Seniors category would be Crystal Lam and Dan Lac. The two are both very talented players and expected to advance in the provincials tournament.

Website Spotlight: GamesRadar

missCarrie
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GamesRadar screenshot

I absolutely love reading witty articles about awesome things, don’t you? Well why don’t you head over to GamesRadar and start indulging yourself in some well-written and informative reviews. Or perhaps you like “Top…” lists. GR is an original site (with much more original content than IGN, in my opinion) where people gather in forums, listen to their podcasts or just read some excellent articles.

You know, my favorite thing about GamesRadar is their Top 7 lists. They have a huge collection of articles ranging from most common character cliches to games you don’t want for Christmas and to even the worst scenes in a Uwe Boll movie. They even explain why they chose Top 7 instead of Top 10. It’s like Nostalgia Critic who does Top 11 lists because he likes to “go one step beyond” …except funnier, because it pokes fun at the game reviewers.

There are so many things I can say about this site, but I won’t bore you with the details. Start reading! Because I guarantee that once you start, you’ll never stop (until you realize your homework is due the next day).

Famous Five Contests

jen
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Game Review: Monopoly Deal

tommy
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Monopoly Deal by Hasbro

Monopoly Deal is a fast paced card game derived from the board game Monopoly. The overall objective of the game is to accumulate three full sets of properties before any of the other players. In addition to this there are action cards to quicken the pace of the game such as “Sly Deal” to take a property from another player, or a “Deal Breaker” where you can steal an entire set from a player. With property you are able to rent other players for money and property to help collect three full sets.

Although this game seems like any other card game, it can really get addicting when you get the jist of it. I have played the game with another friend’s deck and have became so addicted that I just had to buy it. Likewise, many of my other friends who have played with me have become so addicted to the game they just had to buy the game themselves. If you see anybody playing Monopoly Deal ask them to deal you in, because this game should be tried by everyone.

Aida, a riveting performance by Calgary Opera

lisa aka "Mangomaru"
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Photo Courtesy of CrewMantle

Step back into the mysterious and exotic time of the Ancient Egyptians, at the height of their reign, when Pharaohs commanded full authority over the vast expanse of Egypt, inheriting considerable power, riches, and enemies. It is the royal palace at Memphis, Egypt, in the great classic, Aida, created by the Giuseppe Verdi, which waits.

Aida is a greatly renowned opera that has achieved an iconic status. Dressed in magnificent and luxurious costumes, the finest details and lavish accessories of the Ancient Egyptians are grandly displayed on every single actor and actress, as they magically tell the woeful tale of star-crossed lovers. Threatening warfare from the neighboring country of Ethiopia calls the warrior Radames to arms. In a moment of solitude, he sings of his great wish to command the defense army, and his passionate love for Aida, the Ethiopian slave of Princess Amneris, the pharaoh’s daughter. He plans to win the war so that his glory and success enables him to free Aida and marry her. Aida, the Ethiopian princess, is depicted in red rags, savagely torn and threadbare. Her wonderfully overwhelming and powerful voice shakes the rafters of the Jubilee Auditorium as she sings miserly and confused of her patriotic loyalty to Ethiopia and her love for Radames. However, Amneris is deeply in love with Radames and becomes bitterly jealous when she senses his feelings for Aida.

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Theatre Calgary presents Much Ado About Nothing

irene
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Last week, my ELA 30 class went to field trip to see Shakespeare’s comedy “Much Ado about Nothing.” The play is basically about two pairs of lovers Beatrice and Benedick, an old couple, and  Claudio and Hero, a young couple, in the Italian town of Messina. The play held with about 20 awesome Theatre Calgary actors and actresses at EPCOR center from March 22 – April 10, 2011. The players were well acted and their settings were well prepared.
This is one of Shakespeare’s most playful, accessible and wildly romantic plays. We will transform our stage into a vineyard in Southern Italy. Among the vines you will find lovers tumbling over each other – as lovers always do. Bring someone you adore.
-Dennis Garnhum, Theatre Calgary’s Artistic Director
[youtube PIACPr5XEQM]

Law Day: a Youth Week event

anna
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Law Day:
April 16
A free, educational, entertaining family event. Attend fun trials, booths, exhibits, meet the mascot, courthouse tours and more.
Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Calgary Courts Centre, 601 – 5 St SW
Cost: Free
Ages: All ages
For more info: Email directry@cba-alberta.org
For more info on the events, including booths and exhibits, click here.

I interviewed Jessica Bateman, a member of the Bishop Carroll Debate Club, who will be participating in a mock trial for Law Day. Here’s what she had to say:

YAA: What’s law day all about?
JB: Essentially it’s a group of six people [from each school] who are interested in speaking and the way law works. We go to the Calgary court houses and we argue a fake case.

YAA: Six people?
JB: Two witnesses, one lawyer to do cross-examination, one lawyer to do direct examination, and one lawyer to do an opening. And then one to do a closing. We have to prepare for both sides, so each witness is actualy playing two different witnesses, the lawyer doing cross exmaination is doing direct examination as well for the other side. And so on…

YAA: Is it open to everyone?
JB: It’s one team of six per high school or junior high, but anyone can come watch.

YAA: If you wanted to do it, who should you ask?
JB: Each school should have a teacher organizer.

YAA: So what’s fun about it?
JB: You get to strengthen your acting chops. It’s a good step if you want to become a lawyer. It’s also good for practicing public speaking.

Windows 7 – Tips and Tricks

ali
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Hello again everyone! Due to the success of my previous “iPhone 4 tips and tricks” post, I have decided to continue onward with my foray into “tech-help” posts. Today I bring you tips and tricks for Windows 7. As with the iPhone tips, some of these may be common knowledge, but others may have been forgotten or overlooked. It should be noted that some of these tricks are a bit advanced and should be handled with caution. Without further ado, let us begin.

Free the desktop

Click and hold the title bar of the window you wish to keep on the desktop, shake it back and forth quickly and all the other open windows will immediately minimize and save the one you have selected.

Get rid of annoying administrator pop-ups

If you are tired of being asked for permission every time you open a program, this is for you. Go to Control Panel and find User Accounts and Family Safety. Click User Accounts, and then click Change User Account Control settings. From the screen that appears, select what you prefer. I have mine selected on “Never notify me when”.

Pain in the butt…

“Hack” the Start Menu Search Bar

Note: this doesn’t work on some versions of windows

If you want to be able to use the nifty search bar in the Start Menu for searching the internet as well, in the search box, type “GPEDIT.MSC” (without quotations) and press Enter. Go to User Configuration, then Administrative Templates, then Start Menu and Taskbar. Double-click “Add Search Internet link to Start Menu”, and select Enabled from the screen that appears.

Search Bar

Shut Down

“Hack” the Shut Down button

The Shut Down button, as the name would indicate, shuts down your computer. However, it can be customized for other actions, such as restarting, hibernating, or sleeping. In order to do this, right click the Start Button and select Properties. Click the “Power button action” drop-down menu and select your action of choice.

Videos

Add Videos to the Start Menu

The default Windows 7 Start Menu does not include a link to the Videos folder. In order to rectify this, Right-Click the Start Button and select Properties. Go to the Start Menu tab and click Customize. In the dialog box that appears, scroll to the bottom, find the videos section, and select Display as a Link (or as a menu). Click OK.

Windows Explorer tips

To select multiple files for copying, deleting, or moving, you can use the keyboard to hold down Ctrl while clicking each file with your mouse. Another way is to use check boxes. In Windows Explorer, click Organize, and then select “Folder and search options”. Click the View tab and in advanced settings, scroll down and check the box that says “Use check boxes to select items”. Hit OK

Windows Explorer

Privacy and Windows Explorer

Be Secure

Note: This does not work on some versions of Windows

When you search your PC via Windows Explorer you are able to see the most recent searches that have been performed. If your PC has multiple users this could lead to issues (I’m not one to judge…). In the Start Menu’s Search box, type “GPEDIT.MSC” and press Enter. Go to User Configuration, then Administrative Templates, then Windows Components, and select Windows Explorer. Double–click “Turn off display of recent search entries in the Windows Explorer search box” and select Enabled. Click OK.

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