Mind-blowing facts from National Geographic

It’s the back-to-school season once again! Want to impress your peers, teachers, and even family with your knowledge of the world? Here are some interesting and, well… rather unusual facts from National Geographic: “It takes 713 gallons (2,700 L) of water to make one cotton T-shirt.” It’s hard to imagine how much water that is,…

GlobalFest 2011 – Finale

Last weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Calgary’s 2011 GlobalFest Multi-Cultural and Fireworks Festival Finale at Elliston Park. GlobalFest is a weeklong celebration showcasing vibrant cultures from around the world. Each country has a day where they complete their portion of the pyromusical competition (a.k.a. lots of fireworks). After China, Philippines, Canada and…

Now What? Politics After “Jack”

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. John Gilbert “Jack” Layton In his letter to Canada before his untimely death, Jack Layton keeps his spirit of hope and optimism and hopes that…

The pros and cons of going back to school

I’m struggling to deal with the fact that summer is indeed almost over. That doesn’t just mean the end to hours of indulgence, fun in the sun, and mindless relaxation – oh no. It also marks the beginning of the dreaded school year. School, where youth have to put up with the pressures of piles…

The Mystery of Spirit Island

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to go on a boat tour of Maligne Lake, located in Jasper National Park. On this boat trip, I visited the world famous Spirit Island, debatably one of most photographed islands in the world. The day we went happened to be extremely cold and foggy.  We experienced everything from…

Back to School 2011: Fall Fashion Trends

It’s back-to-school season once again, and along with restocking your eraser stash comes renewing your wardrobe for the fall ahead. Check out some of the latest fashion trends (almost all of which are iconic from decades past) that are sure to be storming through the halls this school year. Return of the ’90s Last year saw an…

BOGO Organizations: Buy one, GIVE one

Buy One Get Give One! Ever since the excitement over TOMS shoes (and now sunglasses) erupted, I was curious if there were any other organizations with similar motives. Despite the criticism of these particular organizations, here is a short list of BOGO organizations. If you really want to help someone while receiving an item of…

Why I volunteer with Youth Central

I began volunteering with Youth Central just this summer. I’m a fairly new volunteer, but I most definitely do not feel like one.  The staff at Youth Central has integrated me into the system so much so that I feel like I have known them for a long time! Just this summer I have already…

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

I thought the series was over, but I was wrong. When I first found out about this book, part of me was upset because I’m getting too old to be reading books from this series. The other part of me could not wait to get my hands on this book. Basically Jason wakes up in…