I’ve never done this before, but for some reason I decided to take a screenshot of the Winter Olympics medal count on Monday. Canada was on top of the standings, and something told me I should have some proof of that.
As it turns out, I had unknowingly snapped a shot of history. Continue reading
In the world of advertising, less is usually more.
Too much copy can obscure the true meaning of a print ad. Excessive dialogue often becomes distracting during a commercial. And overselling a call to action can easily lead to your target market to feel alienated.
Before I run the risk of violating the statements I just finished making above, I’ll let the Canadian Institute for Diversity and Inclusion prove how effective one video, one song, and one simple statement can be: Continue reading
As a group, Calgarians are as diverse as they come. But at this moment in time, we are of one mind. Continue reading
I’ve been glued to the television and Twitter for the last 18 hours because my beloved city (and a large portion of Alberta) is in the middle of a major natural disaster. The flooding we’re experiencing is unprecedented, and close to 75,000 people have been displaced in Calgary alone.
You know the situation is dire when the fire department is using motorboats on city streets to rescue evacuees:
Roxboro in Calgary, Alberta – June 21, 2013
With just 20 days left to wait, I have to admit that I’m starting to get really excited for the Calgary Stampede! Those 10 glorious days in July are when Calgary is at its best, and I am definitely one of those Calgarians who eagerly anticipates the Stampede from pretty much the moment it ends.
Anyone who has been within 10 blocks of the Stampede when it’s in full swing knows that the event has a smell all its own. You’ll catch a whiff of manure from the livestock and a hint of diesel from the rides, but the top note is always the unmistakable scent of midway food. Continue reading
Last month I wrote about ways to take free online courses in this post, and I promised to follow up with more tips. While you’ll still have to wait a little while before I get around to posting on that topic again, I did want to let you in on a search engine I just found.
Say that you were interested in taking a MOOC (massive open online course), but you didn’t really want to sort through all of the results you’d get if you searched that topic.
What would you do? Continue reading
If you spend anytime on a post-secondary campus at this time of year, you wouldn’t even need to be told that final exams are underway because the stress and anxiety are actually palpable in the air. Nearly every student you walk past has their nose buried in a book or computer screen, some sort of legal stimulant within reach, and a frantic look in their tired eyes. Continue reading
Surprise, indeed!
Aside from all the melting snow and pothole-riddled roads, one of the best ways to determine if spring is its way to Canada is the inevitable return of Easter-themed Kinder Surprises.
Enjoyed by children and adults alike, Kinder Surprise is a two-in-one treat that consists of an unassembled toy contained within a hollow chocolate eggshell. You never know what kind of toy your chocolate egg will reveal, and half the fun of getting a Kinder Surprise is in trying to figure out how to put all the pieces together. Continue reading
Everyone knows no one parties like the Irish do. That’s why it’s impossible to walk past any pub on March 17th without stumbling across a group of happy revellers celebrating whatever tiny claim they have to Irish ancestry.
But if you thought St. Patrick’s Day was becoming a global phenomenon before today, wait until you see what’s been cooked up for this year’s celebrations.
Knowing how to capitalize on a good thing when they see it, Tourism Ireland has launched a ‘global greening’ marketing campaign. The result? Some 70 global landmarks will be turned green this year in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
Some of the monuments and sites that have joined in on the fun include Niagara Falls, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Burj al Arab in Dubai, and the Las Vegas sign.
Here’s a shot of Sydney’s Opera House getting in on the celebrations: Continue reading
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”
– William Butler Yeats
There’s nothing I love better than mastering a skill or gaining a new piece of knowledge. I find learning to be one of the few vices in life that are both addictive and good for me. Considering I often indulge in those other vices that aren’t really in my best interest, I try to get a big dose of education as often as I can.
But here’s the catch: school can be really expensive.
Most courses will set you back a few hundred dollars even if they only take a few hours to complete, and that’s only to pay for the privilege of sitting in the classroom. The cost can double (or worse) once you factor in miscellaneous expenses such as gas, parking, and textbooks.
As much as I may love education, I’d much rather learn something new without having to break the bank to pay for it.
If you feel the same way, here are a few tips that can help get you schooled for free online… Continue reading
Cultural Quirks 