Awes

ome

The

Magazine

that

Profiles All

Things

Awesome

Issue 001September 2010

C Pure Shift Consulting

Awesome People

Awesome Eats

Awesome Abroad

Always Awesome

Awesome Bands

Awesome Features

Awesome Charities

Awesome Web

Awesome Ideas

Awesome Businesses

Awesome Animals

Awesome Local

Awesome Books

Awesome Initiatives

Awesome Events

Awesome Kids

Awesome Art

Awesome Technology

...and more

Pure Shift Events offers events and workshops that promote well being for individuals and in this way supports the healthy development of our community. PSE also provides full service event management for conferences, trade shows, festivals, fundraisers, community events, workshops and seminars, and whatever other kind of event you can create. Check out our blog at www.pureshift.ca, follow us on Twitter @pureshifting and join us on Facebook at Pure Shift Consulting. 2010

A publication of Pure Shift Events

Aw

esom

ePROFILING ALL THINGS AWESOME

Awesome Ottawa: Promoting Crazy Brilliant Ideas with $1000 Grants

Have a crazy brilliant idea and need funding to make it a reality?

Awesome Ottawa is an initiative that seems to believe in keeping it simple. And with a tag line like “Forwarding the interest of Awesome in the universe, $1000 at a time” how could I not make it the cover story for the first issue of Awesome Magazine?

The process is simple; fill in their online form with your relevant personal/business info and then tell them about your crazy brilliant idea and what you would do with their $1000 contribution. They award one grant per month and there are no strings attached. Your idea remains your own.

The Awesome Ottawa website offers a definition of Awesomeness that I want to share with my readers, since it can serve as a

universal definition and one I would like to maintain as a guideline for Awesome Magazine: Awesomeness is more the product of a creator’s passion than the prospect of audience or profit. Awesome creations are novel and non-obvious, evoking surprise and delight. Invariably, something about them perfectly reflects the essence of the medium, moment, or method of creation. Awesomeness challenges and inspires.

The Ottawa chapter of the Awesome Foundation was founded in March 2010 by Cate Huston, the “Instigator of Awesome”. I asked Cate to sit down with me so I could ask her a few questions about the foundation. She first heard about the foundation through a friend of a friend who was a member of the Boston Foundation. The name, as well as the idea of helping to make things happen that might otherwise not, motivated her to start a foundation here in Ottawa. Cate started by

collecting 10 trustees from her various personal networks and the networks of local entrepreneur and the genius behind The Code Factory, Ian Graham, who is also the “Dean of Awesome”. The $1000 grant is made up of monthly donations from each trustee.

Continued on page 2.

Awesome Inside:Awesome People: the Dalai Lama 2Awesome Web: Dropbox 3Awesome Abroad: Machu Picchu 4Awesome Bands: Planet Earth 5

Ottawa: The Nation’s Capital and now home to The Awesome Ottawa Foundation

Awesome Eats:

Some SuggestionsIn this section I will put Awesome

recipes that just satisfy hunger on a spiritual level (...yes, I’m talking about actual food...) Some upcoming recipes will include a dynamite Roasted Chicken with Gravy that you want to drink out of a cup, Tofu Nuggets even meat lovers will like, and Chili that will blow your mind. I’ll even include some baking recipes like cupcakes and my amazing chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, and cultural favourites like Fish ‘n Brewis and Toutons (I am a Newfoundlander after all).

For this inaugural issue, however, I decided to just list some of my favourite suggestions for making traditional favourites simply Awesome. So here we go!

1.Shepherd’s Pie: insert small cubes of mozzarella cheese into the meat mixture and a layer of fried bacon in between the meet and potatoes just before you put it in the oven to bake.

2.Hamburgers: put what you like on top of the burger inside the burger. Just be careful not to put too much condiments in the meat or it will get too soggy and they’ll fall apart. Also, try using instant oatmeal instead of bread crumbs to hold the meat together.

3.Hot Peppers: buy a big jar of hot peppers to always have in the fridge. They are amazing for adding a lot of flavour and a bit of spice to any sandwich and many meals.

Awesome People: The Dalai Lama - Still Rockin’ the VisorWith his child-like enthusiasm for life, boundless compassion for all people, and that

Awesome smile, there was no way not to choose the Dalai Lama as the first Awesome Person to feature in the magazine.

His laugh is absolutely infectious and when Tibet is liberated, it will be because no power can resist that much love forever. I’d like to let the Dalai Lama’s own words demonstrate just how Awesome he is: ONE GREAT QUESTION underlies our experience, whether we think about it consciously or not: What is the purpose of life? I have considered this question and would like to share my thoughts in the hope that they may be of direct, practical benefit to those who read them. I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment.  I don't know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness. The purpose of life is happiness. How can we deny the awesomeness of that statement? For more information on His Holiness visit the website for his office at www.dalailama.com.

Awesome Ottawa Foundation, cont’dLast month the Awesome Foundation received 25 proposals. Cate says that, though they

have a loose process in place for determining which proposal to fund, they are discovering that they know the right one when they see it. Those original and truly awesome ideas tend to stand out. The trustees are trying to consider what to do to also help those great proposals that don’t get approved for a grant, such as profiling them on the website and just getting the word out.

I asked Cate what she sees the ultimate outcome of this initiative being and her first response was “making a few people’s day a bit brighter”. A simple response which demonstrates a lot of heart. She also hopes to enable connections for people who are trying to make things happen, and to just generally increase the awareness of these awesome projects in our community.

There are foundations in six other cities in the US. The original (The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences) started in Boston in June 2009. There has already been interest from folks in Winnipeg and Toronto to start Awesome Foundations there as well.

For all the awesome details, check out their website (www.awesomeottawa.ca) and have a look around. Look at the projects they’ve funded so far, the profiles of the trustees, and maybe even put one of your own awesome ideas out there!

Awesome Nouns turned Verbs“To Friend”

Thanks to Facebook the noun “friend” has now also become a verb. It means “to add someone as a friend on Facebook” and has also spawned the popular term “to unfriend”; “unfriend” not even being a word to begin with, so we can’t include it as a noun-turned-verb, though we do think it also deserves Awesome recognition.

The Dalai Lama: A Spiritual Rock Star

Awesome EventsHere are some great events happening in September, October and November. We have limited this list to Canadian happenings, but will do a broader search in future issues and publish just based on sheer awesomeness.

If you know of an awesome event that’s coming up and would like us to profile it on our calendar, please let us know!

Email Erin at erin@pureshift.ca

september october novemberAwesome EventsHere are some great events happening in September, October and November. We have limited this list to Canadian happenings, but will do a broader search in future issues and publish just based on sheer awesomeness.

If you know of an awesome event that’s coming up and would like us to profile it on our calendar, please let us know!

Email Erin at erin@pureshift.ca

Apr - OctStratford Shakespeare Festival, Stratford, ON. Always a fantasmagoria of theatre and music.

9House concert at my place! Featuring Corin Raymond from the Undesirables and Raghu Lokanathan.

Oct 15 - Nov 10West Coast Chocolate Festival, Coquitlam, BC. Uh...HELLO! Almost a full month of everything chocolate= no brainer (and...no waistline)!

Awesome EventsHere are some great events happening in September, October and November. We have limited this list to Canadian happenings, but will do a broader search in future issues and publish just based on sheer awesomeness.

If you know of an awesome event that’s coming up and would like us to profile it on our calendar, please let us know!

Email Erin at erin@pureshift.ca

16 - 19Barrie, ON New Music Fest. The most awesome thing about this is the price; wristbands $15; day passes $10!

8 - 16Celtic Colours International Festival, Cape Breton Island, NS. The website says, “Sing, play, laugh, party & dance!” Need I say more?!

26Shadow Festival, if you happen to be in Amsterdam check out this small film festival for amateur documentary filmmakers.

Awesome EventsHere are some great events happening in September, October and November. We have limited this list to Canadian happenings, but will do a broader search in future issues and publish just based on sheer awesomeness.

If you know of an awesome event that’s coming up and would like us to profile it on our calendar, please let us know!

Email Erin at erin@pureshift.ca 24 - 25Hopscotch Festival, Kelowna, BC; a celebration of wine, spirits, beer and food. Mmmmmm:)

1 - 31Saunders Farm, Munster, ON. Haunting Season is on for the month of October. I can personally vouch for the awesomeness of this place!

26 -28Canadian Aboriginal Festival, Hamilton, ON. This is an event for everyone. Fabulous food, music and celebration.

Awesome Adult T.V.: True Blood on HBOGranted, you will likely find the main character, Sookie Stackhouse, to be one of the most insipid and self-centred characters you’ve ever seen, but we have to give this show a “wicked awesome” rating based on the strength of the other characters and Vampire Bill’s kick-ass resemblance to Elvis. “Dontcha like my sideburns, Sook-eh? ... a-huh-huh.”

Always Awesome: BaconIf you are reading this and you know me

personally, you may know that I am a bit fanatical about bacon. (If you do really know me, you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying, “that’s putting it mildly.”)

This will be a regular feature of Awesome Magazine, since (in my humble opinion) bacon is one of the keys to happiness. For you vegetarians and vegans out there, I can’t apologize for loving bacon, but my intention is to showcase all kinds, including the ones that don’t actually contain any meat.

Bacon is a food that is all about the experience. From the second you put it in the pan every sense you have is stimulated. Let’s start with that sizzle; there is no other sound that reminds me of childhood quite like that. Next we have the classic smokey bacon aroma...uh, I’m not sure I even need to say anything about that! Watching bacon fry is also a pleasure; see how it dances in the pan? And when it crisps to perfection, the colour and texture is a thing of beauty! Now, the feel of bacon; whether you like it fatty, meaty, greasy or crispy, bacon delivers to satisfy any palette. And the taste...oh, the taste...like nothing else in this awesome world....

...Yes, I might need a minute alone...

Bacon=Happiness. Look here for taste tests, recipes, reviews, news, and more!

Awesome Web: DropboxFor those of you that don’t know about

Dropbox, read this and then go get yourself a free account at www.getdropbox.com. For business or personal use, it is a brilliant idea and a remarkable online tool.

The concept is actually pretty simple; you open an account and you are given space. You create folders for storing your files and you can share these folders with other people (work colleagues, friends, family). Just think of all the possible applications! Collaborative projects, sharing photos...and I know you’re thinking, “well, Erin, there are applications like Google Docs and Flickr that do the same thing.” And I agree, these are also awesome tools.

However, what I like about Dropbox is that the folders are completely private unless I invite another person to share it, it allows online storage of all my files, which are then backed up in the event my computer crashes, and I can save documents in any file format, unlike Google Docs. And the best feature is that Dropbox appears on your computer as just another folder in your Documents folder. You don’t have to be online to use it; it will automatically update when you are online again. And if you happen to be using another computer, you can log into Dropbox online and access all your documents.

Check out the awesomeness for yourself at www.getdropbox.com.

Awesome Charity:

E.A.G.L.E. Centre

EAGLE is a small Ottawa-based charity that is in need of a lot of help and support. EAGLE Centre offers education and employment training to visible minority youth through the generous support of volunteers. There are two program components; for youth ages 6-15 there is the Stay in School program that offers parent support, tutoring and mentorship. The Employment Supports for Youth at Risk is for ages 16-24 and offers pre-employment supports, basic computer skills training and placement opportunities.

Like so many small charities, EAGLE Centre struggles on a tight budget and limited people-power to do its core activities and increase its profile and financial support in the community. To find out how you can support EAGLE, visit their website at www.eaglecentre.org. To submit an awesome charity we can profile, email us at info@lovelifeccc.com.

Awesome Kids T.V.League of Super Evil (L.O.S.E.) on YTV

Join (l-r) Doktor Frogg, Voltar, Red Menace and Doomageddon as they terrorize their suburb of Metrotown in a bid to take over the world. They are an utterly incompetent band of “super villains” whose schemes for world domination always collapse in on themselves as they battle super heros and even compete with other super villains, like Skullossus. Even the parental units will love this show!

Awesome Abroad: Machu Picchu

Possibly the most awesome thing about Machu Picchu is what we don’t know about it. This mysterious place sits high up in the mountains of Peru like a solitary monk keeping its deepest secrets to itself; knowing that all mysteries will be discovered with time, but they can’t be told - only discovered for oneself.

The sheer beauty of the place and it’s surroundings would be enough to qualify it as awesome, but there is more to consider than just that. It is estimated that the city was built in the mid 15th century and abandoned only about a century later. Why is uncertain, though some people speculate a small pox epidemic was the cause.

Even the purpose of the city is a mystery; was it a royal stronghold, a prison, a defensive retreat, or something else altogether? Was it completely self-sustaining? The growing terraces and the remote location suggest it was designed to be self-sufficient.

The most awesome thing about Machu Picchu are the structures themselves. Constructed of stones that were cut and laid with such precision, using no mortar, that you can’t fit the thinest knife blade between them; and using construction techniques that were designed to allow the city to withstand earthquakes - it stands with the pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China as one of the most astounding architectural achievements in the world.

Add to that the energy of the place itself; and energy that makes the hairs on the back

of your neck stand on end, and you have a truly awesome place to visit on this remarkable planet of ours. Check out these sites for more info or to plan a trip to Machu Picchu.

www.peru-machu-picchu.comwww.machupicchu.org

Awesome Local: Papanak Park Zoo

If you have never been there, or have perhaps never heard of it, Papanak Park Zoo is located just east of Ottawa, ON, in Wendover.

This zoo is privately owned by a family who started by breeding exotic animals for conservation purposes in the 80’s. In 1994, public interest and a one-year trial motivated them to open the Papanak Park Zoo that exists today. The park is sustained by the admission fees, gift shop and snack bar revenues and the Junior Zoopkeeper Camps.

Papanak has become a world leader in breeding snow leopards, which is no small feat! These beautiful cats are endangered in the wild and very difficult to breed in captivity. They also have four rare white lion cubs and a very successful lemur breeding program.

If you’re in Ottawa and love awesome animals (exotic and North American), pay the park a visit! If you’re not local, check them out online; Papanak Park Zoo.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Little Bits of

Awesome:

Awesome Hobby:Liquid Mountaineering (AKA: Walking on Water) WHAT?!? Seriously, these guys walk on water. You have to check out this great video to even believe it. A bit on the extreme side, but absolutely AWESOME!

Inspiring Awesome:Check out this great video of a little girl named Jessica doing her morning affirmation. It is sure to inspire you to look at your life in a more positive way and think about all the things you love!

Awesome Ha-Ha:This is just one of my favourite stand up comedy videos! Appropriate for all viewers (which is really the best kind of comedy...why exclude people from the hilarity??) A brilliant take on a classic theme...lost luggage.

Awesome Weird:There’s really nothing I love more for its entertainment value than weirdness. It sometimes makes me laugh, sometimes makes me ponder, sometimes makes me question, and sometimes just makes me shake my head. The most recent awesome weird video I’ve seen was the Double Rainbow featuring ‘Bear’ Vasquez. My favourite spin-off, however, is the Double Rainbow Song.

Awesome Band: Planet Earth

This is my Testimony What is something when it’s beyond

cool? It’s funky. (Yeah, I know, you thought I was going to say “awesome”...) And that’s just what Planet Earth is - a band that is beyond cool. They are a funk and soul band from Toronto, ON and if you haven’t heard they’re sound, go to their website right now and check it out!

The cats that make up the band are Ron Littlejohn (vocals), Dylan Heming (keyboards), Ben Riley (drums), and Glenn Olive (bass). They’ve produced 3 albums (Twenty Miles from Buffalo- 2008, Elasticity - 2002, and The Ali Shuffle - 1999), had music featured in two films, and have performed with acts like Maceo Parker, K-OS, Maestro and Joey DeFrancesco.

No I can’t claim complete impartiality in my opinion of this band’s awesomeness. (Well...I guess the same could be said for every other article here too!), since I went to high school with Ron and Dylan in Toronto many moons ago (back when they both had hair longer than I did). It does allow me, however, to give personal testimony to the fact that these guys are awesome musicians and people.

Planet Earth has a mature sound that’s solidly grounded in funk and soul, but the band, through the personalities of it’s members, has a playfulness and charm that

makes them very engaging. And while the smoothness of their sound makes you feel like you’re floating in an salt sea of music, the rhythm keeps you moving and your ears tuned in.

I asked lead singer, Ron Littlejohn, what he thinks is awesome, and his reply was “that women are wearing spandex again.” (Watch out if you’re in Toronto and walking down the street wearing leggings...)

If you’re in Toronto and want to check them out, their website (www.planetearthfunk.com) has their show listings. You can also Like them on Facebook and get regular updates of what the band is up to.

Here are some other

things we’d like to

feature in Awesome.

Feel free to submit

an article or topic

suggestion

Awesome Bands

Awesome Songs

Awesome Discoveries

Awesome Green

Crazy Awesome

Awesome Science

Awesome Art

Personally Awesome

Awesome Quotes

Awesome Tales

Awesome History

Awesome Technology

Awesome Kids

Awesome Animals

Random Awesome

Pure Shift Events

About Erin I consider myself blessed with an

awesome life. I’m surrounded by people I love and who love me; daily I pursue the activities I love and the universe provides for me in all things.

It was because of the sheer Awesomeness I observed around me that I thought to put together this publication and share with others

these truly Awesome things and consider what makes them awesome.

I hope you will participate in this exploration of all things awesome in the world by reading this humble offering, sharing it with others, submitting awesome ideas, or writing articles for Awesome Magazine!

‘Til next time! -e:)

www.pureshift.ca

www.lovelifeccc.com

www.practicalanarchists.blogspot.com

Do you have

something Awesome

we can profile?

We would love to hear from you!

Please send us links, contact information, pictures, or a full article ready for proofreading and we might feature it in Awesome Magazine.

Be sure to include your own contact information as well.

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