Divorce rate rises after Calgary Stampede

Source: UPI

Canada's annual Calgary Stampede got under way Friday as divorce consultants prepared for their own surge in unhappy couples after the 10-day event.

Billed as the world's biggest outdoor rodeo event, the Alberta city goes into party mode, which Karen Stewart, founder of Fairway Divorce Solutions, told Sun Media leads to a lot of infidelity.

"It's the sexual undertones, the alcohol, the letting loose," she said. "Thousands of beautiful men and women come out of the woodwork at Stampede and people look incredibly sexy when you put them in a cowboy hat."

She said she sees as much as a 40 percent jump in the number of people filing for divorce in the weeks after the stampede.

Artist Shaun Doiron told the news service there's a saying in the city "it's not cheatin', it's Stampedin'."

"Stampede is like a Las Vegas for a lot of people," he said. "It's not the rodeo anymore, it's a big party."

It's Stampede time again and the city of Calgary here is insane again. Ten days of nothing but drinking and partying. If you're working downtown, you hardly work and just go pig out at every free Stampede breakfast you can find!

You can wear jeans to the office for the whole time, which also can make people look more attractive. Not that anyone is ever in their office during Stampede week, but you have to go in to pick up your tickets to that day's boozy breakfast and lie once again on your voice mail. Not that anyone will call because they will be at the boozy breakfast too.

This study does not surprise me at all. You could have a married couple who have regular mundane lives 355 days in a year. But for 10 days starting with the first Friday in July, they just lose it. They put in a cowboy hat and jeans and hit all the bars in town. PARTY! Then they see hot cowboys and hot cowgirls and ponder why the heck they're married. I like cowboy spirit but it really is the most fake festival anyone can think of.

Everyone all at together now: YEE-HAW!!!!!

Take a free cowboy hat!

The evolution of Calgary's deadly gang war

Source: Calgary Herald (entire article and timeline

Much love from the crew The cries and the pain got me goin' insane Gang life has got me on the brink walking around with a strap on my hip -- Lyrics from a rap recording paying tribute to slain FOB Killers member John Pheng made by his friends in 2005

Before FOB and FK, there was the"Runaway Gang."

That's the nickname police investigators gave a ragtag bunch of troublemakers who either attended Forest Lawn High School or spent time hanging around the school a decade ago.

"We watched this group of goofy kids develop into a gang," recalls Henry Hollinger, a retired Calgary police officer who was working in the intelligence unit at the time.

From kids to killers, this is the story of Calgary's evolving gang war, how a group of teens went from cutting class together 10 years ago to shooting each other on city streets.

The feud between FOB and the FOB Killers (FK) has claimed at least 25 lives since 2002, maimed dozens of others and struck fear into law-abiding citizens throughout Calgary.

If there's any question about whether the conflict has escalated into all-out war, consider the life and death of John Pheng.

At age 22, the FK member died on the floor of a 17th Avenue nightclub as his companions pursued the gunmen into the busy street outside two years ago.

more...

The content of the article doesn't surprise me. I know there have been gangs coming out of Forest Lawn for the last ten years. Everyone in Calgary knows it.

What startled me in the incredible detail by the police and the newspaper of all the names of participants and all of the details that have happened since 1999. We know about the gang member, about the families, when attacks happened when these two sides met. Everything is known and out in the open. What do the police do with this information? Nothing. What good is it that this information is in the Herald if police do nothing about it. Is there going to be another article in 20 years twice as long detailing the same thing. It's the biggest cover up in the city and will continue to be for a very long time.

Chinese Calgarians enraged at report urging no "Asian" malls

Source: Canada.com

Members of Calgary's Chinese community are enraged after a consultant's report commissioned by the city said Calgary should avoid the development of "Asian" malls that serve only one ethnic group.

The report raises the debate over whether cities should be encouraging ethnic enclaves, or whether those enclaves only isolate certain communities from the larger population.

Chinese residents are angry at being singled out by the consulting company -- whose president is Chinese -- in a report on how the city should deal with future commercial and retail development.

Calgary should "avoid the development of 'Asian' malls that cater only to a specific ethnic group," says the report, posted on the city's website.

"An effort must be made to avoid 'exclusive' cultural-specific retail developments, as they lead to marginalized ethnic enclaves which can diminish overall community cohesiveness."

There were about 67,000 people of Chinese descent living in the Calgary area in 2006, according to Statistics Canada.

Booooo. Nothing worse than a Chinese-Canadian wannabe who walks around dissing FOBs all day and wanting to outlaw Chinese malls! Nice report buddy.

Related Stories:

Like variety, ethnic malls add spice to life
The notorious report urging that Asian malls be discouraged has been cleansed but the result still looks and reads a lot like the idiotic original

Calgarian tackles barriers between people

Source: Calgary Herald
Thanks: @thebrilliantgod

In a previous post, I had talked about Young Global Leaders

I omitted a very important Calgarian!

Salima Ebrahim: Issue Strategist, Community And Protective Services, City Of Calgary

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Salima Ebrahim dreams big, and considering what she's accomplished in her life, one can't help but believe she has the wherewithal to rise to any challenge.

She only wishes women all over the world could have that same opportunity.

"It does come down to this notion: Are women treated with the right level of dignity?'' she asked. "In some countries, they're almost an afterthought.''

The plight of women and children and human rights in general is something Ebrahim--currently an issue strategist with community and protective services with the City of Calgary--has focused on for years.

PSA - Heavy Snow

Source: CFCN Calgary

Eight inches of snow fell in Calgary yesterday and the radio report this morning reported 240 accidents ON A SUNDAY!

[rant]
PSA! Slow the fuck down!!!!!
[/rant]