Presenting: Calgary - Canada's Heart of the New West

!±8± Presenting: Calgary - Canada's Heart of the New West

During our upcoming ski trip in the Alberta Rockies this March, we'll be visiting Calgary for the first time. As a matter of fact, it will be our first time in the Canadian Rockies ever. We'll have a brief one-day layover in Calgary before we move on to skiing in Banff and Lake Louise and will try to get a sneak peak at Alberta's capital.

To prepare us for our compact discovery of Calgary, I have talked to Paul Newmarch from Tourism Calgary to get a lay of the land so to speak, to give us an overview so we'll be able to explore Canada's New West.

1. Please provide us with some general information about Calgary. How large is the city, where is it located, what is the weather like?

According to the civic census, Calgary's population was 956,078 in April 2005. Calgary is located in the province of Alberta, 145 Km east of Banff, and 250 km from the US border. Calgary's average summer temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius, and in the winter, average temperature is -8 Celsius. That said, there is a local saying in Calgary that if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes.

2. How can one get to Calgary and what is the best way of getting around in Calgary?

Calgary is accessible along the TransCanada highway, or by direct air from a number of cities, including the following:
Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, St. John's, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Whitehorse, Winnipeg, Yellownknife.

The following US cities have direct connections to Calgary:
Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Ft. Lauderdale, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Maui, Minneapolis, New York (JFK), Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle.

You will find direct flights to Calgary from the following European cities:
Frankfurt, London and Manchester.

The best way to get around would be to use the Calgary Transit System. Train service is free in the downtown core, and a one way adult fare is .25. Otherwise, taxi cabs are available to and from all areas of the city.

3. Please tell us a bit about Calgary's history.

Calgary's history as a city began in 1875 when a detachment of North West Mounted Police (NWMP) arrived. The NWMP established Fort Calgary at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers in an area that, at that time, had few permanent inhabitants. Except for local native peoples who used the area for hunting, the only full-time occupants were Sam Livingston, a homesteader, and his family.

Calgary was named by NWMP Colonel James Macleod after Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. (Although there has been much discussion on the topic, it is believed Calgary is derived from the Gaelic Cala-ghearridh meaning "bay farm.")

On Nov. 7, 1884, Calgary was officially incorporated as a town and less than a decade later, on Jan. 1, 1894, the town became a city. Harness-maker George Murdoch was the first mayor of Calgary. The CPR was delivering a continuous supply of settlers to Calgary by 1885. These new immigrants had an impact on the established ranching life surrounding Calgary as they moved on to the range formerly inhabited by large herds of cattle. Although the ranching industry changed significantly after its arrival, the presence of the CPR led directly to the importance of the processing and exporting of meat to Calgary's economy.

4. Please tell us about some of the major attractions, museums and galleries in the Calgary area.

Perhaps the best known Calgary attraction is the Calgary Stampede, a 10-day western extravaganza of rodeo, chuckwagon races, pancake breakfasts, square dancing and more. It always kicks off the first Friday of July, this year it runs July 7-16.

In addition, Calgary is home to Western Canada's largest museum, the Glenbow Museum. With exhibitions that change twice a year, and a permanent exhibit on the history of some of Alberta's first nations people, the Blackfoot, it is an attraction not to be missed.

Calgary is also home to the world renowned Calgary Zoo. The Zoo has more than 1,000 animals, and the new Destination Africa and Canadian Wilds Exhibits.

There is also Canada Olympic Park (one of the host sites from the XV Winter Olympic Games), Heritage Park, (Canada's largest living historical village), Spruce Meadows, a world famous show-jumping facility, Fort Calgary, the birthplace of the city , the Calgary Tower and the Calgary TELUS World of Science, a family attraction offering hands-on exhibits.

In addition, there are numerous art galleries, and live theatre organizations. The best resource for this is [http://www.reallivearts.com]

5. Our readers would like to find out about the festivals and special events in Calgary.

Outside of the Calgary Stampede, there is also the Calgary Dragon Boat Race & Cultural Festival August 25-27, 20006; The Calgary Comedy Festival, FunnyFest April 28 - May 13, 2006; GlobalFest, which is a multi-cultural festival and international fireworks competition August 17 - 20, 2006; and the Calgary Folk Festival, July 27-30, 2006 .

There is a helpful calender of events on the Tourism Calgary website.

6. What about restaurants and entertainment / nightlife areas in Calgary?

There are a number of dining areas in Calgary, including Stephen Avenue walk (8th Avenue), the 17th Avenue District, and Kensington. As far as nightlife, your best bet would be along 17th (web as above) or there are a few clubs along 1st Street SW, or 9th Avenue SW, including Mynt Ultralounge which was recognized as best new nightclub by enRoute Magazine in 2004.

7. Please give us an overview of the performing arts on offer in Calgary.

Everything from puppetry to the philharmonic, Calgary's art scene is growing and thriving. Here is a listing of various performing arts organizations:

Theatre Calgary

Alberta Theatre Projects

One Yellow Rabbit (cutting edge theatre)

Vertigo Mystery Theatre

Alberta Ballet

Calgary Opera

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Theatre Junction

Loose Moose Theatre (improv)

Lunchbox Theatre (longest running lunch time theatre company in the world)

8. What are some of the shopping opportunities in Calgary?

The Uptown 17th District (as above) is also a upscale clothing district. As far as unique products from Calgary and area, there is Alberta Boot, Alberta's only western boot manufacturer, Crave Cookies & Cupcakes (they're to die for! ), Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut , Alberta made art at The Croft or Art Central. There are also two large malls - Chinook Centre and Market Mall.

9. What are the outdoor, recreational and sports opportunities in and around Calgary?

Calgary has a 635 Km long system of paved pathways on which you can walk, in-line skate or bike. Many of the pathways are cross-country ski accessible during the winter, but more than 95 km is cleared in winter months.

There is also hiking and biking in Fish Creek Provincial Park, skate boarding at Millennium Park and The Source Skateboard Park which is one of the largest indoor skate parks in North America, skiing at Canada Olympic Park during the winter, and downhill mountain biking in the summer. There are also a number of guest ranches where you are able to horseback ride.

Just outside of Calgary in Kananaskis Country, which is a 45 to 60 minute drive, there are all sorts of activities, including horseback riding in the mountains, hiking, biking, and white water rafting.

10. What type of accommodations options are there in Calgary?

There are numerous options, from high-end 5 star hotels to bed and breakfasts to hostels to motels. The best resource is the Tourism Calgary website's accommodation search function.

11. What are some of the major events and big news stories coming up in 2006 and beyond in Calgary?

There are a number of exciting news relating to Calgary and surrounding areas.

Calgary was rated #2 in the world for business travellers by the Economist Magazine. Calgary's transporation, infrastructure and perceived safety were all factors in Calgary's high marks.

Lake Louise has once again been named among the top 50 ski resort in North America by SKI Magazine, along with Vail, Whistler and Jackson Hole.

Lonely Planet's Blue List - 618 Things to Do & Places to Go in 06-07 has selected the Canadian Rockies as the number 1 Most Spectacular Natural Attraction in the World. They also chose Rocky Mountaineer as number 3 on the Classic Train Trips list and Banff National Park as number 5 on the Most Extreme Environments list.

Here is a brief overview of major events coming up in Calgary

2006

World Figure Skating Championships

Players Championship of the World Curling Tour

CIS Women's Volleyball Championships

World All-round Speed Skating Championships

2007

World Power Lifting Championships

Alberta Provincial Games - Special Olympics

2008

Canadian Gymnastics Championships

Thank you, Paul, for this overview. Now we can start planning our personal visit of the Heart of the New West.

Presenting: Calgary - Canada's Heart of the New West

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Effective Parenting Skills - Instill Good Behavior Through Positive Reinforcement

!±8± Effective Parenting Skills - Instill Good Behavior Through Positive Reinforcement

As a parent, how do you discipline your child? Have you ever spanked your child? Most behavioral studies show that there are three approaches parents use to evoke desired behavior from their children. They are: positive or negative reinforcement, and punishment.

Positive reinforcement occurs when you offer a reward or praise that will increase the likelihood that your child will repeat a desired behavior. Negative reinforcement occurs when you elicit a behavior by taking away or avoiding an adverse event, such as having your child go to school earlier to avoid traffic he dislikes riding in. Punishment is the third type of approach. Although often confused with negative reinforcement, it actually involves inclusion of an adverse event in order to decrease or stop what you perceive to be a negative behavior, such as administering a spanking or timeout to stop your son from picking on your daughter.

Child experts generally agree that positive reinforcement is the most desirable of the three methods used to elicit positive behavior from children and reduce negative behavior.

Positive Reinforcement as Compared to Bribery?

Some parents mistakenly equate positive reinforcement and bribery. With bribery, you promise some sort of material reward in exchange for a behavior you want. This often involves negotiating or even begging your child to behave properly. This is different than giving your child verbal praise or encouragement, or rewarding them with some small token after they have achieved a certain goal.

Many times, parents steer clear from positive reinforcement because they think this might spoil their child. However, this is not at all true if the reward is given in response to positive behavior or a goal well attained by the child. In addition, these types of rewards do not need to be at all expensive. Especially for small children, small tokens like stickers provide a tangible reward for some long sought-after goal, such as potty training. Small children especially have a much easier time with difficult to obtain goals if they are given regular rewards along the way. In addition, nonmaterial rewards such as hugs, praise or genuine parental excitement for a job well done are also highly prized by the child.

When Should You Start Using Positive Reinforcement?

There is no correct time in which to start using positive reinforcement, but children learn to equate receipt of some type of reinforcement to their positive behavior after they have had several similar experiences. Certain good deeds that are reinforced at an early age become habit after a certain period of time.

As children grow up, their needs will grow and expand, as will your expectations. Therefore, the reinforcement may change, but the general principle of positive reinforcement remains the same. Positive reinforcement's success depends not just on the child, but on the adult who uses a particular method as his or her disciplinary approach.

If used successfully, positive reinforcement can help a child develop intrinsic motivation. This, of course, is the ultimate goal. Children learn to expect certain results from certain behavior.

How Do You Best Use Positive Reinforcement?

The best way to use positive reinforcement is to do the following:

First, select and define the behavior you want to strengthen. For instance, you can be clear about what you accept in your children's behavior at home. To best reinforce positive behavior, make sure that you clearly define what your children's progress should be by specifically defining the behavior you want your children to repeat. Do not give abstract directives such as, "Behave yourself when you are eating." Do provide clear, concise directions on "how" children should behave themselves, such as, "Sit still on your chair with your napkin in your lap, do not fidget or play with your food, and when you are finished, ask to be excused before you leave the table."

Second, choose what types of reinforcement you want to use. Reinforcements should be age-appropriate and should be something the child can understand and want. Since children have individual preferences, reinforcements should match children's individual characteristics. They should be age-appropriate enough that the child can actually earn them quite easily so as not to get discouraged. However, they should be difficult enough to earn that the child really does have to make an honest effort to behave in order to receive them. For example, stickers are very appropriate for preschool children, since they value these, while an extended weekend curfew is more appropriate to a teenager.

Third, consistency is the key; reinforcement should be provided without fail and with clear rules and expectations. Children should expect routine and should expect consequences for bad behavior, as well as rewards for good behavior. When a particular behavior is just being learned, immediate reinforcement is very important, so that children can expect clear feedback. As the behavior becomes more integrated, intermittent reinforcement is actually better, since this actually has been shown to strengthen the behavior rather than weaken it. Oftentimes, if children are rewarded for behavior consistently, they cease to perform that behavior unless they receive the reward. Therefore, intermittent and irregular reinforcement is best once a behavior has been learned. Once the behavior is fully established as habit, you can remove the tangible reinforcement altogether.

Fourth, praise and encourage as you reinforce. This helps motivate the child to continue; while praise can be good, be careful not to overpraise. This can actually be counterproductive, as the child learns to focus on an external authority rather than on his or her own internal sense of right and wrong. Encouragement, too, is useful if used when a child becomes discouraged, but again, the focus here is to develop a sense of internal control within the child.

You can best praise children by focusing on the good behavior. For example, saying, "That was very nice of you to help that lady carry her bag," helps the child understand that his efforts truly impact other people in a positive manner. Thus, not only do you acknowledge the childrens actions, but you show how they affect other people. This helps the child to start focusing outside of himself as to how actions have impact, in addition to how his actions affect just himself or his immediate family, such as siblings.

Praising Points

Many studies have shown that intermittent praise helps people focus on and keep their interest in activities. Too much or too little becomes ineffective, because it can reduce praise's value or make it too hard to come by. When you give praise, you should:

Do it immediately. Praise children if you can right after the good behavior occurs. This is also known as "catching children being good." Too often, disciplinary effort focuses on bad behavior and correcting it rather than good behavior and acknowledging it. By acknowledging good behavior, you reinforce it.

Be specific in your praise. Make note of exactly which behavior you like. For example, you could say, "John, that was very nice of you to play ball with Todd. Thank you." To avoid confusion, leave any wrong actions, such as minor spats, for another time. Simply put, the praise itself should be undiluted.

Be frequent with your praise. Although overpraising, as stated before, is not good because it actually discourages children from proper behavior in that they look for the reward every time, intermittent but relatively frequent praise is very good to help children both develop an internal sense of control and to know that what they are doing is good. As often as you can, catch your children doing something good. As children continue, they will develop these good behaviors as habit.

Be sincere with your praise. In addition, focus on actions as good or bad, and avoid labeling children as "bad." If a child politely asks for his toy back from his brother, say, "Thank you for doing that. It was very polite of you."

Vary your statements of praise. They should go with the situation in order to sound sincere. If you use the same statements of praise over and over again, children will pick up on this and will either see this phony or will cease to listen to it. In addition, the more you expand your vocabulary as you talk with your child, the more you help them expand their own as well. This also helps children develop an emotional vocabulary, so that if they are frustrated or upset, they can voice their feelings rather than act them out. This, in turn, will help them appropriately express themselves, as they get older.

Effective Parenting Skills - Instill Good Behavior Through Positive Reinforcement

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Frye Boots - Why Are They So Good?

!±8± Frye Boots - Why Are They So Good?

Frye boots have been around for nearly 150 years and the name is synonymous
with quality and comfort. They have been worn by soldiers in the American civil war, by General Patton and by other leaders down the years,because of their comfort and workmanship.

Nowadays it is very doubtful you will se any solider wearing these boots, even though they are made for both men and women.Frye also make shoes too.

The boots and shoes made by Frye these days are far too fashionable, comfortable and stylish to be worn on the battlefield.

you can find stars and celebrities wearing them now, which shows just how fashionable they are, as well as showing how well made and comfortable they are. I have heard some people call Frye boots "cowboy boots". I have not seen many cowboys wearing them and they are much more than a plain old cowboy boot.

Even though Frye make men,women and evens childrens boots and shoes, this seasons biggest sellers are Frye harness and Frye campus boots. The reason for this is that so many celebrities have been wearing them,making them in great demand.

The Frye Harness and Frye campus boots are both boots that are stylish enough to be worn with anything. In fact if you look at what celebrities are wearing with them you will see that them wearing everything from skirts to trousers.

Frye boots and shoes are easy to take care of and look after.They are well made and do not fall apart, unlike cheap imitations. That is why celebrities wear them and why you should buy a pair before the secret is out and the prices start going up.

Frye Boots - Why Are They So Good?

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FRYE Women's Harness 12R Boot,Dark Brown Distressed,6.5 M US

!±8± FRYE Women's Harness 12R Boot,Dark Brown Distressed,6.5 M US

Brand : FRYE | Rate : | Price : $228.00
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FRYE Women's Harness 12R Boot,Dark Brown Distressed,6.5 M US

Dating back to the 1800s, the Frye Company is the oldest continuously operated shoe company in the US, giving Frye products a long and illustrious history! Today Frye remains true to its heritage and vintage roots, while continuing to innovate and expand its footwear for continuously fashionable designs using rich leathers and quality hardware. The Harness 12R boot features definitive O-ring straps and studs on distressed leather uppers, making for a timeless design. Double pull-tabs, a wellington vamp, cushioned shock-absorbing memory insoles, pitched heels with rubber heel lifts, and durable Goodyear welt construction finish off this boot beautifully! Shaft circumference is approx. 15", height approx. 12", stacked heel approx. 2". Style #77300. Dark Brown.

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FRYE Men's Harness 8R Boot,Black,10.5 M

!±8± FRYE Men's Harness 8R Boot,Black,10.5 M

Brand : FRYE | Rate : | Price : $199.89
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FRYE Men's Harness 8R Boot,Black,10.5 M

Dating back to the 1800s, the Frye Company is the oldest continuously operated shoe company in the US, giving Frye products a long and illustrious history! Today Frye remains true to its heritage and vintage roots, while continuing to innovate and expand its footwear for continuously fashionable designs using rich leathers and quality hardware. The Harness 8R boot features definitive O-ring straps and studs on distressed leather uppers, making for a timeless design. Double pull-tabs, a wellington vamp, cushioned shock-absorbing memory insoles, pitched heels with rubber heel lifts, neoprene oil resistant soles, and durable Goodyear welt construction finish off this boot beautifully! Shaft height approx. 8", stacked heel approx. 1 3/4". Also available in dark brown and chocolate, while supplies last! Style #87400-1. Black.

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!±8± Combi Cosmo DX Lightweight Stroller

www.amazon.com The lightweight Cosmo stroller with the quick 3-Second Fold, folds easily and compactly and is self-standing. An easily adjustable, wider and reclining seat with breathable air-mesh fabric, footrest, 5-point harness and infant safety boot make for a safe and comfortable environment for your child.

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