The Tunisian community of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada came together on January 15, 2010 to rally in support for Tunisia and the Tunisian people. Originally organized as a protest against Ben Ali, one that would be echoed in multiple cities along the globe, the historic changes of January 14, 2010 changed the protest into a support rally. On Friday January 14, the Tunisian ex-president, Ben Ali, dictator...

Earthquake hits Ottawa.  Bulding is evacuated.  I have three reactions: #1 – stand in doorframe  (instead go outside due to advice of  @sharamamanu), #2 – call friends and family (phone in building, scratch that), #3 - check twitter for news (luckily @sharmamanu has iphone :0) ) Twitter – not the radio, or cbc, was my go-to source. Never to disappoint, there was already a twitterquake...

We’ve all dreamed of going to South by Southwest in Austin, Texas…but it’s far, expensive to get to, and for students it’s during the school year.  The good news though is that  North by Northeast (NXNE) is just around the corner – a music, film and interactive festival and conference.  It’s the first year that NXNE has introduced an interactive component,...

Here’s a contest for those of you with photoshop skills and an artistic eye.  Weebly,  (think wordpress & blogger competitor) is holding a blog design competition. You’re only required to submit a PSD version of your theme, they’ll convert it to HTML and CSS for you. Deadline to apply is April 30, 2010 Full contest details, including required elements and examples, can be found...

OIC is back, bigger and better, and I for one can’t wait.  48 hours of intense competition, learning, excitement and fun. What better way to spend a weekend? From April 23rd to April 25th, 16 students will work on one of four business challenges provided by 4 local Ottawa start-ups. The challenges are real, reflecting present day issues that our entrepreneurial leaders are currently facing. This...

market2world recently prepared a series of PDFs for OCRI’s global marketing group that benchmarks Ottawa against four major U.S. “tech consideration cities”: Boston, New York, San Jose, and Washington.  When international companies consider locating or expanding in North America, they often forget the “North” option. The research, which leads with results from the Martin...

Here’s the goal – I’m going to run a half marathon in May.  If you know me, you’re probably already smiling in skepticism…I forgive you, though I will love laughing in your face come May 30, 2010.  Pettiness  - a wonderful human emotion :0) I’ve been telling everyone around me that I will run this marathon, in the hopes that the verbal commitment will shame me...

Carleton is really picking up its game, or specific people, like Luc Lalande, of the Foundry Program, are really bringing some great initiatives to Carleton, my alma mater.  The latest?  Bringing TEDx to Ottawa, and more specifically, to Carleton University. TEDxCarletonU, held at the Gladstone Theatre, will feature some TEDx Videos, and five speakers of very diverse backgrounds, yet all talented...

The World Bank and its partners are hosting the International Essay Competition, with the 2010 topic being Youth Unemployment. The Challenge: Open to contests between the ages of 18 and 25, the entry should answer the following two questions: 1. How does youth unemployment affect you, your country, town or local community? 2. What can you do, working together with your peers, to find a sustainable...

Here’s a great story of collaboration between the City and TalentBridge. Step 1:  The City Engages Youth in the Economic Development Steering Committee The City of Ottawa has organized an Economic Development Steering Committee in which they have unprecedentedly invited youth participation. Through TalentBridge facilitation – on the recommendation of Manu Sharma, Founder and Manager of...