As promised, here is our mixologist Magally Franco once more with another set of Tequila Cazadores drinks. Both of the cocktails that are presented in the video are suitable for before or after dinner, so try it out on your dinner party guests and see which one they prefer.

Keep in mind that the quantities used in our demonstrations are merely suggestions. Everyone has a slightly different palate and you may want to add more of one ingredient than another. Now that you know some examples of the kinds of ingredients that complement Tequila, you can tweak it to suit your personal tastes. Who knew mixing drinks could be so easy!

Enjoy but drink responsibly people!

Ever wonder how Tequila is made? Tune in next week to find out! Magally will also be introducing another concoction.

Ever wonder what it takes to be an Olympic athlete?

Many people don’t know this, but the Olympics are for amateur athletes, meaning they don’t make a living doing the sport that they love (at least that’s the idea). As a result, Olympic hopefuls like Para Alpine Skier Sam Danniels are dependent on funding to be able to compete in the world arena and bring home the gold. The cost for the training, coaching, equipment and facilities that are necessary to nurture our Canadian talent is staggering and although the government does chip in, it is money from sponsors and everyday people like you and me that make the difference.

In preparation for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Own The Podium 2010 encourages all Canadians and anyone who believes in the spirit of the Games to get involved in building strong athletes. And with the new theme song “Believe” by Rock Star: INXS runner-up Suzie McNeil, they are well on their way.

All the proceeds from the online sale of Suzie’s song go straight to the athletes, bringing them closer to achieving the ultimate goal of Olympic gold. To show your support, download “Believe” by clicking here.

As we continue to introduce more elements to our Essential Self-Defense Tips series, many of you are requesting to see combination scenarios, so here’s the first. As always, Sensei Anthony Britton ensures that the moves he introduces or builds upon can be realistically employed by those who don’t have a martial arts background. If you’ve practiced the Double Wrist Grab Release and Advanced Choke Hold Release, then the escape that Kristy performs in this video will come naturally to you.

IMPORTANT: Please use extreme caution when practicing these moves. Remember that with the right amount of force, you can severely hurt somebody. These techniques are to be used for self-defense purposes only. All self-defense moves and tips are to be used at the risk of the user.

Keep your requests coming everyone! We love to respond to your inquiries through our video tutorials.

How do you know that a drink is authentic and is as good as it’s purported to be? When those that live in its country of origin also make it their choice of course. For instance, did you know that Mexicans don’t drink Corona?

You likely know the fact that Tequila is mostly produced in the desert-like valley of the same name, and you’re probably also familiar with its taste. Here’s a test you can conduct the next time you order a drink though. Have your server bring you a straight Tequila Cazadores and see if you can tell the difference.

Arandas, which is 500 metres above the hot Tequila Valley, is where the plant that makes this Tequila comes from. Here the climate is cooler and wetter and the distinctive red soil, rich in minerals, create the ideal growing conditions for agave (the blue plant shown in the video – the stems are chopped off). As a result, highland agave is larger, sweeter and juicier than the agave grown in the valley.

Now that you’ve made the choice, how do you drink it? Tequila is generally ordered in bars and brought to you in a shot glass and you usually toss it back in half a second before making a face right? Well, apparently that’s not the way to enjoy a good Tequila. Champagne glasses are used instead and often during a meal as you sip it much like you do red or white wine. It may sound like an odd choice for you but give it a shot and when you do, you might as well try pure Tequila. Cazadores is 100% agave while the ones you drink are likely mixto tequilas (a mixture of agave and an alternative source of sugar, like sugar cane).

Another way of enjoying Tequila is of course, in the Classic Margarita. Forget the mixed powders that you buy in tubs at the local supermarket. If you want to impress your guests, have a look at how our mixologist Magally Franco makes it. It’s insanely simple and will make your dinner party that much more sophisticated.

Next week, we move on to more contemporary cocktails so stay tuned!

Ok, I might come off sounding like an absolute fool but until recently, I actually didn’t know that Xbox 360 was Microsoft. Yes, yes, can you tell I’m not a hard core gamer? (and I actually OWN a unit!) I enjoy the occasional arcade or third person adventure game but ask me anything about platforms and you will likely hear crickets.

One of the games that was really hyped up last year was Viva Piñata but when I actually watched a sample of it, I honestly didn’t see the appeal of this simulation game. So when I heard about Viva Piñata Party Animals, I didn’t give it a second thought…until I actually tried it. Turns out, it’s just the type of mindless fun that I enjoy at the end of a long day. I guess there were many other who shared my sentiment about the original game.

That is one of the features of this video, as well as Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action. I’ve got the original board game and although it’s not bad, I don’t take it out much. The video game version of it is much more appealing, and if you see the sample in the video, you’ll see what I mean.

Those of you that are computer gamers, we haven’t left you out. Check out the video to see the two expansion packs that are now available for two already popular games. And finally, there’s the Sidewinder Gaming Mouse, which is the craziest mouse I’ve ever seen! It’s designed for the gamer, and as such, comes with all sorts of bells and whistles. I’ve never seen anything like it.

If you’ve mastered the basic Choke Hold Release that we featured in a previous segment, then you’re ready for a more advanced version. This new technique may seem difficult at first, but when you understand how it works, it’s a piece of cake (no matter how large the aggressor is).

Remember that you’re not trying to muscle your attacker over your shoulder but rather shift their centre of gravity so that you can tip them off balance. If you do this properly, you shouldn’t feel like you are carrying their entire body weight.

IMPORTANT: Please use extreme caution when practicing these moves. Remember that with the right amount of force, you can severely hurt somebody. These techniques are to be used for self-defense purposes only. All self-defense moves and tips are to be used at the risk of the user.

Doodle Does It: A Journey from Doodles to Bronze
Fine Art Sculpture by Mary-Ann Liu, Doodles and Art Concept by Cyrus Yavneh
Dates: September 11th – 30th, 2007
Venue: Elliott Louis Gallery at 1540 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 AM – 6 PM / Sunday 11 AM – 5 PM and by appointment

Everybody does it. You do it in boring meetings, chatting on the phone, waiting for the bus. Award-winning TV producer (24, Supernatural), writer and filmmaker Cyrus Yavneh does it too — as a natural flow of expression through hand to paper, without constraint or intention, in the course of his busy day. And celebrated sculptor Mary-Ann Liu does it in bronze. Doodling, that is. The kind of daily scribbles we all make in the margins of our lives inspired Ms. Liu (creator of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa and Vancouver’s and Chicago’s Chinatown Dragon Lanterns) to bring Mr. Yavneh’s free form scribbling of musical notes and amoebic forms into three-dimensional reality through the medium of bronze.

Doodle Does It is an exhibition of more than 30 doodle sculptures created largely out of bronze; some are painted using an encaustic technique (a departure from traditional bronzes where only patinas are used). It explores the countless possibilities found within the potent ideas that are generally discarded at day’s end. Mary-Ann and Cyrus weren’t purposely trying to break down the boundaries between high art and popular culture, but the doodle journey just does it by its very nature.

For more information visit Mary-Ann’s website here.

As we wrap up our four-part tie knots series, personal image consultant Kimberly Law demonstrates the steps that make up a Pratt Knot (also called Shelby Knot).

After learning the other knots, you may find this one confusing because everything seems backwards; even the tie faces the wrong way when you first start off. Our model described it best: It’s a backwards Four in Hand. But the result looks somewhat different as it has a slightly wider top and is also a little more symmetrical.

To learn more about Kimberly Law, click here.

If you’d like to learn another tie knot, or just have a question or story idea in the realm of Image & Etiquette, send us an email! We may just feature it in a future segment.

From the moment we are woken up by the radio alarm clock, to the time we pick up our electric toothbrushes as we prepare for bed, we are using gadgets. Tech journalist Akash Sablok of AndNowYouKnow.net is back featuring the latest in gadgets around the house.

Full details on the featured items to come soon…

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this letter do not represent Dabbler.ca but that of the individual. Dabbler.ca has no beef with C.U.P.E. but Morten has. This is his personal rant.

I write this letter in frustration. Not because you are on strike – every worker is entitled to stand up for their rights – but because you are lashing out at people that have nothing to do with your situation. I am the council president of a building with 220 units situated in Metrotown. Not one of my over 500 neighbors votes in Vancouver elections and none of them have any say in your labour dispute. Yet they are effected by your strike. Because of your indiscriminate shutdown of the waste transfer stations, our building is drowning in a mountain of garbage. And since we are not involved in your labour dispute, we can do nothing to fix the situation. You are holding our building and many others with it hostage even though we are irrelevant to your counterpart – the City of Vancouver.

By blocking the transfer stations, you are making enemies of people who would otherwise support you wholeheartedly. What you are doing to the people who live in municipalities adjacent to Vancouver is wrong if not immoral. You have no right to impinge on our services – we didn’t create your problem and we can’t fix it. By blocking our garbage disposal, you are forcing people like myself to clean up the mess while you claim the throne and become King of the Hill of Putrid Waste.

Take a long hard look at whom you are punishing here. Right now, you are acting like the kid who pours milk in his classmate’s bag because his mom didn’t pack the right thing for lunch. Grow up!

Morten Rand-Hendriksen
Strata Council President