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Cupcake Killer No. 1: Le Macaron

Written
by
Ashley
on Friday, February 3, 2012
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cupcakes killers

Photo courtesy of photokast on Flickr

In their new series, Ashley & Jessica looks beyond the reigning indulgence to see what’s next in line for the throne. Cupcakes are dead; long live trendy pastries!

Like them or not, cupcakes are trendy. We know, we know, you’d been making them for your kids long before Sex and the City was even an idea. It’s undeniable though: dedicated shops, vodka, vineyards, wars…the list goes on. What’s an icing disliker to do?! Fret not friend, the sugar revolution is coming. Let us present to you: the cupcake killer. Like a cupcake, it’s cute, yummy, and perfect with tea. It’s just not a cupcake. We’ve noticed them popping up all over town, and soon these up and comers are going to make cupcakes so early 21st century.

Cupcake Killer No. 1: Le macaron

Brought to us by the masters of pastry (the French, of course), macarons are a fancy sandwich cookie. The cookie is meringue-esque, and connoisseurs will tell you the texture is of utmost importance. It should have a smooth, slightly crisp top, with ruffled edges and a barely moist, chewy interior. There is no room for compromise! Without the afore-mentioned cookie your macaron is an imposter at best. However, the filling that comes sandwiched between can be anything your heart desires. Buttercream, ganache and jam tend to be the most common.

Ottawa doesn’t have any shops dedicated solely to macarons (yet), but we aren’t want for options. Here we’ve summarized some places to get your hands on these little jewels. A couple of tips before you head to macaron heaven: 3 is most certainly enough for a serving; keep them in the fridge, but allow them to come to room temperature before engulfing (they can also be frozen to extend their lifespan); because they freeze well, some bakeries may not be selling you fresh macarons, but frequently changing flavours or made-to-order options will help you avoid macaron disappointment.

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Ottawa Winter Jazzfest brings you inside from the cold at Winterlude

Written
by
saxby
on Thursday, February 2, 2012
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Photo Courtesy of the Ottawa Jazz Festival

Known for ice sculpture and skating on the canal, Winterlude hasn’t necessarily always been a key destination for the musically oriented. The JazzFest’s Petr Cancura is hoping to change that with this year’s Winter Jazzfest. We got some answers from Petr on what you can expect at the festival and why he thought jazz might be just what the Ottawa winter needs.

Apartment613: I understand that this Winter Jazzfest is based on a similar event that takes place in New York. What was your inspiration to try to bring an event like this to Ottawa?
Petr: The inspiration came from New York. This time of year is usually down-time for everyone… pretty much half way between Festival seasons and people are ready for music. The energy in the West Village during the NYC version of this festival is dynamite, the whole jazz crowd is out and the streets are bustling with fans and musicians alike. Everything is within walking distance and you can check out whatever you’d like. Any festival always makes musicians play great and the community aspect that is created is key. You can just feel it inside every club those three days. So the idea in Ottawa was simple… to put on three days of shows in intimate settings, involve all kinds of musicians, from local to international, and use different venues that are all within walking distance. I think people are ready to fight the cold and ready for some inspiration!

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Naughty Novelist Night: Three literary ladies get you ready for St Valentine’s

Written
by
apartment613
on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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Suckuary (aka February) fast approaches – the dreaded month of slushy streets and minus 30 degree cold snaps that drains even the most dedicated scenester’s will to have fun. No wonder some medieval visionary decided to sex up the month with a little romance. Fortunately, this year you don’t have to wait until the 14th to get a little action… at least of the literary sort.

This Thursday, February 2, Venus Envy will be featuring a reading from three local authors – Barbara Sibbald, Jasmine Aziz and Patricia K. McCarthy - whose latest works touch on the theme of sex and romance.

Sibbald, whose full-time job is editing medical texts, will be sharing a passage from her second novel, The Book of Love. The story revolves around three friends trying to navigate the ins and outs of romantic life with the help of the eponymous  self-help book. Overall, the The Book of Love seems to be a Sex in the City episode set in Ottawa, with the horny Erica, the romantic Suzanne and the creative Christina. If you ever wondered what Samantha would get up to in the Market on a Saturday night, this is your chance to find out.

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Apartment613 Live: Flying solo edition

Written
by
apartment613
on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
.

Photo courtesy Tom McGuire on Flickr.

This week on the podcast, Apartment613 editor Karen goes it alone on the technical side of things, while her usual co-hosts Ryan and Trevor are mysteriously absent. Thankfully, Katrina (Apt613′s Vice Editor – not vice-editor, but editor of all things vice-related) joins her in the CHUO studio to rein in the monologues.

We interview Maureen McEvoy, Ottawa Public Library’s Manager of Communications and Community Relations, all about the Human Library Project. Yes, it’s where humans turn into books for a day – and we find out if it’s possible to dog-ear one of these tomes or if writing in the margins is allowed.

There’s also a ‘This Week in Food’ segment, where we dive into the delicious world of curry, sandwiches, and Ottawa’s newest brew pub. This is all rounded out with our oh-so-scientific analysis of the Citizen’s article on singles in Ottawa – particularly the map outlining all of the best ‘hoods to pick up.

Our musical tastes were varied, from alt country to indie rock to Buck 65 – head on down after the jump to see the mix we played.

 

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Weekly News Review: Bronson, Barrymore’s, LRT Stations and more!

Written
by
apartment613
on Monday, January 30, 2012
.

 

Photo courtesy of -dtr on Flickr.

The city has decided not to widen Bronson when it changes old water mains and sewers in March. While the city has decided not to make the city worse for pedestrians, cyclists and folks that live on Bronson, it’s not really making it better either. “Make no mistake about it. Bronson’s not going to turn into a nice street as a result of this. It’s going to remain an overused road that blights the neighbourhood, but it’s going to be less blight than what the city had planned it to be,” said WestSide Action’s Eric Darwin to the Ottawa Citizen.

OpenFile’s sharing a number of the mock-ups for the new LRT stations. From Bayview to Hurdman, which one do you like best?

Barrymore’s is under new management and it’s changing its focus, just a bit. Renos are planned, with bottle service, popular DJ shows and music set list of strictly top-40 and house music expected to bring in greater crowds on weekends. Barrymore’s manager Andrew Hamilton says that lives bands didn’t work well in the past couple of years and believes that bringing in well-known DJs will give the club new life.

Our city is great in some ways - in others it appears to be lacking drive or leadership. Ottawa’s Emma Godmere (leased out to Toronto, for a short period I hope) thinks we need a better attitude in the city and we should start doing and not just talking. Let us know in the comments who are some of your favourite Ottawa do-ers.

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Last week on Jim Watson’s facebook page…

Written
by
Katie
on Monday, January 23, 2012
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Click to continue reading “Last week on Jim Watson’s facebook page…”

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in news, opinion, politics and westboro
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Weekly News Review: To all the single ladies, OCData, park(ing) and more!

Written
by
Francois
on Monday, January 23, 2012
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Photo courtesy of Shyu13 on Flickr.

You think there are many more single ladies than men in Ottawa? The Citizen’s Glen McGregor debunks the 3 single women for every single man myth and maps it out for all the single people. (Pink: More single women than men; Blue: More single men than women)

OCTranspo doesn’t want to release GPS data of its buses to outside developers because it thinks it can make money if it controls it and sells its own app. However, in the past it had committed to making raw data available to outside developers. A number of councillors support open data and the issue is becoming political. I’m curious to see who will win….it’s now in the Transit Commission’s hands to decide.

Last week, many residents showed their displeasure at the prospect of the Museum of Nature’s proposed parking lot on the west side of the museum. The space would replace what’s currently a park. WestSideAction’s Eric Darwin shares his thoughts on the decision and process.

Is the city breaking up with the EnviroCentre, the independent, non-profit organization aimed at helping residents and business become more energy efficient? The EnviroCentre was housed in City Hall, but it appears that the city has indicated that it must find a new home by the end of March. Perhaps related to the turmoil, the Centre’s Director General, Dana Silk has stepped down from his position.

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ART CHILD ON CARLETON UNIVERISTY CAMPUS

Written
by
Katie
on Saturday, January 21, 2012
.

The Art Child – Bully Bulldozer Fair will be taking place on Sunday, January, 29th, 2012 on Carleton University campus with the collaboration of our biggest supporter, CKCU FM 93.1.
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Carleton University, CKCU FM, and In Da Industry invite kids of all ages to the first Annual Art Child on Carleton University Campus (1125 Colonel by Drive, intersection of Bronson and Sunnyside) on Sunday, January 29, from 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
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The workshops will begin at 12:00 pm and would focused strictly in encouraging creative outlets of expression through painting, poetry, design, music and other art forms. Special musical guests will include The Hornettes, Glebe Streets, The Riot Police, Jay Vado and Kiki Willams from Open Disclosure. The entertainment will continue with a list of powerful guests, such as Hyf The Gypsy Sun, renown local spoken word artist, and our panel of speakers including Maya from the School of Music, Grace Mayele, executive Director/ CEO Within Essence Productions, Mr. Big Stuff from Sound Syndicate and Ian from Compack Music. To conclude these festivities, retail stores Kania Couture, Slaysh, and clothing line Kamakacci Juice, will be presenting a special fashion show for the children. All festivities are FREE.
ABOUT ART CHILD:
Art Child, Ottawa, is an initiative started by In Da Industry in association with Bully Bulldozer Fair and CKCUFM. The ultimate goal has been to embrace and to empower children to do activities that are no longer readily available within the school system. Art Child’s mission is to provide children from all backgrounds with the guidance, support and the opportunities necessary to effectively develop their artistic expression, form positive social relationships and enhance academic performance.

www.ckcufm.com

www.indaindustry.com


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Philosophy Party

Written
by
Katie
on Saturday, January 21, 2012
.

We are having our first party of the New Year! It is being held in the downstairs of the Clock Tower Pub (575 Bank Street) at 8:30 pm, Thursday, Janauary 26th. Come out and enjoy a great evening of fun and discussion. Please feel free to bring a guest or two and especially your unresolved postulates.
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As usual there will be pool tables, music, discussions, and free food (served around 9pm in deference of those with earlier classes).
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Hope to see you all there!

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Politics at the Pub: Research focusing on Canadian Defence Policy and Politics

Written
by
Katie
on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
.

Politics at the Pub, informal get-togethers with guest speakers, organized by the National Capital Branch of the CIC…
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Discuss UNDER THE RADAR ISSUES
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Conversation will be moderated by:
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Paul Wells, Senior Columnist at Maclean’s
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With panelists:
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Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, Retired
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Author of Report on Transformation 2011 for the Canadian Forces
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Dr. Philippe Lagassé, Assistant Professor of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa
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Research focusing on Canadian Defence Policy and Politics
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DATE: Monday, January 23, 2012
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TIME: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
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LOCATION: Bytown Tavern, 292 Elgin Street (in the Yuk Yuk’s basement)
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TICKETS: To be sold at the door ($5 CIC Members; $10 non-Members. INCLUDES A PINT)
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www.opencanada.org
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
@ CIC Ottawa
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___________________________________________________________
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« La politique au pub », une série de rencontres informelles avec des conférenciers invités organisée par le chapitre de la Capitale nationale du CIC…
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Discutez QUESTIONS QUI PASSENT SOUS LE RADAR
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La conversation sera animée par :

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Paul Wells, Chroniqueur principal à Maclean’s
Avec les panélistes :
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Le Lieutenant-géneral Andrew Leslie (à la retraite)
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Auteur du rapport Transformation 2011 des Forces canadiennes

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Le prof. Philippe Lagassé, professeur adjoint d’affaires publiques et internationales à l’Université d’Ottawa
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Recherche axée sur la politique canadienne et la politique de défense nationale du Canada
QUAND: Lundi le 23 janvier 2012
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HEURE: 18 h à 20 h

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ENDROIT: Bytown Tavern, 292, rue Elgin (au sous-sol du Yuk Yuk)

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BILLETS: À l’entrée (5 $- membres du CIC ; 10 $- non membres. COMPREND UNE PINTE DE BIÈRE)
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www.opencanada.org
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Suivez-nous sur Facebook et sur Twitter
.
À CIC Ottawa

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