The Olympic torch relay will continue on through San Francisco today, amidst widespread controversy over the Beijing Olympics. The city of San Francisco is on top security alert, especially after the chaotic protests that ensued in London and Paris last week, due to highly contentious issues of China’s human rights and crackdown on Tibet.

San Francisco is the single torch stop in America, and while many anti-China protesters are expected to surround the Embarcadero and the Golden Gate Bridge, tens of thousands will likely show up to cheer the 80 torchbearers as they relay the flame through a six mile course. You’re welcome to join the spectators and witness the historic Olympic festivities which will take place this afternoon from 12:00pm - 4:00pm.

If you’re planning to attend the event, avoid the hassle of transportation and parking. The Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Stanford (ACSSS) will provide multiple services, which include free round trip shuttle between Stanford campus and San Francisco, free lunch, and free gift souvenirs. You can register here, but do it quickly because space is limited!

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It’s always fascinating when you stumble upon some bizarre, but intriguing form of art. Ljudbilden & Piloten, an artist from Sweden, captures his drawings in a stopmotion video.

Simple drawings are quickly and seamlessly transformed into entertaining and humors animated sequences. Things like this give you ideas and inspiration to explore your own inner-creativity! Search for art near you!

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Balloons and parties go hand-in-hand. But why settle for the traditional decorative bunches of balloons? We discovered one of the coolest balloon companies: Twisted Balloon Company, with the some of the most skillful balloon artists we’ve ever seen.

Everyone watching these guys was stunned by the extraordinary creativity, intricate workmanship, and speed at which the artists cleverly twisted ordinary balloons into whimsical shapes, characters, and figures — were talkin’ Elvis, ice cream sundaes, Disney characters…they’ll take on ANY challenge! No request goes unfulfilled! Keep in mind that this is not like your neighborhood clown that does the funky animal look-alikes. Twisted Balloon Company can create anything you imagine! They personalized one exclusively for Zvents. Although this was a rather simple creation, rest assured that they can do some pretty elaborate stuff! Just check out the photos on Twisted Balloon Company’s Official Website:

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Blue Sky Studios, the creators of the movie Ice Age, have released their newest feature animated film, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, which opens in theaters today.

The movie is based on Dr. Seuss’ very short children’s storybook, which is impressive since the movie is 1 hour and 28 minutes long. A recent Washington Post review described the movie as: “A computer-animated feature that strikes an amiable balance between honoring the text and the dictates of contemporary animation, the film is as good as one could hope for in this era of post-literate impatience.”

Through a bit of magic (and no, not Disney magic…but rather, Blue Sky magic), Horton’s screenwriters, creative directors, and members of the production, art & technical teams created a tremendous amount of new material to develop it into a full feature film.

The movie, Horton Hears a Who!, features the famous voices of comedic actors Jim Carrey (Horton), Steve Carell (Mayor), and Carol Burnett (Kangaroo).

The movie has received rave reviews by movie critics, so go check it out and see for yourself whether it’s as good as it’s cracked up to be!

We welcome your comments!

Flickr Photo Credits: Horton Movie Poster by divxplanet and Steve Carell/Mayor by MyCine

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Monday, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day! Once a year, it’s your chance to be Irish — so, adorn yourself with green from head to toe (and avoid getting pinched…unless you like that sort of thing - yow!)

St. Patty’s Day is all about shamrocks, green beer, leprechauns, and corn beef! There are festivals, like the Guiness St. Patrick’s Day Festival at Riverfront Park, NC where you can experience Irish music, dance, food, artisans, and booth displays.

For additional local festivities and parades, try the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Concert at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, CA, featuring Irish bagpipers, Irish bands, street performers, and floats. There’s also the Harrisburg St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Harrisburg, PA or the Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration in Grand Ledge, MI…just to name a few!

For those wild, late night party-goers, check out the Miller Lite ShamRock St. Patrick’s Day Block Party in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp District where thousands flock to the area to experience live music, hot DJs, great food and green beer with 40,000 sq ft of Astroturf (cool!) in the streets!

If you’re looking for a more sophisticated outing, enjoy the Thistle and Shamrock: California Philharmonic Pays Tribute to Celtic Culture performance on Saturday night to see the Cabar Feidh pipe band and Celtic dancers.

But, if you’re interested in something more low-key, you might want to head over to your nearby local pub for a tall glass of Guinness!

• Gene McCarthy’s Irish Pub in Buffalo, NY
• Kell’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in San Francisco, CA
• O’Shea’s Irish Pub in Charlotte, NC
• O’Donoghue’s Irish Pub in Scottsdale, AZ

And to depart with an Irish blessing:

“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you ever step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.”

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

Flickr Photo Credits: Shamrock by jciv and Leprechaun by OZinOH’s

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