International Women’s day

1. Background
International Women’s Day (IWD), also called International Working Women’s Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year.
On March 8, 1908, thousands of female garment workers went on strike in New York City. They wanted better working conditions and the right to vote. Since then, March 8 has become International Women’s Day.

2. Important events in fighting for women rights in Canadian history

• 1916: Manitoba was the first province to give women the right to vote.
• 1918: Women across Canada won the right to vote in federal elections.
• 1921: Agnes McPhail was elected to the House of Commons. She was the first female Member of Parliament.
• 1929: Women could be appointed to the Senate.
• 1940: Quebec was the last province to let women vote in provincial elections.
• 1984: Jeanne Sauvé was Canada’s first female Governor General.
• 1993: Kim Campbell was the first woman to become Prime Minister.
• 2015: 77 female MP’s in Canada
• Today, every Canadian citizen who is 18 or older has the right to vote.’

3. Nellie McClung
Nellie McClung (1873 –1951) is one of the most famous women in Canadian history. She was a feminist, politician, writer and social activist. In 1927, McClung and four other women: Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby, who together came to be known as “The Famous Five” (also called “The Valiant Five”).
NeNellie McClung was born in 1873 and raised on a small farm in Manitoba. At this time, women had few rights. She didn’t attend school until she was 10. She received a teaching certification when she was 16. She taught school until she married in 1896. Later she became a successful writer and public speaker. She was a reformer who campaigned for women and children’s right. In 1911 she and her family moved to Winnipeg. From 1911–15, Nellie McClung fought for women’s suffrage and helped women in Manitoba get the right to vote in 1916.
Nellie McClung died in Victoria, B.C., in 1951.

 

 

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 Never explain. Your friends don’t need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. – Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) U.S. writer

 Never retract, never explain, never apologize. Get the thing done and let them howl. – Nellie McClung (1873-1951) Canadian social reformer

Reference:
1. International Women’s Day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women%27s_Day
2. Nellie McClung: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_McClung
3. Women had to fight for rights: http://www.ontarioreader.ca/

Christmas Traditions

Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. The name ‘Christmas’ comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The ‘Christ-Mass’ service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight. We get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.

1. The history of Christmas trees?
The evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals (pagan and Christian) for thousands of years. Pagans used branches of it to decorate their homes during the winter solstice and it made them think of the spring to come. The Romans used Fir Trees to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia. Christians use it as a sign of everlasting life with God. Fir trees, cherry or hawthorn plants were used for Christmas Trees.
If you couldn’t afford a real plant, people made pyramids of woods and they were decorated to look like a tree with paper, apples and candles.

2.  Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?
The tradition of kissing underneath mistletoe is from a Scandinavian myth. Jealous of Baldur the Beautiful, the god of light and spring, Loki, god of mischief, used a dart poisoned with mistletoe to kill the Baldur. Distraught by the death of her son, Frigga, the goddess of love, decreed that mistletoe would never again be used as weapon and that she would place a kiss on anyone who passed under it. In the 19^th century the British started hanging mistletoe at Christmas. They believed the plant would make people more fertile and bring good luck, and warring clans would lay down their weapons if they met underneath a sprig of mistletoe. People began harvesting and buying mistletoe to use as decorations, and considered a kiss under the mistletoe to represent a promise to be married. Now the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is one widely acknowledged during the Christmas season and seems firmly rooted in holiday customs.

3. What is the origin of the Cracker?
The Christmas cracker was invented in 1847 by London confectioner, Tom Smith. Inspired by the noise of a crackling fire, Smith came up with a chemical formula that, when added to a strip of paper and then pulled, produced a miniature explosive snap. He soon discarded the candies from his invention and filled them with mottos, paper hats and prized. The cracker soon became an indispensable part of Christmas dinners around the world.

4.Why do we sing carols at Christmas?
Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations. The word “carol” reflects uninhibited expression, deriving from the French word “Caroler,” which means “dancing around in a circle”. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around the 22nd December.

In the 13^th century, Francis of Assisi, (who became the patron saint of animals and the environment after his death), wanted ordinary people to joyfully celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, so he added religious lyrics to popular tunes of the time. These energetic tunes were in sharp contrast to the solemn hymns sung by the priests at Christmas services.

5.What’s a Yule Log?
The custom of burning the Yule Log goes back to, and before, medieval times. Europeans would gather for a Yule festival to welcome the winter solstice at the end of December. They would burn large logs decorated with holly, pine cones or ivy and anointed with wine and salt, to cleanse the air of the previous year’s events. With the advent of Christianity, the Yule log tradition continued at Christmas, but due to small hearths, some Christians started baking Yule log cakes instead of burning actual logs.

6.Why do we hand stockings?
Medieval legend says that St. Nicholas saved three daughters of a poor man from lives of
shame by dropping bags of gold into their stockings. From this come the tradition of setting out a stocking for Santa Claus to fill with presents and treats. Given Santa’s usual means of entry-the chimney-the fireplace seemed the logical place for children to hand their stockings.

7.Why is the candy cane a symbol of Christmas?
Legend has it that in the 1670s, the choirmaster of a cathedral in Cologne, Germany distributed candies shaped like a shepherd’s staff
to children during the Christmas season. The idea was that the kids would make less noise if they were eating the large sweets. Their shape also enabled the candies to be hung from Christmas trees.

8.Why do we decorate with holly at Christmas?
During the holiday season, holly adorns houses all over the world. With its vibrant red berries and its deep green leaves, holly is a popular ornament for those looking to enliven their homes with a little Christmas spirit. But since medieval times, the blood red colour of its berries and the prickles of its leaves have reminded Christians of the birth (and death) of Jesus, as alluded to in the famous English Christmas carol “The Holly and the Ivy.”

9.Why do we give gifts at Christmas?
The custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas is to remind us of the presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh given to Jesus by the Magi, or wise men. Confined to the upper classes and the monarchy for years, by the 13th century Christmas gift-giving was extended to children, who often believed St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, brought them presents. Today, we all give gifts at Christmas for our own reasons. For some, it is a way to celebrate the Christian holy day. For others, it is a special time to let family and friends know that you care by giving gifts.

• Frankincense was a perfume used in Jewish worship and, as a gift, it showed that people would worship Jesus.
• Gold was associated with Kings and Christians believe that Jesus is the King of Kings.
• Myrrh was a perfume that was put on dead bodies to make them smell nice and, as a gift, it showed that Jesus would suffer and die.

10.Why do we send Christmas cards?
In 1843, Englishman Sir Henry Cole decided he was too busy to write individual Christmas greetings to his family, friends and colleagues. So he asked his friend, the painter John Callcott Horsley, to design a card with a Christmas image and brief greeting. A thousand of Horsley’s cards were printed and sold and soon after, mass-printed cards replaced handwritten Christmas greetings in most of Europe and the U.S.

11.What do poinsettias have to do with Christmas?
You can find a poinsettia’s scarlet, star-shaped leaves everywhe­re you turn during the holidays. Poinsettias are one of the most popular Christmas decorations around.
Mexican legend tells of a poor little girl who did not have a gift to leave at the altar for the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child on Christmas Eve. An angel appeared to her and suggested she bring the weeds at the side of the road. When she brought them into the church, they blossomed into the beautiful red plants we know as poinsettias (named for the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett), or Flores de Noche Buena in Mexico (Spanish for “flowers of the holy night”).

Reference:
1.Christmas traditions unwrapped
http://www.thestar.com/life/2013/12/24/christmas_traditions_unwrapped.html
2.Christmas traditions: Why do we kiss under mistletoe?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/christmas-traditions-why-do-we-kiss-under-mistletoe-1.2863145
3. Why Do We Give Gifts at Christmas?
http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/why-do-we-give-gifts-at-christmas
4. What does the poinsettia have to do with Christmas?
http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/christmas-poinsettia.htm

Sounds of the Season

CBC’s Sounds of the Season is an annual event which is a special day in support of GTA (Great Toronto Area) food banks. This year it kicks off officially on Friday, December 5.

A live, full day of radio show from the Glenn Gould studio, starts at 5:00 am and ends at 6:30 pm. There is also a silent auction, book signings and CBC personalities greets all day in the atrium. You will meet celebrities and enjoy the live music.

Admissions is free, and location is at 250 Front St. West, Toronto. Bring a donation of food or money, help those in need.

 

 

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 Courage is very important, like a muscle, it is strengthened by use. – Ruth Gordon (1896-1985) U.S. actress

 That is the great fallacy; the wisdom of old men. They don’t grow wise, they grow careful. – Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) U.S. author

Halloween

The Origins of Halloween come from several different cultures. The early Celtic people of Great Britain and Northern France, the Romans, and the early Christians all had festivals that influenced the celebration of Halloween as we know it today. Halloween is a yearly celebration on 31 October.

The Roman and Christian Origins of Halloween When the Romans invaded Britain, they brought many of their customs and festivals with them. One of these festivals, Pomona Day, took place around the end of October and honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona was the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern custom of bobbing for apples. After hundreds of years, the festivals of the Celts and the Romans combined to form one major fall holiday. With the spread of Christianity came new festivals. In the year 835, the Roman Catholic Church made a holiday on November 1st to honor all the saints. This day was called All Saints’ Day or All Hallows. Many years later, the church made November 2nd All Souls’ Day to honor the dead. People celebrated by making fires and dressing up as saints, devils, and angels. After many years, the traditions of these holidays and the holidays of the Celtic people combined and became known as Hallowed Evening, which was celebrated on October 31st, eventually, the name was shortened to Halloween.

The Celtic Origins of Halloween Two thousand years ago in northern Europe,the Celtic people worshipped nature and had many gods. The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. This festival marked the end of their season of light and the beginning of the season of cold and darkness. On October 31st, their New Year’s Eve, they gathered together to honour one of their gods, Samhain, Samhain was the god of the dead. Samhain means “summer’s end” in Old Irish. The Celts believed that the spirits of dead people came to life and wandered around outside at this time of year. The Celtic people didn’t want to be hurt by the spirits, so they addressed in costumes to disguise themselves if they had to go outside. They also put candles in their windows to help the spirits find their way and they left offerings of food outside their homes so the spirits would treat them kindly. This might explain our modern custom of giving treats on Halloween.

The Traditions of Halloween
Carving Jack-O’-Lanterns: One of Halloween’s most popular symbols is the Jack O’ Lantern. The custom of carving jack-o’-lanterns comes from an old Irish folktale about a man named Jack. According to the story, Jack always liked to play tricks on people, and one time he played a trick on the Devil. When Jack died, he couldn’t go to Heaven because he had done many bad things in his life. He couldn’t go to Hell either because he had played a trick on the Devil. Since then, Jack has been wondering around the earth looking for a final resting place. He carries a lantern to light his way in the darkness. Jack made his lantern by putting a burning piece of coal inside a pumpkin. The colors of Halloween, orange and black, represent the colors of pumpkins and the darkness of the night. The Irish began to call his ghostly figure “Jack of the Lantern”, which became shortened over time to “Jack O’ Lantern”.

Trick-or-treating : Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, “Trick or treat?” The word “trick” refers to “threat” to perform mischief on the home of owners or their property if no treat is given.

Costumes: Halloween costumes originated from the Celts. They gathered around the bonfire and dressed up in elaborate animal skins and heads to disguise them as spirits because they believed that the evil spirits would be scared off by the fires.

Colcannon: The word colcannon is from the Gaelic cal ceannan, which literally means “white-headed cabbage.” Colcannon is a traditional Irish potato dish on Halloween. It is a simple dish made with boiled potatoes, curly kale (a type of cabbage) and raw onions. Traditionally coins were wrapped in pieces of cleans paper and slipped into children’s colcannon for them to find.  A coin meant you would in for a prosperous year. Sometimes people also hid ring. If you found ring, you would in for some romance. Others filled their socks with colcannon and hung them from the handle of the front door. The first man through the door would become their future husband.

The barnbrack: The barnbrack comes from the Irish Gaelic ‘bairín breac’ which literally means ‘speckled loaf’. The barnbrack is a traditional Irish Halloween cake.  It is sweet bread with fruit as well as some other treats. In traditional Ireland, each member of the family would get a slice of the delicious cake. When you chewed the treat, you had to be careful. There were several charms hidden inside wrapped in baking paper which signified the finder’s future. Ring meant you would married someone this year. Thimble meant you remained a spinster for the coming year. A coin meant you would come into wealth.

Apples bobbling: The symbol of Pomona was the apple. Apple bobbing is said to have something to do with the worship of Pomona, the ancient Roman goddess of fruits, trees, and gardens in whose honour an annual festival was supposedly held every November first.

 

 

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 The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. – H. P. Lovecraft (1890 –1937) U.S. author

 Where there is no imagination there is no horror. – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 –1930) Scottish physician and writer

References:
1. Pomona: http://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomona
2. Remember Your Ancestors On Samhain Night:
http://writingasilverbroomstick.wordpress.com/category/halloweensamhainallhollows-eve/
3. Why Do We Bob for Apples on Halloween?
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/halloween/a/Bobbing-For-Apples-On-Halloween.htm
4. Halloween: http://www.esllibrary.com
5. Halloween: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

Woodbine Racetrack – Toronto

Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian race track for thoroughbred and standardbred racing. It is the only horse racing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging. The track was opened in 1956. It has very beautiful view in winter time.

It is located at 555 Rexdale Blvd, Etobicoke, Toronto, ON, Canada. The more detail is here.

 

 

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 The real leader has no need to lead, he is content to point the way. – Henry Miller (1891-1980) U.S. author

 The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. – Ken Blanchard (1939-) U.S. management consultant

Zombie Walk – Toronto

The Zombie Walk has grown over the past decade. It is a gathering of people dressed as zombies costumes. Zombie walks are popular in large cities, especially in North America. Some have been established as annual traditions.

An early Zombies event was held at the Gen Con gaming convention in Milwaukee, USA in August 2000. The first Zombie Walk in Canada was in October 2003 in Toronto.

The Zombies coming to eat your brain this year in Toronto on Oct 25 …

 

More detail for Toronto Zombie Walk

 

 

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 Success is often archived by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.  – Coco Chanel (1882-1971) French fashion designer

 Failure is an important. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself. – Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) English actor, director, producer and composer

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. It is a day for all of us to show our gratitude. Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada.

Symbols of Thanksgiving Day
Turkey: The celebration of Thanksgiving will be incomplete without the legendary Turkey. A turkey is a large North American bird. When the settlers held their first Thanksgiving dinner, they invited the Natives who had taught them how to survive the long and cold winter. The Natives brought deer meat to roast for the meal, as well as fresh wild turkeys. Turkey has been the main course at Thanksgiving dinners since that first celebration. However, the turkeys we eat today are usually farm-raised and are no longer wild.

Pumpkins and squash: Pumpkins and other kinds of squash didn’t grow in the Old World, so the early European settlers had never seen them before they came to America. When the settlers first arrived, they tried to grow the plants they were familiar with, but they didn’t succeed. The Native Americans introduced the new settlers to the big new vegetables and showed them how to grow them. The Europeans were very grateful when they had their first successful harvest of pumpkins and squash, and they held a big feast to celebrate. These vegetables have been a Thanksgiving tradition ever since. Squash is usually served with the main course and pumpkin pie remains a favorite for dessert at almost every Thanksgiving table. Pumpkin leaves were also used as salads. According to historians, the pumpkin is one of the important symbols of the harvest festival.

Cornucopia:  One of the most common symbols of Thanksgiving is the cornucopia, which also called the horn of plenty. The cornucopia is a symbol of the productivity of nature. This symbol originated in ancient Greece. The traditional cornucopia was a curved goat’s horn filled to brim with fruits and grains.

Corn: One of the most popular symbols of Thanksgiving is the Corn. Some Americans considered blue and white corn to be sacred. The Native Americans taught pilgrims how to grow corn and help them survive the bitter winter. The Corn eventually became a part of the first thanksgiving dinner. Ornamental Corncobs are a favourite with the masses during the festival. The dining tables are decorated with harvest wreaths which is also a very popular gift item among Americans. Ornamental popcorns are also widely used. Corn reminds us of the importance and heritage of the famous harvest festival.

Beans: Beans are a special symbol of thanksgiving. Native Americans are believed to have taught the pilgrims to grow  beans next to cornstalks. So that beans could grow and use cornstalks as their pole. Thus American Beans are also known as ‘Pole Beans’. Famously known as one of the ‘Three sisters’, beans are a part of thanksgiving feast.

Cranberry: Cranberry sauce is traditionally eaten with turkey at the Thanksgiving meal. Cranberry sauce or cranberry jelly was on the first thanksgiving table hundreds of years ago and is still served today. A cranberry is a small, sour, red berry that grows in soft, wet ground called bogs. The Native Americans used cranberries as medicine to treat infections. They also used the red juice of the cranberries to dye their rugs and blankets. When the early European settlers came to America, the Natives taught them how to cook the berries with water and sweet sap from the tress to make a sauce. The settlers thought that the flower of the cranberry looked like a long-necked bird called a crane, and so they began to call the berry “crane-berry.” Cranberries are still grown in North America today and they remain a traditional part of Thanksgiving dinners.

 

 

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References:

1.Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
2.Thanksgiving: http://www.esllibrary.com
3.Thanksgiving Day: http://www.theholidayspot.com/

Cheltenham Badlands

Badlands is an area of soft rock devoid of vegetation and soil cover that has become molded into a rolling landscape of rounded hills and gullies.

Cheltenham Badlands is a unique sight to see in Ontario. It is fabulous for family trip, especially in the fall.

Cheltenham is small but cool to see, totally free and you just need be careful when you park,

There are trails that line the edge of the badlands that you can walk around in to explore the area.

Location:

1501-1901 Olde Base Line Rd

Caledon, ON, Canada L7C 0J2

 

 

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 There are two types of education. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live. – John Adams (1735-1826) U.S. Politician.

 The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives. – Robert Maynard Hutchins (1899-1977) U.S. Lawyer and Educator.

Nuit Blanche – Toronto

Nuit Blanche is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival. The Nuit Blanche concept came from Jean Blaise, who founded the Centre de recherche pour le développement culturel (Research Center for Cultural Development) in Nantes, France, in 1984. More detail is here.

A free all-night contemporary art event in Toronto 2014
Experience Toronto transformed by contemporary art projects created by hundreds of artists.

Time: October 4, 2014 • 6:53 pm to sunrise
Where: various venues throughout down town
Telephone: 416 338 338

Website: http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/

 

 

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 The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule our priorities. – Stephen Covey (1932-2012) US. Self-help author

 Time is the scarcest resource unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.- Peter Drucker (1909-2005) an Austrian-born American management consultant