Month: April 2018

John’s Believe It Or Not… April 30th

It’s Monday! Did You Know…

* 1658 – Marguerite Bourgeoys opens Ville Marie’s first school for French and native children

Marguerite Bourgeoys was born in Troyes, then in the ancient Province of Champagne in the Kingdom of France, on 17 April 1620. The daughter of Abraham Bourgeoys and Guillemette Garnier, she was the sixth of their twelve children. Marguerite came from a middle-class and socially connected background, her father being a candle maker and coiner at the royal mint in the town. Her father died when she was very young, and her mother followed when Marguerite was 19. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… April 30th”

John’s Believe It Or Not… April 26th

* 1887 – Charles Ora Card and a small group of Mormons found Cardston in Alberta. * 1986 Nuclear explosion at Chernobyl * 1913 Girl murdered in pencil factory * 1986 Maria Shriver marries Arnold Schwarzenegger * 1977 Studio 54 opens

It’s Thursday! Did You Know…

* 1887 – Charles Ora Card and a small group of Mormons found Cardston in Alberta.

The town of Cardston was the first of what would become several Mormon settlements in Southern Alberta, Canada. Its colonizer, Charles O. Card, came seeking refuge from prosecution in the U.S. due to his practice of plural marriage. On President John Taylor’s advice, he went first to British Columbia in search of friendlier territory. There, he found nothing available that was to his liking. Hearing from a mountaineer of the “buffalo plains” of Alberta, he reportedly said to his traveling companions, “If the buffalo can live there, we can. Let us go and see it.” Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… April 26th”

Good People Doing Good Things — More Than Me

This week, in her series “Good People Doing Good Things”, Jill Dennison gifts us with the inspirational story of Katie Meyler who founded the organization “More Than Me” in Liberia, Africa. It is a story of courage and tenacity where Katie turned a 6-month volunteer tour into a lifetime of struggle and achievement. Please share.

jilldennison's avatarFilosofa's Word

They say that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.  Today, I bring to you the story of a good person, Katie Meyler, and that first step she made back in 2006 when she left behind an unhappy childhood in New Jersey, joined an international relief organization, and headed to West Africa.  When she first arrived in Liberia, she set out to teach adult literacy classes, and she intended to stay for only six months. Fate had other plans.  One day, Katie met an 11-year-old girl named Abigail.  Abigail, as it turned out, was selling herself on the streets of West Point, Liberia,  in order to get clean drinking water for herself and her family.  Can you imagine?  Abigail told Katie that all she really wanted was to go to school.  More than 40% of girls in Liberia had never been to school, and many were…

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John’s Believe It Or Not… April 25th

* 1849 – Lord Elgin signs Rebellion Losses Bill – Tory mobs set fire to the Legislature. * 1983 Andropov writes to U.S. student * 1989 James Richardson is exonerated after 21 years * 1995 Ginger Rogers dies * 1947 Truman inaugurates White House bowling alley

It’s Hump Day Wednesday! Did You Know…

* 1849 – Lord Elgin signs Rebellion Losses Bill – Tory mobs set fire to the Legislature.

Rebellion Losses Bill, modeled on Upper Canadian legislation, was introduced by Louis LaFontaine in Feb 1849 to compensate Lower Canadians whose property had been damaged during the Rebellions of 1837-38 (totaling approximately £100,000). It was similar to legislation for Upper Canada and was based upon a claims report approved in principle in 1846. LaFontaine saw the bill as a symbolic means to heal the wounds of the rebellion and buttress French Canadian claims to equality and power in the Canadas by testing the strength of responsible government. Consequently, the growing influence of Louis-Joseph Papineau could be stemmed. The Tories saw the bill as a sign of French domination of the union (the union of Upper Canada & Lower Canada into The Province of Canada) and their own loss of power; they criticized it as payment for disloyalty. (In fact, because it was difficult in any given instance to determine which side in the conflict had caused the damage, some rebels, as well as those who remained loyal to the government, were compensated for losses; only those convicted or exiled were excluded.) Over heated Tory opposition, the legislation was passed by a majority of Reformers in both sections; the Tories then demanded that Gov Gen Lord Elgin refuse assent. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… April 25th”

John’s Believe It Or Not… April 24th

* 1928 – Famous Five to take “Persons Case” to British Privy Council after Supreme Court of Canada Ruling. * 1916 Easter Rebellion begins in Ireland. * 1955 The Bandung Conference concludes * 1980 Hostage rescue mission ends in disaster * 1945 Truman is briefed on Manhattan Project

It’s Tuesday! Did You Know…

* 1928 – Famous FIve to take “Persons Case” to British Privy Council after Supreme Court of Canada Ruling.

The Persons Case (officially Edwards v. A.G. of Canada) was a constitutional ruling that established the right of women to be appointed to the Senate. The case was initiated by the Famous Five, a group of prominent women activists. In 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not “persons” according to the British North America Act and therefore were ineligible for appointment to the Senate. However, the women appealed to the Privy Council of England, which in 1929 reversed the Court’s decision. The Persons Case opened the Senate to women, enabling them to work for change in both the House of Commons and the Upper House. Moreover, the legal recognition of women as “persons” meant that women could no longer be denied rights based on a narrow interpretation of the law. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… April 24th”

Push … and Push-Back

Lest we forget… Jill Dennison gifts us with an update on the NRA ‘Push Back’ and a list of 14 shooting since Parkland On February 14th. Please share.

jilldennison's avatarFilosofa's Word

We have all been so encouraged by the young people, led by the survivors of the Parkland, Florida, mass school shooting, and we should be encouraged, we should be proud of these young people.  They are the first generation, with the possible exception of the Vietnam generation, to take a firm stand, to make their voices heard, to say, “ENOUGH!!!”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch … er, the National Rifle Association, commonly known as the NRA, guess what?  Donations to the NRA have more than tripled since February!  In February, the group reported donations of $779,063, and in March, $2.4 million.  That is more than they have raised in any month since at least the year 2000.

bubba with gunWhy, you ask?  It’s what I call the push/push-back.  The students are the ‘push’, the momentum that is having a real impact, their voices have already led to new controls on gun…

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John’s Believe It Or Not… April 23rd

* 1827 – Settlement – John Galt starts settling the town of Guelph. * 1564 William Shakespeare born * 1014 King Brian of Ireland murdered by Vikings * 1969 Sirhan Sirhan receives death penalty * 1961 Judy Garland plays Carnegie Hall

It’s Monday! Did You Know…

* 1827 – Settlement – John Galt starts settling the town of Guelph.

Archaeological evidence shows that First Nations peoples used the site of present-day Guelph as early as 11,000 to 10,300 years ago. Later, the Chonnonton or Neutral, peoples inhabited a large part of southern Ontario, including what is now Guelph. Archaeological evidence also suggests that although the Chonnonton had expanded into the area of present-day London in the 1300s, by the 1400s their settlements were concentrated mostly east of the Grand River, mostly within a 32 km radius of present-day Hamilton, Ontario. European intrusion and diseases exacerbated intertribal warfare. Between 1647 and 1651, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) dispersed the Chonnonton. After 1690 the Mississauga (see Ojibwa) entered the area from north of Georgian Bay, settling along major tributaries of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. In 1784, the British, facing an influx of settlers in the wake of the American Revolution, negotiated with the Mississaugas to purchase a huge tract of land, including the location of present-day Guelph, for approximately £1,180. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… April 23rd”

Happy Earth Day 2018!!!

Today is Earth Day and blogger Jill Dennison gifts us with the historical background of the day and the reasons it is critically important that this day and every day of the year be days of awareness and action. Please share.

jilldennison's avatarFilosofa's Word

Today is Earth Day … the 48th anniversary of Earth Day, to be exact.  I am always surprised by people who say, “Yeah, so???” Or those who say “What the heck is Earth Day?”  So, please bear with me while I explain very briefly.

History – In The Beginning

The concept for Earth Day was conceived in the mind of then-Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Senator Nelson recruited help from Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey and others, and on April 22,1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the…

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John’s Believe It Or Not… April 20th

* 1968 – Pierre Trudeau sworn in at Rideau Hall as Canada’s 15th Prime Minister. * 1999 A massacre at Columbine High School * 1871 Ku Klux Act passed by Congress * 1926 New sound process for films announced * 1914 Militia slaughters strikers at Ludlow in Colorado

It’s Friday! TGIF! Did You Know…

* 1968 – Pierre Trudeau sworn in at Rideau Hall as Canada’s 15th Prime Minister.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau, PC, CC, prime minister of Canada 1968–79 and 1980–84, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer (born 18 October 1919 in Montréal, QC; died 28 September 2000 in Montréal). A charismatic and controversial figure, Trudeau was arguably Canada’s best-known politician, both at home and abroad. He was instrumental in negotiating Canada’s constitutional independence from the British Parliament and establishing a new Canadian Constitution with an entrenched Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Trudeau also brought in the Official Languages Act in 1969, making Canada officially bilingual. While he played an important role in defeating the Québec sovereignist movement of the 1970s and 1980s, his federalist stance, as well as his language and economic policies, alienated many in Canada, particularly in the western provinces. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… April 20th”

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