Month: May 2018

Max Boot: President Trump Has Been Working To Normalize Racism

Gronda Morin paints a chilling picture of the growing reality and threat of racism in the Republican Party and in the nation at large – courtesy of the Enabler-in-Chief in the White House. Please share.

Gronda Morin

As a former republican until 2016, I have become painfully aware that there is a racist living in the white House but President Donald Trump could never have been elected without the help and support of the current republican party which created the environment to guarantee his success.

In 2013, I had started to become painfully aware of a strain of racism that had permeated the republican party to where I finally left it in 2016. It started with the Trayvon Martin case. Too many in my former party (2012-2013) were propping up as a hero the likes of a bum, George Zimmerman. Then there was the demonizing of Trayvon Martin as a pot smoking thug when he was just a kid walking home from a store. When George Zimmerman was declared “not guilty” by a Florida jury, a Pew poll indicated that the vast majority White older republicans favored…

View original post 1,204 more words

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 28th

* 1934 – Birth of Dionne Quintuplets * 1937 Volkswagen is founded * 1987 Matthias Rust lands his plane in Red Square * 1983 Irene Cara has a #1 pop hit with the Flashdance theme * 2014 Author Maya Angelou dies

It’s Monday! Did You Know…

* 1934 – Birth of Dionne Quintuplets: Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie and Yvonne.

Annette, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile and Marie aroused worldwide attention after their birth at Corbeil, Ontario, to Oliva and Elzire Dionne on 28 May 1934. With only two previous cases on record, they were the only quintuplets to survive for more than a few days. This miracle, plus their baby cuteness, the poverty of their French Canadian parents, and the controversy over their guardianship, made them the sensation of the 1930s. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 28th”

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 25th

* 2000 – Remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier – who died at Vimy Ridge – are brought back to Canada and buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beside the National War Memorial. * 1977 Star Wars opens * 1977 Chinese government removes ban on Shakespeare * 1895 Oscar Wilde is sent to prison for indecency * 1927 International best-selling thriller writer Robert Ludlum is born

It’s Friday! TGIF! Did You Know…

* 2000 – Remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier – who died at Vimy Ridge – are brought back to Canada and buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beside the National War Memorial.

Canada repatriated the remains of an Unknown Soldier from France in May 2000 and laid them to rest at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The idea originated as a millennium project of the Royal Canadian Legion and was coordinated through the government by Veterans Affairs Canada. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 25th”

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 24th

* 1918 – Borden government passes Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women – women over 21 to vote federally. * 1964 Riot erupts at soccer match * 1543 Copernicus dies * 1974 Duke Ellington dies * 1941 The Bismarck sinks the Hood

It’s Thursday! Did You Know…

* 1918 – Borden government passes Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women – women over 21 to vote federally.

In 1867, the definition of the franchise was left to the provinces. This meant that eligibility to vote in a federal election could vary from one province to the other. All provinces, however, restricted the franchise to male British subjects who were at least 21 years old who had a property qualification. For the first 50 years after Confederation, the Liberal and Conservative parties manipulated the federal franchise in a blatantly partisan fashion. At various times up to 1920, the federal franchise was based either on the electoral lists drawn up by the provinces for provincial elections or on a federal list compiled by enumerators appointed by the governing party in Ottawa. Because until 1885 the vote was based on provincial law, elections were staggered, meaning they could be held on different days in different places. Voters in one constituency might already know which party was likely to form government. Given the importance of patronage in this era of Canadian politics, this created a powerful incentive to vote for the governing party. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 24th”

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 23rd

* 1914 – The Komagata Maru Arrives in Vancouver with 396 Sikhs on board. * 1934 Police kill famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde * 1960 Tsunami hits Hawaii * 1701 Captain Kidd walks the plank * 2015 Ireland legalizes same-sex marriage

It’s Hump Day Wednesday! Did You Know…

* 1914 – The Komagata Maru Arrives in Vancouver with 396 Sikhs on board.

For many Canadians, the name Komagata Maru means little. But what happened on that crowded ship in 1914 has become, for many scholars, emblematic of an entire period of Canadian history characterized by xenophobia, racism, and exclusionary immigration policies. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 23rd”

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 22nd

* 1987 – Rick Hansen ends Man in Motion tour after 40000 km through 34 countries. * 1843 Great Emigration departs for Oregon * 2017 Manchester Arena bombed during Ariana Grande concert * 2004 Controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 wins Palme d’Or * 1958 Jerry Lee Lewis drops a bombshell in London

It’s Tuesday! Did You Know…

* 1987 – Rick Hansen ends Man in Motion tour after 40000 km through 34 countries.

Born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Rick Hansen grew up in Williams Lake, British Columbia. As a young athlete, he had won all-star awards in five sports. He was paralyzed at the age of 15 from being in the back of a truck with his friend when suddenly the pickup truck swerved and hit a tree. He left the bed of the truck from the impact and received a spinal cord injury. He worked on rehabilitation, completed high school, then became the first student with a physical disability to graduate in physical education from the University of British Columbia. Hansen won national championships in wheelchair volleyball and wheelchair basketball teams. He went on to become a world-class champion wheelchair marathoner and Paralympic athlete. He competed in wheelchair racing at both the 1980 and 1984 Summer Paralympics, winning a total of three gold, two silver, and one bronze medal. Hansen won 19 international wheelchair marathons, including three world championships. He also coached high school basketball and volleyball. Rick had a very close relationship with his family, especially with his father and grandfather, with whom he enjoyed frequent fishing trips. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 22nd”

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 21st

* 1784 – Governor Haldimand settles Loyalist refugees at Cataraqui –  now Kingston – and the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario.  * 1927 Lindbergh lands in Paris * 1932 Earhart completes transatlantic flight * 1999 Soap star Susan Lucci wins first Emmy after 19 nominations * 1955 Chuck Berry records “Maybellene”

It’s Monday! Did You Know…

* 1784 – Governor Haldimand settles Loyalist refugees at Cataraqui –  now Kingston – and the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. 

In the year 1784, military and loyalist claimants began to settle on land located on the newly-surveyed townships along the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. Most Canadian historians agree that this early settlement was the largest loyalist enclave in Upper Canada. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 21st”

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 18th

* 1783 – First of 7000 United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown – (Saint John) NB. * 1926 Popular evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears * 1980 Mount St. Helens erupts * 1974 India joins the nuclear club * 2001 Shrek released

It’s Friday! TGIF! Did You Know…

* 1783 – First of 7000 United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown – (Saint John) NB.

On this day in 1783, the first United Empire Loyalists, known to American Patriots as Tories, arrive in Canada to take refuge under the British crown in Parrtown, Saint John, Nova Scotia (now New Brunswick), Canada. The town was located on the Bay of Fundy just north of the border with what is now the state of Maine. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 18th”

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 17th

* 1919 – Citizens’ Committee of One Thousand organized to counteract Winnipeg General Strike. * 1954 Brown v. Board of Ed is decided * 1970 Heyerdahl sails papyrus boat * 1965 The FBI Laboratory weighs in on the “dirty” lyrics of “Louie Louie” * 2012 Donna Summer – queen of disco – dies

It’s Thursday! Did You Know…

* 1919 – Citizens’ Committee of One Thousand organized to counteract Winnipeg General Strike.

The Winnipeg General Strike, 15 May-25 June 1919, is Canada’s best-known general strike. Massive unemployment and inflation, the success of the Russian Revolution in 1917, and rising Revolutionary Industrial Unionism all contributed to the postwar labor unrest that fuelled the landmark strike. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 17th”

John’s Believe It Or Not… May 16th

* 1806 – Philemon Wright starts his first timber raft down the Ottawa River. * 1944 – First of Over 180 Thousand Hungarian Jews reach Auschwitz * 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising ends * 2014 Pioneering TV journalist Barbara Walters signs off * 1964 Mary Wells gives Motown Records its first #1 hit with “My Guy”

It’s Hump Day Wednesday! Did You Know…

* 1806 – Philemon Wright starts his first timber raft down the Ottawa River.

Quebec and Canada’s forest industry began as a solution to the supply problems that started to plague Great Britain in 1802. Because of the hostilities that pitted France against England, British shipbuilding yards were short of wood to repair the ships of the British fleet. And since Britain’s power was directly related to its dominion of the seas, the British navy turned to Canada for a solution. In 1804, to encourage imports of Canadian timber, Great Britain introduced its first tariff on wood imported from the Scandinavian countries, from Prussia, and from Russia. This was the beginning of Colonial Preference. Three objectives were sought by the adoption of this tax, namely the increase of the price of wood imported from the countries located on the Baltic Sea; a change in the trading practices of the British merchants; and the making of Canadian timber more competitive on the British market. This first tariff gave birth to Canada’s forest economy. The Continental blockade ordered by Napoleon in 1807 prohibited European countries from trading with Great Britain. The result was an accelerated growth of the timber trade, fostered by the introduction of new tariffs, and Canadian timber flooded the British market. In 1812, when the blockade fell, the Canadian timber trade was firmly established. Britain’s protectionist tariff policies remained in effect until the early 1840s, which contributed to the continued growth of the lumber trade, in Canada, in Quebec, and in the Outaouais. Continue reading “John’s Believe It Or Not… May 16th”

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started