I Remember ~j

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2014

Today's Writing Prompt: Cruel

What's the most offensive thing you've ever heard anyone say?

Any time I hear "If the ____ (enter any non-British nationality here) don't want to follow our traditions they should pack up and move back to ____ (wherever they lived before moving to Canada)" it takes every bit of willpower I have not to offer to help the speaker pack his or her bags.

One of our "traditions" is the Canadian Bill of Rights. Hey, annoying speaker, have you ever read it? Here's just a little piece of it:

Recognition and declaration of rights and freedoms
1. It is hereby recognized and declared that in Canada there have existed and shall continue to exist without discrimination by reason of race, national origin, colour, religion or sex, the following human rights and fundamental freedoms, namely,
(a) the right of the individual to life, liberty, security of the person and enjoyment of property, and the right not to be deprived thereof except by due process of law;
(b) the right of the individual to equality before the law and the protection of the law;
(c) freedom of religion;
(d) freedom of speech;
(e) freedom of assembly and association; and
(f) freedom of the press.
Source: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-12.3/page-1.html#h-1

Aren't these freedoms one of the reasons we are so proud to be Canadians? One more thing to say and then I'll jump down off my soap box.

In the real world, today is Remembrance Day. Today is a day set aside to honour those who serve our country and help others as well in times of need. But there is no law that says we must honour them. We are free to honour them publicly, privately or not at all. That's what it means to be Canadian.

I would like to thank Harold Hedden, Robert Henderson, Thomas Simpson and Marc Modesto. I'm proud of your service to Canada.

I remember.

January 23

Measure Your Feet Day
History tells us that many units of measure were derived from the physical property of a king or some notable. For example the English unit of length, known as “the foot” was derived from the actual length of a king’s foot.
Celebrate Measure Your Feet Day by taking photographs of your family’s feet. For a great focal point photograph, have your family sit on the floor with their legs outstretched with their feet up against or touching a wall. Line up the feet in order from longest to shortest and snap the picture. On the scrapbook page, label each set of feet and record the size in inches. Since you know this day is coming, treat yourself to a pedicure the day before.

National Handwriting Day
The lost art of handwriting is one of the few ways we can uniquely express ourselves. Handwriting adds intimacy to a scrapbook page as you share journaling facts with those who will enjoy your albums for years to come. Some scrapbookers are self-conscious of their handwriting skills. Keep in mind that everyone’s handwriting is unique. Your descendants will cherish the words written in your distinctive style.

National Pie Day

1960: Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy lieutenant Don Walsh descend into the bottom of Challenger Deep (10,916 m/35,810 ft), setting a new undersea record.

1989: Salvador Dalí, Spanish painter, writer, and member of the surrealist movement, dies in Figueras, Spain, at the age of 84.

Édouard Manet, French painter (1832)

John Hancock, patriot and statesman (1737)

Jeanne Moreau, French theater and motion-picture actor (1928)

January 23, 1922 - Medicine - First successful test on a human patient with diabetes occurrs when a 2nd dose of insulin is administered to dangerously ill Leonard Thompson (14). Following the birth of an idea and nine months of experimentation, and through the combined efforts of four men at the University of Toronto; insulin for the treatment of diabetes was first discovered and later purified for human use. Rural Canadian physician Dr. F.G. Banting first conceived the idea of extracting insulin from the pancreas in 1920. He and his assistant C.H. Best prepared pancreatic extracts to prolong the lives of diabetic dogs with advice and laboratory aid from Professor J.J.R. Macleod. The crude insulin extract was purified for human testing by Dr. J.B. Collip. Insulin, now made from cattle pancreases, lifted the death sentence for diabetes sufferers around the world. Toronto, Ontario
Source: http://canadachannel.ca/todayincanadianhistory/index.php/January_23