Fun (Canadian) Thanksgiving Day Facts

You guys, I'm really sorry to have to say this, but in my last post I lied to you!

I credited Americans with hosting the first "official" Thanksgiving at Plymouth in the early 1600's (1621, according to Wikipedia), when in fact, Martin Frobisher celebratory "three cheers for not dying while looking for the Northwest Passage" Thanksgiving was held in present-day Newfoundland in 1578. That's a 43 year difference in "first" Thanksgivings.

As an apology, here are some Thanksgiving-themed fun facts that you may or may not have already known!

1. Thanksgiving in Canada is always celebrated on the second Monday in October. 
2. Thanksgiving isn't a statutory in the eastern provinces (Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, and New Brunswick). 
3. According to the Turkey Farmers of Canada, 3 million turkeys were purchased by Canadians for Thanksgiving weekend in 2011. 
4. Apparently the Etruscans began the tradition of breaking the wishbone in 322 BC, and carried it throughout Europe as they went along conquering. The tradition struck and was passed along to other Europeans, who then brought it over to North America when they conquered the New World. 
5. During the 1920's, Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving during the week of November 11th, but after Remembrance Day became a nationally recognized date, Thanksgiving was pushed back to October so the dates would not coincide. 
6. According to the Turkey Farmers of Canada, there are only 548 official turkey farmers throughout the entire country. 
7. In Canada, we don't have Black Friday sales the day after Thanksgiving. It's just more of a normal Tuesday, except the majority of people are suffering from serious turkey comas. 

Why do we celebrate being thankful?

If you're Canadian, this weekend you probably travelled home to be with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving. You're probably going to eat a giant turkey or ham, potatoes, squash, corn gravy, pumpkin pie and whatever else your mother makes for your annual Thanksgiving feast.

You'll probably all share what you're thankful for too. Common themes refer to family, friends and good health.

But let me ask you this: Why do Canadians even celebrate Thanksgiving? This weekend I've been asking a bunch of my friends, and they all basically have the same answer: "I don't actually know ... because we're so close to America?"

Thanksgiving is a big deal in America, because AMERICA! Why not celebrate how wonderful it is to be the largest country that oozes capitalism and chants of 'MERICA? Although the first reported "Thanksgiving" was held at Plymouth in the 1600's, which is much more likely why Americans are so adamant about celebrating every year.

For Canadians we celebrate thanks to the traditions of those wonderful Europeans that crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled in North America. Or should I say Lower and Upper Canada?

One of the first "official" Thanksgivings in what is now present-day Canada was celebrated by Martin Frobisher for surviving the journey through northern waters in an attempt to find the Northwest Passage.

For many other European settlers, fall harvests happened in October or November, and they were thankful for the bountiful new land they had that gave them lots of delicious food, and the tradition stuck. While more settlers came over to North America, more celebrations occurred.

Today, some of the original traditions hold true, but for most Canadians, this weekend is just a good excuse to take Monday off and eat as much turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie as humanly possible.

To me, this seems a bit weird, but hey, it works.

News Briefs

Starfish vanish from West Vancouver waters 
Divers that frequent the waters off the shore of West Vancouver have recently alerted the Vancouver aquarium that starfish, or sea stars, have been rapidly disappearing. In the past few years, the population had been booming, but now, these sea creatures are dying in mass numbers with no explanation.

Researchers at the Vancouver aquarium have described this as an epidemic, and dubbed it the "Sea Star Wasting Syndrome," as they have yet to discover why the population has almost completely disappeared.

It's been difficult to identify the root of the problem because there are little to no specimens of starfish left in the water to collect. However, some experts are speculating that because of the previously large population, some sort of disease was developed and passed around, which has now almost completely decimated the population.

Researchers in other others -- Florida and California -- have reported similar incidents with their starfish populations, but it is too soon to tell is these events are in any way linked.

Source

Running of the bulls kills one, injures three
Earlier today, officials in Spain announced that a woman in her late 50's was killed during an annual festival in the small town of Ferez, in central Spain. She was participating in the running of the bull, a common Spanish tradition, when the bull gored her through the abdomen.

Three other people, including her daughter, were also injured by the bull.

While the running of the bull clearly poses many lethal dangers, it is still a very common traditional in various Spanish traditions, and is preformed multiple times throughout the year in towns and cities around Spain.

Source

Home Alone: Lost in Las Vegas 
Last week, a 9-year old boy from Minneapolis was able to board a plane and fly to Las Vegas without any parental supervision or a boarding pass. Before boarding the plane, he also got lunch at one of the airport restaurants, and then snuck away without paying by saying he needed to use the washroom.

While this may sound like a dream come true to many children and young adults, it is in reality a terrifying incident that shows the lack of attention staff at this airport had on that day.

Source

Homelessness criminalized in Hungary

Nearly 30,000 homeless people living in Hungary are about to become susceptible to a new law passed by the Hungarian government enforcing homelessness as a criminal offence.

This new law, according to Human Rights Watch, was passed with a majority vote of 245 for and only 45 against.

Homeless citizens will no longer be allowed to sleep in public areas or dumpster dive. If caught, authorities are legally allowed to force these "criminals" into homeless shelters, give out fines and even arrest them for sentenced jail time if they're convicted twice within six months -- which will likely be the case for many.

According to an article published in the International Business Times, the Hungarian government is defending this new law by stating that it aims to "protect public order, security, health and cultural value." Government officials have also stated that homeless peoples in major cities should have no problem finding appropriate places to sleep, as there are homeless shelters available.

However, advocate groups are dismissing this claim, explaining that the amount of available space in shelters is far below the amount of homeless people. Without government support and funding for more adequate shelters, many people will have no where to go, and will ultimately be charged, and possibly jailed, due to these new laws.

These new laws are extremely unsettling. Governments should be passing laws that protect their citizens rather than put them in more danger. In order to properly, and professionally, solve the problem of homelessness, resources should be invested in public programs that will help eradicate the problem.

Criminalizing homelessness is not an answer. Now, numerous innocent people will be thrown into jails for reasons that may be beyond their control. Some of these people did not choose to be homeless, and do not deserve such harsh consequences. And for those who are homeless and refuse to utilize shelters, that is their freedom of choice.

Advocacy groups need to step up and challenge the Hungarian government on these new laws. There are more decent forms of "cleaning up the streets," and more effective ways of helping eradicate homelessness and give sincere help to those in need.

March for elephants

Earlier today, new, gruesome information regrading the cyanide poisoning on elephants in western Zimbabwe was released. As of this morning, a recorded 91 elephants have been found dead, with more potential carcasses yet to be found. A number of other animals, including lions and vultures, have also been found dead in both the immediate and surrounding areas of the elephants and their waterholes. This is by far the most severe ecological attack constructed by poachers that the area has ever seen.

According to an article by Tendai Musiya, which has was published today in both The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star, nine suspected poachers have been formally arrested, with three men already being sentenced to 16 years in jail. While justice is being served to those guilty of these unforgivable crimes, the repercussions are still being felt by wildlife, and will continue to be an issue for some time.

Two of the main waterholes are going to be completely sealed off so that animals will not be able to access the contaminated water, and two new wells will be drilled out. The animal carcasses will be burnt in order to stop bacteria from spreading, and the top layers of soil around both the dead animals and contaminated waterholes will also be removed.

While these efforts are being carried out, protection for wildlife in the park will still be very strained due to a severe lack of funding, which results in fewer staff members, as well as other resources.

This event, which has been garnering global attention, is also occurring within days of an event called the "International March for Elephants," which will occur this Friday, October 4. This event, which is spread over three continents, is being done in order to raise awareness for elephant rights in both Africa and Asia. Elephants are being poached into extinction, and this event aims to encourage people to stand up for elephants and stop the mass slaughter that happens every day of ever year.

According to the website www.iworry.org, an elephant is killed every 15 minutes, and at this rate, they will become extinct by 2025. The website has an electronic petition that can be signed, but encourages all supporters to physically attend marches in order to spread awareness amongst the general public. If people don't speak up for elephants, they will soon be gone.

While there is absolutely nothing good about the cyanide attacks that occurred in Zimbabwe, I sincerely hope that, at the very least, people following the event will be lead to the "The International March for Elephants" and become more educated on elephant rights. Elephants need our help more than ever in order to survive, and the first step is spreading awareness. Only then can more demand be put on creating stricter laws, and ensuring that national parks receive the appropriate resources they need to protect what precious wildlife is left on this planet.