"Yup, still snowing". The photo was taken by gardinergirl@flickr.
Do you know where this picture was taken? Chinatown, Toronto
Would you like to explore Chinatown? You can start with this map. There is also a satellite image. Click on "Choose Neighbourhood". Then click on East Chinatown or Chinatown.
Do you know what celebration happened in Chinatown last weekend? The Chinese New Year
Do you know what year it is? According to the Chinese Zodiac, it is the year of the ox.
The biggest celebrations started on the weekend in the eastern part of the world. It was bitter cold last Saturday, so I sat back with my laptop computer and looked up what was happening in China. I was able to find a sneak preview of the Spring Festival Gala. So try to warm up with some Chinese New Year entertainment.
*** Remember to click on underlined words for additonal activities or information.
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There is new blog that was officially launched last week. It's called Loon Lounge. You might like to check it out at http://www.loonlounge.com/. A lot of future immigrants and newcomers to Canada are members on this site. It is trying to create a community where people can share information and ask questions. According to the Toronto Star, one of the hottest topics is the Citizen and Immigration Canada list of 38 priority jobs. For example, the occupation, registered nurse, is on this list. Another popular topic is language tests.
You may want to join this site. A good start is to watch the short video on the home page. If you do decide to join, you must register. It is free. Then you can join different communities. You can join a community with members from your home country, from your occupation or from the same location in Canada.
Each person has their own page. You can choose to give information about yourself, but remember many people are able to read this information. There is a privacy option. This means you share information only with people you accept as contacts. People will contact you and ask if they can join your page. These contacts can talk to you on line. Also, people can send messages to your page. You can answer their messages or you may delete any you receive.
You may like to read some of the blogs, forums or news. The news includes upcoming events for entertainment and jobs as well as immigration news. There is also a chat room that you can visit and have a conversation with several people.
Gerrard East Streetcar in a winter storm. Taken by William Self.
How's the weather? Toronto continues to get a lot of snow. A snow storm is predicted for the weekend and then cold weather again.
Did you freeze during the blackout? We had minus twenty (-20) last weekend. Some people in the west end were in a blackout for about 24 hours. They had no electricity from around ten o'clock at night on Thursday to ten o'clock the next night. Many people went to bed early on Friday with lots of blankets and were thankful to wake up in warm homes.
There was a lot of Internet activity as people tried to find out if their area had electricity or not. The lucky ones got their electricity back on Thursday. If you are interested, you might like to read the comments on blog TO
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It's freezing now, but it's suppose to be okay by the weekend. This is a photo of Broadview Avenue Hill taken by Bob Duck. It's just north of Broadview Subway which is near the corner of Broadview and Danforth Avenue. Can you see what they are doing? Tobogganing.
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Plastic surgery is becoming more and more accepted, but be careful. Toronto Star recently ran an article about the rules and regulations for plastic surgery in Ontario. The present standards are so outdated, they are shocking! They are starting to change, but the government needs to do more to protect patients who undergo plastic surgery. The new laws are expected in the spring of this year.
Until we get new laws, you might be surprised by the lack of rules for medical clinics in Ontario. Did you know the government allows GPs or family doctors to perform plastic surgery in their clinics? GPs are not plastic surgeons. Moreover, they are not trained surgeons. As well, these operations are not observed by the medical board. Why would any room where operations take place not require visits by a regulating body?
Plastic surgery requires a lot of cutting and I worry some patients do not understand the health risks. Did the young Toronto mother who had liposuction surgery understand her risks? Well, I guess she will never be able to answer that question as she died following her operation. In 2007, the 32 year old woman had "23 incisions in 6 body parts in one surgical session". The Toronto family doctor had no surgical designation, yet performed cosmetic surgery.
Personally, I would like to see all plastic surgery operations done in hospitals. I think elective surgeries should be screened by an impartial counsellor. The counsellor could explain the surgery, and the expected outcomes of the surgery. In addition, the limitations, possible complications and risks could be explained. The patient needs to hear and read this information before giving permission for any operation.
I found a short documentary on two women who had plastic surgery. These women went to a foreign country to reduce the costs of their plastic surgery. I hope you enjoy it :)
1. Watch the video and answer the multiple choice questions. Don't forget to check your results.
Note: The first and second video are the same story, so you need to watch only the first video. (Unfortunely, the second video recently disappeared. I don't know why, but I added this new video above the original video. Sometimes videos get removed on the internet.)
2. Add a comment about the video. Would you do what these women did? Why or why not?
