I wanna be good to the earth. Earth Day is on Good Friday this year or April 22nd. This video is called "Give Earth a Hand". The expression 'give a hand' means to help. So you can give earth a hand or help the earth. In this commercial, it shows two very different wants. What is important to you?
We can give earth a hand. We can change some of our actions. Earth Canada suggests four ways:
I won't watch TV.
I won't use toxic cleaners.
I won't buy it.
I won't eat meat.
Okay. Maybe, you are not willing to stop all these actions, but you can reduce some of these actions. What are you willing to give up?
I want to be a native of Pandora. This is the setting of the popular science fiction movie, Avatar, which is written and directed by James Cameron. He won an Oscar for the movie, Titanic. Avatar is best seen in 3D. When you wear the 3D glasses you feel like you are there.
The natives of Pandora love their moon and respect all living things. They have no machines and use powerful creatures to transport themselves. The natives are able to move easily on land and in the air. They move up and down mountains and the tallest trees with ease. They live freely in a forest that they will never leave. They enjoy many stories about their ancestors and live peacefully. Their life has nothing to do with money, but their survival is dependant on understanding nature. They are not the highest creatures on the food chain. There are dangerous animals in the forest, and they must respect them to live safely. Could life really be this pure?
Here is an interview by the actress, Zoe Saldana, who plays the native, Neytiri. Her mother and father are the leaders of the natives called Navi. She describes Neytiri and the culture of the Navi in the movie, Avatar.
I want to be the prime minister of Canada. That's what William Shatner, a famous Canadian actor says. Here he talks about being the governor general of Canada who is the representative of the Queen of England, and then the top position in the government, the PM or prime minister.
Our present governor general is Michaelle Jean and the prime minister is Steven Harper. His party, the conservatives are the biggest party in Canada and he is the leader of the conservative party. He leads the country because his party has the most politicians elected to parliament. He has been elected for the second time. In Canada, elections are usually every four years. I didn't vote for Harper and the majority of people in the city of Toronto did not vote for him either. I don't think he cares much about Toronto. Other major parties include the liberals and the NDP.
How did William Shatner become famous?
Television. His biggest claim to fame is the star in a science fiction adventure. He was Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise in the T.V. series, Star Trek in the sixties. He has done other series and most recently stars in Boston Legal where he plays a lawyer in his law firm.
Why is Star Trek important?
It started a chain of television programs and movies at the theatre. The latest is an excellent movie called, Star Trek.
Would you like to watch a preview of the movie?
I saw Star Trek and it was really entertaining. This science fiction movie has got a lot of positive reviews. The original character from the sixties television program, Spock, stars in the movie. In the movie trailer or advertisement, you will see two characters with pointed ears, one is the senior Spock and the other is the young Spock character. Spock was second in command and Kirk was the captain of the Starship Enterprise in the original television series. As Spock says, "Live long and prosper."
I want to be a small furry animal with long ears and short fluffy tail. That's right a rabbit, but not just any rabbit. I want to be the Easter Bunny, so I can deliver chocolates and candy eggs to all the young children all over the world. In Canada, the Easter Bunny hides these sweets during the night and the children search for them on Easter morning. Some children find their goodies in a basket and others discover one or two chocolate presents often in the shape of spring symbol like a bunny or an egg.
What is Easter?
Easter is important to Christians because it is a religious date. Here is an introduction to Easter.
It was started by the many Christians in Canada. Good Friday is the day Jesus, the son of God, died. People buy white lilies which represent the flower of hope and life. On Easter Sunday, some also have hot cross buns which are small round bread with a cross on the top representing the cross Jesus died on.
Why is Easter considered a spring holiday too?
It's roots go back to pagan times when people celebrated the goddess of dawn and fertility called Eostur. Spring and fertility is represented in popular Easter images such as chicks, bunnies, lambs and eggs. Also, people decorate with spring flowers like crocuses, tulips, and yellow daffodils.
Another tradition is decorating eggs. I have decorated eggs with my children. First, we would prepare the egg by removing the raw egg. You can make a small whole at each end and then blow hard into the top hole. This pushes the raw egg out the bottom hole and the liquid can be collected in a bowl. We'd save the raw egg for the next meal. Some people hard boil the eggs. Then the eggs are dyed with food colouring in glasses of water. The pastel eggs are often displayed in baskets or hung on a branch.
Easter is Sunday. Happy Easter!
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I want to be farmer. Then I could train chickens to mother puppies. This farmer decided to give the puppy, Lucy, to the hen after the mother dog died in a tragic accident. The hen kept Lucy warm and looked after the poor little thing. The dog thought it was a chicken and would follow the mother hen everywhere. Lucy had to be given puppy food, but she would peck at it like the mother hen.
Also, I want to be a modern cowboy. I saw this commercial on television. Now that cats are worth more money than cows, cowboys are finding jobs herding cats. I love cats. Watch this video and you'll see the cowboys describe their new work. Press here.
So, maybe you don't believe these two stories? April fools!
The real truth is I want to be a practical joker, so I can try to trick people. It's fun to play practical jokes and on April 1st until noon, people get tricked. Even newspapers have fun on April Fools.
I want to be a supporter of the historic event, Earth Hour. To vote for the earth, turn off your lights at 8:30 pm for one hour on March 28, 2009. Leave your lights on and you vote for global warming.
Why is Earth Hour Important?
People care about the environment. The organizers wanted 1,000 cities and towns to sign up for Earth Hour 2009. March 12, 2009 the organizers reached their goal. In fact, 2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries want to participate in Earth Hour so far.
What is Toronto doing for Earth Hour?
WWF-Canada and City of Toronto are presenting a free concert a Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall. It starts at 7:00 pm with lights out from 8:30 to 9:30pm. No, it's not in really in the dark , but the energy used is green, renewable energy from Bullfrog Power. Performers include Suzie McNeil, Crash Parallel rock band, The Matt York Band and Samba Squad.
Have a look at last year's concert. The Canadian singer and song writer,Nelly Fertado sang at Toronto's Earth Hour. You can hear her singing in the following video at City Hall. Also, watch the city go dark.
What will you be doing for Earth Hour on March 28, 2009.
Candles are a good idea. Last year, my family ordered pizza and it came just as everyone on the street was turning off the lights. We had a candlelight dinner. I was surprised how many people supported Earth Hour.
What else can you do for Earth Hour?
The organizers would like people to VOTE EARTH. There is an Earth Hour symbol on the right side. Press on "sign up now" below the big number,60 and type your name. WWF hopes to get one billion names or votes for the earth to give to the world leaders in Copenhagen, 2009. They are meeting at an important conference to discuss climate change .
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Mature trees are in the many parks along the Rideau Canal.
I want to be back in Ottawa. I just got back from a visit to Ottawa which is the capital of Canada. I am very familiar with Ottawa as I graduated from University of Ottawa. It is a much smaller city than Toronto. In fact, Statistics Canada 2007 recorded Ottawa's population at 1,168,788 while Toronto is well over 5 million.
Ottawa has a different flavour than Toronto. Because it has a smaller population, you notice the students more. There are two universities and a community college. Downtown is the University of Ottawa which has English, French and French Immersion students. It's natural for the French language to be in the capital of Canada.
Why does the French language thrive in Ottawa? One reason is Ottawa is near the border of Quebec. A bridge over the Ottawa River joins the two provinces, Ontario and Quebec. The first language in Quebec is French. Also, Ottawa is full of federal government workers. The two official languages in Canada are French and English, so many of the government employees in Ottawa are bilingual. There first language can be French or English.
In Toronto, English is the dominant language and there are seldom opportunities to speak French. When I moved to Toronto, it became difficult for me to practice my French. You know what happens if you don't practice a language. Now I can't use my French language very well.
Another noticeable characteristic of Ottawa is its attention to art and culture. It has many different kinds of museums from planes and rockets in the Aviation Museum to some of the best Canadian art in the National Gallery of Canada. Always a favourite is the famous paintings of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. I especially like the small paintings these painters did up north in the wilderness. They would use these to later paint the final bigger canvass paintings. The small ones sometimes have a spirit or feeling the larger ones can't capture.
Having lived five years in Ottawa, I always feel comfortable returning to Ottawa. I like the French culture there and enjoy visiting old friends who use both their French and English. To live in Ottawa, it's best to be bilingual and be prepared for a long cold winter as it is further north than Toronto.
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I want to be Irish. Actually, I am 1/4 Irish, 1/4 Scottish, and I/2 Canadian if I use my four grandparents. So why do I want to be Irish? Because Saint Patrick's Day is coming. Everyone wants to be Irish on March 17th!
Everywhere people celebrate Saint Patrick's Day or Paddy's Day. Yes. It started in Ireland and is a national holiday there, but there are many Irish all over the world. I remember hearing, there are more Irish in USA than in Ireland. Is that true?! Celebrations include Irish music, songs, food and drink. Also, there will be lots of Saint Patrick's parades this weekend in different countries. There is always the traditional parade in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland.
Toronto has a Saint Patrick's Day parade at 12:00 noon, Sunday, March 15. I have watched it in front of the Eaton's Centre, as floats and marching bands moved down Yonge Street. This year, it will finish at City Hall. One of the major sponsors is the Irish Embassy Pub and Grill at King Subway. This downtown pub and the other Irish pubs around the city will be crowded this weekend and and on Saint Patrick's Day.
For the less Irish, it's just a good excuse to have fun. To be in the Irish spirit, wear something green. I remember going to a Saint Patrick's party where green beer was served. How did they get the beer green? Try a drop of green food colouring.
Talking about green and dye....have a look at this short video. The time is in fast motion on Saint Patrick's Day. You will look down at the Chicago River and see the boats moving.
In 1962, 100 pounds of dye were added to the Chicago River and it looked green for about a week. Now they add 40 pounds of green food colouring each year and the river stays green only a few hours on Saint Patrick's Day.
What's odd about this celebration? Many peope don't know who Saint Patrick was. According to Wikipedia, he was a Catholic missionary who died in 460 AD on March 17. He helped bring Christianity to the then Pagan people of Ireland. Also, in Ireland, Saint Patrick"s Day is a Christian celebration when Catholics go to church and have a feast.
So, may you have the luck of the Irish and wear something green on March 17 if you like.
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I want to be a feminist. Watch this video, and maybe you will want to be a feminist too.
So, a feminist can be male or female. A feminist is a person who wants to be an equal member of society. International Women's Day is March 8 every year. It is a time to express appreciation for the role of women and the equality they deserve.
In some countries, International Women's Day is similar to Mother's Day or Valentine's Day when men express their love for the women in their lives. Unfortunately, it is not an official holiday in Canada, and not celebrated by many.
