Pro baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson was born on this day in 1919. An outstanding player who would go on to win MVP awards and Championships, Robinson will forever be remembered as the first African-American to play Major League Baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He stood up to unspeakable racism with dignity and grace. In 1997, on the 50th anniversary of his breaking the colour barrier, Major League Baseball retired Jackie’s number, 42.
January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Join with us as we take this day to remember the many millions who died during the Holocaust, to learn more about what happened, and resolve to fight against anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of hate and violent oppression.
The term “Holocaust” refers to the period in history in which the Nazi regime of Germany murdered over 6 million Jews, as well as millions of other victims, including Roma, homosexuals, people with physical and mental disabilities, and more. The Nazi persecution of the Jews began in the early 1930’s and reached its most horrific and brutal peak during the period of 1941-1945, as the Nazis adopted as official policy the “Final Solution,” the attempt at completely annihilating the entire Jewish population.
The Holocaust is not the only example of genocide in human history. What makes the Holocaust stand out amongst the long and plentiful list of human atrocities and evil? Germany was amongst the most powerful nations of the world and a leader in science, technology, medicine and engineering. The German contributions to art, music, literature and philosophy put German culture at the heart of what we would call Western Civilization. And yet this supposedly civilized people turned their great achievements and progress towards planning and carrying out ruthless genocidal murder with scientific and economic efficiency.
The date of January 27 was chosen for this solemn observance as the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated on January 27, 1945.
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What are your favourite Science Fiction titles? Here are some of ours.
Use the comments to share some of your favourite sci-fi titles.
Lincoln Alexander was born on this day in 1922 in Toronto. He would go on to become Lt. Governor of Ontario.
Mr. Alexander was the son of immigrants from Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He would grow up in Toronto, serve in the RCAF during World War Two, earn degrees from McMaster University and York University, and eventually go on to practice law. In the 1960’s he entered politics, and in 1968 was elected to the House of Commons, the first Black Canadian to become a Member of Parliament. He would later become the first Black Canadian to become a Cabinet Minister, serving in the brief Joe Clark government of 1979. In 1985 Lincoln Alexander became the Lt. Governor of Ontario, a post he held until 1991, again the first Black Canadian to hold a vice-regal position. Mr. Alexander died in 2012. In 2015 the government of Canada established January 21 as Lincoln Alexander Day.
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What is science fiction? There are many different books, films, games and other media that can fall into the genre of sci-fi. There are many different definitions, many different sub-genres, and many different elements that can make something “sci-fi.” It wouldn’t be possible to come up with one definition that all Science Fiction writers and creators would agree upon. Having said that, we can examine some common themes and elements.
Science Fiction is a genre which can fit under the umbrella of Speculative Fiction, alongside, and often overlapping with, Fantasy and Horror. Science Fiction tends to be futuristic, imagining advances in technology and scientific achievement beyond our current levels. Robots, cyborgs and technologically modified humans are common in SF. Sci-fi often includes elements such as space travel, aliens, life on other planets or in other galaxies. However, sci-fi can also stay here on earth, exploring such things as utopia, dystopia, alternative histories, and post-apocalyptic scenarios. There can be an emphasis on science, with stories set in very realistic situations based on real scientific research, but can also extend into levels of conjecture that may try to extrapolate or predict where we are headed with science. In fact, SF can stray from hard science, abandoning realism altogether as it explores the paranormal and the fantastic.
On January 17, 2024, Sikhs in Canada and around the world celebrate Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, a chance to observe and celebrate the birth of Guru Gobind Singh. The Guru was born in 1666 in Patna, India. He was the 10th and last of the (human) Gurus of Sikhism. He established the Khalsa, the organization of men and women baptized into the Sikh faith. He also established the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, as the final Guru for the Sikh people.
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In the world of science fiction, the Hugo and the Nebula are the most prestigious awards that can be won by the author of a Sci-Fi novel. Here are those titles that achieved both distinctions and rank among the very best Sci-Fi works of all time.
All of these novels can be found in your School Library. Come down to check them out.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the 3rd Monday of January as a Federal Holiday in the United States. The day is observed in celebration of Dr. King’s birthday, January 15, 1929. In 2024 MLK Day is observed on his actual birthday.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the leading figure of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s in the USA. In life Dr. King was at the forefront of the fight against segregation, discrimination and other forms of racism, especially as entrenched in state and federal law. Tragically assassinated in 1967, the legacy of King has continued to inspire those who fight against racism and other forms of social injustice.
Martin Luther King Jr. was committed to the principles of non-violence. King was convinced that the only way to fight against the hate and violence and injustice of racsim was to counter it with peaceful resistance and non-violent protest. Perhaps more than anything else, this is why Dr. King is a hero to millions of people in the US, in Canada, and around the world.
Image Source: editor Eugenio Hansen, OFS, CC BY-SA 4.0 OTFW, editor Eugenio Hansen, OFS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikimedia
Since 2001, January 15 is Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada. Mr. Wallenberg was a hero who courageously used his position to save tens of thousands of Jews in Hungary during the Nazi Holocaust. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat working in Budapest during the Second World War. Wallenberg, with the help of some colleagues, using Swedish passports, letters of protection, and other diplomatic tools, was able to help thousands of Jews to escape from Hungary and tens of thousands to survive through to the end of the war.
Tragically, Raoul Wallenberg disappeared after the Soviet conquest of Hungary from the Germans in 1945. Some reports suggest he died in a Soviet prison in 1947, but his fate is officially uncertain.
Raoul Wallenberg is considered one of the “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem in Israel, and was made an Honorary Citizen of Canada in 1985.
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In January we both recognize Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada, as well as International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. Come down to the School Library this month, in person, and continue to visit us online, for more information on the horrific and tragic history of the Holocaust.
Come down to your School Library this month to check out our theme for January: Science Fiction. We have a huge selection of Sci-Fi novels for your enjoyment. On top of that we have Sci-Fi graphic novels, Sci-Fi themed magazines and Sci-Fi Short Story collections. We even have a large selection of non-fiction books that examine Science Fiction in all its forms, including novels, television, games, and movies. Be sure to come down and see what we have to offer.
We wish you all the best for 2024. Please be sure to come by your School Library to say hello, and to discuss how we can help you in the coming year.
One of the most popular authors of the 20th Century, J.R.R. Tolkien was born to English parents in 1892 in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State. At age 3, his family moved back to Britain. Tolkien studied at Oxford and eventually taught there as well. He would go to author some of the English language’s most read books, including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. For more on Tolkien, click here.
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 