Mr. X

Olympic Protest

On this day in 1968, one of the most iconic images in Olympic history was captured for all the world to see. As the US National Anthem played at the medal ceremony for the 200 Metre race at the Mexico City Olympics, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the Gold and Bronze Medalists, bowed their heads and each raised a single, black gloved fist. This gesture of protest has come to be known as the “Black Power Salute.” Smith and Carlos shocked many with this Silent Gesture, forcing the world to take note of the struggle against racism in the United States and around the world. The Silver Medalist, Peter Norman of Australia, joined the Americans in wearing an OPHR badge (Olympic Project for Human Rights.)

source: Creative Commons; Wikimedia Commons.

Reaction was very negative in the US and within the Olympic Community, including those who felt that the Olympics was not the place for such an overtly political gesture. Under pressure from the IOC, the men were expelled from the Olympic village and suspended from the US Olympic Team. Both men were forced to return home to heavy criticism and even threats of violence. Very few publicly lauded their courage and their willingness to make such a bold and profound statement, but over time public opinion has shifted dramatically in support for what Smith and Carlos did on the podium in 1968.

For more, check out these links:

World Food Day

From the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization:

Today almost 842 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished. Unsustainable models of development are degrading the natural environment, threatening ecosystems and biodiversity that will be needed for our future food supply…

What would a sustainable food system look like? Is it possible to get from here to there? What would need to change to move us in that direction? World Food Day 2013 is an opportunity to explore these and other questions, and help bring about the future we want.

For more on World Food Day, check out these links:

Bartman

On this day in 2003, the infamous “Bartman Incident” took place at Wrigley Field in Chicago during the National League Championship Series. As much as sport can bring out the best in us, it sometimes can bring out the worst. Lifelong Cubs fan Steve Bartman found himself fearing for his life after his interference in a play late in a Cubs’ playoff game. To learn more about this sad chapter in sports history, check out the amazing documentary, “Catching Hell,” part of an excellent series of sports films called “30 For 30.” Read more about the Bartman Incident.

Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for. Take some time this weekend to reflect and celebrate.

thanksgiving2013

Alice Munro Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

Canadian literary legend Alice Munro has been awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. She is the first Canadian woman and first Canadian based author to win the award. Munro is considered to be a master of the short story and is often compared to Russian author Anton Chekov. She has previously won the Man Booker Prize, the Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award.

Come down to the school library to check out some of her books.

International Day of the Girl Child

The United Nations has declared October 11 to be the International Day of the Girl Child. The day was first celebrated last year, as an opportunity to recognize the rights of girls, to raise awareness about the challenges that they face around the world, and to celebrate our daughters, sisters, friends and students. Sadly, girls around the world daily face discrimination, violence and the violation of their human rights.

The theme for 2013 is “Innovation for Education.” One of the most obvious inequities and injustices for girls is in education, as many girls around the world are deprived of their right to an education.

The fulfilment of girls’ right to education is first and foremost an obligation and moral imperative. There is also overwhelming evidence that girls’ education, especially at the secondary level, is a powerful transformative force for societies and girls themselves: it is the one consistent positive determinant of practically every desired development outcome, from reductions in mortality and fertility, to poverty reduction and equitable growth, to social norm change and democratization. (source: un.org)

We can be thankful that Canada is amongst the leaders of the world in protecting the rights of girls.Yet even here there is more work to be done, and certainly we must continue to fight for the rights of girls around the world.

For more on this vital issue, go to UN.org

Leif & Lifelong Learning

If you are a “lifelong learner” you should be learning new things all the time. I just learned that there is a holiday in the US called Leif Erikson Day. I am not sure why I didn’t know this already, but I learned it today thanks to Mental Floss (a great site, check it out.)

Christopher Columbus gets most of the glory as the European who “discovered” America, but it was Leif Erikson and the Vikings who were here hundreds of years earlier. In fact there may have been other Vikings in America before Erikson, or perhaps even other Europeans (St. Brendan the Irishman?) but Leif gets the credit. Learn more about Leif Erikson and the day named for him here.

Scrooge!

On this day in 1900, actor Alistair Sim was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His greatest performance was in the role of Scrooge in the 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. There have been many wonderful versions of Dickens’ classic holiday tale, but Sim’s portrayal of Scrooge is the best.

Twitter

Are you on Twitter yet? It isn’t just celebrities telling us what they had for lunch, or friends telling us about their bodily functions. The educational possibilities for Twitter are tremendous. Just today we retweeted items related to language, games, photography, Vancouver history, iPads, teaching, Drop Everything and Read, The Hobbit, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, comics, libraries, flags, school libraries, public libraries, authors, literacy, our writing contest, and more. We share about what we are doing in the school library learning commons, we share about what is happening in the school, we share about the things our kids are learning in classes, and we share about all sorts of things.

World Teachers Day

Happy World Teachers’ Day! In 1994, the United Nations (UNESCO) established October 5th as World Teachers’ Day, a day to recognize and celebrate the vital role that teachers play in the lives of all people, especially children and youth.

“There is no stronger foundation for lasting peace and sustainable development than a quality education provided by well trained, valued, supported and motivated teachers.” (UNESCO)

Teaching in Uganda
source: Unesco Photobank

October is OUR month!

October is International School Library Month and Canadian Library Month. October 28 is National School Library Day and the day for the DEAR Challenge: Drop Everything and Read.

Check out the following for more info:

Gregorian Calendar

On this day in 1582, the Gregorian Calendar was adopted by the Catholic Church and the governments of the Catholic areas of Europe. It replaced the Julian Calendar which had been in use in Europe since Roman times. October 4 was the last day of the Julian Calendar, immediately followed by October 15 on the Gregorian Calendar.

Although the Protestant and Orthodox countries of Europe initially rejected the reforms of the Gregrorian Calendar, named after Pope Gregory the XIII, eventually all of Christendom would adopt it. In fact most of the world now uses the Gregorian Calendar as the Standard Calendar for matters of government and economics.

For more on the Gregorian Calendar and other calendar systems, visit the following: