Visit to Mackenzie House

Today, Mom and I went to Mackenzie House. We didn't plan to visit but we were close by and decided to stop by. It's always fun going there. We always learn something new. :-)

We noticed the belt strop for the very first time (the black thing on the table). It was used to clean razors.

We took a look at the books on the shelf.
I think this was one of Mackenzie's favourite series.

Mom noticed this book, but we didn't ask what it was. (We'll have to remember to ask about it the next time.)

When Alex lit the gasolier, we found out that they would use soot and linseed oil to make ink for printing.

It was interesting that we talked a lot about water today.

There was no well in the Mackenzie household. But, they had to get water from somewhere. It must have been very hard to go for water, every day.

We also found out that a Toronto printer by the name of Collins described the water from the well he used around the time of the Cholera epidemic as being the colour of a leek. (Yuck!)
Francis Collins, his wife and their child died from Cholera.

During that Cholera Epidemic of 1834, Mackenzie himself - the Mayor of Toronto - would drive a cart to take sick people to the doctor.  This was at a time when most officials were fleeing the city. He himself got cholera but he was able to recover.  After that they passed bylaws to clean up the city which included making it illegal to dump waster or garbage onto the streets or Lake Ontario, and they included plans to construct proper sewers. This was before they even knew what caused cholera!

Last week I read the book, "Patient Zero" by Marilee Peters and it talked about Dr. John Snow who researched cholera in London. In 1854 he figured out that drinking infected water would spread cholera and they needed to boil it to kill the germs. He noticed that Monks who boiled water while making beer didn't get sick even though they shared a pump with people who got sick. That's when they found out that it was the water!

"Two Gossiping Old Women"

Over the weekend I performed at a Music Festival and a ballet performance.

I did well in the Music Festival and I got really high marks. It was fun and I was a little bit nervous because I was worried I would mess up in the Grade 8 song, "Two Gossiping Old Women" by Aram Khachaturian. I made a few mistakes but I was able to recover from them quickly and I didn't have to restart. Just a couple years ago, I wouldn't have been able to do that.
Here is the video of me playing "Two Gossiping Old Women".

On Sunday, I had my last ballet performance at the National Ballet School. I'm going to miss all my friends there. I was in the Associates Program for 4 years and I had some really great experiences with them. I especially loved doing "The Nutcracker"!
I will be joining an orchestra in the next school year and so I will be busy on Saturdays. It was a really hard choice to make.

This summer I will be doing an Intensive program at a different ballet school and I hope I will get in for September.

Scarborough Civic Centre Branch Is Now Open!

This morning, Mom and I went to the opening of Toronto Public Library's Scarborough Civc Centre Branch!
I'm so happy!
We finally have a library in my neighbourhood!

They had all sorts of things going on to celebrate the opening.
There was a Mounted Police Officer and a Fire Truck.

Lion Dancers.

Toronto Councillors were there to celebrate as well.
I got to meet Sarah Ducette and we posed for a picture with Glenn DeBaeremaeker.

There was classical Indian dancing.

 There were short speeches by some of the people involved in opening the library.
From left to right we have City Councillers Paul Ainsley, Sarah Doucette and Glenn DeBaeremaker and members of the Toronto Public Library Board Lindsay Colley, Ron Carinci, amd Sue Grantham Nutter. (I didn't catch the name of the woman on the far right.)

Randall Adjei recited a poem that he wrote and he spoke about how poetry saved him. :-)

And we had a ribbon cutting.

 The music was excellent! I know the keyboard player's name is Michael but I don't know the name of the group.

The library has a Digital Innovation Hub which includes a 3D printer. I'm definitely going to learn how to use it!

Of course, the best part of the library was the books!

I borrowed a few of them, and for once we don't have to worry about finding a library branch and making a special trip out to return them. :-D

We have our very own library!!!!!

A new library!

I'm so excited that I'm finally getting a library at Scarborough Town Centre!
It is going to open next week!
This is the most exciting thing that has happened here since I was born!

Here are a couple pictures that we took during the construction.

Scarborough Civic Centre Library (under construction)
June 26, 2014

I also took some pictures at other library branches that I visit.
But, I am super happy that we are finally getting a library in my neighbourhood!
:-D 

City Hall

Palmerston

Beaches

Toronto Reference Library

Yorkville Branch
(decorated for Gay Pride last year)

Gerrard Ashdale Branch

Pape/Danforth Branch

Lillian H. Smith Branch

Brookbanks Library

Maryvale Library

A Quick Update!

Hi!
It has been a long time since I've blogged. I've been very busy!
I've done a lot of things in the last few weeks. I had my first Highland Dance exam and I got 'commended'.  I auditioned for a couple of summer dance intensives and I got into one of them!

I went to the Science Centre, the Scarborough Museum, Mackenzie House and lots of other places.

I did a lapidary workshop and I went to the Gem and Mineral Show at Don Mills... It has been a lot of fun but not much time to blog with all my school work and rehearsals.

Here is a picture from the lapidary workshop. Mom loves making cabochons and Dad and I got the chance to learn. One day we will get our own cabbing machine.

Here is a picture of me rehearsing violin. My violin exam is coming up and I have been rehearsing with my accompanist.

One of the coolest things we did was making handmade books at Mackenzie House. It was a special craft that they had for Print Month (in April).

Here is a picture of my Mom using the Printing Press for the very first time.
Happy Mother's Day Mom!

And here are the books we made,
Mine is on the left; Mom's is in the centre; and Dad's is on the right.

#CBCAsks: Is Politics Broken

Last night Dad and I went to #CBCAsks debate "Is Politics Broken?"

Mom and I were both interviewed a few days ago about how we felt about politics.
She took this picture when they were asking me questions.

Last night we got to see segments of the interviews. 

Is politics broken in Canada?
Is politics broken?CBC is gathering some of Canada's top minds in politics and policy to debate the question at a live event in Toronto on Wednesday.Do you have a question about the state of Canadian politics today? Submit it below in the comments or use the hashtag #CBCAsks on Twitter and you could hear Peter Mansbridge ask it at the event. Learn more here goo.gl/3zVT4d
Posted by CBC News on Sunday, 22 March 2015

It was really strange seeing me and Mom up on those giant screens in the CBC Auditorium.

It was my first time seeing a debate like that.
Andrew Coyne, Alison Loat and Dave Meslin argued that "Politics is broken."
And Aisha Moodie-Mills, Monte Solberg and Sheila Copps argued that "Politics isn't broken."

I think Politics is not broken. but the "Yes" team seemed better prepared.
The "No" team should have pointed out that they need to teach more about politics in school so that more people will become involved and get out to vote. They should have also showed us ways that people can let Politicians know what we want for various issues.

I remember when our former Mayor wanted to close down the City of Toronto Museums. He called them 'gravy'. I was so upset that I cried. My Mom said that crying wouldn't stop them and that I should find a way to let them know how I felt. So, I wrote a letter to my City Councillor to ask him to vote against closing the museums. I've been following politics very closely ever since.

(I actually started following politics because I liked Mayor David Miller's Transit Plan.)

I think Politics is not broken. We as Canadians need to be more involved.
We shouldn't leave everything to the Politicians. They only represent us.

The debate is now online at:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/events/cbcasks-is-politics-broken-1.2994504

AGO - Art Spiegelman's Co-Mix, and Memories Unearthed

I always see this picture of my Grandpa when I go to visit Grandma.

I asked Mom about why he was in uniform. I found out that he was in the Royal Air Force in Jamaica. (Jamaica was a colony of Britain at the time.) I wanted to find out about what was going on in the world at that time and why he would choose to join the army.

I finally started getting some answers. Mom let me read Art Spiegelman's Maus. It was about what Art Spiegelman's Dad experienced while living in Nazi Occupied Poland.

I could finally understand why my Grandpa joined the army.

Even though Poland and Jamaica were far away from each other, World War 2 affected everybody. Britain declared war on Germany when Poland was invaded in 1939. And people from all over the British Empire wanted to do their part to fight for Britain.

I also saw this picture of Dad's Grandfather.

He fought in World War 2 with the Royal Winnepeg Rifles in Normandy. One of my Great-Uncles is buried there.

World War 2 affected everybody!

~~~

Yesterday, we went to the AGO to see Memories Unearthed: The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross and Art Spiegelman's Co-Mix.

Henryk Ross was a very brave Jewish photographer. He was hired to take propaganda photos for the Nazis but he also snuck in some photos that showed what life was really like. He risked his life to take these photos and he had to hide the negatives so that the negatives would survive.

In 1940, the Nazis rounded up 160,000 Jews and forced them to live in Lodz Ghetto. Henryk Ross was one of them.
Lodz had an area of 4.13 sq. kilometres.

German guards standing under a sign saying
"Jews, entry forbidden"

Sign for the Jewish residential area saying
"Residential Area of the Jews, entry forbidden"

Ruins of the synagogue on Wolborska Street destroyed in 1939

But, there were still pictures of hope.

The Torah was saved from the synagogue

They were so separated from everywhere else that they had to use a different currency. All of their money and valuables were confiscated and the Nazis made them use a currency that had no value outside of the Ghetto.

Here you can see the one mark, 2 mark and 5 mark notes.

We saw some of the notices that would have been posted in Lodz.

We learned about the meagre rations that they received. We saw what it was like for the people in the leather factory and the mattress factory.
We saw pictures of hungry people.

It must have been terrible.

The whole exhibit was very moving.

~~~

Before we went on to see Co-Mix, we took a quick stop in the Kids' Gallery.

I really liked these three pieces.
Cabbage, Carton and Cat by Mary Pratt

A video by Joyce Wieland called Catfood.

Cats by Antoine Eugene Lambert

~~~

In Co-Mix we got to see Art Spiegelman's Garbage Pail Kids and Wacky Packages.

But we also saw Maus.

I am glad that I got to read it before we came. It would have been impossible to read it here.

~~~

And of course, we admired the Douglas Fir structures before we left.