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Sunday Newsletter 2000-07Su. August 13, 2000. Hello everyone and welcome to week seven of the FactsCanada newsletter. Due to my over-commitment last week in the summary section (mentioning my plans for this week's issue), I have run out of room for a couple of regular features (quotes and jokes). Rest assured that these will return next week. In mentioning "running out of room", I allude to the fact that I want to try to keep the newsletter down to a nice, easy five-minute read. When our Web site is active you can visit there for the longer, more in depth articles. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == QUESTION OF THE WEEK == A few weeks ago I provided a list of Canada's Prime Ministers in this newsletter. This week's question is regarding our nations first (and, so far, only) female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, and is actually two questions. What recent announcement did she make in regards to her career, and what has she been up to the last few years? ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == BIOGRAPHY == James Cameron -- The making of a "Titanic" career. Yes, indeed, this film director, producer, screenwriter and, may I add, perfectionist, is Canadian. Celebrating his birthday this Wednesday, Cameron was born at Kapuskasing, Ontario, on August 16, 1954. Raised in Niagara Falls, Cameron developed his love of films as a teenager, deciding at the early age of 14 that he wanted to direct films after seeing Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968). He started out on his quest by experimenting with his father's 8 mm camera, later tinkering with lenses, beam splitters, and even building a dolly track in his living room. The turning point in his development was in 1977 after he saw Star Wars. It was exactly the type of movie he had wanted to make since seeing "2001", and there was no stopping him after this. He was already living in the Los Angeles area by this time, his family having moved there in 1970, and studying physics at Fullerton College while working as a machinist and truck driver. Cameron quit driving truck the year after Star Wars was released and raised money from a group of dentists to produce a short 35 mm film. His work on this film led to his professional start at Roger Corman's ("Humanoids from the Deep", "Last Exit to Earth", "Piranha") New World Pictures in 1980, and he worked on the picture "Battle Beyond the Stars". Next up, Cameron began preparing a script for himself to direct. This script was none other than the science fiction classic "The Terminator" starring muscle man Arnold Schwarzenegger. During the three months he awaited the six million dollar financing of the film, Cameron worked with Sylvester Stallone writing the script for the sequel to "Rambo", entitled "First Blood, Part II". If this was not enough to keep him busy he also continued to write the first draft of "Aliens", a sequel to the 1979 hit "Alien" starring Sigourney Weaver. Both these films turned out to be smash hits, grossing over 430 million dollars worldwide. He was now fully entrenched in the Hollywood scene. Some other movies Cameron worked on were "The Abyss", "Terminator II: Judgement Day" and "True Lies". In 1995 he wrote and produced "Point Break" (Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves), while his wife (at the time) Kathryn Bigelow directed. Then came 1997 and Cameron hit the jackpot with "Titanic", not only the most expensive movie ever made, but also the number one box office champion! Titanic went on to gross more then 1.5 billion dollars globally, receiving 14 Academy Award nominations, winning 11, including best picture and best director. Upcoming for Cameron is the film "Avatar". "We're developing a broad-spectrum tool set for integrating animation, motion capture, and live action in a photo realistic way," says Cameron. Translated, this means the film will deliver organically believable lip-synching characters. Those curious about the plot, which Cameron won't reveal, can consult Neal Stephenson's book "Snow Crash". "The story is not about virtual worlds or computing," Cameron says. "The avatars are genetic." Cameron has also written the screenplay for "Spiderman" and had been trying to work out some legal issues before production could start, but now has turned the reins over to Sam Reimi (of Hercules and Xena fame). Also rumoured is a sequel to "True Lies", so it looks as if we won't be lacking for material from Cameron for some time yet. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == GEOGRAPHY AND PLACE NAMES == Lloydminster, Alberta / Saskatchewan Lloydminster, as one would expect is known as the "border city", since it is located on the Saskatchewan/Alberta border some 275 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon and 252 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, as driven on highway 16. It is the only single community in Canada split by a provincial boundary. Originally called the Britannia Settlement by the Barr colonists (after Reverend Isaac Barr who helped with the establishment of the settlement), a new wave of hardy souls arrived in 1903 led by Anglican minister, Reverend George Exton Lloyd. Upon the departure of Barr, the name was changed to Lloydminster, honouring their spiritual leader. Then in 1905, when the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created, the Fourth Meridian was selected as the provincial boundary, splitting the town site of Lloydminster between the two provinces. For the next 25 years there existed separately a town of Lloydminster, Alberta and Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. A major fire in 1929 began a change by destroying most of the downtown areas. Upon completion of the rebuilding process in 1930, the two towns were amalgamated as one. This was achieved by orders-in-council in both provinces. In 1958 Lloydminster became the 10th city of each province. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == OF HISTORICAL NOTE == Army physician and surgeon, Dr. James Barry, was actually found to be a woman (Miranda Stuart) when she died in 1865 in London, England. Born in England circa 1795, Stuart first posed as a male in 1809 so she should be study medicine at Edinburgh University. This was a time when universities did not accept women students, so she gave it a try and was successful. After graduation, Barry joined the British army, serving in South Africa and the Caribbean and gaining a reputation as an outstanding surgeon. In 1857 Barry was posted to Canada as Inspector General of military hospitals, the army's senior doctor in Canada. Thought eccentric, Barry was small and slim with no facial hair, but continued to pass herself off with little difficulty. Often seen driving around Montreal in a bright red sleigh accompanied by a small white dog, Barry was a troop favourite, insisting on making hospitals cleaner and more comfortable. She had to return to England in 1859 for health reasons (though, as usual, refusing examination), dying a few years later. Her legend lived on however, and hospitals continued to develop in the areas she had implemented. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == DID YOU KNOW? == The Canadian Postal Code system explained. The postal code determines how mail is sorted and delivered in Canada. Many different organisations besides Canada Post rely on this system including Statistics Canada, the Canadian Census Bureau (for demographic purposes), and most major courier companies (using the "FSA", which is explained below). Canadian postal codes are always of the same format, for example, V7B 1Y2. The sequence is as follows; an alphabetical character, a number, an alphabetical character, a space, a number, an alphabetical character and a number. Each code represents a specific geographic location, ranging from one side of a city block to a specific company which receives large volumes of mail. OK, but what do these characters mean? Each character of the postal code has its own significance. The first character (always a letter) normally designates a province or territory. For instance, the letter V refers to British Columbia, while the letter T refers to Alberta. For Ontario and Quebec, our most highly populated provinces, the first character refers to a major area within the province, and both provinces have more then one initial character assigned to them. For example, the letter M refers to Metropolitan Toronto, while the letter P refers to Western Ontario. The second character is always a number and denotes whether the mail is to go to an urban or rural location. Rural addresses use 0 (zero not the letter "Oh") in the second position, while numbers from one to nine refer to urban areas. The third character of the code, again always a letter, further defines the destination. In an urban code the third character will identify a postal station or city post office. In a rural code this character identifies a set of post offices in a specific geographical area. The first three characters of the postal code are known as the Forward Sortation Area (FSA). The last three characters are known as the Local Delivery Unit (LDU). Although Canada Post is usually the only organisation that uses the LDU, some courier companies also use the first character after the space. The last three characters of the code help to guide your mail to a specific location. In an urban area, the LDU refers to a block face (or how a particular city block is laid out), a large business, an office or apartment building, or another destination. For a rural destination, the LDU refers to the community within a particular FSA to which the mail is to be sorted. The letters W and Z are not used in any FSA designations. D, F, I, O, Q, and U are never used at any time, in either the FSA or LDU. This avoids possible problems caused by handwriting variations, reducing the risk of missorts. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == SPORTS MYTH DISPELLED == Most people with a reasonable amount of knowledge of hockey's past give credit to legend Jacques Plante as being the first goal tender to wear a face mask. This is not exactly the case. Clint Benedict of the now defunct Montreal Maroons decided to wear a mask during the 1929-1930 season as added protection after his nose was broken by a shot by Howie Morenz. Benedict only wore his mask for a short time, then abandoned it. Another 30 years passed until Plante (who designed and made the first face shields) began wearing one regularly and changed the "face of hockey" (excuse the pun) forever. By the way, all three men mentioned here are Hall of Fame members. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == EDITORIAL CONCERN == Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa are medical terms referring to emotional disorders associated respectively with the loss of appetite or an abnormal and constant craving for food. These puzzling and potentially fatal disorders are increasingly prevalent among teenage girls and women. Canadian research shows that only 6.7 percent of Anorexic cases are suffered by males. I could not possibly do justice to this problem in a newsletter of this kind, but I do want to provide some information that readers can research more on their own for personal information, or if someone is concerned about a relative or friend. The best place for this information I have found is at the ANAB (Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Association). ANAB is a registered, non-profit organisation located in Kingston, Ontario, and has been active since 1991. Their mission is "to facilitate, advocate and coordinate support for any individual directly or indirectly affected by eating disorders, and to raise public awareness through improved communication and the provision of education within our community." You can access ANAB through the Queens University Web site at this link. Alternatively you can call a trained volunteer 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week at +1-613-547-3684. The Web site is set-up as an information point for support groups and individuals around the Kingston area, including the Queens University campus, but volunteers can point you in the right direction for regional needs depending where you are. Their mailing address is: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Association 767 Bayridge Drive P.O. Box 20058 Kingston, ON K7P 1C0 ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == ANSWER TO THIS WEEKS QUESTION == Kim Campbell's announcement (which actually answers both parts of the question) was that after four years as Canada's consul-general in Los Angeles, she would not continue her posting after this September. Instead she has opted to spend time with her companion and partner, 31-year-old Hershey Felder. Ms. Campbell (53) will now divide her time between the east and west coasts of the United States, supporting his career as a classical pianist. Campbell has already committed to doing some speaking engagements in the Washington area and is thinking of writing another book. She will also remain the chairwoman of the Council of Women World Leaders. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø Well, that wraps up another week. Thanks to a loyal reader for the suggestion of the story on Lloydminster. Remember to speak up and let me know about what you want to read, or anything about which you may be curious that has sapid Canadian flavour. Please also keep those jokes coming -- eventually I will make them available together on the Web site. Canadian oriented is preferable, but I enjoy any kind of jokes. As usual, ideas can be sent to me at tashakat@home.com or john@factscanada.com and jokes can be sent to jokes@factscanada.com. Remember this is your newsletter. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == LINKS AND RESOURCES == FactsCanada.ca -- http://www.factscanada.ca NinerNet Communications Today's resources |
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