Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. it is the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people that live all over the world.
Here are some interesting facts about the holiday.
Chinese New Year is also known as Spring Festival. You can also hear it being called chunjie. Even though it is still cold this holiday marks the end of the coldest days. People welcome spring and what it means for them. Things like planting and harvest, new beginnings and fresh starts are celebrated.
This is a picture of lanterns that say Spring Festival.
You can also call it lunar new year because countries such as North and South Korea and Vietnam celebrate this as well. The Spring Festival also goes according to the lunar calendar.
2. There is no set date for Chinese New Year. On the lunar calendar the Spring Festival is on January 1 and last until January 15 (the full moon). Chinese New Year can range from January 21 February 20. This year Chinese New Year was on February 1. The lunar calendar is very important to people in China. China has moved to the Georgian calendar which is like the rest of the world. China still celebrates all traditional holidays such as the Winter Solstice. People even calculate their birthdays and ages according to the lunar calendar.
3. It is a day for praying to Gods. The Spring Festival was originally a day to pray to Gods for a good planting and harvest season. People also pray to their ancestors because they were treated as important as a God.
4.
The myths surrounding the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year was also very important. According to one legend a monster named Nian would come out every New Year’s Eve. Everybody would hide in their homes except one old man was brave enough to fight them off using fire cracked. The next day people celebrated their survival by setting off even more firecrackers. It is said that this is why firecrackers have become such an important part of the Spring Festival.
5. The most fireworks in the world are set off that night. The fireworks are supposed to scare off monsters and bad luck. People stay up on New Year’s Eve and set off the fireworks at midnight to welcome in the new year and bring good luck.
6. It is the longest Chinese holiday. Even though the Spring Festival is technically 15 days celebration start on New Year’s Eve making it 16 days. Some also believe that the holiday starts in lunar December with the Laba Festival. That makes it 40 days of celebrating! You must spend time with your family and can only go out after the 5th day passes. This is seen as a national holiday and most of the stores are closed. People will go out the month before to buy New Year’s products and cooking supplies such as snacks, gifts and new clothes.
7. The most important part of the Chinese New Year is the family coming together. Everyone should come back home for the New Year’s Eve dinner. Most elderly parents live in the rural village so children must take a vacation to go back home. It is called chunyun which means spring migration.
8. No showering, sweeping or taking out the garbage is allowed during the new year holiday. Showering is not allowed on New Year’s Day. Sweeping and throwing out garbage is allowed for the fifth of the month. There is an important reason for this, and it is because you don’t want to wash away any of the good luck that’s coming to you. However, there is a day before the Spring Festival that people can clean. This day is so that you can sweep away the bad luck and make room for the good luck to come. You are not allowed to get your hair cut before February 2. Other things that are seen as taboo during the holiday season are arguing or swearing, using scissors or any other sharp things, saying unlucky words like death and sickness and even breaking things.
9. Children receive lucky money in red envelopes. It is believed that it transfers fortune from the elders the children. Depending on the family children can receive up to $150 in each envelope.
10. There is a wine specifically for the Spring Festival. They even have a special saying it says, “There’s no manners and/or etiquette without wine. This means you need to have wine for every ceremony, festival or important dinner. When you’re eating with someone older than you especially with the New Year’s dinners, it is important that you follow strict toasting etiquette rules. There’s a special order of toasts, seating and even how you hold the wine glass
11. The Chinese decorate everything red for Chinese New Year. People will hang up red lanterns and paste red paper onto their doors and windows. It is also believed that buying new clothes will bring you good luck and help you to start over new and fresh. People will also add new red clothing to their spring Festival wardrobe for the same reason.
12. Chinese New Year ends with the lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival falls on the first full moon of the lunar year. In historical times girls were not allowed to go outside by themselves but on this night, they were able to walk around and look at the beautiful lanterns. For this reason, it is also known as Valentine’s Day in China.
13. Chinese New Year is celebrated all around the world. Statistically one out of every five people in the world is Chinese. But that doesn’t include the millions of overseas Chinese and people of Chinese descent. The holiday is celebrated with lots of parades, lion dances, lantern statues, fireworks and amazing food.
I thought we finished the class off by watching a ceremony in the Hyatt Hotel in Taipei.
Every February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and festivities that honour the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities.
The 2022 theme for Black History Month is: “February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day,” which focuses on recognizing the daily contributions that Black Canadians make to Canada.
From music and the arts to advancing political processes and building communities, Toronto would not be the cultural hub it is today without the dedication of its Black residents.
Although the pandemic is forcing celebrations online, there are still many ways to learn and celebrate Toronto’s Black history. At the bottom of this class, I will list a handful of virtual celebrations that any of you can attend if you wanted to!
Black Canadians and their communities have been a part of shaping Canada’s heritage and identity since the arrival of Mathieu Da Costa, a navigator, and interpreter, whose presence in Canada dates back to the early 1600s.
Mathieu Da Costa
The role of Black Canadians and their communities in Canada has largely been ignored as a key part of Canada’s history. There is little mention that some of the Loyalists who came here after the American Revolution and settled in the Maritimes were people of African descent, nor the fact that many soldiers of African descent made many sacrifices in wartime as far back as the War of 1812.
Few people in Canada are aware of the fact that African people were once enslaved in the territory that is now known as Canada, or of how those who fought enslavement helped to lay the foundation of Canada’s diverse and inclusive society.
Black History Month is a time to learn more about these Canadian stories and the many other important contributions that Black Canadians and their communities have made to the history and continued growth of this country.
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement on February 1, 2022 on Black History Month:
“Today marks the start of Black History Month. It is a time to honour the legacy of Black Canadians, past and present, and to recognize and celebrate the significant contributions they continue to make to our country.
“This year, the Government of Canada’s Black History Month theme is ‘February and Forever: Celebrating Black history today and every day.’ It invites us to pay tribute to, and learn more about, the important roles that Black Canadians have played in building and shaping a more prosperous, diverse, and inclusive Canada.
“Black Canadians and their communities have a long history of being trailblazers and change makers. Among them is Dr. Alexandra Bastiany, an advocate for diversity in medicine who recently became Canada’s first Black woman interventional cardiologist. Twenty-one-year-old Alphonso Davies from Edmonton is taking the soccer world by storm. Born to Liberian parents, he came to Canada at the age of five. He now plays for the Canadian men’s national soccer team and is a Global Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
“Black history is Canadian history. Canadians of African ancestry have been an integral part of the fabric of this land for centuries. While Black History Month is a time for learning and celebration, we cannot forget that people of African descent created Black History Month in opposition to anti‑Black racism, hate, and discrimination. Racism, hate, and discrimination continue to be a reality for many Canadians. We also know that the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed social and economic fractures in Canada. Inequality, injustice, and inherent privilege still exist in our society, and we must continue to work together to build a better and more inclusive future for all Canadians.
“As part of our strong commitment to combat all forms of anti‑Black racism and advance human rights and economic prosperity for Black Canadians, we officially recognized the United Nation’s International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-24). And we are making it a priority to develop a whole‑of‑government action plan to ensure equality before the law, eradicate systemic racism, and improve the social, health, and economic well‑being of Black Canadians.
“We continue to work in partnership with Black communities to advance this work. In 2020, we launched Canada’s first Black Entrepreneurship Program to support Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs – for whom barriers were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic – as they grow their businesses, and to empower them to succeed into the future. We also committed to developing a Black Canadians Justice Strategy in consultation and cooperation with provinces, territories, and Black Canadians.
“We will continue to build on historic investments to community organizations that are at the heart of Black Canadian communities. From recently supporting 1,400 projects with Black-led organizations across Canada to moving forward with the implementation of the Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund. As part of Canada’s Anti‑Racism Strategy, we continue to provide resources to communities and organizations to eliminate inequities and tackle racism.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I encourage everyone to learn more about Black Canadian history, as we strive to make our country stronger, fairer, and more inclusive. Let’s aspire to be a society where all Black Canadians can succeed and prosper.”
African Americans march in Washington, D.C., to protest racial discrimination in the United States during the 1960s
How did black history month start?
Due to lack of documentation of accomplishments of black people, historian Carter G. Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. It was then declared that in 1926 the second week of February would be “Negro History Week” to honour these individuals and the contributions to history that they have achieved.
The second week of February was chosen because it includes the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass, and abolitionist (someone who wanted to end the practice of enslaving people), and former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln led the United States during the Civil War, which was primarily fought over the enslavement of Black people in the country. Many schools and leaders began recognizing the week after its creation.
The week-long event officially became Black History Month in 1976 when U.S. president Gerald Ford extended the recognition to “honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Black History Month has been celebrated in the United States every February since, and was picked up in other countries across the world.
Kehinde Wiley
Kehinde Wiley is an American portrait painter based in New York City, who is known for his highly naturalistic paintings of Black people, frequently referencing the work of Old Master paintings.
He was commissioned in 2017 to paint a portrait of former President Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, which has portraits of all previous American presidents.
Wiley has gained recent acclaim for his heroic portraits which address the image and status of young African-American men in contemporary culture.
Wiley was born in Los Angeles, California. His father is from Nigeria, and his mother is African American. Wiley has a twin brother. When Wiley was a child, his mother wanted him and his brother to stay out of the streets and so she supported their interest in art and enrolled them in after-school art classes. At the age of 11, Wiley and his brother were selected with 48 other kids to spend a short time at a conservatory of art in Russia, just outside St. Petersburg. It was here that Wiley developed his passion for portraiture. Wiley noted that his brother was better at portraiture than he was and this created a competitive sense between them. The siblings would compete to see who could recreate the most realistic images. He continued with other classes in the US and attended high school at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
The twins were raised by their mother; once their father, who had come to the US as a scholarship student, finished his studies, he returned to Nigeria, leaving their mother to raise the couple’s six children. Wiley has said that his family survived on welfare checks and the limited income earned by his mother’s ‘thrift store’ – which consisted of a patch of sidewalk outside their home. Wiley traveled to Nigeria at the age of 20 to meet his father and explore his family roots there. Wiley earned his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999 and his MFA from Yale University, School of Art in 2001; before becoming an artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem, who Wiley has later stated “made him the artist he is today.”
His portraits are based on photographs of young men whom Wiley sees on the street. He has painted men from Harlem’s 125th Street, as well as the South Central Los Angeles neighborhood where he was born. Dressed in street clothes, his models were asked to assume poses from the paintings of Renaissance masters, such as Titian and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
simeon the god receiver which is at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Former President Barack Obama and artist Kehinde Wiley unveil his portrait during a ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Events in Toronto to Celebrate Black History Month:
Partake in Black and Canadian: Stories of Service presented by BAND
Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND) Gallery & Cultural Centre is launching a new exhibition in partnership with UPlift Black Arts in Barrie, Ontario. Highlighting the contributions of Black military officers, Black and Canadian: Stories of Service acknowledges the work of Black folks who served our country.
The exhibition opens virtually on February 3, before a virtual talk with guest speakers Dr. Cheryl Thompson and Jane Cooper Wilson examining the process of record-keeping and the creation of national narratives on February 12 from 2 pm to 4:30 pm.
Virtually attend Aurora’s Black History Celebration Opening Ceremony
With live entertainment, speakers, educational presentations, giveaways, and so much more Aurora’s Black History Month opening ceremony is not one to miss.
Taking proceedings online again this year, guests will enjoy an hour and a half long celebration on February 5 at 6 pm, and a closing and awards ceremony on February 26. While the event is free, attendees are encouraged to support the events by sponsoring the Rise-up Grant Award, or any of the various other community programs for Black and BIPOC Youths and families.
Have a movie night with the Toronto Black Film Festival
#TBFF is back this year to immerse you in Black film and media from February 16 to 21 with a flurry of features films and short movies. Entering its tenth year virtually, the opening film will be streaming on the online platform starting February 16 at 7 pm. All-access passes are available for $99 or tune into specific viewings at an individual price.
Attend Daniel Pauly’s The Ocean’s Whistleblower talk at TPL
This year, the Toronto Public Library has a number of events and talks to help Torontonians celebrate and explore the city’s Black history. On Monday, February 7, TPL will host a discussion on climate change with esteemed scientists and marine biologist, Daniel Pauly.
Pauly will share his extraordinary life and career in ocean sciences with Sarika Cullis-Suzuki and discusses how knowledge of environmental degradation is lost over time, leading to a misguided understanding of what we have helped destroy.
Take part in Durham’s Annual Black History Month Celebration
Celebrating 15 years of operation, Durham’s annual Black History Month celebration kicks off with an hour-long virtual event on February 5 from 7 to 8 pm. According to organizers. the event’s theme, “Fifteen,” will reflect on the events “that continue to shape the tone and direction of diversity across Canada and in Durham region over the past 15 years.”
Take part in Durham’s Annual Black History Month Celebration
Celebrating 15 years of operation, Durham’s annual Black History Month celebration kicks off with an hour-long virtual event on February 5 from 7 to 8 pm. According to organizers. the event’s theme, “Fifteen,” will reflect on the events “that continue to shape the tone and direction of diversity across Canada and in Durham region over the past 15 years.”
Steve Harvey is a comedian, radio and TV host and he has also written relationship advice books.
Who is Steve Harvey?
Steve Harvey’s success has started in stand up comedy. He was able to get a hosting job on the so-called Showtime at the Apollo.
He became one of the four comedians that were featured in Spike Lee’s show called The Original Kings of Comedy.
In 2000 launched his radio show that centred around his best-selling relationship book called Act Like A Lady Think like a Man.
He went on to host daytime talk shows and is currently hosting the game show Family Feud.
Early Life and Career
Steve Harvey’s real name is Broderick Steve Harvey. He was born in Welch West Virginia on January 17, 1957.
He was the youngest of 5 children born to Eloise and Jesse Harvey. His father was a coal miner who passed away in 2000 of black lung disease.
When Steve was young his family moved to Cleveland and he graduated from Glenville high school in 1974.
He went back to West Virginia to attend university.
Once he finished university he spent his early 20s working a few odd jobs such as an insurance salesman, post man, he even tried boxing.
Showtime at the Apollo and Steve Harvey Show
In 1993 he took over as the host of Showtime at the Apollo. This was a variety show that was filmed in Harlem’s legendary Apollo theatre. He stayed on the show until the year 2000.
In 1996 he got a star in his own sitcom called the Steve Harvey show. Tt was on the air until 2002.
The Kings of Comedy
Steve Harvey and Cedric The Entertainer joined Bernie Mac and D.L. Hughley the form of four-man comedy tour. It became a nationwide hit.
In 1999 The Kings of Comedy was the highest grossing comedy tour ever to hit the United States. It brought in more than $19 million in ticket sales.
Steve and the 3 other performers became national celebrities very quickly.
They became even more popular because of the release of Spike Lee’s 2000 documentary called The Original Kings of Comedy. The film showed highlights of the tonight show in North Carolina with a very excited audience.
Everyone who saw the movie agreed. The film only cost the million to make but earned more than $38 million at the box office.
Steve’s role as the MC Of the Kings of Comedy remains the most iconic performance of his career.
He was able to use the fame of the film to build a virtual one-man multimedia empire.
Radio Show, More Film and TV Roles
in 2000 he started a daily talk radio show called The Steve Harvey Morning Show.
When it first started it only aired in Los Angeles and Dallas. But eventually it gained in popularity and became nationally syndicated, and it still airs daily on dozens of stations across the country.
He won Radio and Records magazines Nationally Syndicated Personality/Show of the Year Award in 2007.
While he was working on being a radio personality, Steve continued to look for work in stand up and acting as well.
He began hosting a show called Steve Harvey’s Big Time which aired from 2003 to 2005.
in 2003 Steve made his big-screen acting debut in the movie called The Fighting Temptations.
In 2004 he was in a movie called You Got Served and Johnson family vacation.
He started as a voice actor in the animated film called Racing Stripes in 2005.
Books
in 2009 Steve became a best-selling author of relationship advice books. This is because of a segment on his radio show which he gave funny but blunt advice to women callers regarding their relationships with men.
In 2009 Steve released his book Act like a Lady, Think like a Man and in 2010 second book called straight Talk, No Chaser were both on the bestseller lists.
Act like a Lady, Think like a Man was actually made into a movie in 2012 called Think like a Man.
Family Feud and Talk Shows
in 2010 Steve started hosting the iconic show Family Feud. He felt at home there because he was able to work with every day and use his humour and wit during the show.
In 2012 he launched his daytime talk show called Steve Harvey
he won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards and an NAACP Image Award.
Miss Universe and Little Big Shots
in 2015 Steve hosted the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas. He made a major mistake by announcing Miss Columbia as the winner and then correcting himself and declaring Miss Philippines the winner.
Despite that mistake Steve was asked to host again in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
In 2016 NBC aired a show called Little Big Shots and Steve was asked to host the show.
It showcased kids showing their talents that included music, dancing and martial arts.
The show was renewed for 2017 and 2018.
In 2019 Melissa McCarthy replaced Steve as the host.
Personal and Family Life
Steve is a born again Christian and has been married 3 times. He has twin daughters Brandi and Carli, and his son named Broderick Jr from his first marriage, and a son Wynton from his second marriage.
He enjoys spending time with his large blended family. His third wife Marjorie came to the marriage with three children of her own. He married Marjorie in 2007.
Steve runs the Steve Harvey Foundation which has mentoring programs that mentor young men.
Recently we had a chance to talk about Irene’s interests as well as Jean Luc’s and Carolyn’s, but we still have half the class left! Today we’re going to talk a little bit about one of Gabriel’s interests. Bobbi will be doing a full class on all of the questions he answered, but today we will focus on thing, his dream vacation, Disneyland!
On the questionnaire, Gabe specified Disneyland, but we’ll discuss a bit about both LAND and WORLD today!
Did you all know that Disneyland is located in Anaheim California, and Disneyworld is located in Orlando Florida?
WALT DISNEY WORLD – MAGIC KINGDOM – FLORIDA
DISNEYLAND PARK – CALIFORNIA
So, lets talk a bit about the two parks!
Disneyland Park (Anaheim, California)
Founded in 1955
It was the only theme park designed and built to completion under the direct supervision of Walt Disney himself
The name of the amusement park was originally Disneyland, but changed to Disneyland Park after the expansion of the surrounding complex which plays host to many other attractions
After many years of being open, the park has seen numerous expansions of its own, which saw them build new areas right over the original parking lot
The park has a larger historic attendance than any other theme park in the world, with 726 million visits since it opened (as of Dec 2018). In 2018 alone, they were the second most visited amusement park in the world with 18.6 million visits, which was only trumped by the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida
Disneyland is in a prohibited airspace zone, so no aircrafts (even drones) can fly over head of it. The only other places in America with this level of air protection are the other Disney amusement park, military bases, and whenever the president travels outside of Washington
Walt Disney World (Orlando, Florida)
Founded in 1971
If you added up the number of employees at every other Disney property worldwide—Disneyland Resort in California, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Shanghai Disney Resort—you’d still fall around 5,000 people short of the 70,000 folks who work at Walt Disney World in Florida
When Disney’s Magic Kingdom first opened in October 1971, admission set guests back just $3.50. With inflation, that’s about $21 today, but unfortunately the one day pass now costs around $109
The American flags at the park are fake! This is so the park doesn’t have to worry about putting their flags at half-mast during times of mourning for the country, so they are purposely made with a missing stripe or star
The lost and found collects around 6,000 cell phones, 3,500 cameras, and 18,000 hats each year
Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park is bigger than Disneyland as a whole. Disney’s Magic Kingdom spans 142 acres, while Disneyland in Anaheim, California, covers just 85 acres (Both sound teeny tiny when you consider that Disney World as a whole is some 25,600 acres)
You can’t buy gum at Disney World. In order to protect the park from unsightly globs of gum, Disney World stopped selling the stuff. It isn’t banned, but if guests want a piece, they’ll have to bring (and hide) their own
Accessibility at the parks
Walt Disney World and Disneyland Park are two of the top wheelchair-accessible vacation destinations because almost every aspect of Disney World is at least somewhat accessible, giving all guests the opportunity to ride the rides, enjoy the shows, and travel via on-site transportation from park to park.
There are wheelchair-accessible rides at all four of Disney’s theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom, as well as at Disneyland Park in California. Each of these parks has rides in which someone can remain in their own wheelchair throughout the duration of the ride. People can board the ride in their manual or motorized wheelchair and enjoy it without having to transfer onto the ride and leave the wheelchair at the loading and unloading zone.
Some of the most popular and fan-favorite wheelchair-accessible rides in the Orlando park include Jungle Cruise, Toy Story Mania, Kilimanjaro Safari, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and it’s a small world.
Both Disney websites also make it very easy to look up the accessibility of each ride, giving people an opportunity to learn about the types of accessibility the rides provide before entering the park. This makes it easier to plan ahead and make choices during your day in the park.
Most of the Disney shows, both inside and out, are wheelchair accessible with designated spaces to give wheelchair users a proper vantage point to view the show. This goes for the parades (currently being replaced with pop-up cavalcades) and street shows as well.
The accessibility of these shows extends beyond physical access: the parks offer options for audio and visual accessibility or assistance as well.
The modes of transportation Disney provides include the Monorail, buses, ferries, and the Skyliner, all of which are wheelchair accessible. All of these modes of transportation are easy to access for wheelchair users, with an almost seamless boarding process, allowing wheelchair users to remain in their wheelchair throughout the duration of the ride.
Disney resorts deliver an excellent accessible experience as well. Pool access lifts are available at resorts, giving wheelchair users a way to enter and enjoy the pool quickly. The rooms themselves have accessible amenities like roll-in showers and easy-to-navigate floor space with smart layouts, making it simple to enjoy your stay and have room for your luggage, guests and at-home necessities.
Disney also has a Disability Access Service (DAS). This service is for guests who cannot tolerate long lines and gives them the option to visit an attraction at a later time. Guests who use DAS are given a time or appointment with a ride, which takes the current wait time into consideration, giving them the opportunity to explore the park and take a turn on the ride without waiting in the ride line.
I found a lot of the information regarding accessibility at Disney from their website and also from Cory Lee. He also uploaded videos on YouTube all about this, so lets take a look at one of them!
Bob Saget was a comedian, TV personality and actor who was very successful on the sitcom called Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos.
Who was Bob Saget?
Bob was born in 1956 in Philadelphia.
In 1987, he was on the show called The Morning Program for a short time.
Also, in 1987 he starred as TV’s most iconic dad on the show called Full House.
Early Life
Bob was born on May 17, 1956, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
His parents realized he had a great talent for being funny when he was an early age, when he would get kisses from girls in kindergarten just for making them laugh.
When he was nine years old, he started making movies with a super 8 camera.
Believe it or not Bob initially decided he wanted to go into medicine. His grades were good enough and got even worse when his family moved from Philadelphia to Encino California when he was a teenager. He returned to Philadelphia for his last year in high school.
He went to university at Temple University where he pursued his love of film.
He made a short documentary called Through Adam’s Eyes. It was about a boy who had surgery to correct a genetic defect. He received a student Academy Award in 1978 for this documentary.
After he graduated from Temple University in 1978 he went to the film school at University of Southern California. That didn’t last long though he said, “I quit after a couple of days, I was a cocky, overweight 22-year-old. Then I had a gangrenous appendix taken out, almost died, and I got over being cocky or overweight.
Aspiring Comic
Bob stayed in Los Angeles and started to use his natural comic instincts to turn them into a standup routine.
He spent years on the comic club circuit and developed his act based on free association and his own unique commentary.
Being successful was very important to Bob. He worked very hard become as successful as he was.
He still managed to have some time for a social life. He ended up marrying attorney Sherri Kramer in 1983. They had been dating since high school.
While on the road he met Brad Grey became his manager.
He got a big break in 1987 when he joined the CBS show The Morning Program in an effort to add some humour to the show. It was short-lived though because CBS producers were upset because Bob was seen as being too hot for the morning show time slot.
Full House
Six months after Bob left The Morning Program Full House started filming. This show proved to be Bob’s greatest achievement and success.
He played Danny Tanner. He was a widow father of 3 children.
The idea of the show was that his brother-in-law played by John Stamos and his friend Joey played by Dave Coulier would move in to help the family.
Critics didn’t really like the show, but the audiences loved it and it reached the top 20 soon after it premiered in the fall of 1987.
It was the perfect fit for the Friday night timeslot because it was about family and had 3 cute kids.
In 1990 Bob became the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos.
The premise of the show was that viewers would send in their humorous video clips to win a prize.
Bob would provide commentary surrounding the clips.
The show did very well in the ratings and went to top 10 in a matter of weeks after it debuted in January 1990.
After Full House was cancelled in 1995, Bob decided to take on a project that was close to his heart.
He directed the 1996 television movie called For Hope which centred around a woman who suffered from scleroderma an auto immune disease.
In 2001 he took the leading role in the series called raising dad it was cancelled after the first season. He played a popular English teacher raising two teenage girls.
In 2005 Bob was in The Aristocrats. It was a movie about a famous dirty joke.
He also became the narrator of the show called How I Met Your Mother.
He had a guest appearance on the comedy show Entourage.
In 2006, Bob went on to write, produce and provide some of the voices for the nature documentary called Farce of the Penguins. He also returned to television becoming the host of the primetime game show 1 vs 100.
In 2007 he created his own standup special called Bob Saget: That Ain’t Right. He also made his Broadway debut in the show called The Drowsy Chaperone.
In 2009 Bob returned to television with the family sitcom called Surviving Suburbia. He was a husband and father of two in the series.
In 2014, his standup comedy album called That’s What I’m Talking about was nominated for the Grammy Award of Best Comedy Album.
From 2016 to 2020, Bob reprised his role of Danny Tanner on the reboot of Full House called Fuller House.
Bob passed away very unexpectedly on January 9, 2022 at the age of 65.
The average depth of the ocean is about 12,100 feet.
The deepest part of the ocean is called the Challenger Deep and is located beneath the western Pacific Ocean in the southern end of the Mariana Trench, which runs several hundred kilometers southwest of the U.S. territorial island of Guam. Challenger Deep is approximately 36,200 feet deep. It is named after the HMS Challenger, whose crew first sounded the depths of the trench in 1875. The voyage took place long before the invention of sonar and other deep sea measurement techniques, so they conducted this test using simple lead weights tethered to long ropes.
A little fact about the Challenger Deep – it is a protected national monument. The area of ocean is in the territorial waters of Guam, which is a US territory. Because of this, on January 6th, 2009, President George W. Bush established the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. This makes the area a safeguarded zone, so you cannot visit it, thus creating protection from any waste dumping including fishing nets to protect the marine ecosystem
It has been suggested that more is known about the Moon than the deepest parts of the ocean.
Four manned descents and three unmanned descents have been achieved beginning in 1960.
Victor Vescovo achieved a new record descent to 10,928 meters (35,853 ft) on 28 April 2019 using the DSV Limiting Factor, a Triton 36000/2 model manufactured by Florida-based Triton Submarines. He dived four times between 28 April and 5 May 2019, becoming the first person to dive into Challenger Deep more than once.
Scientists assumed that there could be no life this deep into the oceans, but they were wrong. Beginning in the late 1970’s they started discovering colonies of shrimps and other organisms.
The new discoveries revealed groups of creatures that obtained nutrients and energy directly from thermal sources and chemical reactions associated with changes to mineral deposits. So there is no need for there to be sun for their survival.
Aside from the immense pressure when this deep in water, the environment in some areas can be extremely cold, or extremely hot as some areas can reach up to 150 degrees celcius due the high concentrations of salt produced there, with some areas as high as 450 degrees due to water escaping from vents in the ocean floor.
The revolutionary discovery that life can exist under these extreme conditions changed opinions about the chances of there being life elsewhere in the universe
Creatures of the deep
Instead of relying on gas for their buoyancy, many deep-sea species have jelly-like flesh consisting mostly of glycosaminoglycans, which provides them with very low density.
Because light is so scarce, fish often have larger than normal, tubular eyes. Their upward field of vision allows them to seek out the silhouette of possible prey.
Creatures that have been found specifically in the Mariana Trench
The expedition conducted in 1960 claimed to have observed, with great surprise because of the high pressure, large creatures living at the bottom, such as a flatfish about 30 cm (12 in) long, and shrimp. Many marine biologists are now skeptical of the supposed sighting of the flatfish, and it is suggested that the creature may instead have been a sea cucumber.
flat fish
sea cucumber
During the second expedition, the unmanned vehicle Kaikō collected mud samples from the seabed. Tiny organisms were found to be living in those samples.
In July 2011, a research expedition deployed untethered landers, called dropcams, equipped with digital video cameras and lights to explore this deep sea region. Among many other living organisms, some gigantic single-celled amoebas with a size of more than 10 cm (4 in), belonging to the class of monothalamea, were observed. Monothalamea are noteworthy for their size, their extreme abundance on the seafloor, and their role as hosts for a variety of organisms.
monothalamea
In December 2014, a new species of snailfish was discovered at a depth of 8,145 m (26,722 ft), breaking the previous record for the deepest living fish seen on video.
snailfish
During the 2014 expedition, several new species were filmed, including huge amphipods known as supergiants. Deep-sea gigantism is the process where species grow larger than their shallow-water relatives.
supergiant amphipods
In May 2017, an unidentified type of snailfish was filmed at a depth of 8,178 meters (26,800 ft).
Other deep sea dwellers
Because there SO many vast areas of oceans that have yet to be explored, there are many creatures that have yet to be discovered. In areas that are not as deep as the Mariana Trench, there are still other species that have been discovered who live in the deep sea, that are just as interesting or more so than the ones discovered many meters below them.
One of my personal favourites is the anglerfish! There are very few documented videos about this creature, so little is known about how it truly operates in it’s own environment.
anglerfishan anglerfish in FINDING NEMO
There is still so much that has yet to be discovered in our vast oceans, and time will tell what other explorations will uncover!
Betty White was an American comedy actress. She starred in programs like the Mary Tyler Moore show, the Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland. Her career spanned over 8 decades.
Who was Betty White?
She began her TV career in the late 1930s.
She was in the show called Life with Elizabeth in the 1950s. Her popularity as a TV personality group because of appearances on talk, game and variety shows.
She began acting in the show called the Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s and in the 1980s she starred in the show called the Golden girls.
In 2010 Betty joined the cast of Hot in Cleveland and later that year also became the oldest host of Saturday Night Live.
It was because of a lot of Facebook posts asking for her to be a host on the show.
Early Life and Career
Betty was born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park Illinois. Her full name is Betty Marion White Ludden.
She was an only child to Horace and Tess White. Her father was an electrical engineer and her mother a homemaker.
She was 2 years old when the whole family moved to Los Angeles.
Betty got her start when she started working as an assistant at a local television station.
In the 1950s she developed a television series called Life with Elizabeth with George Tibbles. She said, “He wrote and I produced. I was one of the 1st women producers in Hollywood.” The idea of the show came from a sketch she had previously done on local television.
Betty made guest appearances on such shows like the United States Steel Hour and Petticoat Junction. She was also a favourite guest of the talk show host Jack Parr who at that time was doing The Tonight Show. She made regular appearances on game shows such as Password and she even met her 3rd husband Alan Ludden on that show in 1961.
TV stardom
Betty was on the television series the Mary Tyler Moore show. She played Sue Ann Nivens. The audience enjoyed her sweet smile, her sense of humour and sharp wit. She won 2 Emmy awards for her work on the series.
Betty Starred on the popular 1980s sitcom the Golden Girls. She played a very naïve character named Rose Nylund. She acted alongside Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty.
The Golden Girls was one of the top ranked shows during his 7 seasons on the air and it won numerous awards including another Emmy award for Betty.
Later In Her Career
When the Golden Girls went off the air in 1992 there was a spinoff series called Golden Palace.
she had a lot of different guest star appearances. In 1996 Betty appeared on the John Larroquette show and received another Emmy for that appearance.
She appeared on the show called Boston legal and on the soap opera called The Bold and the Beautiful.
she even got to guest star alongside Sandra Bullock in the romantic comedy called The Proposal.
in 2010 she appeared in a candy bar commercial during the Super Bowl.
in 2012 Betty starred in her own show called Betty White’s Off Their Rockers. It aired from 2012 to 2017 and centered around having hidden cameras showing older people playing jokes on the younger generations. She won another Emmy award for this show.
she celebrated her 90th birthday on the Ellen.
Personal Life
she works with the Los Angeles Zoo and the Morris Animal Foundation for more than four decades. She was very proud of this and said, “I am actually the luckiest old broad alive. Half my life is working in the profession I love and the other half is working with animals.”
She was married three times and said that her third husband was the love of her life. His name was Allan Ludden.
They were married from 1963 until he died in 1981. Betty was previously married to WWII pilot Dick Parker and Theatre Agent Lane Allan.
Betty White died on December 31, 2021, at the tender age of 99.
her birthday January 17 was declared Betty White day in her hometown.
Full House is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show chronicles the events of widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three daughters, eldest D.J., middle child Stephanie and youngest Michelle in his San Francisco home. It aired from September 22, 1987, to May 23, 1995, broadcasting eight seasons and 192 episodes.
One of the producers, Dennis Rinsler, called the show “The Brady Bunch of the 1990s”
After the death of his wife Pam, sports anchor Danny Tanner recruits his brother-in-law (Pam’s younger brother) Jesse, a rock musician, and his best friend since childhood, Joey, who works as a stand-up comedian, to help raise his three young daughters—DJ, Stephanie and Michelle. Over time, the three men, as well as the girls, bond and become closer to one another.
In season two, Danny is reassigned from his duties as sports anchor by his television station to become co-host of a new local breakfast TV show, Wake Up, San Francisco, and is teamed up with Nebraska native Rebecca Donaldson. Jesse and Rebecca (“Becky”) eventually fall in love and get married in season four. In season five, Becky gives birth to twin sons, Nicholas (“Nicky”) and Alexander (“Alex”).
CASTINGFACTS
The producers’ first choice to play the character of Danny Tanner was Bob Saget. Saget was not available to appear in the pilot due to his commitment as an on-air contributor to CBS’s The Morning Program. The producers instead cast actor John Posey to play Danny. Posey only appeared in the show’s unaired pilot; which is included on the DVD release of Season 1.
John Stamos’s character was originally named Jesse Cochran; Stamos reportedly wanted his character to better reflect his Greek heritage, so producers decided to change the character’s surname to Katsopolis (beginning with season two).
To comply with child labor laws, twins Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley were cast to alternate in the role of Michelle during tapings. The girls were jointly credited as “Mary Kate Ashley Olsen” in seasons two through seven because the producers did not want audiences to know that the Michelle character was played by twins. The sisters occasionally appeared together in fantasy sequences. Full House was one of the few shows on TV where a baby character grew up in front of the cameras, with viewers witnessing all the development stages of the twin actresses. Saget recalled he would often get complaints from the child actors’ moms because he wouldn’t watch his language while on stage.
All seven of the original cast members remained with the show through its entire eight-year run, with five characters added to the main cast along the way. D.J.’s best friend Kimmy was a recurring character in seasons one through four, who was upgraded to a regular in season five. Rebecca originally appeared for six episodes in season two; producers decided to expand her role and made her a regular the following season.
DJ and Kimmy
Aunt Becky
FILMING LOCATIONS
Although the series was set in San Francisco, the sitcom itself was taped at the Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles. Outside of certain excerpts in the opening title sequences, including Alamo Square Park’s Painted Ladies, the only episode to have actually been taped in San Francisco was the first episode of season eight, “Comet’s Excellent Adventure”. There were also a few episodes which were filmed on-location elsewhere, most notably Hawaii in the season three premiere “Tanner’s Island”, and at Walt Disney World for the two-part sixth-season finale “The House Meets the Mouse”.
WHY THE SHOW CAME TO AN END
In 1995, despite the fact the show was still rated in the top 25, ABC announced that it was canceling the show after eight seasons due to the increasing costs of producing the series. By the end of the show, the average cost of one episode was $1.3 million.
FULLER HOUSE
In August 2014, reports circulated that Warner Bros. Television was considering a series sequel. John Stamos, who has an ownership stake in the show, headed up the attempt to get the series back into production.Netflix closed a deal to produce a 13-episode sequel series tentatively titled Fuller House, with many of the original series cast members reprising their roles. Notably, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen both declined to reprise the role of Michelle in the first season, although the creators and producers said they could still possibly appear in future seasons. Stamos would guest star as well and serve as producer.
Filming began on July 25, 2015. Like the original series, the show is set in San Francisco. The original series idea was focused on D.J., a veterinarian struggling to raise three boys after her firefighter husband Tommy Fuller is killed in the line of duty; Stephanie, who is aspiring to become a musician; and Kimmy, who is a party planner and a single mother to a teenage daughter, Ramona. The show’s premise follows one similar to the original series when Stephanie makes plans to put her career on hold for a while and move in with D.J. to help take care of her children. Almost immediately afterward, Kimmy makes the same offer for her and Ramona to move in and help out. Netflix premiered the series on February 26, 2016, with the premiere episode featuring a Tanner family reunion. After five seasons, the series concluded on June 2, 2020.
Here are some fun facts about someone that is born on August 7th.
The zodiac sign name is Leo the lion
the date range of someone that is under the sign of Leo is July 23 to August 22.
There are even lucky colours for this person. They are gold, yellow, and orange
The lucky day for this person is on a Sunday.
Lucky numbers for the zodiac sign our 1, 3, 10, and 19.
People that are more compatible for someone that is a Leo are Aquarius and Gemini.
The zodiac sign Leo is represented by the lion. A person that is the Leo sign is vibrant, and entertaining. They are often found to be very dramatic, expressive and love attention. A common stereotype for this sign is that they are attention seeking and egotistical but a person that is the Leo has a wonderful great big heart.
What do you think do any of those describe Jean-Luc?
His favourite foods are tacos and salsa.
His favourite show is Family Guy and his favourite movie is Top Gun.
Jean-Luc enjoys watching movies, TV shows and listening to music on his iPad. His favourite sport is swimming and he loves to go on vacation to Blue Mountain.
Jean-Luc’s favourite animal is a dog.
His favourite artist is Justin Bieber.
Jean-Luc would like me to mention that this questionnaire was filled out using his communication device and using his fingers for choices that are not in communication device by pointing at it. He was assisted by Louie Mata.
I hope you enjoy this funny video with Justin Bieber to end today’s class.
Thank you Jean-Luc, for letting us celebrate you today!
We want to wish you all a wonderful and and safe holiday season, and a happy new year!
Today marks our last class of this year, and we will resume with regular classes every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:00pm beginning on January 11th, 2022!
NYDP Communication Enrichment Class 