Articles tagged with: Canadian News and Trends
Picture of the Week: Halloween
North Americans take Halloween seriously. As soon as the back-to-school displays are gone, they are replaced by gooey candies and a wide range of merchandises sporting skulls, bats, pumpkins, skeletons and the like. Be afraid, be very afraid…
Canadians Behind The Camera
My story with Canadian cinema didn’t start very well. When I first came here, Feng dragged me to see Men with Brooms. Keeping in mind I barely spoke English and didn’t know much about Canada, I automatically assumed it was a comedy about… guys doing housekeeping, a bit like Mrs. Doubtfire. Well, turned out it was a movie about curling. I didn’t even know curling was a sport.
Occupy Ottawa
Last Saturday began “Occupy Ottawa”, a movement modelled on the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in New York. Lots of people showed up at Confederation Park despite the cold and the rain and it was very interesting to watch. I stayed there most of the afternoon for the General Assembly during which were voted the basics of the movement (where, why, how etc.).
Picture of the Week: iSad
Right after it was announced Steve Jobs passed away, the Apple Store at the Rideau Centre became an impromptu memorial to his legacy. It started with one post-it note, then two, three… and now the entire glass door that separate the two entrances is covered with little notes, some witty or empathic, written in different languages.
How to Avoid... Scammers
Recently, an unbelievable story made the headlines in France. For three year, a number of internauts supported Noa, a bubbly seventeen-year old blogger, in her fight against cancer. One day, Noa passes away from the illness, announces Salomé, her twin sister. Salomé, a ski champion, starts blogging as well and gathers quite a following among people still distraught by Noa’s tragic death.
Four Twenty
In Ottawa, the gathering takes place today on Parliament Hill and Major Hill. When the clock on the Peace Tower strikes 4:20, bam, light up your spliff and enjoy—just make sure you don’t burn a passing RCMP Officer with your lit joint (guess what, Parliament Hill is not exactly cop-free).
8 North American Social Events and Traditions You May Not Know
How can you translate something that doesn’t actually exist in your home country? Most French will understand “Halloween” or “Thanksgiving” (thank you Hollywood!) but chances are a lot have never heard of “Boxing Day” or “Tailgates parties”. I know I hadn’t anyway.
Spring is Campaign Signs Season
It’s spring, flowers are blooming, the grass is green and… nope actually. Sorry, I was dreaming. It’s still cold and the only thing that seems to be growing these days are campaign signs. These big pieces of cardboard, commonly known as “lawn signs”, popped up magically the night after the federal elections were announced and are now spreading across the country. In fact, some signs were even up before the election was called!
