Hiring Street, 900 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON (2026)

07/24/2017

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Pride

Pride month is coming to a close, so here are 10 things you didn’t know about pride:

1. The original Pride flag had two additional colors.

The flag originally created had eight colors: red, orange, yellow, green blue, purple, pink, and turquoise. It was developed in the early 1970’s in San Fransisco by Gilbert Baker. According to Mic, the pink color resembled “sex” and the turquoise color resembled “the arts”. The two additional colors were cut out from production because it was cheaper to produce more flags without pink and turquoise. This became the standard, so later flags only included the initial six colors.

2. Only two U.S presidents have acknowledged Pride month.

According to Mic, the first president to issue a Pride month proclamation was Bill Clinton. In 1998, President Clinton issued Proclamation No. 7316 for Pride Month which reads:

“THIS JUNE, RECOGNIZING THE JOYS AND SORROWS THAT THE GAY AND LE***AN MOVEMENT HAS WITNESSED AND THE WORK THAT REMAINS TO BE DONE, WE OBSERVE GAY AND LE***AN PRIDE MONTH AND CELEBRATE THE PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE IN CREATING A SOCIETY MORE INCLUSIVE AND ACCEPTING OF G**S AND LE***ANS.”

In 2016, President Obama released a presidential proclamation for LGBT Pride month, which can be read here:

3. Pride commemorates the Stonewall Inn riots.

On June 28th, 1969, police had raided StoneWall Inn, a gay bar in New York. This was not uncommon, as in 1969, it was illegal for LGBT people to meet in public places, and so bars or clubs were often raided by law enforcement. In 1969, homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder by the American Psychological Association.

However, on June 28th, 1969 also marked an important beginning. Three days of riots and protests ensued that have influenced and inspired the modern-day Pride parade.

4. The Pentagon held their first Pride in 2012.

According to the Huffington Post, in June 2012, the Pentagon held their first Pride event, which included a discussion panel titled “The Value of Open Service and Diversity”. This wasn’t so much a parade with celebration as it was an informative discussion, but it was a discussion that was important to have and still went down in history as the first pride event held at the Pentagon. Keep in mind that this was nearly two years since “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was repealed in 2010.

5. The largest flag in the world, for a period of time, was the Rainbow Flag.

NY Daily News reports that the largest flag in the world was used in New York City in 1994 (well, for its time). In 1994, flag creator Gilbert Baker commissioned to make a mile-long Rainbow Flag. It measured thirty feed wide by a mile long, and thousands of marchers and volunteers gathered on First Avenue to make it happen. It was recorded to be one of the largest flags in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records, and after the parade, pieces of it were cut up to be taken home by sponsors, activists, volunteers, and so on. An even longer Rainbow Flag was later displayed in a Pride celebration in Key West, Florida, ranging 1.25 miles long.

6. The only Pride celebration on the African continent is in South Africa.

The Huffington Post reports that South Africa is home to the only Pride celebration on the African continent. However, these parades have been ongoing since 1990. These events are typically held in Johannesburg or Cape Town. Shaun De Waal and Anthony Manion outline the history of South African pride marches in their book Pride: Protest and Celebration. Pride touches on the fact that African pride parades have been used for “political advocacy protesting against legal discrimination against LGBT people” and for celebration of equality before law.

7. The “Flag of the Races” inspired Baker’s Rainbow Flag.

According to the Carleton Sexuality and Gender Center, the initial inspiration for the Rainbow Flag came from the five-striped “Flag of the Races”, which is red, black, brown, yellow, and white. This same flag was used as the flag used as the World Peace Association Brotherhood Flag.

8. The “Mother of Pride” is bisexual rights activist Brenda Howard.

The first Pride parade, according to Advocate.com, was the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, organized by bisexual woman Brenda Howard. It covered fifty-one blocks to Central Park. A year later, she coordinated an anniversary for the march, essentially kicking off the tradition of Pride parades. LGBT History Month states that the Brenda Howard Award was created in her memory and is annually presented to a group or individual advocating on behalf of the bisexual community.

9. D.C. Black Pride is the first official black gay pride event in the United States.

D.C. Black Pride is a program of the Center for Black Equity (CBE), whose goal is to improve the lives of black LGBT people globally. They organize and promote a multinational network of Black Prides. Advocate.com states:

“BLACK LGBT PRIDE CELEBRATIONS STARTED AS A WAY TO RECONCILE THESE TWO IDENTITIES, PROVIDING A SAFE SPACE FOR Q***R PEOPLE OF COLOR TO BUILD COMMUNITY AND FIND A SENSE OF SELF.”

10. The largest LGBT event was held in São Paulo, Brazil.

In 2006, São Paulo held the largest Pride event in the world – a parade with somewhere between 2.5 million and 3 million attending, according to the Guiness Book of World Records. The event is strongly supported by the State and the City of São Paulo government authorities, however it comes with a solid security plan, according to Estadão.

07/22/2017

8 Things You Didn’t Know About South Africa

1. Undercover sporting heroes

South Africa is well known for producing global sporting heroes, but, sadly, not all are household names.

We’ve covered some of the best known elsewhere in this supplement, but we should also pay homage to Terence Parkin, the most successful swimmer in the history of Deaflympics, accumulating 29 medals in total.

What about P**e “Ace” Ntsoelengoe, the Kaizer Chiefs midfielder during the 1980s who was inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame in October 2003? Have you heard of Sibusiso Vilane? In 2003 he became the first black man to summit Mount Everest.

Let’s also mention Zack Piontek, who led the South African judo team to five medals (including two golds) at the 2014 Common wealth Games.

And Lucas Sithole, South Africa’s top-ranked wheelchair tennis player.

2. We’re good at Guinness

South Africa boasts some interesting firsts. For example, Kimberley was the first city in the southern hemisphere to get electricity, in 1882. One only has to pick up a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records to see that we’re still high achievers.

South Africans can claim to have built the world’s biggest bubblegum mosaic (a picture of Madiba made using Chappies wrappers); we saw the most surfers surfing a wave at one time (over 110 surfed a wave in Cape Town to raise awareness of climate change in 2009); and we hosted the largest speed-dating event (5FM at Clapham Gold).

We also birthed the oldest bungee-jumper, Mohr Keet. In 2010 Keet plunged off the 216m Bloukrans bridge at the age of 96.

3. Our first solar farm was brokered over a rusk

One day, Northern Cape sheep-farmer Kurt Krog heard a knock at his door. Living in the middle of the Karoo, this was a peculiar occurrence, but, nevertheless, he invited the man in. The stranger was from a Norwegian energy company called Scatec Solar, and, over coffee and rusks on the stoep, he discussed the company’s interest in leasing just over a hundredth of the area of Kurt’s 10 000ha farm near De Aar.

Kurt knew it would be more profitable than grazing sheep, but brushed it off as a hoax. Months later, in 2013, construction on the 75MW solar farm began. Today, De Aar has one of the highest concentrations of solar farms in the world, and the town is home to the largest solar farm in the southern hemisphere (built by Solar Capital, with a capacity of 175MW).

The sheep seem happy too; they graze on the bossies that thrive under the shade of the solar panels.

4. Mpumalanga may hold the key to life on other planets

The Greenstone Belt of Barberton Mountain Land in Mpumalanga is a veritable treasure trove for miners and scientists alike. Prospectors arrived in the 1870s to uncover South Africa’s first gold deposits, and to this day geologists come from all over the world to unearth the area’s paleontological microfossils.

Considering the mountain range is over 3.5 billion years old, these fossils may well show the first signs of cellular life on Earth. As a result, NASA is reported to have visited the area in search of clues as to where those organisms came from, and if they are evidence of life on other planets.

5. We have more plant species than the whole of North and South America combined

That’s also true for the single stretch of coastline between Saldanha and Mossel Bay. This area is home to the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest of the six global “floristic regions” which subdivide the world by common plant life. It is the only one that is confined to one country, and it has more than 9 000 plant species, of which over 68% are endemic to the region (meaning they’re not found anywhere else in the world).

For this, the Cape Peninsula was declared one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, and was confirmed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2004. Some of the world’s most-loved plants have their origin here, including freesias, gladioli, agapanthus and geraniums.

Table Mountain itself boasts more plant species than the entire United Kingdom.

6. Our local gin wins abroad

Move over, wine; South African gin is making the connoisseurs crumble. With our fynbos and Kalahari truffle-infused botanicals, we are becoming the world’s new gin destination. Cape Town has just opened a gin route, which winds through the eccentric streets of Woodstock where the popular New Harbour is distilled, to the Hope on Hopkins distillery in Salt River, and on to Inverroche in Stilbaai.

Even winemakers are trying their hand; Blaauwklippen is producing its own gin range incorporating flavours from Karoo shrubs and rooibos. In the past year alone, over a dozen new craft gins have gone on sale locally, and some have gone on to collect international awards. Inverroche won best gin in Calgary only a month after hitting Canada’s shores, and Wilderer scooped Gold at the 2016 Meiningers International Spirits Awards in Germany.

7. We’re good at sewing on appendages

Most people know that the world’s first heart transplant was performed in South Africa, but we also take the prize for the world’s first successful pe**le transplant. In 2014 an unnamed patient went through a marathon nine-hour operation at Tygerberg Hospital following a botched circumcision. The surgery team was led by Prof Andre van der Merwe, head of Stellenbosch University’s Urology Division. The patient’s girlfriend became pregnant two years after the surgery.

The landmark procedure could change the prospects of those suffering from complications following circumcisions or cancer. However, finding donor organs remains a challenge.

8. Joburg’s film industry is almost as old as Hollywood

South Africa was quick off the mark when it came to films, both watching and making them. The first motion picture was shown at the Empire Palace of Variety on Commissioner Street, using a Vitascope projector, in May 1896. The Vitascope, an American electric-driven projector, had debuted in New York less than a month before (the Lumière brothers’ Cinematograph was unveiled in December 1895, but was hand-cranked).

The public obviously took to the flicks – in 1915 South Africa joined just a handful of countries when the African Film Company set up a studio in Killarney, on the site where the modern-day mall is situated.

Since then, our local film industry has created more than 40 000 jobs and contributes R3.5-billion to GDP, according to government figures. Our world-class sets and technical skills, coupled with a favourable exchange rate, tax incentives and beautiful locations, continue to dazzle movie producers. In fact, since opening in 2010, Cape Town Film Studios is so aggressively courted that it has to turn away film projects. British actor Stephen Fry also tweeted that the studios make Britain’s famed Pinewood Studios “look v shabby”.

07/17/2017

5 things you didn’t know about Sao Joao in Goa

If the Monsoons in Goa is beautiful, it becomes even more memorable during the Feast of Sao Joao (Saint John the Baptist) which is celebrated uniquely in the rain-drenched villages of Goa on the 24th of June. There is so much of song, dance and merriment, you can’t help but get carried away with the heady spirit of the season.

07/14/2017

15 Human Foods That Are Safe for Cats

A good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, salmon can be a delicious and tasty treat for cats and is often already found in commercial cat food, said Dr. Tina Wismer, medical director at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. While some cat-friendly human foods can be fed to your cat raw, make sure to give her only cooked salmon, Wismer said.

07/13/2017

You Didn’t Know About the Beagle
Beagles are a popular American dog, and make our list of top 25 popular dog breeds at #17! The former hunting dogs are quick-witted with a knack for curiosity, and a nose as strong as their stature. We bet there are some facts about these joyful pups that will surprise you.

07/09/2017

8 Things You Didn’t Know About

We’ve covered some of the best known elsewhere in this supplement, but we should also pay homage to Terence Parkin, the most successful swimmer in the history of Deaflympics, accumulating 29 medals in total.

07/08/2017

6 Things You Wish You Didn’t Know About Dog P**p

It isn’t something anyone wants to talk about, and yet, you probably think about dog p**p several times a day.

After all, p**p happens, but chances are you know very little about dog p**p. And why should you?

Well, the stuff your dog leaves behind affects his world and yours much more than you might expect. So if you’re brave enough to read on, here are six things you probably don’t know about your dog’s f***l matter. The scoop on your dog’s p**p, if you will.

Dogs produce TONS of p**p. The exact amount of p**p American dogs supposedly produce every year is a number that’s been bandied about, so it’s hard to tell how much waste, exactly, dogs produce.

In 2012, The New York Times stated that 78 million dogs were creating 10.6 million tons of p**p a year, and by 2014, Live Science reported that 83 million dogs were depositing 16.6 million tons of p**p annually. Meanwhile, the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists’ website claims that the nation’s 71 million pet dogs produce over 4.4 billion pounds of dog p**p, which translates to “only” 2.2 tons. While may ever know exactly how much p**p dogs around the country are producing, it’s a lot.

Dog p**p can contaminate groundwater. If you’ve ever let dog f***s remain in your backyard, you’ve probably thought, “well, it’ll fertilize the lawn.” And while you can compost dog p**p for fertilizer, it involves keeping the compost in a container away from the ground. In addition, dog poo is a stew of bacteria that can include E.coli and salmonella. Eventually, that bacteria can reach groundwater, contaminating streams, rivers, lakes and beaches.

“The EPA estimates that two to three days’ worth of droppings from a population of about 100 dogs can contribute enough bacteria to temporarily close a bay and all watershed areas within 20 miles to swimming and shell fishing,” says Jacob D’Aniello, founder and president of DoodyCalls, a national pet waste and removal company.

Those light brown marks on your carpet probably aren’t dirt. That’s right. Even if your dog does his thing outside, he may have brought some of it inside.

“If you ever see a kind of light brown, straight mark on your carpet, it’s probably a ‘skid mark’ from your dog,” says Leslie Reichert, a Boston-based author and speaker who specializes in eco-friendly cleaning. These marks are a result of your dog using your carpet as toilet paper to remove any leftover f***l matter. As for cleaning those marks, Reichert recommends using hydrogen peroxide to treat the stain.

Dog p**p attracts rodents. We all remember Pizza Rat, the determined critter who dragged a slice of pizza down the stairs in a New York City subway station. Unfortunately, pizza isn’t standard rat food fare.

“Dog waste is often a leading food source for rats in urban areas,” D’Aniello says.

Although it is good that the waste is being eaten, it’s definitely not ideal that dog p**p that isn’t picked up will likely attract both rats and mice, D’Aniello says.

DNA can help catch people who don’t pick up after their dog. A company in Tennessee called PooPrintshelps communities catch people who don’t clean up after their pets using DNA. In addition, some apartment complexes have begun requiring residents who own a dog to supply a DNA sample so that it can be tested against any waste that isn’t picked up.

And some major cities are even getting into the action. In early 2016, a few London boroughs tried out a pilot program inviting dog owners to register their pet’s DNA.

Your dog’s p**p can tell you a lot about his health. If your dog’s waste is firm, slightly moist and relatively easy to pick up, your pet is likely in peak health, says Dr. Judy Morgan of Clayton Veterinary Associates in Pilesgrove, New Jersey.

If the p**p isn’t well formed, your dog may not be digesting his food as well as he should. In addition, if there are worms in the stool, or if it’s black or tarry, your dog should be seen by a vet, Morgan says, adding that one of the hazards of being a veterinarian is looking at a lot of dog p**p.

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