TCE Blog http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog A blog by the Canadian Encyclopedia Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:21:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en-US Poem in your Pocket Day Canadians across the country have poems in their pockets, from a pretty little haiku to historical epics to the latest pop earworm. Every year new poets give us wonderful and engaging works. But we can’t forget the strong Canadian poetic tradition captured by, among others, Bliss Carman’s romantic odes to landscape, Stephen Leacock’s biting satire, [...]

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/poem-in-your-pocket-day/ NATO: When Canada Really Mattered On April 4, 1949, the foreign ministers of Canada, the US, the UK, France and eight other countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty. An armed attack on one member would be an armed attack on them all.

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/nato-when-canada-really-mattered/ Historical Maps of Toronto: Q&A with Nathan Ng Historical Maps of Toronto makes hard-to-find maps easily accesible on the web. Nathan Ng, brainchild behind the project, answers a few questions about maps, history and his love for both.

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/historical-maps-of-toronto-qa-with-nathan-ng/ National Myths and Dreams A nation is a group of people who share the same illusions about themselves. Academics call it imagining a community. Vancouver cyberpunk novelist William Gibson calls it “consensual hallucination.” Whatever you call it, April Fools seems like a good opportunity to think about some of the illusions Canadians have about ourselves. One illusion we share [...]

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/national-dreams/ James Marsh Retires from The Canadian Encyclopedia The editor in chief of the Canadian Encyclopedia, James H. Marsh, will retire after 33 years of dedication and leadership. He remembers his journey from bookish kid to what he calls "the best job in the country."

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/james-marsh-retires-from-the-canadian-encyclopedia/ Courons le Poisson d’avril! Sans certitude aucune, on croit que la journée du Poisson d’avril remonte en 1534 alors que le roi de France, Charles IX, changea le calendrier, pour que l’année débute alors le 1er janvier au lieu du traditionnel 1er avril. Cette décision amena nombre de différends et d’opposition, il va sans dire. Puisque les plus farouches [...]

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/courons-le-poisson-davril/ The History of April Fools’ Day Our French editor Myriam Fontaine traces the history of April Fools, from its origins in 1534 to its current tradition in Quebec where children "run after the April Fish."

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/celebrating-april-fools-day/ The History of Bears in Toronto The recent hubbub surrounding the arrival of two giant pandas to the Toronto Zoo triggers memories of a time when bears used to wander Toronto's streets and Bay Street was popularly referred to as "Bear Street."

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/the-history-of-bears-in-toronto/ Double Take: Portraits of Intriguing Canadians The new exhibition, Double Take, features Canadians from all walks of life, regions far and wide, from past and present. Some are well known and others should be, but all are worth knowing more about.

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]]> http://blog.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/blog/posts/double-take-canadian-museum-of-civilization/ Canada Soup: Molson Makes Us Ask, Who Are We? This week, de Havilland's Mosquito buzzes once more, Molson makes us question our national identity, and we consider whether Leonard Cohen looks good as Al Pacino.

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