The ESL Free Press

Sergeant-at-Arms

Kevin Vickers is Sergeant-at-Arms of Canada's Parliament. He is charge of security at the Parliament Buildings. Usually, he doesn't have to defend them himself. Yesterday was different. Vickers shot and killed a gunman who came into the buildings.

This video shows what happened when Vickers went into work today.

As Vickers walks down the hall, he is carrying a mace, a medieval weapon. It's a symbol of Parliament's authority.

The song everyone sings at the end is Canada's national anthem. They sing it partly in English and partly in French.

"Work-at-Home" Company Has to Pay Back Money

A company in California promised to make people rich, but most of them never made any money at all. Now it's been ordered to pay back over $25 million. The company and its president are no longer allowed to offer any business or work-at-home opportunities.

The Zaken Corp., in Thousand Oaks, California, told people they could make $3,000 to $6,000 a week working only two to four hours. The work was finding products companies wanted to get rid of. Zaken was supposed to find buyers for the products and give the finders half the money.

But, as the judge in the case said today, “[F]ewer than one percent of consumers ever earned any income at all.”

To start, they had to pay $148 for a book on how to find these products. Zaken also tried to get them to buy more "tools". For example, some paid $2300 for another book that was full of "“largely outdated telephone numbers of companies who were out of business.”

Zaken Corp and the president, Tiran Zaken, ended up in U.S. District Court. Judge Dean D. Pregerson heard the case and made the order.

(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)

 

Shooting in Ottawa

A Canadian soldier was shot in Ottawa today and died in the hospital. Someone also fired shots in the Parliament buildings. Downtown Ottawa is on lockdown -- no one is allowed to go outside.

One gunman has been killed, but there may be more.

Watch this video  for more:

 

Just Before Thanksgiving Weekend

If you live in Toronto, blogTO has some things you can do this weekend. It also has a list of Toronto restaurants that serve Thanksgiving dinner, if you want to eat out.

The CBC tells us what will be open -- and closed -- in Ottawa on Thanksgiving weekend. It also has an article and short video on a Thanksgiving food, cranberries.

Here's a simple article on cranberries.

 

Thanksgiving Food Stories

Thanksgiving dishes are traditionally made from food raised in North America. Much of it was first eaten by the First Nations. Read about it at the CBC.

Yams, or sweet potatoes, are not native to North America, but they are also a traditional Thanksgiving food. For simple ways to cook them, read this at ezinearticles.com. For some more ways to cook them, including a soup, read this article at canada.com.

(USDA photo by Scott Bauer)

Thanksgiving Movies

Thanksgiving can be a good time to watch movies with your family. Global TV has a list of 10 Thanksgiving movies you might like. There's something for everyone.

Safe Cooking for Thanksgiving

Cooking turkey takes care. You have to be sure to do it safely. If not, bacteria can grow in the meat and make you sick.

How do you keep it safe? NorthumberlandView.ca says "Clean, separate, cook and chill."Read more here.

Parks to Visit at Thanksgiving

Is there a National Park near you? It could be a good place to visit on Thanksgiving weekend.

Canoe.ca has a list of the Top 10 fall and Thanksgiving activities in Canada's National Parks.

The Beginning of Canadian Thanksgiving

The man with the gun is Sir Martin Frobisher. He was the first person to host a Thanksgiving dinner in Canada.

It happened in 1578. Frobisher, an explorer, had sailed from England to Newfoundland. He and his crew thanked God for a safe trip.

You can read more about the history of Thanksgiving in Canada here in the Hamilton Spectator.

(Painting by Cornelis Ketel)

Tech at Thanksgiving

Should people use electronic devices (iPods, mp3 players, etc.) at holiday dinners?

Last year, there was a survey taken about this. Of the Canadian people who answered, 69% said electronics should not be allowed at family holiday dinners. Also, 46% said they should not be allowed during the holidays at all.  Read more here at NorthumberlandView.ca.