There is archaeological evidence that humans have utilised mussels as a source of food for thousands of years. Nowadays marine mussels remain a popular seafood, especially in Belgium and the Netherlands, and France (called moule marinere), where they are consumed with french fries (”mosselen met friet” or “moules frites”). During the Second World War in the United States, mussels were commonly served in diners. This was due to the unavailability of red meat related to wartime rationing.
As with all shellfish, mussels should be alive just before they are cooked because they quickly become toxic after they die. A simple criterion is that live mussels, when in the air, will tightly shut when disturbed. Open, unresponsive mussels are dead and should be discarded. Closed mussel shells that are unusually heavy should be discarded as well, because they usually contain only mud and can be tested by slightly moving the two shells away from each other. A thorough rinse in water and removal of “the beard” is suggested. Mussel shells will open by themselves when cooked, revealing the cooked soft parts. (Wikipedia)

The Pride of Baltimore II is an American sailing ship owned by the citizens of the state of Maryland, and operated by Pride, inc., a private, non-profit organization. She was launched in 1988 after the loss of the first Pride of Baltimore, and continues the role of Maryland’s Flagship and Goodwill Ambassador, promoting business and tourism in Maryland.
Unlike the original Pride, the Pride II is not a replica of any specific vessel, and though it represents a type of vessel known as a Baltimore Clipper, it was built to contemporary standards for seaworthiness and comfort. Pride II, like its predecessor, is a topsail schooner, with two large gaff sails (one on a boom and one loose-footed), a main gaff topsail, several headsails, and a square topsail and flying topgallant on the foremast. She also flies studding sails (stun’s’ls), rare on modern traditional sailing vessels. These additional sails are set along the edge of the square topsail and the mainsail, supported by additional spars known as stun’s’l booms. (Wikipedia)
Since her commissioning, Pride II has sailed nearly 200,000 miles, and visited over 200 ports in 40 countries in North, South, and Central America, Europe, and Asia. In 1998 she undertook her first voyage to Asia with port calls in China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. In 2000 she made her fourth trip to Europe capturing First Place in her Class in a Transatlantic Tall Ship race. (Pride’s Official Website)

Flight Deck opened in 1995 under the name Top Gun until it was renamed in 2008 to Flight Deck. It is based on the 1986 film Top Gun, and the ride is meant to simulate the feeling of riding in an F-14 fighter jet.
The ride was built where “Zuma Flume” (a water log ride) was once located. The “Top Gun” movie theme was a shift in the design of the park. The ride no longer was themed to match the “land” in which it was situated. (Wikipedia)

Led by Mayor Nathan Phillips, Toronto city council decided in 1956 to have an international competition to choose the new design under terms drawn up by the International Union of Architects. This caused some controversy as some felt the work should be done by a Canadian. A five-person panel of judges was drawn up with some of the world’s greatest architecture experts. Eric Arthur served as advisor. Over 500 designs were submitted, from which eight semi-finalists were selected. In September 1958, Revell’s design was selected by three of the judges, including Eero Saarinen. One of the two dissenting judges was William Graham Holford, who was skeptical that the design could be built within the $18 million budget set by the city. Revell received a $25,000 prize plus what was estimated to be $1 million in fees to supervise construction. He complained that not enough credit was given to his design collaborators, Heikki Castren, Bengt Lundsten, and Seppo Valjus, and asked that all names be listed as the architects. Construction began in 1961 and the building was completed four years later. Revell died in 1964 before the project was finished. (Wikipedia)

During World War II as Nazi Germany began its domination of Europe many people found themselves being rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Genocide or the mass murder of numerous groups was undertaken. Homosexuals were one of these groups with gay men being marked with a pink triangle badge while lesbians were most often designated with a black triangle. (Wikipedia)

The lesbian love story between Iphis and Ianthe, in Book IX of Ovid’s the Metamorphoses, is most vivid. When Iphis’ mother becomes pregnant, her husband declares that he will kill the child if it is a girl. She bears a girl and attempts to conceal her gender by giving her a name that is of ambiguous sex: Iphis. When the “son” is thirteen, the father chooses a golden-haired maiden named Ianthe as the “boy’s” bride. (Wikipedia)

David Miller, the mayor of Toronto, was not born in Canada and neither of his parents were Canadian.

Tobacco kills about 45,000 Canadians a year. That’s more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, car accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisonings combined.