Archive for July 1st, 2009
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
On 20 June 1868, then Governor General The Viscount Monck issued a royal proclamation asking for Canadians to “celebrate the anniversary of the confederation.” However, the holiday was not established statutorily until 1879, when it was designated as Dominion Day, in reference to the designation of the country as a Dominion in the British North America Act. The holiday was initially not dominant in the national calendar; up to the early 20th century, Canadians thought themselves to be primarily British, being thus less interested in celebrating distinctly Canadian forms of patriotism. No official celebrations were therefore held until 1917 – the golden anniversary of Confederation – and then none again for a further decade.
This trend declined in the post-World War II era; beginning in 1958, the Canadian government began to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations, usually consisting of Trooping the Colour ceremonies on Parliament Hill in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display. Canada’s centennial in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian patriotism, and in Canada’s maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians. Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in Ottawa were added, and the fête became known as Festival Canada; after 1980 the Canadian government began to promote the celebrating of Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities. (more…)
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Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
The newly appointed leader of Honduras Roberto Micheletti ordered a 48-hour curfew late on Sunday after denying there had been a coup d’etat on deposed President Manuel Zelaya.
At dawn troops had roused Zelaya in his pajamas and flew him out of the country, ending a bitter power struggle with the military as parliament swiftly voted in a new leader.
Zelaya insisted when he arrived in regional neighbour Costa Rica that he remained the president of his Central American nation, but just hours later the Congress voted in the parliamentary speaker as the country’s new leader. (more…)
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Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
Bridgestone Corp., the world’s largest tire maker by sales, disclosed Tuesday it is recalling 127,183 Firestone-brand tires sold in the U.S. because a faulty tread could separate and cause an accident.
Bridgestone, based in Tokyo and the parent of Bridgestone Firestone operations that employ about 900 in Akron, extended an October recall to additional production weeks for Firestone FR380 tires, according to a letter posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Web site. The size P235/75R15 tires were produced in 2007 and 2008 in Costa Rica, Bridgestone said in the letter.
The tires are primarily used on light trucks, pickups and sport utility vehicles, said Dan MacDonald, a company spokesman.
There have been no reported incident or injury claims from the tires, the company said. The recall was expected to begin Monday. Tires will be replaced free until Oct. 31. (more…)
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Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
Few places in the world can offer travelers volcanoes towering up to 12,530 feet and a seemingly endless 700 miles of coastline on the Pacific and Caribbean like Costa Rica can. Though Costa Rica is known for many of its great tourism specialties there is one that should never be overlooked: surfing.
Why is Costa Rica called ‘The Hawaii of the Central America”?
Costa Rica’s appeal is easy to understand:
* Consistent surf year-round
* Warm water
* Easy access to thousands of breaks
* Surf conditions from mild to mind-blowing
* Surf camps and international tournaments
* Affordable prices (more…)
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