"BLUE MONDAY" - 16 January 2012

16 January 2012:

Gloomy weather, post-holiday debt and low motivation have earned the third Monday in January the nickname "Blue Monday."

Today, the so-called ‘Blue Monday’, is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year

It’s been suggested that today, the so-called ‘Blue Monday’, is the most depressing day of the year. If people do find themselves feeling low during the winter months, there are a number of steps that they can take to improve how they feel.
Blue Monday is a name given to a date stated, as part of a publicity campaign by Sky Travel, to be the most depressing day of the year.

This date allegedly falls on the Monday of the last full week of January. The date was declared by Arnall to be 24 January in 2005, 23 January in 2006, 22 January in 2007, 21 January in 2008, 19 January in 2009,18 January in 2010. In 2011 there has been confusion about the correct date. Some claimed it was on 17 January 2011 while others say blue Monday was on 24 January 2011.

According to a press release by a mental health charity, the formula is:

where weather=W, debt=d, time since Christmas=T, time since failing our new year’s resolutions=Q, low motivational levels=M and the feeling of a need to take action=N_a. 'D' is not defined in the release, nor are units.

The day was chosen in 2005 by Cardiff University lecturer and psychologist Cliff Arnall, who was asked to identify the most depressing day of the year for U.K.’s Sky Travel as a way to market vacations.
Arnall based the date on a calculation that included gloomy weather, post-holiday debt and low motivational levels. He admitted in 2010 that the calculation is meaningless. But the practice of marking the day continues, partly because it can’t be denied that the cold, damp January weather really affects people.

 

Part of why people feel so down at this time of year is because of the sense of loss that comes with the dissipation of feelings of good cheer, excitement and hope during the post-Christmas period. In addition, that holiday overspending finally comes home to roost during the month of January. “This is a very difficult time of year. It’s hard to get motivated and, on top of that, we all have to tighten our belts, both financially and physically,” said Laurie Campbell, executive director of Credit Canada.
Mid-January until March is the busiest time of year for the credit consulting agency for this very reason, she said.
Financial issues can trigger stress, depression, marital problems, addiction problems, and health problems in individuals, said Campbell.
“So to say that financial issues can cause this to be an even more difficult time of year is certainly valid,” added Campbell.
Maintaining relationships with family and friends beyond the holidays is the best way to deal with January winter blues, said Berber.
Exercising, having sex and going to the theatre may also help boost your mood, according to a recent U.K. study, conducted by Apple and the London School of Economics. The study, called the Mappiness project, asked 45,000 smart phone users to record their levels of happiness and location throughout 2011. After studying the three million responses, the happiest day was determined to be April 29, the day Prince William married Catherine Middleton. The lowest day, was 8 p.m. on Jan. 31, which was, of course, a Monday. (Toronto Star)

 

 

PARLEZ-VOUS PRICEY - The costs of bilingualism in Canada

Parlez-vous pricey.

The costs of bilingualism in Canada

(National Post pic)



Official bilingualism costs $2.4B a year: study



The official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada" according to Canada's constitution. (Wikipedia)

Education Rights (section 23 of the Charter and section 59 of the Constitution Act, 1982):

Section 23 provides a limited right to receive publicly-funded primary and secondary-schooling in the two official languages when they are "in a minority situation"—in other words, to English-language schooling in Quebec, and to French-language schooling in the rest of the country.

The debate on whether the 40-year-old policy is still relevant at a time when, for example, Chinese is the mother tongue of 38% of people in Vancouver or Italian is the mother tongue of 9% of those in Toronto, where just 1.7% of the population is francophone.

Ontario spends more than any other province — including Quebec — on minority language services, a Fraser Institute study has found.

As more and more Canadians speak languages other than English and French, the federal and provincial governments are spending $2.4-billion annually on official bilingualism, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute.

Ontario spends $621 million a year providing French language services, including education, to 489,000 Franco-Ontarians, which amounts to about $52 per Ontarian.

That’s a far cry from the mere $7 per person Quebec spends on its 575,000-strong English-language minority.

The 10 provinces spend a total of $900-million annually on minority language services, with the bulk going toward French-language education outside Quebec and English-language education inside Quebec. Ontario spends the most, doling out $623-million — or $1,275 for each minority member. While Quebec ranks third in overall spending at $51-million annually, it spends the least per minority member — mostly anglophones — at just $85 a head.

^{(From the news)}

No pants subway riders strip for the fun of it

 

2012 - No pants subway riders strip for the fun of it

A great way to start the year!

Giggles, gasps and bare legs filled a Toronto subway train Sunday afternoon when more than 100 people dropped their pants and rode the rocket as part of the city’s fifth annual No Pants subway ride.



 

WHERE: A southbound train on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line.

WHEN: Sunday, January 8th, at 3 p.m.

WHAT: About 120 people gathered at Museum Station and boarded a subway train. At Queen’s Park, they all began casually removing their pants, while fellow riders either looked away in disgust, or looked on in fascination. The No Pants! Subway Ride, as the event is called, is staged by Improv in Toronto, and it’s something of a tradition. This was Toronto’s fifth annual. The event also happens in other cities around the world.

“It’s about making people laugh,” said event organizer Cole Banning, 20, the creative director of Improv in Toronto.
“The world needs more people just having fun.”

The event, set in January every year, has since spread to more than 50 cities worldwide, including Toronto and Vancouver.
“It’s giving people something healthy and fun to do on a Sunday afternoon,” said Jenna Warriner, a third-time No Pants participant and Improv in Toronto member. “It’s just fun.”

Hundreds of hardy hipsters dropped their trousers for the 11th annual No Pants Subway Ride in New York City Sunday. The stunt has spread to several cities including Toronto, Madrid and London

http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/01/photos_of_the_2012_toronto_no_pants_subway_ride/

PORTUGAL:

Este ano realizou-se a "11th No Pants Subway Ride" e Lisboa participou pela 4ª vez. Os participantes andaram sem calças no metro da capital com o objetivo de "causar alguns sorrisos, sustos e gargalhadas", nos habitantes de Lisboa.

Iniciada em Nova Iorque em 2002, o ano passado contou com 48 cidades em 22 países, totalizando mais de 5000 pessoas.

Oitenta em cuecas no metropolitano

Uns ficaram espantados, outros riram e lançaram piadas, mas ninguém ficou indiferente ao ver um grupo de 80 pessoas passear em cuecas no metropolitano e nas ruas da Baixa de Lisboa.
 This event took place in 2002 for the first time in New York and last year 5000 people in 48 cities in 22 countries participated.

http://vimeo.com/34762737

A ideia partiu do grupo ImprovLisboa que com este evento quis provocar risos e alegria. O ponto de partida foi a estação do Campo Grande.

Participantes tiveram conhecimento da iniciativa através da troca de mensagens pela internet e telemóvel

Viajantes Sem Calças povoam as ruas!

 "Com" ou "Sem elas", a ginjinha aqueceu os espíritos

Ler mais: http://aeiou.visao.pt/veja-como-foi-o-passeio-em-cuecas-no-metro-de-lisboa-e-no-porto=f641983#ixzz1j1OEqZHr

Uma agente tira as calças enquanto outro se prepara para uma soneca. A rapariga de chapéu também não tem calças. (Foto: Reinaldo Rodrigues/DN)

 

 

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