The Viking Journal Volume 2, Issue 3 Cover by: Zohra, Grade 8 2 Editors’ Message Happy New Year! We have finally finished our first issue of the new year. We wanted this issue to be informative and exciting. We want to cut through the confusion and provide appealing articles from our awesome team. We hope you enjoy our third issue and look out for our next one! -Anuhesh, Vijay and Faatima 3 Events Happening in 2019! 1. The Toronto Light Festival - Lighting up the long winter nights with distinctive works from local and international light artists, the Toronto Light Festival illuminates the Distillery Historic District from January to March. Visitors are taken on a visual journey as the festival transforms the pictures into a historic neighbourhood in a large open-air gallery. 2. The game between the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks - A thrilling winter surprise for Raptors and Milwaukee fans. On January 5, the Raptors won 123-116, but the Bucks won on January 31, 105-92. 3. The game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins - a chilling adventure between the most amazing hockey teams in history! On February 2, Toronto beat Pittsburgh 3-21 4. The Canadian International Auto Show (February 15 -28) - if you are a fan of cars , then you should come to this event. There will be many dazzling cars, big prize giveaways, and engaging exhibits. 5. DJ Skate Nights- Skate with your friends and family for free with awesome DJ songs at the Harbourfront Centre at 235 Queens Quay West every Saturday until February! You will have a blast! These are only some events happening in 2019. You can find more at https://www.todocanada.ca/toronto-february-events-festivals/ By: Amena and Preethi 4 Tamil Heritage Month By: Sharabi and Nuha - News Team Tamil Heritage Month was this January in the TDSB. An event included with Tamil Heritage would be Thai Pongal, which took place on January 14 . The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada and on October 5, 2016, the House of Commons declared the month of January as Tamil Heritage month. This month, we celebrate the astonishing Tamil culture, which includes beautiful clothing and delicious foods such as vada,kothu roti, etc. Now that we know what Tamil Heritage month is and why we celebrate it, let's look forward to multiple more Tamil Heritage months. 5 Chinese New Year By: Dhiyana and Ali - News Team Chinese New Year, also known as the spring festival, is celebrated all over the world and is the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year changes every year. It always falls between January 21 and February 20, determined by the Chinese lunar calendar. After Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival is significant because the most important activity during the night is watching wonderful Chinese lanterns. This year, Chinese New Year took place on February 5. Each year, Chinese New Year is named after one of the twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and the Pig. This year will be the year of the pig. According to legend, the beginning of the Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian. The Nian lives in seas and mountains. The Nian would eat villagers, especially children. One year, the villagers decided to go and hide from the beast. An old man appeared before the villagers went hiding and said that he’s going to get revenge on the Nian. All the villagers thought he was insane. The old man put red papers and set off firecrackers. The day after, the villagers went back to town and saw that nothing was destroyed. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises. When the new year was about to come, the villagers would wear red clothes, hang red lanterns, and put red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to scare away the Nian. The Nian was eventually caught by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. After that, the Nian retreated to a nearby mountain. The name of the mountain has been long lost over the years. 6 International Day of Women in Science By: Andrea, Alvina and Angelina P - News Team International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrates the great achievements and discoveries made by important female scientists all over the world. This year, International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on Monday, February 11. On this day we also recognize the issues that women and girls face or faced when trying to take part in the field of science. Women have made incredible contributions to scientific discoveries, and have won many awards along with achievements. For example, Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize (for physics in 1903) and Chien-Shiung Wu, who made great contributions to nuclear physics. This day encourages girls and women to continue pursuing their dreams in science or any other field. It is very important that we continue telling girls that they can do anything that they set their mind to and no one can tell them differently. On February 11, 2019 you can show your support by raising awareness about this very important day. Everyone should know that females are just as capable as men. Math Contests are EXTRAORDINARY! By: Nithuya - News Team There are a lot of math contests that are happening around this time of year! Besides, it’s a great way to start off the new year by participating and taking leadership to go beyond! It’s beneficial to join these exclusive math contests, especially since it’s a low price! They are a good option to improve in math, particularly your logic and reasoning. They would make you think that math is easy and that you would be able to solve any problem in your way. Math contests also increase the number of strategies that you would be able to learn quickly in order to finish a question or task fast. In conclusion, you should join math contests for the future of developing your math skills, and to take initiative to accomplish your goals. 7 Cadets By: Anuhesh - Editor In Chief Experiences you can't get anywhere else! The Cadets program is one of the largest sponsored youth programs in Canada that include: ● The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets; ● The Royal Canadian Army Cadets; ● The Royal Canadian Air Cadets. It is a national program for Canadians aged 12 to 18 who are interested in fun challenges, and rewarding activities. Air Cadets Royal Canadian Air Cadets participate in a variety of fun and challenging activities. There is something for everyone, no matter what their interests might be. Army Cadets Army Cadets appeal to teenagers who crave exciting outdoor activities. Army Cadets develop abilities in the use of a map and compass.This organization of choice for teens interested in getting out of the classroom to explore the planet the way it should be. Sea Cadets Royal Canadian Sea Cadets learn about the naval and maritime environment by participating in a variety of activities on and off the water. Sea Cadets also participate in ceremonial events and citizenship activities that allow them to connect to their Canadian naval heritage. How do I join Cadets? Step 1: You must choose whether to join Air Cadets, Sea Cadets or Army Cadets. You cannot choose more than one program. Step 2: Once you have chosen, you will have to find the closest place your choice of cadets is hosted. This is called a corp or a squadron. To find the closest place, please go to this link. http://app.cadets.gc.ca/directory-repertoirev2/en/cadet-directory.html. The closest cadet squadron near Cedarbrook would be Don Montgomery Centre. Step 3: Now you have chosen your element of cadets (Air Cadets, Sea Cadets or Army Cadets) and have found out where you cadet squadron is, you will have to visit them.There will be a few forms to fill and after that you will be a cadet. - 8 The VINE Era The “Rise” and “Fall” of One of the Dankest S Pf on the Inen By: Brooke - Special Features Many of you probably remember the historic social monument known as Vine. Created in June 2012 by Don Hofmann, Rus Yusupov, and Colin Kroll and launched on January 24, 2013, Vine is a social media platform enabling users to create 6-second long looping videos. This is a brief history of Vine and how and why it became history. The “Rise” Vine has quickly gained popularity as soon as it was released. In a matter of months, Vine had become the most-used video sharing application in the market, even with a low adoption. Vine has even become the most-downloaded free application in the iOS App Store. Twitter took ownership of Vine in 2012 due to its growing popularity. A major thing Vine was known for was for creating some of the most famous internet memes and *cough cough* overused *cough cough* phrases. Some popular creators include: Liza Koshy, Thomas Sanders, Lele Pons, DeStorm Power, Jake Paul, e.t.c. Just for fun, I decided to ask my friends how they would describe Vine. My most memorable response was “ A historical piece of art” stated by Anonymous :3. Like all internet trends and wonders, Vine did eventually die down. The main reason was a financial one. Twitter became broke (Sorry Twitter, no offense though we <3 you).