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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, MARCH 08, 2018 5THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, MARCH 08, 20184 Today is, apparently, Inter- national Women's Day; a day originally designed to celebrate women's achievements through- out history and across nations although now more focused on the idea of promoting women's rights in a world obsessed with #MeToo and #TimesUp. Can- ada has certainly jumped on the bandwagon for this party. We marched, shook our fists and carried our banners as we fell in line. We celebrated a feminist prime minister, who perhaps by looks alone was merely a ploy to encourage women to get into politics--wait am I still allowed to say that women objectify men too? We were issued a bi- zarre budget that borrows more and more money to ensure that women are recognized and feel important, while offering little in the way of substance. After all, the little girls of tomorrow will be just as disadvantaged as today as we leave them a poorer nation with weak international presence and a sluggish econ- omy that works for no one. We even issued polls so that we might gauge the masses and their thoughts on women in celebration of this import- ant acknowledgment day. The survey, conducted on behalf of Historica Canada--you know those great history moments people--shows that 40 per cent of respondents were un- able to identify or specify the contribution of three Canadian women: famous artist Emily Carr, world-known writer Lucy Maud Montgomery or polit- ician and social activist Nellie McClung--even though this last one appears on our money. Issued by Ipsos online--so not a foolproof picture of society at large - the survey clearly shows we know little of the women who came before us or of the history of our own nation. Yet, what surprises one further is that when one really looks into it there are so many great women who did so many great things, long before #MeToo was even possible. For example, it was a woman who helped to identify the rays emitted by different elements, leading to the creation of x- rays. It was also her sickness and death that lead--no pun intended there--to us learn- ing to protect ourselves from such rays. Her name was Marie Curie. You've probably heard of her but didn't know what she did. Nor did you know she was also the first person to ever earn two Nobel prizes in two differ- ent fields or that it was her idea to use mobile X-Ray trucks to accommodate the shortage dur- ing the first world war. And yes, she did all of this in the early 1900s, before women even had the vote. Or perhaps you think computer language was always a man's domain. Then you would be surprised to learn that it was Ada Lovelace, daughter of the poet Lord Byron, who in the mid-1800s first created a computer program and perhaps saw the true potential of Charles Babbage's calculating machine more than he did as a future ap- paratus that could take on more than just vast mathematical cal- culations. She took the initiative to rewrite a paper about his Ana- lytical Engine and add her own mathematics and ideas so as to ensure a place in the work. American Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, also pioneered computer programming with her work on machine-independent programming languages, some of which continue to be the stan- dard. Even our understanding of fossils, atoms, space, math and bugs were first the result of work done by women. But sci- ence and math are not the only places women have shown their abilities in our history. Margaret Knight was an avid inventor, even earning the nick- name "the Lady Edison." She earned 27 patents for every- thing from safety devices to internal combustion engines. Helen Keller whose childhood illness left her deaf, blind and mute, worked hard not only to learn and be part of the world around her, thanks in great part to a great teacher, Anne Sulli- van, but she also worked hard to ensure future children would enjoy the same opportunities as her. And Canada too has her share of historic heroines. An- nie Gale, an immigrant, was the first women to be elected to a municipal office-- or act as act- ing mayor--in the entire British Empire in 1917. Adelaide Hood- less pushed for home economics to be taught in Ontario schools and helped found the Victor- ian Order of Nurses, National Council of Women and the na- tional YWCA, one of Canada's biggest proponents of women's rights. And interpreter Charlotte Small would explore and map over 20,000 km of western Can- ada, while raising 13 children and enjoying 58 years of mar- riage--all before Canada was even a nation. The list goes on and on. Clearly, we need to ensure women continue to hold an equal place at the table of hu- manity. All people should have access to the same things. How- ever, I think before we talk of all the hardships we girls endure, it might be prudent to look at the thousands of women who came before us and persevered despite the challenges that befell them. After all, knowing their stories and contributions is the best way to honour any hero… women included. Just a thought Do you know her? sports talk By Trish Bell Spring forward By Michael Oke The New Tanner welcomes your Letters to the Editor, but, please keep in mind that letters must include the author's name, address and phone number in order for us to contact you if needed. Letters that are sent in anonymously will not be published. They may be edited for content or length. They are published as a first come first serve basis and we do not guarantee publication due to space availability. As we move our clocks and watches for- ward this weekend, I'm reminded that much warmer weather is around the corner--hopefully, I'm not jinxing anything. Apart from the usual thoughts of gardening and lawn food, this also means regular base- ball, and Major League Soccer (MLS) are either here already or coming soon. It goes without saying that the Blue Jays had a season to forget last year, while Toron- to's soccer franchise, Toronto FC (TFC), had one to remem- ber grabbing Canada's first ever Major League Soccer title. If the baseball spring train- ing results are anything to go by, Blue Jays fans may be in for another challenging sea- son. TFC, on the other hand, has started the calendar year in a somewhat indifferent form. In three competitive games played so far, they have won, drawn and lost one each. Yet despite this less than impressive start, they are into the quarterfinals of the Confederation of North, Central American and Carib- bean Football Associations (CONCACAF) Champions League competition. They will be facing Tigres Club of Mexico in a home and away playoff. The good news for Blue Jays nation is that the or- ganization has kept, by and large, the bulk of its roster. The only surprise so far has been the recent designation of Ezequiel Carrera--not a deal breaker in my books. The expectation is that the team will hit the ground running and make the playoff outright without the need for a wildcard berth. Still, a long way off, though, with over 180 regular season games. The regular sea- son kicks off March 29 against the New York Yankees. TFC, on the other hand, have an uphill battle motivat- ing themselves for the regular season. The greatest obstacle to success can be past success- es. The defending champions may need to pay big bucks for sports psychologists to keep the team on their toes this season. The one silver lining is their participation early in 2018 in the champions league with the winner getting to play in the World Club Champion- ships against the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool or Bar- celona. Definitely an added incentive for the team. It is expected that the momentum from this competition will carry on into the MLS regu- lar season, and of course it is critical that the payers stay healthy. I say welcome--early-- spring. 20 Years ago From The New Tanner - March 05, 1998 A GRAND OPENING: Acton's Videoplex store held its grand opening this past Saturday. Joining in the festivities were (left to right) Councillor Norm Elliott, Brenda Watson, Videoplex President Barry Kenny, Vice-President Joe Cacciola, Janet Clarke and Councillor Rick Bonnette. - Angela Tyler photo