Life’s Ideas

We went to Royal Saskatchewan Museum here in Regina the other day. It was a warm and cloudy day. There was also a bus load of Chinese-looking tourists there. I could not really tell because I did not understand a word of what they said. It was a Sunday and there were family groups there also.

The museum has two floors. One for Life Sciences Gallery featuring the flora and fauna in Saskatchewan. The other floor is for Earth Sciences Gallery and First Nations Gallery. The museum is not that big but I was still glad we did visit. There was no entrance fee but you have to give a donation to the museum. I guess you could give any amount you want but there were suggested amounts for individuals, groups and families.

The museum has a show about how Saskatchewan was shaped by the glaciers a long time ago. This place was all covered with ice and the landscape was slowly revealed when the temperature got warmer. The weight of the massive buildup of snow was why Saskatchewan is so plain.

The Aboriginal History exhibit is very nice also. They showcase the life of Cree Indians. In fact, the word Saskatchewan is a Cree word meaning swift river. The exhibit show us the life of the early Cree Indians and how slowly they integrated with the mainstream society.

The museum has many interactive learning centers also. They did an excellent job on the learning visuals and audios. They feature living green,about sustainable life and how to minimize our footprint in the planet. They also have Dinomania where the fossil remains of dinosaurs found in Saskatchewan soil are shown.

The people really need to support the local museums. It is there where the people especially the children learn about history, environment and the people. They help us get a clearer picture of the past thus making us better understand the present and the future.

Tags: aboriginal history, cree, first nations gallery, glaciers, life sciences, museum, regina, royal saskatchewan museum
Posted in History and Culture, Weather and the Environment | No Comments »

I have been following the HBO Original Series, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency for sometime now. I fell in love with everything in the story. It is wholesome entertainment for the family. It shows there how people need one another.

The story is written by a British writer Alexander McCall Smith. When he visited Botswana, he fell in love with the character of a woman vendor there and decided to write a story about the character. This is where he come up with the story, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency which has now become an HBO Original series.

The main character in the series is Mma Precious Ramotswe played by Jill Scott. She founded The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in which she is also the main detective. The people in Gabarone, the capital of Botswana go to the agency for solutions to their problems. I love the character of Precious here. She is a strong, determined, unstoppable, highly credible person and always eager to help. She also has a soft side, sweet, loving, sincere and vulnerable to her ex-husband, who physically abused her in their marriage.

Other prominent characters are Mma Grace Makutsi , the secretary of Precious. She is sometimes naive but honest, intelligent and loyal to Precious. J.L.B. Matekoni is the friend of Precious who eventually will become her husband.

I really love the fact that the story setting is Botswana. You can learn from their place, culture, beliefs and the kind of community that they have. You get better appreciation of Africa through the story. It makes you see that we are not that different after all. The people there maybe different but they basically have the same values and problems as ours.

Tags: alexander mccall smith, Botswana, HBO Original Series, Jill Scott, No. 1 ladies detective agency, Precious Maramotswe
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One of the highlights of our visit to the United States is the Gettysburg National Military Park in the state of Pennsylvania. We got there after lunch time and we went to check out the tours of the battlefield. We could just go around with our car but the tours are much nicer so we went with it. The fee was 24 dollars per person. The bus is air-conditioned, very comfortable and gives you a good view of everything. The tour started at the very beginning of the battle and there were stops along the way. The tour guide talked us through the American Civil War.

The Gettysburg battle is the bloodiest battle of the American Civil war with a casualty of 51,000. It also ended the civil war. Most soldiers did not have serious wounds but they still died due to lack of medical attention. There was no proper hospital in Gettysburg at the time to take care of so many wounded people.

One of the prominent buildings there is the Hall of the Presidents. It is a wax gallery of the American Presidents and their wives. We did not really went inside since we were only interested in the tour.

Another is the house of David Wills, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous address which today is considered one of the best speeches of his presidency.

The last stop of the tour is the famous valley of death where we got to feel the difficulties of being in the valley with your enemies high above you at the devil’s den. The place gives you the creeps of the actual battle. From the devil’s den, we could also see Camp David from very far away.

The park was really made to look like the site of the original battle. There was a photographer who had pictures of the old Gettysburg and so they restored the place back to the way it looked then. They build barns and farm houses where they were before. They also put big trees and plants where they were supposed to be. There were also old houses that are still standing there. The look of the old town is still there.

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War, battlefield, David Wills, devil's den, Gettysburg, Gettysburg address, Hall of the Presidents, National Military Park, Pennsylvania, valley of death
Posted in History and Culture, Travels|Vacations | No Comments »