Muppets
Who will be the last?
The Muppet experts at the National Post will be pitting muppet against muppet to find Canada’s best and most favourite felt creature.
“Over the next five days, our Muppet experts at the Post’s Arts & Life section will debate and vote on which Muppet deserves its place in the Jim Henson canon, and which simply needs to be shot out of a cannon, Gonzo-style.”
If you follow along with their picks, vote for your favourite on Nov. 22. Thankfully, all Muppets, regardless of how they place in the tournament, are expected to appear in the Muppets movie, which comes out the very next day. No need to choose between Pepe and the Swedish Chef.
What are your picks for Round 1? We’re pulling for Scooter, the Swedish Chef, Miss Piggy (obviously) and Gonzo.
Image by Steve Murray via National Post
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Out latest Bunch Poll in the National Post
Most people of a certain age recognize the “Imperial Death March” after about the first three notes, but can those same people explain what the spell “Expecto Patronum” means? There are some sagas that, perhaps because they’re stretched out over the course of a few years, so attach themselves to our culture that they become more than just books or movies; just ask any child over 10 which Hogwarts house the Sorting Hat would place them in. Every generation has a story that is theirs. For kids who grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, it’s Star Wars. As this weekend marks the end of Harry Potter’s eight-film battle with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, we asked some parents who grew up with Luke and Leia if Harry Potter is to their kids as Star Wars was for them. Read more...
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Did you catch our latest Bunch Poll in the National Post?
Playing seems like the most natural thing in the world for a child. Turns out playing is also how children learn best. Now that they’ve figured this out, educators are worried children aren’t playing enough and that their play might not be sufficiently playful. So this Sunday, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario hosted the Ultimate Block Party, an event where parents and children made art, played games and went home with a kind of textbook for playing called “The Playbook.”
While it’s unlikely anyone would disagree with the notion that playing is good for children, do we need to be worried about how our kids play? The staff at Bunchland.com, a lifestyle website for parents, put this question to a group of experts, parents and one kid. Read more...
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Our long weekend Bunch Poll in the National Post.
As the first long weekend with (hopefully) warm weather, Victoria Day unofficially kicks off the Canadian summer. People trek up to cottage country, head to patios and are finally allowed to wear white again. In addition to cottages and fireworks, one of the most dominant images of a long weekend is booze. After all, despite its shifting date, Victoria Day is commonly referred to as the May Two-Four. But does partying end once parenthood comes along? We asked some moms and dads how much drinking, if any, is permissible when there are little ones around:
“Parents like to think their kids don’t notice when they’re drunk but let’s cut the B.S. We all remember seeing our parent’s friends at parties reeking of booze and doing that cross-eyed smile where they seemed way too into our stupid toys and they’d hang out for so long, the other spouse would say “Charles, put down the Spider-man and come back to the table for chrissakes.” We didn’t know they were high on alcohol per se but we knew something was up and it was pretty disturbing. So no, you cannot be wasted around kids. Read more...
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Or is it still just about spending time with mom and appreciating all she does?
Mother’s Day as we know it was founded by Anna Jarvis in 1908, but even she felt that it quickly deteriorated into something lacking real sentiment. “A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world” she said. So, 103 years later, does Mother’s Day mean anything to the people it’s meant to celebrate?We asked some moms what they thought:
Bad Mother author Ayelet Waldman said, “I think Mother’s Day is a marvelous holiday. Personally, I like to loll about in bed with the newspaper and a cup of tea. My only reservation about it is that being too spoiled on Mother’s Day does up the ante for Father’s Day, a holiday I find pointless in the extreme.” Read more...
mother's day
Or has it simply turned into another Hallmark holiday?
We asked moms what they thought about their special day and got some pretty great responses. We’ll get these great responses to you very soon, but not until they’re published in the Weekend Post first.
Yep, we’re sharing some content with the National Post, starting tomorrow. Get excited, friends. This means we’ll get to share some of your wisdom, insight and hilarity with the Post’s readers. (But we’ll continue to bring you exclusive content, like uncut versions of interviews and such.)
In the meantime, check out some of our Mother’s Day ideas for this year. We’ve got cards, recipes, DIY present, a sweet story from an Olympic athlete and rockstar parents celebrating their first Mother’s Day.
Photo by Chip Bennett via Flickr
Passover
In rounding up tales of Passover traditions, we thought it would be interesting to ask someone for whom Passover is relatively new (and probably strange). We asked Benjamin Errett, Managing Editor at the National Post and author of Jew and Improved, to tell us about his seder experiences. And since his decision to convert was based on his wife Sarah, it is only fitting that she helped him with the interview. Below is Ben Errett’s interview, as illustrated (and added to–see the ending) by his wife, Sarah Lazarovic.
Sarah Lazarovic’s illustrations are featured throughout her husband Benjamin Errett’s Jew and Improved: How Choosing to be Chosen Made Me A Better Man. The HarperCollins Canada book is now out in paperback and available here.
