Places of our Past and Present

1
Places of our Past and Present

• A presentation by Dolphin Senior Public School,
  Mississauga, Canada

2
Credits

• The following is a presentation by the Learning
  Circle Team at Dolphin Senior Public School in
  Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, as part of the
  Places and Perspectives iEarn Learning Circle
  (September-December, 2007). The team consisted of
  Mr. Steeves, Mudassir, Fan, Prabhdeep, Luke, and
  Shahrukh (The Canadians). Participating schools
  included Kothari International School, Noida,
  India Gymnasium 6, Langepas, Russia School 7,
  Korolev, Russia School 7, Miass, Russia
  Mohamed Elsayed Experimental Languages School,
  Port Said, Egypt University Prep, Seattle, WA,
  U.S.A. Hillview College, Tunapuna, Santa Cruz,
  Trinidad and Tobago Remo Secondary School,
  Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria Hadley Middle
  School, Wichita, KA, U.S.A.

3
Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
• Korolov, Russia
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A.
• Miass, Russia
• Noida, India
• Port Said, Egypt
• Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

4
Introduction

• As part of the Learning Circle, we decided to ask
  schools to conduct a survey and send information
  and pictures about the most important sites in
  their area. By site we meant any kind of place,
  such as a park or monument, a building, a
  wilderness reserve, or even a street or river. By
  important we meant either historically
  significant or culturally relevant either in the
  past or the present. Following is a summary of
  what teens from around the world have sent us.

5
Mississauga, Canada
After 40 months of construction, the CN Tower was
opened to the public on June 26, 1976. Iit is the
centre of telecommunications for Toronto serving
16 Canadian television and FM radio stations, the
workplace of up to 550 people throughout the
year, and one of Toronto's premier entertainment
destinations.Defining the Toronto skyline, the CN
Tower is Canada's most recognizable and
celebrated icon. At a height of 553.33m (1,815
ft., 5 inches), it was for a long time the
World's Tallest Building and Free-Standing
Structure. Each year, approximately 2 million
people visit the World's Tallest Building to take
in the breathtaking view and enjoy all of the
attractions the CN Tower has to offer. In past
years, the CN Tower has supported its vision of
Toronto's premier entertainment destination by
totally renovating and redesigning 360
Restaurant, building the World's Highest Wine
Cellar, and adding two new elevators.
6
Mississauga (cont.)

• Niagara Falls is a set of massive waterfalls
  located on the Niagara River, straddling the
  international border separating the Canadian
  province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New
  York. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers
  receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation
  (the last ice age), and water from the
  newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through
  the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic
  Ocean. More than six million cubic feet (168,000
  m³) of water fall over the crest line every
  minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic
  feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most
  powerful waterfall in North America.

7
Mississauga (cont.)
The Mississauga Civic Center is the City Hall of
the city Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The Center
was build in 1987 by Jones and Kirkland. It
stands 302 feet. The Barn-like structure which
includes a clock tower was chosen as the winner
of a design competition that included 246
submissions. The building has a 9000 square metre
court yard with a pool and ice rink. To the west
of the building is the floral garden, often used
for weddings. South of the building it has the
Mississauga Central Library, one of the biggest
libraries in the Greater Toronto Area, and Square
One, a large shopping mall.
8
Korolov, Russia
The Moscow Kremlin is the heart of the country.
It is a great monument of Russian and world
architecture. There you can see the wonderful
white-stone monuments of the 15th-16th
centuries. There are three Cathedrals. The
Assumption Cathedral (1475-1479), arch. Aristotle
Fioravante from Italy. The Cathedral is oblong,
with an arched roof supported by four columns and
crowned by fine golden domes. You can see very
old frescoes there.
9
Korolov (cont.)
The Arhangelsky Cathedral It is cubical in shape,
with fine domes. There are tombs of the Moscow
Princes and tsars. The Blagoveshchensky
Church It was built in 1484. The cathedral's
icons include works by the oldest Russian
artists. The Majestic Campanile of Ivan Veliky
was built in 1505-1508 and was completed in 1600
during the reign of Boris Godunov. It was, in
ancient times, the Kremlin watchtower, it is 81 m
high.
10
Korolov (cont.)
The whole St. Petersburg itself is a wonderful
monument, a museum it is "music fixed in stone".
There are 539 bridges in the city and more than
80 museums. St. Petersburg has always been the
site of many political events the Decembrists'
Uprising, the Russian Revolution in 1917. During
the Second World War, Leningrad withstood a
terrible 900-day siege. The city was founded by
Peter the Great and used to be the capital of
Russia in the 18th century.
11
Korolov (cont.)
Going beyond the atmosphere of our planet is one
of the most outstanding events of our time,
connected with the name of a remarkable
scientist, the general constructor of
rocket-space systems Sergey Korolev. It is hard
to overestimate the significance of what was done
by S. Korolev. Due to Korolev, the most
outstanding events of the history of humankind
were carried out the first artificial Earth
satellite, reaching the Moon and Venus and the
first flight of Yuri Gagarin. This year we
celebrated the 50th anniversary of the launch of
Sputnik. In honor of this date the monument to
Sputnik was opened in our city. The monument has
the natural size of the sputnik
12
Trinidad and Tobago

• The Chimney at Hillview College is a relict from
  before the college started. Prior to 1955 the
  campus was used as either a quarry or sugar
  estate. The chimney was used as part of a boiler.
  Today it still stands and is covered with ivy
  which blooms at certain points in the year. It is
  one of the local highlights.

13
Trinidad and Tobago (cont.)

• The Pitch Lake There are many stories about our
  pitch lake. Our favourite comes from the West
  Indian reading book. The legend goes that the
  native people angered the Gods by killing the
  sacred humming birds to get their brilliantly
  coloured feathers to decorate themselves. The
  Gods caused a massive earthquake to occur which
  sank the village into a black liquid lake which
  we call our pitch lake today.

14
Trinidad and Tobago (cont.)
Maracas Beach is the most popular beach in the
North. It can be accessed by the Saddle Road
through Maraval or by the Saddle Road from San
Juan through Santa Cruz, and again onto the North
Coast Road. It is about 45 minutes from Port of
Spain. The beach is about 1850 m long and has off
white sand. Waves are an average height of 1.0 m.
and are ideal for surfing. Safety needs are met
through the use of red flags indicating unsafe
bathing areas and the presence of life guards
daily from 10 am-6 pm. Facilities are well
maintained and include a large car park, tables,
benches, changing rooms with showers, toilets and
lockers. Visitors can enjoy the tasty local food
from nearby vendors or bake shark on the pits
provided. On the hill above the Bay there is a
restaurant and bar from which the visitor can
enjoy the scenery and tranquillity. For those who
wish to stay a little longer, the Timberline
Nature Resort, located just off the 'look out'
provides accommodation and tours within the
area.
15
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A.
The Keeper of the Plains is a 44-foot Cor-Ten
steel sculpture by Kiowa-Comanche artist
Blackbear Bosin. It sits at the confluence of the
Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers in Wichita,
Kansas. Exploration Place is a modern science
museum, located in the "museums on the river"
district in Wichita, Kansas, United States.
Abilene became home to Dwight D. Eisenhower when
his family moved to Abilene from Denison, Texas
in 1892 where he attended elementary school
through high school. The Dwight D. Eisenhower
Presidential Library is located in Abilene. It is
now the final resting place for President
Eisenhower, his wife, Mamie, and one son.
The keeper of the plains is culturally important
because it is a remembrance of all the tribes
that were in Wichita. Exploration place is
culturally important because it shows all the
different things that were or are in Wichita.
Abilene is a historically important because
Dwight D. Eisenhower lived there and is where his
burial site is. Exploration Place
http//www.exploration.org/ http//www.abileneks.c
om/pages/attactions/eisenhower.htm
16
Miass, Russia

• The Turgoyak is very beautiful and unique. It
  takes the second place in the world after the
  Baikal for the cleanliness.Its waters are really
  mineral. The turgoyak is commonly called the
  Pearl of the Urals for its purest waters. Every
  year a lot of tourist come to Miass just to
  admire the beauty of the Turgoyak.
• Ilmen Reserve is very famous not only in Russia.
  Different flora and fauna is represented here. On
  its territory theres Mineralogical Museum which
  contains all samples of minerals existing in the
  world.Ilmen Reserve is also called Mineralogical
  Paradise. Entrance to the museum is free.

17
Miass (cont.)
Miass is divided into three parts the old part (
where you can see old wooden houses and
buildings, Avtozavod ( the central part) and
Mashgorodok where our students parents work and
live. In Mashgorodok there are only high and
modern buildings. Though Miass is rather an old
town.( it was founded in 1773), Mashgorodok is
very young 45. The founder of Mashgorodok is
V.P.Makeev who was the best pupil of Academician
S. Korolev.
18
Noida, India
Centre Stage Mall in NOIDA Its a modern
building representing Modern India at par with
the developed countries!
19
India (cont.)
Humayuns Tomb This is a replica of Taj Mahal
constructed 140 years before Taj Mahal . Another
interesting point about this monument It is
constructed by Humayuns Wife in memory of her
Husband !
20
India (cont.)
Akshardham Temple India has been giving
optimum importance to Spirituality and promoting
World Peace .Akshardham Temple has entered the
Guinness Book of World Record for being the
largest temple constructed in the modern age!
21
Egypt
Saladin Citadel

• The location, part of the Mokattam hill near the
  center of Cairo, was once famous for its fresh
  breeze and grand views of the city, and was
  fortified by the Ayyubid ruler Salah al-Din
  (Saladin) between 1176 and 1183 AD, to protect it
  from the Crusaders1.
• It is sometimes referred to as Mohamed Ali
  Citadel because it contains the Mosque of Mohamed
  Ali (or Muhammad Ali Pasha), which was built
  between 1828 and 1848, perched on the summit of
  the citadel.
• This Ottoman mosque was built in memory of Tusun
  Pasha, Muhammad Ali's oldest son, who died in
  1816.
• The citadel stopped being the seat of government
  when Egypt's ruler, Khedive Ismail, moved to his
  newly built Abdin Palace in the Ismailiya
  neighborhood in the 1860s.
• There are two other mosques at the Citadel, the
  13th/14th c. hypostyle mosque of al-Nasir
  Muhammad3 from the early Bahri Mamluk period,
  and the 16th c. Mosque of Suleyman Pasha, first
  of the Citadel's Ottoman-style mosques.
• The citadel also contains Al-Gawhara palace, the
  National Military Museum and the Police Museum.

22
Egypt (cont.)
Vallley of the Kings Tombs of the Pharoahs

• The Egyptian belief that "To speak the name of
  the dead is to make him live again" is certainly
  carried out in the building of the tombs. The
  king's formal names and titles are inscribed in
  his tomb along with his images and statues.
  Beginning with the 18th Dynasty and ending with
  the 20th, the kings abandoned the Memphis area
  and built their tombs in Thebes. Also abandoned
  were the pyramid style tombs. Most of the tombs
  were cut into the limestone following a similar
  pattern three corridors, an antechamber and a
  sunken sarcophagus chamber. These catacombs were
  harder to rob and were more easily concealed.
  Construction usually lasted six years, beginning
  with the new reign. The text in the tombs are
  from the Book of the Dead, the Book of the Gates
  and the Book of the Underworld.

23
Egypt (cont.)
Ramesses IVThree white corridors descend to the
sarcophagus chamber. The chambers ceilings depict
the goddess Nut. The lid of the pink granite
sarcophagus is decorated with Isis and Nephthys,
which were meant to serve as guardians over the
body. Their duties fell short, however, as the
tomb was robbed in ancient times. Originally the
priests placed the sarcophagus in Amenhotep II
II's tomb in order to hide the body, which was a
common practice.
Ramesses IXTwo sets of steps lead down to the
tomb door that is decorated with the Pharaoh
worshipping the solar disc. Isis and Nephthys
stand behind him on either side. Three corridors
lead into an antechamber that opens into a
pillared hall. The passage beyond that leads to
the sarcophagus chamber
24
Egypt(cont.)
MerneptahThe steep descent into the tomb is
typical of the designs of the XIX Dynasty. The
entrance is decorated with Isis and Nephthys
worshipping the solar disc. Text from the Book of
the Gates line the corridors. The outer granite
lid of the sarcophagus is located in the
antechamber, while the lid of the inner
sarcophagus is located down more steps in the
pillared hall. Carved on the pink granite lid is
the figure of Merneptah as Osiris.
Ramesses VIOriginally built for Ramesses V,
three chambers and a 4th pillared chamber was
added by Ramesses VI. Complete texts of the Book
of the Gates, the Book of Caverns and the Book of
Day and Night line the chambers. Portions of the
Book of the Dead are located in the pillared
chamber, along with scenes of the skygoddess, Nut
25
Egypt (cont.)
Seti IThe longest tomb in the valley, 100m,
contains very well preserved reliefs in all of
its eleven chambers and side rooms. One of the
back chambers is decorated with the Ritual of the
Opening of the Mouth, which stated that the
mummy's eating and drinking organs were properly
functioning. Believing in the need for these
functions in the afterlife, this was a very
important ritual. The sarcophagus is now in the
Sir John Soane Museum, London.
26
Egypt (cont.)
Tuthmosis IIIThe approach to this unusual tomb
is an ascent up wooden steps, crossing over a
pit, and then a steep descent down into the tomb.
The pit was probably dug as a deterrent to tomb
robbers. Two small chambers, decorated with
stars, and a larger vestibule are in front of the
sarcophagus chamber, which is uniquely rounded
and decorated with only red and black.
Amenhotep II A steep flight of stairs and a long
unadorned corridor lead to the sarcophagus
chamber. Three mummies, Tuthmosis IV, Amenhotep
II III and Seti II, were found in one side room
and nine mummies were found in another .
HoremhebThis tomb's construction is identical to
that of Seti I's with the exception of some of
the inner decorations.
27
Egypt (cont.)
TutankhamunTutankhamun's Tomb is probably the
most famous, due to its late discovery. Howard
Carter's description upon opening the tomb in
1922 was, "At first I could see nothing, the hot
air escaping from the chamber causing the candle
flames to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew
accustomed to the light, details of the room
within emerged slowly from the mist, strange
animals, statues and gold - everywhere the glint
of gold. For the moment - an eternity it must
have seemed to the others standing by - I was
dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon,
unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired
anxiously, 'Can you see anything?' it was all I
could do to get out the words, "Yes, wonderful
things."' The royal seal on the door was found
intact. The first three chambers were unadorned,
with evidence of early entrance through one of
the outside walls. The next chamber contained
most of the funerary objects. The sarcophagus was
four guilded wooden shrines, one inside the
other, within which lay the stone sarcophagus,
three mummiform coffins, the inner one being
solid gold, and then the mummy. Haste can be seen
in the reliefs and the sarcophagus, since
Tutankhamun died at only 19 years of age.
28
Egypt (cont.)
Nefertari There are between 75 and 80 tombs in
the Valley of the Queens, or Biban al-Harim. 
These belong to Queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th
Dynasties.  These include The Tomb of Khaemwese
Scenes in Khaemwese's tomb show him being
presented to the guardians of the gates to the
afterlife along with his father.  He is making an
offering in the scene, and is dressed in a robe,
wearing a necklace and the sidelocks of
youth. The Tomb of Queent Titi She is probably
the queen of a 20th Dynasty.  She is depicted
with the sidelocks common to the Egyptian young
of the period and in the presence of the gods
Thoth, Atum, Isis and Nephthys.  In the next
chamber the queen is shown making offerings to
Hator the cow, and in the last chamber the gods
Neith, Osiris, Selquit, Nephthys and Thoth. The
Tomb of Amenhikhopeshef Amenhikhopeshef was a
son of Ramses III and scenses show him with his
father and the gods Thoth, Ptah and others. He
was probably about nine years old when he died. 
Scenes show him being presented to various gods,
including Anubis, the Jackal-headed god of the
dead, by his father, Ramses III. A premature baby
was also found in to tomb. This belonged to this
mother, who aborted upon learning of
Amenhikhopeshef's death.
29
Egypt (cont.)
The Tomb of Nefertari One of five wives of
Ramses II, Nefertari was his favorite and the
tomb here has been is said to be one of the most
beautiful in Egypt.  The tomb is completely
painted with scenes though out.  In most of
these, Nefertari, known as 'the most beautiful of
them', is accompanied by gods.  She is usually
wearing a golden crown with two feathers extended
from the back of a vulture and clothed in a
white, gossamer  gown. Be sure not to miss the
side room where one scene depicts the queen
worshipping the mummified body of Osiris.  Near
the stairs to the burial chamber is another
wonderful scene with Nefertarti offering milk to
the goddess Hathor. 
30
Egypt
Roman Theater (Kom Al-Dikka) Over 30 years of
excavation have uncovered many Roman remains
including this well-preserved theatre with
galleries, sections of mosaic-flooring, and
marble seats for up to 800 spectators. In
Ptolemaic times, this area was the Park of Pan
and a pleasure garden. The theater at one point
may had been roofed over to serve as an Odeon for
musical performances. Inscriptions suggest that
it was sometimes also used for wrestling
contests. The theatre stood with thirteen
semi-circular tiers of white marble that was
imported from Europe. Its columns are of green
marble imported from Asia Minor, and red granite
imported from Aswan. The wings on either side of
the stage are decorated with geometric mosaic
paving. The dusty walls of the trenches, from
digging in the northeast side of the Odeon, are
layered with extraordinary amounts of potsherds.
Going down out of the Kom, you can see the
substantial arches and walls in stone, the brick
of the Roman baths, and the remains of Roman
houses. Source http//www.summ
ittoursegypt.com/historicalinfo3a.htm34 http//en
.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_Citadel


31
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
We had an interesting response to our survey. Our
students found it impossible to get it down to
three places, so they picked three categories
instead City of Seattle, natural landmarks, and
businesses associated with Seattle. We were
happy to find ourselves proud of so much that
Seattle has to offer that once we had three
categories, we still had trouble deciding which
to pick within the category!
32
Seattle (cont.)
For the City of Seattle, we picked two places
the Seattle Center and the Pike Place Market. The
Seattle Center was built for the 1962 Worlds
Fair, and the most prominent landmark is our
famous Space Needle. The Seattle Center also
includes the Pacific Science Center, the
Experience Music Project, and the Fun Forest. The
Pacific Science Center is a place where there are
many exhibitions and its a great place for field
trips since they have many hands-on experiences
for the students. The Worlds Fair took place
from April 21 to October 21, 1962. Almost
10,000,000 people attended, and the Fair did much
to enhance the reputation of Seattle in the
country and the world. The Space Needle is 605
feet/184 meters tall, but with the communications
tower on top it reaches 730 feet/222 meters into
the sky. One of our students describes it as
tall, spiny, unique, and futuristic. It has a
revolving restaurant on top and its needle points
to the sky. It weighs 9,550 tons and its center
of gravity is below ground! It is built to
withstand winds of 200mph/322km per hour. Seattle
celebrates the arrival of each New Year with
fireworks launched from the sides and the top of
the Space Needle.
33
Seattle (cont.)
The Pacific Science Center is a place where there
are many exhibitions and its a great place for
field trips since they have many hands-on
experiences for the students. It is known for its
beautiful, graceful arches. The EMP the
Experience Music Project is a rocknroll
museum built by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen
and designed by the world famous architect Frank
Gehry, who is best-known for the Guggenheim
Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The EMP is a tribute to
Seattle music legend Jimmy Hendrix, and the
museum building is meant to look like a smashed
guitar from the sky. A Science Fiction Museum
recently opened in the building as well. (The
first time Mr. Cullen saw this building under
construction he said to his students, It must be
the new roller coaster!) It is a very
controversial building, and people either like it
or dont. Its hard to feel neutral about a
building like this!
34
Seattle (cont.)
35
Seattle (cont.)

• Pike Place Market is a farmers market in the
  heart of downtown Seattle that just celebrated
  its 100th anniversary. It is an energetic and
  exciting place to be the heart and soul of the
  city, perhaps most famous now for the fish
  toss! When a customer orders a fish, the people
  at the market toss it from one person on one side
  of the counter to someone on the other side for
  processing.

36
Seattle (cont.)
Mt. St. Helens On May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens
erupted. The eruption was triggered by a 5.1
earthquake that shook loose a bulge that had been
developing on the northeast side of the mountain
for some months. A devastating eruption and
landslide followed, and one cubic meter of
material for every human on earth was belched
into the air! The countryside was scoured of all
living matter, and a huge mudslide flowed down
the mountain and into the surrounding valleys and
river. Life was destroyed in 180 sq km (70 sq
miles). 57 people are known to have died in the
eruption. This is 100 miles/160km southwest of
Seattle.
37
Seattle (cont)
38
Seattle (cont)
For Businesses, we picked Microsoft, Starbucks,
and Boeing. The Microsoft Corporation is the
brainchild of two students from Lakeside High
School in Seattle, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who
now are among the richest people in the world.
They launched a computer revolution with the
stated goal of placing a computer on every desk
in the world. They have produced operating
systems and software packages that are dominant
in the computer industry. They have also been
controversial for their business practices, and
lost fair practices lawsuits in both the United
States and Europe. Microsoft now employs 79,000
people in 102 countries. Graduates of University
Prep have worked there and made significant
contributions one wrote the Excel program.
39
Seattle (cont.)
Starbucks Starbucks was founded in Seattle in
1971 by three men (including a teacher!) who sold
only coffee beans and no beverages. Later it was
bought by an early employee of the company,
Howard Schultz, and he turned it into the huge
corporation that it is today. It was his belief
that the company should also sell coffee
beverages, and he seems to have been correct!
Starbucks is named after a character in Moby
Dick. Starbucks recently opened its 15,000th
store, and its goal is to have 40,000 stores
worldwide.
The first Starbucks store - in Pike Place Market
opened in 1971.
40
Seattle (cont.)
Boeing The Pacific Aero Products Company was
founded in 1916 by William Boeing One year later
the companys name was changed to the Boeing
Airplane Company. It is now one of the two
dominant airplane companies in the world the
other is Airbus. We have chosen this photo of the
747 because in the 1970s the commercial success
of this airplane saved the company when it was in
deep financial trouble.
Howard Hughes and the Boeing Army Pursuit Plane
in California in the 1940s.
41
Seattle (cont.)
We will finish with a funny story about
Starbucks. One of our teachers was speaking
with Mr. Howard Schultz, then-CEO of Starbucks.
She said, Howard, we dont have a Starbucks in
my neighborhood! How is that possible? he
asked. Where do you live? She told him and
said, Theres a strip mall near my house with an
empty store it would be the perfect place for a
Starbucks. Hang on, he said as he whipped out
his cell phone. He dialed quickly and asked for
someone in his company and then said to her, Now
where did you say that strip mall is? One year
later a Starbucks store opened in that exact
location. Its good to be in charge!