Case Study: What Happened When Springfield Opened A Casino

In the 1993 episode of The Simpsons, "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)", Principal Skinner pitches the idea of opening a casino during a town hall meeting discussing ways to revitalize the economy. And townsfolk seem to dig it. Mr. Burns, owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, really likes the idea and the boost it should give to the economy and how it will make him richer.

So Mr. Burns decides to build it on the waterfront and name it "Mr. Burns' Casino" and be the owner, while Smithers is his casino manager. Homer leaves his job at the power plant and takes a job with Mr. Burns at the casino as a blackjack dealer when it opens.

While Marge waits for Homer's shift to end at the casino one day, she finds a quarter on the floor and uses it to play a slot machine. She wins. And she almost immediately gets addicted to gambling, while neglecting everyone around her—including Lisa who has an important school assignment.

Bart is too young to gamble at Mr. Burns' Casino—he tries, but gets kicked out—so he starts his own casino for his friends and all their friends to play in his treehouse.

When Homer realizes Marge has developed a serious addiction to gambling—she's there at the casino 24/7—he looks for her in a panic in the casino. His outburst is caught on the casino's security camera, and when Mr Burns sees this, he demotes Homer back to his old job at the power plant. 

After Homer confronts Marge about her addiction, she realizes that she has a problem. She returns home and remembers what she had with her family. And Homer settles back into his job at the power plant. Mr. Burns, meanwhile, became a recluse, a germaphobe, once the casino opened and decides to return to the plant.

The casino is later demolished by an explosion. This was because of a mix-up behind the demolition crew in regards to setting it (it was supposed to be set for implosion).

[Simpsons Wiki; Wikipedia]

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Queen Mary Is Celebrating 100 Years In Peterborough With A Day Of Celebration On June 1st

Queen Mary Public School is celebrating 100 years in Peterborough this year, and the big celebration takes place June 1st, 2013 at the school from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (1445 Monaghan Road).

Then, that night alumni and community members will come together for a “Nuit Blanche”-inspired evening at ARIA nightclub, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. You can register for the special day at queenmary100.ca.

Also, in conjunction with this, their 100th year, Queen Mary is looking for sponsorships to help them update their auditorium.

Their goal is to raise $25,000 to update the auditorium and install three smartboards, which would be about half the expected cost of the improvements.

There are various sponsorship opportunities available, ranging from platinum ($5,000) to bronze ($350). Those interested in sponsorships can email questions to qmparentcouncil@hotmail.ca.

[Queen Mary's 100th Reunion]

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Here's Video Of How Peterborough Took Part In One Billion Rising

Peterborough participated in the One Billion Rising yesterday (February 14th), which saw rallies being held in 203 countries around the globe.. Here's to "girl power", here's to uniting to stop the violence against women. More from CBC in this report. Watch the video from the Peterborough rally...

[YouTube]

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Watch Mayor Bennett Tell His Canadian Stories

Mayor Bennett talks to the Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigrant Integration about his lineage and the importance of immigration integration to the Peterborough community.

[YouTube]

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An Inspiring List Of Individuals Speaking At 2013 Peterborough Speakers Series Event

Shannon McNevan, director of the wildly popular Boots and Hearts Festival, is just one of seven dynamic individuals who will share their stories and reveal how they beat the odds to achieve success during the annual Peterborough Speakers Series event at Market Hall, April 10, 2013.

Presented by the Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation, “UNSTOPPABLE” also features Olympic Silver Medalist Ashley Brzozowicz, Peterborough Lakers president Ted Higgins, mystery writer John Moss, comedic actor of television and theater Derek McGrath, Trent University professor and expert in economics Dr. Tom Phillips, and dynamic motivational speaking duo Barbara and Bill Johnston.

"The Peterborough Speakers Series shines a spotlight on some of our community's most dynamic and innovative people," says Health Services Foundation executive director Hannah Routly. "We’re excited to present their remarkable contributions of personal and professional success."

Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and speakers begin at 7:00 p.m. An intimate cocktail reception follows, offering attendees an opportunity to connect and chat with the speakers in a relaxed and casual setting.

Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 705-740-8074.

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Peterborough Man Does Everyday Challenge And Documents On Tumblr

A Peterborough man named Graeme (no last name given) has been doing everyday challenges around Peterborough—everything from going to the ReFrame Film Festival to signing up for a half marathon to getting a library card from the Peterbrough library to seeing the Stanley Cup. Neat concept, and lots of bucket list ideas he's building. He's documenting them all at his The Everyday Challenge blog on Tumblr (you can also follow along on Twitter @graeme_everyday). One of his latest posts includes this video below skating the canal in honour of Hockey Day in Canada being in Peterborough...

[YouTube; The Everyday Challenge]

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Brian Byrne Talks To PMZ About Peterborough, OCD Collective Campaign, IME & More In These Videos

PMZ talked to I Mother Earth's Brian Byrne at Natas Cafe in this two-part interview...

Part 1

Part 2

[PMZ; OCD Collective]

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Here's A Breakdown Of Domestic Incidents In Peterborough In Recent Years

We see so many domestics reported on media releases from Peterborough Lakefield Community Police that we asked police for more info on actual numbers. The graphs below supplied to us by police chart the domestic incidents here from 2006 to 2011 (2012 numbers haven't come in yet). In 2011, there were 214 criminal charges laid for domestic incidents, including everything from domestic assault to domestic criminal harassment to mischief to bail violations. The domestic incidents where criminal charges were laid represent approximately 4.35 per cent of all criminal charges laid last year in Peterborough. Here's a look at the breakdown...

 

**If you're a victim of domestic violence or know someone who is, great resources are available on the YWCA Peterborough website. Get more facts about domestic abuse here.

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Red Pashmina Announces Next Phase Of Their Campaign, Recognizing Women In Peterborough

Thanks to the Peterborough community, the Red Pashmina Campaign was able to raise $6,700 in 2012 for women in Afghanistan. The money will go toward supporting their Lantern Fund, an initiative that funds teacher training programs in Afghanistan.

The next phase of the campaign will focus on the local component—to recognize and celebrate the incredible women in Peterborough by sharing their stories. Ten women nominated by the community before January 31^st will be profiled in the Red Pashmina photo exhibit during the SPARK Photo Festival. The campaign will be working with five local photographers on photo essays to be displayed at Natas Cafe this April. Proceeds from the auctioning of the photos will go toward educating women and girls in Afghanistan. If you wish to sponsor a photo essay or for more info, email redpashminacampaign@gmail.com.

Watch these videos from the Red Pashmina team of Maryam Monsef and Jessica Melnik to learn more...

[Red Pashmina Campaign]

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