Laozi rendered as Lao Tzu and Lao-Tze, was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer. He is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, the founder of philosophical Taoism, a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions. A semi-legendary figure, Laozi was portrayed as a 6th-century BC contemporary of Confucius, but some modern historians consider him to have lived during the Warring States period of the 4th century BC. A central figure in Chinese culture, Laozi is claimed by both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern people of the Li surname as a founder of their lineage. Laozi's work has been embraced by Chinese Legalism. Laozi itself is a honorific title: 老 and 子. In traditional accounts, Laozi's actual personal name is given as Li Er and his courtesy name as Boyang. A prominent posthumous name was Li Dan. Sima Qian in his biography mentions his name as Lǐ Ěr, his literary name as Lǐ Dān, which became the deferential Lǎo Dān; the name Lǎo Dān appears interchangeably with Lǎo Zi in early Daoist texts such as the Zhuangzi, may be the name by which Laozi was addressed by Confucius when possibly met.

According to the Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy, "the'founder' of philosophical Daoism is the quasi-legendary Laodan, more known as Laozi". The honorific title Laozi has been romanized numerous ways; the most common present form is Laozi or Lǎozǐ, based on the Hanyu Pinyin system adopted by Mainland China in 1958 and by Taiwan in 2009. During the 20th century, Lao-tzu was more common, based on the prevalent Wade–Giles system. In the 19th century, the title was romanized as Lao-tse. Other forms include the variants Lao-tsu; as a religious figure, he is worshipped under the name "Supreme Old Lord" and as one of the "Three Pure Ones". During the Tang dynasty, he was granted the title "Supremely Mysterious and Primordial Emperor". In the mid-twentieth century, a consensus emerged among scholars that the historicity of the person known as Laozi is doubtful and that the Tao Te Ching was "a compilation of Taoist sayings by many hands". Alan Watts urged more caution, holding that this view was part of an academic fashion for skepticism about historical spiritual and religious figures and stating that not enough would be known for years – or ever – to make a firm judgment.

The earliest certain reference to the present figure of Laozi is found in the 1st‑century BC Records of the Grand Historian collected by the historian Sima Qian from earlier accounts. In one account, Laozi was said to be a contemporary of Confucius during the 6th or 5th century BC, his surname was Li and his personal name was Er or Dan. He was an official in the imperial archives and wrote a book in two parts before departing to the west. In another, Laozi was a different contemporary of Confucius titled Lao Laizi and wrote a book in 15 parts. In a third, he was the court astrologer Lao Dan who lived during the 4th century BC reign of Duke Xian of the Qin Dynasty; the oldest text of the Tao Te Ching so far recovered was written on bamboo slips and dates to the late 4th century BC. According to traditional accounts, Laozi was a scholar who worked as the Keeper of the Archives for the royal court of Zhou; this allowed him broad access to the works of the Yellow Emperor and other classics of the time.

The stories assert that Laozi never opened a formal school but nonetheless attracted a large number of students and loyal disciples. There are many variations of a story retelling his encounter with Confucius, most famously in the Zhuangzi, he was sometimes held to have come from the village of Chu Jen in Chu. In accounts where Laozi married, he was said to have had a son named Zong who became a celebrated soldier; the story tells of Zong the Warrior who defeats an enemy and triumphs, abandons the corpses of the enemy soldiers to be eaten by vultures. By coincidence Laozi and teaching the way of the Tao, comes on the scene and is revealed to be the father of Zong, from whom he was separated in childhood. Laozi tells his son that it is better to treat respectfully a beaten enemy, that the disrespect to their dead would cause his foes to seek revenge. Convinced, Zong orders his soldiers to bury the enemy dead. Funeral mourning is held for the dead of both parties and a lasting peace is made. Many clans of the Li family trace their descent to Laozi, including the emperors of the Tang dynasty.

This family was known as the Longxi Li lineage. According to the Simpkinses, while many of these lineages are questionable, they provide a testament to Laozi's impact on Chinese culture; the third story in Sima Qian states that Laozi grew weary of the moral decay of life in Chengzhou and noted the kingdom's decline. He ventured west to live as a hermit in the unsettled frontier at the age of 80. At the western gate of the city, he was recognized by the guard Yinxi; the sentry asked the old master to record his wisdom for the good of the country before he would be permitted to pass. The text Laozi wrote was said to be the Tao Te Ching, although the present version of the text includes additions from periods. In some versions of the tale, the sentry was so touched by the work that he became a disciple and left with Laozi, never to be seen again. In others, the "Old Master" journeyed all the way to India and was the teacher of Siddartha

Gordon "Gord" Krantz is the mayor of Milton, Ontario, in Canada. He was elected mayor in the Municipal Elections of 1980, after serving as town councillor from 1965 to 1980, he has been re-elected for a total of 21 terms. With his re-election in 2014, Krantz surpassed the retired Hazel McCallion as Ontario's longest-serving mayor on December 1, 2016, the longest-serving mayor of major municipality in Canada, he was re-elected by a wide margin in the October 2018 municipal election. Years earlier, he was a part-time firefighter starting in 1960, held the position until 1980; as a politician, he has served the Town of Milton since first being elected as a councilor in 1965. Mayor Krantz has been a contributor to the Region of Halton's growth plan by serving on the Regional Municipality of Halton Council since 1980, Conservation Halton Board of Directors since 1973, Niagara Escarpment Commission for three terms and various Ad-Hoc and Standing Committees, he is strong supporter of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance.

Major projects undertaken under his watch include the restoration of the Town Hall facility, the Milton Leisure Centre, the 401 Industrial Park, the Mill Pond restoration, Rotary Park redevelopment, Hawthorne Village, Milton Centre for the Arts, the Milton Sports Centre, the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, the Milton Education Village, smart traffic system implementation and the Sherwood Community Centre and Library. Krantz owned and operated his own business Krantz Fuels, served as part-time firefighter, on Prosperity One Credit Union Board of Directors since 1971, has held membership with the Royal Canadian Legion since 1963. Krantz grew up in Milton Heights alongside two brothers, he met his wife, during his teenage years and they married in 1958, going on to have two children. The pair now has six grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Town of Milton official website Town of Milton Official Council and Mayor's Page

St John of God Geelong Hospital is a 284-bed hospital providing inpatient and outpatient care in the Barwon and south-west regions of Victoria. Founded in 1965, the Sisters of St John of God purchased the hospital in 1977 and it was renamed from Holy Cross Hospital to St John of God Geelong Hospital in 1980. St John of God Geelong Hospital is a division of St John of God Health Care, a leading Catholic not-for-profit health care group, serving communities with hospitals, home nursing, social outreach services throughout Australia, New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region. St John of God Geelong Hospital has 284 beds, 13 operating theatres, a catheterisation laboratory, oncology centre and emergency department; the facility operates a Day Specialist Surgery centre opposite the hospital. The centre houses surgical theatres and a pathology collection centre. In 2012, St John of God Geelong Hospital began construction on a $64.6 million redevelopment which includes the addition of 64 new beds.

The redevelopment, which finished in 2014, include the addition of 64 new beds, the establishment of an emergency facility and rehabilitation service, three new operating theatres, new nurse units for oncology, palliative care and orthopedic services, an education and training centre, additional car-parking. A second $21 million redevelopment finished in 2017 adding three operating theatres, a hydrotherapy pool and rehabilitation centre, angiography suite and new chapel. In 2017, the hospital’s new intensive care unit opened. In 2020, the hospital's Emergency Department opened 24/7 becoming the first private emergency department to open 24/7 in the region. Services offered by St John of God Geelong Hospital include: Emergency care Critical care Cardiology Oncology Medical and surgical care Maternity and gynaecology Rehabilitation St John of God Raphael Services in Geelong provides perinatal infant mental health care and research. Staffed by mental health clinicians, Raphael Services provide free support for parents and families affected by anxiety and other mental health difficulties during pregnancy and in the postnatal period.

The services provide counselling and support for parents undergoing prenatal testing or who have experienced pregnancy loss. St John of God Horizon House program in Geelong provides safe, stable accommodation and support vulnerable young people aged 16–22 years who are experiencing, or are at serious risk, of homelessness; the program supports young people to access education and employment opportunities and make the transition to independent living. The four-level, 80-bed facility opened under the name Holy Cross Hospital in 1965, administered by the RC Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Construction and equipment cost A ₤ the building designed by Buchan, Laird & Buchan; the original configuration featured medical, surgical and paediatric departments. In 1974, due to financial and administrative difficulties faced by the MSC order, the hospital was to be sold; the local RC church acted to keep it by inviting another order, the Sisters of St John of God to take over its administration. The name of the hospital was not changed at remaining as Holy Cross.

The Sisters of St John of God purchased the hospital from the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart in 1977. The name of the hospital was changed from the Holy Cross Hospital to St John of God Geelong Hospital in 1980; the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart partnered with the Hospital Auxiliary to build a new 81-bed hospital. The Sisters handed over the management of the hospital to lay caregivers in 1989. In 1988, plans to increase bed capacity and services was realised with the completion of the east wing which added four new operating theatres and three levels of patient accommodation. A west wing was added in 1997, along with 60 additional beds, upgrades to maternity facilities and new medical consulting suites; the Specialist Centre on Myer Street was completed in 2009, adding day surgery services and specialist consulting suites. The development of the six storey Granada Medical Centre, an emergency department, three new operating theatres and a hydrotherapy centre, was completed in 2014.

In 2017 a new eight bed intensive care unit was opened the cardiac care unit will be expanded and upgraded. List of hospitals in Australia St John of God Health Care Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart St John of God Geelong Hospital web site Congregation of the Sisters of St John of God