Reflections and Quotes on International Women's Day

TUESDAY MARCH 8, 2010

Today is International Women’s Day. We’ve come a long way, baby, but there is still a long way to go. Millions of women live in abject poverty. Millions of women are victims of violence and sexual assault. There are still some countries where females are treated like third class citizens and denied a decent education. In Saudi Arabia, for example, women’s rights are severely restricted. As long as these conditions exist, an International Women’s day is necessary.

Here are some points to ponder on this day.

* Remember that it wasn’t until 1920 and the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution that American women had the right to vote in federal elections. Remember too that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has never been ratified. Although the ERA passed both houses of Congress in 1972, it did not succeed in gaining ratification before its June 30, 1982 deadline. The amendment guarantees American women equality of rights under the law.

* Wyoming is known as the “Equality State” due to its record on women’s rights. In 1869, Wyoming became the first state in the Union to grant women the right to vote. “Equality” is also the state motto.

*  On May 24, 1918, female citizens, aged 21 and over, were granted the right to vote in federal elections in Canada.  Manitoba was the first province to give women the right to vote in provincial elections on January 27, 1916.  Saskatchewan followed suit on March 14, 1916 and Alberta on April 19, 1916.  British Columbia continued the trend on April 5, 1917 and Ontario suffragettes won their victory on April 12, 1917.  Women became eligible to vote in Nova Scotia on April 26, 1918, New Brunswick on April 17, 1919, Prince Edward Island on May 3, 1922 and Newfoundland on April 13, 1925.  Quebec women were not eligible to vote in provincial elections until April 25, 1940, after exercising their franchise for over twenty years in federal elections.  The hard work and determination of Therese Casgrain was largely responsible for the victory in Quebec. 

* There are still too few women in positions of power in politics and in business. On March 14, 2011, Christy Clark will be sworn-in as the premier of British Columbia. Clark will become only the third female in over 143 years of Canadian history to lead a province. Only one of those three women, Cathereine Callbeck of Prince Edward Island, has led her party to electoral victory. Clark and Rita Johnston, both of British Columbia, won the leadership of their respective parties after the resignation of a premier. In Clark’s case, Premier Gordon Campbell resigned as leader of B.C.’s Liberal Party and Clark was subsequently chosen as party leader. In Rita Johnston’s case, it was Premier Bill Vander Zalm who resigned as head of a scandal-plagued government. Johnston was deputy premier at the time and she was named interim leader of B.C.’s Social Credit Party. As such, she was sworn in as Premier of British Columbia and Canada’s first female premier on April 2, 1991. Yes, it was not until 1991.   

By the way, Catherine Callbeck is now a member of the Senate of Canada. 

* Google is marking International Women’s Day with a colourful logo featuring a woman graduate and physician in place of the last two letters of “Google”. Google has also added a female sidekick- Pegwoman - to its Google Maps’ icon Pegman.

Number 16 presents a selection of  interesting and provocative quotations on women. 

Charlotte Whitton in 1951

Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half so good . . . luckily, it’s not difficult.

- Charlotte Whitton, 1951

How appropriate that Charlotte Whitton, the first female mayor of a major city in Canada, was born on International Women’s Day. She was born on March 8, 1896 and she was mayor of Ottawa from 1951 until 1956 and again from 1961 until 1964. A colourful and controversial figure, she was an outspoken proponent of women’s rights. Sadly, she also held anti-Semitic views.  Charlotte Whitton became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1967.  She retired from politics in 1972 and died in Ottawa on January 25, 1975 at the age of 78.


But if God had wanted us to think just with our wombs, why did He give us a brain?

- Clare Booth Luce
In Life magazine, October 16, 1970


The Queen is most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of ‘Women’s Rights’, with all its attendant horrors, on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feeling and propriety.

- Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
Letter to Theodore Martin, May 29, 1870


Women have, commonly, a very positive moral sense; that which they will, is right; that which they reject, is wrong; and their will, in most cases, ends by settling the moral.

- Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918)
From The Education of Henry Adams [1907}, Chapter 6


You don’t have to be anti-man to be pro-woman.

- Jane Galvin Lewis


If you have any doubts that we live in a society controlled by men, try reading the index to a volume of quotations.

= Elaine Gill


Fraily, thy name is woman!

- William Shakespeare
Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2


There is no female Mozart because there is no female Jack the Ripper.

- Camille Paglia
Intrnational Herald Tribune, April 26, 1991


The great question that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer , despite my thirty years of research into feminine soul, is 'What does a women want?'

- Sigmund Freud
to Marie Bonaparte
Sigmund Freud: Life and Work; Ernest Jones [1955]


LANGUAGE CORNER

Tuesday Palindromes

Here are the usual ten palindromes for a Tuesday.

1  Anne, I vote cars race Rome to Vienna.

2. Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?

3.  Go deliver a dare, vile dog!

4. Do geese see God?

5.  Eva, can I see bees in a cave?

6.  T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad.  I`d assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot-toilet.     

7.  Hey, Roy!  Am I mayor?  Yeh!

8.  Some men interpret nine memos.  

9.  Oh, cameras are macho.   

10.  peep
        
- Joanne

The Magnificent Patsy Cline: Her Tragic Death

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2011

Country music star Patsy Cline died on this day 48 years ago. On March 5, 1963, she perished in a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee. She was only 30 years old and at the pinnacle of her career when she lost her life.

Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932 in Winchester, Virginia, the eldest of three children. Her father, Samuel Lawrence Hensley, was a blacksmith, and her mother, Hilda Patterson Hensley, was a seamstress. The young Virginia was commonly called “Ginny”. In 1947, when Ginny was 15 years old, Sam Hensley abandoned the family. After her parents divorced, the teenager was needed to help pay her family’s expenses. She dropped out of high school and began toiling at various jobs such as waitressing at a diner and working as a soda fountain attendant at a drug store. By night, however, she could be found singing at an assortment of local nightclubs, wearing Western stage outfits that she herself designed. Her seamstress mother made the costumes.

Her voice was remarkable. It was a silky, contralto voice, perfectly suited to torch songs. She first began singing in a Baptist church choir. At the age of 13, she became seriously ill with rheumatic fever and her doctor placed her in an oxygen tent. When she recovered, she discovered that the fever had affected her throat and left her with a booming voice, similar to that of Kate Smith, a singer she admired greatly.

In 1952, Ginny Hensley performed with Bill Peer and His Melody Boys at Moose Lodge in Maryland. Bill eventually became her manager. It was he who encouraged her to use the stage name “Patsy”, from “Patterson”, her middle name and her mother’s maiden name. That same year Patsy met a construction industry mogul named Gerald Cline, a man considerably older than she. They married in 1953 when Patsy was 20 years old. In September of 1954, Patsy signed a contract with Four Star Music Sales. Gerald was not supportive of her career ambitions at all.  In fact, he wanted her to give up singing and reamin at home.  The unhappy couple separated in 1956 and divorced in 1957.

In 1956, Patsy was presented with a song for her first album, Patsy Cline. It was titled "Walkin’ After Midnight", written by Don Hecht and Alan Block. Although the song did not originally make a strong impression on Cline, its writers and Four Star Music insisted that she record it.

In the summer of of 1956, Patsy Cline went to New York City to audition for a second time for Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts.  It turned out to be her big break.  She was accepted to appear as a contestant on Godfrey’s CBS television program on January 21, 1957. Her rendition of "Walkin’ After Midnight" won first prize and Patsy became a regular on the show for the next two weeks. On February 11, 1957, "Walkin’ After Midnight" was released as a recording. It reached Number 2 on the Country Charts and Number 12 on the Pop Charts.

In 1956, Patsy met “the love of her life” while singing at a local dance. His name was Charles Allen Dick. Charlie Dick worked as a linotype operator at the Winchester Star newspaper.  In March of  1957, Charlie left to join the Army.  His separation from Patsy, however, was brief.  They married on September 15, 1957, a week after Patsy's 25th birthday.  The groom was 23.  After the wedding, the newlyweds moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina because Charlie was stationed at Fort Bragg. 

Patsy with Charlie Dick

In the summer of 1958, Patsy returned to Winchester, Virginia to give birth to the couple's first child.  On August 25, 1958, their daughter Julie was born.  When Charlie's two years of draft service ended in March of 1959, they returned to Winchester but did not stay there long.

In 1959, Patsy and her family moved to Nashville. That same year, Patsy met Randy Hughes who became her manager. In 1960, Patsy’s recording contract with Four Stars came to an end and she signed with Decca-Records - Nashville. Clline’s first release on her new Decca label was “I Fall to Pieces”. “I Fall to Pieces” was a great success. It was a crossover hit and was promoted on both country and pop music stations. Patsy’s career began to thrive under the direction of manager Randy Hughes and legendary Decca producer, Owen Bradley. Her dream of joining the cast of the Grand Ole Opry came true and she became one of its biggest stars.

The year 1961 started off well for Patsy Cline. In January, she and Charlie welcomed their second child, a son, Allen Randolph “Randy” Dick. On June 14, 1961, however, disaster struck! Patsy and her brother, Sam, were involved in a near-fatal car accident on Old Hickory Boulevard in Nashville. The head-on collision took place in front of a high school and Patsy almost lost her life from the impact of hitting the windshield. Her injuries included a jagged cut across her forehead, a broken wrist and a dislocated hip. She was required to spend a month in the hospital in order to recuperate. Patsy miraculously survived the crisis, although she did incur a visible scar on her forehead. After the accident, she wore wigs and used makeup to conceal the scar during her performances.

After the success of “I Fall to Pieces”, Patsy Cline was in need of a worthy follow-up. She found it in “Crazy”, a song composed by Willie Nelson in 1961. "Crazy" was an immediate country pop crossover hit, and her most successful pop hit.  It became a classic and Patsy’s signature song.  With the popularity of “Crazy” and the rise of “She’s Got You” and “Imagine That” on the charts, 1962 turned out to be a banner year for Patsy Cline.  In February, she made an appearance on American Bandstand and then headlined a 35-day show in Las Vegas in November.

On March 3, 1963, Patsy travelled to Kansas City to perform three shows as part of a benefit concert for the family disc jockey Cactus Jack Call who had recently lost his life in a car accident. Cline gamely took the stage in Kansas City although she was suffering from the flu. Singer Dottie West offered to drive Patsy  back to Nashville, but Patsy declined because she was anxious to get home to her family and had decided to fly home instead in her manager’s yellow Piper Comanche. The plane flew into severe weather and crashed near Camden, Tennessee on March 5, 1963. Cline and three others died in the crash. Grand Ole Opry stars Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins were also victims of the accident. Patsy Cline’s manager, Randy Hughes, was the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft.  

After Patsy's death, Charlie Dick considered returning to Virginia.  Loretta Lynn and Dottie West and their husbands persuaded him to remain in Nashville.  On July 4, 1965, he married country singer Jamey Ryan.  They had a son, Charles Allen Dick, Jr., known as "Chip", and divorced in 1972. 

Were she alive today, Patsy Cline would be spending time with her 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren (as of July 2006). 

To watch a video of an interview with Charlie Dick, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTb7AU14eIQ

To watch a video of Patsy Cline singing "Crazy", click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzq5X-p2C0Y

- Joanne

The Brooklyn Dodgers and Ebbets Field

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011

In Brooklyn, it was as though you were in your own little bubble. You were all part of one big, but very close family, and the Dodgers were the main topic of everybody’s conversations and you could sense the affection people had for you. I don’t know that such a thing exists anymore.

- Don Drysdale

ON THIS DAY 99 YEARS AGO

On March 4, 1912, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for Ebbets Field, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ new stadium. The ballpark was named in honour of Charles Ebbets, the Dodgers’ bookkeeper. In 1905, Ebbets went deeply into debt to purchase the Dodgers and keep them in Brooklyn.  The new stadium was constructed in just over a year at cost of $750,000.  The first game was played there on April 9, 1913.

Fans of the Dodgers fondly referred to them as “dem bums”. The Brooklyn team, however, had its moment of glory. “Dem bums” actually won the World Series in 1955 over the New York Yankees. Just two years later, in 1957, the club was moved to Los Angeles. Real estate business man Walter O’Malley, who had acquired majority ownership of the team in 1950, decided to relocate the team westward.

By 1957, the beloved home of the Brooklyn Dodgers had deteriorated badly. It appeared worn and outdated. Attendance was sagging badly. When Los Angeles officials offered O’Malley what he wanted – an opportunity to purchase land suitable for a ballpark, ownership of the new stadium and control over its revenue – he accepted the deal. The loss of the Dodgers was quite a blow to Brooklyn. Comedian Joe Flaherty said that when they left, “it was not only a loss of a team, it was the disruption of a social pattern. A total destruction of a culture.”

The Brooklyn Dodgers played their final game at Ebbets Field on September 24, 1957. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 2-0. It was the end of an ear so fondly remembered by so many people. That is why I wish I could have attended a game at Ebbets Field in its heyday. If I possessed a time machine, I’d arrange to be a fan there for just one game.  There was an unforgettable character at  Ebbets Field I would certainly enjoy watchng.  Her name was Hilda Chester and she sat in the bleachers ringing a brass cowbell.  Her face was pink and her hair was stringy.

I must admit that I had never heard of Ebbets Field until I studied Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman in high school. Ebbets Field is mentioned frequently in the play. If you enjoy baseball nostalgia, especially concerning the Brooklyn Dodgers, I recommend the book Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It is the childhood memories of a girl growing up in a New York suburb during the 1950s and her love for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
 
 
RANT OF THE DAY

It is one thing for journalists or even the public to use the more partisan “Harper government", but it is another thing for the state to equate the Government of Canada with the leader of the governing party.

- Jonathon Rose, a specialist in political communications at Queen's University.

According to a Canadian Press story yesterday by Bruce Cheadle, a directive went to public servants late in 2010 that “Government of Canada” in federal communications should be replaced by the words “Harper Government.”

Are you upset by this revelation? After what I’ve seen of the way the Harper government operates, it doesn’t surprise me one iota. It does, however. upset me considerably. I am appalled by such unmitigated gall. In fact, it makes my blood boil! “The Government of Canada” belongs to the Canadian people, not to any political party or prime minister. It is not the exclusive domain of Stephen Harper or the Conservative Party.

Back in 1979, when Joe Clark’s government formed a minority government, Clark was criticized and ridiculed for saying that he intended to govern as if he had a majority. About nine months later, his government’s budget was defeated in the House of Commons. An election was called and the Liberals were returned to power with a majority.

Well, Joe Clark, Stephen Harper is doing what you tried to do and failed. He has a minority government and he is governing as if he has a majority. The Harper government is a de facto majority government. Just imagine what Stephen Harper will do if he achieves his goal of forming a majority government? I shudder to think about it!


SPORTS

Hockey

What’s going on with Sidney Crosby? How bad is his concussion? I hope he’ll be playing again soon, but I’m getting some scary vibes. The NHL can’t afford to be without Crosby for too much longer. The number of concussions in the league continues to rise. The NHL shamelessly refuses to crackdown. It refuses to stop the unnecessary brutality. We’ve just learned what happened to Bob Probert’s brain.

- Joanne

Here's to the Welsh on St. David's Day!

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011

Wales, Wales, sweet are thy hills and vales,
Thy speech, thy song
To thee belong,
O may they live ever in Wales

- Evan James, Welsh poet (1809 – 1878)
From Land of My Fathers {1856]

Today is March 1, the feast day of St. David. St. David is the patron Saint of Wales. Although his exact date of his birth is uncertain, David was born around the year 500 A.D. and is thought to have died on March 1, about 90 or more years later. He was a church official and a native of Wales. He gained recognition as a teacher and preacher who founded monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Dumnonia and Brittany.

* David is depicted as a bishop with a dove, usually on his shoulder.

* The remains of St. David were buried at what is now the Cathedral of St. David's in Pembrokeshire, west Wales.

* In 1120, David was officially recognized by the Vatican under Pope Callixtus II.

* In Cardiff, Wales, there is an annual St. David’s Day parade. It is a very colourful and enjoyable event.

Below is a depiction of St. David on a 19th century stained glass window in Jesus College Chapel, Oxford.  Notice the dove on his shoulder.



St. David



QUOTATIONS ABOUT WALES AND THE WELSH

The land of my fathers. My fathers can have it.

- Dylan Thomas
In Adam, December 1953

‘I often think,’ he continued, ‘that we can trace almost all the disasters of English history to the influence of Wales.”

- Evelyn Waugh (1903 1966), English novelist
From Decline and Fall [1928]


There is no present in Wales,
And no future
There is only the past,
Brittle with relics . . .
And an impotent people,
Sick with inbreeding,
Worrying the carcase of an old song.

- R.S. Thomas (1913–2000), Welsh poet and clergyman
From Welsh Landscape [1955]


It profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole word  . . .  But for Wales - !

- Robert Bolt, English playwright
From A Man for All Seasons [1960]


Everyday when I wake up, I thank the Lord I’m Welsh.

- Cerys Matthews, Welsh singer
From International Velvet (1998 song)


LIST OF FAMOUS WELSH MEN AND WOMEN

Here is a random list of the most famous Welsh men and women I can think of, living and dead.

Actor Richard Burton (1925–1984) was born in the village of Pontrhydyfen, Neath Port Talbot, Wales.

The poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) was born in Uplands, Swansea, Wales.

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones (1969- ) was born in Swansea. West Glamorgan, Wales.

Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins (1937- ) was born at Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales.

Singer Tom Jones (1940- ) was born at Treforest, Pontypridd, Wales.

David Lloyd George (1863-1945), former British Prime Minister, was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. He was, however, a Welsh-speaker and of Welsh descent – the only British Prime Minister so far to have that distinction.

Designer Laura Ashley (1925-1985) was born at Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.


FACTS ABOUT WALES

* Wales has a population of approximately 3 million based on findings of the last population census (2,903,085 in 2001).

* The Welsh flag has two equal horizontal stripes, white above green, and a large red dragon passant.  The red dragon is probably of Roman origin.

 * Wales has two major emblems:

1. The Leek













The leek is known to have been displayed as a Welsh emblem in 1536 and in Henry V, Shakespeare acknowledged this as an ancient custom.

"On the evidence of Shakespeare (Henry V, VI 1), the leek was the recognised emblem of his day, and there is written evidence that it became the Welsh emblem considerably earlier. Entries in the household accounts of the Tudor Kings include payments for leeks worn by the household guards on St. David's Day. According to one legend, the leek is linked to St. David because he ordered his soldiers to wear them on their helmets when they fought a victorious battle against the pagan Saxons in a field full of leeks. It was more likely, however, that the leek was linked with St. David and adopted as a national symbol because of its importance to the national diet in days of old, particularly in Lent."

- The Welsh Tourist Board

Leek soup on St. David’s Day, anyone?


2. The Daffodil

The daffodil is another emblem of Wales. The reason is obscure because the daffodil does not have any distinctive literary or historical link to Wales. It does look attractive on a lapel on St. David’s Day.


END NOTE

In the year 2000, I had the pleasure of touring Wales. I rode a train on Snowdon Mountain and I visited Cardiff Castle. I also walked around the seaside town of Tenby. I remember having problems pronouncing many of the Welsh place names.


LANGUAGE CORNER

Palindrome Day

Tuesday is palindrome day on Number 16 and ten palindromes are presented for your enjoyment and edification. A palindrome is defined as a word, phrase, verse, sentence or number that reads the same backward or forward.

1. Sit on a potato pan, Otis.

2. Draw nine men inward.

3. Too bad - I hid a boot.

4. Ed is on no side.

5. Stella won no wallets.

6. Some men interpret nine memos.

7. Murder for a jar of red rum.

8. Go hang a salami. I’m a lasagna hog.

9. Rise to vote, sir.

10. Bombard a drab mob.


SPORTS

Baseball

I’m glad that Grapefruit League baseball is underway. It’s only exhibition baseball, but the Toronto Blue Jays have lost their first 3 games. They were defeated twice by the Detroit Tigers and scored nary a run. Yesterday, they lost 6-3 to the Philadelphia Phillies and Roy Halladay. Doc pitched two shutout innings.

R.I.P. Duke Snider

Another one of the greats is gone. Edwin Donald “Duke” Snider died on Sunday (February 27, 2011) at the age of 84. The Hall of Famer and Brooklyn Dodgers legend was a contemporary of Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. He was the last prominent survivor of the renowned “Boys of Summer” Brooklyn Dodgers’ teams of the 1950s.

Snider broke in with the Dodgers in 1947 and retired after the 1964 season with 407 career home runs. In 1980, he was voted into the baseball shrine at Cooperstown, New York. His health had been failing in recent years and he suffered from diabetes.

Joanne

Bing Crosby and Inger Stevens: Their brief, ill-fated romance

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011

In September of 1930, Bing Crosby married Dixie Lee, a nightclub singer and actress from Harriman, Tennessee. Dixie suffered from acute alcoholism and she died of ovarian cancer on November 1, 1952, three days before her 41st birthday. After Dixie’s death, the enormously popular entertainer found himself a widower with four sons: Gary (born October 1933), twins Dennis and Phillip (born 1934), and Lindsay (born 1938). Bing was overwhelmed by Dixie’s death and the challenge of raising their four boys.

Of the children of Bing Crosby’s first marriage, only Phillip survives. Dennis and Lindsay both reportedly committed suicide and Gary died of lung cancer in 1995 at the age of 62. After Bing’s death, Gary published a memoir titled Going My Own Way. In his book, Gary, who was also a singer and actor, accuses his father of both physical and psychological abuse.

In late 1956, Crosby began filming Man on Fire with a beautiful blonde newcomer named Inger Stevens. Stevens was 22 years old when she was cast opposite Bing. Man on Fire was her big break, her motion picture debut. The drama, about the effects of divorce on a family, was not enthusiastically received.

Man on Fire marked the first time Bing Crosby starred in a film without any singing, although he did croon the title song over the opening credits. Crosby portrayed wealthy businessman Earl Carleton, a troubled father devastated by his bitter divorce and the ensuing custody battle for his son. Stevens, who played the role of Crosby’s sympathetic attorney, earned favourable reviews for her performance.

To watch the original trailer for Man on Fire (with Ed Sullivan and Bing), click on the link below.

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/93474/Man-On-Fire-Original-Trailer-.html

Inger Stevens was born Inger Stensland in Stockholm, Sweden on October 18, 1934, the eldest of three children. She had a difficult childhood. When she was only 6, her mother abandoned the family for another man. Her parents divorced when Inger was 9 years after which Inger’s father immigrated to the United States and remarried. In 1944, he summoned Inger and her younger brother, Ola, to join him and his new wife in New York City.

When Inger was 13, the family moved to Manhattan, Kansas. In July of 1951, an unhappy Inger ran away to Kansas City and at the age of 16, she appeared in a Kansas City burlesque show. Her father brought her back home and she graduated from Manhattan High School in May of 1952.

Inger studied dance at Kansas State University, then moved to Kansas City where she worked as a dance instructor and got a start in modelling. In October of 1953, she relocated to New York and found employment as a model while studying acting at the Actor’s Studio. Her career began to blossom as she appeared in television series, commercials and in plays.

In July of 1955, Stephens married her agent, Anthony Sogio. Their marriage was short-lived and the couple separated in early 1956. Ingrid then moved to California and obtained American citizenship. In 1957, while filming Man on Fire, Inger Stephens filed for divorce from Sogio (it became official in 1958).

Man on Fire was released in 1957. Although it did not create a sensation, it led to a romance between the baritone crooner and the young Swedish-born actress. Throughout her career, Stevens displayed a propensity for falling in love with her co-stars and Bing Crosby, 31 years her senior, was no exception. The affair began after Inger suffered an appendicitis attack on the set in December of 1956. The two grew close during Crosby’s visits with her at the hospital.

Inger had hopes of marrying Crosby although she refused to convert to Catholicism for him. Soon after the release of Man on Fire, Bing invited her to supervise the renovation of his Palm Springs home. Stevens was under the mistaken impression that this was to be their matrimonial home. Unbeknownst to her, Bing was also seriously involved with another young actress named Kathryn Grant. It was while working on the house that Inger learned about Bing’s marriage to Kathryn.

Bing first met the Texas-born Grant on the Paramount set in 1954 when he was filming White Christmas. The two had an on-again, off-again relationship, but finally wed on October 24, 1957 in Las Vegas, Nevada at St. Anne’s Church (Grant converted to Catholicism). The newlyweds settled in Hillsborough, California and raised three children: Harry (born 1958), Mary (of Dallas fame, born 1959) and Nathaniel (born 1961).

Bing died on October 14, 1977 at the age of 74 while playing golf in Madrid, Spain. Kathryn was left a 44-year-old widow and she became the author of several books about her life with Bing. After Crosby’s death, she took on some minor stage roles and the lead in the 1996 short-lived Broadway musical State Fair. In 2000, Kathryn married for the second time to Maurice William Sullivan. On November 24, 2010, she was seriously injured in a car accident in the Sierra Nevada. Her 85-year-old husband lost his life in the accident.

Inger Stevens returned to New York City after her ill-fated love affair with Crosby.  Distraught over her failed romance, she attempted suicide in her Gramercy Place apartment in January of 1959. The following year, she returned to California and resumed her career. Although she had roles in major films, she achieved her greatest success on television. In 1960, She starred in two memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone and also appeared in episodes of Route 66 (1961 and 1962), The Detectives (1961) and The Eleventh Hour (1962). In 1963, she became a household name when she won the leading role in The Farmer’s Daughter.

In The Farmer’s Daughter, Inger Stevens portrayed Katy Holstrum, a Swedish farm girl who left her home in Minnesota to become a housekeeper for a congressman in Washington. Inger’s character was quite opinionated and somewhat of a feminist for her era. The show was a smash hit for her and co-star William Windom who played Congressman Glen Morley. It ran on ABC until 1966.

After the cancellation of The Farmer’s Daughter, Inger returned to the silver screen. In 1967, she starred opposite Walter Matthau in A Guide for the Married Man. In 1968, she appeared in films with such luminaries as Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark and Dean Martin. By 1970, she was ready to attempt a comeback on television with the detective drama series The Most Deadly Game. Alas, it was not to be. On the morning of April 30, 1970, Stephens was found lying face down on the kitchen floor of her Hollywood home. She died en route to hospital of "acute barbiturate intoxication," a deadly combination of drugs and alcohol, according to Los Angeles Coroner Thomas Noguchi.  She was 35 years old.

After Inger’s death, Ike Jones, an African-American actor and producer, claimed to have married the actress in Mexico in 1961.  During the settling of her estate, Inger's brother,Carl O. Stensland, backed Jones' claim.  Since interracial unions were frowned upon in Hollywood in the 1960s, Stensland stated that the marriage was kept secret so that Inger's career would not be jeopardized. Although estranged, Inger and Ike remained married at the time of Stevens’ death.  Jones, who was born on December 23, 1929, is now 81 years old.

Ike Jones

EDITOR'S UPDATE (January 2, 2013): Ike Jones passed away on October 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.  He was 84 years old at the time of his death at an assisted-living facility.

- Joanne

2011 Oscars Quiz

FRIDAY, FEBRURARY 25, 2011

On Sunday, the Academy Awards will be given out in Hollywood. To mark the occasion, Number 16 proudly presents its first annual Academy Awards quiz. Get ready and test your knowledge by answering 10 questions about the Oscars. Good luck.

1. Despite a long and distinguished acting career, Humphrey Bogart only won one Academy Award. What was the name of the film that earned Bogie his only Oscar?

A. Casablanca

B. Key Largo

C. The African Queen

D. The Maltese Falcon

E. The Big Sleep


2. How many Canadian-born women have won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role?

A. 3

B. 1

C. None

D. 2

E. 4


3. What year was the first Academy Awards ceremony held?

A. 1932

B. 1928

C. 1930

D. 1929

E. 1931


4. Who was the youngest person ever to win an Oscar?

A. Tatum O’Neal

B. Shirley Temple

C. Margaret O’Brien

D. Anna Paquin

E. Judy Garland


5. Paul Newman won only won one Academy Award during his stellar career. For which movie did Newman win an Oscar?

A. Cool Hand Luke

B. The Hustler

C. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

D. The Color of Money

E. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid


6. How many Oscars did Alfred Hitchcock, the great director and “Master of Suspense” win?

A. 1

B. None

C. 2

D. 4

E. 3


7. Elizabeth Taylor was born on February 27, 1932. She turns 79 years old on the day of the day of the Oscars. For which film did she win the first of her two Academy Awards.

A. Giant

B. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

C. Butterfield 8

D. A Place in the Sun

E. Cleopatra


8. For which of these films did Shelley Winters win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role?

A. The Poseidon Adventure

B. A Place in the Sun

C. The Night of the Hunter

D. A Double Life

E. A Patch of Blue


9. Shelley Winters received one other Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Name the film that won her that Oscar (This is your bonus question, so give yourself an extra point if you answer it correctly).

A. The Great Gatsby

B. The Diary of Anne Frank

C. Lolita

D. Alfie

E. Executive Suite


10. Who was the first black to win an Oscar for a performance in a leading role?

A. Hattie McDaniel

B. Denzel Washington

C. Halle Berry

D. Sidney Poitier

E. James Earl Jones


ANSWERS:

1 C. The African Queen

In 1951, Humphrey Bogart won the Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in The African Queen.

2. A. 3

Three Canadian-born women have won Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role and they won them in three consecutive years. They are Mary Pickford for Coquette in 1929, Norma Shearer for The Divorcee in 1930 and Marie Dressler for Min and Bill in 1931. Mary Pickford was born in Toronto, Norma Shearer in Montreal and Marie Dressler in Cobourg, Ontario.

3. D. 1929

The first Academy Awards ceremony took place at a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California on May 16, 1929.

4. A. Tatum O’Neal

In 1973, Tatum O’Neal was only 10 years old when she won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Paper Moon.

5. D. The Color of Money

In 1986, Paul Newman won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Color of Money.

6. B. None

Although he received five nominations, famed director Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar. He received the Irving Thalberg memorial award at the 1967 Academy Awards.

7. C. Butterfield 8

Elizabeth Taylor won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Butterfield 8 in 1961. In 1967, she won a second Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

8. E. A Patch of Blue

In 1965, Shelley Winters won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in A Patch is Blue.

9. B. The Diary of Anne Frank

In 1959, Shelley Winters won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting role for performance in The Diary of Anne Frank.

10. D. Sidney Poitier

In 1963, Sidney Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Lilies of the Field.

- Joanne

Amelia Earhart and reflections on courage

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2011

Courage is the price that
Life exacts for granting peace.

The soul that knows it not
Knows no release from little things:
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear,
Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear
The sound of wings.

Nor can life grant us boon of living, compensate
For dull gray ugliness and pregnant hate
Unless we dare
The soul's dominion.
Each time we make a choice, we pay
With courage to behold the resistless day,
And count it fair.

- Amelia Earhart

This poem by famed aviator Amelia Earhart first appeared in a 1928 issue of Survey Graphic magazine. It certainly reflects her adventurous spitit.  The poem, titled "Courage",  was published in an article called “Who is Amelia Earhart?” by Marian Perkings. The topic for this February day is courage. Amelia had plenty of it.

Here are some more reflections on courage.

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because as has been said, it is the quality which guarantees all others.

- Winston Churchill
From Great Contemporaries (1937)


Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.

- C.S. Lewis
From The Unquiet Grave (1944)


Grace under pressure.

- Ernest Hemingway
(When asked what he meant by “guts”, in an interview with Dorothy Parker in the New Yorker, November 30, 1929)


UPDATE ON THE MYSTERY OF AMELIA EARHART’S DISAPPEARANCE

On January 29, 2011, I wrote about the July 2, 1937 disappearance of celebrated aviator Amelia Earhart. Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared during their attempt to circumnavigate the globe at the equator. The pair left New Guinea in a twin-engine airplane over 74 years ago and never returned. Their destination was a small island in the central Pacific Ocean called Howland Island.

According to a February 21, 2011 Canadian Press story, a scientist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia hopes to extract Amelia Earhart’s DNA. Doongya Yang, a forensic archeologist, is endeavouring to create a genetic profile that can be used to determine whether bone fragments recently discovered on the remote, uninhabited Pacific island of Nikumaroro.

Yang became involved in the research at the behest of a Simon Fraser health student named Justin Long. Long’s grandfather, Elgen Long, is considered an authority on Amelia Earhart and owns a collection of about 400 of her letters. Earhart’s letters have been opened with letter openers, leaving the seals intact to capture DNA. Justin Long revealed that Yang will be testing four letters, including one written by George Palmer Putnam, Amelia’s husband. This way he will be able to have comparison DNA of someone close to Earhart in the event that the letters were sealed by someone else.

Elgen Long is 88 years old and has devoted about forty years collecting Amelia Earhart items. He even possesses some of her clothing. Unfortunately, DNA cannot be extracted from Amelia’s attire because it has been dry cleaned. The elder Long noted, however, that Earhart has some surviving relatives whose DNA could also be matched with Yang’s findings.

Interestingly, Justin Long doubts that the remains found on the island of Nikumaoro are those of Amelia Earhart. He said, “It is extremely unlikely because ocean currents don’t support any debris or people floating in that direction. And it’s 653 kilometres away from where Earhart’s destination was in the Pacific, which was Howland Island.”

The intriguing mystery of Amelia Earhart continues. Number 16, will keep you posted.


SPORTS

Baseball

The Toronto Blue Jays, in my opinion, did the right thing in signing Jose Bautista to a multi-year contract. Yes, it’s definitely a risk, but it’s one that’s worth taking. Even if his home run production decreases considerably, his value to the team cannot be measured entirely with statistics. His leadership qualities are needed. Now, Mr. Anthopoulos, go ahead and get a decent third baseman so that Jose can play in the outfield.

- Joanne

NUMBER 16 EXCLUSIVE: The Secret Plans of the Conservative Party – Stephen Harper, Jim Flaherty and Peter MacKay meet to discuss Tory strategy for the next election.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011

You can read it here first. Number 16 has unearthed Conservative secret plans and the true reason why Prince William and his bride-to-be will not be visiting the largest city in Canada this summer. Once again, your intrepid reporter, Joanne Madden, has infiltrated the most secret corners of the Conservative war room. A conversation was recorded between Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his trusted Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty and Defence Minister Peter MacKay.

(Stephen Harper smiles confidently as he sits down to converse with Jim Flaherty and Peter MacKay)

SH: Well, boys, I think everything is under control. We’re just about ready for the next election. This time we are going to win our majority. Nothing’s going to stop us now! (He rubs his hands greedily)

JF AND MacKAY: (clapping their hands) Here! Here!

SH: Our new attack ads are great. We are going to make mince meat of Iggy and the Liberals.

JF: That’s for sure, Mr. Prime Minister. We’re getting the message across that Iggy is only in it for himself. He’s not devoted to this country like you are.

MacKAY: Anybody can see that, Stephen. I just love our new ads showing you alone in your office working so hard at your desk. You look so calm and cool and in control. And your glasses, what a nice touch!

SH: They don’t make me look too intellectual, do they? I don’t want to look too intellectual.

MacKAY: Oh no! You look more like Clark Kent than some intellectual. You look so dedicated. The people will realize that you are running the ship of state right on course.

JF: That’s right. We Conservatives are running the economy competently. Voters will get the message and they won’t want to change course.

SH: What about the big cities? We don’t have a single seat in the three biggest cities - Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. We’re going to have to win seats there to get our majority.

MacKAY: Well, I think Quebec is a lost cause for us. We don’t have to worry about the Prairies. The Vancouver lefties won’t vote for us. Ontario is where we have to win big, especially in your birthplace, Mr. Prime Minister.

SH: (Sighs deeply) Don’t remind me that I was born there. My hometown is Calgary now. I’m a Westerner. I’m a Calgary Flames fan.

(A cell phone rings interrupting the conversation)

MacKAY (answering his phone): Sorry, I have to take this call. (Mackay rises from his chair and speaks in a low voice) Sorry, baby, I can’t talk to you about that now. I’m at a very important meeting. I hope you understand and I hope you won’t pull a Belinda on me . . . don’t hang up! (He puts his cell phone away) Women! It looks like I’m going to have to walk my dog again!

SH: Peter, you really should turn that thing off when we’re having a meeting.

MacKAY (in a sheepish voice): Sorry about that. Hey Stephen, can we invite Condoleezza Rice to Canada again?

SH: No, Peter! I know you like her, but, unfortunately, George W. Bush is no longer the President of the United States.

MacKAY: Rats! I was hoping to take her to Tim Hortons again!

SH (glaring at MacKay): The only Tim Hortons you’ll take her to, Peter, is the one in Kandahar. Now, let’s get back to the matter at hand: How to win votes in the City of Toronto. What do you think, Jim?

JF: We need to demonstrate to the people of Toronto what will happen if they don’t vote Tory. They need to know there will be consequences.

SH: Well, Jim, I sent them a pretty strong message when I chose Toronto as the site of the G20 Summit last summer.

MacKAY: Yeah, that was a great strategy!

SH: And did you notice my latest move. I invited Prince William and Kate Middleton to come to Canada. Fortunately, they accepted my invitation, but there are no plans for them to visit Toronto. I made sure that the city has been snubbed again. T.O. is finally going to learn that it will be snubbed until it votes Conservative Blue. Toronto will vote Tory and it will learn to like it.

JF: Brilliant, Stephen, just brilliant! I’m sure the message will not be lost on Torontonians. It’s not just an oversight that William and Kate are not visiting Canada’s largest city. It’s a glaring omission. The people of Toronto have been taught a lesson.

SH: I’ve even thought of another strategy. Let’s put a curse on the city. The Toronto Maple Leafs will never win another Stanley Cup until Hogtown votes overwhelmingly Conservative!  We'll call in some people from Boston to talk about how long the Curse of the Bambino lasted.  That should do it.  We'll guarantee them a Stanley Cup as soon as they vote Tory again.

JF: I don’t know about that, Stephen . . .  I wouldn't make any guarantees about the Leafs winning the Cup . ..

- Joanne

Nicolaus Copernicus: The search for his remains

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2011

Nicolaus Copernicus was a true Renaissance man and I honour him today on the 538th anniversary of his birth. This great thinker was born on February 19, 1473 in the city of Thorn, Royal Prussia, Kingdom of Poland. At the time of Coperncus’ birth, the city of Thorn was predominantly German-speaking. His father was a well-to-do merchant from Krakow and Nicolaus was the youngest of four children.

How much of a genius was Nicolaus Copernicus? Well, let’s see. He was a mathematician, astronomer, physician, classical scholar, translator, artist, jurist, Catholic cleric, diplomat and economist. Oh yes, and he was a polyglot. It is presumed that he spoke three languages with equal fluency - Polish, Latin and German. He also spoke Italian and Greek. The majority of his surviving works are written in Latin, which during his lifetime was the scholarly language of Europe. It was the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and of Poland’s royal court.

Copernicus’s seminal work, his masterpiece, On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres (De revolutionbus orbium coelestium, was written in Latin and was first printed in 1543 in Nuremburg, Germany. With that book, Copernicus challenged the dominant religious and scientific thinking of the day. He caused a stir by disagreeing with the conventional wisdom that the Earth was the fixed centre of the universe and argued that the Earth and all the known planets revolved around the stationary Sun. Based on years of astronomical observations, he put forth a heliocentric theory of cosmology. In the 16th century, this was a daring and revolutionary concept.

In 1539, prior to the publication of De revolutionbus, Martin Luther is quoted as saying in one of his "Table Talks", “People gave ear to an unstart astrologer (Copernicus) who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon . . . This fool wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred Scripture tells us [Joshua 10:13] that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth.”

Coernicus died May 24, 1543 at Frombork (Frauenburg), Kingdom of Poland at the age of 70. He was reportedly buried at Frombork Cathedral. For over two centuries, archaeologists searched fruitlessly for his remains. In August of 2005, a team of team of diligent searchers, led by Polish archaeologist Jerzy Gassowski, finally unearthed the remains of the Renaissance polymath at the Frombork Cathedral in north-eastern Poland. When they scanned beneath the cathedral floor they discovered what they believed to be Copernicus’s skull and leg bones below the St. Cross altar. In 2008, a DNA test confirmed that the bones did indeed belong to the Polish astronomer. They matched hair samples taken from an astronomy reference book owned by Copernicus that was housed at the library of a Swedish university.

A forensic expert at the Polish Police Central Forensic Laboratory used the skull to reconstruct a face that closely resembled that of Copernicus’s, including a broken nose and a scar above the left eye - features that were evident in a self-portrait of the great scholar. Copernicus had a crooked nose, the result of a childhood accident.

The forensic expert also determined that the skull was that of a man between 60 and 70 years old, (Copernicus was 70 at the time of his death).

Below is the forensic rendition of the face of Copernicus taken from the reconstruction of his skill.

On May 22, 2010, Copernicus was given a second funeral in a Mass celebrated by Jozef Kowalczyk, the Primate of Poland. His remains were reburied beneath a tombstone of black granite in Frombork Cathedral. The tombstone identifies him as the discoverer of the heliocentric theory and also a church canon.  On the tombstone, there is a depiction of the Copernican model of the solar system.

Nicolaus Copernicus was undoubtedly one of the greatest Poles who ever lived. He ranks with Chopin and Marie Curie (born Marie Sklodowska in Warsaw) among others. His ideas influenced another genius, an Italian named Galileo.


LANGUAGE CORNER

The Polish version of Nicolaus Copernicus’s name is Mikloaj Kopernik. The surname means “one who works with copper”.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMOKEY ROBINSON

I have always enjoyed the sound of Motown and Smokey Robinson has really made that sound come alive. William Robinson, Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 19, 1940. He turns 71 years old today.


SPORTS

Hockey

So Tomas Kaberle has finally been traded. He is now a member of the Boston Bruins and will play for a contender in Beantown. In return for Kabele, the Toronto Maple Leafs receive prospect Joe Colborne, Boston’s 1st round choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, and a conditional 2nd round draft choice. It looks as if the Leafs have given up on this season and are once again rebuilding. No wonder their fans are so frustrated. Well, at least they seem to have a decent goaltender in young James Reimer.

- Joanne

Justin Bieber, Glenn Beck and health care

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

I don’t consider teenage singing idols to be authorities on the great issues of the day. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to congratulate teen heartthrob Justin Bieber for speaking his mind. In a preview of an upcoming cover story in Rolling Stone magazine, the 16-year-old from Stratford, Ontario praised Canada’s public health care system. He said, “Canada’s the best country in the world. We go to the doctor and we don’t need to worry about paying him, but here, your whole life, you’re broke because of medical bills. My bodyguard’s baby was premature, and now he has to pay for it. In Canada, if your baby’s premature, he stays in the hospital as long as he needs to, and then you go home.”

Not surprisingly, Bieber was roundly criticized by Glenn Beck of Fox News. On his radio show, Beck and co-host Pat Grey attacked and mocked the young pop singer. At one point in the show, Grey told to Bieber to “Go to Canada . . . Let’s see how many of your records they’re buying, you rotten little brat.”

How classy of you, Mr. Grey! Of course you have the right to oppose universal health care, but did you really have to resort to calling a 16-year-old “a rotten little brat” because he expressed a point of view that differs from yours?  If Justin had bashed the Canadian health system, you would have lauded him for being a smart and thoughtful young man. Since you disagree with him, he is a rotten little brat, ungrateful for the largesse that America has bestowed upon him. Who is behaving like an adolescent now?

Justin Bieber is extremely wealthy and he doesn’t have to worry about paying exorbitant health care bills. At least, he is concerned about those who do. Doesn’t that demonstrate that he has a social conscience? More Canadians should take a strong stand in the defence of universal health care.  Otherwise we may lose something we can be proud of, something that defines us as a nation.

To listen to the remarks of Glenn Beck and Pat Grey, click on the link below.

http://www.politicususa.com/en/glenn-beck-justin-bieber

- Joanne

Kim Jong-il: It's the Dear Leader's birthday

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011

Oh joy!  It’s the Dear Leader's birthday. Yes, Kim Jong-il of North Korea is 70 years old today. The official line in North Korea is that Kim is 69 years old, but Soviet records reveal that he was born in the small Russian fishing village of Vyatskoye on February 16, 1941. His late father, long-time North Korean dictator, Kim Il-sung, commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, consisting of Chinese and Korean exiles. Kim Jong-il’s mother was Kim Jong-suk, the first wife of Kim Il-sung.

Kim Jong-ill succeeded his father as Supreme Leader of North Korea on July 8, 1994. He has been in power for over 16 years. Although small in stature, Kim rules his people with an iron fist. North Korea is a tightly-controlled totalitarian state and there is absolutely no dissent in this secretive country. Kim’s son, Kim Jong-un, has been promoted to a senior post in the ruling Worker’s Party and is considered to be the heir apparent.

Kim Jong-il loathes his short stature and always wears high platform shoes in public. His exact height is a closely guarded secret, but it is estimated to be between 5’3’’ and 5’6’’ (155 – 165 cm). Pyongyang rarely releases photos that show his elevator shoes. In 2005, however, the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper published a picture of a smiling Kim wearing 10-12 cm. platforms. The photograph was taken during a 2002 meeting with then-Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Back in 1994, North Korea’s first golf course was opened in Pynogyang and Kim decided to play it. The state-run North Korean media announced that Kim shot an astounding 38 under par on the regulation 18-hole course – including 5 holes in one. It was his first time playing the sport. What amazing athletic prowess this man has! Is there anything he can’t he do? Well, the North Korean press has not yet reported that Kim has walked on water . . . yet.

In honour of Kim’s 70th (sorry, I mean 69th) birthday, there will be a week of song and celebration in North Korea, including ice skating and musical shows. The Dear Leader even has a flower named in his honour, a hybrid begonia called Kimjongilla. Exhibitions of his floral namesake are on display. Although the states media reports that Pyongyang’s streets are festooned with lanterns and goodwill messages, a defector group claims that birthday handouts were cut back as the regime continues to have difficulty feeding its people.

Kim’s eccentricities, his enormous ego, and his extreme pomposity, would be quite amusing - except for one salient fact. The man is a brutal dictator and North Koreans are suffering immensely. His nation is poverty-stricken and has experienced terrible famine. Nevertheless, North Korea remains one of the most militarized countries in the world today. Its government spends billions of dollars on the Korean People’s Army.

This brings us to another Kim story. In 2006, the Dear Leader discovered that there was a man in Germany who bred giant rabbits the size of dogs. He thought that these enormous rabbits would provide a solution to North Korea's widespread hunger problem. The German man, Karl Szmolinsky of Berlin, informed Kim that that was not a very good idea. The rabbits would devour more carrots and other vegetables than they would yield in meat.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Kim Jong-il  died on December 17, 2011 at the age of 70.

Baseball

I’m pleased that the Toronto Blue Jays are delaying arbitration with slugger Jose Bautista. It is imperative for the team to sign Bautista to a multi-year deal. He has the ability to be the team leader. He is articulate and very helpful to the Hispanic players on the club. I’m waiting to see if GM Alex Anthopoulos can obtain a decent third baseman so that Bautista can play in the outfield where he belongs.

Hockey

It’s about time that someone in hockey spoke out strongly against the brutality of the NHL game. Bravo to Mario Lemieux. Hockey should not be allowed to degenerate into a roller derby on ice. After enjoying the great games at the Vancouver Winter Olympics last year and the World Junior Hockey Championship this Christmas season, I find it increasingly difficult to watch the diluted, fight-infested NHL game. 

- Joanne

Valentine's Day Quiz 2011

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011

If you’re in the mood for love, why not give Number 16’s ten-question Valentine’s Day Quiz a try

VALENTINE'S DAY QUIZ 2011  - By Joanne Madden

1. Who sang the disco song Love is in the Air in the late 1970s?

A. Tony Orlando

B. John Paul Young

C. Andy Kim

D. Barry Manilow

E. John Davis and the Monster Orchestra


2. What does the Latin phrase, “Omnia vincit Amor” mean?

A. Love is everything.

B. Love is all there is.

C. Love is strength.

D. It is great to be in love.

E. Love conquers all things.


3. Which poet wrote “O, my love is like a red, red rose”?

A. John Keats

B. William Shakespeare

C. Elizabeth Barrett Browning

D. Robert Burns

E. Percy Bysshe Shelley


4. Which Beatles song did Frank Sinatra describe as “one of the best love songs, I believe, to be written in fifty or a hundred years.”

A. Something

B. Yesterday

C. Michelle

D. And I Love Her

E. All You Need is Love


5. Which of the following famous comedians was born Valentine`s Day?

A. Bob Hope

B. Lucille Ball

C. Jack Benny

D. Danny Thomas

E. Joan Rivers


6. Who sang the 1973 hit song I`ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song?

A. James Taylor

B. Cat Stevens

C. Paul Simon

D. Jim Croce

E. Don McLean


7. St. Valentine was a Christian martyr in what city?

A. Venice

B. Rome

C. Constantinople

D. Florence

E. Athens


8. The name “Valentine” is derived from “valens” meaning

A. noble

B. loving

C. beautiful and attractive

D. emotional

E. worthy and strong


9. The song What I Did for Love is from which Broadway musical? Remember Kiss today goodbye / The sweetness and the sorrow. / Wish me luck, the same to you. / But I can’t regret what I did for love . . .


A. Guys and Dolls

B. A Chorus Line

C. The Music Man

D. 42nd Street

E. Oklahoma


10. When asked if he were “in love”, who replied, “Yes . . . whatever that may mean?”

A. John Steinbeck

B. Ernest Hemingway

C. Prince Charles

D. Prince Harry of Wales

E. Eminem


ANSWERS

1. B. John Paul Young

To watch a video of the Australian pop singer, John Paul Young, singing Love is in the Air, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNC0kIzM1Fo


2. E Love conquers all things.

The Latin phrase “Omnia vincit Amor” means “Love conquers all things.” The Roman poet, Virgil, wrote “Omnia vincit Armor: et nos cedamus Amori.” Translantion: Love conquers all things: let us too surrender to Love.”


3. D. Robert Burns

The Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote “O, my love is like a red, red rose / That’s newly sprung in June”

To watch a video montage of a musical version of the poem, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBCQMWMbeMU


4. A. Something

To watch a video of Frank Sinatra singing George Harrison’s Something, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J9FvFifcoA


5. C. Jack Benny.

Jack Benny was born on February 14, 1894.


6. D. Jim Croce

To watch a video of Jim Croce singing I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RabAcvizwKY


7. B. Rome

St. Valentine was a Christian martyr in ancient Rome.


8. E. worthy and strong

The name “Valentine” is “Valentinus” in Latin and is derived from “valens” meaning worthy and strong.


9. B. A Chorus Line

To watch a A Chorus Line photo montage of What I Did for Love, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXW480B4ENs


10. C. Prince Charles

The Prince of Wales made the remark after the announcement of his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer on February 24, 1981.


A HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ONE AND ALL

- Joanne

Reflections on Love and Romance

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2011

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov’d,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.

- William Shakespeare

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets.  This is Sonnet 116 and it is my favourite.  I consider it to be the greatest love poem that I have ever read.  Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, Number 16 would like to share this beautiful sonnet with you.  By the way, a sonnet has 14 lines and a Shakespearean or English sonnet ends in a rhyming couplet.

Here are some random thoughts and reflections on romantic love.

The magic of first love is our ignorance that it can ever end.

- Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), British statesman and novelist
From Henrietta Temple [1837]


Much love much trial, but what an utter desert is life without love.

- Charles Darwin (1809-1892)
Letter to Joseph Hooker, November 27, 1863


To cheat oneself out of love is the most terrible deception; it is an eternal loss for which there is no reparation, either in time or in eternity.

- Soren Kierkegaard
From Works of Love, Hong & Hong translation


Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made like bread; remade all the time, made new.

- Ursula K. Le Guin
From The Lathe of Heaven {1971}


Experience shows us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French novelist
From Wind, Sand and Stars {1939}


The course of true love never did run smooth.

- William Shakespeare
From A Midsummer Night’s Dream


‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all

- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
From In Memoriam A.H.H. [1850]


LOVE AND ROMANCE ON THE SILVER SCREEN

To me, Casablanca (1942) is the most romantic movie ever made.  The love story between Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) absolutely resonates.  It is passionate, heartbreaking and poignant.  Is there a more romantic line than, “We’ll always have Paris”? If there is, please let me know.

- Joanne

Clear the track, it's Eddie Shack!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2011

Happy Birthday, Eddie Shack!  Eddie, who turns 74 years old today, played with the Toronto Maple Leafs when they actually won Stanley Cups and true fans could afford the price of tickets for their games. He earned the nickname Eddie the Entertainer because he was so much fun to watch. I remember the very first NHL game I attended at Maple Leaf Gardens with my father when I was a young child. It was such a thrill to enter that shrine of hockey, the home of the venerable Blue and White. I was definitely awestruck by the wonder of it. What an atmosphere! The excitement was palpable and it was electric.

The local heroes played the New York Rangers that night. I recall sitting beside a man who was a fan of the New York Rangers. I found it quite perplexing and unsettling to discover that not everyone cheered for the beloved Leafs, especially in their home arena. The man disturbed me greatly and if memory serves me correctly, the Leafs lost the game to the Rangers that evening. The one player, however, who stood out in my mind was Number 23, Eddie Shack. I enjoyed watching him skate. He skated with such exuberance.

Edward Steven Phillip Shack was born in Sudbury, Ontario on February 11, 1937, the son of immigrants from Ukraine. He had worked in a coal mine and in a butcher shop when he decided to try his luck with the Guelph Biltmores of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA).  He made the team and played in Guelph from 1952 until 1957, leading the Biltmores to an appearance in the 1957 Memorial Cup.

Eddie impressed the New York Rangers and the promoted him to their American Hockey League farm club, the Providence Reds. After one season in the minors, Eddie was sent up to the New York Rangers. He spent two seasons in Manhattan, but his play was undistinguished and he did not score many goals. In 1960, the Rangers gave up on him and negotiated a trade with the Detroit Red Wings involving Red Kelly. Kelly chose to retire rather than report to New York, so the trade was cancelled.

In November of 1961, however, Shack was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs were a perfect fit for Eddie and his colourful personality made him a fan favourite. He spent five seasons in Toronto as a third-line left winger and was a member of the Leafs last Stanley Cup-winning team in 1967.

Eddie married Norma Carol in September of 1962.  The wedding took place at St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in The Junction area of Toronto.  Rt. Rev. B. Filevich officiated at the ceremony.

Shack was well-known for his fisticuffs and I do not condone that aspect of his play. To put it bluntly, he was a very dirty player at times. Nevertheless, he did have the ability to put the puck in the net. During the 1966 season, Eddie scored a career-high 26 goals while part of a line with Ron Ellis and Bob Pulford. He never achieved that level of goal production again and was traded to the Boston Bruins in the fall of 1967.

In Boston, Shack played right wing on a line with Derek Sanderson and Wayne Cashman. He scored 23 goals for a powerful Bruins team. From then on, his career declined considerably. He was plagued with injuries the next season and spent the following four seasons in transit. Constantly on the move, he played in Los Angeles, Buffalo and Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins sold Eddie to the Leafs in 1974, but by that time, his playing days were virtually over. Age and injury had eroded his skills and he retired after the 1975 season.

After his retirement, Eddie Shack became somewhat of an entrepreneur. He lent his name to a small chain of doughnut stores and sold Christmas trees. In the late 1970s, he appeared in Canadian television commercials. Most notably, he was the spokesman for a soft drink dealer named the Pop Shoppe. In ads for Pop Shopp, Eddie played up his prominent proboscis with the catch phrase, “He’s got a nose for value . . .” In a promotion for Schick razors, Eddie’s trademark handlebar moustache was shaved off.

To view Eddie's Pop Shoppe commercial, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8pGHpfWu8s

Eddie Shack was so popular during his years with the Toronto Maple Leaf that a 1966 novelty song was written about him. It was called, Clear the track, Here comes Shack.  The song was a big hit on Canadian charts. It was recorded by Douglas Rankine with the Secrets. Click on the link below to hear a recording of Clear the track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb8_Ybbrn5A

Eddie endeared himself to the fans with his antics. If his name was called as one of the three stars of the game, he would hurry out to centre ice and do a pirouette for the crowd. Then he would skate off with great enthusiasm. Canadian hockey writer Stephen Cole compared Shack’s playing style to that of a puppy set free on a large field.

 - Joanne


EDITOR'S UPDATE (July 26, 2020): Eddie Shack passed away on July 2020 at the age of 83.

Jules Verne: Man of Vision

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011

The desire to perform a work which will endure, which will survive him, is the origin of man’s superiority over all other living creatures here below. It is this which has established his dominion, and this which justifies it, over all the world.

- Jules Verne
From The Mysterious Island [1875], Chapter 57

Jules Verne certainly created works which will endure. Verne, the “Father of Science Fiction”, was born on February 8, 1828, exactly 183 years ago today. He was a French novelist from the Brittany region. His most notable works are Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873).

Jules Gabriel Verne was born in the city of Nantes, the eldest of the five children of Sophie Henriette Allotte de la Fuye and Pierre Verne. His father, Pierre, was a lawyer. Nantes is a maritime port city and the young Jules spent his summers observing the schooners on the Loire River where he cultivated a great imagination for travel and adventure.

In 1847, Verne went to Paris, ostensibly to follow in his father’s footsteps and study law. Although he obtained his law degree in 1850, he was much more interested in the theatre. His first play, Broken Straws was produced in 1850. He continued to write comedies and operas and had short stories published in a popular magazine.

On January 10, 1857, Jules married Honorine de Viane Morel, a widow with two daughters named Suzanne and Valentine. The couple had one child together, Michel Verne, born in 1861. Verne and his wife did much travelling together. They did toured France and America extensively, and they visited the British Isles. During his travels, Verne became acquainted with fellow authors Alexandre Dumas and his son, and Victor Hugo. They offered him writing advice.

Verne’s big break came when he met Pierre-Jules Hetzel, one of the leading editors and publishers in France in the 19th century. With Hetzel’s help, Verne’s first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, was published in January of 1863 to wide acclaim. It was the account of a journey by air over central Africa, a largely unexplored area of the continent at the time.

Jules Verne was in his forties when he wrote his two masterpieces, are Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days. In March of 1886, he was shot twice by his deranged 25-year-old nephew, Gaston. One bullet missed, but the other entered his left leg. As a result, he was left with a permanent limp. This great pioneer of the science fiction genre died in Amiens, France on November 24, 1905. He was 77 years old. He was a true visionary of the future and imagined many modern devices and technological inventions from skyscrapers to submarines.


RIDDLE ME THIS

What do you get when a bunch of rabbits chase some cars?

A receding hare line.


LANGUAGE CORNER

Tuesday Palindromes

As regular readers of Number 16 know, I have a great fondness for palindromes – words, verses, numbers or sentences that read the same backward or forward. From now on, Tuesday is going to be palindrome day on this website. I will feature ten new palindromes whenever I publish a posting on A Tuesday.

Here are your ten palindromes for today.

1. Never odd or even

2. Amen icy cinema.

3. No trace, not one carton.

4. Borrow or rob?

5. A nut for a jar of tuna

6. Pupils slip up.

7. Reno loner

8. Not so, Boston

9. Was it a car or a cat I saw?

10. Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?


SPORTS

Hockey

Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs does not like the spotlight, but it shining right on him at the moment. He’s young and he’s under a lot of pressure, but his performance has been lacklustre. He has definitely not lived up to expectations this season. The Leafs have much invested in him. I don’t think they can throw in the towel yet.

Baseball

There are many questions for Toronto Blue Jay fans today, and much to ponder. The team is trying to unload outfielder Juan Rivera whom they obtained in the Vernon Wells trade. They certainly need a third baseman. Michael Young, disgruntled third baseman for the Texas Ranger, once to be traded. As sportswriter Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star pointed out in his January 26, 2011 column, a trade for Michael Young would be a logical move for the Jays. Can GM Alex Anthopoulos pull of the deal? If not, the Jays still need a third baseman. Jose Bautista should be in the outfield where he is happiest.

Joanne