Tim Hudak's "job creation" plan doesn't add up

Let me get this straight.  According to Progressive Conservative Leader, Tim Hudak,  Premier Kathleen Wynne "is not focused on the most important thing and that's creating jobs."  So what will Hudak to solve the unemployment problem should he become premier of the province of Ontario? Well, he will cut 100,000 public sector jobs.  That's right, thousands of people with families and mortgages will be laid off if Hudak has his way.  If his party attains power after the June 12th election, he will cut a whopping 10 per cent of the province's civil service, excluding nurses, doctors and police.

However, Hudak will have no problem targeting teachers and teaching assistants.  In a speech in Barrie, Ontario, he stated unequivocally that if his party were to assume power that there would be "fewer teachers and their assistants."  He didn't mention that the result would be a lower standard of education in Ontario and larger classroom sizes.  This province's education system has had to recover from all the damage inflicted by former premier Mike Harris.  Our children can't afford anymore setbacks and they can't afford to lose good teachers.

How does Tim Hudak justify eliminating 100,000 jobs and putting so many people out of work?

"I take no joy in this, but it has to be done if we want job creators to put more people on the payroll in our province," he told supporters at the Barrie County Club on May 9th.   It's all part Hudak's dubious plan to create one million private sector jobs over eight years.  The Tory leader is ready, willing and able to sacrifice existing government jobs for the sake of some imagined future jobs in the private sector.  He would not hesitate to do so, he declared in Barrie.  "That's a trade-off I would do any second," he said.

Hudak maintains that the public sector job cuts alone would save $2 billion.  He didn't provide any figures as to the amount those public servants contribute to the economy through their taxes and their spending on goods and services.  He didn't say anything about the human cost of putting thousands of people out of work, a cost that can't be measured in dollars and cents.

Hudak's proposal was quickly denounced by Premier Wynne and Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.  "Today we learned that Tim Hudak's jobs plan is to turn paycheques into pink slips for 100,000 people," Wynne.proclaimed.  "How does it make sense, when you have an economy that is struggling, when you have a lot of families already out of work, to say you are going to throw a whole bunch more families out of work," Horwath pointed out.  

It certainly doesn't make sense.  How does one create jobs by eliminating them?  That sounds positively Orwellian.  I don't see the logic. Those 100,000 civil servants pay taxes and spend money. They fill Ontario's coffers.  If they are out of work, they won't be spending and they won't be paying as much in taxes.  How, prey tell, will that spur Ontario's sluggish economy?

Tim Hudak is willing to sacrifice the well being of thousands of Ontario government employees and their families at the altar of the deficit.  There is no guarantee that his plan will induce job creation in the private sector.  He is offering the people of Ontario a pie in the sky solution to unemployment.  There is no way he can make such an enormous cut in the pubic service without a drastic decline  in vital government services   His plan is a travesty that would create hardship and deprivation for Ontarians. It is bound to have detrimental effects on health, education and safety.

When will conservatives learn that imposing severe austerity measures and sharply lowering taxes do not automatically result in job creation and overall prosperity?  When will they realize that these policies lead to suffering, further unemployment, a greater gap between the haves and have-nots and painful economic recession?  Just ask some Europeans what years of austerity have done for them.


- Joanne

Death of Leopold, Son of of Queen Victoria

Prince Leopold, the Duke of Albany, fourth and youngest son of Queen Victoria, died suddenly in a fit at 2 o'clock this morning at Cannes. He had gone to Cannes only a few days ago for the sake of his health. Nothing serious, however, had been anticipated. He was looking fairly well, and had been taking part in the festivities of the place. 

- The New York Times
March 28, 1884

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert raised a family of nine children.  Leopold, pictured above, was the couple's eighth child.  He was also the youngest of their four male offspring.  Born at Buckingham Palace on April 7, 1853, the young prince was named after his grand-uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium.  On May 24, 1881 (Queen Victoria's birthday), he was given the titles of Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow.

Leopold was considered to be a delicate child and he suffered from hemophilia, a bleeding disorder, which he inherited from his mother.  This genetic mutation manifests almost exclusively in males.  Unfortunately, through two of her daughters (Alice and Beatrice), Queen Victoria passed the disorder to members of royal families across the European continent.

Due to his hemophilia, Leopold was physically weak and he bruised easily.  As if that weren't enough, he also experienced epileptic seizures.  Nevertheless, he managed to lead a very productive and successful life. He also did very well academically.

Beginning in 1872, Leopold spent four years studying at Christ Church, Oxford University, where he served as president of university's chess club and received an honorary doctorate in civil law. While at Oxford, the prince became acquainted with Alice Liddell, the daughter of Henry Liddell, the Dean of Christ Church. Alice is thought to be the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's classic tale, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, although Carroll, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, later denied this to be so.  Dodgson was a close friend of the Liddell family and he occupied the position of mathematics lecturer at Christ Church.

There has been speculation about a romance between Prince Leopold and Alice Liddell, whom Leopold met when he was an undergraduate at Oxford.  According to a biography of Liddell by Jane Curran on the BBC website, "they fell in love" but a marriage did not take place because Queen Victoria "insisted that he must marry a princess."  Alice eventually married Reginald Hargreaves, a cricketer, on September 15, 1880 at Westminster Abbey. They had three sons: Alan Knyveton Hargreaves. Leopold Reginald "Rex" Hargreaves and Caryl Liddell Hargreaves.  Their second son, Leopold "Rex," was the prince's namesake and godson. Both he and his older brother Alan were killed in World War I.

When Leopold left Oxford University in 1876, he travelled in Europe.  In 1880, he toured Canada and the United States along with his sister, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, whose husband, John Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, was then the 4th Governor General of Canada.

Prince Leopold's ill health prevented him from pursing active military service.  He was, however, an ardent supporter of  the arts and literature.  He was also a prominent chess patron and an active Freemason.  His life was full expect for one thing - the lack of a wife.

The prince was rejected by aristocratic women such as Princess Victoria of Baden and Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonerburg-Augustenberg.  Queen Victoria then stepped in to prevent her son from marrying someone whom she considered unsuitable.  She preferred her son to wed the daughter of a reigning Protestant royal family and she suggested that he meet Princess Helena Friederike, daughter of Gregor, reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pymont (regions now in Germany).

Leopold married Princess Helena on April 27, 1882.  The wedding ceremony took place at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.  In 1883, a few weeks after the birth of Alice Liddell's son, Leopold "Rex," Helena game birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Alice.

Princess Helena

In early 1884, Prince Leopold's doctors advised that he spend the winter in Cannes, France, as he had done previously.  Helena was pregnant with the couple's second child at the time.  On March 27, 1884, Leopold slipped and fell on the staircase at Villa Nevada, the private residence where he was staying in Cannes, injuring his knee and hitting his head.  His hemophilia. only exacerbated the situation.  At the time of his accident, the 30-year-old Leopold was planning to attend the wedding of his niece, Princess Victoria of Hesse.

After his fall, Prince Leopold was examined by a physician and sent home to rest.  He died the next morning.of a cerebral hemorrhage.  According to the report in  The New York Times at the time, "the cause of the Duke's death was effusion of blood into the stomach and lungs.  There were no unusual premonitions, but the symptoms had long been threatening. He was subject to occasional attacks of internal hemorrhage. He had arranged to leave Cannes on Monday next as his health seemed to restored."

Prince Leopold's funeral took place on April 12, 1884 at St. George's Chapel in Windsor and the Seaforth Highlanders marched at the ceremony.  From 1881 until his death, Leopold served at the Highlanders' first Colonel-in Chief.

The Scottish poet, William McGonagall, wrote a poem lamenting Leopold's demise.  It is titled "The Death of Prince Leopold."  Here is the poem.in which Leopold's funeral is described.

ALAS! noble Prince Leopold, he is dead! 
Who often has his lustre shed:
Especially by singing for the benefit of Esher School, 
Which proves he was a wise prince. and no conceited fool. 
Methinks I see him on the platform singing the Sands o’ Dee,
The generous-hearted Leopold, the good and the free, 
Who was manly in his actions, and beloved by his mother; 
And in all the family she hasn’t got such another. 
He was of a delicate constitution all his life, 
And he was his mother’s favourite, and very kind to his wife, 
And he had also a particular liking for his child, 
And in his behaviour he was very mild. 
Oh! noble-hearted Leopold, most beautiful to see, 
Who was wont to fill your audience’s hearts with glee, 
With your charming songs, and lectures against strong drink: 
Britain had nothing else to fear, as far as you could think 
A wise prince you were, and well worthy of the name, 
And to write in praise of thee I cannot refrain; 
Because you were ever ready to defend that which is right, 
Both pleasing and righteous in God’s eye-sight. 
And for the loss of such a prince the people will mourn, 
But, alas! unto them he can never more return, 
Because sorrow never could revive the dead again, 
Therefore to weep for him is all in vain. 
’Twas on Saturday the 12th of April, in the year 1884, 
He was buried in the royal vault, never to rise more 
Until the great and fearful judgment-day, 
When the last trump shall sound to summon him away. 
When the Duchess of Albany arrived she drove through the Royal Arch,– 
A little before the Seaforth Highlanders set out on the funeral march; 
And she was received with every sympathetic respect, 
Which none of the people present seem’d to neglect. 
Then she entered the memorial chapel and stayed a short time, 
And as she viewed her husband’s remains it was really sublime, 
While her tears fell fast on the coffin lid without delay, 
Then she took one last fond look, and hurried away. 
At half-past ten o’clock the Seaforth Highlanders did appear, 
And every man in the detachment his medals did wear; 
And they carried their side-arms by their side, 
With mournful looks, but full of love and pride. 
Then came the Coldstream Guards headed by their band, 
Which made the scene appear imposing and grand; 
Then the musicians drew up in front of the guardroom 
And waited patiently to see the prince laid in the royal tomb. 
First in the procession were the servants of His late Royal Highness, 
And next came the servants of the Queen in deep mourning dress, 
And the gentlemen of his household in deep distress, 
Also General Du Pla, who accompanied the remains from Cannes. 
The coffin was borne by eight Highlanders of his own regiment, 
And the fellows seemed to be rather discontent 
For the loss of the prince they loved most dear, 
While adown their cheeks stole many a silent tear 
Then behind the corpse came the Prince of Wales in field marshal uniform, 
Looking very pale, dejected, careworn, and forlorn; 
Then followed great magnates, all dressed in uniform, 
And last, but not least, the noble Marquis of Lorne. 
The scene in George’s Chapel was most magnificent to behold, 
The banners of the knights of the garter embroidered with gold; 
Then again it was most touching and lovely to see 
The Seaforth Highlanders’ inscription to the Prince’s memory: 
It was wrought in violets, upon a background of white flowers, 
And as they gazed upon it their tears fell in showers; 
But the whole assembly were hushed when Her Majesty did appear, 
Attired in her deepest mourning, and from her eye there fell a tear. 
Her Majesty was unable to stand long, she was overcome with grief, 
And when the Highlanders lowered the coffin into the tomb she felt relief; 
Then the ceremony closed with singing “Lead, kindly light,” 
Then the Queen withdrew in haste from the mournful sight. 
Then the Seaforth Highlanders’ band played “Lochaber no more,” 
While the brave soldiers’ hearts felt depressed and sore; 
And as homeward they marched they let fall many a tear 
For the loss of the virtuous Prince Leopold they loved so dear.

On July 19, 1884, about four months after her husband's passing, Helena gave birth to a son named Charles Edward.


END NOTES

* If you are interested in learning more about the life of Leopold, I suggest that you read Prince Leopold: The Untold Story of Queen Victoria's Youngest Son, by Charlotte Zeepvat.  According to Zeepvat, Leopold was first diagnosed with hemophilia in 1858 or 1859.

*  At birth, Leopold's son, Charles Edward, inherited his father's title and became the Duke of Albany.  In 1900, he became Sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg a small German principality  On October 11, 1905, he married Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein, Kaiser Wilhelm II's niece-by-marriage.

During World War I, Charles Edward was regarded as a traitor in Britain.  Despite conflicted loyalties, he decided to support Germany in the conflict and held a commission as a general in the German Army.  As a result, he became persona non grata in his own country.  When the war ended in November of 1918, Charles Edward was forced to abdicate as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  In 1919, he was divested of his British peerages, his title of Royal Highness and his British honours (including his status as Duke of Albany).

Below is a postcard of Charles Edward in a German uniform.

Charles Edward

In 1935, this grandson of Queen Victoria became a member of the German Nazi Party.  He joined the SA (also known as the Brownshirts), the paramilitary wing of the Nazis.  During the 1930s and 1940s, he held many different positions in the Third Reich, including President of the German Red Cross.  In 1936, Adolf Hitler sent Charles Edward to Britain as the president of the Anglo-German Friendship Society.  His mission was to help improve relations between the two countries.

Charles Edward with Hitler

Charles Edward was too old for active service in World War II.  However, at the end of the war, due to his Nazi sympathies, he was placed under house arrest by the American Military Government in Bavaria.  He was later incarcerated with other Nazi officials.

Charles Edward died at his home in Coburg,West Germany on March 6, 1954 at the age of 69.

- Joanne

Photos of High Park on a spring afternoon

 

High Park, located west of downtown Toronto, is one of my favourite places in the city.  It is the largest park solely within Toronto, spanning 161 hectares (398 acres).  It was bequeathed to the people of the city by architect and land surveyor John George Howard (1803-1890).  In 1832, Howard and his wife, Jemimah left their native England and immigrated to the little town of York (now Toronto).

High Park is both a recreational and natural park.  It contains sporting facilities, a zoo, cultural and educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a pond named Grenadier Pond.  According to High Park News, one third of the area has been preserved in a its natural state.

I visited the park yesterday, on a cool but sunny Sunday afternoon.  Here are some pictures of a spring day in High Park.  I couldn't resist photographing the little girl in the tree above.

Above is a photo of The Portuguese Monument, originally erected in High Park in 1978 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Portuguese community in Toronto.

There is a restaurant in High Park called the Grenadier Café and Teahouse.  It is located just south of The Portuguese Monument and can be seen in the photo above with the train going by.

- Joanne

Baseball's Sal Maglie: The Cutting Edge of The Barber

"He (Sal Maglie) is the only man I've ever seen pitch a shutout on a day when he had absolutely nothing. Pitchers have those days, Maglie got by on meanness." 

- Alvin Dark
From When in Doubt, Fire the Manager (1980)


"On the mound, Maglie had a gaunt look, a grim expression, a stubble beard, a great curveball -- and a high, hard one that earned him the nickname Sal the Barber,  But behind the special effects stood one of the most accomplished pitchers of his era, as well as a man whose wandering career symbolized the confrontations between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, and between both of them and the lordly Yankees."

- Joseph Durso
From The New York Times obituary for Sal Maglie, Deember 29, 1992


"He scares you to death. He's scowling and gnashing his teeth, and if you try to dig in on him, there goes your Adam's apple. He's gonna win if it kills you and him both." 

- Danny Litwhiler, outfielder for the Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds from 1940 to 1951


Were he still alive, Salvatore Anthony Maglie would be celebrating his 93rd birthday today.  Born in Niagara Falls, New York on April 26, 1917, Sal was the only son and the youngest of the three children of hardworking Italian immigrants.  According to an article by Judith Testa for the Society of American Baseball Research, Sal's father, Giuseppe Maglie, came from an affluent family in Italy and had a high school education.  Due to his lack of fluency in English, however, Giuseppe could only find employment as a menial labourer in his adopted country.  He worked as a pipefitter and eventually owned a grocery store where Sal helped out in the shipping department.

Giuseppe's wife, Maria, came from a family of farmers and did not have any formal education. Testa wrote that young Sal's interest in baseball "mystified and angered his parents, and as a child, he had to sneak out of the house in order to play."  1n 1937, when he was 19 or 20 years old, Sal tried out with the Rochester Red Wings of the International League.  The following summer he signed with the Double-A Buffalo Bisons for a salary of $275 a month. He did not impress in Buffalo and was sent down to the Jamestown Falcons of the Class D Pony League to hone his skills.

In 1941, Sal Maglie garnered 20 wins for the Elmira Pioneers of the Eastern League and was drafted by the New York Giants of the National League.  World War II intervened, however, and the young man ended up working in a defence plant instead of pitching in the The Big Show.  In 1945, with the war drawing to a close, Sal reported to the Giants' farm club, the New Jersey Giants.  In late July of that year, he was finally promoted to the big leagues.

At 28 years of age, Maglie headed to New York to kick off his major league baseball career. During his ten MLB seasons, the 6 foot, 2 inch (1.88 metres) right-hander played for the New York Giants (1945, 1950-1955), the Cleveland Indians (1955-1956), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1956-1957), the New York Yankees (1957-1958) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1958).  He also pitched in 3 World Series - 1951 (his New York Giants lost to the New York Yankees, 1954 (his New York Giants defeated the Cleveland Indians) and 1956 (his Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the New York Yankees).

Sal was known for his fierce determination and his death stare, emulated by future pitchers such as Bob Gibson and Dave Stewart.  He acquired the nickname "The Barber" due to the fact that his threw the ball so close to the batters' head that it appeared to shave their chins.  Referring to his superb command of the inside zone, Maglie confidently asserted, "I own the plate."  With his five o'clock shadow and his hard, inside pitches, Sal the Barber was quite an intimidating presence on the mound.  Off the field, however, he has been described as "gentle, courteous and good-natured" by his biographer, Judith Testa.

Sal Maglie had a career record of 119 wins and 62 losses.and a lifetime earned run average of 3.15.  During his ten seasons in the major leagues, he threw 862 strikeouts and pitched 25 shutout games.  Sal made his debut with the New York Giants on August 9. 1945.  In his two months as a rookie that season, he compiled a 5-4 record and pitched 3 shutouts.  Although Sal attended the 1946 New York Giants' training camp, he did not play for the Giants that year.  In fact, he did not play in the major leagues again until 1950.

Sal was disgruntled with the treatment he was accorded at training camp.  With many ball players returning from service overseas, Maglie faced a great deal of competition .  He felt that he was not given enough opportunity to prove himself.  Feeling ignored and with no guarantee that he would win a spot with the Giants, Sal decided to take a calculated risk and jump to a renegade league south of the border.

During the mid-1940s, Jorge Pasqual, a very wealthy Mexican customs broker, and his four brothers, had invested millions of dollars in a Mexican League with the intention of competing directing with Major League Baseball. The Pasqual bothers lured major league players to Mexico with the promise of higher salaries and other incentives such as lucrative signing bonuses.  Maglie was one of several players who took the Pasquals up on their offer, including catcher Mickey Owens and outfielder Luis Olmo of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Major League Baseball responded forcefully to this threat to its monopoly.  Commissioner A.B. "Happy" Chandler banned Maglie and all "jumpers" to the outlawed Mexican League from returning to the majors for five years, until 1951.  Sal, meanwhile, played two seasons for the Puebla Parrots in Mexico.  When the Mexican League began to crumble, he played some winter ball in Cuba.

During the 1948-1949 offseason, Maglie returned home to Niagara Falls, New York and purchased a gas station there.  The long hours servicing cars in chilly grease pits aggravated his back, shoulders and right arm. He was was, therefore, quite happy to accept an offer to go to Canada and join the Drummondville Cubs of the independent Quebec Provincial League for the 1949 season.  With three post-season wins, he led his Drummondville club to a championship that year.

On June 5, 1949, a year and a half before it was scheduled to expire, Happy Chandler lifted the ban on the players who had gone to Mexico League and Maglie was free to return to the New York Giants. for the 1950 campaign.  At the age of 33, Sal Moglie began the season in the bullpen.  His performance steadily improved and he posted an impressive win-loss record of 18-4.  His earned run average was 2.71 in his first season back.

1951 was another stellar year for Sal Maglie.  He led the National League with 23 wins and he helped the Giants win the National League pennant (They lost the World Series to the New York Yankees).  Sal was the starting pitcher in the memorable playoff game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in which Bobby Thomson hit his famous come-from-behind pennant-winning home run, "the Shot heard 'Round the World." (Maglie pitched the first eight innings of that playoff but did not get the win),  He was the winning pitcher, however, in the All-Star game that season when the National League defeated the American League by a score of 8-3 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

In 1952, Maglie recorded 18 victories and 8 losses. He contributed greatly to the success of the New York Giants of the early 1950s and remained with the team until 1955.  During his final three seasons with the club, Sal's performance on the mound had declined, mostly due sore back problems.  As a result, the Giants waived him to the Cleveland Indians of the American League. After a spell in Cleveland, where he mainly warmed the bench, the veteran hurler was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers early in the 1956 season.

Sal Maglie suddenly found himself wearing the uniform of the team whose fans regarded him as their archenemy.  As author Rick Swaine put it in his book Comeback Players: Forty Major Leaguers Who Fell and Rose Again, "To the Dodgers faithful, Maglie donning Brooklyn flannels was outrageous, akin to a Hatfield attending a McCoy family reunion."  Nevertheless, on May 24, 1956, Maglie stepped onto the mound for the first time as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers in a road game against the Philadelphia Fillies.

The Brooklyn fans eventually warmed up to Sal, especially since he pitched so well during the 1956 campaign.  Maglie recorded 13 wins and 5 losses for his new team and on September 25, 1956, as a Dodger, he pitched a no-hitter against those same Philadelphia Fillies.  The Dodgers lost to the Yankees in the World Series that year and Sal came in second to Don Newcombe in Cy Young Award balloting.  He also finished second to Newcombe for the MVP Award.

In 1957, the Dodgers moved west to Los Angeles and 41-year-old Sal Maglie was sent to the New York Yankees.  Although he had pitched well for both the Dodgers and the the Yankees, the Yankees passed him on to the St. Louis Cardinals.  His win-loss record in St. Louis was a mere 3-7 and the Cardinals decided to grant him an unconditional release.  Sal the Barber pitched his final major league game on August 31, 1958.

During the 1959 season, Maglie acted as a scout for the Cardinals.  He then served two terms as pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox, from 1960 to 1962 and from 1966 to 1967.  In 1969, Maglie joined the expansion Seattle Pilots in a similar capacity.  The Pilots went bankrupt and only lasted for one season.  On April 1, 1970, the team relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and changed its name to the Milwaukee Brewers.  Sal's last position in baseball was as general manager of the minor league Niagara Falls Pirates in 1970.

Before retiring in 1979 at the age of 62, Maglie was employed as a liquor salesman and he also worked as a membership coordinator for the Niagara Falls Convention Bureau.  On December 28, 1992, Sal the Barber passed away in his hometown of Niagara Falls, New York.   He died of complications from bronchial pneumonia at the age of 75.  He had been living at the Niagara Falls Memorial Nursing Home after suffering a stroke five years previously.

In 1982, Sal Maglie was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.  He is not, however, a member of the venerable National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.



END NOTES

* The Mexican League went bankrupt during the early 1950s and its remaining players joined the Class C Arizona-Texas League.

* On October 7, 1956, Sal Maglie appeared as the mystery guest on the popular television game show What's My Line.  The next day, he was the losing pitcher in Game 5 of the World Series in which Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitched a perfect game.  The Yankees went on to win the Series in seven games over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

* Sal Magile was one of the few players and the last one to play for all three New York teams - the Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Yankees and the New York Giants.

* Judith Testa wrote a biography of Sal Maglie entitled Sal Maglie: Baseball's Demon Barber.  For baseball fans interested in Maglie and the 1950s era, this is a must read.

* Sal Maglie was married twice.  In March of 1941, Sal and his longtime girlfriend, Kathleen "Kay" Pileggi, eloped. Two months later, they wed in a traditional Catholic ceremony.  After fifteen years of marriage, Sal and Kay adopted a son whom they named Sal Maglie, Jr.  In 1963, the couple adopted a second son, Joseph Maglie. Soon after, Kay Maglie suffered a recurrence of the cancer for which she had had surgery in 1958. Sal spent the next three years at home, tending to his ill wife.

Kay never identified with Sal's fierce image on the mound.  In his New York Times obituary by Joseph Durso, Kay is quoted as having remarked, "He isn't tough at all.  He lets his beard grow before a game so he'll look fierce.  I used to wonder what people were talking about when they said he scowled ferociously at the batters. Then I stayed home one day and watched him on TV.  I hardly knew him."

According to Testa, Sal's first marriage was at times terribly troubled by his infidelities.  When Kay died in February of 1967, Sal found himself a 49-year-old widower with two young children.  In 1971, he wed Doris Ellman of Grand Island, New York and he became a stepfather to Doris' daughter, Holly.

Sal enjoyed relatively good health until 1982 when he suffered a brain aneurysm.  He almost died but was able to make a recovery.  Then he was faced with a terrible tragedy.  After Kay's death, Sal Jr.'s life had become a nightmare of depression and drug and alcohol abuse.  The troubled younger Maglie died in March of 1985 and his passing took a terrible toll on his father's health. Sal Sr.had a stroke in 1987 and spent his remaining days in a nursing home.

* A baseball park located in Hyde Park in Sal Maglie's hometown of Niagara Falls, New York was named after him in 1983.  The facility, originally called Hyde Park Stadium, opened in 1939.  It was built primarily as a football stadium but gradually adapted for baseball during the 1950s.  In 1999, it was reconstructed as a 4,000 seat baseball stadium and the Niagara Falls City School District assumed control over its operation.

Unfortunately, Sal Maglie Stadium was hit by lightning in the summer of 201l.  According to an August 10, 2013 article in the Buffalo News by Jonah Bronstein, field conditions are questionable and it is badly in need of repairs.  The stadium's future is in doubt, particularly since a new athletic complex is being built nearby at Niagara Falls High School.  The school district’s lease on the city-owned stadium expires on June 30, 2014.

Sal Maglie Stadium in Niagara Falls, New York

-  Joanne

Easter: Interesting facts and trivia

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday.  Here are the answers to some questions about this great Christian feast.

Why does Easter have no fixed date?

Easter has no fixed date because the day of its celebration is based upon the lunar cycle. It always occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21st.  In Western Christianity, it always falls no earlier than March 22 and no later the April 25th.  The last time Easter fell on March 22, its earliest possible date, was in 1818.  It will not fall on March 22 again until the year 2285.  The last time Easter occurred on April 25 was 1943.  The next time will be in 2038.

At the First Council of Nicea, convened by the Roman Emperor Constatine I in A.D. 325, a council of Christian bishops decided that Easter Day would fall on the next full moon after the spring equinox.  It had to fall on a Sunday, the day of Christ's resurrection.

Easter is forever linked to the Jewish feast of the Passover because the Last Supper was a Passover dinner. Since the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus occurred after Passover, the church leaders wanted Easter to be always celebrated following the observance of Passover.

Why is it customary to give eggs at Easter?

Eggs are obvious symbols of fertility and new life.  They are a reminder for Christians of their belief that Jesus rose from the dead and that death can be overcome.  When they are cracked open, they represent Christ's empty tomb.  Eggs also symbolize the renewal of life at springtime.

What is the origin of the Easter Bunny?

Rabbits and hares are also symbols of fertility.  The Easter Bunny is of German origin.  He first appeared in 16th century literature delivering eggs (coloured eggs were only given to children who behaved well).

1907 Easter Bunny postcard

Which U.S. President began an Easter tradition?

In the U.S., the White House hosts an annual Easter egg roll on the front lawn.  Children and their parents push the eggs along through the grass with wooden spoons.  It is a tradition that began in 1878 during the administration of Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States from 1877 to 1881.

Rutherford B. Hayes

On the lawn of the White House for Easter Egg Roll in 1898

Who are some famous people born on Easter Sunday?

Children born on Easter Sunday are considered especially fortunate.  American actor Paul Rudd was born on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1969, in Passaic, New Jersey.  He is the son of British-born immigrants, both Jewish, of Russian and Polish ancestry.  Rudd's break-out role was in the 1995 film Clueless.

In 2003, Paul married television producer Julie Yaeger.  They have two children: a son, Jack Sullivan (born 2006) and a daughter, Darby (born 2010).

Paul Rudd

                                           
                                                  Photo attribution: Eva Rinaldi
                                   https://www.flickr.com/people/evarinaldiphotography/

Melissa Joan Hart, best known as the star of the TV series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Melissa and Joey, was also born on an Easter Sunday, April 18, 1976. Her birthplace was Smithtown, New York, on Long Island.

Melissa married musician Mark Wilkerson on July 19, 2003, in Florence, Italy.  Wilkerson is lead singer for the rock band, Course of Nature.  The couple have three sons: Mason Walter Wilkerson (born January 2006), Braydon "Brady" Hart Wilkerson (born March 2008) and Tucker McFadden Wilkerson (born September 2012).

Melissa Joan Hart

Photo Attribution:  Author: Wolfvonder

Belgian-born American fashion designer, Liz Claiborne, was an Easter baby.  Her real name was Anne Elisabeth Jane Claiborne and she was born on Sunday, March 31, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. Claiborne passed away in 2007 at the age of 78.  She died of cancer in New York City.

New York designer Liz Claiborn

Number 16 wishes you a very Happy Easter!

- Joanne

Photos of 50th Elmira Maple Syrup Festival

Yesterday I attended the 50th anniversary of the Maple Syrup Festival in the town of Elmira, Ontario.  It was a frigid day and there was a fierce wind.  The weather, however, did not prevent all the hearty people from having a good time at the festival.

Elmira's Junior "B" hockey team, the Elmira Sugar Kings, plays at the town's arena, Woolwich Memorial Centre.  On the day of the maple syrup festival, there was an antique show and a Birds of Prey exhibition in the arena.  Below are photos of a Great Horned Owl that was part of the Birds of Prey show.  Also known as the Tiger Owl, the Great Horned Owl is native to the Americas.

- Joanne