The Wright Brothers

FRIDAY DECEMBER 17, 2010

The chilly December day
two shivering bicycle mechanics from
Dayton, Ohio
first felt their homemade contraption
whittled out of hickory sticks,
gummed together with Arnstein’s bicycle
cement,stretched with muslin they’d sewn on
their sister’s sewing machine in
their own backyard on Hawthorn
Street in Dayton, Ohio
soar into the air
above the dunes and the wide beach
at Kitty Hawk.

-  John Roderigo Dos Passos
From The Big Money [1936]. The Campers at Kitty Hawk

That chilly day in December was December 17, 1903.  The “two shivering bicycle mechanics” were Orville and Wilbur Wright, two brothers from Dayton, Ohio.  Wilbur, the older of the brothers, was born near Millville, Indiana on April 16, 1867.  Orville Wright was born at 7 Hawthorn Street in Dayton on August 19, 1871.  They made history together, 107 yrears ago today.

The Wright Brothers were the sons of Milton Wright, a clergyman from Indiana, and his wife, Susan.  They had two older brothers, Reuchlin and Lorin, and a younger sister, Katharine.  The family was required to move often due to Milton Wright’s duties as a minister, and later a bishop, in the Church of the United Brethren of Christ.  In fact, the Wrights moved twelve times before settling in Dayton, Ohio in 1870.  Although they moved again in 1878, they never sold their house on Hawthorn Street in Dayton.  It was a constant in their lives and they kept returning to it.  To view various photos of 7 Hawthorn Street, click on the link below.

http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Wrights/W_LocaleHome.html

The Wright Brothers built a flying machine in the back room of their bicycle shop in Dayton.  On the morning of December 17, 1903, they took turns piloting and monitoring the powered Wright Flower I in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.  Orville was the pilot for the first of the four flights.  The first flight lasted 12 seconds and 120 feet.  On the fourth flight, Wilbur travelled 852 feet and remained airborne for 59 seconds. 

The afternoon of their historic flight, the brothers walked 4 miles (6.44 km) to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and sent a telegram to their father back home in Dayton.

Success/   four flights Thursday
morning/  all against twenty-one mile
wind/  started from level with engine
power alone/ average speed through
air thirty thirty-one miles/   longest fifty-nine
seconds/   inform press/  home Christmas

- Telegram to the Reverend Milton Wright,
from Kitty Hawk, N.C. [December 17. 1903]

Some interesting facts about Orville and Wilbur Wright and their family:

* Orville and Wilbur were the only members of their immediate family who did not receive a high school diploma, attend university, or marry.

* Wilbur Wright died in Dayton, Ohio on May 30, 1912.  He was only 45 years old.  Orville Wright died on January 30, 1948 in Dayton at the age of 76.

* The Wright Brothers` interest in flying was sparked by a rubber-band powered toy helicopter, a childhood gift from their father in 1878.

* None of the Wright children was given a middle name.  Wilbur was named after Wilbur Fiske and Orville for Orville Dewey, both of whom were clergymen that Milton Wright admired.  Friends of Wilbur and Orville Wright called them “Will” and “Orv.”  The brothers called each other “Ullam” and “Bubs.”

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

In most traditions, The Twelve Days of Christmas consist of the festive days beginning on Christmas Day and ending on the night of January 5 (Twelfth Night) followed by the feast of the Epiphany on January 6 (the celebration of the arrival of the Magi, the Three Wise Men from the East).  The night of January 5^th, the eve of the Epiphany has been traditionally a night of merriment and revelry; hence, the title of Shakespeare’s comedy, Twelfth Night.

SPORTS

Baseball

Edwin Encarnacion is back with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he won’t be playing third base.  This time,  the 27-year-old Dominican will be the designated hitter.  The Jays are going to experiment with Adam Lind at first base.  If Lind can’t handle the job well enough, then he and Encarnacion will switch positions. 

I just hope that Bautista doesn’t end up playing third base regularly.  He prefers to be in right fielder.  He has a good throwing arm.  The Jays need to acquire a third baseman, a catcher and a closer.  I suppose that’s easier said than done.  However, those positions have to be filled.

The Jays are still in the hunt for pitcher Zack Greinke.  He’s going to be difficult to acquire.  The New York Yankees are one of the many teams in the competition for the right-hander.  The Yanks signed pitcher Chen-Ming Wong yesterday.

- Joanne

Farewell to the Canadian penny?

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2010

See a penny, pick it up
And all the day, you’ll have good luck

I was taught that little ditty as a child.  Now it appears that the lowly penny is on its way out in Canada, a victim of inflation. Yesterday, the Senate’s finance committee recommended abolishing the one-cent piece. Soon it may no longer be legal tender in this country.

The price of producing a penny today is 1.5 cents. That means it costs the government a penny and a half to produce and distribute a coin that is only worth once cent. According to the Senate committee’s report, the penny has shed 95 per cent of its purchasing power since its introduction back in 1904. Economically, it makes no sense to have a one cent coin.

Many people regard pennies as annoyances. They accumulate in wallets, purses and pockets. Vending machines don’t accept them. They are spurned and rejected everywhere. They end up in drawers and under sofa cushions. In the words of Senator Richard R. Neufield, deputy chairman of the of the Upper House’s finance committee, “The fact is, the penny is not much use anymore.” Logically, it makes no sense to have a one cent coin.

So why wasn’t the penny abandoned years ago? I suspect it has something to do with the folklore associated with the copper coin. Reason and common sense say that the penny is just a nuisance. It’s not needed anymore and it is not worth the expense to taxpayers. And yet, there is something mystical and magical about pennies. It is reflected in our language.

We talk of “pennies from heaven” and “a penny for your thoughts.” We constantly use expressions such as “penny-pinching” and “penny wise, pound foolish.” When we feel low, we say that we “feel like two cents.” We wear penny loafers and we have to “get our two cents in.” However, I strongly doubt that any of this is enough to save the penny. After all, we still “dial a number” even though phones haven’t had dials for many years. Let’s face it. We are never going to say “a nickel for your thoughts.”

Oh yes, there is one other factor that is certain to hasten the penny’s demise. Businesses will be able to round off the prices of their goods. That means that prices will increase, albeit slightly. Still, all those pennies add up.


SPORTS

Hockey

Hey, the Leafs won another game last night. They defeated the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place in Edmonton by a score of 4-1. Now they head for Cowtown to play the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Their western road trip continues.

Baseball

I see that pitcher Cliff Lee has agreed to a $100 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. I’m surprised. I really thought the Yankees were going to land the 32-year-old left-hander. Now that the Phillies have him, their starting rotation seems quite formidable. Lee will join Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

I’m pleased that the Yankees weren’t able to add Cliff Lee to their roster. The Jays won’t have to worry about the Yanks as much - at least for now.  It’s going to be difficult enough to compete with the Boston Red Sox now that they have Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.

- Joanne

George VI, The Accidental King

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

A fool must now and then be right, by chance.

- William Cowper
From Conversation {1782}, 1. 96


CHRISTMAS TELEVISION QUIZ

Hey Sixteeners, if you want to have some Yuletide fun and you enjoy a challenge, try my Christmas television quiz. Just go to my TV website at http://www.tvbanter.net/


GEORGE VI, THE ACCIDENTAL KING

King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth, was born on December 14, 1895. Today marks the 115th anniversary of his birth. Born Albert Frederick Arthur George, this great-grandson of Queen Victoria was commonly known as Bertie. On December 11, 1936, Bertie’s brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry a twice-divorced American commoner named Wallace Simpson. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Bertie was thrust into the spotlight. He was an accidental king, but a king just the same. Shy, awkward and left-handed, Bertie did not relish being the focus of attention. He struggled with a speech impediment and his stuttering made speaking in public a hellish experience for the new king.

George VI ascended to the throne at a very troubled time. There was a world-wide economic depression. Hitler and Mussolini were firmly in power and involvement in a global war loomed closer all the time. Just days before his fortieth birthday, George VI became King of Great Britain. He and his wife, the future Queen Mother Elizabeth, helped to guide Britain through some of the darkest days of World War II.

George VI died in his sleep on February 6, 1952 at the age of 56, the immediate result of a blood clot in his heart. It was also revealed that the king had lung cancer. His 25-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was vacationing in Kenya at the time of her father’s death. She prepared to return to London immediately, but a thunderstorm delayed her flight. Upon her return, she took the Royal Oath and became Queen Elizabeth II.

George VI is once again the focus of attention. There is a new film about his struggles with his speech impediment. It is called The King’s Speech and stars Colin Firth in the lead role. I certainly plan to see it.

Click on the link below to watch a video of a 1937 newsreel of the coronation of George VI. Note that the announcer declares that Prime Minister Mackenzie King of Canada and Mounties are in attendance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KUKZ5y_Yss


SPORTS

Hockey

Well, what do you know? The Leafs are on a bit of a role. They have won three of their last five games with victories over Boston, Washington and Montreal. They have a date with the Edmonton Oilers in the Alberta capital tonight. Nazem Kadri is still looking for his first NHL goal. Will tonight be the night?

- Joanne

Emily Carr

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

It is not all bad, this getting old, ripening. After the fruit has got its growth it should juice up and mellow. God forbid I should live long enough to ferment and rot and fall to the ground in a squash.

- Emily Carr
Hundreds and Thousands: The Journals of Emily Carr
Entry for December 12, 1933

Emily Carr, the great Canadian artist and writer, came into this world on December 13, 1871.  She was born in Victoria British Columbia, 139 years ago today.  On the day before her 62nd birthday, she wrote the above reflections on aging in her journal.

As a painter, Emily Carr was remarkable in her interpretation of the native peoples and forests of her home province of British Columbia. A CBC archival entry identifies her as “fiercely independent and complex.” It describes her as “a rebel, a recluse and a feminist before her time.” In a journal entry in 1937, she wrote, “The men resent a woman getting any honour in what they consider is essentially their field. Men painters despise women painters. So I have decided to stop squirming, to throw my honour in with Canada and women.”

On March 2, 1945, Emily Carr died at her home in Victoria. She was 73 years old. To listen to some reminiscences about Emily Carr (including those of A.Y. Jackson of the Group of Seven), click on the link below.

http://archives.cbc.ca/on_this_day/03/02/


ON THIS DAY

Today marks a grisly event in the annals of human history. 73 years ago, on December 13, 1937, Japanese forces overran the city of Nanking (now known as Nanjing). Shameful atrocities occurred during a six-week orgy of plunder, rape and bloodshed.  Thousands upon thousands of Chinese civilians were killed and many women were coerced into sexual slavery. The final death toll of this bloody rampage was 300,000.  For the surviving victims of the horror, now aged and frail, Nanking’s nightmare never ends.

Despite the passage of more than seven decades, this piece of history must be told and it must be recognized. We need to remind ourselves that history is not always filled with glory and adventure. Too often it is ugly and gruesome. We delude ourselves if we fail to acknowledge our acts of inhumanity. To varnish history is disingenuous, but to deny history is far worse. It is skulduggery of the highest order. It is also unfair to future generations who deserve historical accuracy

That is why Iris Chang, a woman whose parents escaped from wartime China to the United States, made it her mission to reveal the truth about Nanking. Chang was haunted by stories she had heard as a child. At the age of 27, after reading an account of the Nanking atrocities, the young writer felt compelled to go there. She visited the city and scrupulously researched the events of 1937. She interviewed the survivors, some who were mere children at the time, and recorded their heart wrenching stories for posterity.

Iris Chang’s research resulted in a remarkable book entitled The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. Her book sold more than half a million copies and Chang gained recognition in America. Through her tireless determination and devotion, she brought the brutal truth to light.

The Rape of Nanking did occur. It is not a myth. It is not anti-Japanese propaganda. However reprehensible, however sordid, it is a fact of human history. Western journalists were at the scene and they described the horror that befell the then-Chinese capital. Acts of barbarism were committed openly and brazenly. A British reporter who witnessed the slaughter compared the Japanese soldiers to Attila and the Huns.

This is neither to denigrate nor vilify the Japanese people. Japan gamely and admirably rebuilt itself after World War II. It endured the massive destruction unleashed on it by two atomic bombs and is the only country to have experienced the horror of a nuclear attack.. Indeed, the tragic and unimaginable suffering of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is well documented.

No country is immune to evil and none has a completely unblemished record during war. We only have to look at Canada’s treatment of Italian and Japanese Canadians as an example. It is also fair to point out that China has blemishes in its past and that present day China is not exactly a paragon of human rights. Remember what happened to Tibet? Remember Tiananmen Square in 1989?

This, however, does not relieve Japan of its responsibility. The Japanese government must still be called upon to formerly acknowledge and apologize for the devastation that was wrought upon the city of Nanking. Just as Germany has faced up to Hitler and the Holocaust, it is time for Japan to confront and come to terms with its past. Only then can there be true reconciliation and acceptance. Only then can Japan exorcise its demons and rid itself of the lingering ghosts of Nanking.

In July of 2007, the Congress of the United States passed Resolution 121 condemning Japan’s sexual enslavement of women during World War II. Congress urged Japan to reconcile with its Asian neighbours “through an honest review of history.” It demanded that Japan “formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner.” The lower house of the Dutch parliament unanimously passed a a motion on November 20, 2007 urging Japan to financially compensate the women forced into sex slavery during World War II.

Canada’s House of Commons followed suit with its unanimous passage of Motion 291 on November 28, 2007. Motion 291 urged the Japanese government “to take full responsibility for the involvement of the Japanese Imperial Forces in the system of forced prostitution, including through a formal and sincere apology expressed in the Diet to all those who were victims."  The ball is now in Japan’s court and the world is waiting.

- Joanne

The Last Executions in Canada

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2010

"Some consolation."

- Ronald Turpin’s terse reply after being informed that he and Arthur Lucas would probably be the last people executed in Canada.

The last executions in Canada took place 48 years ago today on December 11, 1962. Two killers were hanged at Toronto’s Don Jail. They were Ronald Turpin, 29, who had been convicted of shooting Toronto police constable Frederick Nash, and 54-year-old Arthur Lucas, who had been convicted of killing an FBI informer named Therland Crater. Crater had been hiding out in Toronto while waiting to be a key witness at the trial of a drug lord in Michigan and Lucas, an American, had travelled to Ontario to kill him.

Arthur Lucas and Ronald Turpin were hanged just after midnight in the gallows of the Don Jail. The two men were placed back to back on the trapdoor and hanged together. No one has been executed in Canada since that December day. Lucas and Turpin hold the dubious distinction of being the last of many to go to the gallows in this country.

According to Amnesty International, there were 710 executions in Canada between 1867 and 1962. Between the years 1892 and 1961, the punishment for all murders in Canada was death by hanging. In 1961, the crime of murder was divided into capital and non-capital offences.

In 1966, capital punishment in Canada was restricted to the murder of prison guards and off-duty police officers. On July 14, 1976, the House of Commons voted to abolish capital punishment for first-degree murder and replaced it with a life sentence without possibility of parole for 25 years. Canada retained the death penalty for military offenses such as mutiny and treason until 1998. On December 10th of that year, legislation was passed removing all references to capital punishment from the National Defence Act.

To watch a video about the executions of Ronald Turpin and Arthur Lucas, please click on the link below.

http://archives.cbc.ca/society/crime_justice/topics/625/

To watch a video about the vote to abolish capital punishment in 1976, click on the link below.

http://archives.cbc.ca/society/crime_justice/clips/994/

Here are some interesting facts about capital punishment in Canada and the United States.

* According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, under pre-Confederation British law (which was in effect until 1859), “some 230 offences, including stealing turnips, were punishable by death.” By the year 1865, only murder, treason and rape were capital crimes.

* The abolition of capital punishment from the Canadian Criminal Code in 1976 has not resulted in an increase in the murder rate in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the murder rate has been generally decreasing since the mid-1970s. In 2009, the murder rate in Canada was 1.81 homicides per 100,000 population. In the mid-1970s, the Canadian murder rate was around 3.0 per 100,000. Statistics Canada reports that the number of murders in Canada in 2009 was 610 as compared to 611 in 2008.

After peaking in the mid-1970s, the homicide rate generally declined until 1999 and has been relatively stable since. Gang-related homicides, however, have been on the rise since the early 1990s and accounted for almost 1 in 4 homicides in 2008.

 - Statistics Canada

Here are some facts as quoted from the United States Bureau of Justice.

* In 2009, 52 inmates were executed: 24 in Texas; 6 in Alabama; 5 in Ohio, 3 each in Georgia, Oklahoma and Virginia; 2 each in Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee; and 1 each in Indiana and Missouri.

* 51 executions were by lethal injections, 1 by electrocution.

* From January through November in 2010, 12 states executed 45 inmates.

* According to FBI statistics, there were 13,636 murder victims in the United States in 2009 and 10,496 of those victims were male.

* According to FBI statistics, the “murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate” was 5.4 per 100,000 in the United States in 2008 and 5.0 in 2009.


SPORTS

Baseball

The Toronto Blue Jays will have to do without pitcher Scott Downs. The 34-year-old southpaw has gone to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. A free agent, Downs signed a three-year, $15 million deal with the Angels. He will be missed in the Blue Jays’ bull pen. Left-handed relievers of Downs’ calibre are not easy to come by.

Basketball

The Toronto Raptors lost their third straight game at the Air Canada Centre last night by a score of 123-116. Their record falls to 8-15 for the season as they continue to struggle.

- Joanne

Tribute to John Humphrey

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2010

There is a fundamental link between human rights and peace. There will be peace on earth when the rights of all are respected.

- John Humphrey

How often do we think about the value of human rights? I’d venture to say that most of us who live in free and democratic countries don’t spend very much time in our busy lives to focus on that subject. We sure would if we were suddenly deprived of those rights. I regret to say we had a taste of that recently here in Toronto during the G-20 summit when martial law was virtually in effect in our city. It wasn’t pretty, as most Torontonians will attest.

I mention this because 62 years ago today, on December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was passed as a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly. Many people are aware of Eleanor Roosevelt’s role in that great achievement. The same cannot be said about John Humphrey, a Canadian law professor and Eleanor Roosevelt’s collaborator on the Universal Declaration. Most people, including Canadians, would draw a blank if asked to identify him.

I think John Humphrey deserves some attention and that is why I have chosen to reflect on him today. John Peters Humphrey was born in Hampton, New Brunswick on April 30, 1905. In addition to being a lawyer, he was a diplomat and a scholar.

Humphrey was called to the Quebec Bar in 1929 and joined the Faculty of Law at McGill University in Montreal in 1936. In 1946, he became director of human rights for the United Nations Secretariat. That same year, he was asked to work with a committee of the United Nations Secretariat to help the UN draft a statement on human rights.

The chairperson of the 18-member committee was Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States. It his capacity as a member of the committee that John Humphrey, with the help of others, wrote the draft for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt famously referred to the document as the “Magna Carta of Mankind.” It should be a source of great pride for Canadians that one of us was the author of such a great legal document.

John Humphrey served as director of the UN Human Rights Division for twenty years, until his retirement from the United Nations in 1966. He returned to McGill University and remained there until 1994. In the later years of his life, Humphrey continued to be active in international affairs and the promotion of human rights. He investigated human rights abuses in the Philippines and represented Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

John Humphrey died in Montreal on March 14, 1995. It should be noted he did not originally receive full credit for his contribution to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For years it was thought that a French delegate drafted the Declaration. It wasn’t until later in Humphrey’s life that a first draft of the document, in Humphrey’s handwriting, was discovered. In 1974, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada and he was given the United Nations Prize for human rights advocacy in 1988.

John Humphrey was a great man and a great Canadian. He should not be forgotten, nor should his achievements. This is my small contribution to the preservation of his legacy.


SPORTS

Hockey

The Toronto Maples Leafs lost another one last night. The sad sack Leafs lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers before a home crowd at the Air Canada Centre. They are now nine points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference of the NHL.  As the horn sounded to end the game, some waffles were thrown to the ice by a disenchanted Leaf fan(s) prompting Philadelphia defenceman Chris Pronger to ask with bemusement, "Who brings waffles to the game?"  One of the waffles hit the stick of Leaf defenceman Francois Beauchemin.  Given the state of the Leafs, you either have to laugh or cry.

- Joanne

Number 16 EXCLUSIVE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010

Number Sixteen has obtained secret tapes of a private telephone conversation between Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and Hockey Night in Canada’s Don Cherry. In an exclusive, Joanne Madden has decided to release the transcripts of these tapes. Your humble scribe refuses to reveal her sources. She will not compromise her journalistic integrity.

DC:  Hey, Rob, Donald S. Cherry calling. Congratulations again on bein’ mayor, eh.

RF:  Thanks, Grapes. It was an honour to have you put the chain of office around my neck. I loved the way you said I was going to be the best mayor this city ever had. Then you told all those left-wing kooks to put that in their pipes.  You really let them have it.

DC:  I sure put them in their place, didn’t I? All those pinkos in the media. Somebody had to stand up to them, those (expletive deleted).   I’ve been wanting to tell them what I think of them for years.

RF:  Yeah, especially all those (expletive deleted) CBC types. Our tax dollars go to all that left-wing propaganda. CBC stands for the Communist Broadcasting Corporation. I hope that nice Steve in Ottawa cuts some more funding from them. The only ones who watch that CBC garbage are the downtown elites and artsie fartsies. The gravy train has to stop. The CBC is bleeding the taxpayers dry.  Private enterprise always does it better.  We don't need a public network anyway.

DC:  (Clears his throat uncomfortably)  Ahem. . .

RF:  Ooops . . . sorry Don, I forgot. You work for the CBC.

DC:  Um, why don’t we bash the Toronto Star instead?

RF:  Yeah, that socialist rag makes me sick.  Real men read the Toronto Sun.

DC:  Hey, Rob, who bugs you most – NDPers or Marxist professors?

RF:  I can’t stand either. They’re all a bunch of intellectuals. They don’t understand ordinary people who are being taxed to death.

DC:  Yeah, too much education, that’s the trouble with them.  Too much book learnin’. The only intellectual I have any respect for is Ken Dryden because he was a good hockey player. But now he’s just another pinko politician. To bad he's an (expletive deleted) Liberal.

RF:  I can learn so much from you, Don.  You have real experience.  You're a self-made man.  And you're such a sharp dresser.  I hope to be an icon like you someday.

DC:  No offense, Mr. Mayor, but I think you could use some fashion advice. Your suits are a little bit ill-fitting. Why don’t you give my tailor a call? I know everyone can’t be as stylish as me. But now that you’re mayor, Rob, you could spruce up your wardrobe.

RF:  I really liked your pink blazer.

DC. Like I said, I wore pink for all the pinkos out there on their bicycles and everything.

RF:  Don’t worry, Don. I’ll show them. Now that Rob Ford is mayor, the war on cars is over.  My motto is "Four wheels good, two wheels bad!"

DC : You tell 'em, Rob.  (Pause)  Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we go for a beer at that there pub I like in Mississauga. I wonder what Mike Harris is doing these days. We could ask him to join us.

RF:  Good idea. We could sit around and bash all those European hockey players.

DC:  Now you’re talkin’. Nothin’ I like better than to hoist a few brewskies and bash those chicken Swedes. Then we can toast all those good Canadian boys, especially the ones from Kingston like Dougie Gilmour. Hey, Rob, you know why the Leafs can’t come up with a winning team? Too many Europeans like that goalie they got. What’s his name? Gustav... I can’t hardly pronounce it.  See what I mean, Rob.  We don't need them in the NHL.  Their names are too hard to pronounce.  And they take jobs away from good Canadian boys.

RF:  Yeah, I can't stand all those wimpy players who don’t want to fight.

DC:  Now you’re really talkin’ pal. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Robbie old boy. Too bad you’re not from Kingston. Ya know, I haven’t told many people this, but I have a dartboard and I throw darts at a picture of the winner of the Lady Byng trophy . . .

RF: Good for you Grapes. Hockey doesn’t need a trophy named after a lady. No wonder it’s the award for the most gentlemanly player. Ha! Ha! They should call it the Sissy Award.

DC (laughs loudly). Rob, my boy, are you sure you’re not from Kingston?

Note to readers : This has been written with tongue firmly in cheek.  It is not an authentic transcript however much it may sound like one.

- Joanne

Remembering John Lennon

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2010

I’m not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I’ve always been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I’m one of those people.

- John Lennon

From John Lennon: the New York Years; text and images by Bob Gruen. Publisher: New York: Tabori, Stewart & Chang, 2005

ON THIS DAY

On December 8, 1980, Mark David Chapman ended the life of John Lennon.  Thirty years later, Lennon is still being mourned, even by many who were not yet born on the day he was shot.  His life and his legacy are still being discussed.  His music still resonates with young people.

This has been an extraordinary year for remembering the founder of The Beatles, a year full of milestones.  October 9, 2010 marked the 70th anniversary of John Lennon's birth (See my blog entry for October 9, 2010).  Nowhere Boy, a movie about John's early days in Liverpool, was released earlier this year and today marks the 30th anniversary of his assassination outside the Manhattan apartment building where he lived.

Three decades after his death, John Lennon lives on in his music. His songs and his lyrics will always be with us. Mark David Chapman could never have taken that away from us.

To watch a video of various announcements of Lennon's death 30 years ago, including those of Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football.and Ted Koppel on Nightline, click on the link below.

http://weblogs.variety.com/on_the_air/2010/12/how-tv-announced-john-lennons-death-30-years-ago.html


IMMACULATE MISCONCEPTION

Today, December 8th is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Many people confuse the term “immaculate conception” with “virgin birth” and use the two interchangeably. This is not correct. They do not mean the same thing at all. According to Catholic doctrine, the “Immaculate Conception” means that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived without the stain of original sin and was preserved from all sin. It has nothing to do with the conception of Christ.

Many Catholics females, born on December 8th, have been named Mary or variations of the name. One of them was Mary, Queen of Scots. Today is the 468th anniversary of her birth. She was born on December 8, 1542. I have always considered Mary, Queen of Scots to be one of the most intriguing historical figures.


LANGUAGE CORNER

Your word for today is parthenogenesis. “Parthenogenesis” is a term meaning virgin birth. “Parthenogenesis comes from the Greek “parthenos” meaning “virgin” and “genesis” meaning “birth” or “origin.” It refers to asexual reproduction, usually of an unfertilized female gamete (egg or mature reproductive cell), by which the growth and development of the cell occurs without fertilization of a male. It occurs especially among lower plants and invertebrate animals.


RIDDLE ME THIS

What did one strawberry say to the other strawberry?

ANSWER

We’re in the same jam.


SPORTS

Congratulations to Pat Gillick, former General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, for being elected to the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. He deserves it. Now I hope that Roberto Alomar is next. Alomar should be ranked as one of the greatest second basemen ever. The late Tom Cheek deserves to be in Cooperstown too.

- Joanne

Day of Infamy

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2010

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Address to a Joint Session of Congress, December 8, 1941

This is 69th anniversary of what President Franklin D. Roosevelt described as “a date which will live in infamy.” Fewer and fewer of us have direct memories of that day. One would probably have to be at least 74 or older to have any recollection of that day. Over nine years have passed since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and someday we’ll be among the dwindling few who have living memories of that day. I will always remember that 9/11 occurred on a Tuesday.

The “Day of Infamy” was a Sunday. At 7:53 a.m. on December 7, 1941, a wave of Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. That first wave was aimed at airfields and the eight American battleships in the harbour. A second wave attacked other ships and shipyard facilities.

The air raid ended at 9:45 a.m. When it was over, the American people were left in a state of shock. On December 8, 1941, the United States declared war against the Japanese. Three days later (December 11th), Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. In turn, the United States declared war on them and became officially embroiled in World War II.

Many Americans regard the attack on Pearl Harbor as the beginning of World War II. As a Canadian, I was taught that September 1, 1939, the day that Germany and Russian invaded Poland, marked the beginning of the war. I now realize that many Asians regard 1931 as the year that World War II really began. That was the year that Japan invaded Manchuria in China. It is important to remember that we are often given a very insular, western version of world history.

To watch a video about Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbour speech, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE

For the full text of the Roosevelt speech with audio, click below.

http://www.norwichbulletin.com/living/x1646546245/-A-date-which-will-live-in-infamy-FDR-s-speech-on-Pearl-Harbor-with-audio

To watch a live news bulletin of the Pearl Harbour attack, click below.

http://military.discovery.com/videos/pearl-harbor-news-live-from-pearl-harbor.html

I firmly believe it is of paramount importance to preserve the living memories of historical events before it is too late. Here is a video of the recollections of William Harvey, an African-American who was a cook on the USS Sacramento at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Click on the link below.

http://www.indystar.com/section/VideoNetwork?bctid=657299559001#/Local+News/William+Harvey%2C+U.S.+Navy%2C+World+War+II/698529482001/51730118001/657299559001

SPORTS

Baseball

The Toronto Blue Jays have traded their ace pitcher. Shaun Marcum has gone to the Milwaukee Brewers fin return for Canadian prospect Brett Laurie. Laurie is a 20-year-old second baseman from Langley, British Columbia. In double-A last season, he hit .285 with eight homers, 63 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.

The Blue Jays will have to fill the gap left by the departure of Marcum. There is a great deal of talk about the Jays acquiring Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals. Greinke, a right-handed starting pitcher, won the American League Cy Young Award in 2009. The Royals will demand a great deal for him. The Jays will probably have to give up outfielder Travis Snider and pitcher Kyle Drabek. That’s a lot.

This week’s winter meetings will be interesting. I’m anxious to see what Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos will do.

- Joanne

Quotes on truth; more palindromes

MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.

- William Blake
From Auguries of Innocence

Today’s topic is truth. For your edification and enjoyment, I present to you some more quotations about truth.

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.

- Abraham Lincoln
Letter to Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton. July 18, 1864

What is truth?

In Latin – Quid est veritas?
- Attributed to Pontius Pilate
John 18:38

The well of true wit is truth itself.

- George Meredith
From Diana of the Crossways [1885], chapter 1

Truth is a torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it.

- Claude Adrien Helvetius
From De l’Esprit [1758], preface

In wine there is truth.

- Translation of the Latin phrase In vino veritas.

RIDDLE ME THIS

Why did the muffler break down?

ANSWER:

Because it was exhausted.


LANGUAGE CORNER

I enjoy palindromes – words, verses or numbers that read the same backward or forward. I wrote about palindromes in my November 13, 2010 blog entry. I included a list of palindromes in that entry. Today I offer some more palindromes to amuse you on a December day.

LIST OF PALINDROMES

Rise to vote, sir.

Poor Dan is in a droop.

A man, a plan, a canal: Panama.

Dennis and Edna sinned.

Are we not drawn onward to new era.

Anne, I vote more cars race Rome to Vienna.

A nut for a jar of tuna.

A Toyota.

Cain: A maniac

Panic in a Titanic? I nap.

Pets never even step.


ON THIS DAY

Today marks a sad anniversary for Canadians, especially women.  On December 6, 1989, a crazed misogynist named Marc Lepine stalked and killed 14 female engineering students at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.  He entered a classroom, separated the men and women and shot the women with a semi-automatic rifle.  He blamed them for his failure to be accepted by the engineering school.

21 years have passed since that horrific day.  I will remember those 14 women and the tragic loss of their lives today and everyday.

Hockey

Brian Burke, the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, had some vindication on Saturday night. The Leafs edged the Boston Bruins 3-2 in an overtime shootout at the Air Canada Centre. Former Bruin Phil Kessel scored the winning goal in the shootout. Okay, Leaf fans, calm down! It’s only one game.

Basketball

The Toronto Raptors continue their losing ways. The Raps were trounced 116-99 by the New York Knicks today. This team is not looking good.

- Joanne

The Memoirs of George W. Bush; The Pillsbury Dough Man

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy.

- Christopher Dawson (1889 – 1970)
From The Judgement of the Nations

Christopher Henry Dawson was a British scholar and a Catholic historian. His book The Judgement of the Nations was published in 1942. His words have great relevance in the post-9/11 world and in this age of terrorism. They should be required reading for the radical right wing and for one George Walker Bush.

The memoirs of former U.S. President Bush were recently published in a book entitled Decision Points.  In his memoirs, Bush admits that he personally authorised waterboarding. When George Tenet, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) asked for the president’s permission to use “enhanced interrogation techniques”, Bush emphatically replied, “Damn right.”

Yes, it’s true. By his own admission, the President of the United States approved torture. Not only that, but he is completely unapologetic about it. He truly believes that he acted responsibly and ethically. “No doubt the procedure was tough,” writes Bush, “but medical exports assured the CIA that it did no lasting harm.”

I do not sympathize or empathize with terrorists in the least. However, I believe that such tactics as “waterboarding” demean the United States of America and sully its reputation around the world. They can only be described as disgraceful and shameful. The names “Guantanamo” and “Abu Ghraib” will forever live in infamy. What happened in those prisons is a sorry chapter in the history of the United States. America is better than that.


ON THIS DAY

American flour industrialist Charles Alfred Pillsbury was born on December 3, 1842 in Warner, New Hampshire. He was the co-founder and builder of the company that bears his name.  It is interesting to note that Pillsbury had a connection to Canada. He spent several years in Montreal involved in various business ventures, including a mercantile company. At the time, Montreal processed a great deal of grain from the Western United States and it was in Montreal that Pillsbury really began to take an interest in the milling business.

After selling his share in a Montreal dry-goods business in 1869, Pillsbury returned to the United States. He joined his uncle, John Sargent Pillsbury, in Minneapolis, Minnesota where they founded C.A. Pillsbury and Company in 1872. It became the largest flour-milling company in the world and it revolutionized the flour industry by producing superior quality flour. The other mills in Minnesota used large buhr stones to ground their flour.  Charles Alfred Pillsbury was a great innovator and he introduced a series of gauged steam rollers that ground grain into especially fine flour.  His technique was eventually adopted by all the larger U.S. mills.

John Sargent Pillsbury later served as the governor of the state of Minnesota. Charles Alfred Pillsbury died in Minneapolis on September 17, 1899 at the age of 56.  When I visited Minneapolis in the year 2000, I saw the mansion of Charles S. Pillsbury, one of the sons of Charles Alfred. It was built in 1913 and is located in the Washburn-Fair Oaks Mansion District of Minneapolis. Click on the link below to view a photograph of it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timboduke/4466573373/


SPORTS

Hockey

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost another game last night. Ho hum, what else is new? The Edmonton Oilers shut out the hapless Leafs by a score of 5-0. How sad that the Blue and White have sunk so low! It’s early in December, but if they continue to play so poorly, they might as well start dusting off their golf clubs now.

Here are the grim facts concerning the Maple Leafs. They have now lost four consecutive games. They have fallen behind the Oilers and are 28th in the standings with a record of 8-12-4. They have 20 points and are only one point ahead of last season’s pace. Meanwhile, the Oilers are improving and have great hope for the future. They have Taylor Hall and he scored twice last night.

The Boston Bruins must be hoping the Leafs’ woes continue because they have the Maple Leafs’ 2011 first-round pick from the Phil Kessel trade. Yikes! Could it be any worse for the Leafs? Well, they may be struggling on the ice, but they’re sure not suffering at the box office. 19,465 suckers - oops, I mean fans, paid exorbitant prices to attend last night’s game. Late in the game, they chanted “Fire Wilson.” A lot more than the firing of Ron Wilson is required to clean up this mess.

- Joanne

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2010

How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?

- Dr. Seuss (Theodor S. Geisel)

Where have you gone 2010? We are already into the month of December and Christmas is only twenty-four days away. As we leave the darkness of November behind, we approach the season of light. I await the Winter Solstice on the 21st of December because it marks the beginning of more light in the evening. Just four days later, the great feast of Christmas is celebrated. That, of course, is no coincidence. The symbolism is everywhere.


HAPPY HANNUKAH

In the spirit of the season of light, I’d like to wish a Happy Hannukah to those of the Jewish faith. The eight-day holiday began at sundown yesterday and it ends at dusk on December 9th. It is known as the Festival of Light and it commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean revolt about 2,200 years ago. At that time, the Holy Land was ruled by Syrian-Greeks who outlawed the study of the Torah. According to the Talmud, a small band of faithful Jews known as Maccabees rebelled and drove them from the Holy Temple. When the Maccabees attempted to light the Temple’s menorah (candelabra), they discovered that it had been contaminated by the Greeks. They found enough pure oil to last one night. Miraculously, however, the oil lasted for eight days and eight nights, the amount of time needed to procure new oil.

Here are some Hannukah quotes:

As long as Hannukah is studied and remembered, Jews will not surrender to the night. The proper response, as Hannukah teaches, is not to curse the darkness but to light a candle.

- Rabbi Irving Greenberg
From The Lesson of Hannukah: Living with imperfection

Just as Hannukah candles are lighted one by one from a single flame, so the tale of the miracle is passed from one man to another, from one house to another, and to the whole House of Israel throughout the generations.

- Judah L. Magnes


LANGUAGE CORNER

There are many alternate spellings of “Hannukah.” Here are some of the other spellings.

Hanukhah

Chanukah

Chanukkah

Channukah

Hammuka

Channuka

Hanukkah


Readers, if you know of any others, let me know and I’ll be happy to add them to the list.


ON THIS DAY

On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Napoleon I, Emperor of the French in an elaborate ceremony at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Pope Pius VII handed Napoleon the crown and the 35-year-old Corsican-born conqueror placed it on his own head.


SPORTS

A report in the Toronto Star yesterday suggested that Rogers Communications is attempting to take over Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. As much as I detest MLSE for what they have done to the once-proud Toronto Maple Leafs and for their exorbitant ticket prices, I’m not so sure I want the team to fall into the hands of Rogers. Such a deal would give Rogers too much control over sports and communications in this city.

Basketball

The Toronto Raptors earned a much-needed blowout victory over the Washington Wizards last night at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors won by a score of 127-108. Toronto rookie Ed Davis made his NBA debut and managed 11 points.

- Joanne

Here's to Bonnie Scotland on St. Andrew's Day

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birthplace of valour, the country of worth!
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands, for ever I love.

- Robert Burns
From My Heart’s in the Highlands

A toast to bonnie Scotland! What better way to do it than to quote Robbie Burns, the great “Bard of Scotland,” on the feast of St. Andrew. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. Scots around the world celebrate St. Andrew’s Day on the 30th of November. Tradition has it that St. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross or “saltire."  That is why the flag of Scotland is the X-shaped Cross of St. Andrew.

Details about the life of St. Andrew are very sketchy. According to the Christian Bible, he was a fisherman from Bethsaida, a village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew was originally a follower of John the Baptist. He and his brother, Simon Peter (St. Peter), eventually became two of the Twelve Apostles of Christ.


LANGUAGE CORNER

The name Andrew is taken from the Greek "Andreas" meaning manly or brave.


R.I.P. LESLIE NIELSEN

Actor/comic Leslie Nielsen died in Florida on Sunday at the age of 84. Although Nielsen was a Hollywood star who appeared in over one hundred films and numerous television programs, his roots were distinctly Canadian.

Leslie William Nielsen was born on February 1, 1926 in Regina, Saskatchewan, the son of a Mountie. His father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, a Danish immigrant, was a Constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The young Leslie was raised in Fort Norman, Northwest Territories (now known as Tulita) where his father was stationed with the RCMP.

Leslie’s elder brother, Erik Nielsen, was a Canadian politician and long-time Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for the Yukon. Dubbed “Yukon Erik,” he was a cabinet minister in the short-lived government of Joe Clark. However, he was most prominent in the government of Brian Mulroney where he served as Canada’s deputy prime minister from 1984 to 1986 and Minister of National defence from 1985 to 1986. Erik Nielsen, a man of few words, was nicknamed “Velcro Lips” due to his unsmiling demeanour and his reticence. He died of a heart attack on September 4, 2008 at his home in Kelowna, British Columbia. Like his brother, Leslie, he was 84 years old at the time of his death.

To watch a tribute to Leslie Nielsen, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjG0bRX-Ra0


SPORTS

Football (CFL)

Congratulations to the Montreal Alouettes for winning the 98th Grey Cup on Sunday over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It was a closely-fought game, but the Als prevailed by a score of 21-18 before an estimated 63,000 fans in Edmonton. Their victory, however, was bittersweet. Veteran Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo, the best quarterback in Canadian football, dropped a bombshell. He announced that he will be undergoing surgery due to a lesion on his thyroid. His future as a player is in doubt until the outcome of the operation.

As for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, it was a heartbreaking loss for them. The Green Riders have the most enthusiastic fans in the league and they packed Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. It was a sea of green. During my recent visit to Las Vegas, I spotted some Riders fans at the Treasure Island hotel. I wished them well in the Grey Cup and told them that next year it was the Argos’ turn.

Baseball

Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays did not win the American League MVP award. The honour went to Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. However, I must congratulate Bautista for being voted the Toronto Blue Jays’ MVP and for winning the John Cerutti Award. The Cerutti Award is named in honour of the former Blue Jays’ pitcher and broadcaster. It is given to the Jay who displays the good character shown by the late John Cerutti.

- Joanne Madden

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2010

To see a world in a grain of sand
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

- William Blake
From Auguries of Innocence

These have to be some of my very favourite lines of poetry. To me, the imagery of time slipping away like mere grains of sand in your hand is very poignant and somewhat disconcerting. I have chosen to highlight this verse because William Blake, the great English poet and painter, was born on this day in 1757 in the Soho district of London. His father, James, was a hosier, a seller of garments for the legs and feet. Today marks the 253rd anniversary of the birth of William Blake. He died in London on August 12, 1827 at the age of 69.


RIDDLE ME THIS

Why was the broom late for work?

ANSWER

Because he swept in.


THE HAPPIEST CITIES IN CANADA

On November 23, 2010, the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a major study on factors influencing the happiness and satisfaction of Canadians. The study concludes that my beloved Toronto is the most miserable city in the country, even though it scores quite high on the happiness scale. Over all, Canadians appear to be a happy bunch. More than 92% of us report being satisfied or very satisfied with their lives last year. The city of Sherbrooke , Quebec, Premier Jean Charest’s hometown, ranks first on the happiness scale, with a score of 4.37 out of 5 on the happiness scale. Brantford, Ontario ranks second with a score of 4.36 and Trois-Rivieres, Quebec ranks third with 4.35. The least happy CMAs (Census Metropolitan Areas) in the country are Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, British Columbia and St. Catharines, Ontario. Toronto scores 4.15. That’s only 5.5 % less than Sherbrooke – not too shabby, if you ask me.

The survey found that “the most important reason for geographical variation in happiness in Canada is differences in the sense of belonging to local communities, which is generally higher in small CMAs, and Atlantic Canada.” The study finds that Prince Edward Island, with a population of only 137,900 (2006 census) is the happiest province in the country. The least happy is Ontario, the most populous province in the country with over 12 million people. British Columbia, the third most populous province, is the second least happy. An interesting finding is that Quebec scores extremely high in the happiness scale. The second most populous province with over 7.6 million people, Quebec finishes second only to Prince Edward Island in terms of happiness.

Not one of the three most populous cities in Canada (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) ranks in the top 15 cities in the happiness survey. The stress of living in a big city is a strong, determining factor. The survey also finds that a 10% increase in income increases the number of people “very satisfied” by 0.6. per cent. The province of Quebec has the lowest mean sense of belonging but the highest mean mental health status.

The top 15 happiest cities according to The Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards are:

1. Sherbrooke Quebec (4.37 on a scale of 5)
2 . Brantford, Ontario (4.36)
3. Trois-Rivieres, Quebec (4.35)
4. Quebec City, Quebec (4.34)
5. St. John’s, Newfoundland (4.34)
6. Calgary, Alberta (4.33)
7. Peterborough, Ontario (4.32)
8. Greater Sudbury, Ontaro (4.32)
9. Saguenay, Quebec (4.32)
10. Halifax, Nova Scotia (4.32)
11. Guelph, Ontario (4.32)
12. Victoria, British Columbia (4.32)
13. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (4.31)
14. Saint John, New Brunswick (4.30)
15. Ottawa-Gatineau (4.29)

If you would like to view the complete report of the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards, click on the link below.

http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-09.pdf


AMERICAN GUN MADNESS

A November 15th Associated Press story reported that a Sanford, Florida dealership is trying to attract business by offering a little perk to prospective used-truck buyers. To the delight of every redneck in central Florida, that little perk happens to be a free AK-47 assault rifle. Nick Ginetta, the general manager of Nations Trucks in Sanford announced that business has more than doubled since the promotion began on Veteran’s Day. Well, gosh, dang, that’s good news! Yep, that’s just what America needs. Gotta get us some of them AK-47s. It’s all about the Second Amendment and freedom, you know. And don’t worry that the assault rifles will fall into the wrong hands. It’s perfectly safe. After all, customers have to pass a background check prior to using the $400 gun shop voucher. So we know that psychotic serial killers and assassins will never be able to obtain one. Doesn’t that make you feel better?  Better hurry now, the promotion finishes at the end of November.

SPORTS

Football (CFL)

The Grey Cup will take place today in Edmonton. The Montreal Alouettes will play the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 98th edition of the Canadian classic. I’ve been reading some positive articles about the Canadian Football League lately. Television ratings are up and there is a good feeling around the league. If everything goes according to plan, Ottawa will rejoin the league in 2013 and host the Grey Cup in 2014. Somewhere down the road, a franchise may be established in the Maritimes or in Quebec City.

Toronto has been awarded the 100th Grey Cup in 2012. I’m hoping to get tickets because I would really like to attend. I’ve never been to a Grey Cup game and it’s really something I’d like to do. I am a die hard CFL fan.


- Joanne

Photos from Las Vegas and Grand Canyon

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2010

This is my first visit to Las Vegas since 1994 and there have been many changes.  Several prominent Vegas hotels had not yet been built then.  New York, New York, Paris Las Vegas and the Venetian are some examples.

Here is a photo taken in the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

I visited the lion habitat at the MGM Grand Hotel and viewed some female lions.

The Recession has had its effects on a city that depends on tourism.  There are no longer any $15 buffets.  For the first time, I noticed beggars and homeless people.  The unemployment rate in Nevada is 14.5% (not seasonally adjusted). 

Yesterday I went to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon.  We stopped on the Arizona side of the Hoover Dam.  The Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam  located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona.  It is 724 ft. in height and it is a marvel.  I am amazed to think that it was built during the Great Depression in the desert, in the middle of nowhere.  Construction began on the project in 1931.  Most of the work was completed by the time of its formal dedication ceremony in 1935.   Below is a photo of the Hoover Dam that I took during my visit there.

We drove through a Joshua tree forest.  According to Mormon legend, early settlers referred to the Joshua tree as the "praying tree" and declared that its branches represented the prophet Joshua raising his hands in prayer.

Here is a photo of some Joshua trees we passed on our bus ride to the Grand Canyon.

We stopped at Eagle Point and Guano Point where we visited with people of the Hualapai nation.  Here are some of them below.

Here are some pictures of the magnificent West Rim of the Grand Canyon.

NOTE: Tomorrow is American Thanksgving and I would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.  I invite you to click on the "Fiction" tab above and read a story that I wrote on Canadian Thanksgiving in October.  It's called "A Thanksgiving Tale."

- Joanne

Rod Stewart at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010

Hello again from Las Vegas.  Rod Stewart put on a great show last night at Caesar's Palace.  It was the last show of his run here.  He was on stage for about an hour and forty-five minutes and he sang all of his best songs.  His back-up band was terrific and very talented.  Rod really put a lot of the spotlight on them.  He's quite a soccer fan and his favourite team is Celtic.  He tossed out soccer balls to the audience.  By the way, Celine Dion is scheduled to return to Caesar's Palace in March of 2011.  Jerry Seinfeld will be at the Colosseum at Caesar's just after Christmas.

NOTES

I found out that the Toronto Blue Jays are 60 to 1 odds here in Vegas to win the World Series in 2011.

I haven't forgotten that today is the 47th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Tomorrow I will be going to the Grand Canyon.

- Joanne

Greetings from Las Vegas

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2010

GREETINGS FROM FABULOUS LAS VEGAS!

Here I am in Las Vegas, the Entertainmet Capital of the World.  I flew here on WestJest.  It was a 5 hour flight.  WestJet has absolutely no frills.  Everything costs.  My husband and I are going to see Rod Stewart tonight at Caesar's Palace.  I hope to have some good pictures to show you soon.  We are going to the Grand Canyon on Tuesday.  It's sunny and a bit cool here today.  I still have to get accustomed to the 3 hour time change.


LANGUAGE CORNER

The name "Las Vegas" is Spanish for "The Meadows" or "The Grasslands."  Spanish explorers named it after the grassland they saw along the destert streams.


SPORTS

Football (CFL)

The Toronto Argonauts were soundly defeated by Montreal Alouettes today in the East Division final today.  Montreal won by a score of 48-17 before over 58,000 fans at Olympic Stadium.  Well,, at least the Argos had a better season than expected.  Too bad it had to end so disappointingly.

Hockey

Montreal's hockey team beat our Toronto Maple Leafs last night.  The Habs defeated the Leafs 2-0 at the Bell Centre.  There was a great tribute to the late Pat Burns.  It was very well done.

- Joanne

Wilfrid Laurier and Immigration

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We do not anticipate, and we do not want, that any individuals should forget the land of their origin or their ancestors. Let them look to the past, but let them also look to the future; let them look to the land of their ancestors, but let them also look to the land of their children.

- Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Quoted in the Toronto Globe, September 2, 1905

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the 7th Prime Minister of Canada, was born on November 20, 1841. Laurier was born in St. Lin, Canada East (now Quebec) and he was our first prime minister of French ancestry. He held office from 1896 until 1911, the longest unbroken tenure of any Canadian prime minister.

It was Laurier’s government that opened the Canadian West to newcomers.  Clifford Sifton, the Minister of the Interior, was the man Laurier made responsible for immigration. Sifton’s “Open Door “ policy encouraged immigrants to settle in the West. The above “Quote of the Day” is Laurier’s answer to the complex question of immigration and identity.


LAS VEGAS, HERE I COME!

Hey Sixteeners, this is just a note to let you know that I will be leaving on Sunday for four days in Las Vegas including a bus excursion to the Grand Canyon. I will report to you soon from Vegas and I hope to post some interesting photos on this website. So follow along as I head to that playground for grownups. This will be my first visit to Las Vegas since 1994 and there have been many changes there since then. It should be fun.

Basketball

The Toronto Raptors are on a bit of a roll. They won their second game in a row last night by defeating the Houston Rockets at the Air Canada Centre. The score was 106-96 for Toronto. The way this season has been going, a two-game winning streak is something to celebrate, something to build on for the Raps.

- Joanne

The Environment and the Canadian Senate

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away; a sordid boon!

- William Wordsworth
From The World is Too Much With Us [1806}

The English poet, William Wordsworth, wrote verses that celebrate the beauty and spiritual essence of nature. In his romantic poetry, he tried to convey the message that nature is not a commodity for human beings to exploit. He warned us that we are losing our connection to the natural world.  Although Wordsworth lived during the 18th and 19th centuries (1770-1850), his words are more relevant than ever in this 21st century.  Stephen Harper should read them carefully, especially after what his loyalists in the Senatee of Canada have done.  See my rant.


RANT OF THE DAY

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has used the unelected Senate to do his dirty work - and I’m speaking both figuratively and literally. The Climate Change Accountability Act was defeated Tuesday in the Senate. Harper has filled Parliament’s Upper House with so many Tories that it is no longer the Red Chamber. It is the Blue Chamber. It is no longer the House of Sober Second Thought. It is the House of Harper Hacks. Yes, I am quite aware that Liberal prime ministers have filled the Senate with Grits when they held power, but Stephen Harper is a man who has spent his entire political career staunchly advocating an elected Senate. Now that his party is governing, he has appointed 35 Conservative loyalists to the 105-member chamber since July of 2007. If that isn’t political hypocrisy, I don’t know what is.

Late on Tuesday and without debate, the Senate of Canada refused to give final approval to Bill C-311, an important piece of environmental legislation that the House of Commons had passed in May. The bill was voted down by a margin of 43-32 in a snap vote that caught many Liberals off guard. Not enough showed up to ensure the legislation was approved in the Upper House.

The rejected legislation calls for a reduction of greenhouse by 25% below 1990 levels by the year 2020. The Harper government’s goal is 17%. It has tied its policy to that of the Obama administration south of the border. However, the political landscape has changed in the United States since the recent midterm elections. Republicans now control the House of Representatives and have increased their presence in the U.S. Senate. Since the G.O.P. is environment unfriendly, there is no chance that President Obama’s targets will be met or that anything significant will be achieved on the environment front in the United States in the near future. This is a very difficult time for North American proponents of the environment. It’s extremely frustrating.

Given the death of the climate-change bill, what will Canada have to show at the international climate change conference next month in Cancun, Mexico? Nearly 200 countries will be congregating there to forge an agreement on climate change. What will Canada have to say other nations when it is asked what it has done lately to combat climate change? Lamentably, Canada will be embarrassed before the eyes of the world. My heart sinks at the thought of it.


SPORTS

Basketball

The Toronto Raptors had a much-needed victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Philly yesterday. The defeated the Sixers by a score of 94-86.

Baseball

There has been a great deal of chatter in T.O. about the possibility of Manny Ramirez coming to town to play for the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dominican is 38 years old and will be a free agent soon. He was spotted in our city recently and has told ESPN that (Blue Jay manager John) Farrell “is a manager for whom I would like to play, and Toronto is a team I’ve liked since they had all those Dominican players in the 80s."  Is that enough evidence to suggest that the former Red Sox slugger will be wearing a Blue Jays uniform in 2011?  I wish I had the answer to that, but I don’t. I only know that where there’s smoke, there’s fire.  In this case, there seems to be smoke.

Would it be a good move for the Jays to acquire the services of Senor Ramirez? Manny being Manny, his presence could be a very disruptive in the clubhouse. Signing him would certainly be a risk. The question for GM Alex Athopoulos is whether Ramirez is worth that risk. I think it would be fun to have him play here in Toronto and I also believe that he would put some much-need fans in the stands. Is that enough reason to sign him, though? It would be more than enough reason if he also slugged the ball well. However, there is no way of knowing how well he's going to play before he puts his name on a contract. Sometimes you just have to take a risk.

What happens to DH Adam Lind if Manny comes to town? Well, the arrival of Ramirez would likely mean the departure of Lind. If there is no opening at DH for Lind, his days in Toronto are numbered. The Jays appear to have given up on making him their first baseman.

- Joanne

Prince William, Kate and the Catherines of Henry VIII

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2010

The media are absolutely buzzing about the announcement yesterday of the engagement of Prince William and Kate (soon to be known as Catherine) Middleton. The British press is salivating at the thought of covering this extravaganza. With Prime Minister David Cameron imposing his own brand of harsh Thatcherism, the British are sorely in need of some diversion. What better time for the pomp and ceremony of the impeding royal nuptials. The House of Windsor will put on a splendid show, although in this age of austerity, it will be necessary to tone it down somewhat.  They’d better pray the outcome of this fairytale wedding will turn out far better than the disastrous outcome of the 1981 marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

Diana never became queen consort and Kate may have to wait quite a long time before she assumes the title of Queen Catherine. Prince Charles recently turned 62 years old. Queen Elizabeth is 84 and appears to be in good health.  There is definitely longevity in her genes and If she lives as long as her mother, she will be 101 when she passes away. If that should happen, Charles will be about 78 or 79 years old when he finally ascends to the throne. His son, William, will be about 45 at that time.

Women named Catherine have played a prominent role in the history of the British monarchy. King Henry VIII must have really been partial to Catherines because three of his six wives shared that name – Catherine of Aragon, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. Henry, of course, fought to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon dissolved so he could marry his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Catherine Howard (Wife Number 5) was Anne Boleyn’s first cousin. The two cousins shared a similar fate. They were both beheaded. Henry’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, survived him. After the death of Henry VIII in 1547, Catherine Parr married Thomas Seymour, the brother of Henry’s second wife, Jane Seymour.

For those interested in Henry VIII and his wives, there is a far better television series than The Tudors. It is The Six Wives of Henry VIII, produced by the BBC. The Six Wives of Henry VIII consists of an episode for each wife. Keith Michell plays Henry in the series and his portrayal is superb. He was born to play the role. He looks and acts and laughs like Henry VIII. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the actor who plays Henry in The Tudors, isn’t anywhere near as convincing. He doesn’t show Henry’s fun-loving side enough. His Henry is far too serious. Furthermore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers does not bear a physical resemblance to Henry in the least.


ON THIS DAY

Mary Tudor (Queen Mary I of England) died on November 17, 1558 at the age of 42. The Catholic Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, reigned from 1553 until 1558. If you discount the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey who reigned for a mere nine days in July of 1553, Mary I was really the first woman to rule as Queen of England. She earned the sobriquet of “Bloody Mary” because, during her reign, almost 300 religious dissenters were burned at the stake. On this day in 1558, Mary’s half-sister Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, ascended to the throne of England.


ON THIS DAY IN SPORTS

On November 17, 1987, George Bell became the first member of the Toronto Blue Jays to win the American League’s Most Valuable Player award. Will Jose Bautista do the same this year? Bell slugged 47 home runs during the 1987 season and drove in 134 RBIs. Bautista hit 54 homers this season and he had 124 RBIs. However, the conventional wisdom is that Bautista will not be named MVP because the Jays did not have a contending team this year. In 1987, the Blue Jays finished in second place in the American League East with 96 wins. In 2010, the Jays finished fourth in the AL East with 85 wins.


SPORTS

Hockey

The Toronto Maple Leafs ended an ugly eight-game losing streak yesterday by defeating the Nashville Predators by a score of 5-4 at the Air Canada Centre. The Leafs showed some grit by coming back to win the game after being down by a three-goal deficit in the first period.

Basketball

The woeful Toronto Raptors lost again yesterday. They were defeated 109-94 by the Washington Wizards. The Raptors have dropped two games in a row and eight of their last nine games. They play the Philadelphia 76ers tonight in The City of Brotherly Love.

Baseball

Congratulations to former Blue Jay Roy Halladay for winning the National League Cy Young Award yesterday.  Halladay is only the fifth player to win a Cy Young in both the National and American leagues.  Although Roy did not receive a World Series ring this year, he had a dream season in which he recorded 21 wins (including a perfect game) and an ERA of 2.44.  He pitched in postseason play for the first time in his formidable major league career and threw a no-hitter in his first-ever playoff game.  Now he adds another Cy Young to his list of achievements. Not too shabby, Doc.  Not too shabby at all.

- Joanne

Louis Riel

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010

He was a complex man, full of contradiction and angst, certainly, but what makes Louis Riel him so intriguing is that he managed to straddle two cultures, Native and white, and came as close to anyone to envisioning a sympathetic and equitable relationship between the two. That Canadians may someday achieve this vision remains Louis Riel’s legacy.

- Maggie Sigggins
From Riel: A Life of Revolution

Born October 22, 1844 at Red River Settlement (present-day Manitoba), Metis leader Louis Riel is certainly one the most controversial figures in Canadian history. Some call him insane, a murderer and a traitor. Others regard him as a hero and the “Father of Manitoba.” Today is the 125th anniversary of his death. On November 16, 1885, Riel was executed in Regina, Saskatchewan for high treason. The province of Manitoba now celebrates “Louis Riel Day” every third Monday of February.

For those interested in the life of one of the most charismatic, colourful and fascinating characters in Canadian history, I recommend two books. They are Riel: A Life of Revolution, Maggie Siggins, HarperCollins, 1994 and The Trial of Louis Riel by George Goulet.


ON THIS DAY

On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the United States. This Canadian sends warm regards to all you Sooners out there. On the anniversary of your statehood, I salute you. By the way, you may want to check out my November 4, 2010 blog entry on Oklahoma’s own Will Rogers.


LANGUAGE CORNER

The name Oklahoma is derived from the Choctaw Indian words “okla” meaning "people" and “humma” meaning “red.”


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIANA KRALL!

Canadian jazz artist, Diana Krall was born on November 16, 1964 in Nanaimo, British Columbia. She is one of my favourites.

To watch a video of Diana performing Cry Me a River, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9y1vGxPVAA


SPORTS

Saturday, November 13, 2010 was another dismal day for Toronto sports teams. The Toronto Maples Leafs lost to the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 5-3. Nazem Kadri suited up for the Leafs and Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox wrote that he “acquitted himself well.” It was not, however, enough to give the Leafs a victory. The Blue and White suffered their 10th defeat in 11 games.

The Toronto Raptors lost yet again, this time to the Miami Heat. They were outscored by the Heat 109 -11 in the Sunshine State. Former Raptor Chris Bosh only had 22 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble.

The only bright spot on the Toronto sports scene over the past weekend was the Toronto Argonauts. They defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium by a score of 16-13 to win the Eastern semi-final. They now advance to the Eastern final against the Alouettes in Montreal on Sunday, November 21. If they win that one, it’s on to Edmonton to play in Canada’s national football championship, the Grey Cup. Congratulations to the Argos.

- Joanne

Palindromes

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010

QUOTE OF THE DAY

What is a cynic? A man who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

- Oscar Wilde
From Lady Windermere’s Fan {1892}, Act III

LANGUAGE CORNER

Today’s topic is palindromes. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a palindrome as “a word, verse, or sentence or a number that reads the same backward or forward.” According to Merriam-Webster, its first known use was circa 1629.

One of the most famous palindromes was purportedly uttered by Napoleon Bonaparte.  It was in reference to his first sighting of the island of Elba where he was exiled in 1814. - Able was I ere I saw Elba.  Another popular palindrome is Madam, in Eden I’m Adam. Here is a short list of even more palindromes.

Rats eat no evil star.

Panic in a Titanic, I nap.

Otto made Ned a motto.

Warsaw was raw.

Was it a car or a cat I saw?

We’ll let Dad tell Lew.

The number 1881 is a palindrome.

The words “level” and “racecar” and “kayak” are palindromes.

If you can’t get enough palindromes, you really should check out this website. It is an online journal called The Palindromist.  It describes itself as “the world’s greatest palindrome magazine” and “A Journal For People Who WRITE – and read – Palindromes.” Click on the link below to view it.

http://www.realchange.org/pal/

Baseball

The Toronto Blue Jays parted ways with three players today. Edwin Encarnacion was claimed off waivers today by the Oakland Athletics. That means the Jays will have a new third baseman next spring. Although Encarnacion slugged 21 home runs this season, he made quite a few defensive errors. I was often critical of his play, but I have to say that his performance improved after he was sent down to the minors. However, I do not think he was ever the third baseman that the Jays need to compete in the American League East.

Relief pitcher Brian Tallett and backup outfielder Dewayne Wise both opted for free agency instead of a demotion to the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.

Congratulations to Jose Bautista for winning a Silver Slugger award. He can add that to growing collection. He also won the Hank Aaron Award as the top slugger in the American League. Will he win American League Most Valuable Player honours? We’ll find out on November 23rd. In the meantime, all I can say is Jose for MVP.

- Joanne