Cheers! A toast to toasting

Here's mud in your eye!

Down the hatch!

Bottoms up!

Through the centuries, it has been a common practice for people of many cultures and backgrounds to toast to health, happiness, friendship and good fortune.  According to the International Handbook of Alcohol and Culture, toasting is "probably a secular vestige of ancient sacrificial libations in which sacred liquid was offered to the gods: blood or wine in exchange for a wish, a prayer summarized in the words 'long life!' or 'to your health!'"

The Oxford Dictionary states that the custom of drinking a toast can be traced back to the late 17th century.  It "originated in naming a lady whose health the company was requested to drink, the idea being that the lady's name flavoured the drink like the pieces of spiced toast that were formerly placed in drinks such as wine."

How did the practice of clinking glasses develop?  One story is that the touching of glasses originated in medieval times, when wine sometimes contained poison.  If a host wished to demonstrate that the wine wasn't spiked, he would pour part of the guest's wine into his own glass and drink it first.  If the guest trusted his host he would just clink glasses when the host volunteered to do this. Thus, according to legend, the clinking of glasses has become a manifestation of trust, honesty and a toast to good health.

Another story is that the clinking of glasses was believed to ward off evil spirits.




 Photo Attribution: Jason Hutchens from Sydney, Australia


There are a few theories concerning the origin of the jovial drinking toast "Here's mud in your eye!" One theory holds that it was used in saloons in the United States beginning in the late 1800s or that it was popular among English fox hunters and horse racing enthusiast even earlier than that.  Another is that it originated in the muddy trenches of World War I or in the cafes where British and American soldiers spent their leave.  A third theory is that it refers to the sediment often found at the bottom of a glass of wine.

GENERAL TOASTS

Here's to you, as good as you are.  And here's to me, as bad as I am.  But as good as you are, and as bad as I am, I am good as you are, as bad as I am.

- Old Scotch Saying


May you live all the days of your life.

- Jonathan Swift



When it comes to blessings and toasts, it's difficult to top the Irish.  Here are some good Irish toasts:

IRISH WEDDING TOASTS

Here's to health, peace and prosperity.  May the flower of love never be ripped by the frost of disappointment, nor shadow of grief fall among your family and friends.

May your home always be too small to hold all your fiends.

May I see you grey and combing your grandchildren's hair.


IRISH BIRTHDAY TOAST

May you live to be 100 years, with one extra year to repent.


IRISH TOASTS TO FRIENDSHIPS AND FAMILY

May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door. 

There are good ships,
And there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships, are friendships,
And my they always be. 

Here's to you and yours,
And to mine and ours,
And if mine and ours ever come
Across you and yours,
I hope you and yours will do
As much for mine and ours,
As mine and ours have done
For you and yours!


There is also apparently a very colourful Gaelic toast that goes as follows:

Fad saol agat, gob fliuch, agus bás in Eirinn,  -  Long life to you, a wet mouth and death in Ireland.

Jewish toasts and blessings are made using the ancient words of Hebrew and Yiddish.  The traditional Jewish drinking toast is "L'haim," which means "to life."  According to Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman in his "Ask the Rabbi" column for Ohr Somayach website, in the Jewish faith, wine represents "beauty, blessing and joy."  That is why, the rabbi explains, many Jews say "L'haim" only after blessing the wine properly and drinking a bit, so that the toast should be filled with the blessing of God's name and the "inherent joy and bounty of the wine."

The Chinese drinking toast is "Gambei!" which literally translates to "Dry the cup!"  It is similar in meaning to "Bottoms up!"  Serbs bestow upon each other wishes for a long life (ziveli), while the Spanish drink to health (salud), as do the French (santé), the Polish (na zdrowie), the Italians (salute) and many others.

When clinking glasses in sunny Italy, people say "cin cin." the Italian equivalent of "cheers." Accordng to Italian superstition, it is bad luck to cross over the arms of the people next to you during a toast.

Toasts and blessings play a large part at Italian weddings.  Italian wedding receptions are high-spirited and boisterous.  Guests cry out saying and blessings to the newlyweds.

ITALIAN WEDDING TOASTS AND BLESSINGS    

Per Cent'Anni

"For one hundred years" is the traditional Italian toast for newlyweds in Italy.  Here are some others:

Vita L'amor!  -  Long live love!

Amore e gelosia nacquero insiemo  -  Without jealousy, there is no love.

Aguri! - Best Wishes!

Ci sono tre cose belle della vita: la naseita, l'amore e questo giorno  -  There are three beautiful things in life: birth, love and this day.

There is also a very chauvinistic Italian wedding toast:  Auguri e figli maschi!  -  Congratulations and may you have male children!

                             

One of my all-time favourite toasts is  "Here's looking at you, kid.!"  Nobody can deliver those words as eloquently as Bogie did in the classic 1942 film Casablanca.  It is unquestionably the most romantic toast in the English language.

By the way, toasting can and should be inclusive.  No one need feel uncomfortable and excluded from fully participating in festivities and celebrations.  Everyone, including non-drinkers, can join in salutations to health, happiness and a good life.  Toasting glasses don't necessarily have to contain wine, beer, champagne or any alcoholic beverage at all,  and non-drinkers should be encouraged to toast with a libation of their choice.

Cheers,

- Joanne

Veronica Rutledge: A Senseless Death in Idaho

A two-year-old boy is without a mother.  Why?  Here's why.  On December 30. 2014, the toddler accidentally killer his mother with a concealed weapon.  The tragedy occurred in a crowded Wal-mart store in Hayden, Idaho.  The little boy was seated in a shopping cart when he pulled out a loaded handgun from his mother's purse.  The gun went off, ending the life of Veronica J. Rutledge, 29, an employee of the Idaho National Laboratory.  Veronica was a nuclear scientist and, by all accounts, a highly intelligent woman. She was also a gun enthusiast and firearms played a significant role in her life.

Veronica and her husband enjoyed hunting and they practised at shooting ranges.  A close friend, Sheri Sandow, had this to say about the deceased in a December 31, 2014 report by Terence McCoy in the Washington Post: "She was just as comfortable at a camp ground or a gun range as she was in a classroom."  Sandow also made some remarks about the attitude toward guns in her state.  She told The Post that in Idaho "we don’t have to worry about a lot of crime and things like that."  For Idahoans, however, "to see someone with a gun isn’t bizarre," stated Sandow.  Her friend Veronica "wasn’t carrying a gun because she felt unsafe. She was carrying a gun because she was raised around guns."

The Rutledges had permits to carry concealed weapons, which is not unusual in the state of Idaho. Early in 2014, the Iowa state legislature approved a bill that allows the public to carry concealed guns onto state university campuses. More than 85,000 people (7 percent of Idaho's population) are licensed to carry concealed weapons. Veronica's fate was sealed when, on Christmas morning, her husband presented her with a purse containing a zippered pocket for a concealed weapon.

The tragic and unnecessary death of Veronica Rutledge really upset me.  Those who oppose gun control measures are very fond of saying "Guns don't kill, people do."  That slogan is extremely annoying and completely misleading. In a perfect world, firearms would never fall into the hands of the mentally ill, thieves and children.  As we are well aware, this is far from a perfect world.  It is a world where guns frequently fall into the wrong hands and accidents happen, often with deadly consequences.  In the heat of the moment, people are driven to act violently.  The more guns in circulation, the more unnecessary deaths will occur.  Tragedies such as the one in Idaho happen in places with lax gun control laws.  The attitude toward guns in the United States is pure madness.

No matter what I say, though, the gun crazies won't change their mind.  They'll continue to rant about their "constitutional right to bear arms,"  Meanwhile, a young wife and mother never had the opportunity to ring in the New Year with friends and family.  She never saw 2015.  Her motherless two-year-old will have to live with what happened for the rest of his life.  It will be a tremendous emotional burden on him and he will undoubtedly suffer psychological trauma

Veronica Rutledge

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and right-wing Republicans will express sadness about the tragedy.  At the same time, however, they will argue that Veronica Rutledge should have been more careful with her firearm.  They will claim it's not their fault if gun owners are negligent.  Well, I say that Veronica Rutledge was a victim of an American social culture that accepts and approves the casual ownership of firearms.  She lived in a country that glorifies guns in motion pictures and on television.  She is dead because of the Wild West mentality of U.S. society.

Veronica's father-in-law, Terry Rutledge, also a gun enthusiast, isn't too thrilled about gun-control advocates using his daughter-in-law's death to promote their cause.  “They are painting Veronica as irresponsible, and that is not the case,” Rutledge told The Washington Post. " I brought my son up around guns, and he has extensive experience shooting it. And Veronica had had hand gun classes; they’re both licensed to carry, and this wasn’t just some purse she had thrown her gun into.”

Sadly, Mr. Rutledge misses the point.  The issue isn't about whether his daughter-in-law was careless or not.  The problem lies with American society and its increasing acceptance of guns everywhere. Why should it be considered normal and necessary to possess a concealed firearm while engaged in day to day activities?

For the Rutledge family and many other Americans, carrying a concealed gun while shopping in a Wal-mart store is normal behaviour.  Guns are part of everyday life.  They just don't see anything wrong with carrying weapons all the time.  The NRA and right-sing political movements are relentless in their crusade to defend the proliferation of firearms in America. That is why I appeal to more reasonable public figures and ordinary citizens to speak out in support of stricter gun control. As a reminder of what's at stake, I add the shooting of Veronica J. Rutledge to the following list.

LIST OF U.S. GUN TRAGEDIES THAT SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN

James Brady: In January of 1981, Ronald Reagan Jim Brady Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary.  On March 30, 1981, a deranged man, John Hinklley, Jr. tried to assassinate President Reagan in Washington, D.C.  Brady was one of four people shot in the assassination attempt and received a serious head wound.  Both Reagan and Brady survived their shootings. However, Brady was left with slurred speech and partial paralysis.  After his death, he and his wife, Sarah, became outspoken advocates for gun control.  They lobbied for stricter handgun control and assault weapon restrictions.  As a result of their efforts The Brady Handgun Prevention Act, also known as "the Brady Bill", was passed.by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 30, 1993.

James Brady died on August 4, 2014 at the age of 73.  His death was ruled a homicide despite the fact that 33 years had passed since his shooting.

Columbine - On April 20, 1999, two senior students went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.  Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and one teacher. There were also a number of injuries before the disturbed teens committed suicide.

Virginia Tech - The "Virginia Tech Massacre" occurred on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia.  In two separate attacks, a deranged gunman took the lives of 32 people.  The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, 23, a student at the university, committed suicide.  He had a history of mental disorders.

Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords - On January 8, 2011, Gabrielle D. Giffords, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona, was a victim of a shooting near Tuscon.  The shooting occurred near a supermarket where Giffords meeting with her constituents.  The congresswoman survived, but was severely injured by a gunshot wound to the head.  Six people, however, were killed in the shooting.  Giffords resigned her congressional seat in order to focus on her recovery. In November of 2012, Jared Loughner, now 26, was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting. He was judged competent to stand trial after receiving treatment for mental illness.

Sandy Hook - On December 14, 2012, a crazed gunman named Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  After taking 32 innocent lives, the 20-year-old Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.


SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Canada's largest city, Toronto, has a population of 2.79 million (City of Toronto website).  Chicago, Illinois has a population of 2.718 million (July 1, 2014, U.S. Census bureau).  Although these two cities have roughly the same population, the number of homicides in each is very different.  Toronto recorded 57 homicides in 2014.  Chicago recorded 456 homicides in 2014. However, before we Canadians become too smug, we should be reminded that on June 4, 2014, a disturbed gunman named Justin Bourque killed three Mounties in Moncton, New Brunswick. Before we become too complacent, we should remember that we need to stand up for gun control in our own country too. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government are quietly and steadily relaxing gun control laws in Canada.  Harper and his Conservatives hope we won't notice. Don't let them get away with it!


- Joanne

Photos of an afternoon in Dundas, Ontario

Yesterday afternoon, I visited Dundas, Ontrio with some family members.  Dundas, formerly, an independent town, is now part of the City of Hamilton.  It was, of course, still decked out in its Christmas finery,

We stopped at Picone Fine Food at 34 King Street West.

Picone Fine Food

Picone Fine Food

We also stopped at Mickey McGuire's Cheese shop at 51 King Steet West.

t

Originally called Coote's Paradise, the town was renamed Dundas by John Graves Simcoe, (first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791 to 1796), to honour of his friend, Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville., a Scottish lawyer and politician who never set foot in North America.

Dundas was aptly nicknamed "the Valley town" due to its location at the bottom of the Niagara Escarpment at the Western edge of Lake Ontario.


- Joanne

2015: The Year Ahead - Anniversaries and Events

ANNIVERSARIES IN 2015

800TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE MAGNA CARTA

The Magna Carta (Latin for "the Great Charter") is considered one of history's most important legal documents.  It was issued by King John of England to a group of rebellious barons on the plain at Runnymede, near Windsor, on June 15, 1215.   Fearing that a rebellion by these disgruntled nobles would mushroom into a civil war, the unpopular monarch affixed his seal to the document.

The Magna Carta primarily secured the liberties of England's privileged classes.  It also effectively ended the era of absolute power for English sovereigns since they were no longer above the law.  It is Europe's first written constitution and has been used to form the fundamental principles of common law in constitutions world wide.  In fact, many of the provisions in the United States' Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution) find their basis in the Magna Carta.

200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

This year marks the bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo, which took place on June 18, 1815. The battle between a French army and an Anglo-allied army occurred in present-day Belgium (then known as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands).  The above painting by Robert Alexander Hillingford depicts the Duke of Wellington (ArthurWellesley) commanding the British and their allies at Waterloo.  Together with a Prussian army, under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, they overcame the French forces led by Naoleon Bonaparte.

The battle marked the final defeat of Napoleon, hence the expression "he met his Waterloo.": After his loss, Napoleon was imprisoned and exiled to the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.  He died there in 1821.

100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING OF THE LUSITANIA

On May 7, 1915, the RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner was torpedoed by German U-boat U-20 off the southern coast of Ireland.  A second internal explosion caused he doomed vessel, with almost 2,000 aboard, to sink in just 18 minutes.  Over 1,190 people lost their lives in the tragedy.

The luxury passenger ship had left New York for Liverpool, England on May 1, 1915 at a time of increased submarine warfare.  Germany had proclaimed the seas around Great Britain to be a war-zone and the German embassy had placed advertisements in newspapers cautioning people about sailing on the Lusitania.  

In attacking a non-military ship with out warning, the Germans violated international law known as the Cruiser Rules, which govern the the taking of vessels on the high seas during war.  It is also true, however, that the Lusitania, launched by the Cunard line in 1906, was carrying munitions and that the British themselves had also been breaching the Cruiser Rules, according to several books including World War One by Spencer Tucker and Pricilla Mary Roberts, The Age of Cunard: A Transatlanic History; 1839-2003 by Daniel Allen Butler,and World War 1 by Rodney P. Carlisle

The sinking of the Lusitania stirred up anti-German sentiment in the United States, especially since 128 Americans had been killed in the incident.  It influenced public opinion to support the U.S. entry into World War I in 1917.

70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATOMIC BOMBINGS OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI

A mushroom cloud billowing above Hiroshima on August 6, 1945

On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber, the "Enola Gay," dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.  According to the BBC, 60,000 to 80,000 people were killed immediately by the bomb, codenamed "Little Boy.  More died from the effects of radiation and the final death toll has been estimated at 135,000.

On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped another atomic bomb, this time on Nagasaki, an important Japanese port city,  According to the BBC, the second bomb, codenamed "Fat Man," was larger and it killed about 40,000 people instantly.  The final death toll was estimated to be at least 50,000.

70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF WORLD WAR II

On August 14-15, 1945, Japan agreed in principle to an unconditional surrender.  Japan formerly surrendered on September 2, 1945, bringing World War II to an end.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL

Sir Winston Churchill, British leader during World War II and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945 and from 1951-1955, died on January 25, 1965.  He was 90 years old.  112 nations were represented at Churchill's state funeral and millions watched it live on television.  His body lay in state at Westminster Hall and the funeral service took place at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Churchill's funeral train of Pullman coaches


Photo Attribution: Ben Brooksbank

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASSASSINATION OF MALCOLM X

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little), an influential American black leader, was assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.  As he was preparing to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity, a ruckus broke out and he was gunned down by three members of the Nation of Islam.  Malcolm X had recently repudiated the teachings of the controversial black supremacist organization, which called for the separation of blacks and whites. He was 39 years old at the time of his death.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST AMERICAN COMBAT TROOPS IN VIETNAM.

On March 8, 1965, about 3,500 United States Marines arrived in what was then known as South Vietnam.

U.S. Marines landing at Da Nang

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELEASE OF THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music, the famous film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, was initially released in the United States on March 2, 1965.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WATTS RIOTS IN LOS ANGELES 

On August 11, 1965, race riots broke out in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Watts.  The rioting last until August 17th and there was about $40 million in property damage.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEATLES' SHEA STADIUM PERFORMANCE

On August 15, 1965, The Beatles performed the first stadium rock concert before over 55,000 at Shea Stadium in New York City.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT NORTHEAST BLACKOUT OF 1965

New York City, November 1965

On November 9, 1965, there was a great power outage in Ontario in Canada and in the U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 2015

ARGENTINA

Argentina is scheduled to hold general elections on October 25, 2015.  There will be a second round on November 24, if necessary.  Primary elections will held on August 9, 2015.

CANADA

CELEBRATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAPLE LEAF FLAG

On February 15, 1965, the red and white maple design replaced the Red Ensign as the official flag of Canada.

The 42nd Canadian general election to elect members to the House of Commons is tentatively set for October 19, 2015.  However, Governor General David Johnston could call the election earlier on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The Calgary Stampede will take place in Calgary, Alberta from July 3, 2015 to July 12, 2015.

The Canadian National Exhibition (also known as the CNE or The Ex) will be held from August 21, 2015 to September 7, 2015 at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the leading public film festival in the world, will take place in Toronto, Ontario from September 10, 2015 to September 20, 2015.

FRANCE

The 68th Cannes Film Festival {Festival de Cannes) will be held in Cannes, France from May 13, 2015 until May 24, 2015.

GREAT BRITAIN

On September 10, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II will become the longest-serving British monarch ever, surpassing Queen Victoria's reign of 63 years, 7 months and 3 days.  Victoria, who was Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, died in 1901 at the age of 81.

A general election will be held in the United Kingdom in 2015.  The election will be held on May 7, 2015 unless the House of Commons votes to have it at an earlier date.

ISRAEL

Israeli's will go to the polls this year.  The election is set for March 17, 2015 and will determine the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government.

ITALY

Milan, Italy will host Expo 2015.  The universal exposition will take place between May 1 and October 31, 2015.  Its theme will be Feeding the Planet, energy for life.

LITHUANIA

On January 1, 2015, Lithuania will officially adopt the euro as its currency, It will become the 19th Eurozone country.

MEXICO

Legislative elections are scheduled to be held in Mexico in July of 2015.  Voters will elect 500 deputies to the Chamber of Deputies for the 63rd Congress.

UNITED STATES

June 30, 2015 mark the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson's signing of the Social Security Acts of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.

Pope Francis will visit the United States in September of 2015.  He is scheduled to attend the World Meeting of Families conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from September 25, 2015 to September 27, 2015.  The conference is held every three years in a different city, organized by the local Catholic diocese and the Pontifical Council of the Family, to focus on marriage and family life. The three-day visit is expected to include a public Sunday mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

There will be various elections in the United States and they will be mainly held on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.. There will be some state legislative and judicial elections and least three states, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi, will hold gubernatorial elections.  There will also be mayoralty races in such major cities as Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, San Francisco, California and a number of others.

SPORTING EVENTS IN 2015

AUSTRALIA

TENNIS:  The Australian Open will be held from January 19th to February 1, 2015 at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia.

CANADA

THE 2015 PAN AMERICAN GAMES - The Pan Am Games will be held in Toronto, Ontario and surrounding area from July 10 to July 26, 2015.

HORSE RACING:  The 156th running of the Queen's Plate, the first jewel of Canada's Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Horse Racing, will take place on Sunday, July 5, 2015 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.  The Queen's Plate is the longest continuously run stakes race in North America.

GOLF:  The Canadian Open will be played at the Glen Abbey Golf  Club in Oakville, Ontario.  The tournament will be take place from July 20 to July 26, 2015.

CANADIAN FOOTBALL:  The 103rd Grey Cup will be held on Sunday, November 29, 2015 at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

FRANCE

TENNIS:  The French Open (also known as Roland Garros) will take place at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France from May 24, 2015 until June 7, 2015.

GREAT BRITAIN

TENNIS:  The prestigious Wimbledon tournament will run from Monday, June 29, 2015 to Sunday, July 12, 2015.  It will take place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England.

GOLF:  The 144th British Open will be held at Old Course at St. Andrew's, Scotland from July 16 to July 19, 2015.

UNITED STATES

NFL FOOTBALL;  Super Bowl XL1X (the 49th edition of the Super Bowl will take place on Sunday, February 1, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

GOLF:  The 79th edition of the Masters Tournament will be held from April 9, 2015 to April 12, 2015 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

HORSE RACING:  The 141st running of the Kentucky Derby, known as the "Run for the Roses," will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

AUTO RACING:  The 99th Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 24, 3015 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.

GOLF:  The 115th United States Open Championship (U.S. Open) will be played from June 18, 2015 to June 21, 2015 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington (southwest of Tacoma).

BASEBALL:  The 86th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be hosted by the Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The game between the stars of the American League and the National League will take place on Tuesday, July 14, 2015.

TENNIS:  The U.S. Open will be held from Monday, August 31, 2015 through Sunday, September 13, 2015 at the USTA Billie Jean King Center in New York, New York.

      

ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS IN 2015

The 57th annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, United States on February 8, 2015.

The 87th Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, February 22, 2015 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles , California.

On March 15, 2015, the city of Hamilton, Ontario will host the 44th annual Juno Awards to honour the best in Canadian music.

t
The 69th Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, better known as the Tony Awards, will be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 7, 2015.

WHO TURNS 50 IN 2015?

Shania Twain, Canadian country-pop singer,, born August 28, 1965 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Charlie Sheen, American actor, born September 3, 1965 in New York City, United States

Lennox Lewis, retired boxer, holds British and Canadian citizenship, born September 2, 1965 in London, England, United Kingdom

Kyra Sedgwik, American actress, born August 19, 1965 in New York City, United Stated

Peter MacKay, Canadian politician, born September 27, 1965 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada

Patrick Roy, Canadian former hockey goaltending star, current NHL coach, born October 5, 1965 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Christy Clark, Canadian politician and current Premier of British Columbia, born October 29, 1965 in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Ben Stiller, American actor, born November 3, 1965 in New York City, United States

Katarina Witt, retired German figure skater, born December 3, 1965 in Berlin, Germany

Elizabeth Hurley, British actress and model, born on June 10, 1965 in Basingstoke, England, United Kingdom

Kevin James, American actor, born April 26, 1965 in Mineola, New York, United States

Linda Evangelista, Canadian model, born May 10, 1965 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Todd Bridges, American actor,born May 27, 1965 in San Francisco, California, United States

Steve Yzerman, retired Canadian hockey player and current NHL general manager, born May 9, 1965 in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada

Julia Ormond, English actress, born January 4, 1965 in Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Robert Downey Jr., American actor, born April 4, 1965 in New York City, United States

Michael Bay, American film director and producer, born February 17, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, United States

Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress, born March 25, 1965 in Nelsonville, Ohio, United States



- Joanne

Reflections and Quotes at Christmas

O Holy Night

O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine
O night divine

These are the words to my favourite Christmas hymn, "O Holy Night."  When that song is sung, I am touched by its beauty and its joy.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed by all the hustle and bustle of the season, or if you are tired from all your Christmas shopping, take a minute to quietly reflect with me.  Stop and relax for a bit.  It will do you good.  Close your eyes for a moment.  Think of a starry night and listen to the sound of angels singing . . .

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!

- Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English writer
From The Pickwick Papers

I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus I drift along into the holidays — let them overtake me unexpectedly — waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myself: "Why, this is Christmas Day!" 

~ David Grayson, (pseudonym of Ray Stannard Baker (1870-1946), American journalist and author

We hear the beating of wings over Bethlehem and a light that is not of the sun or of the stars shines in the midnight sky.  Let the beauty of the story take away all narrowness, all thought of formal creeds. Let it be remembered as a story that has happened again and again, to men of many different races, that has been expressed through many religions, that has been called by many different names.  Time and space and language lay no limitation upon human brotherhood.

New York Times. December 25, 1937

The poet Henry Woodsworth Longfellow wrote the beautiful poem "Christmas Bells" in the midst of the American Civil War, at a time when there wasn't much peace in the United States.  His eldest child, Charles Appleton Longfellow (1844-1893), joined the Union side of the conflict and was severely wounded in battle on November 27, 1863.  Charley, 19, a lieutenant in the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, was shot through the left shoulder while participating in the Mine Run Campaign in Virginia.  He narrowly missed being paralyzed.

Charles Appleton Longfellow

H.W. Wadsworth

On December 1, 1863, Longfellow, a 56-year-old widowed father of six (his wife Fanny had been fatally burned in an accident in July, 1861), received a telegram informing him of the wounding of his son.  With a heavy heart, but after receiving a more positive report on his son's condition, Longfellow wrote "Christmas Bells" on Christmas Day, 1863.  The well-known carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is based on the poem.

  Christmas Bells

    I heard the bells on Christmas Day
    Their old, familiar carols play,
        And wild and sweet
        The words repeat
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
    And thought how, as the day had come,
    The belfries of all Christendom
        Had rolled along
        The unbroken song
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
    Till ringing, singing on its way,
    The world revolved from night to day,
        A voice, a chime,
        A chant sublime
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
    Then from each black, accursed mouth
    The cannon thundered in the South,
        And with the sound
        The carols drowned
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
    It was as if an earthquake rent
    The hearth-stones of a continent,
        And made forlorn
        The households born
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
    And in despair I bowed my head;
    "There is no peace on earth," I said;
        "For hate is strong,
        And mocks the song
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
    Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
    "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
        The Wrong shall fail,
        The Right prevail,
    With peace on earth, good-will to men."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), American poet
From the poem Christmas Bells


With all the strife in the Middle East and Ukraine, and all the many egregious acts of terrorism, it's difficult to find much peace in the world.  However, the person who has inspired me the most this year is a Muslim teenager from Pakistan named Malala Yousafzai.  Malala almost lost her life due to her relentless advocacy of female education and human rights.

Malala comes from a region of northwest Pakistan where the Taliban has attempted to prevent girls from attending school.  Her family runs some schools in the area and she wrote a blog for the BBC (under a pseudonym) providing details of her life under the Taliban.

On October 9, 2012, the then-15 years old, Malala boarded her school bus and was shot three times by a gunman.  She was left unconscious and in critical condition.  She improved enough to be sent to a hospital in Birmingham, England for recovery and rehabilitation.

In July of 2013, Malala addressed the United Nations and called for worldwide universal education.
On October 10, 2014 (almost two years to the day of her shooting), 17-year-old Malala became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate when it was announced that she was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize with Kailash Satyarthi, a children's rights advocate from India.who is an activist against child labour.

Malala

American journalist Jimmy Cannon (1909-1973) once described Christmas as "a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected."  It is true that for many, Christmas is a lonely and difficult time of year.  Although 'tis the season to be merry, the true joy of the season has to be natural and spontaneous, not phony and contrived.

Jimmy Cannon

Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not having at other times. 

- Kate L. Bosher (1865-1932), American novelist

I am not alone at all, I thought.  I was never alone.  And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone.  Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent.  For this is still the time God chooses.

- Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985), Anglo-American author
From My Christmas Miracle

Number 16 would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!  May you find find peace in your heart and in your soul.



- Joanne

All About Christmas Trees

               

                                  O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
                                  Thy leaves are so unchanging
                                  O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
                                  Thy leaves are so unchanging

                                  Not only green when summer's here,
                                  But also when it's cold and drear.
                                  O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
                                  Thy leaves are so unchanging!

This is one of several versions of the English lyrics to "O Tannenbaum" ("O Christmas Tree"), a Yuletide song based on a traditional German folk song.  By the beginning of the 20th century, the song came to be sung as a Christmas carol.  "Tannenbaum" means "fir tree" in German - Tanne ("fir:") + Baum ("tree").  The modern lyrics were written by Ernst Anschütz, a teacher, composer and organist in Leipzig, Gerrmany.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "evergreen trees, wreaths and garlands" were used by the ancient Egyptians, Chinese and Hebrews as a means of symbolizing eternal life.  During the winter solstice, pagans decorated their dwelling places with tree branches as a reminder of the spring to come.  

Tree worship was prevalent among European pagans.  Britannica says that even after the advent of Christianity, the custom of decorating a house or barn with evergreens to ward off the Devil at the New Year continued in Scandinavia.  Trees were also set up to feed birds at Christmastime.

The tradition of decorating Christmas trees originated in early modern Germany.  The trees were originally decorated with edible ornaments such as gingerbread, apples and nuts.  A figure of the Baby Jesus was placed at that top of the tree.  This eventually changed to an angel or a star to represent the Star of Bethlehem that the Wise Men followed.

The first Christmas trees appeared in Britain in the 1830s.  They were popularized by Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria.  In 1841, Albert had a Christmas tree set up in Windsor Castle  In 1848, the Illustrated London News published a drawing of "The Queen's Christmas at Windsor Castle."  The drawing later appeared in an American publication, which helped spread the custom of having Christmas trees to the United States and beyond.

Victoria and Albert Christmas tree drawing

Christmas trees in Victorian England were festooned with little gifts and toys.  They were also decorated with candles to represent stars.  These, of course, were replaced with electrical lights, although candles are still used in some parts of Europe.

German settlers brought Christmas trees to North America as early as the 17th century. The tradition of Christmas trees was introduced to Canada by Brunswick soldiers in the Pre-Confederation winter of 1781.  They were stationed in the Province of Quebec to defend the colony from an American attack.  General Fredrich Adolf Riedesel, a German, was the commander of these mercenary soldiers who had fought alongside the British in the Revolutionary War.  He and his wife, Baroness Frederika von Riedesel (also known as Lady Fritz), hosted a Christmas Eve party at Sorel in which they served traditional plum pudding for the English and entertained their German guests with a small candle-lit fir tree adorned with various fruits and candies.  Below is a drawing of the Von Riedesel family at Fort Sorel.

By the 19th century, Christmas trees were very much in vogue.  The had become popular in in Austria, Switzerland. Poland, and the Netherlands.  Christian missionaries from the West introduced Christmas trees to Japan and China in the 19th and 20th centuries.  They had ornaments of detailed paper design.

Did you know that the sparkling tinsel wrapped around Christmas trees also originated in Germany. Tinsel was first made in Nuremberg in the early 17th century.  The tinsel, made from strands of silver, was first used for decorating sculptures.

FAMOUS CHRISTMAS TREES

Below is a photo of the Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square.  It is a gift from the people of Norway to the people of Britain, and has been  token of  the friendship between the two countries since 1947.  The tree is taken from the forests surrounding the city of Oslo and every year there is an official ceremony to light it up.

Trafalgar Square, London, England

Below is a photo of the U.S. national Christmas tree at the White House in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. national Christmas tree in Washington, D.C.

The most famous Christmas tree of all may be Charlie Brown's tree from the 1965 animated Peanuts special A Charlie Brown Christmas.  There's something sweet about it, isn't there?

- Joanne

Banks are making huge profits and cutting jobs.

Scotiabank is richer than you think.  The Bank of Nova Scotia, as it is formally known, made a record net profit of $6.7 billion in the fiscal year that ended October 31, 2013.  Yet, earlier this month, it cut 1,500 jobs worldwide, about 1,000 of them in Canada?

The bank also plans to close or downsize about 120 branches in its international banking division. Scotiabank is  restructuring, you understand.  Well, let's call a spade a spade.  The truth is that words such as "restructuring" and "reorganizing" are convenient euphemisms for layoffs and firings.

Bank of Nova Scotia logo

You can bet your bottom dollar that none of Scotiabank's highest paid executives will see a decrease in their salary or lose their jobs.

The Bank of Nova Scotia is by no means the only Canadian bank taking such actions.  At the end of 2013, the Bank of Montreal (BMO), quietly cut about 1,000 jobs.  BMO, founded in 1817, is Canada's oldest bank.  In July, 2013, it had 46,628 full-time employees.  By the end of the quarter ending in October, 2013, that number was speedily reduced to 45,631 (a decline of 997 full-time jobs or two per cent of the total work force).

A spokesperson for the Bank of Montreal issued the following statement to CBC News.

That number reflects reductions due to a combination [of] productivity initiatives, attrition and a decline in part-time work hours due to seasonal fluctuations," 

BMO's chief operating officer, Frank Techar, defended the move during a conference call to discuss the bank's fourth quarter results.  He argued that the cuts were necessary to decrease expenses and to make banking operations more efficient.   Techar stated that the total reductions were "full-time equivalent" positions (jobs that are calculated on an average work week and which can include part-time positions).  "We did see a big reduction in head count," Techar admitted to analysts.  He actually conceded that the Bank of Montreal laid off too many employees at one time.  Here are his exact words as quoted by the CBC:

For the quarter we overshot a little bit.  We do have some outstanding vacancies that I would expect will fill as we go into the first quarter.

Those were comforting words for the employees who lost their jobs, weren't they?  By the way, in BMO's 2013 earnings report, the bank announced its full-year profit hit a record of $4.2 billion. In addition, the bank increased its dividend by two cents per quarter.

The Royal Bank of Canada, the country's largest bank, has also recently gotten into the act.  On Friday, November 21, 2014 (just before the weekend - How convenient!), RBC announced its plans to close down its international client-wealth management business in the Caribbean, along with some international advisory businesses in Canada and the United States.  The Financial Post reported that the cuts could involve about 300 employees, including many brokers and private bankers located in Toronto and Montreal.

Ed Clark, who recently stepped down as head of TD Canada Trust,was asked if bank CEOs are paid too much.  His answers was an unequivocal "yes."  In an interview on CBC's The Exchange with Amanda Lang,  He candidly admitted that he was paid to much and that he makes up for it by giving back.  His personal solution is to "give money to people who need it more than you do."

Clark, who does seem to have a social conscience, contributes greatly to Egale, a crisis counselling centre for the homeless in downtown Toronto.. That's all very noble and to his credit, but how does it help bank employees who have lost their jobs?  How does it bridge the growing gap between the haves and have-nots in our society?  Donating to charities is fine, but it will not solve the problem of poverty.  Improved social services are needed.

Clark told Amanda Lang that he hasn't found a way to deal with the disparity between average incomes and executive salaries at TD Canada Trust.  "If you said if I could remake the world would I have a narrower income distribution, I would,” he declared."  And as you know, I’d love to try to figure out how to do that singlehandedly, but you can't, because if I do it for myself do I do it for the next level? At what point are you no longer paying market rates?”

I don't buy his explanation.  Where there's a will, there's a way.  I believe banks could find a solution to the problem if thy really wanted to.  It seems that they don't really want to.  Could the reason be greed?


- Joanne

Reflections on November: Trying to find beauty in a gloomy month

October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.

- J.K. Rowling
From Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

We are about halfway through November, which I will freely admit, is not favourite month.  Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the eleventh month is often dark and dank and dreary.  It is the death month.  It is the melancholy month.  Some people describe it as hauntingly beautiful; and yes, it is that at times. November is part of the natural order, a rite of passage.  There has to be a November so that there can be spring and rebirth.  Still, I can't deny that I find the lack of sunlight difficult and that the bleak, damp weather can be depressing.

Even the holidays in November tend to reflect the solemnity of the month.  November 1st is All Saints Day and November 2nd is All Souls Day.  Then we have November 11th, the mournful day in which we reflect on those who have died in wars.  Here in Canada, it's called Remembrance Day.  The Americans call it Veteran's Day.  South of the border, of course, Thanksgiving comes on a Thursday in late November to usher in the Christmas season, and it is a more festive holiday. However, Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October, which is fine with me.  Our Thanksgiving coincides with the harvest and the magnificent colours of the autumn leaves.  By the end of November, the promise of the Winter Solstice and the lights of Christmas and  are just around the corner anyway.

November, therefore, is inextricably linked to spring.  Edward Way Teale (1899-1980), an American naturalist, photographer and Pulitzer-prize winning author, wrote:

How sad would be November if we had no knowledge of the spring!

LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY AND NOVEMBER

L.M. Montgomery

Canadian author, L.M. Montgomery (1874-1942) must have experienced some harsh Novembers in her beloved Prince Edward Island.  The woman who wrote Anne of Green Gables expressed some thoughts about the month of November in her works.  It seems she found something cathartic about it.

But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods…for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them.

- Lucy Maud Montgomery
From Anne of Windy Poplars


It was November - the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines.  Anne roamed through the pineland alleys in the park, as she said, let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul.

- Lucy Maud Montgomery
From Anne of Green Gables

EMILY DICKINSON AND NOVEMBER

Emily Dickinson

In an 1864 letter to her friend, Elizabeth Holland, the great American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) wrote:

It is also November. The noons are more laconic and the sunsets sterner, and Gibraltar lights make the village foreign. November always seemed to me the Norway of the year. ------ is still with the sister who put her child in an ice nest last Monday forenoon. The redoubtable God! I notice where Death has been introduced, he frequently calls, making it desirable to forestall his advances.

Why did Emily Dickinson describe November as the "Norway of the year?"  What did she know of Norway, this reclusive woman who was born, lived most of her life, and died at her family's homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts?  What did she know of life outside of New England? Dickinson's words are intriguing, though, and tantalizingly ambiguous.  Did she have some romantic notion of Norway and its Nordic climate?  Was she expressing the beauty of life after death?

One thing is certain. A frequent theme of Dickinson's poetry is death and immortality.  There is little doubt that she linked November with death. and the afterlife.




ROBERT FROST AND NOVEMBER

The American poet. Robert Lee Frost (1974-1963) first published "My November Guest" in the November 1912 issue of The Forum.  It then appeared in A Boy's Will, a volume of Frost's work, published in 1913.

Frost

My November Guest

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,
   Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
   She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.
   She talks and I am fain to list:
She's glad the birds are gone away,
She's glad her simple worsted gray
   Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,
   The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
   And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know
   The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
   And they are better for her praise.              

In the poem,"Sorrow" is the personification of a female guest who sees great beauty in November days.  In a way, I'm trying to imitate the "guest," by trying to find the best in a gloomy month.

- Joanne