How I missed Paul Henderson's goal in 1972

Paul Henderson's goal at the 1972 Canada-Soviet hockey summit is arguably the most iconic moment in Canadian sports history,  Fifty years have gone by since that momentous event.  A half century has passed since that goal electrified a nation - and I missed it.  Let me tell you how and why.

I am a baby boomer.  I was attending my high school classes on September 28, 1972, when Henderson scored his famous goal in the deciding game of the eight-game summit series.  I remember the atmosphere surrounding that series.  Younger Canadians will never truly understand the significance of that victory.  You had to be there.  It was a different era and the Soviets were an unknown entity.  They were a novelty to Canadian hockey fans.  At the time, there were no Soviet players in the NHL and the Cold War was raging.  The mysterious Soviets emerged from behind the Iron Curtain to challenge Canadian hockey supremacy. No one was certain how good they really were. 

For much of the first four games in Canada, the Soviets outplayed Team Canada.  We soon learned how good the Soviets were and any smugness we had soon changed into concern that Canada would lose the series to the upstart Soviets.  What a blow to Canadian pride!  Everything hinged on the final four games in Moscow.

Right in front of me, in the office where I sit typing this post, hangs a painted portrait of the well-known photograph of Henderson and Yvan Cournoyer in celebration.  It was Toronto Star photographer Frank Lennon who captured that joyful moment (Lennon passed away in August of 2006)  The photo shows Henderson lifting his hands in triumph as Cournoyer wraps his arms around him.

I recall sitting in a classroom watching the final game of the series on a little black and white television, which sat on a high stand with wheels.  Team Canada was losing 5-3 entering the third period and the prospects didn't look good.  I was watching the game anxiously when the bell rang. We were told we had to leave the classroom because school was over for the day.  Disappointed, I hurried home to catch the remainder of the game.  

Although I rushed to the bus stop and hopped on the first bus I could get, I did not get home in time.  When  I arrived, the game was already over and I was told what had happened.  I heard the cheers and joined in the celebrations.  Since then, I have seen Henderson's goal replayed countless times and I always enjoy it.  However, it does not compensate for having missed it live.  Alas, I can't change what happened, but at I can still revel in the triumph of Henderson's goal. 

Paul Henderson is 79 years old now.  He turn 80 years old on January 28th.  In 2009, he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  As a result, he was unable to attend the 40th anniversary of the Summit Series in Moscow.  However, he responded well to experimental treatment as part of a clinical trial he underwent in the United States.

Here we are in 2022.  The Russians have invaded Ukraine and they have been banned from international hockey tournaments.  The more things change . . .

- Joanne 

The dangerous Pierre Poilievre

Pierre Poilievre is the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, the official opposition in the House of Commons.  He is the darling of the hard right in Canada and he will undoubtedly swing the country sharply in that direction if his party forms a government.  I sincerely hope that he never becomes prime minister, especially with a majority government.  Conservative media outlets, such as the National Post, think he is fantastic, although his policies would be disastrous for Canada.

The Conservative party has been drifting further and further to the right.  It has dropped the word "Progressive" from its name and it is no longer resembles the party of Robert Stanfield, Joe Clark, David Crombie or even Brian Mulroney.  With Pierre Poilievre as leader, the pace of the party's shift to right will only quicken.  It is well on its way to becoming the Republican Party of the North.

The landslide victory of Pierre Poilievre over Jean Charest has energized and united most of the Conservative Party, at least for now.  Poilievre is in a honeymoon period right now.  Who knows how long that will last.  Who knows what mistakes and blunders he will make in the future.  Still, he could very well come to power in the next federal election.  I fear for Canada if its leadership is in his hands.  I do not want my country to go in the direction of the United States under Donald Trump.

Poilievre is a populist, the kind of politician whose rhetoric resonates with people who feel frustrated and disenfranchised.  Some populists are dangerous because they appeal to the strongest of emotions.  They play on the anger and fears of their supporters.  That's what Trump did south of the border.  The key for that kind of populist is to rile the people up.  It's to fuel feelings of alienation and resentment, especially via social media.

Here is why Pierre Poilievre is so dangerous: Poilievre argues that government is too big and must be slimmed down.  He will slash and cut government spending if he becomes PM.  What will this mean for Canadians?  It will mean more misery for people with lower incomes and fewer public services.  It will mean an even greater gap between haves and have-nots.  The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.  

Canadians are still suffering from the effects of terrible pandemic.  Medium and lower income families have, of course, struggled the most.  For over two years, their lives have been turned inside-out and upside-down by COVID-19.  Many have lost their small businesses and inflation is eating away at their income.  Still, they won't see the forest for the trees.  They will blame "out of touch elites" for the rise in the cost of living, not the impact of the pandemic with its supply-chain issues, high consumer demand and worker shortages.  They won't ask why banks and large companies seem to be doing just fine.  They won't ask why they haven't seen an increase in salary, even though prices have increased.  

Nobody enjoys paying taxes and governments should not indulge in irresponsible spending.  However, taxes provide the services and quality of life we enjoy. I don't think anyone returns government cheques because they believe government is too big.  How many Canadians would voluntarily give up their health cards and old age pensions?  Did anyone return their carbon tax refund from the federal government?  

This is a time when action on climate change is of great importance.  Yet, even as temperature's rise, wildfire's rage and rivers overflow, Poilievre has promised to cancel Ottawa's carbon price on consumer goods and build more pipelines.  So, how would he deal with greenhouse-gas emissions?  He hasn't said.  It doesn't seem like a priority with him.

In a September 11th article in the Toronto Star, Stephanie Levitz wrote that "Poilievre's attacks on the Bank of Canada, his tilt toward conspiracy theories around the World Economic Forum and his support of the anti-vaccine-mandate movement unsettled some centrist Conservatives."  I hope they remain unsettled.

- Joanne

A Toronto Maple Leafs joke to begin September

Okay, Number 16 readers.  Let's begin the month of September with some humour.  I am a frustrated Toronto Maple Leafs fan.  My cousin, who resides in Ottawa, is a fan of the Senators.  He sent me the following joke.  I would like to share it with you. because Leaf fans should be able to laugh at themselves and their team.

- Joanne

Two Canadians die and end up in Hell. Satan decides to pay them a visit, so he walks into their room and sees them talking and laughing. Confused, he asks them why they're happy.

They tell him, "Well, we're so sick of the cold where we're from, and this place is nice and toasty."

Satan, annoyed, storms away and goes to Hell's boiler room, where he turns up the temperature.

He goes back to the Canadians' room, along the way being begged by all sorts of people to put the heating back down. He enters the room to see the Canadians having a barbecue. Furiously, he asks them what they're doing.

"Well, we can't pass up this wonderful weather without getting out the barbecue!"

Satan realizes he's been doing the wrong thing. He goes to the boiler room and turns it down until it's at a colder temperature than ever seen on earth.

He knows he's won now, so he goes back to the Canadians' room, only to see them jumping up and down in excitement. He shouts at them in fury, "WHY ARE YOU STILL HAPPY?!?!?!"

They look at him and shout at the same time, "Hell froze over! That means the Leafs won!"

Stars on Canadian Walk of Fame are in a sad state

I dined at a restaurant on King Street W. in Toronto this past Monday and I walked by Roy Tomson Hall.  When I viewed the stars on the Canadian Walk of Fame, I couldn't help but notice that they have fall into disrepair.  Some have been defaced.  Some are so faded that they are illegible.  I also noticed a couple of blocks that have sunk.  It's really quite disappointing to see what has happened to such special recognition of our country's talent.  Isn't there a way that the Canadian Walk of Fame can be better maintained?

Here are some picture I have taken because I would like to bring some attention to this matter, although it is an obvious eyesore.  Maybe nothing has been done because of the repair costs and the pandemic.  Still, it doesn't make our city look good.  The stars in worse condition are the ones closest to Roy Tomson Hall.

Here are the photos.

- Joanne

Things you should consider when naming a child

" A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

- Dale Carnegie, How to Make Friends and Influence People

It's true that Shakespeare's Juliet told Romeo that a ' rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  However, I have to agree with Dale Carnegie.  Names do matter.  In fact, they matter a great deal in someone's life.  That's why I have always been fascinated by names and stories about how and why someone was given certain name.

One thing I would recommend is that parents don't commonly call their children by a second name or a third name.  After 9/11, it is preferable to refer to a child by the first name on their birth certificate.  Here is a case in point.  John Lennon's son, Julian, by his first wife, Cynthia, legally changed his name.  You can understand why when I tell you that Julian's birth certificate read John Charles Julian Lennon. 

Julian Lennon

In the podcast Word in Your Ear, Julian, a 59-year-old singer/songwriter, explained why he changed his moniker to Julian Charles John Lennon.  He revealed that the pandemic played a major role in his decision.  Here's what he said: "It was in 2020, just before we all got locked in a cage, that I finally actually decided to legally change my name by default.  Because originally my name was John Charles Julian Lennon, and the crap that I had to deal with when travelling and security companies and this and that and the other.  Whenever you had to present yourself, especially on like boarding passes, just as an example, you know they only use your first name, so it would always be, "John Lennon, John Lennon.'  So I became quite fearful and anxious about those scenarios.  So it became really uncomfortable over the years because I've always been known as Julian and so it (being called John) never felt like it was me.  So I finally just decided 'Yeah, I wanna be me now.  This is it, it's time for a change.'"

I understand how Julian felt because the name on my birth certificate is also different from the one I am called every day. My parents could not have foreseen 9/11, nor could Julian's,  At least, he was never known as John Lennon Jr.

I am also not an advocate of naming a child "junior," especially if the child has a famous father.  I believe a child needs his or her own identity.

Here are some other tips I have compiled for naming children:

* Make sure that the child's first name goes well with the last name, especially if you have a last name such as "Foote" or "Pigg" or a first name like "Harry."  

* Avoid choosing a first name that ends with the same letter that begins the last name - for example "Paul Lyon."  When the full name is pronounced quickly, the first and last names blend together as "Paulyon."

* If the last name is long, it is probably better to choose a short first name and vice versa.   

* Don't chose a name if you really dislike the shortened version of the name. For example, don't call your daughter "Samantha" if you absolutely don't want her to be called "Sam."  People naturally tend to shorten names, particularly three or four syllable ones.  Some names, such as Helen, are never shortened, for obvious reasons.

* Don't saddle a child with a name that is obviously trendy or badly outdated.  This will always date the child.  

* Unless you want your child to constantly correct the spelling of his or her name, don't choose a really unusual spelling of a name.

- Joanne

Did Charlie Montoyo derserve to be fired?

On July 13, 2022, Charlie Montoyo was fired as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, barely three months after he had been given a one-year extension of his contract.

I am of mixed feelings about Charlie's dismissal.   Charlie was "relieved of his duties as manager" after a terrible stretch in which the team lost eight of their last ten games.  The Jays were certainly struggling when the affable Puerto Rican was given the boot.  Nevertheless, they were four games above .500 with a 46-42 record.  They were also in possession of a Wild Card spot.    

Charlie is a very likable man, but baseball is a business and sentiment is not enough to save a manager's job.  However, the Blue Jays finished the 2021 season with a very good record and they were just shy of a Wild Card spot.  Unfortunately, their 91 victories were not enough to win  them a post-season berth in the highly competitive American League East.  Considering that the team played many home games in Florida and Buffalo, due to COVID, it is wonder that they did so well.  In Buffalo, the Jays were outnumbered by Yankee fans.  They felt like the visiting team even though they were technically the home team.

So, Charlie deserves a great deal of credit for managing the Jays through 91 wins last season in circumstances that were less than ideal.  He should be commended for that.  Furthermore, the struggles of this year's pitching staff should not be laid solely at Charlie's feet  Pitching coach Pete Walker bears sone responsibility, as does GM Ross Atkins..  Having said that, I have always felt that Charlie tends to take his starting pictures out too early.  There were times, especially, when he could have left Alec Manoah in longer.  There has been too much strain on the bullpen.  The starting pitchers have to eat up more innings.

I was also not keen on Charlie's penchant for giving days off to young, healthy athletes.  They're earning big money, so they should play.  Blue Jay fans pay their hard-earned money to go to the ballpark and cheer on their heroes.

Fans will never know the whole story behind the firing of Charlie Montoyo.  We don't know what went on in the locker room among the players.  We will always wonder about timing of Charlie's dismissal.  Why did the powers-that-be choose to fire him in the middle of the season, before they made a trade for more pitching.  It really wasn't fair to make Charlie the fall guy.  Russ Atkins admitted that he should be held accountable, but, off course, he was not willing to put his own job on the line.

The All-Star break is upon us and the Jays have won three of their last four of their last five games under interim manager John Schneider.  The team went into the break on a high note.  I hope they right the ship, but they really need to make a trade.  They won't get anywhere in the post-season unless they shore up the pitching rotation and the bullpen.  It's up to you, Ross Atkins.  We will soon know what kind of a GM you are.  

- Joanne

Canada Day 2022: My tribute to the True North

My grandmother, an immigrant to Canada from Sicily, Italy, used to wave her Canadian citizenship paper and proclaim "This is God's country." I  have never forgotten those words or my grandparents' devotion to their adopted land.  It must have been quite an adjustment for them to move to a place of olive trees and warm weather to a place of maple trees and winter snow.

I have had the privilege of visiting all of Canada's ten provinces (I haven't been to the territories yet).  From the cliffs of Newfoundland and the fishing villages of the Maritimes, to the Rocky Mountains, I am always astounded by the vastness and beauty of the Canadian landscape.  Whenever I recall the opening lines from Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railroad Trilogy, I shiver.

"There was a time in in this fair land when the railroad did not run

And the wild, majestic mountains stood alone against the sun

Long before the white man and long before the wheel

When the green dark forest was tooo silent to be real"

In an increasingly unstable world, I feel so fortunate to live in this in this beautiful country.  With all the war and strife in this world, I realize how lucky I am.  No, I do not look at Canada with rose-coloured glasses.  Of course, Canada is not perfect and it is not above criticism.  However, on this day I would like to pay tribute to the True North.  Our democracy is not flawless, but so much of the world is living under dictatorship.  So much of the world is being denied basic human rights.

It's a wonder that Canada even became a country in 1867.  Thee was so much land and a railroad had to be built.  A largely French-speaking, Roman Catholic province that joined with predominately Anglo-Saxon, Protestant population. Confederation happened, though.  It was achieved without war or revolution.  If it hadn't happened, the rest of British North America would likely have been absorbed into the United States. We would not have health cards and there would not be too official languages.  English would be the language spoken in Quebec.

In many ways, the last few years have been brutal for humanity.  We've faced a horrific pandemic, climate change, the rise of authoritarianism, right-wing extremism and war in Ukraine,  In this volatile world, I am proud to be a Canadian and I am grateful to have a Canadian passport.

 - Joanne       

Cree proverb and nature photos

ONLY WHEN THE LAST TREE HAS BEEN CUT DOWN, THE LAST FISH BEEN CAUGHT, AND THE LAST STREAM POISENED, WILL WE REALIZE WE CANNOT EAT MONEY.

- CREE PROVERB

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States gutted the Environmental Protection Agency, thus endangering our planet.  How sad that a few conservative judges have done this to America and to the earth.

This is what we stand to lose if we do not protect our environment - mountains, rivers and rainforests.

- Joanne

Photos of Toronto Islands and Lake Ontario

 Here are some photos taken around the Toronto Islands and Lake Ontario on a beautiful June day last week.  I hope you enjoy them.  Above is a photo of the Centre Island pier, by Lake Ontario, looking east.

- Joanne

Centre Island ferry docks.

Centre Island, looking west, beach

Fountain, Centre Island

Read this before your vote in tomorrow's Ontario election

The province of Ontario has a population of more than 15 million people, more than many countries.  Ontarians go to the polls tomorrow to decide who governs this province, perhaps for the next four years.  The stakes are high and the election is of utmost importance.

According to the polls, Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives have a strong lead and are poised to win a second majority government.  On one major issue alone, the Ford government does not deserve to be re-elected.  That issue is the controversial Highway 413, also known as the GTA West Corridor.  The new highway would connect Milton and Vaughn.  It would be 59 kilometres long and destroy over 566 hectares (1.400 acres) of Greenbelt, according to Environmental Defence, a climate change group.  Environmental Defence says that that Highway 413, if built, would add 17 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, causing $1.4 billion  in damages from pollution.

Highway 413 would damage archaeological sites and leave a negative impact Indigenous ceremonial and burial sites, destroying their sacred cultural heritage of the Credit First Nation's territory in Mississauga.  It would also be disastrous for the Holland Marsh, resulting in higher prices for U.S. produce.   

The Ford government brags about how it has eliminated licence plate renewal fees and stickers.  At a time of high inflation, many people like the idea of saving some money.  However, they don't see the forest for the trees.  That money will have to be replaced.  It will have to come from somewhere.  Once re-elected, the PC government will make cuts to health and education.  Everyone will pay the price for that, especially lower income Ontarians, many of whom believe the licence plate renewal scam actually benefits them.  

If, as expected, Ford's Tories win a majority government, the consequences will be dire.  The Tories will unleash a series of massive cuts.  There will be nothing holding them back.  We will all suffer in the long run when lower income people are less healthy and less educated,

Unfortunately, Ford's bluster seems to be working.  Please don't fall for it.  Think about the future.  .  Think about the environment and climate change.  We're experiencing more floods and unstable weather every year.  Don't forget about the importance of education and healthcare.  Our children have suffered a great deal during the pandemic and many will need more help then others.  

If the Tories wins a majority, people will be ready to throw them out in four years.  They will be sick and tired of them by 2026.  Unfortunately, a lot of damage can be done to Canada's largest province in four years.

- Joanne

The Second Amendment

 

A racially-motivated mass shooting at a store in Buffalo.  Another mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas.  This is not what the Second Amendment intended.  This is not the so-called American dream.  The GOP and the NRA have blood on their hands.  They are responsible for the slaughter of innocents.  This can't continue.  America needs sensible gun control laws now!  

Americans are not free if they are not safe.

- Joanne

Good News About the Environment from Australia

 

In the past three weeks, tens of thousands of Australians have had to evacuate their homes after devastating floods struck the eastern part of the country.

Some regions experienced their worst flooding in decades, as torrential rain submerged residential areas, cut power lines and caused reservoirs to swell past the bursting point, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in damage.

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet called the floods a “once-in-a-thousand-year event.”

But experts say climate change is fuelling an increase in extreme weather across Australia, threatening to make bushfires, floods and droughts more common.

               - United Nations Environment Programme website, "Australia: After the bushfires came the floods," March 17, 2022

After more than two years of COVID, along with the inhumanity of  Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, I relish any good news that I can find.  Today I found some from Down Under,  After nine years of conservative government, the people of Australia have opted for a different approach in the battle against climate change.  Australians want action on climate change and they have made a move in the right direction.  They have experienced enough of blistering heat, bushfires and floods, The temperatures in January, when the Australian Open tennis tournament is held, are almost unbearable.

For too long, Australia has lagged behind on climate change.  For too long, it has been dependent on fossil fuels.  The results have been devastating.  In addition to fires, floods and drought, environmentalists are also concerned about the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  The Great Barrier Reef suffered its sixth mass bleaching in March, due to heat stress caused by climate change.  Biologist Neal Cantin of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) reported the following: "More than half of the living coral cover that we can see from the air is severely bleached completely white and can have signs of fluorescence in the colours of pink, yellow and blue."

On May 21, 2022, Australian voters delivered a clear message to their leaders.  The environment matters to them and they want stronger action on climate change. That's why the country's Liberal-National coalition government was defeated.  That's why the Green Party, under the leadership of Adam Bandt, recorded its best ever election result.  There was a swing toward candidates who called for emissions cuts far above those promised by the government in power.  

Amanda McKenzie, CEO of the research group the Climate Council, stated that "climate action was the winner of the vote  "Millions of Australians have put climate first.   Now it's time for a radical reset on how this great nations of ours acts upon the climate challenge," she remarked.

The prime minister-designate of Australia is Anthony Albanese, 59, leader of the Australian Labor Party.  Albanese is a a prominent advocate of renewable energy and has said that "Australia's ling-term future lies in renewable energy sources."  

Many conservatives of the far right don't think climate change is a serious problem.  However, conservatives should be in the forefront of the battle against climate change.  To "conserve" means to "preserve."  Therefore, by the very nature of their beliefs, conservatives should want to "preserve" the earth's environment.  Unfortunately, that's not how many who call themselves "conservatives" see things, especially Republicans in the United States.

- Joanne

Time for Marner and Matthews to really prove themselves

Mitch Marner

 

Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs are about to begin another playoff run.  This year, they play the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.  All eyes will be on Auston Matthews and his linemate Mitch Marner.       

Marner and Matthews are no longer rookies without playoff experience.  They are in their prime years as hockey players.  Mitch Marner will turn 25 years old on May 5th of this year.  Matthews is also 24 years old.  He will turn 25 on September 17th.  Both have played for the Leafs since the 2016-2017 season.  They are forever linked, like baseball's M and M boys, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.  

Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews played remarkably well during the 2021-22 NHL regular season.  Marner garnered 35 goals and 62 assists, for a total of 97 points.  Meanwhile, Matthews recorded 60 goals and 46 assists, for a total of 106 points.  M and M produced a combined total of 95 goals, 108 assists and 203 points.   

Matthews was deservedly praised for his 60-goal season and for surpassing former Leaf captain Rick Vaive's record for the highest number of goals by a Maple Leaf in a single season (Vaive amassed 54 goals in 1981-82).  Despite this accomplishment, Matthews has yet to really dominate during a playoff series.  He has recorded 13 goals, 11 assists and has a plus-minus of -3 in the 32 playoff games in his career.   A good regular season does not make up for continually losing in the first series of post-season play, as the Leafs have done in recent years.

Mitch Marner has only five goals, 20 assists and a plus-minus of -1 in 32 career playoff games.  In last season's disastrous playoff round against the Montreal Canadiens Marner and Matthews combined for a grand total of one goal.  The series began terribly for the Leafs when their captain, John Tavares, was injured.  M and M and the rest of the team did not go to the limit to make up for the loss of Tavares.  Instead, they were defeated by an arguably inferior team.

The time has come for Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews to really prove themselves.  The Leafs' dynamic duo has been less than dynamic in playoff competition.  Although their performances in regular season play have been praiseworthy and very commendable, the same can't be said for the  playoffs.  Leaf fans are well aware that M and M are getting paid big bucks to win  in both the regular season and in the playoffs.  They are also aware that great players come through when everything is on the line.  Therefore, much is expected of Marner and Matthews.  Will this be the year that M and M finally break out in post-season play or will their team once again be eliminated in the first round?  An anxious Leaf Nation awaits.  

- Joanne

Language Corner: Do we misuse the word "literally?"

I hear the word "literally" used by many people around me, and even my fellow English majors use "literally" loosely.

You are not being literal if you are being figurative. In order to place a literal modification on a word, it first has to be a figure of speech before you can put "literally" before or after it.

- Robert "Cathaoirtaisce" Scott III, Millennials of New Jersey

From "'Literally" Is Literally Used Wrong, Literally'"

Robert Scott is a  writer on language and linguistics.  He points out that "literally" is properly used before a figure of speech such as "up the creek without a paddle."  If you say "I am literally up the creek without a paddle, he contends, you should mean that you are actually trying to navigate a boat without a paddle.  In the same vein, it is incorrect to say that you "literally ate like a bird" unless you truly ate bird seed.  According to Scott, "literally should mean "a non-exaggerated use of a commonly exaggerated phrase."

To language purists, "literacy" is not a synonym for "really."  It is not a filler.  It loses its true meaning if it is used in the sense of He was literally late for work every day this week..  However, there are those who disagree and don't mind when the word is used more loosely. 

Although Merriam-Webster's first definition of "literally" is "in a literal sense of matter, actually," it has added "virtual, in effect" as the second definition of the word, despite the seeming contradiction. MacMillan Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary and  Google have all followed suit.  It is argued that the "virtual, in effect" meaning of "literally" is not new and that it has been in use since the 18th century. It can be found in the writings  of Mark Twain, James Joyce and others.

To  purists, however. "literally" is not a filler.  The word is deprived of its true meaning if it is used in the sense of He was literally late for work every day this week.  I realize that I am swimming against the tide (not literally, of course), but I tend to side with the purists.  I am well aware that language is not static, that it it changes constantly.  However, I take no pleasure in seeing a word lose its meaning just because it is used incorrectly by a celebrity or on a television sitcom.  When too many boundaries are broken, language declines.  It is debased.

- Joanne

Reflections at Easter 2022

 

Christ is risen. Hallelujah! May the miracle of Easter bring you renewed hope, faith, love, and joy.

The year 2022, marks a rare confluence of the Christian celebration of Easter, the Jewish Passover festival and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.  During this time, followers of these three great Abrahamic faiths will be worshiping the same God in their own special way.

For Christians, Easter falls on April 17th, 2022.  For Jews, Passover begins at sunset on Friday, April 15th (Good Friday for Christians).  It ends on Saturday, April 23rd at sunset.  For Muslims, Ramadan,  the nineth month of the Islamic year, is a holy month of prayer, fasting and refection, This year,  Ramadan falls at the beginning of April and ends at the beginning of May.  It culminates in the celebration of Eid-al-Foitr, "the festival of the breaking of the fast."

The Holy City, Jerusalem is sacred to all three of these great monotheistic faiths.  Sadly, the Middle East has long been a  source of conflict over land and holy sites.  For far too often, Christians, Jews and Muslims have been locked in bitter disputes, spurred by extremists and fanatics on n all sides.  Those who consider themselves "true believers" and regard others of a different faith as "infidels" or "apostates" pose the most serious threat to peace.

We are going through a most difficult epoch in world history, the most difficult time since World War II.  Humanity faces enormous challenges.  We have suffered through more than two years of a nightmarish pandemic. Russia has invaded Ukraine and has violated human rights and cruelly killed innocent civilians.  War crimes have been committed.  Far right authoritarianism seems to be rising around the globe.

This year, as Christians, Jews and Muslims hold their holy festivals at the same time, the faithful should emphasize their commonality, not their differences.  There is so much hatred and suffering in this world.  It does not behoove the followers of Christ, Moses and Muhammad to add to this.  It is against every major tenet of these three great faiths to contribute to all this anguish and adversity.

Christians, Jews and Muslims are all children of Abraham and they all worship one God.  This should never be forgotten.  Christians, for their part, should always remember that Jesus was Jewish,  This Easter, I wish blessings upon my Jewish and Muslim friends in faith and to all believers and non-believers alike..

UPDATE ON NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, PARIS

On April 5, 2019, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burned in a devastating fire, just before Easter, which was celebrated on April 21st that year.  It's been more than three years since that fire,  I'm pleased to report that the cathedral has been saved and there has been a great deal of progress in restoring this great historical edifice.  The good news is that plans are underway to reopen the cathedral in the summer of 2024, just before the Olympics are held in Paris.

- Joanne

Number 16's 2022 Oscars Quiz

The 94th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022.  The live show will start at 8 p.m. on ABC and will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.  It will also be live-streamed on the ABC app.  This year's Oscars will be hosted by three women: Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall.  As you prepare for the big night, why not challenge yourself and try Number 16's 11th annual Oscars quiz. There are 10 questions. Good luck!

NUMBER 16 OSCARS QUIZ

1.  Penelope Cruz and her husband, Javier Bardem, have both been nominated for Academy Awards this year.  Cruz is nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Parallel Mothers, while Bardem is nominated for his role as Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos.  Other married couples have been nominated in the same year, but which couple was the first one to have that distinction.

Cruz and Bardem

A.  Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

B.  Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

C.  Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne

D.  Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier

E.   Rachel Roberts and Rex Harrison

2.  Who was the first person named "Oscar" to win an Oscar?

A.  Oscar Isaac

B.  Oscar Hammerstein II

C.  Oscar Nunez

D.  Oscar Peterson

E.  Oscar de la Renta 

3.  Who won back-to back Best Actor Oscars for Captain Courageous (1937) and Boys Town (1938)

A.  Spencer Tracy

B.  Bing Crosby

C.  Fred Astaire

D.  Clark Gable

E.   Frederic March

4.  What was the first colour film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture?

A.  The Wizard of Oz

B.  Stagecoach

C.  It Happened One Night

D.  Gone with the Wind

E.  A Star is Born

5.  Who was the first actor to present himself/herself with an Oscar?

A.  Katharine Hepburn

B.  Norma Shearer

C.  Cary Grant

D.  Bette Davis

E.  William Holden

6,  Which foreign language film received the largest total of Oscar nominations and wins?

A.  Roma  

B.  Life is Beautiful 

C.  Fanny and Alexander 

D. Parasite 

E.  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 

7.  What is the only film to win Best Picture winner and receive only one one nomination?

A.  Argo (2012)

B.  Cavalcade (1932/1933)

C.  Grand Hotel (1931/1932)

D.  Green Book (2018)

E.  The Broadway Melody (1928/1929)

8.  How many times was Mickey Rooney nominated for an Academy Award?

Mickey Rooney

A.  4 tunes

B.  2 times

C.  3 times

D.  Once

E.  Never

9.  Who has received the most Academy Award nominations?

A.  Katharine  Hepburn

B.  Meryl Streep

C.  Tom Hanks

D.  Walt Disney

E.   Martin Scorsese

10.  Who was the tallest actor to ever win an Academy Award?

A.  John Wayne

B.  Tim Robbins  

C.  Ben Affleck

D.  Sacha Baron Cohen

E,  Donald Sutherland

ANSWERS

1.  C   Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne

Lunt and Fontanne

Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne made Academy Award history when they were both nominated for Oscars in 1932.  They appeared together in The Guardsman.

In 1969, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were nominated for Best Actor for their work in the film Rachel, Rachel.  Woodward was nominated for Best Actress, while Newman was nominated as a producer for Best Picture.  Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were nominated in 1967 for their starring roles in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?.  Taylor won the Oscar for Best Actress but Burton did not win for Best Actor.  In 1940, Vivien Leigh won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.  Olivier was nominated for his performance as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.  The pair divorced in 1960.  Rachel Roberts and Rex Harrison were both nominated for Academy Awards in 1964,  Roberts was nominated for This Sporting Life and Harrison was nominated for Cleopatra.

2.  B   Oscar Hammerstein II 

Hammerstein

In 1942, Oscar Hammerstein shared a Best Music, Original Song Oscar with Jerome Kern for the song, "The Last Time I Saw Paris." from the 1941 movie Lady Be Good.  In 1946, he won another Best Music, Original Song Oscar, along with Richard Rodgers, for the song "It Might as Well Be Spring from the 1945 film State Fair.

3.  A   Spencer Tracey 

Tracy with Oscar for Boys Town

Spencer Tracy won back-to-back Best Actor Oscars for his performances in Captain Courageous and Boys Town. Consecutive Oscar winners are rare.  Tom Hanks won Best Actor for Philadelphia in 1994 and Forrest Gump in 1995.  Louise Rainer won Best Actress for The Great Ziegfeld in 1937 and The Good Earth in 1938.

4.  D  Gone with the Wind

In 1940, Gone with the Wind became the first colour film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. 

5.  B  Norma Shearer

            

In 1933, Canadian-born Norma Shearer (1902-1982) was the presenter for the Best Actress category at the Academy Awards.  She was nominated  for two Oscars in the Best Actress category that year.  She won for her performance in The Divorcee and had to announce, somewhat awkwardly, that she had won the award.  Since then, no nominated actor har presented an Oscar for his or her own category.

6.  E  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 Hong Kong film.  The Chinese swordplay film, garnered 10 nominations and 4 wins in 2001.  Roma, a 2018 Mexican drama, collected 10 nominations and 3 wins.  Life is Beautiful, a 1997 Italian comedy-drama. directed by Roberto Benigni, received 7 nominations and had 3 wins.  In 2020, Parasite received 6 nominations and celebrated 4 wins, including Best Picture.  The South Korean film became he first foreign language film to win Best Picture.  Fanny and Alexander, a 1982 Swedish film, earned 6 nominations and 3 wins.

7.  C  Grand Hotel

Greta Garbo and John Barrymore

Grand Hotel is the only film to win Best Picture and receive only one one nomination.  The 1932 MGM drama stars Greta Garbo and John Barrymore.

8,  A.  4 times

Rooney in 1983

Mickey Rooney received four competitive Oscar nominations during his lifetime.  He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for Babes in Arms in 1940, Best Actor for The Human Comedy in 1944, Best Supporting Actor in The Bold and the Brave in 1957 and  Best Supporting Actor for The Back Stallion in 1980.  

Rooney received two special Oscars.  He received a Juvenile Academy Award in 1939 and an Honorary Academy Award in 1983.

9,  D  Walt Disney

Disney in 1946

Walt Disney, who died in 1966, holds the record for the most Academy Awards in history, with 26 Oscars.  He won 22 competitive Academy Awards from a total of 59 nominations.

Disney won four honorary Academy Awards.  The first was in 1932 for the creation of Mickey Mouse. His last honorary Oscar was presented posthumously.  It was the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, chosen by the Academy's Board of Governors and given  to "creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production."

10.  B  Tm Robbins

Tim Robbins was the tallest actor to ever win an Academy Award.  Robbins is 6 ft, 5 inches (1.96 metres) tall.  In 2004, he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in Mystic River, a 2003 drama in which he starred with Sean Penn, Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Bacon.

- Joanne

Good news about all-year Daylight Saving Time

 

After two years of COVID and a heartbreaking war in Ukraine, I really needed a bit of good news, and I received it two days ago.  It isn't earthshattering and it seems very trivial compared to the pandemic and the plight of the Ukrainian people.  Still, it is something positive as far as I'm concerned.  In fact, it's literally a ray of sunshine.

For a long while, I have been an advocate of year-round daylight saving time.  Well, on Tuesday, March 14, 2022, the United States Senate unanimously passed a bill, called the Sunshine Protection Act, that would establish permanent daylight saving time across the U.S.  The bill has one more hurdle before it becomes law, though.  It has to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives before President Joe Biden can put his signature on it.   House Speaker, Nancey Pelosi has not yet said whether such a vote will occur.  Still, Tuesday's vote was a remarkable step forward.  When was the last time Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate unanimously approved legislation?  Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, a leading proponent of of the daylight saving bill was elated about the results of the vote.

The vote was proof of the strong support that year-long Daylight Saving Time has in the United States.  The momentum is on the side of permanent DST.  That  is welcome news for Canadians who are tired of switching clocks twice a year and who long for an extra out of sunshine.  It has been well documented that the time change is the cause of car accidents and traffic facilities.  More car crashes occur on the days following the change to Daylight Saving Time that at other times.  The loss of an hour's sleep affects people.  Also, the lack of sunlight causes moodiness and depression, known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

In 2019, province of British Columbia passed legislation to switch to Daylight Saving Time permanently.  However, B.C. did not set a date because it wishes to align itself with Washington, Oregon and California.  All three West Coast states have passed their own bills to remain on permanent DST.  In response to the U.S. Senate's passing of the daylight saving legislation, B.C. Premier John Horgan said that his province is now "well positioned to do away with the time changes once and for all and move to permanent DST."

In Ontario, where I live, we have to align ourselves with Quebec and the state of New York.  It's a matter of scheduling travel times, television programming and sporting events.   However, I think the writing is on the wall.  It's the right time for permanent Daylight Saving Time.  By the way, on Tuesday, Carlos Paz, a spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi, said, "The bill just passed this afternoon and we are reviewing it closely."  Over to you, Speaker Pelosi, and your colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Please do the right thing and give us some sunshine during these dark times.  What are you waiting for?

- Joanne

My novel on sale

 To readers of Number 16:

As you know, I have written a novel called Children of Dieppe. It's available as an ebook on a site called Smashwords.com.  Smashwords is having an ebook week sale until Saturday, March 12, 2022.  The sale began today and my book will be available for only $1.99 US until next Saturday (Regular price is $3.99 US).   

CHILDREN OF DIEPPE is the story of Denise Nair, whose father died during the tragic raid on Dieppe in 1942. The repercussions of that raid are life-changing for Denise's family, friends and acquaintances, especially the troubled Rosemary Tillis and the mysterious Gordon Sloane. This sweeping novel spans a time period from World War II until the 21st century.  It is about family, friendship, the aftermath of war and the effects of mental illness.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of my novel in ebook form, click on the link below.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1060816

I thank you for your support.   

- Joanne