Bloomsday 2011: How James Joyce met Nora Barnacle

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011

Nora circa 1916

Today, June 16th, is Bloomsday.  On this day in 1904, the great Irish writer James Joyce had his first outing with his future wife, Nora Barnacle.  Joyce would later choose June 16th as the setting for his literary masterpiece, Ulysses.  The day would come to be known and celebrated throughout the world as "Bloomsday" after Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Joyce's novel. 

The romantic rendezvous between James Joyce and Nora Barnacle on that June day in 1904 was the beginning of a lifelong partnership, although they did not marry until 1931.  The couple had two children and they stayed together for 37 years, until Joyce's death in 1941.  Joyce's father, upon learning of Nora's surname, was said to have remarked, "She'll stick with him.

Nora Barnacle was born in Galway county, Ireland in March of 1884 (the exact date of her birth is uncertain).  Her father, Thomas Barnacle, was a baker in Connemara and her mother, Annie Honoria Healy was a dressmaker.  In 1896, Nora completed her schooling.  She found employment as a doorkeeper and laundress.  That same year Nora's parents separated due to her father's drunkeness.  Nora went to live with her mother and her uncle, Tom Healy, in Galway City.

In 1903, after a falling out with her uncle over her relationship with a Protestant named Willie Mulvagh, Nora moved to Dublin.  She worked as a chambermaid and waitress at Finn's Hotel.  On June 10, 1904, while walking down Nassau Street, she ran into 22-year-old James Joyce.  Joyce, a graduate of University College, Dublin, may have met her before while visiting Finn's Hotel with friends.  On this day, however, the struggling writer asked her for a date.  On June 16th, they walked to the urban village of Ringsend, near Dublin's harbour.  Although they had different personalities and tastes, the two were able to find common ground.

Jim and Nora left Ireland together in October of 1904 and headed for continental Europe. The couple would never live in Ireland again.  Instead they began a pattern of moving back and forth to various European locations.  By 1905, they had set up housekeeping in Trieste, which at that time was part of Austria-Hungary.  James found employment as an English teacher there.

Nora gave birth to a son, Giorgio, in Trieste, on June 27, 1905.  She had a second child, a daughter named Lucia, on July 26, 1907.  Lucia was also born in Trieste.  In 1908, however, Nora suffered a miscarriage and faced a very difficult period of her life.  This put a strain on her relationship with Joyce. 

During World War I, James Joyce and his family lived in Zurich.  At the time, the neutral city was a refuge for artists, intellectuals and pacifists such as Joyce.  It was in Zurich that Joyce wrote Ulysses and it is in Zurich that he is buried at the Fluntern Cemetery.

In 1920, James and Nora took up residence in Paris. During the 1920s, Nora wrote a series of letters to her sister Kathleen that were critical of Joyce's choice of writing as a career.  She told Kathleen that she would have preferred James to be a singer (He was a good singer and he had a strong affection for music and great knowledge of it.).  Nora also complained to her sister that Jim drank too much.

Their daughter Lucia's mental illness was another strain on the relationship.  By her mid-twenties, Lucia's behaviour had become erratic.  Her condition worsened when a love affair with playwright Samuel Beckett turned sour and he rejected her.  After bringing in many specialists to help Lucia, including Carl Jung in 1934, her parents finally placed her in an institution.  James Joyce often visited his daughter, but Nora refused to see her.

Despite the strains in their relationship and Nora's criticism of James, she married him in a civil ceremony on July 4, 1931.  The wedding took place at a registry office in London, England.  James Joyce was 49 years old at the time.  His bride was 47.  Their 23-year-old daughter, Lucia, had not
even known that her parents were unwed.

The wedding of James Joyce and Nora Barnacle, more than a quarter of a century after their first meeting, created a frenzy in the British and Irish press.  Below is a version of the photograph by the London Daily Standard.  The newlyweds are shown after their register-office marriage accompanied by Joyce's solicitor, Fred Monro. (right).  Joyce became a UK resident and took a lease on house in Kensington in London before applying for a marriage licence.

After the fall of France in 1940, Jim and Nora fled from the Nazis and returned to Zurich.  James Joyce died in Zurich on January 13, 1941, of complications from a perforated ulcer.  He was 58.  After Joyce's death, Nora decided to remain in the Swiss city.  She died of acute renal failure in Zurich on April 10, 1951 at the age of 67.  

Life was not kind to the children of James Joyce and Nora Barnacle.  In 1932, Lucia Joyce, a dancer, suffered a mental breakdown. At her father's 50th birthday party, she threw a chair at her mother.  Her brother Giorgio took her to a medical clinic and checked her in.  She underwent treatment in Paris and Zurich and was eventually diagnosed as a schizophrenic.  In 1935. when she was 28 years old, the Joyces put her in an asylum outside of Paris.  She spent the remainder of her life in mental institutions.  In 1951, she was sent to St. Andrew's Hospital in Northampton, England.  After spending many lonely years at St. Andrew's, she died there in 1982 at the age of 75.

Lucia's alcoholic brother, Giorgio Joyce, became a musician.  On December 10, 1930 (before the marriage of his parents), Giorgio wed Helen Kastor Fleischmann., a New York divorcee who was much older than he.  Helen, like his sister, was eventually diagnosed as a schizophrenic.  The couple had a son named Stephen James Joyce. 

Stephen Joyce was born in France on February 16, 1932.  He resides in France and remains James Joyce's only living descendant.


THE BLOOMSDAY TRADITION

Many regard Ulysses as one of the greatest novels ever written.  It chronicles one day in the life of a Jewish Dubliner named Leopold Bloom, his wife Molly and an aspiring writer named Stephen Dedalus.  The events of the story all take place on June 16, 1904.  The novel traces the adventures of Bloom as walks through the city of Dublin. and it is filled with countless literary and linguistic references.  It also contains passages written in a stream of consciousness style.

Every year on June 16th, fans of James Joyce celebrate Bloomsday by having public readings from Ulysses, dramatizations and pub crawls.  In Dublin, tourists dress in Edwardian costume and retrace the steps Leopold Bloom around the city.  They stop at such landmarks as Davy Byrne's Pub.  Below is a 2004 photograph  of Bloomsday celebrations on North Great George's Street in Dublin.  The crowd is enjoying a street party provided by the James Joyce Centre.

SPORTS

Hockey

Although I was hoping that Vancouver would come through, I have to be fair and admit that Boston deserved to win the Stanley Cup.  The Canucks had home ice advantage and the whole city of Vancouver behind them (plus thousands of Canadian fans) and they came up flat.  They couldn't even score a solitary goal.  They came up with nothing but a big fat goose egg.  They lost 4-0.  Boston proved to be hungrier and much more inspired.

Roberto Luongo must be feeling awful.  I still think he's a good goalie, but he has let greatness slip away from his grasp.  He didn't rise to the occasion when it counted.  It's time for Luongo and the rest of the team to take a good hard look at themselves.  It's going to be a long, hot summer.

As for the fans in Vancouver, I know they are disappointed in their team.  Nevertheless, there is no excuse for the rioting that went on in the city after the loss.  It is just reprehensible and shameful.

- Joanne

Brian Epstein: The Life and Times of The Beatles' Manager

MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011

In a 1997 BBC interview, Paul McCartney said of Brian Epstein, "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian."  That's how integral Brian Epstein was to the success of The Beatles.  He was the man who advised the group.  It was he who influenced their style and the way they dressed.  Until his untimely death in 1967, Brian was the Beatles' manager and their friend. 

Brian Samuel Epstein was born on September 19, 1934 in Liverpool, England.  He had a younger brother, Clive, who was born 22 month after him.  His parents, Harry and Malka Epstein, owned a furniture store on Liverpool's Walton Street.  The Epsteins later expanded their family business by purchasing the North End Music Store (known as NEMS) next door.

During World War II,  the family left Liverpool and moved to Southport.  They returned to Liverpool in 1945.  After being moved from boarding school to boarding school, young Brian spent two years at Wrekin College in Shopshire.  At 16. he wrote a letter to his father expressing his desire to be a dress designer.  Harry Epstein refused to support his elder son's ambition and Brian was sent to work at the family furniture store.  In December of 1952, when he was 18 years old, he was drafted into the army as a data entry clerk and was posted near Regent's Park in London.  Ten months later he was discharged after being determined emotionally and mentally unfit for military service.

In Brian Epstein's autobiography, A Cellarful of Noise, published in 1964, he claimed that he had impersonated a police officer.  It was later revealed that he had gotten a tailor to make him a police uniform which he had worn while cruising London bars.  After being arrested by the military police, he avoided a court martial  by agreeing to see a military psychiatrist. Brian confided his homosexuality to the psychiatrist.   Although his sexual orientation became well known to friends and business acquaintances, it was not revealed publicly until after his death.

In 1954, Brian Epstein returned to Liverpool and took charge of Claredon Furnishing, a branch of the family business.  Although a successful salesman, a restless Brian was searching for something else in his life.  He decided to try his hand at acting and persuaded his parents to let him train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA).  He left RADA after only three terms, although he did have the opportunity to study with classmates such as Peter O'Toole, Albert Finney and Susannah York.

In 1955, at the age of 21, Brian was made a director of NEMS.  When Harry Epstein opened a new NEMS store on Great Charlotte Street in Liverpool, his son was given the responsibility of managing the main floor.  Under Brian's influence, the Great Charlotte Steet store began to sell gramophone records in addition to pianos and wireless radios. 

The record department was such a resounding success that the shop became one of the largest and most popular music outlets in northern England.  Brian was then placed in charge of a new branch at 12-14 Whitechapel.  The Whitechapel shop was just around the corner from the Cavern Club where The Beatles played.  In August of 1961, a regular customer came looking for a record called "My Bonnie." by the Beatles and Brian became curious about the band.  When more youngsters came into the shop inquiring about The Beatles, Brian learned that the were performing nearby.

On Novermber 9, 1961, Epstein watched The Beatles perform a lunchtime concert at the Cavern Club, a dingy local spot where new bands booked gigs.  After the concert, he met with the group.  By January of 1962,, Epstein had become The Beatles' manager.  Despite his inexperience, they agreed to a five-year concract with him, giving him 25% of their gross income.

Brian attempted to change the image of The Beatles so that they would appeal to a larger audience.  When he had first watched the band perform at the Cavern Club, they wore leather jackets and blue jeans on stage.  As soon as he became their manager, he encouraged them to to dress more stylishly and he urged them to stop smoking in public.  John Lennon initially opposed the idea of wearing suits and ties.  He later said that he would "wear a bloody suit if someone's going to pay me."

Epstein also paid for The Beatles to record a demo at Decca studios.  Athough Decca was not interested in signing the band, Brian pesuaded George Martin to listen to the demo.  Martin, impressed by Epstein's enthusiasm and confidence, offered him a recording contract under EMI's Parlophone label.  By the autumn of 1963, Britain was awash in Beatlemania.

In November of 1963, Brian went to the United States and booked The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.  He had to fight to get them top billing on the show.  The following year, The Beatles travelled to New York.  They made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964.  The four mop-haired English lads took America by storm and the wave of Beatlemania continued to spread around the world.  The once obscure group from Liverpool was on its way to becoming what many consider to be the greatest band ever.

Although Brian is remembered as the manager of The Beatles, he managed several other artists including Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, The Crykle and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.  The name of his management company was NEMS Enterprises, after his family's music stores. Groups managed by NEMS were presented as opening acts for The Beatles.

On August 29. 1966, The Beatles played their last-ever (commercial) concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.  Almost a year later, Brian Epstein was found dead in his London home at the age of 32.  On August 27. 1967, Brian's housekeeper became concerned when she knocked on his bedroom door in the middle of the afternoon and received no response.  She alerted friends.  They broke into the room and found him dead.  An autopsy revealed that Brian died of an overdose of sleeping pills.  Although the death was ruled accidental, there has been much speculation that it was a suicide.

At the time of  Brian Epstein's passing, The Beatles were in Bangor, north Wales to meet with Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and participate in a spiritual retreat.  Brian had been due to join them in Bangor for the conference of the International Meditation Society.  Upon hearing the news of Epstein's death, The Beatles were devastated.  Paul McCartney and his then-girlfriend, Jane Asher, returned to London in a chauffeur-driven car.

The other Beatles also returned home. They did not, however, attend Brian's funeral in order to avoid a media circus and fan frenzy.  They did, nevertheless, attend a memorial service for their manager at the New London Synagogue.  Brian Epstein was laid to rest at the Kirkdale Jewish Cemetery in Liverpool.

Brian had taken care of every aspect of The Beatles' business affairs.  After his death, their finances fell into disarray.  They went their separate ways in 1970.  It is interesting to note that in a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, John Lennon remarked that Epstein's death meant the beginning of the end for The Beatles as a group.  He said, "I knew we were in trouble then . . ."

To watch a 1964 interview with Brian Epstein and Larry Kane, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s45_Ky19PE

To watch a video about the death of Brian Epstein, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7WI88GCh-Y


RIDDLE ME THIS

Whu did't the man become a farmer?

ANSWER

It wasn't his field


SPORTS

Hockey

The Vancouver Canucks are one game away from winning the Stanley Cup.  The Boston Bruins have home ice advantage tonight.  So far in this series, the home team has one every game.  This evening we will see if the Canucks can wrap it up and avoid a seventh game.

Baseball

It was a discouraging weekend for fans of the Toronto Blue Jays.  It pains me to write this, but they were just pounded by the Boston Red  Sox.  The Jays lost to the Sox by a score of 4-1 on Friday night.  Saturday's game and Sunday's game were so one-sided, it was embarrassing.  I don't know how long Blue Jay fans will have to wait before this team is ready to contend, but after watching the team over the weekend, it's hard to be encouraged. 

- Joanne

The Beauty of Quebec City

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011

I have returned from historic Quebec City, truly a jewel in Canada's crown.  My sister-in-law lives there and I visit her every year.   I want to share some photos of this beautiful city with you.  Below is a photo of a wine and cheese bistro in the lower town that I really enjoy.  It's called Le Pape Georges.  We sat outdoors on the patio on a gorgeous June day.



Le Pape Georges is one of my favourite places in Quebec City.



Another view of Le Pape Georges



View of the magnificent Chateau Frontenac

I

Some brief notes about Quebec City:

* Quebec City is the only existing walled city in North America.  It is also the oldest city in North America.  It was founded on July 3, 1608 by Samuel de Champlain.  On July 3, 1986, Quebec City was awarded World Heritage status. It is the first city in North America to be so designated.  Along with other World Heritage sites such as the Taj Mahal, Cairo, Florence and Damascus, the United Nations Educational , Scientific , and Cultural Organization (USNESCO) provides Quebec City  with protection and financial assistance if necessary.

* I've seen very few GM cars or Fords in Quebec City.  Asian cars, however, are extremely popular.  Toyotas and Hyundais are everywhere.

* There is a baseball team called Les Capitales de Quebec.  The Capitales belong to the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.  They  play their games at Stade Municipal.  I've attended a few games there and I can tell you it's a lot of fun.  The fans are lively and they know how to have a good time.  If you are a baseball fan and you are visiting Quebec City, I suggest you go to a Capitales game.

Here are some quotes about Quebec City from outsiders of the past

And high and grey and serene above the morning lay the citadel of Quebec.  Is there any city in the world that stands so nobly as Quebec?

- Rupert Brooks, English poet, in 1916


It is almost impossible to conceive of any urban vista more provocative of imaginative ecstasy, of the sense of magical gateways opening on an adventurous dream-world of exotic wonder, than a chance glimpse of one of these silver spires at the end of an ancient uphill or downhill street.

- American author H.P. Lovecraft in 1931, describing Quebec City's skyline


SPORTS

Hockey

The Boston Bruins certainly embarrassed the Vancouver Canucks in the third game of the 2011 Stanley Cup final on Monday night in Beantown.  Boston humiliated the Canucks by a score of 8-1.  I am sad that the series turned so ugly with Aaron's Roman's hit on Nathan Horton.  Horton was carried off the ice on a stretcher and he is lost to the Bruins for the rest of the series. I sincerely hope that he will be okay.

After the incident, the Bruins scored goal after goal on Vancouver stopper Roberto Luongo.  If Boston keeps up this momentum, the Canucks will be in real trouble.  They have to cool down the Bruins by winning the next game in Boston.  Then they can return to the West Coast with a 3-1 lead in the series.

- Joanne

Viva L'Italia! Reflections on Italy and Italians

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011

Italians have discovered America for the Americans; taught poetry, statesmanship, and the ruses of trade to the English; military art to the Germans; cuisine to the French; acting and ballet dancing to the Russians; and music to everybody.

- Luigi Barzini
From The Italians

Today is the national day of Italy.  In Italian, the celebration is called Festa della Repubblica and it commemorates the day when the Italian Republic was born.  On June 2, 1946, Italians were asked to decide which form of government they preferred for their country after World War II and the fall of Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.  They chose a republican form of government.

Every June 2nd, there is a military parade through central Rome.  The gates of the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic are opened to the public for celebrations and concerts.  There is an abundance of cheeses, wines and other Italian delicacies.

My grandparents were hard-working immigrants from Sicily.  My maternal grandparents came from Ragusa, Sicily, and my paternal grandparents from a small town called Trabia, in the Province of Palermo.  Although I am first and foremost a Canadian, I will always be proud of my Italian heritage.  I have only been to Italy once, in the summer of 1996, but I certainly hope to make a return visit. 

In honour of Italy's national day, Number 16 presents some interesting and thought-provoking quotations on Italy and Italians.

While stands the Coliseum Rome shall stand;
When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall;
And when Rome falls - the World.

- Lord Byron (1788-1824), English poet
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage


Lump the whole thing! say that the Creator made Italy from designs by Michel Angelo!

- Mark Twain
From Innocents Abroad [1869] 


Italy, and the spring and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy.

- Bertrand Russell
From The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell [1967]


In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed - but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and the Renaissance.  In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce?  The cuckoo clock!

- Orson Welles, as the character Harry Lime in the Graham Greene film, The Third Man (1949)


Sign language is useful to the deaf but vital to the Italians.

- Paul Carvel, Belgian writer and editor


LANGUAGE CORNER

Here is a list of items, particularly food items, which have been named after places in Italy.

Venetian blinds (Venice)

Bologna sausages (Bologna) - similar to the Italian mortadella that originated in the city of Bologna

blue jeans (Genoa) - comes from the French phrase bleu de Gênes, literally ``the blue of Genoa``

Neapolitan ice cream (Naples) - Ice cream made up of blocks of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream and named in the 19th after the city of Naples (Napoli), where it was presumed to have originated

Roman candles (Rome) - Italy played a prominent role in the development of fireworks for celebratory purposes.

Parmesan cheese (Parma) - Parma, a city in the Emila-Romangna region of Italy is famous for its cheese, ham and architecture

Leghorn hens - a breed of chicken with origins in Tuscany, in central Italy, generally thought to come from  the city of Leghorn (Livorno),


SPORTS

Hockey

What a week for hockey in Canada!  The NHL will return to Winnipeg and the Vancouver Canucks are facing the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals.  I'm so glad pro hockey is returning to the 'Peg.  It belongs there and I hope the team is a resounding success.  Gary Bettman isn't exactly thrilled about  the of the league's imminent return to the Manitoba capital.  CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos remarked that Betmann appeared as if he were delivering a.eulogy when he made the announcement.  Winnipeggers, however, and indeed all Manitobans, are extremely excited.  They really really want this team.

The Vancouver Canucks have taken a 1-0 lead against the Boston Bruins. Go Canucks Go!  They need three more wins in their quest for the Stanley Cup.


NOTE

I am writing this from beautiful Quebec City where I will be for the next five days.

- Joanne

The Mysterious Death of Christopher Marlowe: Murder in Elizabethan England?

MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2011

Are you fascinated by conspiracy theories?  Well, I have a dandy for you today.  Forget about JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald and the grassy knoll for a while.  Travel back in time with me to 16th century England, to an era when Queen Elizabeth I reigned supreme and men wore tights, ruffled collars and pointy beards.  On this day, 418 years ago, one of the great playwrights and poets of the Elizabethan age was viciously killed during an altercation at a tavern.  His name was Christopher Marlowe.

Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury, England in 1564, to John Marlowe, a shoemaker, and his wife, Catherine.  He and William Shakespeare.were born only months apart.  Although Marlowe's exact birthdate remains undetermined, it is  known that he was baptized on February 26, 1564.  Shakespeare was born in late April of that same year. 

Marlowe's most famous work is a play titled The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. Commonly referred to as Doctor Faustus, the play is based on the tale of a man who makes a pact with the devil and sells his soul in return for power and knowledge.  He is also well known as the author of the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" which begins with the oft-quoted line "Come live with me and be my love."

In early May of 1593, postings appeared around London threatening Protestants from France and the Netherlands who had come to the city.  One of these, the "Dutch Church Libel," contained a reference to one of Marlowe's plays.  It was signed, "Tamburlaine."  On May 11, the Privy Council called for the arrest of those responsible for the libels.  The next day, Marlowe's colleague and fellow playwright, Thomas Kyd,, was arrested and imprisoned.  His lodgings were searched and a fragment of a heretical tract was discovered that rejected the deity of Jesus Christ.

Thomas Kyd denied that the document belonged to him.  He stated, probably under torture, that Marlowe was the author of the heretical writings.  Kyd, the author of The Spanish Tragedy, first became acquainted with Marlowe around 1591.  The two writers were under the service of the same patron, an identified nobleman.  For a while, Kyd and Marlowe shared the same lodgings. 

Thomas Kidd

Thomas Kyd apparently never fully recovered from the suffering he had endured. Kyd was eventually released but was not accepted back into the service of his patron.  He died at 35 years of age in 1594. At the time of his death, he was utterly destitute. His mother legally repudiated the management of her son's estate, most likely because it was debt-ridden.

On May 18, 1593, a warrant was issued for Christopher Marlowe's arrest, probably on allegations of blasphemy. Marlowe was reputed to have Catholic sympathies. He was also suspected of being an atheist, a "heresy" that was considered a serious transgression in Elizabethan England.

On May 20, 1593, Christopher Marlowe attempted to present himself before the Privy Council.  He was told that they were not meeting that day.  He was released on bail and ordered to report to the court once a day until they did meet.  Marlowe apparently followed these instructions, but the Privy Council never had the opportunity to investigate the allegations against Marlowe.  On May 30, ten days after his initial attempt to go before the court for questioning, Christopher Marlowe was fatally stabbed by a man named Ingram Frizer. 

Ingram Frizer was a rather unsavoury English businessman.  He was a commodity broker, a speculator who bought and sold property.  He also served as a kind of business agent for Marlowe's patron, Thomas Walsingham.  Frizer was not always honest in his business dealings.  According to Charles Nicholl, in his book The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe (1993), Frizer teamed up with a man named Nicholas Skeres in a scheme to defraud a certain Drew Woodleff of his inheritance.  It is interesting to note that Skeres was present at Marlowe's killing.

Marlowe's death occurred at the home of  Eleanor Bull, a respectable widow whose great-niece, Blanche Parry, was a  companion of Queen Elizabeth I.  Eleanor ran a rooming house located on Deptford Strand, which was in Kent, but is now within London..  Her establishment was probably more of hotel in which meals were served than a public tavern.  It was frequented by dockyard supervisors and inspectors, various merchants and exporters of fine goods

On May 30, 1593,  the 29-year-old Marlowe spent most of the day at Eleanor Bull's establishment with three companions - Ingram Frizer, Nicholas Skeres and Robert Poley. After dinner, a quarrel ensued over the bill for food and drink.  According to witnesses, Marlowe pulled out a dagger and wounded Frizer.  In the fight that followed, Fitzer seized the same dagger and stabbed Marlowe over the right eye, mortally wounding the young playwright.

On, June 1, 1593, am inquest was held into Marlowe's death by William Danby, the Coroner of the Queen's Household.  A 16-man jury determined that Ingram Frizer had acted in self-defence.  In his report, the Coroner concluded that "Ingram Frizer could in  no way flee" the attack on his life by Marlowe and that he was left with no choice but to kill him.  "And so it occurred in that affray that the said Ingram, in defence of his life . . . gave the aforesaid Christopher then and there a mortal wound above his right eye."  On June 28, 1593, less than a month after the inquest was held, the Queen granted Ingram Frizer a formal pardon. 

This information wa uncovered in 1925 when a scholar named Leslie Hotson came upon the Coroner's report into the Marlowe death in the Public Records. In the course of his investigation, Hotson discovered the document containing the pardon given to Frizer.  To read the words of the pardon, click on the link below.

http://www2.prestel.co.uk/rey/pardon2.htm

Information has surfaced in recent years, however, which raises doubts as to whether Marlowe's demise was merely the result of a drunken brawl. Was the great author deliberately provoked into the argument leading to his death?  A biographer and scholar named Park Honan has unearthed a document revealing that after receiving his royal pardon, Frizer was later gifted with a a substantial amount of property.  One has to wonder if this was payment for his part in the death of Christopher Marlowe.

Pofessor Honan, of the School of English at the University of Leeds, has cast suspicion on Marlowe's patron, Thomas Walsingham, in the killing of the poet.  Honan has pointed out that as a suspected atheist, any association with Marlowe would threaten Walsingham's standing at the royal court.  Marlowe was a detriment to his ambitions and Walsingham had reason to want to rid him from his life. 

In 2004, Honan made the following statement on the climate of the times in Marlowe's England.  He said, "Early in the year, Parliament had ensured that heresy was akin to treason.  Dissidents were hanged.  The royal court was unlikely to reward any sponsor of heretics.  How could the law tolerate atheism or the Queen continue to favour Walsingham as the patron of a heretic if, in law, all heresy was treasonous?  As a patron of a so-called atheist, Walsingham risked damaging his reputation."

It remains uncertain whether the stabbing of Christopher Marlowe was connected to his arrest.  There is also a theory that Marlowe was intentionally provoked in order to prevent him from appearing before the Privy Council.  Had he been brought before the Privy Council, he might have implicated some very prominent men, including Sir Walter Raleigh.  Raleigh, a friend of Marlowe,  was also suspect of being an atheist.  There were rumours that he and Marlowe had scholarly conversations on the subject.

Espionage is also linked to the death of Christopher Marlowe.  Thomas Walsingham, Marlowe's patron, had contacts in the Secret Service.  His cousin, the late Sir Francis Walsingham had been Principal Secretary to Queen Elizabeth I from 1573 until his death in 1590.  Sir Francis was known as the Queen's "spymaster" and has been recognized as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods for both foreign espionage and domestic security. 

It is interesting to note that Nicholas Skeres and Robert Poley, Marlowe's dinner companions on the day of his death, were associated with Walsingham's intelligence operation.  Robert Poley, in fact, was a senior spy who had been used often as a messenger of secret documents to Scotland and the Low Countries.  He later became the operational chief of a spy network in the Low Countries.

Christopher Marlowe was secretly buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard of St. Nicholas, Deptford.  Many years later, a  plaque was placed at the site.  Ingram Frizer, the man who took Marlowe's life, died in August of 1627, over 33 years after the tragedy at Eleanor Bull's house. 

EDITOR'S NOTE (November 14, 2016): Gary Taylor, a Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University, and his team of New Oxford Shakespeare researchers have decided that Christopher Marlowe should receive credit in the publication's latest edition for co-writing William Sharkespeare's Henry VI plays (written c. 1591).  This is a historic decision because it marks the first time Marlowe has been officially designated as co-writer of the three plays.

Taylor, cites as proof, new research techniques, which he calls "Big Data,"  "Big Data" detected the unitque characterterics of Marlowe's writing in Shakespeare's Henry VI, parts one, two and three.


- Joanne

The Dionne Quintuplets: The Triumph and Tragedy of Canada's Famous Babies

 SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

At the height of the Great Depression, five identical baby girls were born on May 28, 1934 near the village of Corbeil, just outside of Callander, Ontario.  They were born prematurely in a farmhouse  to Oliva and Elzire Dionne.  Their birth, 77 years ago today, delighted Depression-weary Canadians who were eager for some happy news.  It also attracted world-wide attention because there had been only two previous cases on record.  The Dionne babies were the first known quintuplets in the world to to survive past infancy.  The girls were, in order of birth, Yvonne, Annette, Cecile. Emilie and Marie.

Although the Dionne story captivated Canadians, many controversies arose regarding the upbringing and welfare of the children.  Just days after their birth, when it was uncertain whether they would live, Oliva Dionne, their father, signed a contract to exhibit them at the Chicago Century of Progess Exposition.  He did this without consulting with his wife.

Fearing that the babies would be privately exploited, the Ontario government intervened removed them from their dirt-poor Franco-Ontarian parents.  After just four months with their family, the girls were made wards of the province under the Dionne Quintuplets' Guardianship Act of 1935.  They were placed in a specially built hospital under the care of Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, the obstetrician who delivered them.  Oliva Dionne, fought a nine-year battle to regain custody of his daughters.

Ontario Premier Mitch Hepburn with the Dionne quintuplets

Ironically, it was the government and those around them who brazenly exploited the Dionne Quintuplets for profit.  Between 1934 and 1943, the girls were put on display at a theme park called "Quintland," located between North Bay and Callander, Ontario.  Three million people visited Quintland to watch the girls play befind a one-way screen.  Oliva Dionne ran a souvenir shop and concession store opposite the nursery.

The quintuplets became Canada's most popular tourist attraction of the 1930s, surpassing the revenue produced by visitors to Niagara Falls.  Many Hollywood stars, including Clark Gable and James Stewart and Bette Davis, visited the Dionnes at Quintland.  Famed pilot Amelia Earhart went there just just weeks before her death in 1937.

Through no choice of their own, the Dionne Quintuplets found themselves at the centre of a circus.  Their lives were turned into a freak show and they were, according to the the Canadian Encyclopedia, a $500 million asset for the province of Ontario.  The sisters made numerous endorsements for such products as Quaker Oats, Karo Corn Soup, Palmolive Soup and Colgate Dental Cream.  Their commercial endorsements built them a trust fund of nearly $1 million and Hollywood fictionalized the Dionne story in three films.

Dr. Dafoe, who grew wealthy on the Dionne's product endorsements, died on June 2, 1943 at the age of 60 from pneumonia and complications from cancer.  Shortly after his death, in November of 1943, the Dionne parents won back custody of the five girls and the family moved into a big home within walking distance from Quintland.  The reunion proved to be unsuccessful in the long run.  According to accounts by the surviving sisters, the girls were not treated as individuals, but as a unit.  They were strictly disciplined and punished.

The quintuplets left the family home when they turned 18 and eventually moved to Montreal.  Emilie, an epileptic, entered a convent.  Annette, Cecile and Marie all had failed marriages and Yvonne remained single.  Emilie died on August 6, 1954 of accidental suffocation during an epileptic seizure at her convent.  She was only 20 years old.  Marie died on February 27, 1970 in her Montreal apartment of an apparent blood clot of the brain.  She was 35 years old at the time of her death.  Yvonne died on June 23, 2001 of cancer at age 67.

Oliva Dionne passed away in 1979.  His wife Elzire died in 1986.  In 1995, the three surviving quints alleged that Oliva had sexually abused his daughters during their teenage years when they were no longer under the influence of the domineering Dr. Dafoe.  The explosive allegations appeared in a book written by Jean Yves Soucy with Annette, Cecile and Yvonne.  Originally published in French, the English language version came out in 1996.  It is titled Family Secrets.  When interviewed by Radio-Canada in Montreal, the sisters were asked why they remained silent about the abuse for so long.  Annette replied that "We've come to a point where we had to liberate ourselves from the past." Cecile declared, "It's a long time, but that's normal for something so deep."

In 1998, Yvonne, Annette and Cecile, living together in the Montreal suburb of Saint Bruno-de-Montarville, reached a financial settlement with the government of Ontario over the province's exploitation of them during their childhood. They received $4 million in compensation for the nine years they were put on display at Quintland.

There are now only two surviving Dionne quintuplets, Annette and Cecile, and they celebrate their 77th birthday today.  Happy birthday, Annette and Cecile!


Some interesting facts about the Dionne quintuplets:

* Four of the Dionne quints were right-handed.  Emilie was left-handed.

* Dr. Dafoe is buried at Park Lawn Cemetery in Toronto.

* It was not until September of 1987 that another set of quintuplets (two boys and and three girls) was born in Canada.

* Oliva and Elzire Dionne already had five children when the quintuplets were born.  The other children were named Ernest (1926-1995), Rose Marie (1928-1995), Therese (born 1929), Daniel (1932-1995), Pauline (born 1933).  A son, Leo (born 1930), died of pneumonia soon after his birth.

* Oliva and Elzire had three more children after the quintuplets.  They were Oliva Jr. (born 1936), Victor (1938-2007) and Claude (born 1946).


EDITOR'S UPDATE (November 14, 2016):  On October 23, 2016, a story by Marian Scott appeared in the Montreal Gazette about the two remaining Dionne quintuplets, Cecile and Annette. The sisters are 82 years old now.  After their 1998 $4 million settlement with the Ontario government, Cecile is still struggling.  She resides in "a shabby seniors' home in Montreal North, as wards of the state." Accordig to the Gazette arrticle, she lives on a governmet pension of $1,443 a moth.  Her sister Annette is faring considerably better financially.  She lives independently in "a pleasant condo in South Shore-St Bruno.  Annette, however, is unable to look after Cecile, who cannot live independely because of serious health problems, Annette does pay for Cecile's extras, such as haircuts and a refrigerator for her room.

Carlo Tarini, a public relations consultant involved in negotiating the Dionnes' settlement, is quoted in the Gazette story as saying, "How incredibly tragic this is."  The three surviving sisters at the time were reported to have received $1 million each, with the fourth $1 million alotted to Marie Dionne, who did in 1970..  However, Tarini stated that only $75,000 remained after lawyers and pulic relations consultants were paid.

After the 1998 settlement, Cecile's son, Bertrand Langlois purcheased a duplex in the Hochelaga-Maison-Maisonneurve area and he and his mother lived there.  Langlois sold the property for $570,000 in 2006 and placed his mother in an expensive senior's residence on Sherbrooke St. E. Around four years ago, the payments from the bank for the monthly fees ceased.  Cecile told the Montreal Gazette that she has tried to contact her son, but has been unable to do so.  The Gazette was unable to locate Langlois either.


- Joanne

Judy Lewis: The Not-So-Secret Daughter of Loretta Young and Clark Gable

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Another schoolmate of mine at Marymount was Judy Lewis. Her mother, Loretta Young, was my godmother, and Judy was Loretta’s adopted daughter. But all of our mothers knew the truth. Judy wasn’t really adopted – she was the illegitimate child from an affair that Loretta had with Clark Cable. The women would always whisper about Judy’s “Clark Gable ears,” but all you had to do was look at her to see her strong resemblance to her gorgeous mother. And she had the same button nose as her cousin, Gretchen, who was also at our school. All the gossiping about her – I don’t know how Judy stood it.

- Marlo Thomas
From Growing up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny

Judy Lewis

Judy Lewis is a former television actress, producer, author and physiotherapist.  She was born on November 6, 1935 and her original name was Judy Young.  She is the daughter of two great film stars, Loretta Young and Clark Gable.

Judy’s mother, Loretta, concealed her pregnancy in order to protect her film career and that of Clark Gable’s. In the Hollywood of the 1930s, every star`s contract contained a morals clause. Any suspicion of an affair, never mind a child born out of wedlock, would have resulted in cancelled contracts and ruined careers for the two actors. Loretta was 22 years old at the time, single and devoutly Catholic. Gable, 34, was married to socialite Ria Langham, the second of his five wives. He remained married to Langham until their divorce in 1939.

In early 1935, Loretta had been eagerly anticipating a rest from her hectic schedule of filming for Twentieth Century Fox. It was not to be. When studio head Darryl Zanuck called to say that he had committed her to star opposite Clark Gable in Call of the Wild, she was forced to cancel a planned vacation in Europe.

The screen adaptation of Jack London’s classic novel was to be filmed on location in Bellingham, Washington and Judy met Clark for the first time on the train to Bellingham. She was aware of his reputation with women and the propensity of his leading ladies for falling in love with him. Little did she realize that it would happen to her!

Gable and Young

The location filming was expected to last for ten days. Due to severe winter storms and high winds, work was continually delayed. Ten days stretched into weeks and there was gossip about a torrid romance between Loretta Young and Clark Gable. The crew finally gave up on the location shooting and returned home to finish filming the movie the studio. Soon after the picture was completed, Gable left his wife and moved into a hotel. He and Loretta were not seen together and the gossip died down.

When Loretta discovered she was pregnant, she was so afraid of scandal that she went into seclusion. After travelling to Europe for a short time, she returned quietly to Hollywood and went to a small house that she owned in Venice, California to give birth. After Judy was born, she placed her in an orphanage for 18 months prior to retrieving her through “adoption.”

On July 31, 1940, when Judy was four years old, Loretta Young married radio producer Tom Lewis at the chapel of St. Paul’s Church in Westwood, California. Lewis never adopted Judy although she took his last name. The couple had two sons, Peter Lewis of the San Francisco rock band Moby Grape, and Christopher Lewis, a film director. In the 1960s, they divorced acrimoniously. Lewis died in May of 1988.

It was very difficult to disguise Judy’s true parentage. The child resembled her mother and she had her father’s big ears. Loretta attempted to hide her daughter’s ears under bonnets and hats. As a seven-year-old, Judy underwent cosmetic surgery to alter her telltale ears. People still noticed and they gossiped.  Everyone seemed to know the truth but Judy herself.  Jack Haley Jr., a friend from Judy's teenage years, said, "Our whole group knew who her parents were - and we knew she did not know.  But we thought her mother would tell her."

At the age of 15, Judy came face-to-face with her famous father for the first and only time. She arrived home from school one day to find Clark Gable in her living room. Unaware that he was her biological father, Judy conversed with him about her studies and her friends. Gable kissed her on the forehead before leaving and father and daughter never saw each other again.

In 1953, Judy graduated from Marymount High School, a Catholic, independent college preparatory school for girls in L.A. She eventually moved to New York to pursue an acting career. She appeared on Broadway and then later became a regular performer on soap operas such as The Secret Storm, Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. Judy worked behind the scenes too. She produced the daytime soap Texas and was a script writer for Search for Tomorrow. In 1985, she shared a Writers Guild of America award for several episodes of the latter.

From the late 1950s until 1977, Judy made guest appearances on prime time television series. She appeared in episodes of such series as 77 Sunset Strip, The F.B.I., The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Perry Mason, The Streets of San Francisco and One Day at a Time.

When Judy was 17, she wanted to marry a man named Russell Hughes. Her family strongly disapproved of Hughes and Judy was sent to school in New York for a year. When she returned home, she expected to marry Hughes. Due to family opposition, it never happened. Instead, on June 21, 1958, Judy married television producer/director Joseph L. Tinney. The couple had a daughter named Maria who was born on November 16, 1959, exactly one year before the death of her grandfather, Clark Gable. Judy tried to have a second child but after much difficulty conceiving, she miscarried in 1962.

Although the rest of Hollywood seemed to be in on the “secret,” Judy Lewis did not learn the truth about her real parentage until two weeks before her wedding to Joe Tinney. Judy was 23 years old at the time and had always believed that her mother had adopted her when she was 18 months old. Joe told her that Clark Gable was her father, but Judy refused to believe it “until I heard it from my mother’s mouth.” On the advice of a priest, however, Judy did not confront Loretta immediately. Incredibly, it was not until she was in her 30s that Judy finally questioned her mother and her mother admitted the truth to her.

In the early 1970s, Judy Lewis and Joe Tinney divorced. After the divorce, Judy moved back and forth between New York and L.A. before finally settling in Los Angeles. In the 1980s, Judy attended Antioch University in Los Angeles where she earned a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree in clinical psychology. She then took some time off to work on her autobiography, Uncommon Knowledge, which was published in 1994.

Loretta Young was 81 years old when Uncommon Knowledge was published and she refused to confirm Judy`s account of the circumstances of her birth. In a statement from her Palm Springs home, she said, “This rumour is (a) product of a bygone era. As I have in the past, I have chosen not to give it any further credence.” Judy’s book upset Loretta deeply and caused a rift between her and her daughter. According to Judy, they did not speak to each other for several years.

In the 1990s, Judy Lewis began working in her chosen field – psychology. She received her marriage and family counselling licence (M.F.C.C). It was not until 2001 at a Gone with the Wind convention that she was publicly introduced as Clark Gable’s daughter. That same year she appeared on Larry King Live. Judy told King that she considered Clark Gable to be the love of her mother’s life. She said, “I once asked my mother what was the biggest regret of her life. And she said the biggest regret was not getting your father to marry me.”

Loretta Young died of ovarian cancer in Los Angeles on August 12, 2000 at the age of 87. The screen legend finally confirmed the truth about the circumstances of Judy’s birth in her authorized biography Forever Young, published after her death.

Judy Lewis is now 75-year-old. She lives in Los Angeles and has two grandsons. In April of 1986, her daughter Maria married Daniel Dagit. Maria is the mother of two sons, Michael (born 1989) and Gregory (born 1994). Judy has never taken a DNA test and does not believe it is necessary to do so. She told Larry King that she accepts her mother’s word. Interestingly, John Clark Gable, Gable’s 50-year-old son by his fifth wife, Kay Williams, insists that he is his father’s only child. John Clark, who was born about four months after the death of his father, has never recognized Judy Lewis as his half-sister. He first met Judy at the 2001 Gone with the Wind convention but did not know who she was. Another time they had dinner together and Judy gifted him with a copy of her autobiography.

John Clark Gable has two children with his ex-wife, hairdresser Tracy Yarro.  He has a daughter, Kayley Gable, born in 1986.  He also has a son named Clark James Gable, born on September 10, 1988.  Clark James Gable is an actor.

Editor's Note:  Judy Lewis passed away exactly six months after this post was published.  Although a longtime resident of Los Angeles, she died in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania at the age of 76.  Judy's daughter, Maria, revealed that Judy had succumbed to cancer on November 25, 2011.

Hockey

Congratulations to the Vancouver Canucks.  They are going to the Stanley Cup finals!  They defeated the San Jose Sharks in double overtime last night.  The fans in Vancouver are really excited about their time.  They are really hungry for the Cup.  I really hope they win it.  The are four wins away from total victory.  They will have to get past the Boston Bruins or the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

What a game Roberto Luongo played last night!  What a great goalie he is!  Last year he won a gold medal with Team Canada at the Winter Olympics.  This year he could be hoisting Lord Stanley's Jug.

Baseball

I have to say I am not impressed with Frank Francisco as the Blue Jays' closer.  He blew a save yesterday at Yankee Stadium.  The Jays were winning 4-1 after a great performance by starting pitcher Ricky Romero.  The bullpen crumbled in the 9th inning and the Jays lost by a score of 5-4. 

I don't understand why the Jays removed big John Rauch from the closer position.  He was doing fine until they shook things up.

- Joanne

Change in our lives and how to deal with it

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011

Be not the first by whom the new are tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. 

- Alexander Pope
From An Essay on Criticism [1711]

Yesterday marked the 323rd anniversary of the birth of Alexander Pope, the English poet and satirist. He was born on May 21, 1688 in London. The above quote by Pope brings forth a philosophy toward change in our lives. Although it was written in the 18th century, it is just as relevant in 2011 as it was then.

Change is an extremely important subject, dear readers, because it is something we must face constantly during the course of our lifetime. One thing that will never change, however, is that there will always be change. Like death and taxes, change is inevitable. Still, there are many questions. Should we embrace change quickly and accept it? Should we resist it if it appears intolerable and unacceptable to us? Can we just ease into it gently and slowly?

The serenity prayer asks for the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference. This requires a great deal of fortitude because change can be very frightening, especially when our security is threatened.  In a world of uncertainty, we take comfort in continuity.  We cling to the familiar.  They serve as our anchor and our shield. 

Sometimes change comes upon us unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. It can be a sudden illness or death. It can be divorce or serious financial problems. Perhaps it is adjusting to the birth of a new child or moving to a new city. In these situations, we are forced to take action and adjust to new circumstances. We have to make quick decisions and we find ourselves unprepared. Some of us just find it it easier to adapt to change better than others.

Sometimes we chose change.  We toss the dice and take a risk.  It may not work out but we feel we have to make the effort or we'll remain in a terrible rut.  Often change is irreversible.  There is no turning back and we have to live with our decision.

Number 16 doesn't pretend to have all the answers to the complexities of life, but here are some thoughts and ruminations about change to give you some perspective.


QUOTATIONS ON CHANGE

The unripe grape, the ripe, and the dried. All things are changes, not into nothing, but into that which is not at present.

- Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 121-180), Roman emperor
From Meditations


Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.

Robert C. Gallagher


After you've done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion.. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over.

- Alfred Edward Perlman
From the New York Times, July 3, 1958


All conservatism is based upon the idea that if you leave things along you leave them as they are. But you do not. If you leave a thing alone you leave it to a torrent of change.

- Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936)
From Orthodoxy [1908]


Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better.

- Richard Hooker, as quoted in the preface of Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language [1755]

There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse . . .it is often a comfort to shift one's position and be bruised in a new place.

- Washington Irving (1783-1859), American writer
From Tales of a Traveller [1824]

All great changes are irksome to the human mind, especially those which are attended with great dangers and uncertain effects.

- John Adams (1735-1826)
Letter to James Warren [April 22, 1776]


When it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change.

- Lucius Cary, Lord Falkland (1610-1643)
English royalist politician, speech, 1641


He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.

- Harold Wilson (1916-1995), British politician


There are three things which the public will always clamour for, sooner or later: namely, novelty, novelty, novelty.

- Thomas Hood (1799-1845), English poet and humorist
Announcement of Comic Annual for 1836 in 'Quote . . .Unquote' newsletter January 2001


Change is inevitable in a progressive country. Change is constant.

- Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), British Tory statesman and novelist:
speech at Edinburgh, October 29, 1867


The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.

- Japanese proverb


- Joanne

The Power of Big Oil

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2011

  

The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun.

- Ralph Nader


Oil is a fossil fuel. It’s dirty and greasy and it pollutes. It’s a non-renewable resource and the world is running short of it. Yet we want it. We crave it. We can’t seem to do without it – or so we are led to believe. After all, it makes some people extremely wealthy. As the old Beverly Hillbillies song goes, oil is black gold. It’s Texas tea.

In the first quarter of 2011 alone, the five major oil companies in the United States (BP, Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Conoco Phillips) together racked up a grand total of $36 billion dollars in profits. On May 12, the chief executives of these companies appeared before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee in Washington. They were there to justify the $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies they’re receiving this year. They fought vigorously against an effort by the Democratic Party to repeal their tax breaks.

Senator Baucus (Democrat, Montana), the chairman of the committee, told the oilmen that given their profits “it’s hard to find evidence that repealing these subsidies would cut domestic production or cause layoffs.” Chevron Corp. Chief Executive John Watson replied, “Don’t punish our industry for doing its job well.” The oil executives contended that they are not to blame for high gas prices. “Stated simply,” said Shell Oil Co. President Marvin E. Odum, “oil is a global commodity.” “With worldwide economic recovery underway, demand is on the rise, sending prices upward.”

Since demand for energy is on the rise, isn’t that all the more reason to find alternate energy sources and to end dependence on both foreign and domestic oil? Furthermore, with the United States facing a high budget deficit, oil companies neither need nor deserve government subsidies. Still, their CEOs came to Washington with cap in hand to declare, “Please sir, I want some more.” If that isn’t chutzpah, I don’t know what is!

Sadly, but not surprisingly, the Democratic bill to end oil subsidies was defeated in the Senate on May 17, 2011.  As expected, votes were cast mostly along party lines with three Democrats and two Republicans crossing sides. The final tally was 52-48. The bill required a 60 vote threshold to pass. If it had been approved, the measure would have removed $20 billion dollars in tax subsidies over the next 10 years and used the savings to pay off the deficit.

Republicans argued that the Big Five would pass any tax increases to consumers at the gas pump and that they would cut jobs.  Every time I hear that argument, I can’t help thinking it’s a form of blackmail or extortion on the part of the oil companies. Why should consumers give in to it? Isn’t there a choice other than being held hostage by greedy CEOs? Are they not putting a gun at our heads?

The latest Gallup Poll in the United States (May 3-6, 2011) reveals that more Americans are concerned about energy costs and supportive of offshore drilling than a year ago. Six in ten adult Americans (60%) favour increasing offshore drilling for oil and gas in U.S. coastal areas, up from 50% in May 2010, according to Gallup’s annual environment survey. Last year’s poll was conducted about one month after the April 2010 oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The worst oil spill in American history is fading from memory. Unfortunately, people tend to forget about birds dripping with oil when they open their wallets to pay for gas at the pump. What’s an environmental disaster compared to the high price of gas in their lives?

Sarah Palin and her Tea Party cohorts continue to shout, “Drill, baby, drill!” and they seem to be making headway. Here in Canada, in the province of Alberta, they love their oil. The tar sands represent prosperity and jobs to most Albertans. That’s why they named a hockey team the Edmonton Oilers.  It's a shame, however, that so many people see a stark either/or choice between the environment and jobs.  Why can't we focus more on creating jobs that do not harm the environment?  Human beings have the ingenuity to do this and it is imperative that we do so.  Our future depends on it.

Even as the price of gas rises steadily, we North Americans continue to drive gas-guzzling SUVs. How many hybrids or electric cars do you see on the road? Not very many, I’d venture to say. Why? Well, one major reason is that they are too expensive for most people. Although hybrids save money on gas in the long run, their initial purchase price is too high. The other reason is that hybrids and electric vehicles are not in the interests of Big Oil. It is so difficult to take on the power, the wealth and the influence of the big oil companies.

Americans wish to reduce their dependence on foreign oil, especially from the Middle East. They talk about finding more domestic oil. Canadians, meanwhile, promote the Alberta tar sands. My question is this: Why aren’t we talking more about safer and cleaner energy alternatives? Just imagine if everyone drove hybrid automobiles or electric ones. The air would be cleaner and we would save money on gas. Right now, it’s only a dream.

THE QUEEN IN IRELAND

On a happier note, there has been an important good news story this week. At the invitation of Irish President Mary McAleese, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Republic of Ireland. It was the first visit of a British monarch since 1911, ten years before Irish independence.

The Queen’s visit to the Republic was, above all, a visit of reconciliation. I must commend President McAleese for having taking the initiative in this situation. I also commend the Queen for reaching out to the Irish. Her visit has received a positive reaction from the Irish press.

Although the royal visit focused on Dublin, it was not restricted to the Irish capital. The Queen spent her last day in Ireland in Cork, a hotbed of Irish nationalism. She left Ireland on a triumphant note.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Elizabeth II visited Croke Park in Dublin, the site of the original Bloody Sunday massacre on November 21, 1920. She also visited famed Guinness brewery in the city, although she declined to taste the brew. Her husband, Prince Philip, reportedly looked longingly at the ale. Do you think he was given orders to refuse it? Nah . . .


RIDDLE ME THIS

How do you fix a tuba?

Answer

With a tuba glue
















Hockey

The Vancouver Canucks have taken a 2-0 lead in their Stanley Cup semi-final series against the San Jose Sharks. The series moves to San Jose tonight for the third game. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m cheering for Vancouver. I’d like to see a Vancouver versus Boston Stanley Cup final.

It is interesting to note that of all of the “Orignial Six” NHL teams, only the Toronto Maple Leafs did not make the playoffs this year. The other five (Chicago, Boston, Montreal and New York Rangers) all made post-season play.

Baseball

After a win against the Tampa Bay Rays, The Toronto Blue Jays begin interleague play today at the former SkyDome against the Houston Astros. The Jays must do better against the National League beginning tonight.

I’m really enjoying the great play of Jose Bautista as he proves he was not just a one-season wonder. I only wish the Jays would make better use of the wonderful asset they have in Bautista. Although Jose slugs those home runs, he does not get many RBIs. I can’t for the life of me understand why he isn’t batting fourth in the line-up.

- Joanne

One Friday the 13th in Barcelona . . .

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2011

Today is Friday the 13th, but I'm not superstitious about it.   In my whole lifetime, I've only experienced one unfortunate incident on Friday the 13th.  So it really hasn't been much different than any other day.  Nevertheless, I'm going to tell you about my one unluckly Friday the 13th. 

My husband and I stood across from a police station in Barcelona on a sunny August day in the summer of 2004. We were two Canadian tourists, unfamiliar with the city, unable to speak Spanish and desperately trying to gain entrance to the police station. It was then that our angel of mercy appeared out of nowhere. At a moment of extreme distress, he came to our rescue.

The previous evening my husband had been robbed of his wallet and passport while riding an escalator in a subway station. As we were constantly reminded, this kind of robbery is not uncommon in Barcelona and we weren’t the first tourists to experience such a crime. That’s very true, of course, but it is of little consolation when you are the victim.

On the night of the robbery, we had enjoyed a wonderful evening on the beach. After a scrumptious dinner there, we had started to make our way to the subway station when we noticed a television displaying the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Olympics in Athens. We just couldn’t resist sitting down in the pub to view the festivities. Consequently, we headed back to the hotel later than we had anticipated. Two young men robbed my husband on the subway escalator and within seconds our dream evening turned into a nightmare.

As soon as possible, we reported the theft to our tour guide. She helped us get in touch with the Canadian consulate and KLM airline. Fortunately, we had both made photocopies of our passports and left them at the hotel. After cancelling credit cards, the only thing remaining was to obtain a robbery report from the police. We soon discovered that the police report was a major obstacle.

Our tour guide assisted us by phone. She was very helpful considering that she lived in a village outside of the city and was not staying at the hotel with us. The one thing she stressed was that the police report was essential if my husband wanted to return home to Toronto. We had already visited two police stations on the night of the robbery and had not succeeded in obtaining a robbery report. Aside from language difficulties, the theft had occurred late in the evening and the police hadn’t shown much empathy for our plight. To them, it was just a routine robbery involving tourists. Given the lateness of the evening, we decided it was of greater urgency to return to the hotel and cancel credit cards.

The next day, our tour guide gave us the location of yet another Barcelona police station and we made our way there. When we arrived, we noticed that the police station also served as a prison. A woman in a booth informed us that we had to phone a number inside the police station in order to be allowed into the building. To our dismay, she would not permit us to use her phone. Instead, she pointed to a pay phone across the street.

We stood on that Barcelona street trying to figure out how to use the pay phone. It really is a frustrating experience to use a payphone in Europe when you don’t speak the language and you are not accustomed to the currency. We didn’t see anything telling us how many Euros we needed to make a call and many of the locals were using phone cards.

As we discussed our predicament and endeavoured to make a phone call, I held back tears of frustration and fear. Still, I was alert enough to notice a man walking by us. My every instinct was to stop him and ask for assistance. There was something about this man, an aura about him. I saw calmness and compassion on in his face. So I quickly asked him if he spoke English. To my relief, he replied in fluent English.

It turned out that he was a native of the Netherlands and that he also spoke Spanish.  For some reason, he though we were from England.  He was very friendly when we informed him that we were Canadians.  He said he remembered how Canadian soldiers had liberated the Dutch in World War II.

We told him of our quandary and he immediately phoned the police for us. He escorted us into the police station and conversed with the police in Spanish, explaining our plight to them. After his conversation with the officers, we were given a number and sent to a waiting room. The helpful Dutchman explained apologetically that he had leave. We thanked him profusely and told him we appreciated what he had done for us.

After the departure of our guardian angel, we waited for over two hours in the waiting room. There was just one person ahead of us. At that point, a woman who had been chattering constantly on her cell phone told us she has left a baby alone at home.  We never found out why the baby was alone because we were unable to converse with her in Spanish.  She pleaded with my husband and me to allow her go ahead of us. How could we refuse?

Not long after we exchanged numbers with the woman, a police officer called out our name. Since our name had been called and not our number, we decided we had better go into the room immediately. We didn’t want to risk losing this opportunity.

Our tour guide had just phoned the police and inquired if we were at the station. The police spoke with her as they examined the photocopy of my husband’s passport. We signed some forms and left the room. The whole process had taken about ten minutes. As we walked out, the woman with the baby at home smiled at us. She was relieved that we hadn’t taken very long and we were relieved to be leaving the station with the police report.

As for the kind-hearted Dutchman, we didn’t even learn the man’s name. Nevertheless, we will be eternally grateful to him because he’s the guy from Holland who helped two befuddled Canadians in their time of need. Without his assistance, it is doubtful that we would have gained entrance to the police station. Wherever he is, I fervently wish him the opportunity to read this expression of our gratitude.


LANGUAGE CORNER

The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekahopia.  The word is derived from Frigga, the Norse goddess for whom Friday was named, and triskaiedkaphobia, meaning fear of the number 13.


ON THIS DAY

Vision at Fatima

On May 13, 1917, three Portuguese children reported seeing the Virgin Mary outside of Fatima, Portugal.  This led to mass pilgrimages to what would become a holy shrine.

Happy Birthday, Stevie Wonder!

On May 13, 1950, singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, Michigan.  His birth name was Steveland Hardaway Judkins.  Stevie was born six weeks premature causing the growth of the blood vessels at the back of his eys to be aborted.  Due to the aborted growth, his retinas became detached.  The medical term for this condition is retinopathy of prematurity or ROP.  In Stevie's case, the condition was probably exacerbated by the oxygen pump into his incubator, resulting in his blindness.  Originally known as "Little Stevie Wonder," he signed with Motown Records at the age of 11. 

Stevie Wonder is 61 years old today.  Happy Birthday, Stevie!


SPORTS

Hockey

Most hockey fans in Canada and the United States are fixated on the NHL playoffs right now.  I'm cheering for the Vancouver Canucks.  I hope they defeat the San Jose Sharks. 

As for the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning, I really don't have any strong feelings about that series.  My only comment is that Steve Yzerman has done a remarkable job with the Lightning.  Kudos to Stevie Y.

While North Americans continue to follow the Stanley Cup playoffs, the 2011 World Hockey Championships are taking place in Slovakia.  Canada has been eliminated from the tournament by the Russians. 

- Joanne

ARCHIE COMICS QUIZ

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011

Calling all fans of Archie Comics! Number 16 has a treat for you today. You are challenged to answer a ten-question quiz on Archie and his friends. First, here’s a little background on your favourite comic book character and his creator.

Red-haired Archie Andrews and his bevy of teenage friends first appeared in Pep Comics in December of 1941. Archie was created by Vic Bloom and Bob Montana. Bob Montana attended high school in Haverhill Massachusetts from 1936 to 1939. His sketchbook of life in Haverhill was the real genesis of the Archie Comics. For example, Pop Tate’s Chocklit Shoppe (the Archie gang’s favourite hangout) was based on real-life locations frequented by teenagers in the 1930s in Montana’s hometown.

Bob Montana launched the Archie newspaper comic strip in 1946 after his return from World II military service. He drew the strip until his passing in 1975.


ARCHIE COMICS QUIZ 


1.  What is the real name of Jughead Jones?

A. Jeffrey J. Jones, Jr.

B. Rudolph William Jones III

C. Forsythe Pendleton Jones III

D. James Randolf Jones

E. Randolph Pennington Jones, Jr.



2. How old is Archie Andrews?

A. 15

B. 16

C. 18

D. 17

E. His exact age has never been given.



3. Archie Andrews wears the letter “R” on his sweater, for Riverdale High. What letter traditionally appears on Jughead’s turtlenecks?

A. “R”

B. “S”

C. “P”

D. “W”

E. “Y”



4. Who are Polly and Chick Cooper?

A. Betty’s cousins

B. Betty’s pets

C. Betty’s parents

D. Betty’s grandparents

E. Betty’s siblings



5. Veronica’s father, Mr. Hiram Lodge, is a wealthy business tycoon. What is the name of his butler?

A. Gregory

B. Bernard

C. Smythe

D. Smithers

E. Stuart



6. Archie really likes cars. What did he call his old red jalopy?

A. Ol’ Betsy

B. Jenny Jalopy

C. Red Rita

D. Ol’ Bessie

E. Ol’ Jean



7. Who or what is Hot Dog?

A. A diner where Archie and the gang hang out

B. Jughead’s dog

C. A disco where Archie and his friends go to dance

D. A poor area in Riverdale

E. A clothing store for Riverdale’s teenagers



8. What subject or subjects does Miss Grundy teach?

A. Science

B. History and/or Geography

C. English and/or Math

D. Music

E. Social Science and/ or Economics



9. What is the occupation of Reggie Mantle’s dad? (This is your bonus question. If you answer it correctly, give yourself an extra mark.)

A. Lawyer

B. Head of a newspaper printing company

C. Owner of an upscale restaurant

D. Psychiatrist

E. Real estate agent



10. Riverdale High’s star athlete, Moose Mason, has a disability.  What is it?

A. He has poor hearing.

B. He has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

C. He has a speech impediment.

D. He has dyslexia.

E. He has a mild form of autism.



ANSWERS:

1. C

Jughead’s real name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III. In the earliest Archie comic strips, however, he was identified as Forsythe Van Jones II.

2. D

After all these years, Archie remains 17 years old.

3. B.

The letter “S” traditionally appears on Jughead’s turtlenecks.  Are you wondering what the "S" stands for?  Well, according to Bob Montana's widow, Peg Bertholet, it is dervived from Jughead's old school, Squirrel Hill Intstitute of Technology.  According to Peg, there was a place in Montana's hometown of Haverhill called Skunk Hill "which Bob turned into Squirrel Hill."  Peg said that "Bob's elementary school near Haverhill called its athletic teams the Tigers..  So Jughead's "S" meant 'Squirrel Hill Independent Tigers,' and you couldn't abbreviate it any other way."

4. E.

Polly and Chick Cooper are Betty Cooper’s siblings. Polly is Betty’s older sister and Chick is her older brother.

5. D.

The name of the Lodge family's bald, portly butler is Hubert Smithers.

6. A

Archie called his jalopy “Ol Betsy.” It was destroyed in a 1983 issue of Life with Archie. In the newer comics, he drives a 1960s Ford Mustang.

7. B

Hot Dog is Jughead’s dog. He is a shaggy mutt and resembles a sheepdog.

8. C.

Miss Grundy teaches English and/or Math. In Life with Archie, a magazine set in an alternate universe than the monthly comics (it follows the grown-up Archie and his friends), Miss Grundy died of cancer. Before her death, she married Riverdale High principal, Mr. Weatherbee. Geraldine Grundy continues to torment her students in the regular Archie series.

9. B

Reggie’s father, Reginald “Ricky” Mantle Jr., is the head of a newspaper printing company.

10. D

Big Moose, whose real name is Marmaduke Mason, has dyslexia. When he copied some instructions from the board incorrectly, a frustrated Miss Grundy removed him from his sports teams. An angry Moose had his eyes examined and was informed that his vision is good, but his brain receives the signals improperly.

- Joanne