Denny McLain: The last 30-game winner

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

When you can do it out there between the white lines, you can live any way you want.

- Denny McLain

Let's enjoy another baseball memory.  Let's return to Tiger Stadium on September 14, 1968.  It was 43 years ago today that Denny McLain won his 30th game of the season for the Detroit Tigers.  There were 44,087 fans in attendance as the 24-year-old right-hander became the first major league pitcher in 34 years to achieve 30 wins.  In the crowd was Dizzy Dean, the man who had accomplished the same feat for the St. Louis Cardinals back in 1934. 

Denny McLain's 30th win was not an easy one.  There was high drama in the Motor City that day as the Detroit Tigers came from behind to defeat the Oakland A's by a score of 5-4.  A game-winning run by Willie Horton in the bottom of the ninth inning sealed the comeback victory for the Tigers.  In the midst of the celebratory mob scene, there was a poignant moment as Dizzy Dean embraced a triumphant McLain.

Denny McLain went on to achieve a remarkable 31 victories that year against only 6 losses.  1968 was truly his dream season.  Unfortunately, it wasn't long after that magical season that everything went downhill for the talented pitcher.  In fact, his life turned into a nightmare and he found himself in prison. 

Nothing, however, can take Denny's 1968 achievements away from him.  McLain had an amazing record that year and he took the baseball world by storm.  In addition to his stellar 31-6 season, he boasted an ERA of 1.96.  He was the league leader in victories, winning percentage (8.38), complete games (28) and innings pitched (336).  Not too shabby, eh?  How many pitchers throw 28 complete games in a season anymore?

The awards amd accolades just kept on coming for Denny McClain in 1968.  He was selected as American League All-Star.  He won the Cy Young Award and he was chosen as the Most Valuable Player in the American League.  His Detroit Tigers went on to win the October Classic and he received a World Series ring. Oh yes, and if that weren't enough, the Associated Press named him male athlete of the year.  At the age of 24, Denny McLean was sitting on top of the world.

Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain was born on March 29, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois.  He attended Mount Carmel High School in Chicago and was initially signed by the Chicago White Sox.  The Detroit Tigers selected him off waivers and he became a major leaguer in 1963 at 19 years old.  In 1965, his breakthrough season, Denny posted a 2.61 ERA and a 16-6 record.  Although it was practically impossible to top his extraordinary 1968 season, McLain continued to excel in 1969.  He won another Cy Young Award which he shared with lefty Mike Cuellar of the Baltimore Orioles.  Both pitchers had 24 wins. 

1970 was the year that everything began to unravel in the life and career of Denny McClain.  In February of that year, Sports Illustrated featured McClain on its cover with the blaring headline "Denny McLain and the Mob: Baseball's Big Scandal."  His problems began to mount after he found himself the subject of an investigation by a Detroit grand jury for possible involvement in gambling activity.  When he admitted to investing in a bookmaking operation, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended him indefinitely on April 1, 1970.  Although the suspension was removed on July 1, 1970, McClain's woes continued as his conduct became quite bizarre.

The Detroit Tigers suspended Denny twice during the 1970 season for incidents such as pouring buckets of water on a couple of Detroit sportswriters and carrying a gun on a commercial airliner.  He only played 14 games that season posting a record of 3 wins, 5 losses and a 4.63 ERA.  During the 1970 World Series, McLain was traded to the Washington Senators, a trade which Bowie Kuhn later described in his autobiography Hardball: The Education of a Baseball Commissioner as "a foolish gamble" on the part of the Senators.

Subsequent events proved Kuhn's assessment of the trade to be quite correct.  Denny spent one season with the Washington Senators and it was a disaster.  He was in continual conflict with manager Ted Williams who had objected to the trade and did not approve of McLain's lifestyle.  Denny was not pleased with Williams either.  In fact, he and four other Washington players formed the "Underminers Club" and dedicated themselves to getting Williams fired.

On the mound, Denny McClain's 1971 season was absolutely miserable.  Plagued by a sore arm, he became incapable of throwing fastballs.  He recorded a whopping 22 losses to go along with his 10 wins.  In two years, Denny had gone from leading the American League in wins to leading it in losses.  Little wonder he was traded to the Oakland A's after the 1971 season for journeyman pitcher Jim Panther and prospect Don Stanhouse.  Stanhouse would go on to have success as a closer for the Baltimore Orioles in the late 1970s.

Denny McClain's major league career came to an end in 1972.  The two-time Cy Young winner was traded to the Atlanta Braves after five unimpressive starts for the Oakland A's.  He made his final appearance in the big leagues on September 12, 1972 against the Cincinnati Reds.  He was sent into a tie game in the ninth inning and allowed three runs without retiring a batter.  How's this for irony?  The last batter McLain faced in his career was Pete Rose who also became embroiled in a huge gambling scandal.

The Atlanta Braves released Denny McLain during spring training in 1973.  After a couple of stints in the minors in Des Moines and Shreveport, Denny decided to retire from baseball.  He was only 29 years old.  It is interesting to note that he came out of retirement to play a season in the Intercounty Baseball League here in Canada.  In 1974, McLain was a pitcher, shortstop, first baseman and catcher for the London Majors at Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario.  Due to his arm problems, he only pitched nine innings for the Majors.

During his post-baseball years, Denny McClain's downslide continued.  In 1985, he was sentenced to 23 year in prison for drug trafficking (cocaine), extortion and racketeering.  He served 30 months before winning an appeal.  His conviction was overturned and he was released.  In the 1980s and early 1990s, between his incarcerations and his rehabilitation programs, McClain made appearances on various radio and television shows in the Detroit area. 

Denny and his family suffered a tragedy on March 20, 1992 when his eldest daughter, Kristin, 26, lost her life in a car accident involving an impaired driver.  She had been living in Florida and was moving back to Michigan when she was killed near the home of her parents.  After his daughter's death, McLain and some partners purchased the Peet Packing Company, a meat packing plant, in the town of Chesaning, Michigan.  The company went bankrupt and in 1996 Denny was convicted on charges of embezzlement, mail fraud and conspiracy in connection with theft from the employee's pension fund.  McLain was jailed for six years although he maintained that he was unaware of the shady dealings.

In 2007, Denny McLain published his autobiography, appropriately titled I Told You I Wasn't Perfect.  The book was co-written by veteran Detroit sportscaster and author Eli Zaret.  Now 67 years old, McLean lives in Pinckney, Michigan with his long-suffering wife Sharon (some sources spell her name Sharyn), the daughter of Hall-of-Fame baseball player, manager and announcer Lou Boudreau.  They couple married on October 5, 1963 and had four children: the late Kristen, Denny Jr., Tim and Michelle.  They divorced in 1998 but later remarried.

Despite his struggles and his personal demons, Denny McClain was a great pitcher.  He had a career record of 131 wins, 2 shutouts and a 3.39 ERA.  He struck out a total of 1,282 hitters.  One can only wonder what he would have achieved without his personal problems and the pain and inflammation of a torn rotator cuff.


DENNY McCLAIN TRIVIA

* Denny plays the organ and the "Denny McLain Quartet" appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1968, accompanied on the guitar by fellow pitcher and Word Series opponent Bob Gibson.

* Denny wore #34 during his first two seasons with the Detroit Tigers in 1963 and 1964.  During the remainder of his time with the Tigers, from 1965 until 1970, he wore #17.  He also wore #17 with the Washington Senators in 1971 and the Oakland Athletics in 1972.  During his brief stint with the Atlanta Braves in 1972, he wore #30.

- Joanne

The Infamous Edwin Alonzo Boyd

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

Edwin Alonzo Boyd was born in Toronto on April 2, 1914.  Four months after his birth, World War I broke out in Europe.  Ed's father, Glover Boyd,.was an electrician and was employed by Eaton's department store.  Glover joined the army in the summer of 1915 and served overseas during the earliest years of his son's childhood. When he returned home in 1919, he worked as a lumberer in the Muskoka woods.

In 1920, a second son, Gordon, was born to the Boyds and Glover decided to search for work closer to his family in Toronto.  Accordingly, he answered a recruiting ad and was accepted as a police constable with the Toronto Police Department.  Glover Boyd was to remain with the force for a quarter of a century.

Two more children followed Gordon, a son named Norman and a daughter, Irene.  Gord and Norm contracted scarlet fever in early 1930 and the family was quarantined.  In March of that year, Ed's mother, Eleanor, died of the disease. Ed was only 15 years old when she passed away.  After her death, he dropped out of school and left home.  As a youth, he drifted across Canada and had some minor run-ins with the law during the Depression years of the 1930s. At the age of 22, he served time at Prince Albert Penitentiary in Saskatchewan for robbing a gas station.

During World War II, Boyd joined the Canadian Army as an infantryman. While overseas, he married Doreen Mary Frances Thompson and the couple had three children.  After the war, he returned to Toronto with his British war bride and found employment as a streetcar driver. Unhappy and bored with his job, this son of a police officer turned to crime.

Boyd with Doreen and children

It will be exactly 62 years ago tomorrow, on September 9, 1949, that Edwin Alonzo Boyd committed his first bank robbery.  Operating as a lone bandit and wearing a disguise, a drunken Boyd robbed a branch of the Bank of Montreal in Toronto.  Armed with a pistol (a Luger he had taken from a dead German soldier in France), the inebriated thief escaped with $3,000, a princely sum in those days.  Acting alone and with the help of accomplices, he committed six more robberies before being captured and imprisoned in Toronto's Don Jail.

Boyd's mugshots.  He was described as 37 years old, 5'7 3/8 ", slim build, black hair (grey), blue eyes 

It was in the Don Jail that Boyd met Leonard "Tough Lennie" Jackson and Willie "The Clown" Jackson (not related) who were to become his partners in further criminal activity.  Lennie Jackson, an ex-hairdresser from Niagara Falls, had an artificial foot (he lost his foot in a railway accident) and the three men escaped from prison on November 4, 1951 by concealing hacksaw blades in Jackson's prosthetic device.  The trio of  convicts used the blades to saw through the bars on an outside window.

After their escape, a fourth man joined the band of thieves.  His name was Valent Lesso (alias Steve Suchan).  The group committed four more robberies in four months and was dubbed "The Boyd Gang" by the press.  Although "Tough Lennie" Jackson was the real leader, it was Edwin Alonzo Boyd who was better looking and more charismatic.

The Boyd Gang engaged in further bank robberies and on March 6, 1952, two of the gang members, Steve Suchan and Lennie Jackson, shot and killed police detective Edmund Tong, a crime for which they would later hang.  They and Boyd were soon apprehended, but escaped from the Don Jail a second time on the night of September 7, 1952.  Once again, they used hacksaw blades hidden in Lennie Jackson's wooden foot along with a cell key they had created from the palm print of the original. 

The exploits of the Boyd Gang made sensational front page headlines.  On September 8, 1952, their escape was also detailed by anchorman Lorne Greene (of Bonanza fame) on the first news telecast of the new CBC television network.  Ten days later, some men were seen at a barn in the Don Valley, about 24 km. (15 miles from the prison) and the Boyd gang, except for Boyd himself, was captured there without incident. 

Edwin Alonzo was later found at the rented flat of his brother Norman.  Police had kept the flat under surveillance and obtained a key to the back door from the owner.  They watched from a neighbour's home as Boyd moved into the flat.  At the break of dawn, they entered the house and captured Boyd and his wife while they were still sleeping in bed.  Norman, who was sleeping in another room, was also apprehended by police. 

The Toronto Nugget reported that "Edwin Alonzo Boyd, Canada's Public Enemy Number One, surrendered meekly with his henchmen to two suburban detectives, ending the greatest criminal man hunt in the Dominion's history."

In 1952, Edwin Alonzo Boyd Boyd was given eight life sentences while Willie Jackson received a thirty year sentence foe his crimes.  Both men served their time in Ontario's Kingston Penitentiary and both were released in 1966.  On December 16, 1952, the last rites were administered to Steve Suchan and Lennie Jackson.  Nor long after midnight on the morning of December 17th, they were executed, hanged back to back.

Boyd was originally paroled in 1962 after spending 10 years in prison, but was returned for four more years due to parole violations.  After serving 14 years, the notorious bank robber was released on lifetime parole.  He then moved near Victoria, British Columbia where he lived under an assumed identity and drove a bus for disabled people.  He remarried and devoted himself to the care of his disabled wife, Marjorie, whom he had met on the bus.  Edwin Alonzo Boyd died in British Columbia on May 17, 2002 at the age of 88.

END NOTES

* Edwin Alonzo Boyd was the subject of an episode of the CBC biographical series Life and Times.  Boyd's biography contains interviews with the notorious bank robber himself during the months just prior to his death.  His  ex-wife, his daughter and his adopted son also speak out on the program.  During the interviews, Boyd, the man known as the "Gentleman Bank Robber" chillingly confesses that he "did a few things that could have got me hung."

* I have obtained some of the information in this piece from a book entitled Edwin Alonzo Boyd: The Story of the Notorious Boyd Gang by Brian Vallee.  I recommend the book to those who want to read further about Edwin Alonzo Boyd and the Boyd gang.


- Joanne

Where do people live the longest? Reflections on age and longevity

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

We turn not older with years, but newer every day.

- Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), American poet
From an 1874 letter

Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world according to a recent study conducted by the department of Global Health Policy at the University of Tokyo.  The results of the study appeared in Lancet, the highly respected British medical journal.  Several factors, such as an increase in female literacy in the ealy 20th century, were cited as reasons for the improvement in child survival rates.

The report found that a Japanese child born within the last few years will live to an average of 86 years of age.  It attributed this longevity to several factors including universal health care, better education and a healthy lifestyle.  It credited government investment in public health during the 1950s and 1960s with lowering mortality rates for infectious diseases among children and adolescents. 

The study also be noted that having certain drugs covered under health insurance lessened the number of deaths due to strokes, one of the major reasons for the continual increase in Japanese longevity after the mid-1960s.

Government investment in health care and education leads to beneficial results.  The results of this report should be required reading for those who want to cut and slash education spending and oppose public health care.


REFLECTIONS ON AGE

Rowan Atkinson, the British comedian who is best known for his portrayal of the bumbling Mr. Bean, announced that he is too old to play the character anymore.  Atkinson, who is 56 years old, said in an interview in Australia that he has a feeling that he probably won't play the part of Mr. Bean again.  "Never say never," he remarked, "but I just feel I'm getting too old for it.  I've always liked Mr. Bean as a cartoon-like figure, who doesn't really age much."  He added that he's always seen Mr. Bean as "an ageless and timeless being and I'm clearly not ageless and timeless."

As a fan of Rowan Atkinson and his Mr. Bean persona, it saddens me that he may never play that role again.  Yet, I realize he can't portray the Bean character forever.  The problem lies in determining how long an actor or athlete should continue performing.  Should they, as the poet Dylan Thomas put it, "rage against the dying of the light" of should they, as Kenny Rogers sang, "know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away?"

Many athletes continue way past their "best before" date  because they love their sport and they enjoy competition.  Even when they are past their prime, they still have a desire to compete.  Some are willing to adjust and make changes, if possible, to extend their careers.  In baseball, older pitchers become knuckleballers or closers.  Older position players assume the role of designated hitter. 

Who has the right to tell star athletes how and when to retire?  I know that If I were an athlete, I'd want to finish my career in the same manner as baseball great Ted Williams.  Williams went out in a blaze of glory by hitting a home run in his final at-bat on September 28, 1960.  How's that for a grand finale?

Hockey's Lanny McDonald also ended his career in glory.  The Alberta native is considered a local hero in Calgary for leading the Calgary Flames to their one and only championship in 1989.  McDonald retired after hoisting the Stanley Cup and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Entertainers can have much longer careers than athletes.  Singer Tony Bennett, born August 3, 1926, is still performing at the age of 85.   Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones is still strutting on stage at 68.  Jagger, who was born on July 26, 1943, once famously remarked, "I'd rather be dead than singing 'Satisfaction' when I'm forty-five."  You certainly changed your mind about that, didn't you, Mick?

Paul McCartney and the late John Lennon composed a song that asked "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm Sixty-four?"  McCartney, born June 18, 1942, is now 69 years old.  In October of 2006, not long after he turned 64, the former Beatle remarked, "In one old people's home they changed the words of the song to 'When I'm 84' as they considered 64 to be young.  I might do that."


Some of the most prominent world leaders are septuagenarians and octogenarians.  Here is a list of them:

Queen Elizabeth II (85 years old, born April 21, 1926)

Pope Benedict XVI  (84 years old, born April 16, 1927)

The 14th Dalai Lama (76 years old, born July 6. 1935)

Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India (78 years old, born September 26, 1932)

Raul Castro, President of Cuba (80 years old, born June 3, 1931)

Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe (87 years old, born February 21, 1924)

King Abdulla of Saudi Arabia (born 1924)


Here are some great quotations on the subject of age:

The man who works and is not bored is never old.

- Pablo Casals (1876-1973) Spanish musician and composer


It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

- Spoken by Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark (screenplay by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman)


Every man desires to live long; but no man would be old.

- Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
From Thoughts on Various Subjects (1727 edition)


The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
From The Picture of Dorian Grey [1891]


So much about age is relative.  Swiss tennis champion Roger Federer recently turned 30.  He was born August 8, 1981.  In the sport of tennis, Federe is a greybeard, a grizzled veteran.  There is always some up-and-coming 17-year-old ready to challenge.  If, however, Federer were a 30-year-old politician, he'd be considered a greenhorn, too young to be a national leader.

- Joanne

The NHL failed to protect Sidney Crosby

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

Sidney Crosby is a mere 24 years old, but it seems as if he has played in the NHL for ages.  Sid the Kid was born August 7, 1987 (that's why he wears number 87 on his sweater) in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  and grew up in nearby Cole Harbour. 

Crosby has achieved much in the sport of hockey and as an athlete.  He already has a Stanley Cup ring and an Olympic gold medal.  Since he launched his NHL career at the age of 18 in 2005, The Kid has scored 215 goals in 412 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Sid was awarded the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Trophy for 2006-07 and was named captain of the Penguins on May 31, 2007.  He became the youngest team captain in NHL history at 19 years, 9 months.  When he led the Penguins to a  Stanley Cup victory in 2009, Crosby earned the distinction of being the youngest captain ever to win the championship.  He was just 21 years old when he hoisted hockey's holy grail.

In comparison, Bobby Orr was 22 when he won a Stanley Cup ring with the Boston Bruins in 1970.  Wayne Gretzky was an old man of 23 when he won his first Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984.  The Great One was captain of the Oilers when they won their first championship and his playing days lasted much longer than Orr's.

Bobby Orr was just 30 years old in 1978 when he was forced to relinquish his hockey career.  Due to repeated injuries to his left knee, Orr was unable to continue.  Bobby played six games of the 1978-79 season for the Chicago Black Hawks before informing them he was no longer fit to play.

Wayne Gretzky retired from the game in 1999.   He was 38 years old when he played his final NHL game in a New York Rangers uniform at Madison Square Garden.  Gretzky told sports journalist Scott Morrison that his last game in New York was "my greatest day in hockey."  He said, "Everything about the sport of hockey as a kid, driving to practice with mom (Phyllis) and dad (Walter), driving to the game with mom and dad, looking at the stands and seeing your mom and dad and your friends, that all came together in that last game in New York."

At the age of 24, Sidney Crosby is now at a crossroads in his life and in his career.  In February of 2010 he thrilled Canadians by scoring the winning goal in the gold medal game between Team Canada and Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  There was great celebration across the land as the pride of Cole Harbour led his country to Olympic gold.  On New Year's Day 2011, however, Sidney was hit by David Steckel of the Washington Capitals during the second period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor game at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field.  He left the ice in severe pain.

To watch a video of Steckel's blindside hit on Sidney Crosby, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8cQxJvgeJA

Sidney participated in Pittsburgh's next game on January 5, 2011, but again left the ice after his head was pounded into the boards following a hit by the Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman.  He has not played a game since and has suffered from post-concussion syndrome. 

Perhaps Sidney Crosby has achieved too much too soon.  If he were never to play another NHL game, what would he miss out on?  He already has a Stanley Cup ring and an Olympic gold medal?  He's financially set for life.  Athletes, however, do not think that way.  They continually set new goals for themselves and they want to compete.  Their competitive nature is such that they will place their health in jeopardy.

Sidney Crosby has said that he wants to return to the ice.  His agent, Pat Brisson of CAA Sports, has adamantly denied speculation that Croby has suffered a setback in his recovery.  Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero has told reporters that Sidney "has progressed really well this summer" and that the centre is expected to return to Pittsburgh for evaluation prior to the opening of the team's training camp on September 17th.  It remains uncertain, however, whether Sid will be in the lineup when the Penguins open their regular season in Vancouver on Oct. 6th.

The harsh truth is that Sidney Crosby will probably never be the same again.  He will always fear getting hit and experiencing another concussion.  I am certain, though, that he will make every attempt to resume his career even though it will be impossible to dismiss what has happened.  It would be wiser for Sidney to retire now, but he won't do it.  His heart won't let him because his heart is in the game.  It is also true that the NHL has too much invested in the young man to just let him walk away from professional hockey too easily.  He is one of the league's premiere players, a bona fide star.  Yet, the NHL has not done enough to protect the Sidney Crosby's of the game. 

David Steckel did not receive a penalty or a suspension for his blindside hit on Sidney Crosby.  Why not?  As Crosby himself said, "I know it's a fast game and I think everybody understands it's a fast game - I've been hit a thousand times - but when you get hit like that there's nothing you can do.  Those are things that hopefully (the NHL) pays more attention to.  It's easy to say that being in this situation, but those two hits - looking back I can't say I should have done something different or had my head down.  I wouldn't change anything."

The NHL will only have itself to blame if Sidney Crosby's career is cut short or if he suffers another concussion.  It should have imposed very severe penalties on blindside hits a long time ago.  Perhaps if it had, Steckel would have thought twice before blindsiding Sidney Crosby.  For shame, NHL!

- Joanne

Hurricane Irene: Another natural disaster is no coincidence. It's climate change!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2011

As I write this, Hurricane Irene is wreaking its havoc.  Here in Toronto, we are not in the path of this terrible storm.  We will escape Irene's wrath.  For that, I am eternally thankful.  Others, however, will not be as fortunate.  They will not escape the ire of Irene.  Sadly, many have already felt the impact this natural nightmare.  They have fallen victim to its voracious appetite for destruction.

Irene is yet another disaster in a record disaster year.  According to an article by Stephanie Pappas on the website LiveScience.com, the hurricane is poised to be the 10th billion dollar disaster of 2011, breaking 2008's dubious distinction of having a record number of billion-dollar disasters in a year. 

In March of this year, Japan experienced the most powerful earthquake in its history.  Its recovery from that disaster will take years.  There is also a  humanitarian crisis in Eastern Africa of immense proportion.  Millions are in danger of starvation due to drought, particularly in Somalia. 

According to a report realeased by the National Climatic Data Center (August 2011, prior to Hurricane Irene), damage from national disasters in the United States surpassed $35 billion this year.  While it is certainly true that populations have increased and property damage has become more costly, it is also true that the disasters have become more severe and more frequent.

Here in Canada, my own province of Ontario was recently hit by a tornado.  On the afternoon of August 21, 2011, a devastating storm touched down on the beautiful town of Goderich on the eastern shore of Lake Huron.  A 61-year-old man was killed and 37 others were injured.  Power lines fell and roofs were torn off houses.  Century old trees were uprooted instantly. 

Along with summer floods and tornadoes, this year has been chalk full of natural disasters.  The impact on human lives and the economic costs are staggering.  The world has been reeling from one crisis to another.  The reason is climate change.  The evidence is mounting.  Climate change deniers refuse to believe it.  They don't want to believe it.  Perhaps, now that a hurricane has closed down New York City, the economic heart of America, maybe they'll think twice.  It's starting to hit close to home - right in their own wallets.  Unfortunately, it will take much more than the disastrous events of 2011 for those diehards  to see the light. 

- Joanne

Houdini's Amazing Stunt

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2011

No prison can hold me; no hand or leg irons or steel locks can shackle me.  No ropes or chains can keep me from my freedom.

- Harry Houdini

On this day, 104 years ago, the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini performed one of his most amazing stunts.  It happened on August 26, 1907 at San Francisco's Aquatic Park.  With his hands handcuffed behind his back and with over 75 pounds of ball and chain locked to his body, the great illusionist plunged into San Francisco Bay.  He escaped from his shackles in 57 seconds.

The following words about Houdini appeared in the San Francisco Examiner on August 26, 1907.  They were written by Ashton Stevens.

Everybody will tell you how he does the trick, but no two bodies will tell you the same way.  He is as mysterious as salad, and yet, apparently, as ingenious as a detective. 


NUMBER 16 HOUDINI FACTS AND TRIVIA

* Harry Houdini died on Halloween.  He passed away on October 31, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan.  His appendix had burst and he died from peritonitis, an inflammations of the appendix.

*  Houdini claimed to have been born in Appleton, Wisconsin.  He was actually born in Budapest, Hungary and immigrated to the United States as a child.

*  Houdini was Jewish, the son of Rabbi Mayer Weisz. 

*  When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Houdini tried to enlist in the army but was rejected because he was 43 years old.

*  Harry and his wife, Bess, did not have any children.  They married in 1894 and Bess became his  stage assistant.  She died in California in 1943 at the age of 67.



Houdini and Bess


*  Houdini was diminutive.  Most biographers estimate his height to have been only 5 ft. 5 inches.



ON THIS DAY IN 1920 THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION BECAME LAW GIVING WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN NATIONAL
 ELECTIONS

THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex. 

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

American women fought long and hard for the right to vote.  So did Canadian women.  Here in Canada, women were given the right to vote in federal elections when An Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women was made law by the Canadian Parliament on May 24, 1918.  The law came into effect on January 1, 1919.

In the U.S., the House of Representatives passed the Nineteenth Amendment on May 21, 1919.  Two weeks later, the Senate followed suit.  Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1919, signifying the agreement of 3/4 of the states.  It became official when Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920 - exactly 91 years ago.

U.S. President Barack Obama declared August 26 "Women's Equality Day" in a proclamation issued by the White House yesterday.  In his declaration, Obama said, "I call upon the people of the United States to celebrate the achievements of women and recommit ourselves to the goal of gender equality in this country."  Obama said the Nineteenth Amendment "tore down the last formal barrier to women's enfranchisement in our Nation and empowered America's women to have their voices heard in the halls of power."

According to a statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, women now represent one in four state legislators, 17 members of the 100-member U.S. Senate, three of the nine justices on the American Supreme Court, 74 generals in the armed forces and 7 cabinet positions in the Obama Administration.

- Joanne

We will miss you, Jack Layton

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2011

I woke up to the sad news yesterday that Jack Layton had died at the age of 61.  His passing was a great loss to Canada.  Whether one agreed with his politics or not, the man was inspiring.  Even his fiercest political critics had a grudging respect for his sincerity and his dedication.

In the last election campaign, although stricken with prostate cancer and a broken hip, he displayed a feistiness and a determination that earned him much admiration.  Smiling Jack connected with the Canadian people and he seemed more energetic than his healthier adversaries. 

Elections campaigns are gruelling, even for the fittest of candidates.  Layton must have been in incredible pain.  Yet he soldiered on, waving his cane, and appeared to gain energy as the campaign progressed.

Jack's campaign style paid dividends.  An orange NDP wave swept through the province of Quebec and the party rode that tide to an unprecedented number of seats throughout the country.  When the votes were counted on May 2, 2011, Layton found himself the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.  He and his party were perfectly positioned to form a future government.

Not long after Jack's greatest political triumph, he was diagnosed with a new and virulent form of cancer.  Canadians were shocked by his gaunt and sickly appearance as he informed them of the devastating news.  The fighting spirit was still there, but the gravity of his illness was quite evident.

Now Jack Layton is gone and we'll never know what he could have accomplished as Opposition Leader.  He had his cake, but he never had the opportunity to eat it.  With Jack's absence, the Canadian political landscape is oddly bereft and littered with question marks.

In 2009, I saw Jack and his wife, Olivia Chow, at a fundraising gala for an organization called Toronto ALPHA (Association for Learning and Preserving the History of World War II in Asia).  Toronto ALPHA was founded by Dr. Joseph Wong and its goal is to promote peace and reconciliation through knowledge of historical truths.

At the gala, Jack and Olivia presided over an auction to raise money for ALPHA.  I was impressed by the duo's enthusiasm and their tenacity as they attempted to auction items to help the cause.  They were utterly determined to get the highest bids possible.  Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to speak to either one of them that night.

It's difficult to imagine Olivia without Jack.  They were such a team and they always seemed to be having fun.  They looked so genuinely happy together.

The last months of Jack Layton's life can only be described as a profile in courage. He set an example for all citizens, especially those battling cancer. In his final poignant letter to Canadians, he wrote: "To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don't be discouraged that my own journey has not gone as well as I had hoped.  Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease.  You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future."

Rest in Peace, Smiling Jack.


PALINDROME TUESDAY

Palindrome: A word, phrase, number. verse, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward.

Here is the usual list of ten palindromes for a Tuesday.

1.  Anne, I vote more cars race Rome to Vienna.

2.  Some men interpret nine memos.

3.  Dee saw a seed.

4.  Del saw a sled.

5.  Feeble Tom's motel beef.

6.  Yawn a more Roman way!

7.  Rise to vote, sir.

8.  Otto made Ned a motto.

9.  Pets never even step.

10.  Ma is as selfless as I am.


- Joanne

Enchanting Prince Edward Island and Cavendish Beach

MONDAY,  AUGUST 22, 2011

I have just returned from a visit to the Maritimes.  In Prince Edward Island, my husband and I stayed at a cottage in Cavendish.  Although I've been to P.E.I. before, I never stop tiring of its natural beauty.  More and more, I realize why Lucy Maud Montgomery was so enamoured of her island home.

Cavendish Beach enchanted me with its red sandstone cliffs.  Here are some photos I took of the beach on a delightfully sunny day.  We were fortunate to enjoy such ideal weather during our visit.  We were told that it was the first week of really good weather they had had all summer.

 

Below are some other pictures taken in the Cavendish area.  They illustrate the lush greenness of the island.

We visited Prince Edward Island National Park where the Anne of Green Gables house is located.  Below are some photos of Lucy Maud Montgomery beloved Balsam Hollow Trail and Haunted Wood Trail.



Haunted Wood Trail





- Joanne 

Halifax Harbour on a Sunday afternoon

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

Sunday was bright and sunny in Nova Scotia's capital city.  It was the perfect time for two tourists from Toronto to take a leisurely stroll around Halifax Harbour.  There was plenty activity, including a busker's festival.  Unfortunately, my husband and I arrived just as the jugglers and others were finishing up for the day.

We passed the afternoon gazing at the sailboats, snapping photographs and sipping lemonade.  We also had a lengthy discussion with a native Newfoundlander.  The man was sitting alone and we struck up a conversation with him.  It seems he now lives in Manitoba and is quite excited about the return of the Winnipeg Jets.  In fact, he was wearing a cap with the Jets' new logo.  Yet, during the course of the conversation, it became evident that Newfoundland is still in his soul.

Here are some photos of Halifax Harbour that I would like to share with you.  I hope you enjoy them.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of this fiddler.



Jugglers packing up



We are now at a cottage in P.E.I., the gentle island.  We are staying in the Cavendish area, right in the heart of Anne of Green Gables country.  It is so peaceful and enchanting here in Canada's smallest province.  Prince Edward Island has a population of about 142,000 people whereas my home province of Ontario is home to over 13 million.  I will report to you again as soon as I have the opportunity.


- Joanne

Why this Torontonian loves Maritime Canada

SUNDAY, AUGUST  14, 2011

Consider this my paeon of praise to the Maritimes, a .love letter to Maritime Canadians m someone who has lived in Toronto her entire life.  I have only one direct link to the Maritimes.  My uncle married a wonderful woman from Cape Breton Islnad.

Thank you Nova Scotia for Sidney Crosby of Cole Harbour and Anne Muuay of Springhill.  Thank you for The Blue Nose and Peggy's Cove.  Thank you for the Cabot Trail, a taste of the Scottish Highlands in Canada. 

Thank you Prince Edward Island for Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables and P.E.I. potatoes.  Thank you for being the Cradle of Confederation where the idea of a country called Canada was conceived at the Charlottetown Conference of 1864.

Thank you New Brunswick foe your Acadian heritage and culture.  Thank for the famed Reversing Falls and Magnetic Hill.

Oh yes, thanks Maritimers, for your seafood, especially the clam chowder.

I am writing this from the beautiful city of Halifax, Nova Scotia where my husband and I are vacationing this week.  I will keep you posted in the days ahead and I will share pictures with you.  We are leaving for Prince Edward Island tomorrow.

- Joanne

Why the comics are good for you

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2011

As a lifelong comics aficionado, I can attest to the sheer joy of reading cartoons.  When I pick up the newspaper, I quickly turn to the comics page.  I need my comics fix before I tackle the hard news.  During the worst of times, the comics are guaranteed to boost my morale.  Pure fun and harmless escapism is what they offer.  At the very least, they provide a gentle release from the fast pace and the stress of life in the 21st century. 

Since the first successful comic strip, Mutt and Jeff, appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle over a century ago, comics have delighted newspaper readers and made their day a little bit brighter.  Back in November of 1907, Chronicle cartoonist, Bud Fisher, began drawing a daily comic strip titled "Mr. Mutt."  Mutt was tall and gangly and he enjoyed playing the horses.  It wasn't long before Fisher created another character whom he named Mr. Jeff.  Jeff was a diminutive man who wore a top hat and resembled a dishevelled Monopoly Man.

Bud Fisher turned Mutt and Jeff over to another cartoonist named Al Smith in 1932 and Smith drew the strip until two years before it ceased production in 1982.  Although it isn't popular expression anymore, "Mutt and Jeff" is a term used to describe a couple consisting of a tall and a short person: eg. "The Mutt and Jeff duo have been together for ten years."



Mutt and Jeff


Another expression inspired by a cartoon strip character is a Dagwood Sandwich.  The term originates from the popular long-running cartoon Blondie.  Blondie's husband, Dagwood Bumstead, has a penchant for making huge multi-layered sandwiches with a wide assortment of fillings.  By the way, Blondie was created by American cartoonist Chic Young and first appeared in newspapers on September 8, 1930.  Chic Young drew Blondie until his passing in 1973 after which his son, Dean Young, took over control of the strip.  Dean continues to write Blondie and has collaborated with a number of artists over the years in drawing the strip.

A Dagwood Sandwich

Comics cannot be simply dismissed as mindless entertainment for the masses or bubblegum for the soul. Bill Watterson, author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, put it best when he said, "True, comics are popular art, and yes, I believe their primary obligation is to entertain, but comics go beyond that, and when they do, they move from silliness to significance."

Many immigrants have learned English by reading the funnies and comics have also served as an educational tool for generations of children.  Some cartoonists use their strips as a forum to promote an opinion.  For biting political and social commentary, look no further than Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury.  Doonesbury is so controversial that some newspapers have run it on their opinion pages and, over the years, it has provided a daily chronicle of American politics with its brand of satiric humour.

Some people enjoy comics because there is a certain comfort and a feeling of security about following the adventures and escapades of the same character for years.  Fans really care about their favourite characters and become engrossed in their follies and foibles.  With the notable exception of Canadian cartoonist Lynn Johnson's For Better or For Worse, most comic strip characters remain the same in age and appearance - although some character have undergone an update in hairstyle and clothing over the years. 

After almost 111 years in the same comic strip, Blondie's fair tresses have not turned grey.  Dagwood still sports the same unruly haircut and Mr. Dithers is still his boss.  Elmo the paperboy has never grown up.  Neither have the children in the comic strip Family Circus, although their mother's hair has been given a more modern style.

Lynn Johnson took a different approach to her comic strip.  She aged the characters For Better or For Worse in real time.  Johnston, a woman in a male-dominated field, has enjoyed unprecedented success  as female cartoonist.  For Better or For Worse began in 1979 and fans followed the adventures of the Patterson children - Michael, Elizabeth and April - as they grew into adulthood.  There were even deaths in that comic strip.  The family dog, Farley, died heroically after saving April from drowning and the childrens' maternal grandmother passed away. 

For Better or For Worse was supposed to end its run on August 31, 2008.  Lynn Johnston, however, announced that instead, she would take the story back almost 30 years to almost its beginning.  The strip would continue with a combination of repeats and new material.

Whatever your age, whatever your economic status, you can enjoy the comics. They are easily accessible to all, not just to an elite.  Devotees are passionate about their favourite cartoons.  They begin their morning by savouring the comics along with their breakfast.  Reading the comics is an integral part of their day and it brings them unconditional happiness. 

Comics are affordable and they're not detrimental to your health.  They put a genuine smile on your face and unlike junk food, they are non-fattening and cholesterol free.  For the price of a newspaper or a click on the Internet, they're all yours to enjoy.

I have to admit that I prefer my comics in the traditional newspaper format, although it is difficult to reach a younger generation that way.  In an effort to reach a wider audience, therefore, comic book distributors have made it possible to view comics on mobile devices, tablets and various electronic gizmos.  You can order screen savers and comic strips to view at your leisure, but no matter how and where you read them, comics remain one of life's non-guilty pleasures.  So here's to the funnies!  If you have children, encourage them to read the comics.  Just don't tell them it's good for them.


RIDDLE ME THIS

Why wasn't Jack hired to work in the delicatessen?

Answer:

Because he couldn't cut the mustard


SPORTS

Baseball

Congratulations to third baseman Brett Lawrie for blasting his first career grand slam last night here in Toronto.  Lawrie's grand salami let the Blue Jays to an 8-4 victory over the Oakland A's.  The 21-year-old Canadian has not been in the majors long, but has certainly wowed Blue Jays fans.  Boy, was the kid happy!  He was so elated that he could hardly contain himself.  It was great to see and if he remains healthy, he could have a stellar career ahead of him.

Horse Racing

My congratulations also to jockey Luis Contreras.  The 25-year-old native of Mexico is wowing fans at Woodbine Racetrack here in Toronto.  Last Sunday (August 10), he rode six horses to victory on a 10-race card.  One of those wins occurred in the third and final jewel of Canada's Triple Crown, the Breeders' Stakes.  Pender Harbour, with Contreras aboard, won the race by a nose.

With that victory, Luis Contreras made Canadian thoroughbred racing history.  He became the first jockey to win all three Canadian Triple Crown events with two horses.  Contreras guided Inglorious to victory in the Queen's Plate on June 26th.  Inglorious did not race in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, which Pender Harbour won with Contreras in the saddle.

- Joanne

Happy Birthday, Barack Obama! I hope you're re-elected in 2012

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2011

U.S, President Barack Obama turns 50 years old today.  He was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii.  That's right, HONOLULU, HAWAII - not anywhere else.  I hope that ridiculous "birther" dispute has come to a merciful end, but I doubt that radical conservatives will ever let it rest.  They will never accept Hawaii as the President's birthplace. 

Thank goodness that Obama is President of the United States and not some Tea Party Republican.  If Dwight Eisenhower were alive today, he would weep for his party.  Ike would be appalled that the Grand Old Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln, has been hijacked by a movement of far-right, uncompromising, xenophobic neo-conservatives.  This Tea Party faction has eschewed Eisenhower's moderate approach and has replaced it with an attitude of utter intransigence, particularly on matters of taxation.

President Obama did not cause the recession and he did not cause the debt crisis.  Nevertheless, he is being blamed for the woeful state of America's economy and its large deficit.  Why?  Is Obama responsible for the damage caused by hedge funds and subprime mortgages?  How is the the large deficit his fault when he merely inherited it from his predecessor?  When George W. Bush came to office in 2001, he was left a surplus by Bill Clinton.  Bush went on to spend trillions on tax cuts and wars.  Isn't it funny how some conservatives preach fiscal restraint and then spend like drunken sailors.

Barack Obama has been in office for less than three years.  The Great Recession began in 2008 - before he was sworn in as President.  Less than three years haves passed since his inauguration.  Nobody expected Franklin Roosevelt to dig U.S. out of the Great Depression in less than three years.

I realize that many on the left are disappointed in the President.  They do not think he has been progressive enough even though the Republicans (especially those of the Tea Party persuasion) are breathing down his neck.  The United States has a system of checks and balances and the President cannot do as he pleases.  He has to answer to the Republicans because they control the House of Representatives.

Having said that, I am not an uncritical admirer of the President.  In many ways he has been disappointing.  He came into office with high hopes and high expectations.  He himself fueled that hope.  He based his presidential campaign on it even though no one could have lived up to those lofty expectations.  At times I wish he'd be more forceful, more firm about standing up for his beliefs.  I certainly believe in compromise, but I think that Obama at times can be compromising to a fault. 

Certainly he is under enormous pressure and he has one of the most stressful jobs in the world.  Sometimes he has no choice but to sacrifice some of  what he would like to achieve in order to accomplish anything at all.  I just wish he would deliver more.

The Republican right sees Obama as some kind of rabid socialist, the great American Castro.  That view of the President is so ludicrous that's it's laughable.  The President supports tax increases for the wealthiest Americans and the Tea Party regards him a flaming communist!  Just because the mildly liberal Obama doesn't regard government as a dirty word, doesn't make him  Chairman Mao or Stalin. 

Those furthest on the left feel that Obama has completely sold out to the interests of big business.  To them, he has utterly failed to meet their progressive agenda.  They are not happy with his health care legislation and believe that it has been too watered down.  More moderate liberals contend that the Presdident did well to even get a health insurance program in place.  The Republicans sneer and vow to dismantle what they call "Obamacare."

While the Amrerican economy continues to struggle, here in Canada, our economy has been doing well in comparison to other countries.  Our financial institutions are better regulated and our Conservative government has actually implemented a stimulus plan.  I have heard commentators on U.S. television say that the fragile American economy proves that Obama's stimulus program hasn't worked.  Did they ever stop to think that the U.S. economy would be worse off and unemployment even higher if there hadn't been a stimulus program?

When I look at the most prominent world leaders, I can't name one who is preferable to the dignified Barack Obama?  Who is better?  Nicolas Sarkozy of France?  Germay's Angela Merkel?  British Prime Minister David Cameron?  Italy's scandal-ridden Silvio Berlusconi?  Russia's macho-man, Vladimir Putin (he really runs the show there, not President Dmitry Medvedev?  Canada's own Stephen Harper?

This being a milestone birthday for him, Obama is undoubtedly reflecting on his life and his future.  I hope he can find a little time to spend with Michelle and the girls - ooops, sorry - I forgot that only conservatives have family values.

Happy 50th, President Obama.

- Joanne

Rudolf Hess: Hitler's deputy is in the news again

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011

Look at the above photo of Rudolf Hess.  Doesn't he have a villainous appearance - and it's not just the Nazi uniform?  Even if he weren't wearing a swastika armband, I'd take him for a criminal.  His eyes are beady and evil-looking.  Almost 24 years after his death, the former Nazi bigwig is in the news again.

On July 21, 2011, it was announced that the remains of Rudolf Hess. Hitler's one-time deputy, had been exhumed and would be cremated.  It was revealed that Hess' remains had been dug out of its marked grave in a small Bavarian town.  The reason?  Well, the grave, in Wunseidel, Germany, had become a shrine, a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis.

Every year since Hess' demise in 1987, latter-day Nazis have held demonstrations on August 17th, the date of his death. They raise their hands in a Nazi-salute and lay wreaths at his gravesite.    Understandably, the town's authorities decided to put an end to that.  A court order was issued in 2005 outlawing such gatherings of right-wing extremists, but the neo-Nazis continued to converge on the town.  The town, therefore, obtained an agreement from the the family and the church to destroy the grave.

At first, Hess' granddaughter opposed the exhumation of her grandfather's bones.  The board of the Wunseidel Evangelical Church, which is responsible for the cemetery, persuaded her to revoke her lawsuit against such an action.  She gave her consent for the grave to be removed after it was explained to her how it had become a neo-Nazo shrine.

Karl-Willi Beck, Wunseidel's mayor, confirmed that cemetery administrators had removed Hess' bones and his gravestone in the early hours of July 20, 2011.  Beck, 56, said "It was the right thing to do."  The mayor also stated that Hess' bones would be cremated and scattered over a lake.

In his will, Hess decreed that he wished to be buried at the churchyard cemetery at Wunseidel, the location of the family burial plot of his parents and the place where the Hess family had a vacation home.  The supervisor of the local Lutheran church at the time did not stand in the way of Hess' request.  Lutheran church authorities in Germany declared that they could not ignore the wishes of deceased, despite his atrocious crimes.  The deputy Nazi leader was therefore buried at the Wussidel cemetery and the words Ich hab's gewagt ("I dared") were inscribed on his gravestone.

The grave of Rudolph Hess

Rudolf Hess was born in Alexandria, Egypt in on April 26, 1894, the eldest of four children.  His father, Johann H. "Fritz" Hess, was a wealthy German importer from Bavaria.  His mother, Klara Munch, was of Greek descent and belonged to the Georgiadis family of Alexandria.  At the time of Rudolf Hess' birth, his family lived in affluence on the Egyptian coast near the city of Alexandria.  They visited Germany on a frequent basis and the children became familiar with German language and culture.  In 1908, the family returned to Germany.

During World War I, Hess served as an infantryman in the German armed forces.  He was wounded twice in combat, the first time during the Battle of Verdun on June 12, 1916.  The following year, on July 23, 1917, he was wound for a second time while fighting in Romania.  In 1918, after being promoted to the rank of lieutenant, he then transferred to the German Army Air Service and was trained as pilot.  When the war ended, he studied at the University of Munich and involved himself in nationalist politics.  After listening to a speech by Adolf Hitler. he joined the Nationalist Socialist Party in 1920 as one of its first members.

Hess commanded a group of militants known as the SA during Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch in Munich on November 8 and 9, 1923.  This was a Nazi attempt to overthrow the government of Bavaria and establish a right-wing one in its place.  When the coup failed, both Hitler and Hess were arrested.  Hess was sentenced to seven and a half months at Landsberg Prison.  While the two men were imprisoned, Hess acted as Hitler's personal secretrary.  He assisted Hitler in writing his book Mein Kampf, taking dictation and transcribing the Nazi leader's words.

A dedicated Nazi and a close friend of Adolf Hiltler, Rudolf Hess rose rapidly in the party hierarchy.
In early 1933, after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany and assumed dicatorial powers, Rudolf Hess was named Deputy to the Fuhrer.  He was tthe third most powerful Nazi beind Hitler and Hermann Goering.

On December 20, 1927, Hess married Ilse Prohl, a 27-year-old from Hannover.  They had one child, a son named Wolf Rudiger, born November 18, 1937.  Ilse outlived Hess.  She passed away on September 7, 1995 at the age of 95.  Their son, Wolf, died on October 14, 2001.  He was 64 years old.

Rudolf Hess made international headlines and caused a sensation when he flew a Messerschmitt fighter plane from Bavaria to Scotland on May 10, 1941.  The solo flight was an apparent attempt to negotiate peace with Britain.  Hess, however lost his bearings and ran low on fuel.  He was forced him to bale out of his aircraft.  He made a parachute landing in a field near Eaglesham, south of Glasgow and broke his ankle.  A local ploughman discovered him in the field.

Hess claimed he had an important message for the Duke of Hamilton, a member of the Anglo-German Fellowship, whom he had only met once, at the Berlin Olympic games in 1936.  The British would hear none ot it, vowing there would be no negotiations with Nazis.  Germany remained silent on the matter until a day later when German radio stations issued a statement that Hess had been experiencing "hallucinations." 

Rudolf Hess found himself arrested as a POW and spent the rest of the war in captivity. He was stripped of his party membership and rank and Martin Bormann replaced him as Hitler's deputy.  It remains a matter of debate as to whether Hitler gave his approval to Hess' ill-fated flight.  It is interesting that the flight took place on the eve of the German invasion of Russia in June of 1941.  Was Hess trying to prevent Germany from fighting a war on two fronts?

At the Nuremberg trials, Rudolf Hess was found innocent of war crimes and crimes against humanity.  He was, however, convicted of crimes against peace (planning aggressive war) and conspiracy to commit crimes against peace.  He received a life sentence and was incarcerated at Spandau Prison in what was then West Berlin.

Hess at Spandau Prison

For many years, Rudolf Hess refused prison visits from is family. It wasn't until December 24, 1969 that Ilse and Wolf visited with Hess for the first time since his incarceration. Due to illness, Hess had had a change of heart and his wife and son went to see him at the British Military Hospital in Berlin. The visit marked the first time Wolf had been alone with his father since 1941.

Rudolf Hess was found dead in a secure area of the prison on August 17, 1987.  The 93-year-old had an electrical cord wrapped around his neck and his death was recorded as a suicide by asphyxiation.  A coroner's report concluded that Hess had strangled himself with the extension cord, although it has been alleged that his Soviet captors were responsible for his death.  Hess' lawyer claimed that the British had murdered him to prevent him from divulging secrets about his 1941 wartime flight. 

Since Hess' death, there have been many conspiracy theories.  Some find it difficult to believe that an elderly and frail nonagenarian could have engineered such a suicide at a closely guarded prison.
Hess was the last prisoner at Spandau Prison.  Soon after his passing, the infamous prison was demolished.

- Joanne

Don't mess with our public libraries, Mayor Ford!

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2011

Mayor Rob Ford should not underestimate Toronto's librarians.  They and their supporters will fight to maintain the public library system of this great city.  His Worship the Mayor continually talks about putting a stop to the gravy train..  It has been his mantra and he has been repeating it ad nauseam.  He says there is too much government fat and that he has to make cuts.  Well, let me be absolutely clear!  If he puts his axe to Toronto's public libraries, he will not be removing any fatty tissue.  He will be hacking right at the bones of the largest city in Canada..

Libraries are central to any community.  They are not some unnecessary frill that can be discarded at whim and without consequences.  They are not an expensive luxury for over educated intellectuals.  Public libraries belong to us all and are used by everyone, even overly zealous right-wing conservatives such as Toronto's mayor.

Yesterday morning, consultants hired by Mayor Rob Ford and City Council advised sweeping cuts to the Toronto Public Library including branch closures and reduced hours of operation.  This will set the stage for further outsourcing, also known as privatization.  Privatization would mean more limited use of our precious libraries.  Torontonians would no longer be library patrons.  They would be customers.  Is that the kind of future you envision for the libraries in this city? 

Libraries are not just book repositories.  They are community centres and temples of knowledge.  In this age of the Internet, they are need more than ever.  Too many of our youth are surfing the net but not reading books.  Literacy is vital to the health of a society.  This year I was a volunteer in the Toronto Public Library's Leading to Reading program at the Bloor/Gladstone branch.  I assisted a 9-year-old boy with reading and writing.  It was a very fulfilling experience for both of us, one that had a positive effect on my student and his future.

The closing of public libraries and the cutting of their hours of operation would be a tremendous blow to the standard of literacy in Toronto.  It is obvious that literacy is not very high on the list of our mayor's priorities.  It is not even on his radar screen.  I wonder when he lasted entered a library.

This my clarion call to all librarians in the province of Ontario and to all concerned citizens.  Let Mayor Ford know how strongly we oppose his plans.  Stand up and be counted!  We cannot and will not sit back and allow our wonderful public library system to be hacked to death.  Rob the Knife must be stopped before permanent damage is done.  Please, dear readers in the Toronto area, email or phone your councillor.  Don't allow it to happen.

I also implore you to sign this online petition.

http://ourpubliclibrary.to/


Readers, I just couldn't help myself.  I wrote this little ditty to the tune of  "Everybody must Get Stoned."  Here it is with apologies to Bob Dylan.

Rob Ford

The Ballad of Rob Ford

He'll privatize ya when you're trying to be so good
He'll cut ya just-a-like he said he would
He'll privatize you if you live and breathe
He'll privatize you when you start to teethe
But I would not feel so brutalized
Everything must be privatized

Well, they'll soon be chargin' higher user fees
And you'll pay more just to see the birds and bees
You'll pay more at the local swimming pool
You'll pay more if you're goin' to the school
But I would not be shaken to the core
Because your taxes won't be raised anymore


- Joanne