Helen Reddy: Pop Star of the 1970s

Helen Reddy in concert in 1974

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again

Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I've gained
If I have to
I can do anything
I am strong
I am invincible
I am woman

From the song "I Am Woman"
:Lyrics by Helen Reddy


Recently I heard Helen Reddy's feminist anthem, "I Am Woman" on the radio.  I hadn't listened to the song in a very long time and I began to wonder about what happened to Helen, a woman who was at the forefront of the 1970s pop scene.  Reddy certainly cannot be discounted as a one-hit wonder.  She recorded  a number of popular songs such as "Delta Dawn," "Angie Baby," "Somewhere in the Night,"  "You're My World," "I Don't Know How To Love Him," and  "You and Me Against the World"  Yet, although she had 11 Top 20 Billboard hits, she will always be remembered for "I Am Woman."  It's the one that struck a chord.  It will always be her signature song.

During the '70s, Helen Reddy dominated the pop charts like no other female artist of that era. She was the first Australian to have three Number One hits in the United States during the same year and the first Aussie to win a Grammy Award.  On March 3, 1973, Helen received a Grammy in the category of "Best PopVocal Perormance, Female" for "I Am Woman,"  She raised eyebrows when she ended her acceptance speech by thanking God because "She makes everything  possible."

To watch a clip of Helen's Grammy acceptance speech, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6B-DEX2kGA

Reddy also has the distinction of being the first Australian to host her own weekly one-hour prime time variety show on an American network.  The Helen Reddy Show aired as a 1973 summer series.on NBC.  The show included comedy skits and musical numbers and it always ended with a question and answer session with the questions coming from the people in the studio audience.  In 1973, Helen also became a semi-regular host of the NBC late night variety series, The Midnight Special, a position she held until 1975.

During Helen's heyday, according to her website, she "dined on her birthday with the Prince of Wales, danced in the White House with the President of the United States, and had a (reddish-violet) tulip named after her in Holland."  She was also the first western female performer invited to sing in the People's Republic of China.   It was quite a whirlwind ride for the woman from Down Under.

Helen Reddy was born on October 25, 1941 in Melbourne, Australia and recently celebrated her 71st birthday.  She was born into a prominent Australian show business family.  Her mother, Stella (nee Lamond), was an actress and her father, Max Reddy, was a writer, producer and actor.  As a child, Helen performed with her parents on the Australian vaudeville circuit.  She sang and danced on stage with them until 1948 when at the age of six, she began attending the Tintern Church of England Girls' Grammar School.in Hawthorn.(a suburb of Melbourne).

As a teenager, Helen  joined a travelling theatrical company and later became a vocalist with a band in Melbourne.  She appeared regularly on a late-night variety program called Melbourne Tonight and had a guest role on a television series called Sunnyside Up.  She eventually hosted her own 15-minute television show, Helen Reddy Sings.

In 1961, when she was 20 years old, Helen wed Kenneth Claude Weate, a much-older musician and family friend..  The marriage was short-lived and Helen was left to raise their daughter, Traci (born  in 1963), on her own..  The singer continued to pursue a career in radio and television.  In 1966, she won a talent contest on an Australian pop music TV show called Bandstand and was awarded a trip to the United States and a recording contract with Mercury Records.

At the age of 25, Helen Reddy, along with Traci,, set off for New York City with big dreams and a determination to break into the American market.  Mercury Records, however, reneged on its offer, and Helen was forced to support herself with any singing job she could find.  By 1968, she was in such dire financial straits that her friends threw a fund-raising party for her.in Greenwich Village.  It was at that party that the  struggling singer met her second husband, the man who was to accompany her on her journey to fame and fortune.  His name was Jeffrey Wald and he was a hot-blooded American from the Bronx.

Jeff Wald was a talent agent with the William Morris Agency.  The two moved in together and eventually married on May 25, 1968.  Prior to their marriage, Reddy converted to Judaism (Wald's religion).  Jeff adopted Traci and he also became his wife's business manager and producer.  The family lived in Chicago for a time but later moved to Los Angeles where Helen endeavoured to establish herself as a recording artist.  27 In 1970, she finally signed a contract with Capitol Records.  In 1971, she had her first Top 40 hit, a cover of "I Don't Know How To Love Him," am Andrew Lloyd Webber - Tim Rice composition from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.  

On December 12, 1972, Helen and Jeff welcomed a son, Jordan, just days after "I Am Women" topped the U.S. charts.  Helen's career really took off, as did Jeff's. They made millions of dollars as Reddy recorded a string of hits and Wald represented celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Donna Summer and Tiny Tim.  They lived in a $3.5 million home in the exclusive Brentwood area of Los Angeles.

All was not well, though.  Jeff Wald was addicted to cocaine and his addiction was instrumental in the breakup of their marriage.  Reddy  filed for divorce in 1981 but withdrew her petition a day later on the understanding that her husband would discontinue his use of cocaine.  According to a May 16, 1983 article by Jeff Jarvis in People magazine, Wald had "confessed to - and sworn off - his decade-long, $100,000-a-year snowfall."

Although Jeff Wald underwent treatment at a  rehab facility in Los Angeles, he failed to kick the habit.  The couple separated in 1982 when Helen found evidence of his continued substance abuse.  In June of 1982, she initiated divorce proceedings again and fired Wald as her manager. The two then became embroiled in a bitter, tug-of-war custody battle over their son.  The dispute made the cover of People magazine and Wald was accused of punching Helen's boyfriend at the time, Milton Ruth, a drummer in her band.  He was also accused of attempting to run Ruth over with a Silver Maserati.  Helen and Jeff's divorce became final in January of 1983 and they agreed to joint custody of 10-year-old Jordan.  In June of 1983, Helen married Milon Ruth.  She and Ruth divorced in 1995.

In 1986, Jeff Wald was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a drug overdose.  He ended up at the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, California and has apparently stayed clean ever since.  In 1990, he married photographer and photo editor Deborah Wald and they have a daughter named Sarah.  Jeff Wald is currently CEO of Aria Multimedia Entertainment which produces lush coffee table books on the artistic lifestyle such as Hip Hop: A Cultural Odyssey (photo edited by Deborah Wald) and The Official Michael Jackson OPUS.  Son Jordan, who goes by the name Jordan Sommers, is President and Editor-in-Chief of the company.

In the mid-1980s, Helen Reddy returned to her theatrical roots.  She appeared mainly  in musicals such as Anything Goes, and Call Me Madam, both in London's West End and on Broadway.  She also starred in four productions of the one-woman show, Shirley Valentine.

Helen Reddy retired from live performance in 2002.  She left her long-time residence in Santa Monica, California and returned to her native Australia where she has lived a frugal life in a high-rise apartment in Sydney.  During the past ten years, Helen has also become a qualified clinical hypnotherapist. and a motivational speaker.  Last July, however, she decided to come out of retirement after performing a duet with her sister at her sister's 80th birthday party.  Accordingly, she has scheduled a concert tour in March of 2013 that includes Palm Springs California, Newberry, South Carolina, Palm Coast, Florida and New York City.

Click the link below to watch a  November 24, 2011 interview with Helen on Australia's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP-Zb5HoPjM&feature=player_embedded

END NOTES

* In 2006, Helen Reddy published her autobiography, The Woman I Am: A Memoir.

* For three years, Helen served as Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for the State of California.

* Alice Cooper once called Helen "the queen of housewife rock 'n' roll."

* Helen Reddy had a kidney removed when she was only 17 years old, so she turned to singing rather than dancing;.  In the 1970s, at the height of her singing career, Helen was diagnosed with Addison's Disease, a failure of the adrenal glands.  It is a rare disease for which she must receive constant treatment.  Note: John F. Kennedy and English novelist Jane Austen also had Addison's Disease.

* Helen has a feature role in the 2011 crime film, The Perfect Host. which stars David Hayde-Pierce.


- Joanne

EDITOR'S UPDATE (October 1, 2020):  Helen Reddy died on September 29, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.  She suffered from Addison's Disease and dementia.  At the time of her passing, she was 78 years old.

Attention: Undecided Voters of America

To my American readers:

Tomorrow is election day in the United States and this interminably long presidential campaign will mercifully come to an end.  If you are still undecided, you are going to have to make a decision soon.  The choice is clear.  President Barack Obama deserves to be re-elected and here are some logical reasons why he has earned a second term in office.  Before you go to the polls, I urge you to read them carefully and reflect on them.  I also implore you to pass this on to other undecided voters.

1.  President Obama rescued the American auto industry, saving more than one million jobs.
Although he now denies it, Mitt Romney, a native of Michigan, would have left the industry high and dry.  In 2008, Romney argued against the bailout of the auto industry in an article entitled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt."  It's been over three years since the Obama administration bailed out General Motors and Chrysler and U.S. auto sales and profits are rising   The industry is hiring again.  Suddenly Mitt Romney thinks he deserves credit for the turnaround.

According to an article posted by CNNMoney, it is true, as Romney asserts, that the 2009 bankruptcy reorganizations of the automakers was instrumental in the improvement of their fortunes, allowing them to shed debts, workers and plants they could no longer afford.  Yet, Van Conway, CEO of Conway MacKenzie, a Detroit restructuring firm, argues that the billions of dollars of federal bailout expedited the bankruptcy process enormously.  It was done in about two months, sooner than many thought possible. It's a good thing President Obama did not take Romney's advice.

2.  "Obamacare" has provided assistance for 5.6 million seniors and people with disabilities who can better afford the cost of prescription drugs.  17 million children with pre-existing conditions will receive coverage.
Mitt Romney has declared that if elected, he will repeal "Obamacare" (the Affordable Care Act) on his first day in office.  This is the same Mitt Romney who introduced a similar health plan in Massachusetts when he served as governor of that state.  Don't let Tea Party types scare you into believing that the Affordable Care Act is some kind of radical socialism or a complete government takeover of healthcare.  It is nothing of the sort.

"Obamacare" forces employers to cover preventive health care for women such as breast cancer screening.  These are preventive measures that save the lives of women and save money in the long run.

3.  President Obama has fought hard to get woman equal pay for work of equal value.
This is simple justice.  That's why, just days after assuming office, Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to prevent pay discrimination in the workplace.  It was the first bill he signed into law.

According to Ed Gillespie, a top adviser to Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate has no plans to get rid of it, now that it has passed.  Romney did not, however, support the bill while it made its way through Congress.  Gillespie told The Huffington Post that Romney "was opposed to it at the time" but "would not repeal it."  Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, voted against the bill.

4.  The American economy is on the road to recovery.
In 2008, after almost eight years of the policies of George W. Bush, the American economy went into a tailspin and a disastrous recession ensued.  This happened before President Obama took the oath of office in January of 2009.  A mess like that can not be cleaned up overnight.  It takes years but Obama is making it happen even though Republicans blocked his American Jobs Act.  Under the Obama administration, there has been 32 straight months of job growth and 5.4 million private sector jobs have been added to the labour force.

5. President Obama increased funding for Pell Grants and established a college tax credit which helped more than 9 million students and families save money for tuition last year.
Obama doubled funding for Pell Grants by increasing the maximum grant from $4,731 to $5,550, but reduced eligibility for the grants.  Last summer, he endorsed an extension of low interest rates on subsidized student loans.  Mitt Romney supports Paul Ryan's budget which would cut Pell Grant spending by capping the maximum grant and reducing eligibility.  Romney has stated that he would not expand the amount of federal money to students paying for college, nor would he be willing to cancel student debt.

In April of 2012, Romney advised students at Ohio University to borrow money from their parents if they need to start a business.  How out of touch can the man be!  He doesn't realize that many parents are struggling themselves and that not all parents have money to lend their offspring.

6.  Barack Obama has passed Wall Street reform to ensure that consumers are able to hold big banks accountable.  
On July 22, 2010, President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Bill, allowing the U.S. financial system to be more transparent and accountable.  Unfettered and unregulated capitalism leads to disasters such as the severe economic downturn of 2007-09 in which millions of jobs were lost, businesses failed and homes were foreclosed.  Regulation is needed or Wall Street will run amok.  Here in Canada, we were not hit as hard by the recession because our financial institutions were better-regulated.

7.  President Obama plans to limit reductions and repeal tax cuts for families making over $250,000 per year.
Those making over $250,000 a year do not need tax cut.  Tax cuts to the wealthy are not necessary and will only increase the deficit further.  Mitt Romney claims that he will be able to balance the budget in eight to ten years.  No non-partisan study, however, has been able to confirm that Romney would be able to  implement his revenue-neutral tax plan without raising taxes on the middle class.

Mitt Romney would reverse defence spending cuts, and as Obama has pointed out, give the Pentagon money it doesn't need and hasn't requested.  Romney's military spending would increase the deficit further.


As a Canadian, I don't have a vote tomorrow.  The outcome of this election, however, is of great consequence to Canada and the world.  It's in your hands.

- Joanne

In Praise of Teachers

 A  teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. 

- Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918), American journalist, historian, academic and novelist,. From The Education of Henry Adams, first published in 1907

Teaching is a noble profession and yet those who practice it are often maligned.  They are criticized for having too many holidays, for not working hard enough and for their salaries and pensions.  There are bad teachers, of course, as there are in any occupation, but the miscreants and incompetents should not be allowed to tarnish the reputation of an entire profession.

Yes, teachers in Canada and the United States have holidays at Christmastime, spring break and in the summer - as they should.  Teachers are expected to update themselves.  They take courses to keep up with new teaching methods and new technology.  They also have a life outside of the classroom and family responsibilities.  As for students, they also need some time off and many have part-time jobs after school or in the summer.

The vast majority of teachers are dedicated and diligent.  They sincerely care about their students and want them to learn.  It must be emphasized that a teacher's work day does not end when classes finish.  Unlike some workers, they cannot just go home and leave their work behind.  They have to prepare tomorrow's lessons.  They have papers to grade and parents to contact.

It isn't easy to face a classroom of children or adolescents, some who are rude and disrespectful.  It isn't easy to deal with demanding parents, youthful rebelliousness, apathy, substance abuse, bullying and teenage angst - and those are just some of the issues teachers must face in modern society.

The impact of a teacher on a student can be enormous and powerful.  A good teacher can change the direction of a student's life.  He or she can provide that human connection.  Unfortunately, however, this is being threatened by technological advances and the proliferation of online education.

I am not a Luddite.  It is unrealistic to think that the tide of technological progress can be halted or turned back.  Computers and the Internet are not going to go away.  Nevertheless, I firmly believe that the human connection should never be eliminated.  Bill Gates, a man who knows a thing or two about technology, had this to say about teachers and technology:

Technology is just a tool.  In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.

          - Bill Gates, American computer entrepreneur
          in Independent on Sunday, October 12, 1997


Mr. Gates is right.  Technology is just a tool, albeit an important one.  It is the teacher is who motivates and inspires.  A computer cannot do that.  A computer cannot be a true mentor simply because it is not a human being.  An image on a screen or a robot does not have the capacity to provide that personal touch or the individual attention in the manner as a live teacher in the flesh.

A great teacher is an unforgettable treasure whose influence will forever remain with a student. Some of that greatness will be transferred to others and will sometimes be passed on from generation to generation.   In Ancient Greece, Socrates was Plato's mentor and he imparted great wisdom to his pupil.   Plato then taught Aristotle.  Aristotle, in turn, became a magnificent philosopher and a polymath who tutored Alexander the Great.  In the 4th century, B.C., he taught the child Alexander for three years at a school in Mieza, an Ancient Macedon village  Aristotle was hired by Alexander's father, Philip II of Macedon.  In return, Philip agreed to rebuild Aristotle's hometown of Stagira and to free its citizens.

bust of Aristotle

Let me conclude with a definition of a great teacher by operatic soprano, Maria Callas,

That is the difference between good teachers and great teachers: good teachers make the best of a pupil's means; great teachers foresee a pupil's ends.

- Maria Callas (1923-1977), American-born opera singer
From Kenneth Harris Talking To [1971] 'Maria Callas'

- Joanne

The Assassination Attempt on Theodore Roosevelt

Just over a century ago, on October 14, 1912, an assassination attempt was made on Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.  The incident took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It happened during during one of the most contentious presidential election campaigns in American history.

The 1912 contest was a rare four-candidate race. Woodrow Wilson was the Democratic Party's nominee while union leader Eugene V. Debs was the candidate of the Socialist Party of America. The Republican Party found itself split between William Howard Taft, the incumbent president, who represented its conservative wing, and former president Roosevelt who led the more the progressive faction . Teddy Roosevelt and his supporters eventually launched a new party, the Progressive Party (nicknamed the Bull Moose Party) and Roosevelt was nominated as its presidential candidate.

During his 1912 campaign for the presidency, Roosevelt was shot at close range by 36-year-old John Flammang Schrank, a psychotic New York saloon-keeper.  An alert bystander, Adam Bittner, noticed the gun, (a 38 caliber pistol) as it was aimed at Roosevelt's head.  Bittner interfered with Schrank's arm.just as he pulled the trigger. The gun went off and hit Roosevelt in the chest, knocking him down.  The crowd tackled Schrank and beat him severely.  Roosevelt managed to rise up and exhort the mob to cease its attack.  Police officers ran into the crowd, apprehended Schrank, arrested him and brought him to the central police station, Milwaukee.  His bail was set at $15,000.

On that cool evening in Milwaukee, Teddy Roosevelt came within a whisker of losing his life.  He survived because he had a manuscript of a lengthy 50-page speech in his coat pocket, folded in two, which slowed the bullet.  The myopic Roosevelt also carried a steel spectacle case in his pocket, and the bullet traversed this too. It entered his chest near the right nipple and lodged in the chest wall.

Roosevelt's bullet-damaged speech and eyglass case

Theodore Roosevelt did not consider himself seriously enough injured to warrant immediate medical attention because his breathing had remained normal..  He insisted on giving his prepared speech although he was clearly bleeding.  In fact, he even worked the shooting into the speech by displaying his blood-soaked shirt and the bullet-hole in his manuscript to the audience. He joked that it would take "more than that to kill a Bull Moose."

After his 90-minute speech, Roosevelt was taken to a Milwaukee hospital where he was examined and  his wounds were dressed. He reluctantly permitted surgeons to inject him with tetanus anti-toxin. The ex-president was then taken on a special train to Mercy Hospital in Chicago where he remained for eight days of observation.

Theodore Roosevelt was discharged from the Chicago hospital on October 23, 1912, shortly before the November 5th election.  He finished second to Woodrow Wilson, but received more votes than the serving president, Republican William Howard Taft.  The bullet was never removed from Roosevelt's body and caused no problems after the wound healed.

As for John Schrank, he never went on trial for the attempted murder of Theodore Roosevelt.  A panel of doctors determined that he was insane.  In 1914, he was sentenced to the Central State Mental Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin where he spent the remaining 29 years of his life.

John Schrank

Let's delve deeper into the troubled life of John Schrank, Theodore Roosevelt's would-be assassin. Schrank was born in Erding, Bavaria, (now Germany) on March 5, 1876 and immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1889 when he was 12 years old.  The family settled in New York's Lower East Side.  Schramk's father soon died of consumption at the age of 38 and the boy was left in the care of his aunt and his uncle, a New York tavern owner and landlord.  John eventually supported himself by working in his uncle's tavern.

Schrank was heartbroken when his girlfriend, Emily Ziegler, died in the General Slocum disaster on June 15, 1904.  The PS General Slocum was a passenger steamboat that operated in the New York City area.  The steamer caught fire and sank in the East River while on a chartered run carrying members of St. Mark's Evangelical Church - German Americans from Manhattan- on their way to a church picnic.  It is estimated that over 1,000 of the 1,342 passenger aboard lost their lives.  Schrank was supposed to have accompanied Emily on that doomed excursion but had been unable to get anyone to take his shift at the family tavern.  Instead, he found himself identifying the charred remains of his girlfriend's body at the morgue.

For John Schrank, there was still more heartache to come.  Beginning in 1910, his beloved aunt and uncle died within a year of each other and he greatly mourned their deaths. They had raised him and he considered himself to be their adopted son.  The distraught young man quickly sold off the lucrative properties he had inherited and just drifted aimlessly, ending up in a dilapidated hotel above a saloon at 156 Canal Street in New York.  During those years, Schrank wrote poetry and became well-versed in his knowledge of the Bible.

In his hotel room, John Schrank displayed the portraits of four American presidents - Abraham Lincoln. Ulysses S. Grant, James A. Garfield and Theodore Roosevelt - and he reportedly gazed at the them for long periods of time while drinking beer.  He apparently told acquaintances that he admired all four men.  He had been aware of Theodore Roosevelt since the ex-president had served as  New York's police commissioner in 1895.and he was an admirer of Roosevelt's presidency.

Despite his high regard for Teddy Roosevelt, John Schrank could not countenance the idea of Roosevelt starting a third party and seeking a third term as president.  In Schrank's twisted mind, Roosevelt's actions were a threat to America and he feared that they could lead to civil war. According to the Smithsonian, he told police that "I looked upon his plan to start a third party as a danger to the country, my knowledge of history, gained through much reading, convinced me that Colonel Roosevelt was engaged in a dangerous undertaking."

The mentally unbalanced Schrank also claimed that the ghost of former president William McKinley (who was assassinated in Buffalo in 1901 by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz) had appeared to him in a dream accusing Teddy Roosevelt of being his real murderer.  McKinley's ghost, according to Schrank, had strongly urged him to avenge his death.

Determined to kill Theodore Roosevelt, Schrank purchased a revolver and packed up some belongings.  He began waiting stalking the former president, waiting  for the opportune moment to kill him.  On September 21st, he left New York City by train and made several trips through the south.  He followed Roosevelt from city to city before heading north to the midwest.  Roosevelt kept changing his travel plans during the campaign, making it difficult for Schrank to carry out his mission. Schrank, however, hesitated to perform the deed when he was in close range of  Roosevelt in Chattanooga, Tennessee and at the Hotel La Salle in Chicago.

Travelling under the assumed name "Walter Ross,"  John Schrank reached Milwaukee on October 13th and checked into the Argyle Lodging House on Third Street.   While awaiting Theodore Roosevelt's arrival, the would-be assassin perused he newspapers in order to determine the presidential candidate's precise itinerary.

Roosevelt arrived in Milwaukee by train at about 6:00 p.m. the next day.  John Schrank went to the Hotel Gilpatrick where the ex-president was dining with his campaign strategists. Teddy was scheduled to deliver a speech at the Milwaukee Auditorium later that evening..  He had just finished his supper and was leaving his hotel to go to his car when Schrank shot him as he stood waving to cheering onlookers.

Interestingly enough, when Teddy Roosevelt passed away in 1919, John Schrank remarked that Roosevelt was a great American and that he was sorry to learn of his death.  Schrank himself died of bronchial pneumonia on September 16, 1943.  He was 67 years old.


-  Joanne

Mitt Romney would not be moderate!

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it -- that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

- Mitt Romney


Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for President of the United States, said those words and he meant them.  He can't pretend otherwise.  He can't just shrug them off and say that everybody says the wrong thing sometimes.  Those words reveal the true mindset of the Republican Party. They should not be forgotten by the American electorate.  Romney and the Republican Party should be called into account for their dismissal of 47 percent of the American populace.  Since the population of the United States is about 311.6 million people, they have written off a lot of their fellow Americans.

Don't be fooled, my American friends, by Mitt Romney's professed moderation during the first presidential debate.  He has flip-flopped on so many issues that it is difficult to gauge where he really stands, but as governor of Massachusetts, Romney introduced a health care plan similar to President Obama's Affordable Health Care Plan.  He seems more moderate than his libertarian running mate, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, but that's not saying much.  It's an indication of how far to the right Republicans have veered.  Even if Romney wanted to be more moderate, his hands are tied.  The Republican Party has effectively been hijacked  by  extreme right-wingers.  The Tea Party is in control and Romney must do their bidding.  He is beholden to them and to the wealthy corporate interests that fund his party.  If he becomes president, he will do their bidding.  He will continue to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, thus increasing the deficit.

Paul Ryan

Mitt Romney chose Congressman Ryan, an avowed admirer of the Ayn Rand's school of thought, as his vice-presidential running mate in order to appease the Tea Party, the dominant faction of his party.  The choice of Ryan simply confirmed what was already obvious: the Tea Party is in control of the Republican Party.  Its goal is to completely redesign America in its own fashion.  The rich will get richer.  The middle class will collapse and the poor will suffer even more.  Trickle down economics does not work in difficult economic times. How many companies are prepared to hire new employees if they fear that consumers will not buy their product?

My American friends, before you cast your vote on November 6th, remember that the Paul Ryan budget that he supported in Congress is the same budget that was adopted by the Romney-Ryan campaign.  Do not forget that the Ryan budget would destroy Medicare as you know it for seniors and transform it into a voucher program.  Seniors of America, I ask you, do you want Medicare or do you want Voucher Care?

By the way, I have just finished reading an Associated Press story revealing that VP candidate Paul Ryan sought federal funding for his Wisconsin constituents, the same government handouts that he is so quick to criticize.  According to newly released documents (8,900 pages of correspondence between Congressman Ryan's congressional office and 70 executive branch agencies), Ryan sought food stamps stimulus money, federally guaranteed business loans , grants to invest in green technology and money under Obama's heath care reform law.  The Associated Press obtained the documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

As a Canadian, I don't have a vote on November 6th.  For you, America, the choice is abundantly clear.


- Joanne

Joanne's Journal: October 12, 2012

JOANNE'S JOURNAL
Edition No. 10


QUOTE OF THE DAY

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run

- John Keats (1795-1821), English poet
From To Autumn [1820}

If I lived in a warm or tropical climate, I would really miss autumn and the changing of the leaves. Some would say that's a small price to pay to live in Hawaii or the Caribbean.  I have met people from Uganda who had never seen a maple tree or autumn colours.  I guess it all evens out, though.  I have only seen a banana tree once in my life, in Mexico.  I first set eyes on an olive tree in Italy in 1996 even though I have always had an affinity for olives (It must be my Sicilian ancestry).


ON THIS DAY

THE FIRST OKTOBERFEST

Beginning on October 12, 1810, the first Oktoberfest took place in Bavaria and the occasion was a royal wedding.  The good citizens of Munich were invited to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later King Ludwig I) to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.  Five days after the October 12 nuptials, an estimated 40,000 Bavarians gathered in a field outside the gates of Munich to watch a horse race and join in festivities.  The horse race proved so popular that the royal family held it again the next year.  In 1819, responsibility for the festivities was transferred from the royal family to the city of Munich.

The horse race continued until 1950.  The meadow where Oktoberfest is held now is known as Theresnwise or Wiesn in honour of Princess Therese.



ON THE CANADIAN POLITICAL SCENE

ENTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU

Whatever you think of him, Justin Trudeau's entry into the Liberal leadership contest has given Canadian politics a much-need jolt of energy.  Where Justin's concerned, Canadians have seen plenty of sizzle - now he has to show us the steak.  It's not a matter of age.  Trudeau is 40 years old.  He will turn 41 on Christmas Day.  In 1979,  when Joe Clark, became Canada's 16th prime minister, he was one day shy of his 40th birthday.  To be eligible for the office of president of the United States, an American must attain the age of 35. So Justin is not too young at all to lead his party or to become prime minister. It's just that with his wavy, tussled hair, the boyish Trudeau appears younger than his age. Joe Clark, on the other hand, did not have a boyish appearance when he was in politics.

Is it a matter of experience?  Well, Justin Trudeau has been a Member of Parliament for the Montreal riding of Papineau for four years, since October of 2008.  He worked diligently to oust that riding from its Bloc Quebecois incumbent, Vivian Barbot, by less than 1,200 votes.  In the 2011 election, Trudeau won re-election by a greater margin.

The Conservatives have been in office since 2006, so Justin has always been an opposition MP.  He has never had the opportunity to serve a s a cabinet minister as did his father, Pierre, who held the post of Justice Minister before becoming Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada.  The younger Trudeau would have benefited greatly by having cabinet experience.  Remember, however, that Brian Mulroney had never held public office when he was chosen leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1983.

What about his oratorical skills?  Justin is, of course, fluently bilingual.  His voice is clear but his presentation is somewhat theatrical.  He needs to tone it down a bit.

Justin's last name has been both a help and a hindrance to him.  It has brought him recognition and attention that he would otherwise not have received.  Yet he must greater scrutiny because of his name and he must endure  constant comparisons to his father or accusations that he has risen on his father's coattails.  Some have been tougher on him because they don't want him to have a free ride.  Others have been easier on him because of their admiration for his father.

Conservative critics such as Michael Coren have delighted in describing Justin Trudeau as a former "substitute drama teacher."  The fact is that he worked as a social studies and French teacher at West Point Grey Academy and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Vancouver.  Yes, he did teach some drama. Is there something wrong with that. or do far-right conservatives not regard teaching as an honourable profession?  Even though Trudeau has considerably more political experience than Brian Mulroney did when he became Tory leader, Mulroney had a business background and not a background in education.

After six years of Stephen Harper and his brand of neo-conservatism, Canadians are more than ready for a fresh approach and different policies.  If this were a contest based on charisma alone, Justin Trudeau would win hands down.  It's not.  He has great potential and may develop into a wonderful leader.  His future is in his own hands and he's really going to have to demonstrate his worthiness, perhaps because of his name and his fathers' political history.  It's quite a challenge for Justin to be his own man while being the scion of an iconic political figure.  How does one separate oneself from one's DNA without disowning his entire legacy?

Justin Trudeau should not be given a coronation and I hope that someone such as Marc Garneau gives him a tough battle.  On the other hand, he should not be underestimated and cavalierly dismissed as a lightweight. Canadians will know more once he really spells out his ideas and his polices.


ON THE U.S POLITICAL SCENE

U.S. President Barack Obama's performance in the first televised debate was indeed a disappoint.  Obama himself is quite aware of that.  For some reason, he was really off his game that night.  He seemed distracted and nervous, as if he really didn't want to be there,  As a result, he did not challenge Mitt Romney's distortions of the facts.  Nor did he hold him to account for his infamous 47 percent speech.  Thankfully, Joe Biden was much stronger in his debate with Paul Ryan.  I'm expecting Obama to be much more effective in his second debate with Romney on Tuesday, October 16th.


RIDDLE ME THIS

How much was the pirate charged to get his ears pierced?


ANSWER

A buck an ear.



SPORTS

HOCKEY

Americans are too busy watching the World Series and NFL football to care about hockey.  Apart from some fans in the northern states, the absence of NHL hockey bas been barely noticed in the United States. Hockey has certainly not been missed a great deal south of the border. If NHL players are still locked out after the Super Bowl has been played, Americans may take notice, but they won't be terribly upset.  Even here in hockey-crazy Canada, I sense that people don't care as much about the NHL as they used to.  Gary Bettman and his cohorts have seen to that.

Bettman has been commissioner of the National Hockey league since February 1, 1993, almost 20 years.  The owners are quite pleased with him because he promotes and defends their interests vigorously. If that were the one major task of an NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman would be an overwhelming success.   It's too bad he isn't as vigorous about upholding the best interests of the game of hockey.


BASEBALL

I don't have a strong allegiance to any team remaining in World Series competition;  If I had to make a choice, I would like to see the Detroit Tigers win it all.  I don't want to see the Yankees win it.  They have won too many times.

The Toronto Blue Jays are once again looking to next year after a disastrous 2012 season.  After watching the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals, as a Blue Jay fans long for a season like those two teams had.  I'm pleased that GM Alex Anthopolous has finally realized that his team's starting rotation is far from satisfactory and that the Blue Jays will not contend until it improves.  I don's pretend to be an expert (not by a long shot), but it was painfully obvious during the 2011 off season that the Jays' starting rotation would not cut the mustard.  Nobody could have predicted Ricky Romero's meltdown.  Yet even if Romero had performed well, it would not have been enough for the Blue Jays to contend.  The Jays finished the season with a mere 73 wins, their lowest single-season total since 2004.  Even if the team had had fewer injuries and Brandon Morrow had remained healthy, they probably would have won between 80 and 85 games.  That's not enough to contend in the AL East.

As for the John Farrell situation, going to be difficult to demonstrate confidence in him without extending his contract.  Yet he has really not merited a contract extension.

- Joanne

Baseball and World Series Quiz

The 2012 baseball season is drawing to a close and post-season play is about to begin.  As we head toward the World Series, Number 16 presents a challenging baseball quiz.  How well do you know trivia about the Grand Old Game?  Find out by completing the quiz below.


BASEBALL AND WORLD SERIES QUIZ


1.  How many Cy Young Awards has Roger Clemens won?

A.  Five

B.  Seven

C.  Four

D.  Six

E.  Eight



2. Clemens is one of five pitchers  to have won the Cy Young Award in both the American League and the National League to date.  Who are the others?

A.  Greg Maddux, Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson

B.  David Cone, Steve Carlton,.Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez

C.  Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay

D.  Steve Carlton, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay

E.  Ferguson Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay



3.  The Texas Rangers have been based in Arlington Texas since 1972.  Where was the team located before moving to the Lone Star State.?

A.  Kansas City, Missouri

B.  Minneapolis, Minnesota

C.  St. Paul, Minnesota

D.  Washington, D.C.

E.  San Jose, California



4.  The first World Series was played in 1903.  What team won the first World Series?

A.  The Boston Americans

B.  The New York Americans

C.  The Boston Braves

D.  The New York Giants

E.  The Chicago White Sox



5.  The World Series was cancelled in 1994 due to a Major League Baseball strike.  The only other time the Series was cancelled was 1904.  Why was it cancelled in 1904?

A.  It was cancelled due to a serious virus that had spread among the players.

B.  There was a railway strike and the trains were not running to New York.

C.  No agreement could be reached on the format of the Series.

D.  The American League champion New York Highlanders refused to play the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

E.  The National League champion New York Giants refused to play the American League champion Boston Americans.



6.  This pitcher started his Major League career as a 17-year-old in 1936.  He spent his entire career with the Cleveland Indians. In 1946, he struck out 348 batters.  In 1948, he won his first World Series. Name him.

A.  Stan Koveleski

B.  Mel Harder

C.  Bob Feller

D.  Addie Joss

E.  Bob Lemon



7.  Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers is about to win Major League Baseball's Triple Crown in batting.  Who was the last player to earn the Triple Crown (highest batting average, the most home runs and the most runs batted in (RBI)) in the American League or the National League?

A,  Carl Yastrzemski in 1967

B.  Mickey Mantle in 1962

C.  Frank Robinson in 1966

D.  Ted Williams in 1947

E.  Willie Mays in 1954



8.  Did the Brooklyn Dodgers, known as "dem bums," ever win a World Series?

A.  No, they never won a World Series.

B.  They won the World Series in 1954.

C.  They won in 1955.

D.  They won in 1953.

E.  They won in 1952.



9.  Nolan Ryan is currently the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven no-hitters in his illustrious career.  Against which team did he throw his seventh no-hitter?

A.  The Oakland Athletics

B.  The Toronto Blue Jays

C.  The New York Yankees

D.  The Boston Red Sox

E.  The Detroit Tigers



10.  In which baseball stadium did The Beatles perform their last commercial concert?

A.  Shea Stadium, New York

B.  Candlestick Park, San Francisco

C.  Yankee Stadium, New York

D.  Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

E.  Wrigley Field, Chicago



11.  Name the last major league team for which Babe Ruth played.

A.  The New York Yankees

B.  The Boston Red Sox

C.  The New York Giants

D.  The Brooklyn Dodgers

E.  Tbe Boston Braves



12.  Who is sometimes referred to as the "father of modern baseball?"  Hint: He is thought to be the first person to draw a diagram of a diamond-shaped baseball field.

A. Abner Doubleday

B. Joseph Strutt

C. Albert Spalding

D.  Alexander Cartwright

E.  John Montgomery Ward



13.  What is the official name of the trophy awarded to the winners of the World Series championship?

A.  The Commissioner's Trophy

B.  The World Series Trophy

C.  The Kenesaw Landis Trrophy

D.  The A. Bartlett Giamatti Memorial Award

E.  The Bowie Kuhn Trophy



ANSWERS

1. B.

Roger Clemens has won seven Cy Young Awards.  He won the Cy in 1986, 1988 and 1990 with the Boston Red Sox; 1997 and 1998 with the Toronto Blue Jays ; 2001 with the New York Yankees and 2004 with the Houston Astros.


2. C

Along with Roger Clemens, Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez Randy Johnson and Roy Halliday have all won Cy Young Awards in both the American and National Leagues.  After 6 American League Cys, Roger won a National League Cy in 2004 with the Houston Astros.  Gaylord Perry won the American League Cy Young Award in 1972 with the Cleveland Indians and the National League Cy in 1978 with the San Diego Padres.  Pedro Martinez won the National League Cy in 1997 with the Montreal Expos and the American League Cy in 1999 and 2000 with the Boston Red Sox.  Roy Halliday won the American League Cy in 2003 with the Toronto Blue Jays and the National League Cy with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010.


3.  D

The Texas Rangers were originally based in Washington, D.C. from 1961 until 1971.  In 1961, the franchise was established as the Washington Senators, an expansion club, after the previous Washington Senators (1901-1960) had become the Minnesota Twins.  At the end of the 1971 season, the new Washington Senators relocated to Arlington, Texas.


4.  A

 Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans - First World Series (October 1903)

The Boston Americans of the American League won the first World Series in 1903.  They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League in eight games.  Note:  The best-of-seven format has been used in all World Series except 1903, 1919, 1920 and 1921.  In those years, the winner was decided by a best-of-nine playoff.


5.  E.

The 1904 World Series was cancelled because the National League champion New York Giants declined to play the American League champion Boston Americans. At the time, there was no governing body for the World Series and no requirement that a Series had to take place.  The owner of the New York Giants, John T. Brush, refused to allow his team to participate because of the "inferiority" of the American League.  John McGraw, the manager of the Giants, concurred with Brush.  According to McGraw, the Giants were the champions of "the only real major league."


6.  C.

Pitching great Bob Feller, known as Rapid Robert, started his career in the majors at 17.  He played 18 seasons, from 1936 to 1956 (did not play due to military service n 1942, 1943 and 1944) with the Cleveland Indians. Feller won a World Series with Cleveland in 1948.  He died on December 15, 2010 at the age of 92.


7.  A

Carl Yastrzemski

Carl Yastrzemski won the Triple Crown in 1967 with the Boston Red Sox.  Yaz hit 44 home runs, 121 RBI and his batting average was .326.  (EDITOR'S NOTE: On October 3, 2012, Mguel Cabrera became the first player to win the Triple Crown in 45 years with 44 home runs, 139 RBI and a batting average of 330.


8.  C.

Yes, the Brooklyn Dodgers finally won a World Series in 1955.  They defeated the New York Yankees in seven games.  Sadly, for Brooklyn fans, it would be their first and only championship.  The team relocated to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.


9.  B

Nolan Ryan threw his seventh no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 1, 1991 as a member of the Texas Rangers.  The game took place at Arlington Stadium in Texas before a crowd of 33, 439.  The Rangers defeated the Blue Jays by a score of 3-0.  Bobby Valentine was the manager of the Texas Rangers and Cito Gaston was Toronto's manager.  Lefty Jimmy Key was the losing pitcher for the Jays against the right-hander Ryan.

Nolan Ryan's first four no-hitters occurred on May 15, 1973, July 15, 1973, September 28, 1974 and June 1, 1975 when he was a member of the California Angels and on.  His fifth  no-hitter occurred on September 26, 1981 when he was a member of the Houston Astros.  He threw his sixth no-hitter on June 11, 1990 as a Texas Ranger.


10.  B

The Beatles performed their last public concert in San Francisco's Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.


11.  E

Babe Ruth's last Major :League team was the Boston Braves of the National League.  He signed as a free agent with the Braves on February 26, 1935 in the hope of eventually becoming manager of the team.  Ruth played for the Braves during a miserable 1935 season.and he was only a shadow of his former self.  The Babe's final game was May 30, 1935 in Philadelphia at the Baker Bowl.  He injured his knee in the first inning and left the game.  His Braves lost 11-6 to the Phillies.  Two days later, he called reporters to his locker and announced his retirement.  Babe Ruth never realized his dream of becoming a manager.


12.  D

Alexander Cartwright

Alexander Cartwright is referred to as the "father of modern baseball."  Cartwright was the founding member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York City, baseball's first organized team.  The rules of the modern game are founded on the Knickerbocker Rules set out by Cartwright and a committee from the Knickerbocker club.  Alexander Cartwright  was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1938.  On June 3, 1953, the United States Congress officially declared him to be the inventor of the modern game of baseball.


13.  A

Commissioner's Trophy 2004

A trophy was first presented to the World Series champions in 1967 and it was named the Commissioner's Trophy in 1985.  A new Commissioner's Trophy is created each year.  The trophy was redesigned in 1999 for the 2000 World Series by Tiffany & Co.  It stands 61 cm (24 inches), excluding the base,.and weighs about 14 kg. (30 pounds),  It is made of sterling silver and features a gold-plated flag for each team in Major League Baseball.


- Joanne

Soeur Sourire: The Saga of the Singing Nun

Back in the 1960s, around the time of John F. Kennedy's assassination, a nun from Belgium gained international fame with a hit song.  Her birth name was Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers and she was born in Brussels almost 79 years ago, on October 17, 1933. You may remember her as The Singing Nun.

Jeanine's parents, Lucien and Gabrielle Deckers, encouraged their daughter to take over the family bakery in Brussels.  She had other ideas and briefly enrolled in a Paris art school.  She later attended the Catholic University of Louvin and became a high school art teacher.  While in her 20s, she studied art, played guitar and became distraught over a broken engagement.  In 1959, at the age of 25, she entered the Dominican Fichermont Convent in Waterloo, Belgium, taking the name Sister Luc Gabriel (a combination of her parents' first names).  At the convent, the talented nun wrote, sang and performed her own songs.  Her music was so popular with the other members of the order and at retreats that she was encouraged to record an album.that visitors to the monastery would be able to purchase.

The nuns approached the Philips Record Company's office in Brussels about recording some of Sister Luc Gabriel's songs.  Philips was so impressed with her record that they signed Sister Luc Gabriel to a contract.  It was agreed, however, that all royalties from her recordings would be donated to her order as she had taken a vow of poverty. Her album became so popular in Europe that Philips began importing the disc to North America.  It was released in the United States as The Singling Nun.  A single from the album, "Dominique,"  became an international hit.  Sister Luc Gabriel had written the song as a tribute to Saint Dominic, he 13th -Century saint who founded her order.  It was recorded to raise funds for a church mission in Africa.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, the obscure Dominican nun attained celebrity status.  This shy, bespectacled woman became the unlikeliest of pop stars.  She found herself in the midst of a whirlwind of fame that changed her life irrevocably.  She used the stage name Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile), a  moniker devised by Philips, and she also performed concerts . . . reluctantly.  By late 1963, both her album and her single had risen to the top of the charts in the United States..

After the death of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, grieving Americans were ready for a softer, more soothing sound.  "Dominique" filled the bill.  It is the first Belgian song to become a number one hit single in the United States.  It held the Billboard top spot in  the U.S. for four weeks beginning on December 7, 1963, holding back The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" from reaching Number 1.  Versions of "Dominique" were recorded in Dutch, German, Hebrew and Japanese and the song was charted in many different countries.

On January 5, 1964, The Singing Nun reached the pinnacle of her fame when she appeared, via tape, on the Ed Sullivan Show.  She performed a brief rendition of Dominique and was interviewed by Ed Sullivan,  At the conclusion of the interview, Sullivan commented that the nation "feels so much closer to nuns now."  In 1964, The Singing Nun put forth her second album, Her Joy, Her Songs.  The album did not receive much attention and was quickly forgotten.

Sudden fame had been difficult for the unassuming nun to handle.  In 1965, she returned to the protective confines of her convent.  In 1966, an MGM musical called The Singing Nun was released.  It was very loosely based on the life of Jeanine Deckers, although she was referred to as Sister Ann.in the film.  The Singing Nun starred Debbie Reynolds in the title role and featured Ricardo Monalban, Greer Garson, Katherine Ross, Chad Everett and Agnes Moorehead.  Ed Sullivan portrayed himself.  The film was dismissed by Deckers who described it as "fiction."  It was, however, nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment.

In 1967, Deckers left her convent before taking final vows.  She had decided to pursue her  music career on a full-time basis.  This time she performed under the name "Luc Dominque" as Philips Records owned the rights to her original stage name, Soeur Sourire.  That same year, she released another album, I Am Not a Star in Heaven.  The album's title track included the following lyric: Sister Smile is dead, God is the only star . . .  Deckers' disdain for the spotlight was made abundantly clear.  Perhaps that is one reason why he album did not sell well.  It was a commercial failure.

Although deeply religious, Deckers became increasingly critical of some Catholic doctrines, particularly the Church's teachings on birth control.  In fact, she strongly advocated the use of artificial contraception.  Her album I am Not a Star in Heaven contained a song called "La Pilule D'Or."  It's English title is "Glory Be to God for the Golden Pill." and it is a song about how God sent The Pill to women.

Jeanine Deckers was never able to duplicate the success of "Dominque," and was destined to become a one-hit-wonder. With her singing career going nowhere, Deckers opened a school for autistic children in Belgium with her companion, Anne Pecher.  Anne (also known as Annie) was the author of a book on psychomotor therapy with regard to autistic children.  Published in 1977, Individual Experiences in Psychomotor Therapy deals with a therapy that involves the relationship between conscious metal activity and physical movement.  Although Pecher did not invent psychomotor therapy, she used it in the treatment of autism.

Jeanine Deckers and Annie Pecher were plagued by financial difficulties.  In the late 1970s, the government of Belgium claimed that Deckers owed a large sum of money in back taxes (about $63,000 U.S.).  Deckers argued that she was liable for payment of the taxes because the royalties from her recording were donated to the convent and her religious order.  She lacked proof,  however, because she had neglected to ask the convent for receipts.

In 1982, Deckers lost her final court  case with Belgian authorities.  Facing the financial pressure of rising legal fees, she became so desperate that she attempted to revive her singing career with a disco synthesizer version of "Dominique.". Its promotional video featured Deckers traipsing around the ruins of an abbey with her acoustic guitar.   Not surprisingly, it failed to rejuvenate her career.  Click below to watch the promotional video of the disco version of "Dominque."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uJLAhZU95E

The true saga of The Singing Nun does not have a happy Hollywood ending.  Anxious about their mounting debt and despondent about the prospect of closing of their school for autistic children, 51 year-old Jeanine Deckers and Annie Pecher (born 1944) enacted a suicide pact.  On March 29, 1985, the two women deliberately overdosed on barbiturates and alcohol  On April 1, 1985, their bodies were discovered in their apartment at the Green Horizons Building at 144 Chaussee Bruxelles in Wavre, Belgium  They are buried in a cemetery in Wavre together.

Below are the English and French lyrics to Dominque.

Lyrics to Dominique :

Dominique, nique, nique,
over the land he plods along
And sings a little song
Never asking for reward
He just talks about the Lord
He just talks about the Lord

At a time when Johnny Lackland
Over England was the King
Dominique was in the backland
Fighting sin like anything
Chorus

Now a heretic, one day
Among the thorns forced him to crawl
Dominique with just one prayer
Made him hear the good Lord's call
Chorus

Without horse or fancy wagon
He crossed Europe up and down
Poverty was his companion
As he walked from town to town
Chorus

To bring back the straying liars
And the lost sheep to the fold
He brought forth the Preaching Friars
Heaven's soldier's, brave and bold
Chorus

One day, in the budding order
There was nothing left to eat
Suddenly two angels walked in
With a loaf of bread and meat
Chorus

Dominique once, in his slumber
Saw the Virgin's coat unfurled
Over frairs without number
Preaching all around the world

Grant us now, oh Dominique
The grace of love and simple mirth
That we all may help to quicken
Godly life and truth on earth
Chorus

FRENCH VERSION

Dominique, nique, nique s'en allait tout simplement
Routier pauvre et chantant
En tous chemins, en tous lieux, il ne parle que du bon Dieu

Il ne parle que du bon Dieu
A l'e poque ou Jean-sans-Terre de' Angleterre etait Roi
Dominique, notre Pere, combattit les Albigeois
Repeat first 4 lines: Chorus

Ni chameau, ni diligence il parcout l'Europe a pied
Scandinavie ou Provence dans la sainte pauvrete
Refrain

Enflamma de toute ecole filles et garcons pleins d'ardeur
Et pour semer la Parole inventa les Freres-Precheurs
Refrain

Chez Dominique et ses freres le pain s'en vint a manquer
Et deux anges se presenterent portant de grands pains dores
Refrain

Dominique vit en reve les precheurs du monde entier
Sous le manteau de la Vierge en grand nombre rassembles
Refrain

Dominique, mon bon Pere, garde-nous simples et gais
Pour annoncer a nos freres la Vie et la Verite
Refrain

- Joanne

Paul Henderson should be in Hockey Hall of Fame

Paul Henderson's winning goal easily ranks as the greatest hockey moment in Canadian history. The Summit Series transcended hockey.  It united our nation like never before.  Henderson clearly belongs in the Hall.

- Mark Reid
Editor-in-chief of Canada's History magazine


Forty years ago today, Paul Henderson scored the goal that had a nation rise up in jubilation. There has never been a goal like it, and there never will be.  The '72 Canada-Soviet Summit Series can never be re-created.  The temperament of the times was unique. Although Sidney Crosby's goal in the 2010 Winter Olympics was wonderful, it will never be as special as Henderson's goal.  It will never be The Goal.

Forty years after scoring The Goal, Paul Henderson is still not in the Hockey Hall of Fame.  That's right!  The hero of the Canada-Soviet series is not a member of hockey's greatest shrine.  Yet former NHL president Gil Stein was initially inducted into the Hall until he was forced to resign after allegations that he had rigged his own nomination.  Former Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard, a man convicted of fraud, theft and tax evasion, was inducted to the Hall in 1977.  Ballard, who mdiismanaged the Leafs horribly, was inducted in the builder category.

Critics argue that Paul Henderson's career statistics are lacklustre and not worthy of the Hockey Hall of Fame.  Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and five seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA).  During his 18-year professional career, he scored 376 goals and 758 points in over a thousand games.  True, those aren't Wayne Gretzky numbers, but statistics aren't the only measure of a player's contribution to a sport.

The 1972 Canada-Soviet series was the grandest hockey tournament ever played.  Not only did Paul Henderson score the winning goal in the eighth and final game of that unforgettable series, he scored the game-winning goals in the sixth and seventh games too.  In the greatest battle for hockey supremacy, Henderson shone like a beaming star.  He played with one of the most outstanding displays of determination, tenacity and sheer will power in the history of the game.  That alone should qualify him for the Hall of Fame.
Paul Henderson is now 69 years old.  In 2009, he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  Cancer treatments prevented him from attending the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Summit Series in Moscow.  The exclusion of this Canadian hockey hero from the Hockey Hall of Fame is a wrong that must be righted.  The mistake should be rectified soon.

EDITOR'S UPDATE (July 17, 2013): On July 8, 2013, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced the names of the 2013 inductees.  Paul Henderson's name was not on that list.  Brendan Shanahan, Chris Chelios and Scott Niedermayer were selected.  In addition, Geraldine Heaney beame the third woman to be inducted and the late Fred Shero, who coached the Philadelphia Flyers, was elected as part of the "Builder" category.

- Joanne

Romney's tax return: Too little, too late

The issue has never been Romney's 2011 tax return - in fact it is a distraction from the real issue.  All the important compliance and policy questions relating to Romney's personal tax matters relate to the past.

- Edward D. Kleinbard
Law professor, University of Southern California and former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation

After much urging, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has finally released his 2011 income tax return.  Mr. Romney could have spared himself a great deal of criticism had he done so much sooner - and he is not out of the woods yet!  His 2011 tax return has sparked some more questions and some more criticism. Not only that, but the release of his 2011 tax return is not sufficient.  Romney has failed to release any tax return prior to 2010.  That's just not good enough for a man who aspires to be President of the United States and it has cast suspicion on his financial dealings  His opponents will not stop questioning him on the matter.

Romney and his wife, Ann, paid $1.94 million in federal taxes on an income of $13.7 million in 2011.  That's an effective tax rate of 14.1 per cent.  His tax rate of 14.1 per cent is less than many Americans because most of it is derived from capital gains.  Capital gains are taxed at 15 per cent.  The bulk of Romney's income is from investments held in blind trust.

President Barack Obama's tax return for 2011 showed that he and his wife, Michelle, paid $162,074 in federal taxes on an adjusted gross income of  $789,674.  That is an effective tax rate of 20.5 per cent.  The couple's income has plummeted from $1.7 million in 2010 and $5.5 million in 2009 due to declining sales of President Obama's best-selling books.

The point is that Romney's finances are a great deal more complicated than Obama's.  He is more wealthy and his investments are more spread out - particularly his offshore investments and his now-closed Swiss bank account.  In order to have a clearer picture, his pre-2010 tax returns need to be released.  By not releasing them, Romney has cast suspicion on his financial dealings.

Mitt Romney's own father, the late George Romney, released 12 years of tax returns prior to entering the 1968 presidential campaign. When asked why he was revealing so many years of tax information, the elder Romney replied, "One year could be a fluke, perhaps done for show."  Perhaps if Mitt had the good judgement and the integrity of his father, Americans would trust him more.


- Joanne

Laura Secord: A Woman of Courage

This is the face of a courageous woman.  It is not the portrait of the young Laura Secord that appears on the boxes and wrappers of the chocolate company that bears her name.  It is, however, the only authentic drawing of this heroic Canadian, though she lived to the ripe old age of 93.

Today is the 237th anniversary of Laura Secord's birth.  She was born Laura Ingersoll on September 13, 1775.in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, less than a year before the Americans declared their independence from Britain.  Her father, Thomas Ingersoll, supported the American revolutionaries during the War of Independence and he served as a lieutenant in the American militia from 1777 to 1781.

In 1793, Thomas Ingersoll and his family immigrated to Upper Canada after receiving a land grant of 27,000 hectares (66,000 acres) from Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe.  Thomas named the new settlement Oxford-on-the-Thames.  Charles Ingersoll, Laura's younger brother, later renamed it "Ingersoll" in honour of his father,  In 1852, it was incorporated as the "Village of Ingersoll" and it is now the site of the town of Ingersoll, Ontario.

In 1795, Thomas Ingersoll moved to the Niagara region and operated a tavern at Queenston, now part of Niargara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. His eldest daughter, Laura, married James B. Secord, a Queenston merchant in 1797.  The couple lived in Queenston and Laura gave birth to seven children, six daughters and a son named Charles Badeau Secord (1809-1872).  The daughters were Mary Lawrence (born c. 1790), Charlotte (1799-1868), Harriet Hopkins (1806-1877), Apollonia (1811-1828), Laura Ann (1815-1850)  and Hannah Cartwright (1820-1877).

When the War of 1812 broke out, James Secord, a staunch United Empire Loyalist, served as a sergeant with the 1st Lincoln Militia.  On October 13, 1812, James was severely wounded in the Battle of Queeston Heights.  Upon hearing of her husband's wounding, Laura Secord immediately went to the battlefield and climbed the hill to search for him.  After finding him with his shoulder and knee bleeding profusely, she brought him home, dressed his wounds.and nursed him during his convalescence.  In short, she single-handedly saved his life.

In June of 1813, Queenston was occupied by American troops and James was still recuperating from his battle injuries.  The Secord family was forced to billet some American soldiers in their home. At that time, Laura learned of a planned American attack on a British outpost at Beaver Dams (near present-day Thorold, Ontario).  Since James was unfit to make the trip to warn the British, Laura  undertook the difficult journey herself.  Early on June 22, she set out for the stone house of United Empire Loyalist John De Cou, in Thorold Township, Upper Canada, near present-day Brock University.  During De Cou's absence, the house was being used as a British army detachment headquarters commanded by Lieutenant James FitzGibbon.

:James FitzGibbons

Laura's remarkable 30 kilometre (18 miles) journey was fraught with peril.  The terrain was rough and she had to take a circuitous rote in order to avoid Amrerican sentries.  She walked through the woods until she reached a Native encampment on the Twelve Mile Creek. The aboriginals escorted her to the British outpost where she delivered her message to Lieutenant FitzGibbon. Within days, FitzGibbon and his forces ambushed the Americans and they surrendered.  Although Laura Secord never revealed exactly how she obtained knowledge of the planned American attack, it is probable that the American soldiers were less discreet around her because she was a woman.

In 1828, James Secord was appointed registrar of the Niagara Surrogate Court and promoted to judge in 1883.  The Secords left Queenston in 1835 when James became a customs officer at the Port of Chippawa.  His new position came with a home  in the Village of Chippawa (part of present-day Niagara Falls).  Son Charles took over the Queenston home.

James died of a stroke on February 22, 1841 at the age of 67.  After her husband's death, Laura moved to a red brick cottage in Chippawa on Water St. (now a historic house at 3800 Bridgewater Street). She was quite destitute after James' death because his war pension had ceased and she was unable to make a profit from her land holdings.  In addition, Laura's own petition for military pension had been denied.

Laura Secord did not receive any official recognition for her bravery until she was 85 years old.   In 1860, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) visited Canada and Laura presented him with a memorial detailing her contribution. She added her signature to a list of War of 1812 veterans who had prepared to address him.  Upon returning to England, the prince sent her 100 pounds sterling for her service.  Laura Secord died at Chippawa on October 17, 1868 at the age of 93.  She is buried next to her husband in the Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

THE CHOCOLATE COMPANY

So how did Laura Secord's name become associated with a chocolate company?  In 1913, Frank P. O'Connor founded a small candy business on Toronto's Yonge Street.selling hand-made chocolates.  He expanded his business across Canada and into the United Stated.  In the United States, it is known as Fanny Farmer Candy Stores.  O'Connor said that he named his company after Laura Secord because she "was an icon of courage, devotion and loyalty."

In 1935, Frank P. O'Connor was appointed to the Senate of Canada where he served until his death on August 21, 1939 at the age of 54.  Senator O'Connor College School, a Catholic high school in Toronto, was named after him.


MY VISIT TO THE LAURA SECORD HOMESTEAD

During my visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake this past Labour Day weekend, I toured the Laura Secord Homestead at Queenston, the residence of  Laura Secord from 1803 to 1835.  Invading American soldiers looted the Secord house in October of 1812 during the Battle of Queenston Heights. Less than a year later, that same house was the starting point of Laura's celebrated journey to warn the British of a surprise attack.

In 1971, the Laura Secord Candy Company restored Laura's Queenston home with original furniture and gifted it to the Niagara Parks Commission in 1998.  It is located just off the Niagara Parkway, a short distance from the scenic Bruce Trail.

At the Laura Secord Homestead, a costumed tour guide provided me with much information about Secord and her family. The guide, a Brock University student, was very personable and answered all my queries.   The homestead is a great place to visit.  Next year there will be a re-enactment of Laura's historic trek to mark the 200th anniversary of the event on Saturday, June 22, 2013.

Here are some photos I took of some of the rooms in the Laura Secord Homestead.

- Joanne