After the rejection of Liz Cheney, a new U.S. conservative party must be formed

Last Tuesday evening, May 11, 2021, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, addressed the House of Representatives.  Her words were very powerful.  She spoke the truth loudly and clearly, but her fellow Republicans did not want to hear her.  They did not want to hear the truth.  Since he internet is so filled with conspiracy theories, lies and so much misleading information, I  decided to post excepts from her speech.  I want the truth to be heard, so here are the words of Lia Cheney:

"Today we face a threat America has never seen before.  A former president who provoked a violent attack on this capitol, in an effort to steal the election, has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election was stolen from him.  He risks inciting further violence.  Millions of Americans have been misled by the former president.  They have heard only his words, not the truth.  As he continues to undermine our democratic process, sewing seeds of doubt about whether democracy works at all.

I am a conservative Republican, and the most conservative of conservative principles is reverence for the rule of law.  

The Electoral College has voted.  More than 60 state and federal courts, including multiple judges the former president appointed, have rejected his claims of widespread fraud and found no evidence to support them.  The election is over.  That is our rule of law.  That is our constitutional process.  Those who refuse to accept the rulings of our courts are at war with our Constitution.  Our duty is clear.  Every one of us who has sworn an oath must act to prevent the unravelling of our democracy.

This is not about party.  This is not about partisanship.  This is about our duty as Americans.  Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar.  I will not participate in that.  I will not sit back and watch in silence, while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president's crusade to undermine our democracy."

Liz Cheney

I certainly do not share Representative Cheney's ultra-conservative views, nor her support for most of Donald Trump's policies (from 2017 to 2021, Liz Cheney voted in line with Trump's position 92.9 % of the time).  However, I respect the Wyoming congresswoman greatly for putting country ahead of party.  I respect her for speaking the truth and for defending democracy.  I respect her for standing up to Donald Trump's bullying and defying him.  That took a great deal of courage, especially since Rep. Cheney is a woman defying the orders of a misogynists such as the former president and his legion of good old boy followers.  She remains defiant, but she has been punished by the spineless members of her own party.  

On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, at a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting, Liz Cheney was formerly removed from her position as House Republican Conference chair. 

Although five Republican representatives requested a recorded vote, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy decided to settle the matter with a voice vote.  Thus, it remains unclear which GOP lawmakers voted to oust Cheney.  The fact is that McCarthy  and company threw her under the bus to placate Donald Trump.  In order to please their boss, they demoted Liz Cheney.  What a disgrace!  What an affront to democracy, decency and the rule of law!

Farewell to the Republican Party as we have known it in the past.  The Grand Old Party is  no longer grand.  It is no longer the party of  Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower.  It is completely controlled by one man - Donald J. Trump.  With the support of "Republicans" such as Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Jim Jordan and Lindsey Graham, Trump has solidified absolute power over the party  Its name might as well be changed to the Trump Party.  It demands absolute loyalty to the Dear Leader.  That is why Trump's  cohorts support The Big Lie that there was widespread voter fraud.  

The Republican Party, as presently constituted, stands for nothing.  It has two major goals - to obtain power and to prevent President Joe Biden from achieving his agenda, even if that agenda is supported by the majority of Americans, even if it is beneficial to their country.

Although I am not a political conservative, I take no pleasure in the demise of the Republican Party.  In fact, I profoundly regret what has happened to it.  American democracy is sorely in need of a conservative movement that respects the rule of law.  More than one point of view must be set forth in a country that enshrines freedom of speech in its constitution.  That is why I fervently hope that American conservatives  form a new and more inclusive party which respects democratic principles.  It must be a party in which people of colour, immigrants and others feel welcomed and comfortable, where they feel part of the fold.  It must be a party that tries to win elections by encouraging Americans to vote, not by gerrymandering or suppressing the vote.

I am a Canadian who is concerned about the health of democracy everywhere.  The United States is my country's closest neighbour and I certainly don't want America to go down an authoritarian path.  That is why I am speaking out.  That is why I am attempting to counter the lies and misinformation on the internet and on far-right media outlets,  That is why Trumpism must be defeated, regardless of what the future brings to the former president.

- Joanne

To those who are unable to see their mothers on Mother's Day

Greetings from Toronto, Canada.  It is Mother's Day here and also in the United States and other places.  Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.  I am not a mother, but I am an aunt and a godmother, which means a great deal to me.  

During this terrible pandemic, my thoughts and prayers are with those who are unable to see their mothers today, most likely for reasons relating to the virus.  I am fortunate enough to be able to see mine, but I want to express my solidarity with those who are not as fortunate.  There are many of us who have mothers who live in other countries.  Others have mothers who are in intensive care in hospitals.  My heart goes out to them.  I fervently hope that they will be able to hug their moms next Mother's Day.   

I would also like to send my deepest condolences to those whose mothers have died from COVID-19.  This may be your fist Mother's day without your mother.  I know you are grieving because of that cruel virus.  My hope is for a better future when the scourge of COVID has finally been obliterated.  Thank you and much appreciation to all mothers for all that you have done.  

- Joanne

Vertical Forest in Taiwan

Climate change is the most serious crisis facing humanity.  It is a moral issue, an economic issue, a survival issue and much more. That is why, on this Earth Day, I would like to tell you about a remarkable environmental achievement in Taipei, Taiwan.  Taipei will be home to a vertical forest with 23,000 trees, shrubs and plants that reduce air pollution and lower temperature.  Located in the financial district of Taiwan's capital, it is a carbon-absorbing 21-storey residential building called Tao Zhu Yin Yuan.  There are two apartments per floor and the twisting form of the structure allows for a panoramic view of the city.

Tao Zhu Yin Yuan was designed by Paris-based architecture firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures..  The futuristic skyscraper is shaped like the double helix of DNA and every apartment has its own garden.  Various types of trees are planted in the park, balconies and terraces, with 14 trees planted for each floor.  All that greenery will absorb up to 130 tones of carbon per year.  It will also reduce the noise from the city.  In addition, the vertical forest is powered by solar energy and recycles rainwater which can water gardens..  It also includes natural ventilation chimneys which filter the indoor air and reduce temperatures and the usage of air conditioning.  The structure is sturdy and strongly earthquake resilient.

The best news is that Tao Zhu Yin Yuan is not set to arrive in Taipei at some undetermined time in the future.  It is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by the latter half of 2021.  I only hope other countries in the world, including my own Canada, will follow this example for sustainable housing and a greener future.  We can't afford to put the environment on the backburner, even as we face the ravages of a terrible pandemic.  When the pandemic finally eases, we will still have to deal with climate change.  Carbon reduction is absolutely necessary and fossil fuels must be replaced by renewable energy.  The climate change deniers are on the wrong side of history.

SOURCES: Amazing Architecture website, "Tao Zhu Yin Yuan: A Carbon-Absorbing Vertical Forest in Taipei, Taiwan, by Vincent Callebaut Architectures," February 2021; Inhabitat.com' ""Carbon-absorbing " vertical forest near completion in Taipei," by Lucy Wang, March 12, 2021.

- Joanne

2021 Oscars Quiz

The 93rd Academy Awards will be held on April 25, 2021. They will be forever known as the COVID Oscars.  The live show will start at 8 p.m. on ABC and will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.  It will also be live-streamed on the ABC app.  For the first time. part of the show will be held at L.A.'s. Union Station.  Due to pandemic restrictions, only nominees, their guests and presenters are permitted to attend.

 As you prepare for the big night, why not challenge yourself and try Number 16's tenth annual Oscars quiz. There are 10 questions. Good luck!

NUMBER 16 OSCARS QUIZ

1.  Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the Oscars had to be delayed until April 25th.  For which of the following reasons was the show cancelled in the past?

A,  Flooding in Los Angeles in 1938.

B.  The assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981.

C.  The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.

D.  All of the above.

E.  None of the above.

2.  Were the Oscars ever cancelled?

A.  Yes, they were cancelled in 1941 due to World War II.

B.  They were cancelled in 1942 due to World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

C.  They were cancelled in 1942 and 943 due to World War II.

D.  They wee cancelled from 1942 to 1945 due to World War II.

E.  The Academy Awards have never been fully cancelled in their history.

3.  Chloé Zhao is nominated for Best Director this year for her work on the film Nomadland.  What is so significant about her nomination?

A.  She is the first female filmmaker to be nominated for a Best Director Academy Award.

B.  She is the first Asian to be nominated for Best Director.

C.  She is the first woman of colour to be be nominated for Best Director.

D,  She is the first Chinese-born person to be nominated for an Oscar.

E.  All of the above.

4.  Gary Cooper won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice.  For which two movies did he win an Oscar?

Gsry Cooper

A.  Sergeant York (1941) and High Noon (1952)

B.  Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)

C.  The Pride of the Yankess (1942) and Friendly Persuasion (1956)

D.   Design For Living (1933) and Meet John Doe (1941) 

E.  Beau Geste (1939) and Ball of Fire (1941)

5.  How long did the first Oscars ceremony last?

A.  One hour

B.  15 minutes

C.  30 minutes

D.  90 minutes

E.  Two hours

6.  How many Oscars did Greta Garbo win for Best Actress?

A.  One

B.  Two

C.  Three

D.  Four

E.  None

7.  Did songwriter Irving Belin ever win a Oscar for Best Music (Original Song)?

A.  Yes, he won for "There's No Business Like Show Business.

B.  Yes, he won for "Cheek to Cheek"

C,  Yes, he won for "White Christmas"

D.  Yes, he won for "God Bless America"

E,  No, he never won an Oscar for  Best Music (Original Song) 

8.  Two films received the most Oscar nominations without winning a single Academy Award.  Can you names the two film..

A.  The Turning Point and The Color Purple

B.  Terms of Endearment and The Shawshank Redemption

C.  The Notebook and The Devil Wears Prada

D.  Urban Cowboy and Pulp Fiction

E.   Raging Bull and The Natural

9.  Who filed for divorce in 1948, right before winning an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role?

A.  Ingrid Bergman

B.  Elizabeth Taylor

C.  Barbara Stanwyk

D,  Jane Wyman

E.  Vivien Leigh

10.  Which was the first winner in the Academy Award's Best Animated Film category?

A.  Frozen

B.  Toy Story

C.  Nemo

D.  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

E.  Shrek (2001)

ANSWERS

1.  D

All of the above.  2021 marks the fourth time that the Academy Awards ceremony has been delayed,  The Oscars were were delayed in due to flooding in Los Angeles in February-March of 1938, one of the largest floods in the history of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverdale Counties of southern California; the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968 in Memphis Tennessee and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981 in Washington, D.C.

2.  E

No,  the Academy Awards have never been fully cancelled in their history.

3.  C

Chloé Zhao is the first woman of colour to be be nominated for Best Director for her film  Nomadland.  Zhao was born in Beijing, China on March 31, 1982.  She is known primarily for her work in American independent films.

4.  A

Gary Cooper won two Best Actor Oscars - for his performances in Sergeant York (1941) and High Noon (1952).  He also received the Academy Honorary Award for his career achievements in 1961.  Cooper was nominated for Best Actor for his work in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, The Pride of the Yankees and For Whom the Bell Tolls, but did not win.

5.  B

The first Oscars ceremony lasted only 15 minutes.  It was presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and honoured the best films of 1927 and 1928.  The ceremony took place on May 16, 1929 in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.  270 people attended the event.

6.  E

Greta Garbo

Swedish-American actress Greta Garbo never won an Oscar for Best Actress.  She was nominated four times - for  Romance (1930), Anna Christie (1930), Camille (1936),  and Ninotcka (1939).  In 1955, however, she was awarded an honorary Oscar for "her luminous and unforgettable screen performances."  The reclusive Garbo was not present at the ceremony and actress Nancy Kelly accepted the award for her.

7.  C

Irving Berlin

Yes, Irving Berlin won an Academy Award for "White Christmas."  The great composer died on September 22, 1989 at the age of 101.

8.  A

The Turning Point (1977), starring Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft and The Color Purple (1985), staring Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey, received 11 Academy Award nominations.  Both films were nominated for Best Picture and both failed to win a single Oscar.

9.  D

Jane Wyman

Jane Wyman was  Ronald Reagan's first wife.  They met while filming the movie Brother Rat (1938) and married on January 26, 1940.  Wyman filed for divorce from the future U.S. President in 1948.  The divorce became final on July 18, 1949, soon after Jane won the Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance as a deaf mute rape victim in the film Johnny Belinda.  She also garnered an Academy Award nomination for The Yearling (1946).

Wyman, who died on September 10, 2007 at the age of 90, went on to star as villainous matriarch Angela Channing in the primetime soap Falcon Crest (1981-1990). 

10,  E

Shrek

Shrek (2001) was the first winner in the Best Animated Feature Film category.  The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature wasn't established until 2002 for films made in 2001.  Shek, about a green ogre, was the first winner of the award.  Toy Story 3 won for the year 2010 and Toy Story 4 won for the year 2019.  Frozen received the Oscar for the year 2013.  The Disney film Snow White was released in 1937.

- Joanne

Some riddles and wordplay for a spring day

Feeling stressed and overburdened?  It's April and we are still in the midst of a nightmarish pandemic.  If you need some relief to get your mind off COVID for a while, Number 16 presents some jokes, riddles and quips for you to enjoy.  You deserve a break and a smile.

- Joanne

What did the bird say after purchasing some lipstick?

Answer: Put it on my bill.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.  He had a great summer too.

A man who was outside in the rain without an umbrella or or hat didn't get a single hair on his head wet.  Why?

Answer:  He was bald.

You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn't a single person on board.  How is that possible?

Answer:  All the people on the boat are married.

The more of this there is, the less you see.  What is it?

Answer: Darkness

"It is silly of you, for there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."

- Oscar Wilde  (1854-1900), Irish poet and playwright

From The Picture of Dorian Gray, published 1890

What's the best thing about Switzerland? 

Answer:  I don't know, but the flag is a big plus.

Did you hear about the mathematician who's afraid of negative number?

He'll stop at nothing to avoid them.

Yesterday I saw a guy spill all his Scrabble letters on the road.  "I asked him, "What's the word on the street?"

Did you hear about the actor who fell through the floorboards?

He was just going through a stage.

- Compiled by Joanne

Children of Dieppe: My novel is available to Toronto Public Library patrons

 To Readers of Number 16

I have some new to share with you.  My novel, Children of Dieppe, is now available in ebook form to Toronto Public Library patrons.  It is part of Indie Ontario, a collection of books from local authors, exclusively on the BiblioBoard Library mobile and web platform.  If you are a Toronto Public Library patron and you would like to support a local indie author, please click the link below.

http://library.biblioboard.com/content/51035fe0-10bc-4265-8c4f-4ea1809adfb4

If you are not a Toronto Public Library and do not live in the area, Children of Dieppe is available as an ebook on Smashwords.  The link is below.

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

Thank you for your continued support of Number 16.  It is very much appreciated.

- Joanne

Thoughts on a Second COVID Easter

 

"So we come to the end of April. even a chilly April, with birdsong around us and some of spring's color; and we feel the strengthening sun, we sense the opening buds, we know that no winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.  April is a promise that May is bound to keep, and we know it."

The above quotation is from an April 29, 1956 editorial in The New York Times.  The editorial "April's End,"  was reprinted in a 1964 book entitled Sundial of the Seasons: A Selection of Outdoor Editorials from The New York Times by Hal Borland.  "April's End" has been attributed to Borland.

Harold Glen "Hal" Borland (1900-1978) was an American journalist, author poet and and naturalist.  He was a New York Times writer and editorialist.  He also wrote fiction and non-fiction books about the outdoors.  Borland was a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism.  During World War II, he composed radio programs for the United States government and was a special magazine correspondent.  During his lifetime, he contributed a number of articles, short short stories and novellas to prominent magazines in the U.S. and abroad.

Hal Borland

Hal Borland's words about spring and winter are particularly relevant during these difficult days of a terrible pandemic.  Easter, Christianity's greatest feast, is upon us once more.  For the second year in a row, we are in the grip of a devastating pandemic.  COVID-19 has been the source of untold suffering, pain and despair.  It seems to be lasting so much longer than expected, and it has definitely taken its toll.  There are days when many of us, including myself, feel tired and defeated, ready to give in to gloom and despondency.  We can never let that happen, no matter how difficult the situation.  If we lose hope, we lose everything.  

"We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King said those words in a speech he delivered on February 6, 1968, almost two months before his assassination on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.  

Easter is a time of triumph, a manifestation of the defeat of both death and evil.  The hope of Easer is guaranteed.  It is ours forever.  In a world of uncertainty, we can count on the victory of Easter and The Resurrection.  That is why there is something to celebrate, even in these terrible times.  Christ is risen!

HAPPY EASTER!

- Joanne

The Conservative Party of Canada won't recognize climate change crisis

Erin O'Toole

The Conservative Party of Canada (no longer "Progressive" Conservative) is moving in a dangerous direction - further to the right.  It has the same problem as the Republican Party in the United States States.  Its rank and file are on the wrong side of history with regard to climate change.  The climate crisis is very real and can't be ignored.  It is linked to the current COVID-19 pandemic.  The two are intertwined.  

This weekend, Conservative delegates at the party's political convention voted to give thumbs down to environmentally friendly policies,.  They rejected the line to the party's policy book that would have affirmed the Conservative Party' belief that "climate change is real" and that it is willing to act."  This is extremely unfortunate and disheartening because if the Conservatives form the government they will have to deal with Canada's response to the most serious problem facing humanity.  If they assume power, they can be expected to relax environmental standards.

Yes, Conservative leader Erin O'Toole stressed that the party can't afford to be seen as hostile toward the environment.  He pledged to put forth a comprehensive plan for combatting green house gases before the next election.  (For the record, O'Toole is opposed to the carbon tax on consumers and says he will remove it if he becomes prime minister.  He supports a carbon-price to penalize big polluters for emissions.  For taking that position, he was mocked by Peter MacKay, his main opponent for the Conservative leadership).

Nevertheless, there are two major problems with O'Toole's position on climate change,  Firstly, we don't know how comprehensive O'Toole's plan would actually be in reducing carbon emissions.  O'Toole is willing to talk the talk, unlike some Tories, but is he willing to walk the walk?   Is he more worried about how the party will  appear to environmentally concerned voters than he is about decreasing green house gasses?  If  Conservatives come to power in Ottawa, could he not turn around and say that the country is too deeply in debt after COVID  to afford strong environmental measures? Secondly, even if O'Toole were to come up with an effective plan, how successful would he be in implementing it?  After all, the grass roots of the party are opposed to even the appearance of concern about climate change.  If O'Toole tried to implement any significant legislation with regard to the environment, they would pressure him to water it down.

As long as the Conservative Party's base refuses to recognize the gravity of climate change, the party is stuck in a time warp.  It cannot move forward to face the most critical challenge of the 21st century.  

- Joanne 

COVID masks and freedom

It's very difficult for me to fathom why some people, particularly Trump followers and Republicans in states such as Texas, feel that wearing a  mask is an infringement upon their freedom.  First of all, there  cannot be absolute freedom.  Otherwise, everyone would be able to do as he or she pleases, with impunity.  That would lead to total chaos, or as 17th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes put it, "the war of all against all." That's why civil society has laws, to prevent such havoc.

Definitions of freedom may vary.  However, one thing is certain.  In a civil society, freedom cannot be absolute.  One cannot be free to provoke violence or hatred.  One cannot be granted the freedom to cause injury, illness or death to another person except in self-defence.  One person's freedom does not include endangering the life of another or interfering with another person's constitutional or human rights.  In the United States, citizens have the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  In Canada, it's "peace, order and good government."

There's another reason why Trump and his ilk don't like wearing masks.  They don't think it's macho.  They equate wearing a mask with weakness and fearfulness.  To them, it's better to risk getting the COVID virus than to appear what they consider to be weak.  They remind me of hockey players years ago who didn't want to wear a helmet.  They preferred to risk death or brain injury rather than tinkering with their macho image.  How many hockey players do you see today who don't wear helmets?

Let me be clear.  I am not advocating in favour of censorship or the severe curtailment of civil liberties.  However, civil rights do not include the right to endanger the lives and wellbeing of others by spreading a dangerous virus.  It's not a matter of freedom, it's a matter of public safety and respect for others.  Unfortunately, some far-right conservatives have made it a political issue, a way to lash out at government.  They think it's a case of big bad government telling them what they can and cannot do.  That is simply not the case, and if some right-wing Republicans in the United States truly believe that government can do no good. why don't they return their COVID relief cheques and do without that $1,400?  Why don't they refuse their child tax benefit?

Frankly, I don't enjoy wearing a mask.  They are onerous and it's not easy to breathe with one over your mouth.  However, the issue is not my personal discomfort or anyone else's.  Protecting the elderly and the vulnerable from COVID-19  is infinitely more important than individual comfort and convenience.  Trumpism is a very selfish philosophy.  Unless you have s medical condition that precludes you from wearing a mask, you should do so until health authorities advise otherwise.  You do not have the freedom to infect your fellow human beings.  

- Joanne

Reflections on International Women's Day

"To call woman the weaker sex is a libel.  It is man's injustice to women.  If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man.  If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior.  Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage?  Without her, man could not be.  If nonviolence is the law of out being, the future is with women Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?

- Mohandaa K. "Mahatma" Gandhi (1869-1948), From Young India, [October 4, 1930]

Today marks International Women's Day. at a time when COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the female population.  Although International Women's Day has its roots in socialism, it has become a general celebration of women and womanhood.  

The earliest Womnen's Day observance took place in New York City on February 28, 1909.  It was called "National Women's Day" and it was organized by the Socialist Party of America at the suggestion of Theresa Malkiel 1874-1949), a Ukrainian-born American  labour activist, suffragist and educator.

Theresa Makiel

March 8th became a national holiday in Soviet Russia when women gained suffrage in 1917.  It was on March 8 (February 23 old style calendar) of that year that a women's demonstration in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) sparked the Russian Revolution and led to the overthrow of the czar.  The women went on strike that day demanding an end to World War I, food shortages and czarist rule.

Demonstration for bread and peace - Petrograd 1917

The celebration of March 8 was adopted by the feminist movement in 1967.  The United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day in 1977.

"Strident women move mountains.  Strident, like most words that mean abrasive, is rarely applied to men.  The strident woman has an opinion.  It does not matter what the strident woman's voice actually sounds like - it might be fast, deliberate, high-pitched, bellowing, or marked by vocal fry - the problem with a strident woman's voice is that she uses it.

Strident is one of many insults deployed against a woman who seems to have forgotten her role."

- Erin Matson

From Erintothemax, "In Celebration Of The Strident Woman," May 24, 2017

It is sickening to hear women's voices derided or described as "strident."  In the United States, Hillary Clinton has had to endure such criticism about her voice and personality for years, and throughout her political career.  Male leaders never have to deal with that.  The latest example of such male chauvinism comes from the leader of my own home province of Ontario, Canada..

Sexist Comment by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.  

Doug Ford

Andrea Horvath

On February 17, 2021, Premier Ford compared listening to provincial  NDP leader and Ontario Opposition Leader Andrea Horvath to "nails on a chalkboard."

There are over 190 independent sovereign nations in the world.  The wealthiest and most powerful of these countries, with the exception of Germany, are led by men.  Ask the average North American to name countries headed by women and most will only be able to name Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany. Some will be able to identify New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern.  Both women have received plaudits for their achievements.  Markel has provided steady leadership to Germany for over 15 years, since 2005.  She was chosen Time magazine's "Person of the Year" in 2015 for her handling of the refugee crisis in Europe that year.  Ardern has been given high marks for her reaction to the 2019 mass shootings at a two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.  Her practical approach to the COVID-19 crisis has also been successful in allowing the country to reopen safely.

The small island nation of Iceland has a history of women leaders.  Its current prime minister is Katrin Jakobsdóttir.  She assumed office in 2017.gongel 

Katrin

For the first time in its history, the United States has a female vice president in Kamala Harris.  Here in Canada, all ten of our provincial premiers are men.  There has only been one female prime minister of Canada - Kim Campbell.  She only held the office from June to November of 1993 and her government was soundly defeated in the election of October 25, 1993.  Canadians are currently represented by 100 women in the 338-seat House of Commons.  

- Joanne

Quebec City Snow Sculptures by Denis Gravel

Last March, I posted some photos of some sculptures by talented Quebec City snow sculptor Denis Gravel.  Here are some more photos of his sculptures.  They were taken a few weeks ago.  He is a very talented artist and I hope you enjoy his work.  Merci Denis

- Joanne

Why the U.S. Republican Party is on the wrong side of history

 

What has happened to the Republican Party of the United States is sad and tragic.  The party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower no longer exists in its current form.  In fact, the Republican Party has strayed so far to the right and away from the rule of law that it isn't even the party of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush anymore.  Unfortunately, the party is now controlled by Donald Trump and his cult followers.  It has been hijacked.  It no longer stands for any true ideals.  It has abandoned any real principles and has become whatever Trump wants it to be.  Like a mob boss, he rules the rules the roost and demands absolute loyalty.

Lincoln

T. Roosevelt

First, a little history about the Republican Party.  According to Christopher Klein, a frequent contributor to History.com, it was formed in 1854 by former Whig Party members to prevent the expansion of slavery into western territories.  It acquired  the "nickname GOP" (Grand Old Party).around  1870, when newspapers began referring to the Republican Party as both "the grand old party" and the "gallant old party" in recognition of its contribution in preserving the Union during the Civil War.  In 1874, the Republican Party of Minnesota endorsed a platform that it said "guarantees that the grand old party that saved the country is still true to the principles that gave it birth."  

Alas, if Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt could see what has become of their party, they would weep bitterly.  It is anything but true to the principle that gave it birth.  Lincoln and Roosevelt could never have envisioned that their party would be controlled by a twice-impeached 74 year-old white supremacist, misogynist and pathological liar.  They could never have imagined that an American president would encourage an insurrection to prevent the certification of a presidential election. On January 6, 2021, Trump and his band of far right domestic terrorists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis almost succeeded in overturning the legitimate outcome of the 2020 presidential election.  

Donald Trump will never acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.  As his estranged niece, Mary Trump, has pointed out, losing means death to him.  He continues to peddle his conspiracy theories and lies, and millions of American believe him.   He acts as if he is a viable candidate for president in 2024, although it is doubtful that he will ever run again.  Still, many of  the former president's followers will be duped into donating their hard-earned money to him.

Let's be clear.  Donald Trump should not be permitted to run for office in the United States ever again.  He will spend years in court, facing multiple criminal and civil charges.  Sooner of later, he will be held accountable for his actions.  He is not above the law and he no longer has the protection of the American presidency.  He is Citizen Donald J. Trump and he must be held accountable for his actions.  Otherwise other authoritarian leaders will attempt to get away with destroying American democracy.  Trump is not invincible.  Keep in mind that mobster Al Capon was finally convicted of tax evasion and that Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo.

Donald Trump and his sycophants, such as Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham and the woeful Josh Hawley, should take note of what has just happened to the former president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.  Sarkozy, who served as president from May 2007 to May 2012, has just been convicted of corruption.  He was sentenced to a year in prison.

Sarkozy

The Trump Party is out of touch with modern America.  History and demographics are not on its side.  The population of the United States is becoming increasingly urban and more diversified.  The environment matters.  Coal, oil and other fossil fuels are dying industries.  They will be replaced by renewable energy, green jobs and electric cars.  The lily white world of Leave it to Beaver is long gone and the South will never rise again.

This is not to say that the concerns of rural, white voters don't matter and should not be addressed.  It simply means that the world has changed and that a conservative movement, if it is to succeed,  has to become more inclusive, more concerned about the environment and more appealing to racial minorities, immigrants and younger voters.  

As it is presently constituted, the "Republican" Party cannot win the popular vote in a presidential election.  It can only depend on an archaic electoral college system to elect a "Republican" president.   It has to attract voters, not prevent them from voting.  The Trump Party has been reduced to voter suppression and gerrymandering in order to win elections.  It is determined to  prevent Blacks and Latinos from exercising their franchise. 

The party of Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt has been lost.  It hasn't been "grand" for a while.  It is just old and out-of-step.  That is why moderate conservatives who believe in democracy and the rule of law should start a new party.  It should be a party that is more open and more internationalist.  It should be willing to work side by side with America's traditional allies and support the United Nations and its agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO).  Remember that Wendell Wilkie, a corporate executive and Republican candidate for president in 1940, published a manifesto in 1943.called One World, which advocates an end to colonialism and supports World Federalism and equality for non-whites in the United States. 

Wilkie

The American conservative movement needs to be refreshed and rebuilt.  Like the Whig Party, the "Republican Party" of Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell should be confined to the dust bin of history.  Otherwise, Trumpism and domestic terrorism will continue to threaten democracy in the United States.

SOURCE:  History.com, "Why Is the Republican Party Known as the GOP?" by Christopher Klein

-  Joanne

Attention Canada!! Don't throw this out. It's not junk mail.

Hey Canada, if you've received this in the mail, don't throw it out.  I almost discarded it myself until I looked at it more carefully.  It's definitely not junk mail.  Although Canada Post is sending it out as a flyer, it's actually a postage paid post card.  Please take the time to send a note to someone who is alone or isolated during this pandemic.  Just write a message and place it in a mail box. It won't cost you anything and it's a win-win situation.  You will cheer someone up and you will feel better.  In these terrible times, some good old fashioned mail can work wonders.  

- Joanne

Canada's vaccine response is extremely disappointing

   

Here in Toronto, Canada's largest city, we have been in lockdown since the day after Christmas.  The Ontario government's stay-at-home order has been extended until at least until March 8th, due to fears about the spread of variants of the COVID-19 virus.  This didn't have to happen and its consequences are tragic.  Every day that the vaccines are delayed means that more people will become infected and more people will die.  It means that variants of the virus will spread more rapidly.  As I write this, two vulnerable members of my family have still not been vaccinated.  One is 92 years old and the other resides in a group home.  Millions of Canadians find themselves in similar situations.  I do not buy the excuse, however,  that we have to wait for other countries to deliver the vaccines to us.  Why, for heaven's sake, haven't we been able to produce our own vaccine?  Why have we been left in the dust as countries such as Germany, the U.K. and the United States receive the coronavirus vaccine before us?

Canada's COVID-19 response should have been swifter much more efficient.  It certainly would have helped if we had produced own vaccine.  After all, Canada is the country that gave the world a wonderful gift about a century ago. Two Canadian doctors, Frederick Banting and Charles Best, discovered insulin at the University of Toronto.  Insulin was purified and used in the successful treatment of diabetes.  

F. Banting (r) and C. Best circa 1924

In 2003, Canada experienced an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus.  According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, most of the infections originated in Toronto hospitals.  Thousands were quarantined during the outbreak and 44 people died.  SARS was a severe warning of what might happen in the future.  We had ample to time to prepare for a worse scenario.  Yet we were not prepared - not buy a longshot.  Why not?

On November 30, 2020, the Toronto Star published a column by journalist Linda McQuaig about Canada's inability to produce its own vaccine.  McQuaig pointed out that Canada once led the way in vaccine research and production.  She chronicled the history of the Connaught Medical Research Laboratories, which opened in 1914 as a public health commodity at the University of Toronto with the intention of  producing diphtheria antitoxin.  Of Connaught's pioneering work,  McQuaig wrote: "From the early part of the 20th century, Connaught created high quality medical treatments and vaccines for Canadians, including vaccines for smallpox, tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough, as Canadian medical historian Christopher Rutty has documented."  It also played an important role in assisting Dr. Jonas Salk with developing the polio vaccine in the 1950s.

Alas, Connaught was privatized in the 1980s as a cost-cutting measure by the conservative government of Brian Mulroney.  Its remains have been integrated into the vaccine division of Sanofi, a French pharmaceutical giant located Paris.  How penny wise and pound foolish!  Years later, we are paying a heavy price for that decision.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada had struck a deal with Novavax to produce its COVID-19 vaccine in this country.  That's all fine and dandy, but it comes much too late to prevent a large number of deaths and illnesses.  It is expected to be months before this potential made-in-Canada vaccine is approved and distributed nationwide.  That's not good enough.  People are dying!  We need the vaccine now!

Canada is not a Third World country.  It is not poor nation, bereft of resources.  There was no reason why the True North couldn't have produced its own vaccine much sooner.  So, why did it not happen in time to combat this horrid COVID-19 pandemic?  Why are we in a situation in which we have to depend on other countries for vaccines?  I am angry and profoundly disappointed that this has occurred.  It's not good enough to say that the vaccines will soon get rolling, that we have to be patient a bit longer.  People are suffering and dying in the meantime.  Their lives could have been spared.  The delay has given the variants of the disease more time to spread.  

Prime Minister Trudeau has promised that all Canadians will be vaccinated by the end of September.  I  can only hope his calculation is accurate.  Remember that Canada has a relatively small population.  It's not as if we have over a billion people to vaccinate like India or over 330 million like the United States.  We have a population of about 38 million people.  According to COVID-19 Tracker Canada, as of today, more than 1,055,288 have received received at least one dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.  Only 468,510 Canadians have been fully vaccinated.  Unfortunately, the vaccinations have been moving at a snail's pace.  Let's get rolling!  Let's get it done!

- Joanne

Valentine's Day Trivia

 

"Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each includes the other, each is enriched by the other. Love is an echo in the feelings of a unity subsisting between two persons which is founded both on likeness and on complementary differences. Without the likeness there would be no attraction; without the challenge of the complementary differences there could not be the closer interweaving and the inextinguishable mutual interest which is the characteristic of all deeper relationships."   

- Felix Adler, From Life and Destiny (1913), Section 5: Love and Marriage

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and I compiled some Valentine trivia for you.

- Joanne

VALENTINE'S DAY BIRTHDAYS

FLORENCE HENDERSON, American actress and singer, best known as The Brady Bunch matriarch, was born in Dale, Indiana, USA on February 14, 1934.  She died on November 24, 2016 and the age of 82.

 

JIM KELLY, former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), was born on February 14, 1960 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

 

DREW BLEDSOE, retired American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), was born on February 14, 1972 in Ellensburg, Washington, USA.

SIMON PEGG, British actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer, was born in Gloucestershire, England on February 14, 1970.  He came to prominence in the United Kingdom as the co-creator of the sitcom Spaced.  He wrote and starred in the Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy.  He also co-wrote and starred in the 2011 science fiction film Paul.

Photo Attribution:  Simon Pegg, Alice Braga & Like Hemsworth at the LA Premier… | Flickr

Mark Rutte, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010, was born in The Hague, in the province  of South Holland on February 14, 1967.

  

Photo Attribution: File:Mark Rutte-6.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, American businessman and politician, was born on February 14, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts.  He is the former mayor of New York City.

JIMMY HOFFA was born in Brazil, Indiana on February 14, 1913.  The American labour union leader served as the president of the International Brotherhood Teamsters from 1957 until 1971.  He disappeared on July 30, 1975 and was declared dead on July 30, 1982.  

SUNG HOON, South Korean actor and voice actor, was born in Nam District, Daegu, South Korea on February 14, 1983.

Photo Attribution: tenasia10

    

VALENTINE'S DAY DEATHS

WILLIAM  TECEMSWEH SHERMAN, American Major General in the Union Army during the Civil War, died in New York City on February 14, 1891 at the age of 71.

JOHNNY LONGDEN was a champion jockey.  He is the only person to win the Kentucky Derby as both an rider (1943) and as a trainer (1969).  Johnny was born on February 14, 1907 in Yorkshire, England.  His family immigrated to Canada and settled in Taber, Alberta, where he was raised.  Johnny Longden died of a stroke on his 96th birthday, February 14, 2003. 

EVENTS OF INTEREST FEBRUARY 14TH 

Circa 270 A.D.  Saint Valentine is martyred in Rome.

1400 (Circa February 14) -  Richard II, King of England from 1377 to 1399 is murdered at Pontefract Castle.  He is 33 years old.  

February 14, 1779- James Cook, British explorer, navigator and cartographer is killed in a fight with Hawaiians near Kealakekua.  He is 50 years old.

Al Capone

February 14, 1929 - St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago.  Seven gangsters are killed, allegedly on the orders of mobster Al Capone.

FEBRUARY 14TH TRIVIA

Hefty Smurf has a heart tattooed on both arms.  Hefty is the son of Muscles Smurf and the twin brother of Handy Smurf.