On this day; all Hallows' Eve; I bring you my Top 5 picks of the best performances of the famous man in the black cloak from Transylvania.
Who can forget this 1980's character who was as famous as Tony the Tiger, unfortunately the cereal taste like soggy sofa cushion stuffings.
Count Chocula
Hands down the best performance and creepiest rendition.
Max Shreck-Nosferatu 1922
I put this selection ahead of Oldman's not because it was the most athentic portrayal of Stoker's character, but because it gave birth to a ledgend that will be never forgotten.
Bela Lugosi 1931
Lugosis' Dracula was the modern adaptation with the cloak and the campy movements and dialogue, Oldman brought the character back to its dark Victorian roots and provided the purest rendition.
Gary Oldman 1992
Christopher Lee was the genesis for Oldmans' count. Portraying the count as the romantic rather than the monster.
Christopher Lee 1958
And as a bonus, who could forget this classic pop culture icon, "The Count" from "Sesame Street" Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!
Count from Sesame Street.
Have a happy Halloween, me I'm off to the plant for another afternoon shift.
Later,
Kenaz
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Rush Limbaugh attacks Michael J. Fox
Rush Limbaugh will say anything and attack anyone who challenges his buddy George Bush and to get his fat, ugly mug on TV. This time, his target is Michael J. Fox. Meds are something Rush should look into and consider taking.
The Story:Rush Limbaugh accused Michael J. Fox, actor and Parkinson's Disease victim, of deliberately going off of his meds to appear on camera with exaggerated symptoms of his disease for dramatic effect. Fox appeared in a recent Clair McHaskill (D-MO) Senate campaign ad, touting the need for stem cell research. Limbaugh even goes so far as to accuse Fox of faking his symptoms all together.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
"Halloween"
The ancient festival of Samhuinn (or "samhain") is upon us-- on the eve of the 31st of October; the beginning of the ancient Celtic new year. All Souls' Day (November 1) is the Christian version of samhain, the Celtic feast of the dead. Some writers believe that this name is based on the ancient Aryan Lord of Death, Samana-- called "the Leveller", the leader of ancestral ghosts and spirits. It is a time of divination, of the cleansing of the old, and the bringing of the new; also, of honouring the fruits of the harvest time, and the ancestors of the tribe(s). The crone crone goddess the Cailleach (the Greek Hecate)-- Queen of the Night-- is expecially important now. The veil between this world and the Otherworld is expecially thin at this time, and because of this, samhain is a time of the "opening of the doorway".
According to the ancient Celtic calendar, festivals were celebrated in the `eve`, rather on the day. So what we now call `Halloween` is actually a continuation of this ancient Celtic festival-- the earlier pagan `All Hallow`s Eve` was the origional festival, later displaced to the following day by the church-- on 1 November, called `All Souls Day`. The Irish used to call samhain a holy night, the Vigil of Samhain. Churchmen described it as a night of charms, divinations, of reading the future with witches` mirrors and nutshell ashes, dunking for apples in tubs of water (representing the Cauldron of rebirth), and other so-called `objectionable` rites. Other Christian authorities wrote of Halloween customs: `many other superstitious cremonies, the remains of Druidism, are observed of this holiday, which will never be eradicated...(huh!)The name samhain remained, however, and down to the present day many churches still celebrate the Harvest service, with parishioners bringing fruits and berries to the alter.
One example from Scottish history earlier this century, is the following account of a local man who told of how samhuinn was celebrated in Fortingall (Perthshire, England) when he was a young boy. (The Fortingall area is famous for having the oldest yew tree in Europe, its standing stones, its connections to the story of Jesus and Joseph of Amrimathea, and for its connections with the early Druids and Celtic priesthood(s).)
This account tells of what it was like early this century to go to a samhuinn celebration, which featured a huge bonfire on the top of a hill, called the Mound if the Dead:
The Fortingall `Carn nam Marbh`, or Mound of the Dead, was the focus of the whole samhain season there. This mound is a Bronze Age tumulus; a stone called the `Clach a`Phlaigh`(Stone of the Plague) tops the mound. Local tradition says the mound contains the bodies of those victims of a horrible plague in early times.
Also sacred to ancient Celtic samhain time was the hazel nut, believed to have divining powers and sacred to poets. The magic of this nut was considered to be especially powerful on samhain eve-- and was often used in marriage dininations.
Robert Burns wrote about this Halloween custom in Scotland:
Hazel nuts were sometimes named after an individual, and then thrown into the bonfire on samhaon eve. The manner in which it burned would determine the `fate` for that person for the next year.
To honour the dead, and devine the future were seen as important spiritual activities, as well as good community fun!
Later,
Kenaz
According to the ancient Celtic calendar, festivals were celebrated in the `eve`, rather on the day. So what we now call `Halloween` is actually a continuation of this ancient Celtic festival-- the earlier pagan `All Hallow`s Eve` was the origional festival, later displaced to the following day by the church-- on 1 November, called `All Souls Day`. The Irish used to call samhain a holy night, the Vigil of Samhain. Churchmen described it as a night of charms, divinations, of reading the future with witches` mirrors and nutshell ashes, dunking for apples in tubs of water (representing the Cauldron of rebirth), and other so-called `objectionable` rites. Other Christian authorities wrote of Halloween customs: `many other superstitious cremonies, the remains of Druidism, are observed of this holiday, which will never be eradicated...(huh!)The name samhain remained, however, and down to the present day many churches still celebrate the Harvest service, with parishioners bringing fruits and berries to the alter.
One example from Scottish history earlier this century, is the following account of a local man who told of how samhuinn was celebrated in Fortingall (Perthshire, England) when he was a young boy. (The Fortingall area is famous for having the oldest yew tree in Europe, its standing stones, its connections to the story of Jesus and Joseph of Amrimathea, and for its connections with the early Druids and Celtic priesthood(s).)
This account tells of what it was like early this century to go to a samhuinn celebration, which featured a huge bonfire on the top of a hill, called the Mound if the Dead:
...Everybody shared in the preperations which began months before the event. The young people used to go up onto the hill to collect and store great quan-tities of whin, (gorse) which was once very plentiful there. This went on night after night. It was finally made into a huge pile with wood shavings and tar barrels added to increase it... it was the duty of the older men to build the bonfire on the top of the Mound of the Dead. Finally, it was lit, and the whole community took hands when it was blazing and danced round the mound both sunwise and anti-sunwise. As the fire began to wane, some of the younger boys took burning (cigarettes) from the flames and ran through the field with them, finally throwing them into the air and dancing over them as they lay glowing on the ground. When the last embers were showing, the boys would have a leaping competition across the ramians of the fire. When it was finished, the young people went home and dunked for apples and practised divination. The older people went to the Fortingall Hotel, an old coaching house, and held a dance there, with much merry making. The bonfire being the absolute centre of attention until it was consumed. The last bonfire, made by the community, was lit on the mound in 1924.
The Fortingall `Carn nam Marbh`, or Mound of the Dead, was the focus of the whole samhain season there. This mound is a Bronze Age tumulus; a stone called the `Clach a`Phlaigh`(Stone of the Plague) tops the mound. Local tradition says the mound contains the bodies of those victims of a horrible plague in early times.
Also sacred to ancient Celtic samhain time was the hazel nut, believed to have divining powers and sacred to poets. The magic of this nut was considered to be especially powerful on samhain eve-- and was often used in marriage dininations.
Robert Burns wrote about this Halloween custom in Scotland:
...Some mery, friendly, countra folks Together did convene, To burn their nuts, an`pu their stocks, An`haud their Halloween Fu`blithe that night.
Hazel nuts were sometimes named after an individual, and then thrown into the bonfire on samhaon eve. The manner in which it burned would determine the `fate` for that person for the next year.
To honour the dead, and devine the future were seen as important spiritual activities, as well as good community fun!
Later,
Kenaz
Monday, October 23, 2006
My Top 30 Best Horror Films
When I sat down to put this list together I thought long and hard to define the criteria for this list. Although its called the best 'horror' films, I didn't want a list full of today's slasher, shock movies the likes of 'Saw'. This type of film has no appeal to me. I decided to include any film that created an emotional stimuli that caused feelings of not only shock(that wow! Jolt feeling as Candyman comes through the medicine cabinet) but a more deep emotional impact. Like the feeling of repulse when the Frankenstein monster through the girl into the water or the adrenaline rush you got as you tried to anticipated the next move of the killer in Se7en. I've even included a movie like the Raven, which can be considered a farce rightfully so, but because it includes so many performances by masters of the macabre it had to be considered. I hope you enjoy my list. I know for each selection I made I've left another off that is as probably as worthy depending on a particular taste. Enjoy.
1.THE EXORCIST(1973)-Those who had a definitive belief in Heaven and Hell, of Good and Evil, of Jesus as The Savior and Satan as the epitome of pure evil were affected by The Exorcist far more than those who were agnostic or just never had a strong belief in spiritual matters.The Exorcist caused many to reconsider how they felt about their faith. The Exorcist made the prospect of Satan being alive and well and a life of eternal damnation a very uncomfortable prospect. The fact that the author claims his book and screenplay were based on a true story seemed to give the film even more credibility.
2.THE SHINING(1980)-The Shining is, without doubt, one of Stanley Kubrick's undisputed masterpieces and a true classic in horror cinema. It is a film that, over the course of the years, has managed to scare the living hell out of its audiences.
3.THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS(1991)-Foster's performance is absolutely brilliant. While Anthony Hopkins receives most of the (well-deserved) praise for his chilling portrayal of incarcerated serial killer `Hannibal ‘the Cannibal' Lector', it is Foster's performance that holds the movie together. The fear she shows just behind her eyes makes Clarice's outward courage all the more interesting and vulnerable.
4.TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE(1974)-Chain Saw isn't about storyline and plot; it's about creating an experience, a sensory overload. There are scenes and images that are raw and powerful and ultimately, against all expectations, beautiful. Leatherface's travesty of motherly domesticity as he prepares dinner, his child-like dance in the dawn light, the open door at the gas station, the van making it's slow turn off the road towards the derelict and ivy clad Hardesty residence are all images that burn themselves into your consciousness after just a single viewing.
5.AMITTYVILLE HORROR(1979)-The real 'star' of the movie is the house! The building is both attractive and sinister - truly gothic in the importance of the setting.
6.ROSEMARY'S BABY(1968)-"Rosemary's baby" is a perfect film to me. Scary in a way that makes you breathless. You're thinking and feeling throughout the film. One of the many sides of Polanski's genius is to suggest. And what he suggest is so monstrous that we don't want to believe it, hell on earth, but we do. The characters are so perfectly drawn that there is no cheating involved.
7.SE7EN(1995)-According to Se7en, our culture is drifting through darkness. The prophecy comes from Somerset, a literate man who also happens to be a detective, a man who can read a clue ("This isn't going to be a happy ending") or Dante's Inferno with equal understated bravado. He even provides the film's final thematic statement with a quote from Hemingway.
8.THE OMEN(1976)-The premise behind THE OMEN is frightening: the Antichrist is unwittingly adopted into an American political family. The movie is a loose interpretation of the book of Revelations, the implication being the cinematic depiction of the end of the world.
9.THE SIXTH SENSE(1999)-All your worst childhood nightmares: the noises in the attic, the intruder in your house, that cold breath that makes your hair stand on end are here and then some.
10.THE EXCORCISM OF EMILLY ROSE(2005)-The movie offers a plethora of food for thought, regarding existentialist issues of perception vs. Objective truth, and social issues of liability and responsibility.
11.POLTERGEIST(1982)-Poltergeist, the story of suburban California family that discovers the darker side of the American Dream when their youngest daughter, Carol Ann, makes contact with evil spirits through the family television set. "They're here", never fails to send chills down my spine.
12.WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE(1962)-The story itself is about two elderly sisters. One, Baby Jane, (played by Bette Davis) was a child star in the early part of the century. She was hugely popular on the vaudeville circuit. Backstage she was a spoiled brat. Later on in life the other sister, Blanche (played by Joan Crawford) became a popular Hollywood movie star, overshadowing her now 'has-been' sister. A supposed car accident leaves Blanche crippled during the height of her popularity and a crazed Jane is left to care for her.
13.PSYCHO(1960)-Most modern-day horror films make the killer to be an absolutely inhuman, grotesque, unimaginable monster in order to scare the audience out of its wits. Most of the time, however, these stereotypes create a generic murderer a raving, ranting, clearly demented psychopath. Instead Anthony Perkins' skillfully crafts his performance as Norman Bates, a subtle, creepy, cool, and unsettling assault on your psyche.
14.THE HOUSE OF USHER(1960)-Roger Corman's brilliant adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's chilling tale is one of the greatest achievements in cinematic horror. It's hard to pick one of Corman's Poe adaptations as the best, but this, the first, might be it.Vincent Price turns in one of his finest performances.
15.VIDEODROME(1983)-Videodrome is film that manages to repulse and intrigue simultaneously. It is horrific and contains numerous science-fiction motifs, but, unlike the horror and special effects driven pictures of today, Videodrome, has a philosophy. Videodrome is not about mind-controlling cable shows; it is about our un-healthy consumption of visual media.
16.WHEN A STRANGER CALLS(1979)-Carol Kane plays Jill, a babysitter who receives ominous phone calls all night long from psycho (Tony Beckley) who repeatedly asks her if she has 'checked the children'. This goes on until the cops are finally called to the scene - just 21 straight minutes of well-crafted suspense.
17.CARRIE(1976)-Based on Stephen King's first full-length published novel, also the breakthrough film for director Brian DePalma. Sissy Spacek makes a lasting impact as Carrie White, an awkward and ostracized teenager whose classmates can't stand her merely because she's shy and "different". She is finally pushed over the edge at the climactic school prom, unleashing her telekinetic abilities in revenge.
18.HALLOWEEN(1978)-Brutal, emotionless Michael Myers stabs his sister to death at age six on Halloween night in 1963; on October 30, 1978, he escapes from a mental institution and institutes a new reign of terror in his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. He is pursued the whole time by a psychiatrist (Donald Pleasence) who knows just how evil this young man is. It opens with a bang, and sets up a genuinely suspenseful and atmospheric chiller that is actually superior to the many slasher pictures it helped to inspire.
19.THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL(1959)-The legendary Vincent Price is in his element here as the cynical millionaire trapped in a loveless sham of a marriage, and Carol Ohmart, is a knockout as his tough as nails "better half". Haunted party guests round out the cast.
20.CANDYMAN(1992)-A strong contender for the title of best horror film of the 1990's, Bernard Rose's "Candyman" is a very faithful (and therefore truly scary) adaptation of Clive Barker's skin crawling short story. This film features a very rare and successful combination of both creepy atmosphere and visual ingeniousness. Whereas most movies (especially during the 90's) can hardly focus on any of these essential horror elements, Bernard Rose masterfully succeeds in stuffing his film with genuine tension as well as shocking gore-images.
21.NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET(1984)-John Carpenter defined the horror genre in the late 70's, early 80's, Wes Craven re-defined it with A Nightmare On Elm St and Freddy Krueger, the definition of a bastard son. Up until this point, horror was very predictable, most films adhered to the 'rules' of horror' (the 'virgin' survives, if you have sex, you die, if you drink or get high, you die and never say, "I'll be right back" cause u won't). In 1984, this little film came out about a murderer who killed you in your dreams.
22.WAIT UNTIL DARK(1967)-One of the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made. Most of the film is shot within this basement apartment unit. And the thriller is so great because of Hepburn being blind and these three bad guys freely walking into her unit and introducing themselves as her husband's friends, or police, or some neighbour. But they all forget one thing: She uses her ears like no regular person does, she doesn't need eyes. But that is where the thriller kicks in.
23.CAPE FEAR(1991)-A fabulous remake of the 1962 noir classic and it keeps the viewer on the edge right through until the closing credits. Robert De Niro (in yet another brilliant teaming with Scorcese behind the camera) plays Max Cady, a psychopathic rapist who was sent to jail 14 years earlier for such crimes. He leaves prison with vengeance. Not for his victims or his prosecutor, but his defence councillor, Sam J. Bowden, played by Nick Nolte. It seems Bowden did not defend Cady to the best of his ability. Cady knows this and wants some payback.
24.DELIVERENCE(1972)-A bit of odd choice for a horror list but this film is worthy because the film's theme. Nature, in the wild, can be violent. How appropriate that the setting should be the American South. Very few places in the U.S. are, or have been, as violent as redneck country. In a story about Darwinian survival of the fittest, the film conveys the idea that humans are part of nature, not separate from it. use local people, not actors, to portray secondary characters. The locals provide the film with a depth of characterization unequaled in film history. In thus creating the best bunch of villains other films could only wish to create.
25.THE BIRDS(1963)-The movie is still pretty terrifying, even if you've seen it again and again. You know what bad, brutal scenes are coming and don't want to see the carnage again, but can't help yourself. It's ominous as the crows flock tighter and tighter, always more and more, attacking the kids on the schoolyard Monkey-Bars.
26.THE RAVEN(1963)-Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff are a total treat to watch in this tale loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's poem.
27.James Whales FRANKENSTEIN(1931)-The best presentation of the classic story by Mary Shelley. The film was presented in such a way that makes you feel as though you are watching a stage play rather than a film.A creature is given the complicated thing called life.His large,overpowering human form,coupled with the limited capacity to grow,and learn,turn out to be very deadly indeed.He is,basically,a very large baby,who does not understand the world around him.He wreaks havoc on those who he feels are out to hurt him.I have seen the completed version of this film,complete with the disturbing sequence involving the little girl with the flowers,which was cut out of the film for many years.It is indeed shocking,and once you see it,you will understand why this was done.
28.NOSFERATU(1922)-The count is a perfect distillation of evil, that of a vain, narcissistic, absurdly self-confident to the point of machismo, married man largely indifferent to a wife he abruptly leaves to make the fortune worthy of a man of his merits. He ain't afraid of no ghosts, nor robbers. So, the image he sees in that mirror is one of wholeness, perfection - I am Hutter, I command all I see, my unity of identity is linked to my power in body. To the viewer, however, the effect is the precise opposite. The framing of the scene is fragmented, with the outer frame, the window and the mirror; Hutter himself is doubled - the 'real' Hutter and his reflection, or shadow. All the assumptions smilingly embodied in Hutter will thus be destroyed in conventional horror terms.
29.BRAM STOKERS DRACULA(1992)-This film is a very rich gothic telling of a story that has become watered down greatly with the many different versions of stories with the characters. Here the basic plot follows the tale from the creation of Dracula, his love and his confrontation with Van Helsing and the various suitors of the lovely Lucy. The story is told with a real respect for the source.
30.THE WOLFMAN(1941)-The key to a good monster movie is its atmosphere and interesting characters and the Wolfman delivers on both accounts. The story revolves around Larry Talbot who returns to his hometown after having been away for many years. He takes a liking for this girl who works in an antique shop, and while they go out for a walk in the night, he is attacked and bitten by a werewolf. Lon Chaney's performance is excellent as a tortured man, and through no fault of his own is turned into a killing murdering monster.
Later,
Kenaz
1.THE EXORCIST(1973)-Those who had a definitive belief in Heaven and Hell, of Good and Evil, of Jesus as The Savior and Satan as the epitome of pure evil were affected by The Exorcist far more than those who were agnostic or just never had a strong belief in spiritual matters.The Exorcist caused many to reconsider how they felt about their faith. The Exorcist made the prospect of Satan being alive and well and a life of eternal damnation a very uncomfortable prospect. The fact that the author claims his book and screenplay were based on a true story seemed to give the film even more credibility.
2.THE SHINING(1980)-The Shining is, without doubt, one of Stanley Kubrick's undisputed masterpieces and a true classic in horror cinema. It is a film that, over the course of the years, has managed to scare the living hell out of its audiences.
3.THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS(1991)-Foster's performance is absolutely brilliant. While Anthony Hopkins receives most of the (well-deserved) praise for his chilling portrayal of incarcerated serial killer `Hannibal ‘the Cannibal' Lector', it is Foster's performance that holds the movie together. The fear she shows just behind her eyes makes Clarice's outward courage all the more interesting and vulnerable.
4.TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE(1974)-Chain Saw isn't about storyline and plot; it's about creating an experience, a sensory overload. There are scenes and images that are raw and powerful and ultimately, against all expectations, beautiful. Leatherface's travesty of motherly domesticity as he prepares dinner, his child-like dance in the dawn light, the open door at the gas station, the van making it's slow turn off the road towards the derelict and ivy clad Hardesty residence are all images that burn themselves into your consciousness after just a single viewing.
5.AMITTYVILLE HORROR(1979)-The real 'star' of the movie is the house! The building is both attractive and sinister - truly gothic in the importance of the setting.
6.ROSEMARY'S BABY(1968)-"Rosemary's baby" is a perfect film to me. Scary in a way that makes you breathless. You're thinking and feeling throughout the film. One of the many sides of Polanski's genius is to suggest. And what he suggest is so monstrous that we don't want to believe it, hell on earth, but we do. The characters are so perfectly drawn that there is no cheating involved.
7.SE7EN(1995)-According to Se7en, our culture is drifting through darkness. The prophecy comes from Somerset, a literate man who also happens to be a detective, a man who can read a clue ("This isn't going to be a happy ending") or Dante's Inferno with equal understated bravado. He even provides the film's final thematic statement with a quote from Hemingway.
8.THE OMEN(1976)-The premise behind THE OMEN is frightening: the Antichrist is unwittingly adopted into an American political family. The movie is a loose interpretation of the book of Revelations, the implication being the cinematic depiction of the end of the world.
9.THE SIXTH SENSE(1999)-All your worst childhood nightmares: the noises in the attic, the intruder in your house, that cold breath that makes your hair stand on end are here and then some.
10.THE EXCORCISM OF EMILLY ROSE(2005)-The movie offers a plethora of food for thought, regarding existentialist issues of perception vs. Objective truth, and social issues of liability and responsibility.
11.POLTERGEIST(1982)-Poltergeist, the story of suburban California family that discovers the darker side of the American Dream when their youngest daughter, Carol Ann, makes contact with evil spirits through the family television set. "They're here", never fails to send chills down my spine.
12.WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE(1962)-The story itself is about two elderly sisters. One, Baby Jane, (played by Bette Davis) was a child star in the early part of the century. She was hugely popular on the vaudeville circuit. Backstage she was a spoiled brat. Later on in life the other sister, Blanche (played by Joan Crawford) became a popular Hollywood movie star, overshadowing her now 'has-been' sister. A supposed car accident leaves Blanche crippled during the height of her popularity and a crazed Jane is left to care for her.
13.PSYCHO(1960)-Most modern-day horror films make the killer to be an absolutely inhuman, grotesque, unimaginable monster in order to scare the audience out of its wits. Most of the time, however, these stereotypes create a generic murderer a raving, ranting, clearly demented psychopath. Instead Anthony Perkins' skillfully crafts his performance as Norman Bates, a subtle, creepy, cool, and unsettling assault on your psyche.
14.THE HOUSE OF USHER(1960)-Roger Corman's brilliant adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's chilling tale is one of the greatest achievements in cinematic horror. It's hard to pick one of Corman's Poe adaptations as the best, but this, the first, might be it.Vincent Price turns in one of his finest performances.
15.VIDEODROME(1983)-Videodrome is film that manages to repulse and intrigue simultaneously. It is horrific and contains numerous science-fiction motifs, but, unlike the horror and special effects driven pictures of today, Videodrome, has a philosophy. Videodrome is not about mind-controlling cable shows; it is about our un-healthy consumption of visual media.
16.WHEN A STRANGER CALLS(1979)-Carol Kane plays Jill, a babysitter who receives ominous phone calls all night long from psycho (Tony Beckley) who repeatedly asks her if she has 'checked the children'. This goes on until the cops are finally called to the scene - just 21 straight minutes of well-crafted suspense.
17.CARRIE(1976)-Based on Stephen King's first full-length published novel, also the breakthrough film for director Brian DePalma. Sissy Spacek makes a lasting impact as Carrie White, an awkward and ostracized teenager whose classmates can't stand her merely because she's shy and "different". She is finally pushed over the edge at the climactic school prom, unleashing her telekinetic abilities in revenge.
18.HALLOWEEN(1978)-Brutal, emotionless Michael Myers stabs his sister to death at age six on Halloween night in 1963; on October 30, 1978, he escapes from a mental institution and institutes a new reign of terror in his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. He is pursued the whole time by a psychiatrist (Donald Pleasence) who knows just how evil this young man is. It opens with a bang, and sets up a genuinely suspenseful and atmospheric chiller that is actually superior to the many slasher pictures it helped to inspire.
19.THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL(1959)-The legendary Vincent Price is in his element here as the cynical millionaire trapped in a loveless sham of a marriage, and Carol Ohmart, is a knockout as his tough as nails "better half". Haunted party guests round out the cast.
20.CANDYMAN(1992)-A strong contender for the title of best horror film of the 1990's, Bernard Rose's "Candyman" is a very faithful (and therefore truly scary) adaptation of Clive Barker's skin crawling short story. This film features a very rare and successful combination of both creepy atmosphere and visual ingeniousness. Whereas most movies (especially during the 90's) can hardly focus on any of these essential horror elements, Bernard Rose masterfully succeeds in stuffing his film with genuine tension as well as shocking gore-images.
21.NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET(1984)-John Carpenter defined the horror genre in the late 70's, early 80's, Wes Craven re-defined it with A Nightmare On Elm St and Freddy Krueger, the definition of a bastard son. Up until this point, horror was very predictable, most films adhered to the 'rules' of horror' (the 'virgin' survives, if you have sex, you die, if you drink or get high, you die and never say, "I'll be right back" cause u won't). In 1984, this little film came out about a murderer who killed you in your dreams.
22.WAIT UNTIL DARK(1967)-One of the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made. Most of the film is shot within this basement apartment unit. And the thriller is so great because of Hepburn being blind and these three bad guys freely walking into her unit and introducing themselves as her husband's friends, or police, or some neighbour. But they all forget one thing: She uses her ears like no regular person does, she doesn't need eyes. But that is where the thriller kicks in.
23.CAPE FEAR(1991)-A fabulous remake of the 1962 noir classic and it keeps the viewer on the edge right through until the closing credits. Robert De Niro (in yet another brilliant teaming with Scorcese behind the camera) plays Max Cady, a psychopathic rapist who was sent to jail 14 years earlier for such crimes. He leaves prison with vengeance. Not for his victims or his prosecutor, but his defence councillor, Sam J. Bowden, played by Nick Nolte. It seems Bowden did not defend Cady to the best of his ability. Cady knows this and wants some payback.
24.DELIVERENCE(1972)-A bit of odd choice for a horror list but this film is worthy because the film's theme. Nature, in the wild, can be violent. How appropriate that the setting should be the American South. Very few places in the U.S. are, or have been, as violent as redneck country. In a story about Darwinian survival of the fittest, the film conveys the idea that humans are part of nature, not separate from it. use local people, not actors, to portray secondary characters. The locals provide the film with a depth of characterization unequaled in film history. In thus creating the best bunch of villains other films could only wish to create.
25.THE BIRDS(1963)-The movie is still pretty terrifying, even if you've seen it again and again. You know what bad, brutal scenes are coming and don't want to see the carnage again, but can't help yourself. It's ominous as the crows flock tighter and tighter, always more and more, attacking the kids on the schoolyard Monkey-Bars.
26.THE RAVEN(1963)-Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff are a total treat to watch in this tale loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's poem.
27.James Whales FRANKENSTEIN(1931)-The best presentation of the classic story by Mary Shelley. The film was presented in such a way that makes you feel as though you are watching a stage play rather than a film.A creature is given the complicated thing called life.His large,overpowering human form,coupled with the limited capacity to grow,and learn,turn out to be very deadly indeed.He is,basically,a very large baby,who does not understand the world around him.He wreaks havoc on those who he feels are out to hurt him.I have seen the completed version of this film,complete with the disturbing sequence involving the little girl with the flowers,which was cut out of the film for many years.It is indeed shocking,and once you see it,you will understand why this was done.
28.NOSFERATU(1922)-The count is a perfect distillation of evil, that of a vain, narcissistic, absurdly self-confident to the point of machismo, married man largely indifferent to a wife he abruptly leaves to make the fortune worthy of a man of his merits. He ain't afraid of no ghosts, nor robbers. So, the image he sees in that mirror is one of wholeness, perfection - I am Hutter, I command all I see, my unity of identity is linked to my power in body. To the viewer, however, the effect is the precise opposite. The framing of the scene is fragmented, with the outer frame, the window and the mirror; Hutter himself is doubled - the 'real' Hutter and his reflection, or shadow. All the assumptions smilingly embodied in Hutter will thus be destroyed in conventional horror terms.
29.BRAM STOKERS DRACULA(1992)-This film is a very rich gothic telling of a story that has become watered down greatly with the many different versions of stories with the characters. Here the basic plot follows the tale from the creation of Dracula, his love and his confrontation with Van Helsing and the various suitors of the lovely Lucy. The story is told with a real respect for the source.
30.THE WOLFMAN(1941)-The key to a good monster movie is its atmosphere and interesting characters and the Wolfman delivers on both accounts. The story revolves around Larry Talbot who returns to his hometown after having been away for many years. He takes a liking for this girl who works in an antique shop, and while they go out for a walk in the night, he is attacked and bitten by a werewolf. Lon Chaney's performance is excellent as a tortured man, and through no fault of his own is turned into a killing murdering monster.
Later,
Kenaz
Sunday, October 22, 2006
A Dogs Lunch
In many urban centres plagues of vermon have taken once respectable nebourhoods and reduced them to bleak, dirty sespools of crime, gangs, drugs and violence. This cartoon depicts the future if we start now. A stand against these "dogs of war" and turning our communities from a dogs lunch back into the cats meow.
Later,
Kenaz
Later,
Kenaz
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Hamilton police service plays lets make a deal
And instead of the new car! They wound up with the pig wagon.
Two years ago, the Hamilton Police Service purchased four used 2002 Ford Crown Victoria cruisers which had previously been part of the Brantford police fleet.
Hamilton's policy at the time was to rebuild patrol cars when they reached 150,000 kilometres on the odometer. The idea was to purchase used cruisers for a reasonable amount, introduce them into the patrol car fleet and then rebuild them when necessary. They quickly realized they got taken and before the egg on their face was even dry, Hamilton Police Service scrapped the used-car experiment for good.
At the time of purchase, the four cruisers had come off a two-year lease and each car had racked up between 95,000 to 110,000 kilometres. Brantford leases all 15 of its police cruisers in two-year intervals, and the Hamilton Police Service paid about $10,000 each for four of the cars once the leases expired. But the used-car project turned out to be a dismal failure.
Two of the four cars aren't even part of the Hamilton fleet any more and the other two are no longer used as patrol cars.
One of the two remaining cars travelled just 18,000 kilometres in its first two years and cost Hamilton police $11,600 in maintenance and repair costs over that time.
That's a whopping 64 cents per kilometre in maintenance costs, not including gas.
The other remaining Brantford castoff travelled almost 48,000 kilometres in its first two years and cost Hamilton $16,500 for maintenance and repairs. That works out to 34 cents per kilometre.
Police Services says it will now only buy new. Good idea! What now? I suggest somebody down at the Police services pick up a copy of the "Lemon Car Guide" before they go shopping again.
Later,
Kenaz
Two years ago, the Hamilton Police Service purchased four used 2002 Ford Crown Victoria cruisers which had previously been part of the Brantford police fleet.
Hamilton's policy at the time was to rebuild patrol cars when they reached 150,000 kilometres on the odometer. The idea was to purchase used cruisers for a reasonable amount, introduce them into the patrol car fleet and then rebuild them when necessary. They quickly realized they got taken and before the egg on their face was even dry, Hamilton Police Service scrapped the used-car experiment for good.
At the time of purchase, the four cruisers had come off a two-year lease and each car had racked up between 95,000 to 110,000 kilometres. Brantford leases all 15 of its police cruisers in two-year intervals, and the Hamilton Police Service paid about $10,000 each for four of the cars once the leases expired. But the used-car project turned out to be a dismal failure.
Two of the four cars aren't even part of the Hamilton fleet any more and the other two are no longer used as patrol cars.
One of the two remaining cars travelled just 18,000 kilometres in its first two years and cost Hamilton police $11,600 in maintenance and repair costs over that time.
That's a whopping 64 cents per kilometre in maintenance costs, not including gas.
The other remaining Brantford castoff travelled almost 48,000 kilometres in its first two years and cost Hamilton $16,500 for maintenance and repairs. That works out to 34 cents per kilometre.
Police Services says it will now only buy new. Good idea! What now? I suggest somebody down at the Police services pick up a copy of the "Lemon Car Guide" before they go shopping again.
Later,
Kenaz
For whom the bell tolls
The bell tolls for you Acting Hamilton Police Chief Tom Marlor. Why? Because of his incredible lack of leadership.
This year hasn't been a great one for this cities cops. Accusations of corruption and abuse of power have caused enough doubt in many peoples minds as to second guess the ability of many of those who are paid to serve and protect. This could lead to serious problems in public relations and general trust between the public and officers.
The latest incident involves a man stepping off a bus and grabbed by two cops and thrown in jail for doing nothing wrong. If I hadn't read the bi-line that read "Hamilton", I would have easily thought the story was from Beirut or Kandahar.
The man in question is Michael Dixon. A break-in occurred during the Aug. 14, 2003, blackout. Hamilton police were looking for a Caucasian suspect. Dixon is black.
Dixon begged the officers who nabbed him to check with the driver of the bus he had just exited on his way home from work in Toronto. They wouldn't. He sat in jail for almost four days; for nine months he lived under strict bail conditions. Three times, an assistant Crown attorney demanded the two arresting officers interview Dixon's alibi witnesses. That never happened. All charges were eventually dropped.
Dixon tried to file a complaint but a staff sergeant refused to give him the forms. He pursued the complaint and a police internal affairs investigation exonerated the officers. He complained to the Ontario Civilian Commission for Police Services; Peel police were ordered to investigate and concluded serious misconduct had occurred. The OCCPS ordered Hamilton police to lay charges. The two constables pleaded guilty. Their sentence was three days' lost pay. That's less time than Dixon spent in jail.
Dixon is yet another victim of shoddy police work. Another honest citizen denied his basic rights which include the right to file a complaint. And yet another incident in which an internal investigation has draped the thin blue curtain around a case in an effort to cover up and silence a complaint that would clearly point to substandard police work, and possibly racism.
If the Hamilton Police where a sports team the coach would be fired and every member of the team would be forced to go back to basics. In this case, back to the classroom for more sensitivity training and hands on training in public diversity awareness.
Simply saying I'm sorry and dismissing the claims of race bias is not enough. It's another cop out, and leaves everyone with a bad taste in their mouth. The tarnished brass face some serious ethical questions that include racial bias and shody investigating. I'm sorry, but this time the situation cannot be swept under the rug as Marlor is attempting to do.
Chief Brian Mullan must show his metal and address Dixon's complaints in a straightforward manner or risk being drowned in the flood of popular opinion that could sweep the city if he doesn't scrutinize the integrity of internal investigations and seriously consider that a police service should not investigate itself.
And he must ensure that all police officers -- whatever their rank -- are doing their jobs fully and properly. If he doesn't than he should be out of work.
Later,
Kenaz
This year hasn't been a great one for this cities cops. Accusations of corruption and abuse of power have caused enough doubt in many peoples minds as to second guess the ability of many of those who are paid to serve and protect. This could lead to serious problems in public relations and general trust between the public and officers.
The latest incident involves a man stepping off a bus and grabbed by two cops and thrown in jail for doing nothing wrong. If I hadn't read the bi-line that read "Hamilton", I would have easily thought the story was from Beirut or Kandahar.
The man in question is Michael Dixon. A break-in occurred during the Aug. 14, 2003, blackout. Hamilton police were looking for a Caucasian suspect. Dixon is black.
Dixon begged the officers who nabbed him to check with the driver of the bus he had just exited on his way home from work in Toronto. They wouldn't. He sat in jail for almost four days; for nine months he lived under strict bail conditions. Three times, an assistant Crown attorney demanded the two arresting officers interview Dixon's alibi witnesses. That never happened. All charges were eventually dropped.
Dixon tried to file a complaint but a staff sergeant refused to give him the forms. He pursued the complaint and a police internal affairs investigation exonerated the officers. He complained to the Ontario Civilian Commission for Police Services; Peel police were ordered to investigate and concluded serious misconduct had occurred. The OCCPS ordered Hamilton police to lay charges. The two constables pleaded guilty. Their sentence was three days' lost pay. That's less time than Dixon spent in jail.
Dixon is yet another victim of shoddy police work. Another honest citizen denied his basic rights which include the right to file a complaint. And yet another incident in which an internal investigation has draped the thin blue curtain around a case in an effort to cover up and silence a complaint that would clearly point to substandard police work, and possibly racism.
If the Hamilton Police where a sports team the coach would be fired and every member of the team would be forced to go back to basics. In this case, back to the classroom for more sensitivity training and hands on training in public diversity awareness.
Simply saying I'm sorry and dismissing the claims of race bias is not enough. It's another cop out, and leaves everyone with a bad taste in their mouth. The tarnished brass face some serious ethical questions that include racial bias and shody investigating. I'm sorry, but this time the situation cannot be swept under the rug as Marlor is attempting to do.
Chief Brian Mullan must show his metal and address Dixon's complaints in a straightforward manner or risk being drowned in the flood of popular opinion that could sweep the city if he doesn't scrutinize the integrity of internal investigations and seriously consider that a police service should not investigate itself.
And he must ensure that all police officers -- whatever their rank -- are doing their jobs fully and properly. If he doesn't than he should be out of work.
Later,
Kenaz
Monday, October 16, 2006
Weekend of ups and downs in Canadian sports
This weekend in sports up here in Canada had more drama than an outbreak of poison ivy in a nudist camp. Mats Sundin provided the warm prickly feeling when he scored his 500th career goal in dramatic fashion. The Leaf captain netted the game-winner, in overtime, short-handed, it tied Dave Keon for second all-time in Leaf goals at 365, and it polished off a hat trick.
It looked as though it would be the Flames that would ruin the evening as they threatened on a 4-on-3 power play in overtime, but Sundin blasted a slap shot from just inside the blue-line 50 seconds into the extra period that rocketed past Vezina Trophy winner Miikka Kiprusoff. The goal ignited a raucous celebration by the 19,338 fans at Air Canada Centre.
The fans stayed on their feet and continued to shower applause on their beloved captain, an emotional moment that saw Sundin return the love by clapping in their direction after skating out as the game's first star.
Meanwhile in Hamilton the Tiger Cats played their final 2006 home game losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 29-22. One more game and the end to this dismal season will finally be over. At 4-13 the Cats have bared their teeth and wade through the torcherous burn caused by way too much time spent on defense, bad coaching and silly mistakes that made them look like a bunch of amateurs.
The loss was bitter sweet as Cat fans said goodbye to their number one cheerleader, Pigskin Pete. As I mentioned yesterday the affectionate man in the bowler hat said his goodbyes after 31 years. Paul Weiler will be missed and his heir will have a big hat to fill.
And if the stinging wasn't bad enough, in Edmonton, fans watched in shock as the Esks lossed to Toronto 28-25. The loss gave the iron horse of the CFL a record of 5-11 placing them out of the playoffs for the first time in 34 years.
The steak was the longest run of consecutive playoff appearances in North American professional sports.
The good thing is a new week is about to start which means a whole new week of oohs, ahs and ouches. Good luck to all you poolies. Go leafs go!
Later,
Kenaz
It looked as though it would be the Flames that would ruin the evening as they threatened on a 4-on-3 power play in overtime, but Sundin blasted a slap shot from just inside the blue-line 50 seconds into the extra period that rocketed past Vezina Trophy winner Miikka Kiprusoff. The goal ignited a raucous celebration by the 19,338 fans at Air Canada Centre.
The fans stayed on their feet and continued to shower applause on their beloved captain, an emotional moment that saw Sundin return the love by clapping in their direction after skating out as the game's first star.
Meanwhile in Hamilton the Tiger Cats played their final 2006 home game losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 29-22. One more game and the end to this dismal season will finally be over. At 4-13 the Cats have bared their teeth and wade through the torcherous burn caused by way too much time spent on defense, bad coaching and silly mistakes that made them look like a bunch of amateurs.
The loss was bitter sweet as Cat fans said goodbye to their number one cheerleader, Pigskin Pete. As I mentioned yesterday the affectionate man in the bowler hat said his goodbyes after 31 years. Paul Weiler will be missed and his heir will have a big hat to fill.
And if the stinging wasn't bad enough, in Edmonton, fans watched in shock as the Esks lossed to Toronto 28-25. The loss gave the iron horse of the CFL a record of 5-11 placing them out of the playoffs for the first time in 34 years.
The steak was the longest run of consecutive playoff appearances in North American professional sports.
The good thing is a new week is about to start which means a whole new week of oohs, ahs and ouches. Good luck to all you poolies. Go leafs go!
Later,
Kenaz
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Thanks for the memories, Pigskin
After 330 Games, and 20,000 chants Pete Calls It a Day.
Paul Weiler, 72 years young, approaches the Tiger-Cats' last home game of the season today. After 31 seasons, he'll be hanging up his bowler hat and retiring as Pigskin Pete, the tireless cheerleader who, through good times and bad, has led fans through the familiar chant:
Oskie wee wee!
Oskie wa wa!
Holy mackinaw!
Tigers! Eat 'em raw!
He will help the Tiger-Cats select his successor before the 2007 season. The team plans to honour his service on the field today. It will a sad day in the Hammer as we say good-bye to some one who brought such class to the city and never asked for anything in return.
THE HISTORY OF 'PIGSKIN PETE'
(sources, The Hamilton Spectator)
Weiler comes from a big family. One of six kids, he is also a father of two, and grandfather of five, so it's not surprising that he has 60 relatives and friends coming to todays game. The Tiger-Cats are hosting them all under two tents in the west end zone. Many are coming from Montreal, where Weiler grew up as an Alouettes fan, and where he drove a city bus until a fateful visit to Hamilton in 1964 made him contemplate a move here.
When word of a job offer from Dofasco came through, he pulled his bus over at noon, rounded up June and the kids in the family Volkswagen and headed to Hamilton for good.
Here, he continued his admiration for the Alouettes, for a little while at least. He and June were great fans of football in general and became regulars at the Quarterback Club, then a thriving hub of football activity in the glory days of the Tiger-Cats and of Hamilton itself. The ballroom at the Royal Connaught Hotel would be jammed for every meeting, and Weiler's allegiance began to shift.
Pigskin Pete II retired after the 1975 season. That was Bill Wirtz, who had taken over the job from his father, Vince Wirtz, in 1967. Vince had been doing it since the '20s.
Before the 1976 season, June Weiler was doing some secretarial work for the Quarterback Club, and team president Ralph Sazio approached Paul about taking over the job, hoping to avoid a public process that was sure to make Sazio "one friend and a thousand enemies," as Weiler puts it.
And so began the career of Pigskin Pete III.
He used to get paid for the gig -- $25 a game under Michael DeGroote's ownership, $40 under Harold Ballard's. David Braley, Weiler remembers, gave him a ticket and a parking spot. In 1993, when the team failed to furnish him with a ticket to a game, he stayed away in protest.
The strike lasted one game, before public pressure led team president John Michaluk not only to invite him back, but to send a limo to his house and drive him right on to the field.
I remember that time and it had to be the only time this mild mannered gentlemen got truly angry, for the right reason. I'm sure there's still poop stains on the ceiling of Michaluk's old office.
Today, the team gives him a pair of season tickets and he pays for another pair, giving the extra seats to family and friends.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
Through sickness and health, and every kind of weather, he has never missed a single game beyond the strike game.
On Weiler's watch, the Tiger-Cats reached the highs of two Grey Cup victories (1986 and 1999), and the lows of the team's worst records ever: 1997, when the Cats lost all but two games, and 2003, when the team produced only one win.
Weiler had actually planned to retire last year after completing his 30th season, but with the team's 5-13 record, he decided he would wait a year and go out on a high note.
With the Cats' acquisition of several high-profile players, including quarterback Jason Maas, receiver Terry Vaughn and running back Josh Ranek, it looked like this would be a turnaround year. Instead, the Cats stumbled out of the gate, opening the season with four straight losses. Going into today's game, the team is out of playoff contention with a pitiful 3-12 record.
Next year, he'll be back on the field to pass his bucket-sized bowler -- size 7 and seven-eighths -- to his successor, and take his seat in Box A, as Paul Weiler, ordinary fan.
I hope the CFL honours him with a special induction into the Hall of Fame, got knows he's contributed to the growth of the Canadian game as much or more than any player, owner or builder has.
Pigskin will be missed.
Later,
Kenaz
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Rest in Peace Cory Lidle
"A small plane carrying New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor slammed into a 40-story apartment building Wednesday, killing both"
That was the headline that made every fan of sports hang their head and prey. Sadly we have lost another bright young star in a freak occurance.
Later,
Kenaz
Friday, October 13, 2006
Friday the 13th
Although most of us would probably affirm that superstition's role in Western culture is now a much diminished one, more a source of amusement than anything else, there are still those who allow their trepidation over particular days or dates to prevent them from engaging in their choice of activities. We may make jokes about Friday the 13th and only kiddingly instruct loved ones to exercise greater care on that day, but those who suffer from a fear of the number thirteen (triskaidekaphobia) or a fear of Friday the 13th (paraskevidekatriaphobia) may genuinely feel limited by the rumored potential for ill luck connected with the date.
The reasons why Friday came to be regarded as a day of bad luck have been obscured by the mists of time — some of the more common theories link it to a significant event in Christian tradition said to have taken place on Friday, such as the Crucifixion, Eve's offering the apple to Adam in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the Great Flood, or the confusion at the Tower of Babel. Chaucer alluded to Friday as a day on which bad things seemed to happen in the Canterbury Tales as far back as the late 14th century ("And on a Friday fell all this mischance"), but references to Friday as a day connected with ill luck generally start to show up in Western literature around the mid-17th century:
"Now Friday came, you old wives say, Of all the week's the unluckiest day." (1656)
From the early 19th century onward, examples abound of Friday's being considered a bad day for all sorts of ordinary tasks, from writing letters to conducting business and receiving medical treatment:
"I knew another poor woman, who lost half her time in waiting for lucky days, and made it a rule never to . . . write a letter on business . . . on a Friday — so her business was never done, and her fortune suffered accordingly." (1804)
"There are still a few respectable tradesmen and merchants who will not transact business, or be bled, or take physic, on a Friday, because it is an unlucky day." (1831)
Friday was also said to be a particularly unlucky day on which to undertake anything that represented a beginning or the start of a new venture, thus we find references to all of the following activities as endeavors best avoided on Fridays:
Beginning a journey: "I knew another poor woman, who . . . made it a rule never to . . . set out on a journey on a Friday." (1804)
Giving birth: "A child born on a Friday is doomed to misfortune." (1846)
Getting married: "As to Friday, a couple married on that day are doomed to a cat-and-dog life." (1879)
Recovering from illness: "If you have been ill, don't get up for the first time on a Friday." (1923)
Hearing news: "If you hear anything new on a Friday, it gives you another wrinkle on your face, and adds a year to your age." (1883)
Moving: "Don't move on a Friday, or you won't stay there very long." (1982)
Starting a new job: "Servants who go into their situations on Friday, never go to stay." (1923)
sources for the superstition surrounding the number thirteen have been posited, the most common stemming from another Christian source, the Last Supper, at which Judas Iscariot was said to have been the thirteenth guest to sit at the table. (Judas later betrayed Jesus, leading to His crucifixion, and then took his own life.) This Christian symbolism is reflected in early Western references to thirteen as an omen of bad fortune, which generally started to appear in the early 18th century and warned that thirteen people sitting down to a meal together presaged that one of them would die within the year:
"I have known, and now know, persons in genteel life who did, and do, not sit down to table unmoved with twelve others. Our notion is that one of the thirteen so partaking, will die ere the expiry of the year." (1823)
"The old story runs, that the last individual of the thirteen who takes a seat has the greatest chance of being the 'doomed one'." (1839)
Superstition held that the victim would be the first person to rise from the table (or the last one to be seated), leading to the remedies of having all guests sit and stand at the same time, or seating one or more guests at a separate table:
By the late 19th century the superstition surrounding thirteen had become even more general, with people going out of their ways to avoid anything designated by the number thirteen, whether it be hotel rooms, desks, or cars. eliminate any Room #13's, and misnumbering the floors above the 12th floor in multi-story buildings so that tenants could pretend 13th floors were really 14th floors.
Just as Friday was considered an inauspicious day of the week on which to embark upon a new enterprise, so the 13th day of a month came to signify a particularly bad day for beginning a venture. Although regarding the confluence of a particularly unlucky day of the week (Friday) and a particularly unlucky day of the month (the 13th) as a date of supreme unluckiness might seem to be obvious and inevitable, superstitions regarding Friday the 13th are not nearly as old as most people tend to think. The belief in Friday the 13th as a day on which Murphy's Law reigns supreme and anything that can go wrong will go wrong appears to be largely a 20th century phenomenon. (The claim that the Friday the 13th superstition began with the arrest of the final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques Demolay, on Friday, October 13, 1307, is a modern-day invention.)
Personally, I'm not much for superstition, I like black cats, looking up when passing near a ladder is always a good idea and unless Judas is scarfing the wine, who cares how many people are at your diner party. Enjoy your Friday, I'm off to work afternoons down at the steel plant.
Later,
Kenaz
The reasons why Friday came to be regarded as a day of bad luck have been obscured by the mists of time — some of the more common theories link it to a significant event in Christian tradition said to have taken place on Friday, such as the Crucifixion, Eve's offering the apple to Adam in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the Great Flood, or the confusion at the Tower of Babel. Chaucer alluded to Friday as a day on which bad things seemed to happen in the Canterbury Tales as far back as the late 14th century ("And on a Friday fell all this mischance"), but references to Friday as a day connected with ill luck generally start to show up in Western literature around the mid-17th century:
"Now Friday came, you old wives say, Of all the week's the unluckiest day." (1656)
From the early 19th century onward, examples abound of Friday's being considered a bad day for all sorts of ordinary tasks, from writing letters to conducting business and receiving medical treatment:
"I knew another poor woman, who lost half her time in waiting for lucky days, and made it a rule never to . . . write a letter on business . . . on a Friday — so her business was never done, and her fortune suffered accordingly." (1804)
"There are still a few respectable tradesmen and merchants who will not transact business, or be bled, or take physic, on a Friday, because it is an unlucky day." (1831)
Friday was also said to be a particularly unlucky day on which to undertake anything that represented a beginning or the start of a new venture, thus we find references to all of the following activities as endeavors best avoided on Fridays:
Beginning a journey: "I knew another poor woman, who . . . made it a rule never to . . . set out on a journey on a Friday." (1804)
Giving birth: "A child born on a Friday is doomed to misfortune." (1846)
Getting married: "As to Friday, a couple married on that day are doomed to a cat-and-dog life." (1879)
Recovering from illness: "If you have been ill, don't get up for the first time on a Friday." (1923)
Hearing news: "If you hear anything new on a Friday, it gives you another wrinkle on your face, and adds a year to your age." (1883)
Moving: "Don't move on a Friday, or you won't stay there very long." (1982)
Starting a new job: "Servants who go into their situations on Friday, never go to stay." (1923)
sources for the superstition surrounding the number thirteen have been posited, the most common stemming from another Christian source, the Last Supper, at which Judas Iscariot was said to have been the thirteenth guest to sit at the table. (Judas later betrayed Jesus, leading to His crucifixion, and then took his own life.) This Christian symbolism is reflected in early Western references to thirteen as an omen of bad fortune, which generally started to appear in the early 18th century and warned that thirteen people sitting down to a meal together presaged that one of them would die within the year:
"I have known, and now know, persons in genteel life who did, and do, not sit down to table unmoved with twelve others. Our notion is that one of the thirteen so partaking, will die ere the expiry of the year." (1823)
"The old story runs, that the last individual of the thirteen who takes a seat has the greatest chance of being the 'doomed one'." (1839)
Superstition held that the victim would be the first person to rise from the table (or the last one to be seated), leading to the remedies of having all guests sit and stand at the same time, or seating one or more guests at a separate table:
By the late 19th century the superstition surrounding thirteen had become even more general, with people going out of their ways to avoid anything designated by the number thirteen, whether it be hotel rooms, desks, or cars. eliminate any Room #13's, and misnumbering the floors above the 12th floor in multi-story buildings so that tenants could pretend 13th floors were really 14th floors.
Just as Friday was considered an inauspicious day of the week on which to embark upon a new enterprise, so the 13th day of a month came to signify a particularly bad day for beginning a venture. Although regarding the confluence of a particularly unlucky day of the week (Friday) and a particularly unlucky day of the month (the 13th) as a date of supreme unluckiness might seem to be obvious and inevitable, superstitions regarding Friday the 13th are not nearly as old as most people tend to think. The belief in Friday the 13th as a day on which Murphy's Law reigns supreme and anything that can go wrong will go wrong appears to be largely a 20th century phenomenon. (The claim that the Friday the 13th superstition began with the arrest of the final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques Demolay, on Friday, October 13, 1307, is a modern-day invention.)
Personally, I'm not much for superstition, I like black cats, looking up when passing near a ladder is always a good idea and unless Judas is scarfing the wine, who cares how many people are at your diner party. Enjoy your Friday, I'm off to work afternoons down at the steel plant.
Later,
Kenaz
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Hamilton Business Pioneer:Sam Netkin
My father worked for this man back in the 1950's at the Netkin family produce company that was located on the lot that is now Hamiltons Jackson Square. My father was 15 at the time and started out hooking up the horses to their delivery carts. A few years later he began driving for them. From all accounts from my father, Sam Netkin was very generous, especially with the Christmas bonuses.
Even in the toughest of times, Sam Netkin was willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it. Click on sacn to read full story.
Even in the toughest of times, Sam Netkin was willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it. Click on sacn to read full story.
The Route Canada Saga
The Route Canada saga reads like a trashy crime novel. The main character's the Fingold brothers a couple of devious business men who manage to buy a government owned trucking company in a suspicious deal. Corruption is the rule of the empire for 20 months until the kings of deceit are finally toppled. In the end thousands of employees face a mountain of red tape as they try to save their pensions and find new work. My father was one those victims who managed to find work with another trucking company and eventually received all of his pension money, others where not so lucky. Click on the scans to read the details.
From The Hamilton Spectator 1991
Later,
Kenaz
From The Hamilton Spectator 1991
Later,
Kenaz
Hamilton's sordid characters
From The Hamilton Spectator Tuesday March 1991
Among the people charged so far-police are still seeking more more suspect-are a wide variety of individuals ranging from a horse farmer to a professional wrestler to a self-professed minister. See scan of the clipping for more of this sordid tale of crime, grime and grit from Hamiltons near past. This story has a personal note, a the time of his arrest I was working at Sam's Place and I remember well the story. Sam got his buddy and part time bouncer to dummy up so he ended up with a light sentence of a few weekends in jail.
Among the people charged so far-police are still seeking more more suspect-are a wide variety of individuals ranging from a horse farmer to a professional wrestler to a self-professed minister. See scan of the clipping for more of this sordid tale of crime, grime and grit from Hamiltons near past. This story has a personal note, a the time of his arrest I was working at Sam's Place and I remember well the story. Sam got his buddy and part time bouncer to dummy up so he ended up with a light sentence of a few weekends in jail.
Business Leaders in Hamilton:Cabano Transport
From The Hamilton Spectator Tuesday May 26,1992
Quebec based trucking leader Cabano is taking over Kingsway Transports Ltd., a major player in Ontario, to become the second largest trucking company in Canada. See scan of the clipping for more.
Quebec based trucking leader Cabano is taking over Kingsway Transports Ltd., a major player in Ontario, to become the second largest trucking company in Canada. See scan of the clipping for more.
So you think being a mascot is fun?
Talk about getting no respect!
It's been a tough few weeks for the guy inside the Hamilton Tiger Cat mascot outfit.
First, his football team spends the season losing ugly. Then he gets laid off from his job at the Ford plant in Oakville. And last week he gets the kicker to the whole package when he's robbed of his rent money while performing at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at City Hall.
During the 90-minute function, his wallet was in his pants in an office at the hall of fame. When he returned, he noticed his credit cards had been rearranged and the cash was gone.
It's an especially cruel kick in the butt for a guy -- he's not allowed to make his name public -- who does more than 200 appearances a year to promote the team and the city. He drives all over the place, dances around in his microwave-hot costume as often as three times in a day, washes it constantly to keep it from stinking, and gives up much of his free time to the cause for just a few bucks and some gift certificates from the team.
All because he likes the reaction he gets from kids who light up when they see him. Nice way to get thanked.
Later,
Kenaz
It's been a tough few weeks for the guy inside the Hamilton Tiger Cat mascot outfit.
First, his football team spends the season losing ugly. Then he gets laid off from his job at the Ford plant in Oakville. And last week he gets the kicker to the whole package when he's robbed of his rent money while performing at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at City Hall.
During the 90-minute function, his wallet was in his pants in an office at the hall of fame. When he returned, he noticed his credit cards had been rearranged and the cash was gone.
It's an especially cruel kick in the butt for a guy -- he's not allowed to make his name public -- who does more than 200 appearances a year to promote the team and the city. He drives all over the place, dances around in his microwave-hot costume as often as three times in a day, washes it constantly to keep it from stinking, and gives up much of his free time to the cause for just a few bucks and some gift certificates from the team.
All because he likes the reaction he gets from kids who light up when they see him. Nice way to get thanked.
Later,
Kenaz
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Hamilton teased and left unsatisfied, again
Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive officer of BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion in Waterloo has bought the Pittsburgh Penguins and immediately the rumour mill began cranking out their fantasy stories of an NHL team coming to Hamilton.
Yes Balsillie's group has exclusive rights to bring an NHL team to Copps Coliseum but has gone on record as stating that he will keep the team in Pittsburgh and has no intention of bringing it to Hamilton.
But that hasn't stopped delusional city councilor's the likes of Ward 8 Hamilton Councilor Terry Whitehead, the city's point man for Copps Coliseum, saying "We are a heck of a lot closer to having an NHL team in Hamilton than we were"
Then we were when? When the Copps was first built back in the '80's. Flashback time. Hamilton hockey nuts where toyed with and goaded in believing Pittsburgh or Buffalo was coming to Steeltown then.
Lets face facts unless something disastrous happens with a purposed casino deal in Pittsburgh, which will see a new arena built their, Hamilton will have to settle for Montreal AHL affiliate(The Bulldogs) that will be more enjoyable and more affordable to watch than Pittsburgh will be. Sidney Crosby excluded.
Later,
Kenaz
Yes Balsillie's group has exclusive rights to bring an NHL team to Copps Coliseum but has gone on record as stating that he will keep the team in Pittsburgh and has no intention of bringing it to Hamilton.
But that hasn't stopped delusional city councilor's the likes of Ward 8 Hamilton Councilor Terry Whitehead, the city's point man for Copps Coliseum, saying "We are a heck of a lot closer to having an NHL team in Hamilton than we were"
Then we were when? When the Copps was first built back in the '80's. Flashback time. Hamilton hockey nuts where toyed with and goaded in believing Pittsburgh or Buffalo was coming to Steeltown then.
Lets face facts unless something disastrous happens with a purposed casino deal in Pittsburgh, which will see a new arena built their, Hamilton will have to settle for Montreal AHL affiliate(The Bulldogs) that will be more enjoyable and more affordable to watch than Pittsburgh will be. Sidney Crosby excluded.
Later,
Kenaz
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