And what did he get for it? Called a thug, vigilante by his peers and denied justice by the ones sworn to serve and protect.
I'm sorry but I call Don Shaxon a hero for what he did to a punk he found cowering in his Burlington basement. Alerted by the family cocker spaniel he found the teen, drunk to the gills, claiming he mistook the house on the quiet street as a party house that he tried to stumble to.
After punching and apprehending the 16-year-old he took for an intruder, Shaxon was accused by some bleeding heart teen advocates as going to far in defending his family and property. To make matters worse the police decided to not charge the kid. The only solace comes in the fact that the police did not charge him for the beating he gave the youth.
I applaud Mr. Shaxon for what he did, he did what every Canadian would have done, even those who said "oh he should have just called the cops". Sure and hope the punk doesn't kill you in the meantime.
The criminal code allows a person to use reasonable force to subdue a person illegally found on their property. The question was whether Mr. Shaxon crossed that line. The answer was obviously no, the kid was not seriously hurt, a bit bruised and a lot sore once he sobered up.
I have one thing to say to his critics, I hope you all feel so comfortable in your gated communities with your blinders on that you will never feel the sense of violation that this man felt and before you call someone a "thug" use your brain. These little scourge of society need to know who's boss and if the justice system allows room for people to act on their own accord then go for it.
Spectator link to the story
Later,
Kenaz
Saturday, December 02, 2006
TTC officers should be ashamed
The grinch hit a young Toronto mother early and hit her hard. I'm not talking about the odd looking, eternally grumpy, green hater of the kind spirit. I'm talking about a blue uniformed constable of the Toronto Transit Company.
As a warrior of Hamilton's bus system and many times patron of the world famous "red rocket" subway system I cringed and shook my head in disbelief when I read this story in today's Toronto Sun while I waited to start my afternoon shift.
Where? Queen's Park subway station.
Who? Little Johnny 4 years old, holds tight to his mummy's hand, Kaeli Goldman, as they wade through the multitudes surging through the gates to the northbound train on Tuesday.
Johnny wants to be a rock star. Or a Blue Jay. He has just torn his eyes away from a busker playing mariachi guitar at the foot of the station's escalator.
Kaeli is 31 and seven months pregnant.
What? Mom flashes their monthly passes like the rest of the sea of commuters munching and slurping their breakfasts on the way to work. Goldman works as a freelance writer.
Very pregnant lady. Five-foot-5. Tidily dressed in sweater and jeans. In tow, a boy, in a hoodie. Immediate concerns to security right? Apparently so.
In a stern voice the two are culled aside from the pack by the TTC special constable and another officer listening to an ear piece, looking like an extra on the set of "24". But this is no movie, but no less a horror.
The problem is, Johnny's transfer, off the College St. streetcar, is just fine. But his mom is using her December pass. Two days early. Oh, oh! defcom 5 alert!
She tries to tell them she got mixed up, the November pass is at home, but she has a receipt for it, and the December pass too is bought and paid for out of a very tight budget.
The constable isn't swayed a bit, with the face of a prison camp guard he insists she hand over the pass. Now people are staring and pointing as if the very pregnant women was a drug mule. To make the situation more uncomfortable little Johnny does his best Duddly Do-Right imitation and reminds mom that she has to do what the police officer tells her.
Great Mom hands over the $100 pass after Mr. Personality threatens to arrest her, in front of her child! The two are then let onto the train to cry and stew all the way up to Bloor St.
If this happened to me, my first thought would to send the president and vice-president of the TTC a copy of the lyrics to the Dixie Chicks "Not Ready to Make Nice" with the part of being mad as hell underlined in red. Then drafting an email referring to the constable as a cold, heartless heathen, bred from the muck that collects in the corner of the subway tracks. Then deleting it, and finding a more educated way to demand action from those who should know better.
Common sense should prevail hear, lets not turn an honest mistake into the unleashing of the hounds of hell. Give her the damn pass back!
Later,
Kenaz
As a warrior of Hamilton's bus system and many times patron of the world famous "red rocket" subway system I cringed and shook my head in disbelief when I read this story in today's Toronto Sun while I waited to start my afternoon shift.
Where? Queen's Park subway station.
Who? Little Johnny 4 years old, holds tight to his mummy's hand, Kaeli Goldman, as they wade through the multitudes surging through the gates to the northbound train on Tuesday.
Johnny wants to be a rock star. Or a Blue Jay. He has just torn his eyes away from a busker playing mariachi guitar at the foot of the station's escalator.
Kaeli is 31 and seven months pregnant.
What? Mom flashes their monthly passes like the rest of the sea of commuters munching and slurping their breakfasts on the way to work. Goldman works as a freelance writer.
Very pregnant lady. Five-foot-5. Tidily dressed in sweater and jeans. In tow, a boy, in a hoodie. Immediate concerns to security right? Apparently so.
In a stern voice the two are culled aside from the pack by the TTC special constable and another officer listening to an ear piece, looking like an extra on the set of "24". But this is no movie, but no less a horror.
The problem is, Johnny's transfer, off the College St. streetcar, is just fine. But his mom is using her December pass. Two days early. Oh, oh! defcom 5 alert!
She tries to tell them she got mixed up, the November pass is at home, but she has a receipt for it, and the December pass too is bought and paid for out of a very tight budget.
The constable isn't swayed a bit, with the face of a prison camp guard he insists she hand over the pass. Now people are staring and pointing as if the very pregnant women was a drug mule. To make the situation more uncomfortable little Johnny does his best Duddly Do-Right imitation and reminds mom that she has to do what the police officer tells her.
Great Mom hands over the $100 pass after Mr. Personality threatens to arrest her, in front of her child! The two are then let onto the train to cry and stew all the way up to Bloor St.
If this happened to me, my first thought would to send the president and vice-president of the TTC a copy of the lyrics to the Dixie Chicks "Not Ready to Make Nice" with the part of being mad as hell underlined in red. Then drafting an email referring to the constable as a cold, heartless heathen, bred from the muck that collects in the corner of the subway tracks. Then deleting it, and finding a more educated way to demand action from those who should know better.
Common sense should prevail hear, lets not turn an honest mistake into the unleashing of the hounds of hell. Give her the damn pass back!
Later,
Kenaz
Friday, December 01, 2006
'Hortons teaching a little Canadiana to the world in Kandahar
I read this in Thursday's Hamilton Spectator online edition and it just gives you the right feeling of Canadian pride.
I stopped at "timmy's";(another slang for the franchise that is so engraved in the lexicon of our English); tonight after work to kill some time before my bus arrived and I remembered this story and it made my cup of black coffee and Tim Bits taste that much better. As Christmas draws closer lets all take a second out of our busy lives to remember all of our unsung heros serving our country in Aghganistan and around the world. Cheers! come home soon.
Later,
Kenaz
It turns out the universal language isn't the language of love after all, at least not here at Kandahar airfield.
No, the universal language here is all about coffee.
"I'll have a large double-double and a regular," said a young soldier with an Australian accent, stopping in at the base Tim Hortons.
"We call it Tim Hortonese -- Tim Hortons lingo," laughs Kelly Taylor, 42, of Oromocto, N.B. who has been working at the base since July while her military husband is at home.
"The British will come up and ask us for a regular coffee, only 'regular' in Tim Hortons language is one milk, one sugar. Only to them it's not -- it's white, whatever that means," she added.
Currently, 1,300 customers a day file through the Kandahar Tim Hortons from the military of 12 countries stationed on the base.
Whereas Canadians file in and out as if they are on a conveyor belt, it takes a lot longer for others.
"It takes a little while to pick up the lingo," said Air Engineering Technician Daniel Stace from Darbyshire, England, who is in the Royal Navy.
"A double-double? It took me a while to work that one out, but normally I just stick to the bagels and the orange juice," he said.
Others don't even try to learn the language of Tims.
"No, not yet, because I only just drink black coffee and so that's just fine by me," said Sergeant Mike Koninkle of the Netherlands.
"I'm not quite familiar with all the slang around Tim Hortons and I just drink coffee and that's it and I don't need all the fancy coffee or tea."
Taylor boasts that she can tell a soldier's nationality even if they speak perfect English and are not wearing a uniform, simply by what they order.
"The British and the Dutch mostly will order Boston creams and Canadian maples... and the Americans will probably order five dozen doughnuts at a time. And the British and the Dutch always order the very sweet cappuccinos," Taylor explained.
"Canadians order bagels and coffee," she said.
The confusion over the Tim Hortonese has Taylor vowing to put a Tim Horton-English dictionary on the door of the store.
"I'm going to write a dictionary and post it on the outside of the door for all the non-Canadians. That's my job for the next week."
I stopped at "timmy's";(another slang for the franchise that is so engraved in the lexicon of our English); tonight after work to kill some time before my bus arrived and I remembered this story and it made my cup of black coffee and Tim Bits taste that much better. As Christmas draws closer lets all take a second out of our busy lives to remember all of our unsung heros serving our country in Aghganistan and around the world. Cheers! come home soon.
Later,
Kenaz
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
"Devilish" battle with social security
While searching through a box of old stuff I found this humerous newspaper clipping from a few years ago. I thought I'd post it here for your amusement.
A couples 1-year old daughter finally got rid of the mark of the beast-- the 666 part of her Social Security number.
The Orange County, Calif. couple have been warring for months with the Social Security Administration to get a new number for religious reasons.
However at the Social Security Administration, a 1994 policy prohibits changes sought for religious, cultural or superstitious reasons. Numbers 666 and 13 prompt most requests for changes.
The couple felt so strongly about the 666 number that they did not claim their daughter on income tax forms. They will file an amended return with the new number.
Later,
Kenaz
A couples 1-year old daughter finally got rid of the mark of the beast-- the 666 part of her Social Security number.
The Orange County, Calif. couple have been warring for months with the Social Security Administration to get a new number for religious reasons.
"Christians are supposed to refuse the mark of the beast,"said the mother, 30, a pharmaceutical company representative. The 666 reference is found in Revelation 13:18. It's a common theme in santanic movies such as The Omen.
However at the Social Security Administration, a 1994 policy prohibits changes sought for religious, cultural or superstitious reasons. Numbers 666 and 13 prompt most requests for changes.
"When we saw the couples case was even being discussed in the Ann Landers advice column, we knew it was a big-time headache,"said the regional Social Security spokesman in San Francisco.
"The commissioner said to give the couple's baby a new card and we'd worry about the rules later,"said the spokesman. The agency sent the new card. In light of this case, the commissioner has called for a policy review.
The couple felt so strongly about the 666 number that they did not claim their daughter on income tax forms. They will file an amended return with the new number.
Later,
Kenaz
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Be a cool cat. Not a dumb rat
This weekend I've drawn a couple of new cartoons depicting my take on the scourge that taken over our society. Once again it features my lovable cat friends telling you that there's nothing wrong with being a hard working blue collar worker and contributor to society. Meanwhile the "Dead Rats" prove that there is everything wrong in believing in the gang life.
Dedicated to Eugene Kelly
Later,
Kenaz
Dedicated to Eugene KellyLater,
Kenaz
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Stupid celebrities of the week
This week there was not one, not two, but a tri-fecta of celebrities afflicted with the dreaded "idiotitis" disease. The symptoms include, unexplained actions and verbal diarrhea.
The first outbreak of this potential career killer feld Michael Richards, former Seinfeld co-star. During a stand-up routine he called two black hecklers the n-word and then paced across the stage taunting the men for interrupting his show, peppering his speech with racial slurs and profanities. Moderating his tone at one point, Richards tells the audience, It shocks you, it shocks you and refers to what lays buried.
Once the "fever" died down the one character wonder went on national television and tried desperately to apologize and convey that he is not a racist. Nice try, not buying it, "No soup for you!". Or in his case, soup might be the only thing Richard's will be able to afford if the clubs don't let him back.
The second outbreak occurred when day time talk host Kelly Ripa made a comment that was conscrewed as a homophobic remark.
Clay Aiken was co-hosting with Ripa and became annoyed by her gift of the gab and covered Ripa's mouth with his hand during an interview on Friday's show. Ripa pushed his hand away.
Oh, I'm in trouble, said the 27-year-old American Idol star, to which Ripa responded, No, I just don't - I don't know where that hand's been, honey.
The poop really hit the fan when fellow daytime talk show co-host Rosie O'Donnell accused her of making a homophobic comment. Ripa phoned the show and tried to claim that O'Donnell was misunderstanding the comment and offered this rebuttal.
"He's shaking hands with everybody in the audience. I mean, it's cold and flu season. That's what I meant"
The furor will die down, and the two will appear together on an episode of "Celebrity Death Match". Two bad it won't be "celebrity Boxing". I would love to see Rosie knock the stuffing out of the annoying muppet.
Finally, the worse case of "Idiotitis" in known history, knocked the crap out of O.J Simpson.
Simpson says "the only thing he is guilty of is trying to get out of debt and provide for his children."
The former football star said in interviews that he deserved criticism for his part in the If I Did It book and interview deal. He said any profit from the book would be blood money, but he needed to pay his bills. It's all blood money and unfortunately I had to join the jackals, Simpson said, referring to authors of books about him. It helped me get out of debt and secure my homestead.
Good lord! I haven't heard that much mental masturbation since the Europeans conned the Natives out of all their land for a bag of beads. If O.J is so desperate for money maybe he can sell some crap on Ebay like normal people do.
Thank god Fox Broadcasting and publisher Harper Collins, cancelled the project this week and condemned it as revolting and exploitive.
Well that's all for now.
Later,
Kenaz
The first outbreak of this potential career killer feld Michael Richards, former Seinfeld co-star. During a stand-up routine he called two black hecklers the n-word and then paced across the stage taunting the men for interrupting his show, peppering his speech with racial slurs and profanities. Moderating his tone at one point, Richards tells the audience, It shocks you, it shocks you and refers to what lays buried.
Once the "fever" died down the one character wonder went on national television and tried desperately to apologize and convey that he is not a racist. Nice try, not buying it, "No soup for you!". Or in his case, soup might be the only thing Richard's will be able to afford if the clubs don't let him back.
The second outbreak occurred when day time talk host Kelly Ripa made a comment that was conscrewed as a homophobic remark.
Clay Aiken was co-hosting with Ripa and became annoyed by her gift of the gab and covered Ripa's mouth with his hand during an interview on Friday's show. Ripa pushed his hand away.
Oh, I'm in trouble, said the 27-year-old American Idol star, to which Ripa responded, No, I just don't - I don't know where that hand's been, honey.
The poop really hit the fan when fellow daytime talk show co-host Rosie O'Donnell accused her of making a homophobic comment. Ripa phoned the show and tried to claim that O'Donnell was misunderstanding the comment and offered this rebuttal.
"He's shaking hands with everybody in the audience. I mean, it's cold and flu season. That's what I meant"
The furor will die down, and the two will appear together on an episode of "Celebrity Death Match". Two bad it won't be "celebrity Boxing". I would love to see Rosie knock the stuffing out of the annoying muppet.
Finally, the worse case of "Idiotitis" in known history, knocked the crap out of O.J Simpson.
Simpson says "the only thing he is guilty of is trying to get out of debt and provide for his children."
The former football star said in interviews that he deserved criticism for his part in the If I Did It book and interview deal. He said any profit from the book would be blood money, but he needed to pay his bills. It's all blood money and unfortunately I had to join the jackals, Simpson said, referring to authors of books about him. It helped me get out of debt and secure my homestead.
Good lord! I haven't heard that much mental masturbation since the Europeans conned the Natives out of all their land for a bag of beads. If O.J is so desperate for money maybe he can sell some crap on Ebay like normal people do.
Thank god Fox Broadcasting and publisher Harper Collins, cancelled the project this week and condemned it as revolting and exploitive.
Well that's all for now.
Later,
Kenaz
Monday, November 20, 2006
A New Seven Wonders of the World
Over the weekend I found this great sight that lets people choose a new "Seven Wonders of the World".
The commonly known Seven Ancient Wonders of the World were all man-made monuments, selected by Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C. Today, only the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt remain.
His selection of wonders was essentially a travel guide for fellow Athenians, and the stunning sites were all located around the Mediterranean basin, the then-known world.
The monuments he chose, to be remembered in perpetuity, were:
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Temple of Artemis
The Statue of Zeus
The Colossus of Rhodes
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
The Pyramids of Egypt
All had been built between 2,500 B.C. and 200 B.C.
Now, just as Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in 1896 with his modern version of the competition, New7Wonders founder Bernard Weber is seeking to revive the concept of the 7 Wonders of the World with this ambitious global campaign, the New 7 Wonders of the World.
The key difference is that, this time around, they will not be chosen by one man, but rather by millions of people all over the world.
The new wonders that are selected will be the people’s choices, and they will be drawn from the earliest time that humankind walked upon the earth up through the year 2000.
It is, therefore, possible that the only survivor of the original 7 Wonders of the World, the Pyramids at Giza, could be chosen for a second time, taking them well into a third millenium of fame!
At the end of 2005, the N7W panel chose 21 candidates from the top 77 nominees that had earned the most votes, and these 21 are now in the final stage of the competition. The official N7W 21 finalist candidates were announced by the panel's President, Prof. Federico Mayor, on January 1, 2006 in Zurich.
The final round of voting for the New 7 Wonders will continue throughout 2006 and half of 2007. Then, on July 7, 2007 -07.07.07, the dream of the N7W initiators will become a reality as the globe joins together to celebrate the New 7 Wonders of the World, as chosen by the world's population using modern communications technology.
Below are the buttons to vote for your fav's or visit the sight for yourself here:
http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php
Enjoy,
Kenaz
The commonly known Seven Ancient Wonders of the World were all man-made monuments, selected by Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C. Today, only the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt remain.
His selection of wonders was essentially a travel guide for fellow Athenians, and the stunning sites were all located around the Mediterranean basin, the then-known world.
The monuments he chose, to be remembered in perpetuity, were:
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Temple of Artemis
The Statue of Zeus
The Colossus of Rhodes
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
The Pyramids of Egypt
All had been built between 2,500 B.C. and 200 B.C.
Now, just as Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in 1896 with his modern version of the competition, New7Wonders founder Bernard Weber is seeking to revive the concept of the 7 Wonders of the World with this ambitious global campaign, the New 7 Wonders of the World.
The key difference is that, this time around, they will not be chosen by one man, but rather by millions of people all over the world.
The new wonders that are selected will be the people’s choices, and they will be drawn from the earliest time that humankind walked upon the earth up through the year 2000.
It is, therefore, possible that the only survivor of the original 7 Wonders of the World, the Pyramids at Giza, could be chosen for a second time, taking them well into a third millenium of fame!
At the end of 2005, the N7W panel chose 21 candidates from the top 77 nominees that had earned the most votes, and these 21 are now in the final stage of the competition. The official N7W 21 finalist candidates were announced by the panel's President, Prof. Federico Mayor, on January 1, 2006 in Zurich.
The final round of voting for the New 7 Wonders will continue throughout 2006 and half of 2007. Then, on July 7, 2007 -07.07.07, the dream of the N7W initiators will become a reality as the globe joins together to celebrate the New 7 Wonders of the World, as chosen by the world's population using modern communications technology.
Below are the buttons to vote for your fav's or visit the sight for yourself here:
http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php
Enjoy,
Kenaz
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Letter hits my message home
In a previous post I depicted in the form of a cartoon my frustration with the 'garbage' turning our beautiful streets into a gang hangout, unsafe for the good kids and hard working stiffs to enjoy.
Today I found this well written letter to the editor of the "Spectator". This gentlemen voices the exact same opinion and I would like to share it.
Re: 'Youth gang suspected in assault on musician' (Nov. 14)
In the update of this story on Friday the three 'kids' charged with the beating appeared in front of the judge sobbing. I hope this judge throws the entire library of law books at these morons especially the 18 year old leader.
Enough is enough, I take the bus to work right past where the attack occurred, I watch the kids get off the bus at the school mentioned, wearing the gang attire d'jour. My steel toed boots are covered in layers of grease and grime. They look to cover there's in blood. I wear blue and red flannel as a symbol of hard work. They wear their 'colours' as symbol of callous pride.
I pray for Eugene Kelly to awake and once again fill the clubs with his sweet Irish melodies and I pray for these kids will wake up and re-join the human race.
Later,
Kenaz
Today I found this well written letter to the editor of the "Spectator". This gentlemen voices the exact same opinion and I would like to share it.
Re: 'Youth gang suspected in assault on musician' (Nov. 14)
I find it frustrating that again we are not being informed of trouble spots in areas of the city, areas where we might be in danger of attacks from mobs of bullies.
Where is the police presence over this upswing they say has occurred, and where are the parents who should have a leash on these hoods?
Is it any wonder a neighborhood will call out for vigilante justice because we don't want to see our good citizens earmarked for a pounding by youths who fear no one? Individually, they are mouthy, but as a group they are fearless.
Maybe we should go the way some other countries have with this problem -- bring back curfews and ban gatherings of no more than three people, lest you are confronted by a police presence.
Women who take back the night are right in their message.
Maybe we as citizens should take back our neighbourhoods, from James North to Stoney Creek to the Mountain. If the police can't do it, we should.
In the update of this story on Friday the three 'kids' charged with the beating appeared in front of the judge sobbing. I hope this judge throws the entire library of law books at these morons especially the 18 year old leader.
Enough is enough, I take the bus to work right past where the attack occurred, I watch the kids get off the bus at the school mentioned, wearing the gang attire d'jour. My steel toed boots are covered in layers of grease and grime. They look to cover there's in blood. I wear blue and red flannel as a symbol of hard work. They wear their 'colours' as symbol of callous pride.
I pray for Eugene Kelly to awake and once again fill the clubs with his sweet Irish melodies and I pray for these kids will wake up and re-join the human race.
Later,
Kenaz
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Fast Freddy trump over Di Ianni no shock
Am I the only who does not feel Fred Eisenberger's Mayoral win over Di Ianni was a momentous upset? As many news outlets in the city suggest.
Let's face facts. Di Ianni's lies left a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouth and fast Freddy took advantage. Eisenberger used his much smaller war chest; devoid of any union or corporate money; frugally and wisely. He took the pulse of the public and created a campaign that promised to rein in sprawl, promote smart growth, create a bus rapid transit system, redevelop the city's brownfields, and promote waterfront development and the arts.
That said I do believe it was more of an anti-Larry vote than a pro-Fred vote and Eisenberger and council will be under huge pressure from the assorted beggars and hangers on that got fat and rich under the pro-big business Di Ianni era to meet status quo.
It's time for Fred to show that his blue collar roots run deep and bring Hamilton back to it's glory. The city built on the backs of the working class.
One side note, Di Ianni's loss had nothing to do with Dundas bookseller, Joanna Chapman blowing the lid off his campaign finance illegalities in 2004 as the Spectator believes. Chapman didn't perpetrate the crime and then try to cover it up, she only woke the city up to what was happening. She wasn't trying to smear anyone's reputation maliciously as the former mayor and several councilors too this day believe.
In the end election 2006 was won and loss at the ballot box and as far as I see it turned out to be a fair and clean election.
Later,
Kenaz
Let's face facts. Di Ianni's lies left a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouth and fast Freddy took advantage. Eisenberger used his much smaller war chest; devoid of any union or corporate money; frugally and wisely. He took the pulse of the public and created a campaign that promised to rein in sprawl, promote smart growth, create a bus rapid transit system, redevelop the city's brownfields, and promote waterfront development and the arts.
That said I do believe it was more of an anti-Larry vote than a pro-Fred vote and Eisenberger and council will be under huge pressure from the assorted beggars and hangers on that got fat and rich under the pro-big business Di Ianni era to meet status quo.
It's time for Fred to show that his blue collar roots run deep and bring Hamilton back to it's glory. The city built on the backs of the working class.
One side note, Di Ianni's loss had nothing to do with Dundas bookseller, Joanna Chapman blowing the lid off his campaign finance illegalities in 2004 as the Spectator believes. Chapman didn't perpetrate the crime and then try to cover it up, she only woke the city up to what was happening. She wasn't trying to smear anyone's reputation maliciously as the former mayor and several councilors too this day believe.
In the end election 2006 was won and loss at the ballot box and as far as I see it turned out to be a fair and clean election.
Later,
Kenaz
Sunday, November 12, 2006
A sombre week of goodbyes
In my previous post I said my goodbyes to Ed Bradley, legendary broadcaster. This week we also saw the passing of Canadian Football hall of famer Jackie Parker and actor Jack Palance.
Jackie Parker (January 1, 1932 - November 7, 2006) was an All-American in college football and a running back, quarterback, defensive player, and head coach in Canadian football. He is primarily known for his play with the Edmonton Eskimos. Late in his career, he also played for the Toronto Argonauts and the British Columbia Lions.
Parker became one of the most important parts of the Eskimos dynasty of the mid-1950s. Joining the Eskimos in 1954, Parker played both the defensive and offensive sides of the ball, a practice not so uncommon in his day as it is today; however, his main strength was offensively, where he was both a strong runner and an excellent quarterback. This is shown by his all-star selections; as a running back in 1954, 1957 and 1959, and as a quarterback in 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960 and 1961. He won six consecutive Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophies as the West Division's most outstanding player from 1956 to 1961, and seven in total. He was awarded the Schenley Award as the league's most outstanding player in 1957, 1958 and 1960 and was the runner-up in 1956 and 1961.
During the first three years of his career, the Eskimos won three consecutive Grey Cups, and in the first, Parker made one of the most famous plays in Grey Cup history when, in the fourth quarter, Ted Tully hit Montréal running back Chuck Hunsinger and forced a fumble. Parker recovered the ball and returned it ninety yards for a touchdown, giving the Eskimos, who were a large underdog in the game, a surprise victory. The Eskimos traded Parker after the 1962 season to the Toronto Argonauts for five players and $15,000. Parker played in Toronto from 1963 to 1965. He finished his career with the BC Lions in 1968 when, as an assistant coach, he helped the team out of a difficult mid-season situation by donning the pads for one last go round as quarterback. At the time of his retirement, Parker, who also kicked extra points and field goals, had scored a then CFL record 750 points.
After his playing career, Parker moved into coaching. Parker coached the BC Lions for part of the 1969 season and all of 1970, before moving on to the front office as general manager the next year. He stayed as general manager until being fired in 1975. Parker coached the Eskimos from 1983 to 1987 CFL season, winning the Grey Cup in 1987. Parker's #91 currently hangs on the Wall of Honour at the Eskimos' Commonwealth Stadium. The "Jackie Parker Park" in Edmonton, Alberta was named in his honor.
Jackie Parker was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1971. Parker died in the early morning hours at a local Edmonton hospital at age 74 due to throat cancer.
His acting break came as Marlon Brando's understudy in Streetcar Named Desire. He eventually replaced Brando on stage as Stanley Kowalski.
In 1947, Palance made his Broadway debut, followed three years later by his screen debut, in the movie Panic in the Streets (1950). He was quickly recognized for his skill as a character actor, receiving an Academy Award nomination for only his third film role, as Lester Blaine in Sudden Fear.
The following year, Palance was Oscar-nominated again, for his role as the evil gunfighter Jack Wilson in Shane. Several other Western roles followed, but he would also play such varied roles as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and Attila the Hun.
In 1957, Palance won an Emmy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Mountain McClintock in the Playhouse 90 production of Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight.
Jean-Luc Godard persuaded him to take on the role of Hollywood producer Jeremy Prokosch in the 1963 nouvelle vague movie Le Mépris, with Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli. Although the main dialogue was in French, Palance spoke only English.
While still busy making movies, in the 1980s, Palance also co-hosted (with his daughter Holly Palance), the television series Ripley's Believe It or Not.
Appearing in Young Guns (1988) and Tim Burton's Batman (1989) reinvigorated Palance's career and demand for his services kept him involved in new projects each year right up until the turn of the century.
Palance died of natural causes, he was 87.
Later,
Kenaz
Jackie Parker (January 1, 1932 - November 7, 2006) was an All-American in college football and a running back, quarterback, defensive player, and head coach in Canadian football. He is primarily known for his play with the Edmonton Eskimos. Late in his career, he also played for the Toronto Argonauts and the British Columbia Lions.
Parker became one of the most important parts of the Eskimos dynasty of the mid-1950s. Joining the Eskimos in 1954, Parker played both the defensive and offensive sides of the ball, a practice not so uncommon in his day as it is today; however, his main strength was offensively, where he was both a strong runner and an excellent quarterback. This is shown by his all-star selections; as a running back in 1954, 1957 and 1959, and as a quarterback in 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960 and 1961. He won six consecutive Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophies as the West Division's most outstanding player from 1956 to 1961, and seven in total. He was awarded the Schenley Award as the league's most outstanding player in 1957, 1958 and 1960 and was the runner-up in 1956 and 1961.
During the first three years of his career, the Eskimos won three consecutive Grey Cups, and in the first, Parker made one of the most famous plays in Grey Cup history when, in the fourth quarter, Ted Tully hit Montréal running back Chuck Hunsinger and forced a fumble. Parker recovered the ball and returned it ninety yards for a touchdown, giving the Eskimos, who were a large underdog in the game, a surprise victory. The Eskimos traded Parker after the 1962 season to the Toronto Argonauts for five players and $15,000. Parker played in Toronto from 1963 to 1965. He finished his career with the BC Lions in 1968 when, as an assistant coach, he helped the team out of a difficult mid-season situation by donning the pads for one last go round as quarterback. At the time of his retirement, Parker, who also kicked extra points and field goals, had scored a then CFL record 750 points.
After his playing career, Parker moved into coaching. Parker coached the BC Lions for part of the 1969 season and all of 1970, before moving on to the front office as general manager the next year. He stayed as general manager until being fired in 1975. Parker coached the Eskimos from 1983 to 1987 CFL season, winning the Grey Cup in 1987. Parker's #91 currently hangs on the Wall of Honour at the Eskimos' Commonwealth Stadium. The "Jackie Parker Park" in Edmonton, Alberta was named in his honor.
Jackie Parker was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1971. Parker died in the early morning hours at a local Edmonton hospital at age 74 due to throat cancer.
His acting break came as Marlon Brando's understudy in Streetcar Named Desire. He eventually replaced Brando on stage as Stanley Kowalski.
In 1947, Palance made his Broadway debut, followed three years later by his screen debut, in the movie Panic in the Streets (1950). He was quickly recognized for his skill as a character actor, receiving an Academy Award nomination for only his third film role, as Lester Blaine in Sudden Fear.
The following year, Palance was Oscar-nominated again, for his role as the evil gunfighter Jack Wilson in Shane. Several other Western roles followed, but he would also play such varied roles as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and Attila the Hun.
In 1957, Palance won an Emmy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Mountain McClintock in the Playhouse 90 production of Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight.
Jean-Luc Godard persuaded him to take on the role of Hollywood producer Jeremy Prokosch in the 1963 nouvelle vague movie Le Mépris, with Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli. Although the main dialogue was in French, Palance spoke only English.
While still busy making movies, in the 1980s, Palance also co-hosted (with his daughter Holly Palance), the television series Ripley's Believe It or Not.
Appearing in Young Guns (1988) and Tim Burton's Batman (1989) reinvigorated Palance's career and demand for his services kept him involved in new projects each year right up until the turn of the century.
Palance died of natural causes, he was 87.
Later,
Kenaz
Saying Goodbye to Ed Bradley
June 22, 1941-November 9, 2006"The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do without thought of fame. If it comes at all it will come because it is deserved, not because it is sought after."
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
No words written could be truer when describing Ed Bradley who died from complications due to chronic lymphocytic leukemia at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York; he was 65 years of age.
His introduction to news reporting came during the riots in Philadelphia in the 1960s. He then became a stringer for CBS News covering the Paris Peace Talks. In 1972, he was transferred to Saigon, to cover the Vietnam War. He spent time in Phnom Penh covering the war in Cambodia. While covering the war, he was injured by a mortar round. He had shrapnel wounds to his back and arm. In 1974, he moved to Washington, D.C. He covered the Carter campaign in 1976 and then became CBS News' White House correspondent until 1978. From 1978 to 1981, he served as principal correspondent for CBS Reports.
In 1981, he stepped into some big shoes when he landed a job on 60 Minutes, when Dan Rather left to replace Walter Cronkite as the anchor of the CBS Evening News. He not only filled those shoes, but when on to re-define journalism with his brand of no nosense but fair reporting.
Over the course of his career, Bradley received the Emmy Award 19 times; a Peabody Award for his African AIDS report, "Death By Denial"; a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award; and the Paul White Award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association.
Tonight's Larry King Live featured the remaining cast of "60 Minutes" remembering this truly great man with many stories accompanied by clips. My favourite was the time that Muhammad Ali along with his wife duped Bradley into believing that the champ of practical jokes had Narcolepsy and while asleep he would act out his best boxing punches. The look on ultra serious Bradley's face was priceless as Ali let him off the hook.
Later,
Kenaz
Saturday, November 11, 2006
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month...
Today we promise never to forget. We wear over our hearts a flower with a revered history. A symbol of our thanks for those men and women who have fallen so we can live in freedom.
The poppy.
It has been used since 1921 as a symbol of remembrance in Canada, a visual pledge not to forget those Canadians who have fallen in war.
Other countries also have adopted its image to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The association between the poppy and war dead goes back at least as far as the Napoleonic Wars at the beginning of the 19th century, when poppies grew thickly over the graves of soldiers in Flanders.
Just before the First World War, few poppies grew in Flanders, a region now divided between Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
During the tremendous bombardments of that war, the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing poppies to thrive. When the war ended, the lime was quickly absorbed and the poppies became less common.
The person responsible more than any other for the adoption of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance in Canada and the Commonwealth was Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer during the First World War.
Born in Guelph, McCrae already belonged to the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada when he attended the University of Toronto Medical School.
After Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, he enlisted and was appointed brigade surgeon to the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery.
In 1915, he was stationed in Flanders near Ypres, Belgium. There, he treated hundreds of wounded soldiers.
In May 1915, the day after the death of a fellow soldier, McCrae wrote his now famous work, an expression of his anguish over the loss of his friend and a reflection of his surroundings - wild poppies growing amid simple wooden crosses marking makeshift graves.
These 15 lines, written in 20 minutes, live on ...
The poem was first published in December 1915 in Punch magazine.
McCrae died of pneumonia in France in January 1918. He was 45.
Later the same year, Moina Michael, an American teacher working in New York City, read McCrae's poem.
She immediately made "a personal pledge to keep the faith and vowed always to wear a red poppy of Flanders fields as a sign of remembrance ..."
Two years later, during a 1920 visit to the United States, a French woman, Anna Guerin, learned of the custom.
On her return to France, she decided to use handmade poppies to raise money for the destitute children in war-torn areas of the country.
Following Guerin's example, the Great War Veterans' Association in Canada (the predecessor of The Royal Canadian Legion) officially adopted the poppy as its Flower of Remembrance on 5 July 1921.
The lapel poppies worn in Canada were first made, beginning in 1922, by disabled veterans.
For many years, poppy material was made at the Vetcraft sheltered workshops run by Veterans Affairs Canada in Montreal and Toronto.
About 10 years ago, the Legion volunteered to take over the responsibility for the production of poppies from Veterans Affairs. A private company now makes them under contract, but all operations are conducted under strict Legion control and oversight.
In Flanders fields-John McCrae, 1915
Later,
Kenaz
The poppy.
It has been used since 1921 as a symbol of remembrance in Canada, a visual pledge not to forget those Canadians who have fallen in war.
Other countries also have adopted its image to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The association between the poppy and war dead goes back at least as far as the Napoleonic Wars at the beginning of the 19th century, when poppies grew thickly over the graves of soldiers in Flanders.
Just before the First World War, few poppies grew in Flanders, a region now divided between Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
During the tremendous bombardments of that war, the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing poppies to thrive. When the war ended, the lime was quickly absorbed and the poppies became less common.
The person responsible more than any other for the adoption of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance in Canada and the Commonwealth was Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer during the First World War.
Born in Guelph, McCrae already belonged to the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada when he attended the University of Toronto Medical School.
After Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, he enlisted and was appointed brigade surgeon to the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery.
In 1915, he was stationed in Flanders near Ypres, Belgium. There, he treated hundreds of wounded soldiers.
In May 1915, the day after the death of a fellow soldier, McCrae wrote his now famous work, an expression of his anguish over the loss of his friend and a reflection of his surroundings - wild poppies growing amid simple wooden crosses marking makeshift graves.
These 15 lines, written in 20 minutes, live on ...
The poem was first published in December 1915 in Punch magazine.
McCrae died of pneumonia in France in January 1918. He was 45.
Later the same year, Moina Michael, an American teacher working in New York City, read McCrae's poem.
She immediately made "a personal pledge to keep the faith and vowed always to wear a red poppy of Flanders fields as a sign of remembrance ..."
Two years later, during a 1920 visit to the United States, a French woman, Anna Guerin, learned of the custom.
On her return to France, she decided to use handmade poppies to raise money for the destitute children in war-torn areas of the country.
Following Guerin's example, the Great War Veterans' Association in Canada (the predecessor of The Royal Canadian Legion) officially adopted the poppy as its Flower of Remembrance on 5 July 1921.
The lapel poppies worn in Canada were first made, beginning in 1922, by disabled veterans.
For many years, poppy material was made at the Vetcraft sheltered workshops run by Veterans Affairs Canada in Montreal and Toronto.
About 10 years ago, the Legion volunteered to take over the responsibility for the production of poppies from Veterans Affairs. A private company now makes them under contract, but all operations are conducted under strict Legion control and oversight.
In Flanders fields-John McCrae, 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Later,
Kenaz
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Troubling letter to the editor
I read this in the 'Letters to the editor' section of November 7, 2006 edition of 'The Hamilton Spectator' and am deeply confused by this persons message.
Let me take this letter point by point. Firstly, this person contends Saddam brought 'peace' to Iraq by quelling religious violence? Reality, the Kurds and many thousands of other persons who had the right to practice their religion under international law where isolated, starved and murdered. At least the writer admits these actions where 'unjust'. These actions did not bring order, they brought choas and world condemnation.
Secondly, when the Americans, British, Canadians and many other 'coalition' nations went into Iraq, I doubt anyone thought they would have flowers thrown at their feet. The purpose was to eliminate Saddams factions and returns order. In the long term, which will take many years, Iraq will be governed by their own people and justice will be served from the courts of their own.
By hanging the 'Butcher of Bagdad' for crimes against humanity we send a message to the remaining evils in Iraq that the country has had enough. To the writer of this letter, by saying that all 'Saddam did was hand over the controls', we've heard that before. During WWII, and in the Balkans, please take the blinders off.
Later,
Kenaz
Re: 'Saddam to die: Now Iraq braces for civil war' (Nov. 6)
It must be me. I certainly do not understand how international law is applied.
If I recall correctly, Saddam Hussein had to deal with Iraq's many factions of faith and the associated problems. His methods of control were iron-fisted, unjust and deadly. But, the job got done and peace and order came over the land in some form.
The U.S. and the so-called coalition saw fit to remove Saddam and take over the controls. I think they had a better idea on how to deal with the problem. They didn't get the flowers thrown at their feet as they thought they should, but they created a puppet government and had the gall to demand that they, too, take up the fight in the same manner. Be more forceful, take control, eliminate those who should commit crimes against the coalition. Be like Saddam? The killings go on as if Saddam was still in control and if time allows, the killings will eventually match or surpass those of Saddam's days.
There's only one thing troubling me at this point. Why was Saddam charged and sentenced to hang? All he did was hand over the controls. It must be me.
Let me take this letter point by point. Firstly, this person contends Saddam brought 'peace' to Iraq by quelling religious violence? Reality, the Kurds and many thousands of other persons who had the right to practice their religion under international law where isolated, starved and murdered. At least the writer admits these actions where 'unjust'. These actions did not bring order, they brought choas and world condemnation.
Secondly, when the Americans, British, Canadians and many other 'coalition' nations went into Iraq, I doubt anyone thought they would have flowers thrown at their feet. The purpose was to eliminate Saddams factions and returns order. In the long term, which will take many years, Iraq will be governed by their own people and justice will be served from the courts of their own.
By hanging the 'Butcher of Bagdad' for crimes against humanity we send a message to the remaining evils in Iraq that the country has had enough. To the writer of this letter, by saying that all 'Saddam did was hand over the controls', we've heard that before. During WWII, and in the Balkans, please take the blinders off.
Later,
Kenaz
Monday, November 06, 2006
Justice Served:Saddam Hussein found guilty
On Sunday, the Iraqi High Tribunal showed the world that they are serious about making Democracy work. It found Saddam Hussein guilty of crimes against humanity. The sentence: death by hanging.
The evidence against Hussein was overwhelming. He and his henchmen were found guilty of rounding up and killing 148 Shiite Muslims from the northern Iraqi town of Dujail in 1982, in retaliation for an assassination attempt on Hussein there.
Hussein stood trial in his own country and was judged by his own people. That is a historical first and a huge accomplishment for this fledgling democracy.
Bringing Hussein to justice demanded immense courage; all those involved faced constant danger. During the yearlong trial, three defense attorneys were killed. The brother-in-law of the presiding judge was gunned down. Incredibly, some 200 relatives of victims of Dujail were reported murdered. Several families of witnesses had to be moved into the U.S.-protected Green Zone.
A second trial is under way. Hussein is accused of genocide for his role in a 1987-88 campaign against Iraqi Kurds, in which about 180,000 people were killed. All told, Hussein's regime is believed to have killed at least 300,000 Iraqis.
Hussein's death sentence probably won't be carried out soon. There are appeals and more trials. Iraqis have waited for justice. Now they have it. Ending the reign of one of the world's most vicious, brutal men.
Later,
Kenaz
The evidence against Hussein was overwhelming. He and his henchmen were found guilty of rounding up and killing 148 Shiite Muslims from the northern Iraqi town of Dujail in 1982, in retaliation for an assassination attempt on Hussein there.
Hussein stood trial in his own country and was judged by his own people. That is a historical first and a huge accomplishment for this fledgling democracy.
Bringing Hussein to justice demanded immense courage; all those involved faced constant danger. During the yearlong trial, three defense attorneys were killed. The brother-in-law of the presiding judge was gunned down. Incredibly, some 200 relatives of victims of Dujail were reported murdered. Several families of witnesses had to be moved into the U.S.-protected Green Zone.
A second trial is under way. Hussein is accused of genocide for his role in a 1987-88 campaign against Iraqi Kurds, in which about 180,000 people were killed. All told, Hussein's regime is believed to have killed at least 300,000 Iraqis.
Hussein's death sentence probably won't be carried out soon. There are appeals and more trials. Iraqis have waited for justice. Now they have it. Ending the reign of one of the world's most vicious, brutal men.
Later,
Kenaz
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Death of Botha brings closure
This week the world said good riddance to P. W. Botha, the South African leader who fathered apartheid. The bastard child grew up until it consumed a country in a tide of domestic racial violence and global condemnation. He was 90.
Roots of Racism
Pieter Willem Botha was born on Jan. 12, 1916, in the Orange Free State to a Afrikaner farm family with deep roots in southern Africa’s “White Tribe” — descendants of mainly Dutch settlers who had been living on the continent’s southern tip for more than three centuries.
Beleaguered, stubborn and insular, they saw themselves as heirs to a promised land watered with the blood of their ancestors in wars against Zulu, Ndebele and other tribes.
The Afrikaners and the British, with their imperial aims, were also old enemies, rivals for land, diamonds and gold. Their enmity culminated in the Boer War of 1899-1901, which ended in a British victory and the eventual consolidation of the country under the empire. Mr. Botha’s father fought the British, who burned his mother’s family farm. She and her family fled but were eventually captured and interned. Their experiences forged their son’s attitudes. Raised in the traditions of the Bible and the gun, he learned to ride and shoot and to embrace the embattled but beneficent self-image of the Afrikaner.
Rise to Power
Mr. Botha was a combative, irascible son of a well-to-do Afrikaner farm family who dropped out of college to work for the right-wing National Party, then rose through the ranks of South Africa’s political establishment, gaining a reputation as the “Old Crocodile” for his ability to charm, outwit and crush his opponents.
In 1978, Mr. Botha became prime minister and proceeded to engineer the creation of a new Constitution, one that held out the promise of limited reform of apartheid policies. When the Constitution came into effect in 1984, Mr. Botha became president. “We must adapt or die,” Mr. Botha told his constituents after becoming prime minister.
Aparthied
Though it allowed Asians and people of mixed race to be represented in a white-controlled Parliament, it continued to exclude the nation’s black majority. Some apartheid laws, like a prohibition on mixed marriages and a requirement that blacks carry special passes, were relaxed.
Opposition
Holding out the promise that apartheid would eventually be dismantled, he opened negotiations with Nelson Mandela, the imprisoned leader of the African National Congress. The talks went nowhere, and Mr. Mandela remained confined.
Paranoia
Mr. Botha used the climate of the cold war to justify his actions. He portrayed a growing Marxist threat in southern Africa and warned that Communists had infiltrated the anti-apartheid movement at home. South Africa, he said, was engaged in a “total war” and must develop a “total strategy” to fight the battle.
The End
As opposition to apartheid spread, Mr. Botha’s room to maneuver shrank. Mr. Botha was re-elected in 1987. Two years later, as opposition to his intransigent style grew within his own party, the president suffered a stroke and resigned. He was succeeded by F. W. de Klerk, who legalized opposition parties, freed Mr. Mandela and other political prisoners, and made the agreements that eventually brought apartheid down.
Era of Rebirth
Under the new government, led by Mr. de Klerk, apartheid unraveled. In 1990, Mr. Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison and the African National Congress became a legal political party. In April 1994, the republic’s first multiracial election was held, the Congress won an overwhelming victory and Mr. Mandela became president. In May 1996, a new national Constitution was adopted.
Apartheid was finished. In the late 1990’s, the brutal methods that had been used to prolong its existence were exposed during hearings of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Actions by the country’s security forces and police during Mr. Botha’s years in power had killed 4,000 people; as many as 50,000 others were held without trial.
The aging Mr. Botha derided the commission as a witch hunt. After failing to attend a hearing in Cape Town on Dec. 19, 1997, he was found guilty of contempt of the law, fined and sentenced to a suspended 12-month prison term. The conviction was overturned on appeal, and the Old Crocodile remained as intransigent as ever.
“I have nothing to apologize for,” he said. ‘’I will never ask for amnesty. Not now, not tomorrow, not after tomorrow.”
Botha joins Hitler and Milošević in hell. All that remain is the arrival of Saddam Hussein to round out the table reserved for lasts century's worst sinners.
Below are some must see films that cover this tumultuous time period.
Mandela and de Klerk (1997)(TV)
"Ekhaya: A Family Chronicle" (1997) Canada (Mini)
Mandela (1996)
My personal favourite
Cry Freedom (1987)
Later,
Kenaz
Roots of Racism
Pieter Willem Botha was born on Jan. 12, 1916, in the Orange Free State to a Afrikaner farm family with deep roots in southern Africa’s “White Tribe” — descendants of mainly Dutch settlers who had been living on the continent’s southern tip for more than three centuries.
Beleaguered, stubborn and insular, they saw themselves as heirs to a promised land watered with the blood of their ancestors in wars against Zulu, Ndebele and other tribes.
The Afrikaners and the British, with their imperial aims, were also old enemies, rivals for land, diamonds and gold. Their enmity culminated in the Boer War of 1899-1901, which ended in a British victory and the eventual consolidation of the country under the empire. Mr. Botha’s father fought the British, who burned his mother’s family farm. She and her family fled but were eventually captured and interned. Their experiences forged their son’s attitudes. Raised in the traditions of the Bible and the gun, he learned to ride and shoot and to embrace the embattled but beneficent self-image of the Afrikaner.
Rise to Power
Mr. Botha was a combative, irascible son of a well-to-do Afrikaner farm family who dropped out of college to work for the right-wing National Party, then rose through the ranks of South Africa’s political establishment, gaining a reputation as the “Old Crocodile” for his ability to charm, outwit and crush his opponents.
In 1978, Mr. Botha became prime minister and proceeded to engineer the creation of a new Constitution, one that held out the promise of limited reform of apartheid policies. When the Constitution came into effect in 1984, Mr. Botha became president. “We must adapt or die,” Mr. Botha told his constituents after becoming prime minister.
Aparthied
Though it allowed Asians and people of mixed race to be represented in a white-controlled Parliament, it continued to exclude the nation’s black majority. Some apartheid laws, like a prohibition on mixed marriages and a requirement that blacks carry special passes, were relaxed.
Opposition
Holding out the promise that apartheid would eventually be dismantled, he opened negotiations with Nelson Mandela, the imprisoned leader of the African National Congress. The talks went nowhere, and Mr. Mandela remained confined.
Paranoia
Mr. Botha used the climate of the cold war to justify his actions. He portrayed a growing Marxist threat in southern Africa and warned that Communists had infiltrated the anti-apartheid movement at home. South Africa, he said, was engaged in a “total war” and must develop a “total strategy” to fight the battle.
The End
As opposition to apartheid spread, Mr. Botha’s room to maneuver shrank. Mr. Botha was re-elected in 1987. Two years later, as opposition to his intransigent style grew within his own party, the president suffered a stroke and resigned. He was succeeded by F. W. de Klerk, who legalized opposition parties, freed Mr. Mandela and other political prisoners, and made the agreements that eventually brought apartheid down.
Era of Rebirth
Under the new government, led by Mr. de Klerk, apartheid unraveled. In 1990, Mr. Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison and the African National Congress became a legal political party. In April 1994, the republic’s first multiracial election was held, the Congress won an overwhelming victory and Mr. Mandela became president. In May 1996, a new national Constitution was adopted.
Apartheid was finished. In the late 1990’s, the brutal methods that had been used to prolong its existence were exposed during hearings of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Actions by the country’s security forces and police during Mr. Botha’s years in power had killed 4,000 people; as many as 50,000 others were held without trial.
The aging Mr. Botha derided the commission as a witch hunt. After failing to attend a hearing in Cape Town on Dec. 19, 1997, he was found guilty of contempt of the law, fined and sentenced to a suspended 12-month prison term. The conviction was overturned on appeal, and the Old Crocodile remained as intransigent as ever.
“I have nothing to apologize for,” he said. ‘’I will never ask for amnesty. Not now, not tomorrow, not after tomorrow.”
Botha joins Hitler and Milošević in hell. All that remain is the arrival of Saddam Hussein to round out the table reserved for lasts century's worst sinners.
Below are some must see films that cover this tumultuous time period.
Mandela and de Klerk (1997)(TV)
"Ekhaya: A Family Chronicle" (1997) Canada (Mini)
Mandela (1996)
My personal favourite
Cry Freedom (1987)
Later,
Kenaz
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Reply from Mr. Caplan on the Di Ianni post
This morning I received this interesting reply to a post from March 11,2006 entitled Mayor Diianni saga reads like a trashy novel.
Interesting in that not once do I say that Mr. Caplan was found "guilty" of accepting illegal donations and in fact say that he was only found guilty of bad book keeping as he implies. I guess when their are too many fingers in the pie, inevitably somebody will be caught with sticky fingers. Mr. Caplans beef is with Ms Chapman, the accuser, I'm only the messenger who wishes to spell out the saga for my readers. My account is as accurate as the facts that I have.
As far as Mr. Caplan questioning my belief in the Canadian justice system, yes Mr. Caplan you are "innocent until proven guilty" but the burden of proof is yours. And let me remind you and your college's as you enter the final phase of your election campaigns, the court of public opinion is often headed by a "hanging judge" with an itchy rope hand.
Good luck, Mr.Caplan you have done fine work in your riding and I hope you can distance yourself from those on the council who have done wrong and bring dignity back to Hamilton.
Thank You
from Kenaz's Blog
I was looking through Blogs looking for my name and noted an error related to me. In fact I was accused but not guilty of contravening the act.
Throughout this "trashy" two and a half years my name and reputation were sullied by Ms Chapman.
I accepted no illegal donations, had all my records and my "reporting errors" consisted of leaving the word "Ltd." off a business name and misspelling another.
Would that McHattie, Christopherson and co. had the same honesty I do.
Innocent until proven guilty is a principal I would have thought you followed.
Cheers
marvin-caplan@gmail.com
Interesting in that not once do I say that Mr. Caplan was found "guilty" of accepting illegal donations and in fact say that he was only found guilty of bad book keeping as he implies. I guess when their are too many fingers in the pie, inevitably somebody will be caught with sticky fingers. Mr. Caplans beef is with Ms Chapman, the accuser, I'm only the messenger who wishes to spell out the saga for my readers. My account is as accurate as the facts that I have.
As far as Mr. Caplan questioning my belief in the Canadian justice system, yes Mr. Caplan you are "innocent until proven guilty" but the burden of proof is yours. And let me remind you and your college's as you enter the final phase of your election campaigns, the court of public opinion is often headed by a "hanging judge" with an itchy rope hand.
Good luck, Mr.Caplan you have done fine work in your riding and I hope you can distance yourself from those on the council who have done wrong and bring dignity back to Hamilton.
Thank You
from Kenaz's Blog
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Top 5 Best Performances as The Count
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
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
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
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