BERNIE PIMM is Troy Mick's No. 1 fan. Just ask him.
With Mick temporaily sidelined due to medical problems, Pimm, the 32-year-old teacher by profession and student of the game, has been given the role of head coach of the Vernon Vipers as they open the regular BCHL schedule tonight against the Williams Lake Timberwolves in the Multiplex.
"Whether I am called the head coach or not, the one thing Troy and I have always done is work together and make decisions," he said, following a recent Vipers' practice session. Then he reiterated his thoughts about Mick by saying, "One thing we never want to do is close the door on Troy Mick ever coaching again. So that's one of the reasons we're not definitive on what we're doing ... I guess, right now, I'm the head coach on an interim basis, and we're going to leave it at that, and just hope that Troy gets better."
Pimm and Mick worked together in the Western Hockey League with the Kamloops Blazers. "He (Mick) was the head coach and I was the assistant coach there. That was the first time he really got sick and I think coaching had a direct affect on that. (However), it is his illness so he should really comment on it."
Then he emphasized, "The bottom line is, Kaye, that I am here because of Troy Mick, basically to do what he wants me to do. So the door will always be there for Troy Mick to be the head coach for this season. He has instilled the kind of confidence and trust in me and we just tackle one day at a time."
Prior to Mick's situation, Pimm said that Mick was going to handle more of the managerial work.
"The way Troy and I were setting it up, I was going to handle a lot of the practices and the day-to-day preparations for the games with Troy going to handle more of managerial stuff and the day of the game, Troy would kind of take over (behind the bench). It was kind of a college model of coaching ... I was going to do a lot less recruiting and scouting and Troy was going to concentrate a little more on that with our head scout."
It was a solid combination, and even with Mick temporarily shelved, Pimm has a formidable team. He has surrounded himself with individuals that "played the hockey at a higher level than I did." They include Shawn Bourgeois (who looks after the forwards), Kori Davison (responsible for the defence) and goaltender coach Sean Mathiel.
"All these guys came up through the Viper system, so they are alumni players," he emphasized.
"I'm secure enough in my knowledge of the game, and my organizational skills and my ability to prepare properly," he said, adding, "I always thought it made sense to bring in people in the fold that played the game at a high level."
Although Pimm has certainly had service as an assistant coach and scout with the Vipers, he had decided to take the job as head coach of the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL this season. However, he wasn't quite comfortable with his situation in Alberta and a phone call with Mick, who had just been named head coach and general manager of the Vipers, changed his direction.
"Actually, I got on the phone with Troy and indicated that a kid I had been recruiting for Okotoks might need a place to play and from that conversation Troy told me about the opportunity with minor hockey (in Vernon) and the need for somebody with this organization (the Vipers) as well."
By the end of July, Pimm, the experienced school teacher, arrived in Vernon with his family of wife, Shannon, and three children of Jordyn (7), Devin (4) and Hayden (1) to not only be the associate coach to Mick, but the director of Hockey Operations for the Greater Vernon Minor Hockey association.
With his elevated role for the time being as head coach of the Vipers, Pimm has a busy schedule. By 7 a.m., he is in the minor hockey office until about 12:30 noon and then he transfers his skill to his charges with the Vipers before heading home around 6 p.m.
In preparing for tonight's opener, Pimm said : "Right now, we're really concentrating on picking up our work ethic, to get the work ethic to the acceptable level that we want it ... we do that through practice and through meetings and now we're slowly instilling and injecting parts of our system."
And what is that system?
"We're going to be obviously aggressive defensive, which is a phrase I picked up from (NHL veteran and junior coach) Marc Habscheid."
To a novice, such as the Ol' Columnist, it means the tough Vipers are going to hog the puck this year and shoot on their opposition often.
Although he works long hours, Pimm professed a passion for the game while admitting, "I give myself a day off here and there and Sundays are important because it is family time." Then he went on to say, "In this game, there is down time in spring and summer and you have to take advantage of it."
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Storm Stories. Part II
KATRINA NOTEBOOK: Before shifting to rather placid Vernon and area, I took the opportunity to scour the newswires and websites for stories of the Great Hurricane, which one observer claimed was of Biblical proportions.
As a former columnist with the U.S.-based World Net Daily website (1997-2000), the Ol' Columnist "collected" a number of WND stories, which were noteworthy:
FAMILY FROM OVER 'OME: One involved the Scott family -- Ged, 36, his wife, Sandra, 37, and 7-year-old son, Ronan -- of Liverpool, England, who were in the Ramada Hotel in New Orleans when Katrina slashed into the U.S. Gulf Coast. Ged related it this way: "I could not describe how bad the authorities were, taking photographs of us as we were standing on the roof waving for help, for their own personal photo albums, little snapshot photographs." Scott then told the BBC News interviewer there were girls on the roof, calling out to be rescued and "(The authorities) said to them, 'Well, show us what you've got' -- doing signs for them to lift their T-shirts up. The girls said no, and (the rescuers) said 'well fine' and motored off down the road in their motorboat. That's the sort of help we had from the authorities." New Orleans is noted for women flashing their breasts in public during Mardi Gras. Scott also said that the relief operation was "horrendous" and noted policemen had taken "souvenir" photographs of stranded people begging for help.
NO PRAYER PLEA: Another WND story which caught my attention involved a woman named Ellen Johnson, president of the American Atheists. In no uncertain terms, Johnson said U.S. President George Bush and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco should stop praying for the hurricane victims -- now get this --"because it violates the Constitution." While people were in great need of divine intervention and comfort, Johnson was blathering on about religion activities behind some relief efforts. She was quoted as saying, "We're getting reports of how some religion-based 'aid' groups are trying to fly evangelists into the stricken areas and how U.S. Army chaplains are carrying Bibles -- not food or water -- to 'comfort' people (at the New Orleans Superdome). People need material aid, medical care and economic support -- not prayers and preaching. And listen to this: Dave Silverman, communications director for American Atheists, claimed "'God' was once again asleep at the wheel."
RABBI'S POINT OF VIEW: There was also a WND story out of Jerusalem, in which Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Lewin, executive director of the Rabbinic Congress for Peace, said: "Katrina is a consequence of the destruction of (Gaza's) Gush Katif (slate of Jewish communities) with America's urging and encouragement. The U.S. should have discouraged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from implementing the Gaza evacuation rather than pushing for it and pressuring Israel into concessions." The WND report noted that one week before Katrina made landfall, Israel carried out the evacuation of 9,500 residents from Gush Katif and four Samaria communities, kicking and screaming. The former Katif residents are still homeless.
EMOTIONAL TIME: Geraldo Rivera, a Fox News mainstay, certainly showed his emotional side as New Orleans residents were stranded inside and outside the wretched Convention Center. I watched with tears in my eyes as well as Geraldo sobbed: "Let them walk out of here, let them walk the hell out of here. Walk to some other town. Walk some place where you can help 'em. ... These people in the same clothes, where do you think they go to the bathroom? They don't wash their hands, they don't wash their face, these babies. What the hell?"
WADING TO THE RESCUE: Veteran newsman Ted Koppel also became part of the Big Story in the Big Hurt. It seems Koppel jumped into filthy water to help rescue a stranded woman -- Rosa Lee Branch, according to a NewsMax.com report. Rescuers loaded Rosa and her wheelchair onto a boat and Koppel got on board to interview here. "... When the boat reached the entrance to the Fairground Race Course, which is being used as a rescue staging area, the water was too shallow for its propeller to operate. So several officers and Koppel -- who had no wading boots -- jumped into the nearly waist-deep water to pull the boat the last 50 yards to dry land."
IT'S CERTAINLY NOT OVER YET: While Katrina died an agonizing death after destroying New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast, another potential deadly storm -- Ophelia -- is threatening Florida's Atlantic coast. Tropical storm warnings were posted along a 100-mile stretch from Sebastian Inlet to Flagler Beach on Wednesday. Where it hits land appears to be anyone's guess, but Lixion Avila of the National Hurricane Centre in Miami has been quoted as saying: "Anything is possible."
SHAKING IN INDONESIA: There was a report out on Banda Aceh, Indonesia Wednesday of an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale with the epicenter located in the Nicobar island area. In late December, a giant earthquake rocked Banda Aceh, with a resulting tsunami killing hundreds of thousands.
FINALLY: There may be another volcano in the making in the Cascade Range. According to an AP story out of Bend, Oregon, a recent survey shows a bulge covering about 100 square miles south of one of state's active volcanoes, South Sister. There are three other active volcanoes in that area -- Mount Hood, Crater Lake and Newberry.
As a former columnist with the U.S.-based World Net Daily website (1997-2000), the Ol' Columnist "collected" a number of WND stories, which were noteworthy:
FAMILY FROM OVER 'OME: One involved the Scott family -- Ged, 36, his wife, Sandra, 37, and 7-year-old son, Ronan -- of Liverpool, England, who were in the Ramada Hotel in New Orleans when Katrina slashed into the U.S. Gulf Coast. Ged related it this way: "I could not describe how bad the authorities were, taking photographs of us as we were standing on the roof waving for help, for their own personal photo albums, little snapshot photographs." Scott then told the BBC News interviewer there were girls on the roof, calling out to be rescued and "(The authorities) said to them, 'Well, show us what you've got' -- doing signs for them to lift their T-shirts up. The girls said no, and (the rescuers) said 'well fine' and motored off down the road in their motorboat. That's the sort of help we had from the authorities." New Orleans is noted for women flashing their breasts in public during Mardi Gras. Scott also said that the relief operation was "horrendous" and noted policemen had taken "souvenir" photographs of stranded people begging for help.
NO PRAYER PLEA: Another WND story which caught my attention involved a woman named Ellen Johnson, president of the American Atheists. In no uncertain terms, Johnson said U.S. President George Bush and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco should stop praying for the hurricane victims -- now get this --"because it violates the Constitution." While people were in great need of divine intervention and comfort, Johnson was blathering on about religion activities behind some relief efforts. She was quoted as saying, "We're getting reports of how some religion-based 'aid' groups are trying to fly evangelists into the stricken areas and how U.S. Army chaplains are carrying Bibles -- not food or water -- to 'comfort' people (at the New Orleans Superdome). People need material aid, medical care and economic support -- not prayers and preaching. And listen to this: Dave Silverman, communications director for American Atheists, claimed "'God' was once again asleep at the wheel."
RABBI'S POINT OF VIEW: There was also a WND story out of Jerusalem, in which Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Lewin, executive director of the Rabbinic Congress for Peace, said: "Katrina is a consequence of the destruction of (Gaza's) Gush Katif (slate of Jewish communities) with America's urging and encouragement. The U.S. should have discouraged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from implementing the Gaza evacuation rather than pushing for it and pressuring Israel into concessions." The WND report noted that one week before Katrina made landfall, Israel carried out the evacuation of 9,500 residents from Gush Katif and four Samaria communities, kicking and screaming. The former Katif residents are still homeless.
EMOTIONAL TIME: Geraldo Rivera, a Fox News mainstay, certainly showed his emotional side as New Orleans residents were stranded inside and outside the wretched Convention Center. I watched with tears in my eyes as well as Geraldo sobbed: "Let them walk out of here, let them walk the hell out of here. Walk to some other town. Walk some place where you can help 'em. ... These people in the same clothes, where do you think they go to the bathroom? They don't wash their hands, they don't wash their face, these babies. What the hell?"
WADING TO THE RESCUE: Veteran newsman Ted Koppel also became part of the Big Story in the Big Hurt. It seems Koppel jumped into filthy water to help rescue a stranded woman -- Rosa Lee Branch, according to a NewsMax.com report. Rescuers loaded Rosa and her wheelchair onto a boat and Koppel got on board to interview here. "... When the boat reached the entrance to the Fairground Race Course, which is being used as a rescue staging area, the water was too shallow for its propeller to operate. So several officers and Koppel -- who had no wading boots -- jumped into the nearly waist-deep water to pull the boat the last 50 yards to dry land."
IT'S CERTAINLY NOT OVER YET: While Katrina died an agonizing death after destroying New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast, another potential deadly storm -- Ophelia -- is threatening Florida's Atlantic coast. Tropical storm warnings were posted along a 100-mile stretch from Sebastian Inlet to Flagler Beach on Wednesday. Where it hits land appears to be anyone's guess, but Lixion Avila of the National Hurricane Centre in Miami has been quoted as saying: "Anything is possible."
SHAKING IN INDONESIA: There was a report out on Banda Aceh, Indonesia Wednesday of an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale with the epicenter located in the Nicobar island area. In late December, a giant earthquake rocked Banda Aceh, with a resulting tsunami killing hundreds of thousands.
FINALLY: There may be another volcano in the making in the Cascade Range. According to an AP story out of Bend, Oregon, a recent survey shows a bulge covering about 100 square miles south of one of state's active volcanoes, South Sister. There are three other active volcanoes in that area -- Mount Hood, Crater Lake and Newberry.
Snippets of hope from the Storm
WITH NEW ORLEANS Mayor Ray Nagin saying that 10,000 may have died from Hurricane Katrina's wrath in the Crescent City, there have been snippets of hope throughout one of North America's greatest tragedies.
E-mails and text-messages have uncovered stories certainly not seen on television.
This one comes from the Mobile, Alabama Register's missing persons' forum and reads with the overline: WE FOUND THEM!
Hey, we found Sheila Loden, Mary-Jean and Frank Dean, and Boyd and Sammy Albritton! They are alive and well. Phone lines are down in the area. They said that's the only reason they did not call. So other families please be patient as hard as it may be. Most people in the Popularville area are fine. Just have no way to make contact. Thank you, Red Cross. Most people left in a hurry and don't even have family contact numbers with them. Do not be alarmed! Keep praying!
SHELTER FROM THE STORM: One of those with a sense of hope in this terrible storm has been Franklin Graham, who has challenged Christians to open the doors of churches to the victims of Katrina. "There needs to be a challenge now to our churches, I know individual churches have done this. But this needs to be organized by the denominations themselves, where there would be a collective effort all across the Southeast of all denominations to take in families ... I think the churches of America can step up to the plate. If every church in the Southeast took in 10 families, this would put a big dent in this problem." Already, certain denominations are helping churches arrange shelter for displaced families such as Southern Baptist Convention -- North American Mission Board, Louisiana District Council of the Assemblies of God, Baptist Missionary Association of America, Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod, Presbyterian Church in America and Presbyterian Church (USA).
RED CROSS MOBILIZATION: With the American Red Cross launching its largest ever mobilization of resources for a single disaster, Don Shropshire of the Canadian counterpart said: "We have offered our colleagues in the United States our full support for this disaster. At present the American Red Cross has requested that the Canadian Red Cross send highly-trained disaster response volunteers and we are currently preparing our team to travel to the U.S. Then he added: "The Canadian Red Cross has received hundreds of calls from Canadians wanting to help the people impacted by this disaster and will accept funds designated for Hurricane Katrina." Already, 25 Disaster Services volunteers that will head for Houston include: Todd Weiss, Bridget Brown, Brenda McCarrell, Karen Charles, Ruth Brumwell, Mae Beauvais, Robin Bondy, Ted Giannini, Robert McLay, Suzanne Mariage, Bonnie Kearns, Peter Kearns, Pamela Whitnall, Heidi Gorham, Charles Newman, Oneil Ouellet, Deborah Stewart, David Arsenault, Mary Lou Leroy, Rylee Madison, Don Colp, Richard Harvie, Kent Leigh, Sandra Miller and Sandy Reynolds. These volunteers will help in managing 270 shelters and delivering some 500,000 hot meals daily.
A STORY OF SURVIVAL: In checking out the Mobile Register came this story by staff reporter Roy Hoffman. It read in part: "With sodden mattresses piled in the yard, and a tiny Buddha in the window, the Ngan family lingered on the steps of their Bayou La Batre home, telling of the day that nearly washed away their lives, and of a neighbor who appeared as if divinely summoned. "I was scared, so scared, and crying," said Chandara, the mother, of the rising waters of Katrina. As she spoke in halting English, the smaller of her seven children, ages 19 to 9, smiled and giggled. "We thought," said oldest son Sopheap, 19, helping his mother out, "it could have been the end." When Katrina roared in last Monday, Ralph Harbison, a carpenter who serves in the Bayou La Batre volunteer fire department, who lived next door, helped in their rescue.
IT WAS A STRUGGLE: One newspaper, the New Orleans Times-Picayune became a headline story. About 240 employees and some members of their families, including one 6-month-old baby, huddled in darkened corridors of the newspaper building, about a mile from the Superdome. In a New York Times article, reporter Lisa Guernsey related that the paper, with a normal circulation of 270,000 daily, had to report its biggest story in its history with "no electricity, no phone access and no place to work." They improvised by utilizing its affiliated website, www.nola.com ... Other newspapers also struggled with the Mississippi Press of Pascagoula being helped out by the Mobile Register and the Columbia, Georgia Ledger-Enquirer looking after the Gulfport, Miss. Sun Herald.
YOU CERTAINLY CAN HELP: There are some phone numbers and websites where those in the North Okanagan can help Katrina victims: Check out the Red Cross office, 2809 44th Ave. in Vernon (1-800-448-1111) or on the Web at www.redcross.ca ... Then there's the Salvation Army, 3303 32nd Ave., Vernon (1-800-725-2769) ... www.salvationarmy.ca.
ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FRONT: With head coach Troy Mick staying at home with a cold, the Vernon Vipers went on to the road to Penticton Friday night and were leading 6-2 over the Vees when referee Sadd Al-Jadir called the contest with 14 minutes remaining as the BCHL exhibition contest turned into a donnybrook. On Saturday night, the two sides were much more subdued at the Multiplex with the Vipers claiming a 5-2 win over the Vees in the final exhibition test. The Vipers open their regular season schedule on Friday night against the Williams Lake Timberwolves.
E-mails and text-messages have uncovered stories certainly not seen on television.
This one comes from the Mobile, Alabama Register's missing persons' forum and reads with the overline: WE FOUND THEM!
Hey, we found Sheila Loden, Mary-Jean and Frank Dean, and Boyd and Sammy Albritton! They are alive and well. Phone lines are down in the area. They said that's the only reason they did not call. So other families please be patient as hard as it may be. Most people in the Popularville area are fine. Just have no way to make contact. Thank you, Red Cross. Most people left in a hurry and don't even have family contact numbers with them. Do not be alarmed! Keep praying!
SHELTER FROM THE STORM: One of those with a sense of hope in this terrible storm has been Franklin Graham, who has challenged Christians to open the doors of churches to the victims of Katrina. "There needs to be a challenge now to our churches, I know individual churches have done this. But this needs to be organized by the denominations themselves, where there would be a collective effort all across the Southeast of all denominations to take in families ... I think the churches of America can step up to the plate. If every church in the Southeast took in 10 families, this would put a big dent in this problem." Already, certain denominations are helping churches arrange shelter for displaced families such as Southern Baptist Convention -- North American Mission Board, Louisiana District Council of the Assemblies of God, Baptist Missionary Association of America, Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod, Presbyterian Church in America and Presbyterian Church (USA).
RED CROSS MOBILIZATION: With the American Red Cross launching its largest ever mobilization of resources for a single disaster, Don Shropshire of the Canadian counterpart said: "We have offered our colleagues in the United States our full support for this disaster. At present the American Red Cross has requested that the Canadian Red Cross send highly-trained disaster response volunteers and we are currently preparing our team to travel to the U.S. Then he added: "The Canadian Red Cross has received hundreds of calls from Canadians wanting to help the people impacted by this disaster and will accept funds designated for Hurricane Katrina." Already, 25 Disaster Services volunteers that will head for Houston include: Todd Weiss, Bridget Brown, Brenda McCarrell, Karen Charles, Ruth Brumwell, Mae Beauvais, Robin Bondy, Ted Giannini, Robert McLay, Suzanne Mariage, Bonnie Kearns, Peter Kearns, Pamela Whitnall, Heidi Gorham, Charles Newman, Oneil Ouellet, Deborah Stewart, David Arsenault, Mary Lou Leroy, Rylee Madison, Don Colp, Richard Harvie, Kent Leigh, Sandra Miller and Sandy Reynolds. These volunteers will help in managing 270 shelters and delivering some 500,000 hot meals daily.
A STORY OF SURVIVAL: In checking out the Mobile Register came this story by staff reporter Roy Hoffman. It read in part: "With sodden mattresses piled in the yard, and a tiny Buddha in the window, the Ngan family lingered on the steps of their Bayou La Batre home, telling of the day that nearly washed away their lives, and of a neighbor who appeared as if divinely summoned. "I was scared, so scared, and crying," said Chandara, the mother, of the rising waters of Katrina. As she spoke in halting English, the smaller of her seven children, ages 19 to 9, smiled and giggled. "We thought," said oldest son Sopheap, 19, helping his mother out, "it could have been the end." When Katrina roared in last Monday, Ralph Harbison, a carpenter who serves in the Bayou La Batre volunteer fire department, who lived next door, helped in their rescue.
IT WAS A STRUGGLE: One newspaper, the New Orleans Times-Picayune became a headline story. About 240 employees and some members of their families, including one 6-month-old baby, huddled in darkened corridors of the newspaper building, about a mile from the Superdome. In a New York Times article, reporter Lisa Guernsey related that the paper, with a normal circulation of 270,000 daily, had to report its biggest story in its history with "no electricity, no phone access and no place to work." They improvised by utilizing its affiliated website, www.nola.com ... Other newspapers also struggled with the Mississippi Press of Pascagoula being helped out by the Mobile Register and the Columbia, Georgia Ledger-Enquirer looking after the Gulfport, Miss. Sun Herald.
YOU CERTAINLY CAN HELP: There are some phone numbers and websites where those in the North Okanagan can help Katrina victims: Check out the Red Cross office, 2809 44th Ave. in Vernon (1-800-448-1111) or on the Web at www.redcross.ca ... Then there's the Salvation Army, 3303 32nd Ave., Vernon (1-800-725-2769) ... www.salvationarmy.ca.
ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FRONT: With head coach Troy Mick staying at home with a cold, the Vernon Vipers went on to the road to Penticton Friday night and were leading 6-2 over the Vees when referee Sadd Al-Jadir called the contest with 14 minutes remaining as the BCHL exhibition contest turned into a donnybrook. On Saturday night, the two sides were much more subdued at the Multiplex with the Vipers claiming a 5-2 win over the Vees in the final exhibition test. The Vipers open their regular season schedule on Friday night against the Williams Lake Timberwolves.
Drowning in water and tears II
KATRINA NOTEBOOK: With the lawless Crescent City -- New Orleans -- and the U.S. Gulf Coast drowning in water and tears and, the not-so-remote possibility of wide-spread martial law being declared to protect the American fuel interests, the world now appears nervous about its future.
Between outright terror, in such places as London and Madrid and the shocking memories of 9/11 in New York City and Washington, D.C., could there be more disasters, either natural, such as America's Tsunami, or man-made tragedies in the near future?
As the former Middle East Bureau chief for a major news-gathering organization, based in Jerusalem, I have seen close up the terror that can paralyze that part of the globe. It was, and still is, the type of fear that grips the heart and soul of any human being.
As to the most recent U.S. catastrophe, on August 23, it began as a tropical storm warning for central and northwestern Bahamas. It was strange since tropical storms usually originate off the western coast of Africa and take about two weeks to strike the Bahamas or the U.S. coastline.
On August 24 -- a Wednesday -- the newly formed tropical depression had been upgraded to a tropical storm, named Katrina, and by Thursday, at 5 p.m, Katrina had become a hurricane. This tropical depression 11 had developed and hit southeast Florida in a period of only 72 hours.
Sweeping through the Gulf, the monstrous Katrina sideswiped the Big Easy and plunged into other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and then headed north to die a slow death in upper New York state and Ontario.
However, New Orleans was still vulnerable and then the levees broke, pouring water from Lake Pontchartrain into the now-Third World city, filled with fires and gangs. It has become a hell on earth.
The U.S. has had its share of hurricanes and tragedies in the past.
On August 23, 1992, Andrew slammed Florida, leaving 180,000 homeless and causing an estimated $30 billion in damages. However, there has never been a storm such as Katrina with more than a million "refugees" from Louisiana and Mississippi expected to be housed in temporary camps.
MUSIC LEGEND MISSING: One of the great rock-and-roll stars, Fats Domino, appears to be one of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Now, in his late 70s, Fats has been reported missing. With 65 million record sales to his credit, he outsold every 1950s rocker except Elvis Presley. He exploded on the music scene with "Ain't That A Shame." Domino, a man from the Big Easy, took his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
JUST WORDS (From Fox News): Danut Afasei, who claimed flooding had killed 13 people recently in his country of Romania, said: "Nature proved that no matter how rich and economically developed you are, you can't fight it." ... Britain's Queen Elizabeth II said she was "deeply shocked and saddened." However, Islamic extremists sneered by stating on the Net that "Private Katrina had joined the global jihad, or holy war. With "God's help," they declared, oil prices would hit $100 a barrel this year."
SAINTS GOING ELSEWHERE: With the Superdome in a sad state of disrepair, filled with stench and angst, is most certainly not going to be the home of the National Football League Saints this coming season. NFL boss Paul Tagliabue said the club will head to San Antonio, Texas for some rest in a hotel and then practice before taking off for Carolina for their regular-season opener against the Panthers on Sept. 11.
Between outright terror, in such places as London and Madrid and the shocking memories of 9/11 in New York City and Washington, D.C., could there be more disasters, either natural, such as America's Tsunami, or man-made tragedies in the near future?
As the former Middle East Bureau chief for a major news-gathering organization, based in Jerusalem, I have seen close up the terror that can paralyze that part of the globe. It was, and still is, the type of fear that grips the heart and soul of any human being.
As to the most recent U.S. catastrophe, on August 23, it began as a tropical storm warning for central and northwestern Bahamas. It was strange since tropical storms usually originate off the western coast of Africa and take about two weeks to strike the Bahamas or the U.S. coastline.
On August 24 -- a Wednesday -- the newly formed tropical depression had been upgraded to a tropical storm, named Katrina, and by Thursday, at 5 p.m, Katrina had become a hurricane. This tropical depression 11 had developed and hit southeast Florida in a period of only 72 hours.
Sweeping through the Gulf, the monstrous Katrina sideswiped the Big Easy and plunged into other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and then headed north to die a slow death in upper New York state and Ontario.
However, New Orleans was still vulnerable and then the levees broke, pouring water from Lake Pontchartrain into the now-Third World city, filled with fires and gangs. It has become a hell on earth.
The U.S. has had its share of hurricanes and tragedies in the past.
On August 23, 1992, Andrew slammed Florida, leaving 180,000 homeless and causing an estimated $30 billion in damages. However, there has never been a storm such as Katrina with more than a million "refugees" from Louisiana and Mississippi expected to be housed in temporary camps.
MUSIC LEGEND MISSING: One of the great rock-and-roll stars, Fats Domino, appears to be one of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Now, in his late 70s, Fats has been reported missing. With 65 million record sales to his credit, he outsold every 1950s rocker except Elvis Presley. He exploded on the music scene with "Ain't That A Shame." Domino, a man from the Big Easy, took his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
JUST WORDS (From Fox News): Danut Afasei, who claimed flooding had killed 13 people recently in his country of Romania, said: "Nature proved that no matter how rich and economically developed you are, you can't fight it." ... Britain's Queen Elizabeth II said she was "deeply shocked and saddened." However, Islamic extremists sneered by stating on the Net that "Private Katrina had joined the global jihad, or holy war. With "God's help," they declared, oil prices would hit $100 a barrel this year."
SAINTS GOING ELSEWHERE: With the Superdome in a sad state of disrepair, filled with stench and angst, is most certainly not going to be the home of the National Football League Saints this coming season. NFL boss Paul Tagliabue said the club will head to San Antonio, Texas for some rest in a hotel and then practice before taking off for Carolina for their regular-season opener against the Panthers on Sept. 11.
Drowning in water and tears
WITH THE Crescent City -- New Orleans -- and the U.S. Gulf Coast drowning in water and tears and, the not-so-remote possibility of martial law being declared to protect the American fuel resources, the world now is extremely tentative concerning the future.
Between outright terror, in such places as London and Madrid and the shocking memories of 9/11 in New York City and Washington, D.C., could there be more disasters, either natural, such as America's Tsunami, or man-made tragedies in the near future?
As the former Middle East Bureau chief for a major news-gathering organization, based in Jerusalem, I have seen close up the terror that can paralyze that part of the globe. It was, and still is, the type of fear that grips the heart and soul of any human being.
Veteran Washington newsman Bill Koenig has outlined a Biblical connection between the disengagement process which affected thousands of Israeli settlers in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and Hurricane Katrina.
As he related, on Monday, August 22, the last Jewish settlement in Gaza was evacuated -- wrapping up Israel's historic pullout from the coastal strip after settlers held a farewell march behind Torah scrolls and a massive menora, then boarded armored buses and left.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke by phone and expressed their commitmnt to peace -- the first conversation between the two since the pullout started. The leaders spoke for about five minutes, with Abbas telling Sharon, "We are your partners for peace."
The next day, August 23, the day after the Gaza excauation, the government of the Bahamas issued a tropical storm warning for central and northwestern Bahamas. (Putting this storm into perspective, many of the tropical storms begin off the western coact of Africa and typically take 10 days to two weeks before affecting the Bahamas, the Caribbean and/or the U.S. coastline. Not Katrina.)
By Wednesday, August 24 at 11 a.m., the newly formed tropical depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina; and by Thursday, August 25 at 5 p.m., Katrina became a hurricane. In a period of only 72 hours, tropical depression 11 developed and hit southeast Florida (the only area untouched by the past six hurricanes) as a hurricane.
Then Katrina swung towards the Gulf, forcing oil workers to evacuate rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, stopping the production of 600,000 barrels of oil a day and closing seven oil refineries and a major oil import terminal. Then it side swiped the Big East and ripped the heart out of the Gulf Coast.
New Orleans appeared to be saved. However, the levees broke and water poured into the streets, sometimes as high 20 feet or more in height. The fires, the agonizing deaths made it hell on earth. And it continues even today -- another Black Friday.
However, what is the connection between the displacement of Israel settlers, who believed they had a right, in fact, a God-given right -- to the Land, including Gaza and the West Bank, and not their bitter enemies -- the Palestinians?
Koenig, in his book, 'Eye to Eye -- Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel' believes there at less eight major 'Acts of God' that coincides with the timing of U.S. pressure on Israel to give the Land (Israel).
Here are those eight, in Koenig's words:
October 30, 1991 -- President George Bush opens the Madrid Conference with an initiative for a Middle East peace plan involving Israel's land. On the same day, an extremely rare storm forms off the coast of Nova Scotia. It was tagged, "The Perfect Storm" and became a book and later a movie. There were 100-foot waves and pounded the New England coast, causing heavy damage to President Bush's home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
August 23, 1992 -- The Madrid Conference moves to Washington, D.C. and the peace talks resume, last four days. On that same day, Hurricane Andrew -- then the worst natural disaster ever to hit America produces an estimate $30 billion in damage and leaves 180,000 homeless in Florida.
January 16, 1994 -- President Clinton meets with Syria's President Hafez el-Assas in Geneva. They talk about a peace agreement with Israel that includes giving up the Golan Heights. Less than 24 hours later, the powerful Northridge earthquake rocked southern California. It was the second most most destructive natural disaster to hit the U.S. behind Hurricane Andrew.
March 1 to April 1997 -- The combination of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat touring America; Clinton rebuking Israel for not giving away her land for peace; and pro-abortion activity coincide with some of the worst tornadoes and flooding in U.S. history. On the very day Arafat lands in America, powerful tornadoes devastate huge sections of the nation, ripping across Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee. Arafat's American tour also coincides with the storms in the Dakotas, which result in the worst flooding of this century, in addition to weeks of major storms throughout the Midwest. Arafat finishes his tour and leaves the U.S. and the storms stop.
January 21, 1998 -- Netanyahu meets with President Clinton at the White House and is coldly received. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright refuse to have lunch with him. Shortly afterwards that day, the Monica Lewinsky scandal breaks into the mass media and begins to occupy a major portion of Clinton's time.
September 27-28, 1998 -- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright works on the final details of an agreement in which Israel will give up 13 percent of the West Bank. The same day Hurricane Georges slams into the Gulf Coast with 110 m.p.h winds and gusts up to 175. The hurricane hits the coast and stalls. On September 28, Clinton meets with Arafat and Netanyahu at the White House to finalize the land deal. Later, Arafat addresses the United Nations about declaring an independent Palestinian state by May 1999, while Hurricane Georges pounds the Gulf Coast causing $1 billion in damage. At the exact time Arafat departs the U.S. the storm begins to dissipate.
October 15-22, 1998 -- On October 15, 1998, Yasser Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland, to continue the talks, which ended on September 28. The talks are scheduled to last five days with the focus on Israel giving up 13 percent of the West Bank. The talks are extended and conclude on October 23. On October 17, awesome rains and tornadoes hit southern Texas. The San Antonio area is deluged with 20 inches of rain in one day. The rains and floods in Texas continue until October 22 and then subside. The floods ravage 25 percent of Texas and leave over one billion dollars in damage. On October 21, Clinton declares this section of Texas a major disaster area.
May 3, 1999 -- This is the same day in Israel that Yasser Arafat is scheduled to declare a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. The declaration is postponed to December 1999 at the request of President Clinton, whose letter to Arafat encourages him for his "aspirations for his own land." He also writes that the Palestinians have a right to "determine their own future on their own land, " and that they deserve to "live free, today, tomorrow and forever." That same day, starting at 4:47 p.m. CDT, the most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the United States sweeps across Oklahoma and Kansas. The winds are clocked at 316 mph. the fastest wind speed ever recorded.
These are a few examples of the many "Act of God" events that coincide with the timing of America's pressure on Israel to give up her land for peace. The Land that God gave to Israel as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is documented by covenant in The Holy Bible, according to Koenig.
Then fast forward to late August, 2005 and the destruction of New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast.
When Gaza was placed under a state of emergency, some 8,000 residents were evacuated, now New Orleans has been given a mandatory evacuation of 500,000 people. And while many Israeli Jews from Gaza were put in temporary refugees camps and tent cities, upwards of a million "refugees" from Louisiana and Mississppi will be housed in temporary camps.
It seems that the U.S. and Israel are joined together by some measure of tragedy.
Between outright terror, in such places as London and Madrid and the shocking memories of 9/11 in New York City and Washington, D.C., could there be more disasters, either natural, such as America's Tsunami, or man-made tragedies in the near future?
As the former Middle East Bureau chief for a major news-gathering organization, based in Jerusalem, I have seen close up the terror that can paralyze that part of the globe. It was, and still is, the type of fear that grips the heart and soul of any human being.
Veteran Washington newsman Bill Koenig has outlined a Biblical connection between the disengagement process which affected thousands of Israeli settlers in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and Hurricane Katrina.
As he related, on Monday, August 22, the last Jewish settlement in Gaza was evacuated -- wrapping up Israel's historic pullout from the coastal strip after settlers held a farewell march behind Torah scrolls and a massive menora, then boarded armored buses and left.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke by phone and expressed their commitmnt to peace -- the first conversation between the two since the pullout started. The leaders spoke for about five minutes, with Abbas telling Sharon, "We are your partners for peace."
The next day, August 23, the day after the Gaza excauation, the government of the Bahamas issued a tropical storm warning for central and northwestern Bahamas. (Putting this storm into perspective, many of the tropical storms begin off the western coact of Africa and typically take 10 days to two weeks before affecting the Bahamas, the Caribbean and/or the U.S. coastline. Not Katrina.)
By Wednesday, August 24 at 11 a.m., the newly formed tropical depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina; and by Thursday, August 25 at 5 p.m., Katrina became a hurricane. In a period of only 72 hours, tropical depression 11 developed and hit southeast Florida (the only area untouched by the past six hurricanes) as a hurricane.
Then Katrina swung towards the Gulf, forcing oil workers to evacuate rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, stopping the production of 600,000 barrels of oil a day and closing seven oil refineries and a major oil import terminal. Then it side swiped the Big East and ripped the heart out of the Gulf Coast.
New Orleans appeared to be saved. However, the levees broke and water poured into the streets, sometimes as high 20 feet or more in height. The fires, the agonizing deaths made it hell on earth. And it continues even today -- another Black Friday.
However, what is the connection between the displacement of Israel settlers, who believed they had a right, in fact, a God-given right -- to the Land, including Gaza and the West Bank, and not their bitter enemies -- the Palestinians?
Koenig, in his book, 'Eye to Eye -- Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel' believes there at less eight major 'Acts of God' that coincides with the timing of U.S. pressure on Israel to give the Land (Israel).
Here are those eight, in Koenig's words:
October 30, 1991 -- President George Bush opens the Madrid Conference with an initiative for a Middle East peace plan involving Israel's land. On the same day, an extremely rare storm forms off the coast of Nova Scotia. It was tagged, "The Perfect Storm" and became a book and later a movie. There were 100-foot waves and pounded the New England coast, causing heavy damage to President Bush's home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
August 23, 1992 -- The Madrid Conference moves to Washington, D.C. and the peace talks resume, last four days. On that same day, Hurricane Andrew -- then the worst natural disaster ever to hit America produces an estimate $30 billion in damage and leaves 180,000 homeless in Florida.
January 16, 1994 -- President Clinton meets with Syria's President Hafez el-Assas in Geneva. They talk about a peace agreement with Israel that includes giving up the Golan Heights. Less than 24 hours later, the powerful Northridge earthquake rocked southern California. It was the second most most destructive natural disaster to hit the U.S. behind Hurricane Andrew.
March 1 to April 1997 -- The combination of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat touring America; Clinton rebuking Israel for not giving away her land for peace; and pro-abortion activity coincide with some of the worst tornadoes and flooding in U.S. history. On the very day Arafat lands in America, powerful tornadoes devastate huge sections of the nation, ripping across Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee. Arafat's American tour also coincides with the storms in the Dakotas, which result in the worst flooding of this century, in addition to weeks of major storms throughout the Midwest. Arafat finishes his tour and leaves the U.S. and the storms stop.
January 21, 1998 -- Netanyahu meets with President Clinton at the White House and is coldly received. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright refuse to have lunch with him. Shortly afterwards that day, the Monica Lewinsky scandal breaks into the mass media and begins to occupy a major portion of Clinton's time.
September 27-28, 1998 -- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright works on the final details of an agreement in which Israel will give up 13 percent of the West Bank. The same day Hurricane Georges slams into the Gulf Coast with 110 m.p.h winds and gusts up to 175. The hurricane hits the coast and stalls. On September 28, Clinton meets with Arafat and Netanyahu at the White House to finalize the land deal. Later, Arafat addresses the United Nations about declaring an independent Palestinian state by May 1999, while Hurricane Georges pounds the Gulf Coast causing $1 billion in damage. At the exact time Arafat departs the U.S. the storm begins to dissipate.
October 15-22, 1998 -- On October 15, 1998, Yasser Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland, to continue the talks, which ended on September 28. The talks are scheduled to last five days with the focus on Israel giving up 13 percent of the West Bank. The talks are extended and conclude on October 23. On October 17, awesome rains and tornadoes hit southern Texas. The San Antonio area is deluged with 20 inches of rain in one day. The rains and floods in Texas continue until October 22 and then subside. The floods ravage 25 percent of Texas and leave over one billion dollars in damage. On October 21, Clinton declares this section of Texas a major disaster area.
May 3, 1999 -- This is the same day in Israel that Yasser Arafat is scheduled to declare a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. The declaration is postponed to December 1999 at the request of President Clinton, whose letter to Arafat encourages him for his "aspirations for his own land." He also writes that the Palestinians have a right to "determine their own future on their own land, " and that they deserve to "live free, today, tomorrow and forever." That same day, starting at 4:47 p.m. CDT, the most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the United States sweeps across Oklahoma and Kansas. The winds are clocked at 316 mph. the fastest wind speed ever recorded.
These are a few examples of the many "Act of God" events that coincide with the timing of America's pressure on Israel to give up her land for peace. The Land that God gave to Israel as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is documented by covenant in The Holy Bible, according to Koenig.
Then fast forward to late August, 2005 and the destruction of New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast.
When Gaza was placed under a state of emergency, some 8,000 residents were evacuated, now New Orleans has been given a mandatory evacuation of 500,000 people. And while many Israeli Jews from Gaza were put in temporary refugees camps and tent cities, upwards of a million "refugees" from Louisiana and Mississppi will be housed in temporary camps.
It seems that the U.S. and Israel are joined together by some measure of tragedy.
Vipers' owner really cares
DUNCAN WRAY is one owner who really cares.
Of course, it always helps when the turnstiles issues a healthy profit, but this personable man wants to see his Vernon Vipers succeed, not only on the ice, but in the schooling department.
That's readin' and writin' and whatever educational advantages he can give his boys that are recruited on a regular basis by a scouting staff that beats the 'bushes.'
"I'm very passionate about this league (the British Columbia Hockey League) and this level of hockey," he told me midway through the first exhibition game against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks at the modern and comfortable Multiplex.
"My objective in getting involved was seeing kids move to the next level -- which in our case is the big carrot at the end of the stick -- scholarship to college."
Dr. Wray, who when out of the arena, has a bundle of degrees behind his name, and specializes in oral and maxillofacial surgery in Vernon, meaning he extracts teeth, deals with jaw cysts and things like tumors (ouch, ouch), practises what he preaches. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for an education. If we can help kids get an education through their ability to play hockey, more power to them."
The Good Doctor is not a hands-off owner, he's definitely one who steps out and makes certain would-be Vipers get the full treatment.
And what's that, Doc?
"As far as recruiting is concern. they will come here, I don't necessarily go to them ... but for someone that's considered a good prospect we might invite them here for a weekend sometimes in either the spring or the summer. I will meet them and sell them our program."
So what is the program he's selling?
"It's the facility (the Multiplex) and also the track record we have in getting scholarships. We probably have 70 scholarships in eight or nine years, total ride scholarships to U.S. schools." Those NCAA Division One schools include North Dakota and Boston University.
He was quick to point out the differences between the BCHL Junior A level, which encompasses 17 teams, and the Major Junior Western League (which includes teams such as Kelowna Rockets and the Kamloops Blazers). "I think more mistakes are made at this level and that tends to lead to scoring opportunities ... leading to goals. I'm not saying that in a negative way in the terms of mistakes. Like any kid they are finding their way and learning the ropes. We give them the opportunity to be a little more creative."
With head coach and general manager Troy Mick, with his run-and-gun style of hockey, Dr. Wray sees a difference between this year's edition of the Vipers than last season.
"It's a little too early to tell right now, but certainly last year and the last few years, it has been a very defensive-minded team. I think our coach (Mike Vandekamp) at the time was happier to win a game 1-0 than he was to win 6-1 and that was his style. He liked the defensive style. With Troy (Mick) it's going to be more of an offensive-minded team and we'll win a lot of games with high scores."
The Doc discussed the hiring of Mick this way.
"This is our present coach's second run here with me ... he had left to go to the Western League. He had a few health issues there and had to step down. He was living back here after that, and when the opportunity came to re-hire him, I jumped (at the chance)."
For Dr. Wray, this is his 14th season as owner/He has lived in Vernon for almost 20 years.
"I was doing some work for the team prior to buying it," he told me. "I would do some of the facial injuries that they would run into during the course of the game ... and at the time the owner (Mel Lis) was looking to get out. At one time, he requested a leave of absence from the league. The league turned him down. He was getting a little tired of running it. He had been running it for five or six years.
"So I sort of approached him and said I would be interested in investing in it, figuring I'd be a part-owner with him or something, but it turned out he wanted to divest himself of the whole team, so here I am."
As for his aspirations for the Vipers, he said: "My hope every year is that we win the whole thing. That's the objective every year. I don't go into a season to have a so-so record, I go in to win."
And he's here for the long term.
"You couldn't drag me out of here with a team of Clydesdales right now."
THAT'S ICE: The second annual Ice Breaker night will be held Thursday, Sept. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. It's for season ticket holders and corporate sponsors ... The next night, Friday, Sept. 9, at 7, the Vipers open their season against the Williams Lake Timberwolves ... Since I have a schedule in front of me, here are the other teams in the BCHL besides the Vipers -- Williams Lake, Prince George Spruce Kings, Merritt Centennials, Cowichan Valley Capitals, Salmon Arm Silverbacks, Burnaby Express, Trail Smoke Eaters, Penticton Vees, Powell River Kings, Quesnel Millionaires, South Surrey Eagles, Alberni Valley Bulldogs, Chilliwack Chiefs, Victoria Salsa, Langley Hornets, Nanaimo Clippers. Whew!
Of course, it always helps when the turnstiles issues a healthy profit, but this personable man wants to see his Vernon Vipers succeed, not only on the ice, but in the schooling department.
That's readin' and writin' and whatever educational advantages he can give his boys that are recruited on a regular basis by a scouting staff that beats the 'bushes.'
"I'm very passionate about this league (the British Columbia Hockey League) and this level of hockey," he told me midway through the first exhibition game against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks at the modern and comfortable Multiplex.
"My objective in getting involved was seeing kids move to the next level -- which in our case is the big carrot at the end of the stick -- scholarship to college."
Dr. Wray, who when out of the arena, has a bundle of degrees behind his name, and specializes in oral and maxillofacial surgery in Vernon, meaning he extracts teeth, deals with jaw cysts and things like tumors (ouch, ouch), practises what he preaches. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for an education. If we can help kids get an education through their ability to play hockey, more power to them."
The Good Doctor is not a hands-off owner, he's definitely one who steps out and makes certain would-be Vipers get the full treatment.
And what's that, Doc?
"As far as recruiting is concern. they will come here, I don't necessarily go to them ... but for someone that's considered a good prospect we might invite them here for a weekend sometimes in either the spring or the summer. I will meet them and sell them our program."
So what is the program he's selling?
"It's the facility (the Multiplex) and also the track record we have in getting scholarships. We probably have 70 scholarships in eight or nine years, total ride scholarships to U.S. schools." Those NCAA Division One schools include North Dakota and Boston University.
He was quick to point out the differences between the BCHL Junior A level, which encompasses 17 teams, and the Major Junior Western League (which includes teams such as Kelowna Rockets and the Kamloops Blazers). "I think more mistakes are made at this level and that tends to lead to scoring opportunities ... leading to goals. I'm not saying that in a negative way in the terms of mistakes. Like any kid they are finding their way and learning the ropes. We give them the opportunity to be a little more creative."
With head coach and general manager Troy Mick, with his run-and-gun style of hockey, Dr. Wray sees a difference between this year's edition of the Vipers than last season.
"It's a little too early to tell right now, but certainly last year and the last few years, it has been a very defensive-minded team. I think our coach (Mike Vandekamp) at the time was happier to win a game 1-0 than he was to win 6-1 and that was his style. He liked the defensive style. With Troy (Mick) it's going to be more of an offensive-minded team and we'll win a lot of games with high scores."
The Doc discussed the hiring of Mick this way.
"This is our present coach's second run here with me ... he had left to go to the Western League. He had a few health issues there and had to step down. He was living back here after that, and when the opportunity came to re-hire him, I jumped (at the chance)."
For Dr. Wray, this is his 14th season as owner/He has lived in Vernon for almost 20 years.
"I was doing some work for the team prior to buying it," he told me. "I would do some of the facial injuries that they would run into during the course of the game ... and at the time the owner (Mel Lis) was looking to get out. At one time, he requested a leave of absence from the league. The league turned him down. He was getting a little tired of running it. He had been running it for five or six years.
"So I sort of approached him and said I would be interested in investing in it, figuring I'd be a part-owner with him or something, but it turned out he wanted to divest himself of the whole team, so here I am."
As for his aspirations for the Vipers, he said: "My hope every year is that we win the whole thing. That's the objective every year. I don't go into a season to have a so-so record, I go in to win."
And he's here for the long term.
"You couldn't drag me out of here with a team of Clydesdales right now."
THAT'S ICE: The second annual Ice Breaker night will be held Thursday, Sept. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. It's for season ticket holders and corporate sponsors ... The next night, Friday, Sept. 9, at 7, the Vipers open their season against the Williams Lake Timberwolves ... Since I have a schedule in front of me, here are the other teams in the BCHL besides the Vipers -- Williams Lake, Prince George Spruce Kings, Merritt Centennials, Cowichan Valley Capitals, Salmon Arm Silverbacks, Burnaby Express, Trail Smoke Eaters, Penticton Vees, Powell River Kings, Quesnel Millionaires, South Surrey Eagles, Alberni Valley Bulldogs, Chilliwack Chiefs, Victoria Salsa, Langley Hornets, Nanaimo Clippers. Whew!
Paul Lagace still waging 'war'
IF THE Ol' Columnist ever went to war, I'd want Paul Lagace right beside me in the trenches. He's a man, who never gives up the fight, even against tremendous odds. He's also a retired sergeant with scars on his heart.
After years and years of battling the Canadian military, almost singlehandedly, he's releasing his paperback, 'Bullies in Power,' later this week and it's one as the blurb says "is written from the heart with a down-to-earth style intended to move the reader along a path of life as experienced by a family dealing with the challenges of poverty and racially-movitated abusive authorities. This book conveys a powerful message that love, hope and determination provide the tools necessary to overcome life's challenges."
During the course of nearly a decade, Lagace has told me a detailed story of his problems with a plethora of evidence. Now the general public will know of his plight.
It's also a love story, despite the paperback title.
Simply put, in 1979, the soldier, then a corporal and based in Kamloops, fell in love with a native Indian woman, named Amy. She had a small boy named Ken, and she was going through a divorce from a man named John.
Because of the legal system, Paul and Amy were prevented from legally marrying since as Lagace told a radio interviewer: "She would have lost her status and so would her son, but in the process she probably would have lost custody of her son as well because the status of the boy would have been in jeopardy and the natural father would probably have attempted to take custody of the boy."
The three, Paul, Amy and Ken, lived off base.
Then Lagace was transferred to North Bay, Ontario in 1982.
When he sought military housing, he told the base officials that he was living common law and had a dependent son.
"When I arrived there, we were placed on the list awaiting a PMQ (Private Married Quarters) and so we found it necessary to rent," he told the interviewer.
It was then Lagace had a rude awakening and what he considered outright discrimination.
During the official introduction to the base, a Roman Catholic padre, a major, opposed Amy and Paul's relationship and told him so.
"'Why don't you leave your Indian wife, send her and her son back to British Columbia, find yourself a nice Catholic girl, some of your own kind,' were his first words to me," said Lagace, who added that the major said: "You bring nothing but trouble to yourself."
It was the start of a litany of troubles for the Lagace family.
Later, the corporal was denied family medical, dental and other services, including moving allowances.
The "attitude and approaches" disturbed Lagace so much he complained to the Human Rights Commission, however, according to Lagace he had to wait for the internal redress of grievance, within the military. That grievance was never settled until December 1988 when a Federal Court told the military to change its policy concerning "common-law relationships."
In the meantime, Lagace told the radio interviewer: "They stopped all action for career advancement, including officer training plan ... they basically shut the door on it."
All because of his relationship with Amy.
In the Author House paperback (also available through amazon.ca in Canada), Lagace makes a scathing case, not only in his situation, but in other so-called questionable practices throughout the Canadian military, and he names names.
While the military might have tried to put a damper on Lagace's career, he gained a Bachelor's Degree from the Open University of British Columbia and in 1990 he was awarded the Governor General's Silver Medal for Academic Excellence.
After retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994, he became an addictions counselor and now is a client services coordinator with the AIDS Society of Kamloops.
When Paul and Amy visited my home, I could see the love and devotion they had for each other.
Sadly, Margaret Amy-Louise Walkem died on March 25, 2002.
However, Paul Lagace remembers her with these words in the paperback's dedication page: "My darling Amy, I have often envied your patience and tolerance as we walked our challenging path. Your quiet demeanour calmed many of those outside storms that accompanied me from work. My most wishful dreams of a soul mate could never compare to the enchanting reality of your gaze."
THAT'S ICE: Since I have been glued to Hurricane Katrina coverage on TV, I missed the Vipers' Blue-White inter-team game at the Multiplex on Sunday night. Play-by-play broadcaster Todd Miller filled me in with a report: Andrew Coburn and Wade Davison scored two goals each as the White side grabbed a 6-3 win over the Blues before 586 fans. Aaron Volpatti and Troy Cherwinski also contributed to the cause. Chay Genoway, David Arduin and Chris Cowell were the Blue goal-getters. Tonight, the Vipers open their exhibition season, at home, against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
IT'S MILLER TIME: The smooth-talking broadcaster had this to say about his job with the BCHL club: "Dr. (Duncan) Wray and the Vipers have given me a great opportunity here in a great city and, you know what, I love every moment working for this hockey club and the people I work with."
After years and years of battling the Canadian military, almost singlehandedly, he's releasing his paperback, 'Bullies in Power,' later this week and it's one as the blurb says "is written from the heart with a down-to-earth style intended to move the reader along a path of life as experienced by a family dealing with the challenges of poverty and racially-movitated abusive authorities. This book conveys a powerful message that love, hope and determination provide the tools necessary to overcome life's challenges."
During the course of nearly a decade, Lagace has told me a detailed story of his problems with a plethora of evidence. Now the general public will know of his plight.
It's also a love story, despite the paperback title.
Simply put, in 1979, the soldier, then a corporal and based in Kamloops, fell in love with a native Indian woman, named Amy. She had a small boy named Ken, and she was going through a divorce from a man named John.
Because of the legal system, Paul and Amy were prevented from legally marrying since as Lagace told a radio interviewer: "She would have lost her status and so would her son, but in the process she probably would have lost custody of her son as well because the status of the boy would have been in jeopardy and the natural father would probably have attempted to take custody of the boy."
The three, Paul, Amy and Ken, lived off base.
Then Lagace was transferred to North Bay, Ontario in 1982.
When he sought military housing, he told the base officials that he was living common law and had a dependent son.
"When I arrived there, we were placed on the list awaiting a PMQ (Private Married Quarters) and so we found it necessary to rent," he told the interviewer.
It was then Lagace had a rude awakening and what he considered outright discrimination.
During the official introduction to the base, a Roman Catholic padre, a major, opposed Amy and Paul's relationship and told him so.
"'Why don't you leave your Indian wife, send her and her son back to British Columbia, find yourself a nice Catholic girl, some of your own kind,' were his first words to me," said Lagace, who added that the major said: "You bring nothing but trouble to yourself."
It was the start of a litany of troubles for the Lagace family.
Later, the corporal was denied family medical, dental and other services, including moving allowances.
The "attitude and approaches" disturbed Lagace so much he complained to the Human Rights Commission, however, according to Lagace he had to wait for the internal redress of grievance, within the military. That grievance was never settled until December 1988 when a Federal Court told the military to change its policy concerning "common-law relationships."
In the meantime, Lagace told the radio interviewer: "They stopped all action for career advancement, including officer training plan ... they basically shut the door on it."
All because of his relationship with Amy.
In the Author House paperback (also available through amazon.ca in Canada), Lagace makes a scathing case, not only in his situation, but in other so-called questionable practices throughout the Canadian military, and he names names.
While the military might have tried to put a damper on Lagace's career, he gained a Bachelor's Degree from the Open University of British Columbia and in 1990 he was awarded the Governor General's Silver Medal for Academic Excellence.
After retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994, he became an addictions counselor and now is a client services coordinator with the AIDS Society of Kamloops.
When Paul and Amy visited my home, I could see the love and devotion they had for each other.
Sadly, Margaret Amy-Louise Walkem died on March 25, 2002.
However, Paul Lagace remembers her with these words in the paperback's dedication page: "My darling Amy, I have often envied your patience and tolerance as we walked our challenging path. Your quiet demeanour calmed many of those outside storms that accompanied me from work. My most wishful dreams of a soul mate could never compare to the enchanting reality of your gaze."
THAT'S ICE: Since I have been glued to Hurricane Katrina coverage on TV, I missed the Vipers' Blue-White inter-team game at the Multiplex on Sunday night. Play-by-play broadcaster Todd Miller filled me in with a report: Andrew Coburn and Wade Davison scored two goals each as the White side grabbed a 6-3 win over the Blues before 586 fans. Aaron Volpatti and Troy Cherwinski also contributed to the cause. Chay Genoway, David Arduin and Chris Cowell were the Blue goal-getters. Tonight, the Vipers open their exhibition season, at home, against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
IT'S MILLER TIME: The smooth-talking broadcaster had this to say about his job with the BCHL club: "Dr. (Duncan) Wray and the Vipers have given me a great opportunity here in a great city and, you know what, I love every moment working for this hockey club and the people I work with."
It's Miller time for the Vipers
WHILE SOME do not know what they want to be even in later life, Todd Miller knew his future by the age of 14.
The youngster, who was prevented from playing sports because of a severe case of asthma, would listen to his hero, Jim Robson, doing play-by-play for the Vancouver Canucks and dream of being a broadcaster one day.
Then fate intervened.
When his father -- an RCMP officer -- was doing public service announcements on drinking and driving for the Merritt, B.C. radio station, he told the news director that his son, Todd, was interested in radio and "he might want to pursue it one day." So the youngster was given a tour and became "hooked" on radio.
"It was smack dab in the middle of the Canucks' playoff run in 1993 and what they needed in Merritt was a producer to actually physically punch in the commercials when Jim Robson went to break," remembers Miller.
So from there, he began his radio career, at the ripe old age of 14.
"So I'd get up at quarter to 6 in the morning, make my way to the radio station and sit there for three hours before I went to school" and absorb what the morning guy was doing.
When the Canucks made their long playoff run in 1994 against the (New York) Rangers, Miller was on duty "punching" in the commercials and learning.
From there, he advanced to doing the Saturday morning show on 'NL in Merritt in 1995 and he wasn't even 17.
"My mouth dropped to the floor. I was amazed they would have asked me ... because I had no education at all (in broadcasting). I think it was because I was keen and really had an interest in what was going on ... and they threw me an opportunity, so I accepted," said Miller.
With his foot definitely in the door, Miller did the Saturday show in Merritt for two years and one more year after he had finished his high-school education.
For the next five-six years, he did the play-by-play broadcast for the Merritt Centennials and even got in on the marketing end, however, when former Vernon coach Mike Vandekamp called him and offered him a play-by-play position with the British Columbia Junior A Vipers, Miller and his wife, Tiffany, moved to Vernon. That was some three seasons ago.
Now crowding age 27, Miller has broadcast more than 400 BCHL games, but he still gets "butterflies" and is presently doing his homework in preparation for his first radio broadcast of the season on 105.7 SUN FM on Friday, September 9 against the Williams Lake Timberwolves.
Miller has coupled the broadcasting end with being "director of corporate partnerships" which means assisting Jackie George in advertising and promotions.
However, with training camp and exhibition games now in full display, Miller has been concentrating and preparing for all 60 games he'll broadcast this season.
"I watch certain players (in training camp), watch their tendencies, how they skate, how they handle the puck, because once the season starts, I need to be knowledgeable about these players, especially if I have never seen them play before. So it's important over the next couple of weeks that I do my homework," explained Miller. "I want to make sure that I'm ready ... that I know everything about every player on this Vernon Vipers squad, not only for the Vipers, but for the other teams in this league."
What Miller sees is a "new-look" club, now under the tutelage of head coach and general manager Troy Mick.
Under former coach Vandekamp, the Vipers played a defensive style of hockey, according to Miller, but Mick brings a philosophical change. "He (Troy Mick) has said all along that he wants to see a high-flying, wide-open, run-and-gun style hockey, which is great for the fans. That's what fans want to see. They love to see goals, guys skate and handle the puck, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Then the fast-talking, fast-thinking Miller added, "I think we have the right guys, guys behind the bench and especially on the ice. You're going to see a lot of guys that are really talented with the puck, who will do some really neat things. It's going to be a nice change to what we're used to."
Miller said the Vipers, owned by Dr. Duncan Wray, had only a handful of players returning from last season, so competition will be fierce during training camp and the exhibition games, however, the club will still be counting on the likes of Cody McMullin (who led the team in scoring during the playoffs last season), Aaron Volpatti (still recovering from burns he suffered in the off-season), Wade Davison, blueliner Andy Zulyniak and goalie Jon Olthuis.
As for Miller's future, he said: "I started this whole career, doing play-by-play, with dreams of going to the National Hockey League, and now having a wife, and thinking in the next couple of years of having children, it's not necessarily about the National Hockey League ... it's now about supporting my family and doing what's right for them and what's right for me, personally."
Miller has an ideal situation as he said, "Dr. Wray and the Vipers have given me a great opportunity here in a great city and, you know what, I love every moment working for this hockey club and the people I work with in this organization."
Now, if you'll excuse, Todd Miller, the broadcaster, who overcame a serious case of asthma, he has "homework" to do.
The youngster, who was prevented from playing sports because of a severe case of asthma, would listen to his hero, Jim Robson, doing play-by-play for the Vancouver Canucks and dream of being a broadcaster one day.
Then fate intervened.
When his father -- an RCMP officer -- was doing public service announcements on drinking and driving for the Merritt, B.C. radio station, he told the news director that his son, Todd, was interested in radio and "he might want to pursue it one day." So the youngster was given a tour and became "hooked" on radio.
"It was smack dab in the middle of the Canucks' playoff run in 1993 and what they needed in Merritt was a producer to actually physically punch in the commercials when Jim Robson went to break," remembers Miller.
So from there, he began his radio career, at the ripe old age of 14.
"So I'd get up at quarter to 6 in the morning, make my way to the radio station and sit there for three hours before I went to school" and absorb what the morning guy was doing.
When the Canucks made their long playoff run in 1994 against the (New York) Rangers, Miller was on duty "punching" in the commercials and learning.
From there, he advanced to doing the Saturday morning show on 'NL in Merritt in 1995 and he wasn't even 17.
"My mouth dropped to the floor. I was amazed they would have asked me ... because I had no education at all (in broadcasting). I think it was because I was keen and really had an interest in what was going on ... and they threw me an opportunity, so I accepted," said Miller.
With his foot definitely in the door, Miller did the Saturday show in Merritt for two years and one more year after he had finished his high-school education.
For the next five-six years, he did the play-by-play broadcast for the Merritt Centennials and even got in on the marketing end, however, when former Vernon coach Mike Vandekamp called him and offered him a play-by-play position with the British Columbia Junior A Vipers, Miller and his wife, Tiffany, moved to Vernon. That was some three seasons ago.
Now crowding age 27, Miller has broadcast more than 400 BCHL games, but he still gets "butterflies" and is presently doing his homework in preparation for his first radio broadcast of the season on 105.7 SUN FM on Friday, September 9 against the Williams Lake Timberwolves.
Miller has coupled the broadcasting end with being "director of corporate partnerships" which means assisting Jackie George in advertising and promotions.
However, with training camp and exhibition games now in full display, Miller has been concentrating and preparing for all 60 games he'll broadcast this season.
"I watch certain players (in training camp), watch their tendencies, how they skate, how they handle the puck, because once the season starts, I need to be knowledgeable about these players, especially if I have never seen them play before. So it's important over the next couple of weeks that I do my homework," explained Miller. "I want to make sure that I'm ready ... that I know everything about every player on this Vernon Vipers squad, not only for the Vipers, but for the other teams in this league."
What Miller sees is a "new-look" club, now under the tutelage of head coach and general manager Troy Mick.
Under former coach Vandekamp, the Vipers played a defensive style of hockey, according to Miller, but Mick brings a philosophical change. "He (Troy Mick) has said all along that he wants to see a high-flying, wide-open, run-and-gun style hockey, which is great for the fans. That's what fans want to see. They love to see goals, guys skate and handle the puck, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Then the fast-talking, fast-thinking Miller added, "I think we have the right guys, guys behind the bench and especially on the ice. You're going to see a lot of guys that are really talented with the puck, who will do some really neat things. It's going to be a nice change to what we're used to."
Miller said the Vipers, owned by Dr. Duncan Wray, had only a handful of players returning from last season, so competition will be fierce during training camp and the exhibition games, however, the club will still be counting on the likes of Cody McMullin (who led the team in scoring during the playoffs last season), Aaron Volpatti (still recovering from burns he suffered in the off-season), Wade Davison, blueliner Andy Zulyniak and goalie Jon Olthuis.
As for Miller's future, he said: "I started this whole career, doing play-by-play, with dreams of going to the National Hockey League, and now having a wife, and thinking in the next couple of years of having children, it's not necessarily about the National Hockey League ... it's now about supporting my family and doing what's right for them and what's right for me, personally."
Miller has an ideal situation as he said, "Dr. Wray and the Vipers have given me a great opportunity here in a great city and, you know what, I love every moment working for this hockey club and the people I work with in this organization."
Now, if you'll excuse, Todd Miller, the broadcaster, who overcame a serious case of asthma, he has "homework" to do.
So you want to be flawless
So you're Flawless?
That's what I thought, however, I came across a hardcover book stuck way back in my bookshelf, which changed any haughty opinion that I had of myself.
Maybe, the bright yellow jacket turned me off from reading the 255 pages of 'Flawless!' before, after all its author, Louis A.Tartaglia, published it back in 1999 and even sent me a personal note with it.
When I started reading it this week, I quickly removed that yellow jacket and went thumbing through the 10 most common character flaws and what to do about them.
Right off , Dr. T. asks questions: How can you tell if you are possessed by a flaw?
1. Do you find yourself "upset" when you need to be calm?
2. Do you lie when it would be better to tell the truth?
3. Would you rather be right even if it wrecks a relationship?
4. Do you hate accepting responsibility and blame others even when you know you are wrong?
5. Does resentment feel like a perfectly normal civil right?
6. Do you worry about things you can't control?
7. Do you fear even when there is nothing to worry about because it feels normal?
8. Are you intolerant of people who are not like you even when you are interested in knowing them?
9. Do you use the excuse that when you are a victim whenever it is useful?
10. Do you try to force others to do things your way because you want them to like you?
11. Do you cop out with inadequacy even before you have tried your hardest?
12. Do you love to find fault and share it even when you are aware that it will hurt someone else?
13. Did you graduate from law school or become a politician?
14. Last but most important, do you find yourself using your most common flaw even when you don't want to?
And that's just the beginning of the tough, personal questions, and Dr. T. goes well beyond what you might get in asking Dear Abby or those self-help questionaires.
In 'Flawless!' Tartaglia identifies the 10 character flaws, in order of frequency: Addicted to Being Right; Raging Indignation; Fixing Blame and Nurturing Resentments; The Dread Seekers (Worry and Fear); Resisting Reality (Intolerance); The Poor Me or Martyr Syndrome; Self-regard Run Riot; The Excuse for Everything -- Inadequacy; Fault Finders, Hypercritical Pessimists; The Trap, Chronic Dishonesty.
Here's what Dr. T. had to say in the precede to 'Flawless!':
"Are you addicted to being right? Do you need to point the finger of blame toward everyone but yourself? When you get angry, does your upset quickly escalate into raging indignation? Then you, like many others, are suffering from character flaws that have undoubtedly held you back in your work, relationships, and life."
Then he added. "The good news is that character can be improved by working on the behaviour that undermines it ... Character flaws are just holes in our soul."
"Flawless!" the book drew high praise from fellow authors such as 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' co-authors, Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield:
"If you'd like a flawless life and character, read, absorb, and use these principles and insights from my friend, Dr.T.," wrote Hansen.
"If you don't have any flaws you're not human. Making your life work involves admitting yout flaws and committing to change. Let 'Flawless!' be your life guide. This is a must read for all earthly beings," wrote Ken Blanchard of "The One Minute Manager."
Some of those character flaws drive the point home that you and I aren't perfect, well, maybe you, but not the Ol' Columnist.
Take Character Flaw #4 -- The Dread Seekers -- Worry and Fear.
Dr. T. asks: How do you know if you are a dread seeker?
1. Do you feel that you are leading a life of quiet desperation?
2. Do you feel you can never adequately worry about any situation?
3. Do you believe that God is smaller than your problems?
4. Are worry and fear inalienable rights protected by the U.S. Constitution?
5. Are you more concerned with things you have no control over?
6. Do you spend time trying to figure out problems that might not occur?
7. Do you dread, seek, i.e. worry about what you dread and then try to prove you're right to dread?
8. Do you gloat over how savvy your gloomy predictions of the future are?
9. Are you never too tired to worry?
There's more 'Dread Seekers' but let's skip to to No. 19: Is your nickname Doom and Gloom?
After reading Dr. T.'s book from cover to cover, perhaps, I should call my brother, Garry.
After all he's a trained psychologist.
IT'S FRIDAY & TIME FOR UNCLE JOHN'S BATHROOM READER: Some people achieve immortality because their names are associated with an item or activity. You know the names -- now here are the people:
R.J. Lechmere Guppy. A clergyman living in Trinidad. He sent several species of tropical fish to the British Museum, including a tiny specimen that now bears his name.
Dr. J.I. Guillotin. A French physician. Moved by mercy, he endorsed what he thought was a more humane method of execution than hanging. Ironically, the guillotine -- which he did not invent -- is now synonymous with needless and brutal slaughter.
Haile Selassie. The emperor of Ethiopia, known as "The Lion of Judah." His real name was "Ras Tafari" -- which explains the origin of the term Rastafarian.
That's what I thought, however, I came across a hardcover book stuck way back in my bookshelf, which changed any haughty opinion that I had of myself.
Maybe, the bright yellow jacket turned me off from reading the 255 pages of 'Flawless!' before, after all its author, Louis A.Tartaglia, published it back in 1999 and even sent me a personal note with it.
When I started reading it this week, I quickly removed that yellow jacket and went thumbing through the 10 most common character flaws and what to do about them.
Right off , Dr. T. asks questions: How can you tell if you are possessed by a flaw?
1. Do you find yourself "upset" when you need to be calm?
2. Do you lie when it would be better to tell the truth?
3. Would you rather be right even if it wrecks a relationship?
4. Do you hate accepting responsibility and blame others even when you know you are wrong?
5. Does resentment feel like a perfectly normal civil right?
6. Do you worry about things you can't control?
7. Do you fear even when there is nothing to worry about because it feels normal?
8. Are you intolerant of people who are not like you even when you are interested in knowing them?
9. Do you use the excuse that when you are a victim whenever it is useful?
10. Do you try to force others to do things your way because you want them to like you?
11. Do you cop out with inadequacy even before you have tried your hardest?
12. Do you love to find fault and share it even when you are aware that it will hurt someone else?
13. Did you graduate from law school or become a politician?
14. Last but most important, do you find yourself using your most common flaw even when you don't want to?
And that's just the beginning of the tough, personal questions, and Dr. T. goes well beyond what you might get in asking Dear Abby or those self-help questionaires.
In 'Flawless!' Tartaglia identifies the 10 character flaws, in order of frequency: Addicted to Being Right; Raging Indignation; Fixing Blame and Nurturing Resentments; The Dread Seekers (Worry and Fear); Resisting Reality (Intolerance); The Poor Me or Martyr Syndrome; Self-regard Run Riot; The Excuse for Everything -- Inadequacy; Fault Finders, Hypercritical Pessimists; The Trap, Chronic Dishonesty.
Here's what Dr. T. had to say in the precede to 'Flawless!':
"Are you addicted to being right? Do you need to point the finger of blame toward everyone but yourself? When you get angry, does your upset quickly escalate into raging indignation? Then you, like many others, are suffering from character flaws that have undoubtedly held you back in your work, relationships, and life."
Then he added. "The good news is that character can be improved by working on the behaviour that undermines it ... Character flaws are just holes in our soul."
"Flawless!" the book drew high praise from fellow authors such as 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' co-authors, Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield:
"If you'd like a flawless life and character, read, absorb, and use these principles and insights from my friend, Dr.T.," wrote Hansen.
"If you don't have any flaws you're not human. Making your life work involves admitting yout flaws and committing to change. Let 'Flawless!' be your life guide. This is a must read for all earthly beings," wrote Ken Blanchard of "The One Minute Manager."
Some of those character flaws drive the point home that you and I aren't perfect, well, maybe you, but not the Ol' Columnist.
Take Character Flaw #4 -- The Dread Seekers -- Worry and Fear.
Dr. T. asks: How do you know if you are a dread seeker?
1. Do you feel that you are leading a life of quiet desperation?
2. Do you feel you can never adequately worry about any situation?
3. Do you believe that God is smaller than your problems?
4. Are worry and fear inalienable rights protected by the U.S. Constitution?
5. Are you more concerned with things you have no control over?
6. Do you spend time trying to figure out problems that might not occur?
7. Do you dread, seek, i.e. worry about what you dread and then try to prove you're right to dread?
8. Do you gloat over how savvy your gloomy predictions of the future are?
9. Are you never too tired to worry?
There's more 'Dread Seekers' but let's skip to to No. 19: Is your nickname Doom and Gloom?
After reading Dr. T.'s book from cover to cover, perhaps, I should call my brother, Garry.
After all he's a trained psychologist.
IT'S FRIDAY & TIME FOR UNCLE JOHN'S BATHROOM READER: Some people achieve immortality because their names are associated with an item or activity. You know the names -- now here are the people:
R.J. Lechmere Guppy. A clergyman living in Trinidad. He sent several species of tropical fish to the British Museum, including a tiny specimen that now bears his name.
Dr. J.I. Guillotin. A French physician. Moved by mercy, he endorsed what he thought was a more humane method of execution than hanging. Ironically, the guillotine -- which he did not invent -- is now synonymous with needless and brutal slaughter.
Haile Selassie. The emperor of Ethiopia, known as "The Lion of Judah." His real name was "Ras Tafari" -- which explains the origin of the term Rastafarian.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
The Art of Toothpaste Squeezing
The Missus has issued another ultimatum: No more squeezing the toothpaste in the middle.
That's right. So you do it too.
In order to keep peace in my household, my analytical brain went into overdrive for a solution.
It was then that I encountered words of wisdom in the "Art of Toothpaste Squeezing" from something called Bonanza World and answers from some so-called experts.
Here's one from 'Shlynn': A thought-provoking question. How do you squeeze your toothpaste. Usually I'll buy the ones that stand on the bathroom sink, where it doesn't matter where you squeeze it, it always comes out. Unfortunately, this last time I bought the tube squeeze toothpaste (a topper squeezer is me), and now I have paste gook all at the top. Yuck!
From 'Camera_Chic': Usually I grab the tube and squeeze it from the middle. It annoys my sister a lot, though, and she always comes in after me and squeezes it up from the bottom.
From 'ALC': I remember when I was little my grandma taught me to squeeze from the bottom of the tube one night when I was staying over ... just stuck with me all these years ... thanks grandma! :)
From 'Shiva': Top squeezer for me. I remember trying to do the squeeze-n-roll thing once, but it always came unrolled so I gave up on that one.
From 'Jeanie Cartwright': I squeeze pretty much anywhere, but usually in the middle. However, every couple of weeks or so, I'll lay the tube on the counter and moosh all the stuff that's at the bottom up to the top so it's easier to squeeze. Hubby and I use different tubes of toothpaste so we can do whatever makes us happy and not have to worry about ticking anyone else off.
From 'Milesky1': We have a little plastic do-hickey that slides onto the bottom of the tube, and instead of squeezing, as you slide it up, the toothpaste comes out. I guess that makes me closest to a 'bottom roller squeezer.'
From 'Karine': I squeeze it from the bottom. I don't like to squeeze from the middle.
From 'Sammiandmilo': I squeeze it anywhere, then when it starts to run out I squeeze the toothpaste in the bottom to the top.
From 'Sissy': Wherever I grab it is where I squeeze it. Most times, though, it's in the middle.
From 'LifesMagic': I'm an anywhere squeezer and when I'm having trouble getting some out, I'll either squeeze from the bottom or lay the tube down and use something to push the paste up so it works again!
From 'Anna': I squeeze anywhere. I kinda have a toothpaste fetish, I love buying and using toothpaste, so when I've squeezed the bulk of the paste out I just use a different tube. My brother and I have had to buy separate toothpastes because he is a bottom and roll guy, he even bought one of those rolly things. Weird.
From 'Bonanzagal': I just squeeze anywhere, just as long as I get toothpaste!
So you see, Missus, I'm not insane. Maybe, a bit misguided, so now onto the next earthshattering question(s) from Bonanza World: Toilet paper, free end hanging over the top of the roll, or dangling out from the bottom? Then there's another puzzler: Kitchen sponges ... one for the dishes, one for the floor or single sponge only?
"Have you any more questions?" I asked The Missus.
"Just one," she replied. "When are you ever going to learn to read a map?"
They have a long-term memory, don't they?
It's been a dozen years or so since we took a 300-mile detour somewhere in northern Michigan.
WHAT'S AMERICA'S BIGGEST BEEF WITH BIKE GEAR? That's a trick question, you might ask. No, a new survey released by Bell Sports claims it's sore rears. It went on to say: While three-quarters of the 1,062 respondents ride less often now than in the past 10 years, 79 per cent said they would ride more often if their key concerns about bike riding were resolved. Then came the reason: "In the category of bicycling gear, the No. 1 complaint was hard seats. Fifty-seven per cent said they would prefer bike seats with extra padding for added comfort. Flat tires were the second most cited complaint, with 36 per cent of riders saying they wish they had tires that could immediately seal themselves after a puncture."
SPEAKING OF SORE WHAT-EVERS: In my Vernon travels, I have discovered the Spine & Sports Physical Therapy place (3607-31st Street -- Beside the Civic Arena, Phone: 558-9998). Maybe, it's not the spot for the Ol' Columnist, whose most strenous physical exercise these days is involved with the TV clicker (man, I have strong thumbs), but it's definitely the right place for children, youth and adults actively involved in sports. Top-notch physical therapists include Bob Powls, Cheryl Witter and Lisa Crockett. Now, folks, it's about this "thumb" therapy?
THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN: Heather Kjarsgaard of the Visitor Infocentre (on Highway 97 towards Kelowna) passes along this info that wineries are definitely the 'ticket' in the Okanagan Valley & Similkameen in 2005. One to check out in the Vernon area is Hunting Hawk Vineyards at O'Keefe Historic Ranch, 9380 Hwy 97 N. Phone: (250) 546-2164 ... www.huntinghawkvineyards.com
That's right. So you do it too.
In order to keep peace in my household, my analytical brain went into overdrive for a solution.
It was then that I encountered words of wisdom in the "Art of Toothpaste Squeezing" from something called Bonanza World and answers from some so-called experts.
Here's one from 'Shlynn': A thought-provoking question. How do you squeeze your toothpaste. Usually I'll buy the ones that stand on the bathroom sink, where it doesn't matter where you squeeze it, it always comes out. Unfortunately, this last time I bought the tube squeeze toothpaste (a topper squeezer is me), and now I have paste gook all at the top. Yuck!
From 'Camera_Chic': Usually I grab the tube and squeeze it from the middle. It annoys my sister a lot, though, and she always comes in after me and squeezes it up from the bottom.
From 'ALC': I remember when I was little my grandma taught me to squeeze from the bottom of the tube one night when I was staying over ... just stuck with me all these years ... thanks grandma! :)
From 'Shiva': Top squeezer for me. I remember trying to do the squeeze-n-roll thing once, but it always came unrolled so I gave up on that one.
From 'Jeanie Cartwright': I squeeze pretty much anywhere, but usually in the middle. However, every couple of weeks or so, I'll lay the tube on the counter and moosh all the stuff that's at the bottom up to the top so it's easier to squeeze. Hubby and I use different tubes of toothpaste so we can do whatever makes us happy and not have to worry about ticking anyone else off.
From 'Milesky1': We have a little plastic do-hickey that slides onto the bottom of the tube, and instead of squeezing, as you slide it up, the toothpaste comes out. I guess that makes me closest to a 'bottom roller squeezer.'
From 'Karine': I squeeze it from the bottom. I don't like to squeeze from the middle.
From 'Sammiandmilo': I squeeze it anywhere, then when it starts to run out I squeeze the toothpaste in the bottom to the top.
From 'Sissy': Wherever I grab it is where I squeeze it. Most times, though, it's in the middle.
From 'LifesMagic': I'm an anywhere squeezer and when I'm having trouble getting some out, I'll either squeeze from the bottom or lay the tube down and use something to push the paste up so it works again!
From 'Anna': I squeeze anywhere. I kinda have a toothpaste fetish, I love buying and using toothpaste, so when I've squeezed the bulk of the paste out I just use a different tube. My brother and I have had to buy separate toothpastes because he is a bottom and roll guy, he even bought one of those rolly things. Weird.
From 'Bonanzagal': I just squeeze anywhere, just as long as I get toothpaste!
So you see, Missus, I'm not insane. Maybe, a bit misguided, so now onto the next earthshattering question(s) from Bonanza World: Toilet paper, free end hanging over the top of the roll, or dangling out from the bottom? Then there's another puzzler: Kitchen sponges ... one for the dishes, one for the floor or single sponge only?
"Have you any more questions?" I asked The Missus.
"Just one," she replied. "When are you ever going to learn to read a map?"
They have a long-term memory, don't they?
It's been a dozen years or so since we took a 300-mile detour somewhere in northern Michigan.
WHAT'S AMERICA'S BIGGEST BEEF WITH BIKE GEAR? That's a trick question, you might ask. No, a new survey released by Bell Sports claims it's sore rears. It went on to say: While three-quarters of the 1,062 respondents ride less often now than in the past 10 years, 79 per cent said they would ride more often if their key concerns about bike riding were resolved. Then came the reason: "In the category of bicycling gear, the No. 1 complaint was hard seats. Fifty-seven per cent said they would prefer bike seats with extra padding for added comfort. Flat tires were the second most cited complaint, with 36 per cent of riders saying they wish they had tires that could immediately seal themselves after a puncture."
SPEAKING OF SORE WHAT-EVERS: In my Vernon travels, I have discovered the Spine & Sports Physical Therapy place (3607-31st Street -- Beside the Civic Arena, Phone: 558-9998). Maybe, it's not the spot for the Ol' Columnist, whose most strenous physical exercise these days is involved with the TV clicker (man, I have strong thumbs), but it's definitely the right place for children, youth and adults actively involved in sports. Top-notch physical therapists include Bob Powls, Cheryl Witter and Lisa Crockett. Now, folks, it's about this "thumb" therapy?
THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN: Heather Kjarsgaard of the Visitor Infocentre (on Highway 97 towards Kelowna) passes along this info that wineries are definitely the 'ticket' in the Okanagan Valley & Similkameen in 2005. One to check out in the Vernon area is Hunting Hawk Vineyards at O'Keefe Historic Ranch, 9380 Hwy 97 N. Phone: (250) 546-2164 ... www.huntinghawkvineyards.com
Ringing up another lockout
It might be the heat, Bunky, but have you noticed that everyone is either on strike or in some sort of a lockout or a lockdown?
Maybe Uncle Joe's supplier of hot dog buns is working 24-7, but there are others with August heading towards Labour Day that choose to belly ache about their job situation.
Normally, I ignore the malcontents, but on the weekend I couldn't.
Striding towards my Vernon drugstore, two "lockout" folks -- Jordan and Tim -- stood on either side of the doors with placards and pamphlets in hand.
What's this all about? I thought. I knew this wasn't about another "strike force" such as at Mother Corp -- the CBC -- so it must be the ringy-dingy dandies with TWU (Telecommunications Workers Union), the unionized workforce at Telus.
What's the big deal? I murmured to myself.
Before I could say: 1 ... 2 ... 3, there was a lockout update in my paws with the blaring question: How can I help save jobs and ensure good service from Telus?
1. Call Telus and cancel one or more of your special calling features (call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, smart ring, call alert, call display). If you pay your phone bill through automatic deductions, you could cancel that and request a printed copy of your bill and pay by cheque. To contact Telus and make changes to your special calling features, call them toll-free at 310-2255, or go to www.telus.com
2. Call Telus Mobility and make changes to your monthly cell phone plan. If you receive your Telus Mobility bill electronically, ask for it to be mailed to you instead. Cancel one or more of your special calling features, like call waiting, call forwarding or call display. To contact Telus Mobility, call them toll-free at 1-866-558-2273, or go to www.telusmobility.com
3. If you've experienced poor service or long delays from Telus, contact the CRTC and register an official complaint. Two years ago, when the elimination of thousands of jobs led to poor customer service, it was the complaints of thousands of Telus customers like you that forced the CRTC to order to act. To contact the CRTC, go to their website at www.crtc.gc.ca and click on "Complaints and Inquiries" or call them toll-free at 1-877-249-2782. To correspond with the CRTC email them at: info@crtc.gc.ca
Now, since I have related their solutions, perhaps, it might be a good time to play the numbers game, according to the TWU:.
Telus earnings, 2003 -- $324.4 million; Telus earnings, 2004: $658 million; Growth in earnings, 2003-2004: : 49%; Increase in Telus CEO Darren Entwistle's compensation, 2003-2004: 54% (to $6.55 million per year); Increase in Telus Mobility CEO George Cope's compensation, 2003-2004: 88% (to $6.74 million per year); Increase in Telus CFO Robert McFarlane's compensation, 2003-2004: 300% (to $4.05 million per year); Wage increases for Telus bargaining unit employees, 2001-2004: 0 per cent.
So now I was bogged down with a mass of figures, about the lockout that started in Alberta and B.C. on July 21, but what's the bottom line, Mr. and Mrs. TWU: "The members of the TWU have not had a contract since December 31, 2000 or almost five years ... The TWU would like nothing more than to sit and negotiate with Telus, but unfortunately Telus will not participate in this process."
POST-MORTEM: All weekend those TWU figures whirled in my brain; particularly the compensation data for the Telus heirarchy. Now, I really have a headache and that's what I went to the drugstore for in the first place: Some Tylenol.
FAREWELL TO 'UNCLE DUKE': There was a booming farewell for Hunter S. Thompson on Saturday night. Thompson, who was immortalized in Garry Trudeau's comic strip, 'Doonesbury' as "Uncle Duke," committed suicide six months ago at age 67. However, actor Johnny Depp and Thompson's widow, Anita, helped give him an irreverent sendoff in Woody Creek, Colorado. Some 250 relatives and celebrities, including Bill Murray and Lyle Lovett, gathered as Thompson's ashes were blown sky high amid a fireworks display. Thompson will be best remembered as the leader of "gonzo" journalists in which the writer becomes a central figure in their writings, such as Thompson in the highly-successful "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." "Uncle Duke" and others such as Tom Wolfe and Gay Talese pioneered this "New Journalism."
ANOTHER TRAGEDY IN NFL: Some four years ago with the temperatures hitting 110 degrees, Minnesota Vikings' Korey Stringer died of a heartstroke during training camp practice. Early Sunday, San Francisco OL Thomas Herrion died in Denver after collapsing in the locker room. Herrion was only 23. The cause of his death has not been announced, although Frisco spokesman, Aaron Salkin, was quoted as saying: "This is a colossal tragedy for the 49ers and the entire NFL community." There have been other deaths in the NFL besides Stringer and now Herrion. In 1979, tight end J.V. Cain of the St. Louis Cardinals died of a heart attack during training camp. On Oct. 24, 1972, Chuck Hughes, a wide receiver for Detroit Lions, died of a heart attack during a game between Detroit and the Chicago Bears.
Maybe Uncle Joe's supplier of hot dog buns is working 24-7, but there are others with August heading towards Labour Day that choose to belly ache about their job situation.
Normally, I ignore the malcontents, but on the weekend I couldn't.
Striding towards my Vernon drugstore, two "lockout" folks -- Jordan and Tim -- stood on either side of the doors with placards and pamphlets in hand.
What's this all about? I thought. I knew this wasn't about another "strike force" such as at Mother Corp -- the CBC -- so it must be the ringy-dingy dandies with TWU (Telecommunications Workers Union), the unionized workforce at Telus.
What's the big deal? I murmured to myself.
Before I could say: 1 ... 2 ... 3, there was a lockout update in my paws with the blaring question: How can I help save jobs and ensure good service from Telus?
1. Call Telus and cancel one or more of your special calling features (call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, smart ring, call alert, call display). If you pay your phone bill through automatic deductions, you could cancel that and request a printed copy of your bill and pay by cheque. To contact Telus and make changes to your special calling features, call them toll-free at 310-2255, or go to www.telus.com
2. Call Telus Mobility and make changes to your monthly cell phone plan. If you receive your Telus Mobility bill electronically, ask for it to be mailed to you instead. Cancel one or more of your special calling features, like call waiting, call forwarding or call display. To contact Telus Mobility, call them toll-free at 1-866-558-2273, or go to www.telusmobility.com
3. If you've experienced poor service or long delays from Telus, contact the CRTC and register an official complaint. Two years ago, when the elimination of thousands of jobs led to poor customer service, it was the complaints of thousands of Telus customers like you that forced the CRTC to order to act. To contact the CRTC, go to their website at www.crtc.gc.ca and click on "Complaints and Inquiries" or call them toll-free at 1-877-249-2782. To correspond with the CRTC email them at: info@crtc.gc.ca
Now, since I have related their solutions, perhaps, it might be a good time to play the numbers game, according to the TWU:.
Telus earnings, 2003 -- $324.4 million; Telus earnings, 2004: $658 million; Growth in earnings, 2003-2004: : 49%; Increase in Telus CEO Darren Entwistle's compensation, 2003-2004: 54% (to $6.55 million per year); Increase in Telus Mobility CEO George Cope's compensation, 2003-2004: 88% (to $6.74 million per year); Increase in Telus CFO Robert McFarlane's compensation, 2003-2004: 300% (to $4.05 million per year); Wage increases for Telus bargaining unit employees, 2001-2004: 0 per cent.
So now I was bogged down with a mass of figures, about the lockout that started in Alberta and B.C. on July 21, but what's the bottom line, Mr. and Mrs. TWU: "The members of the TWU have not had a contract since December 31, 2000 or almost five years ... The TWU would like nothing more than to sit and negotiate with Telus, but unfortunately Telus will not participate in this process."
POST-MORTEM: All weekend those TWU figures whirled in my brain; particularly the compensation data for the Telus heirarchy. Now, I really have a headache and that's what I went to the drugstore for in the first place: Some Tylenol.
FAREWELL TO 'UNCLE DUKE': There was a booming farewell for Hunter S. Thompson on Saturday night. Thompson, who was immortalized in Garry Trudeau's comic strip, 'Doonesbury' as "Uncle Duke," committed suicide six months ago at age 67. However, actor Johnny Depp and Thompson's widow, Anita, helped give him an irreverent sendoff in Woody Creek, Colorado. Some 250 relatives and celebrities, including Bill Murray and Lyle Lovett, gathered as Thompson's ashes were blown sky high amid a fireworks display. Thompson will be best remembered as the leader of "gonzo" journalists in which the writer becomes a central figure in their writings, such as Thompson in the highly-successful "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." "Uncle Duke" and others such as Tom Wolfe and Gay Talese pioneered this "New Journalism."
ANOTHER TRAGEDY IN NFL: Some four years ago with the temperatures hitting 110 degrees, Minnesota Vikings' Korey Stringer died of a heartstroke during training camp practice. Early Sunday, San Francisco OL Thomas Herrion died in Denver after collapsing in the locker room. Herrion was only 23. The cause of his death has not been announced, although Frisco spokesman, Aaron Salkin, was quoted as saying: "This is a colossal tragedy for the 49ers and the entire NFL community." There have been other deaths in the NFL besides Stringer and now Herrion. In 1979, tight end J.V. Cain of the St. Louis Cardinals died of a heart attack during training camp. On Oct. 24, 1972, Chuck Hughes, a wide receiver for Detroit Lions, died of a heart attack during a game between Detroit and the Chicago Bears.
Unforgettable Prince Stephanos
Stephen Mengesha knows where the original Ark of the Covenant is located. He told me so.
In fact as a boy prince known as Prince Stephanos, this favorite great grandson of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, spent time exploring the ancient city of Aksum, where the the most important, historical and religious object in man's history is likely buried in the bowels of an Ethiopian Orthodox church, St. Mary of Zion.
Others have written thousands of words about the Ark's supposed location, including the esteemed journalist Graham Hancock (author of 'The Sign and the Seal'), and even the Ol' Columnist, who spent time in Ethiopia and Israel on an extended search, which began in 1990 and continues to this day.
In a follow-up column to Thursday's 'Unforgettable' -- Gershon Salomon -- who believes he has been given the task of the rebuilding the Third Temple on Jerusalem's Holy Hill, Prince Stephanos believes the original Ark of the Covenant would be necessary for such an esteemed structure to be completed.
In the past, Prince Stephanos was instrumental in supplying me with valued information about Ethiopia's obsession with the Ark, which I have related in the three-volume 'The Glory of the King.'
However, sometimes, it's wise to look back on notes of conversations I had with him. With Israel so much in the news these days, this conversation was startling, for the Prince told me about a possible war that could rage over the Ark of the Covenant.
Corbett: What do you see as its future?
Prince: If it's found, and if it's such a sacred item for the Jewish faith, what's to stop Israel from waging war to get it back? It's not a matter of diplomatic negotiations or going to the United Nations. This is something the world Jewry around the globe believes it's necessary to build the Third Temple and if that's how important it is, the chances of Israel going to war to get it (are greatly increased). It's a fact that since Israel's creation, it has been inclined to strongly support Ethiopia, so the pressure from the Orthodox Jewish community in this case is there. They are not going to tell you, it's there. Absolutely not. But they also have a fascination of what if it's there in Aksum and if that's true we've lost it, so where is it, and if that story of Ethiopia's is true, then we want it. So there's pressure on whoever is in power in Israel to pursue the thought.
Corbett: Isn't it true there's a replica of the Ark in every Ethiopian Orthodox Church?
Prince: Yes, that's true. An Ethiopian Coptic Church can't be consecrated unless there's a replica of an Ark. In an Ethiopian Orthodox church there's a place for it and it's carved out of wood. It used to be carved out of marble, supposedly the same type of stone it was carved from originally.
In other conversations with the Prince, he firmly claimed there have been searchers for it, from Mussolini to the Israelis.
Corbett: What is the importance of the Ark?
Prince: The building of the Third Temple is the cornerstone of the revival of the Jewish faith and the coming of all Jews to Israel. Finding the Ark of the Covenant is paramount for this to happen and the coming of their Messiah. So even though it's unspoken, they're on the look out for it, and many times they have explored the possibility of the Ethiopian claim. It has been pursued by various people throughout history prior to the Italian occupation (through the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church) and after the restoration of the Emperor to the throne (in 1941). Even today, they're still looking for it.
Corbett: Is it possible there's an ark on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem?
Prince: The lack of an ark being mentioned in the book, 'In The Shadow of The Temple,' isn't evidence the Israelis don't care about it. After all it's the cornerstone. If you're going to build a temple, you have to have something to put in it and no where in Jewish traditions does it say that God is going to bring it down from heaven. There's nothing of that nature being mentioned in prophecy. The building of the Third Temple I just mentioned requires the Ark inside it or else it would be a meaningless building.
Corbett: I've read, probably in one of Grant Jeffrey's books, that during the evacations underneath the Temple Mount that they've spotted something that looks like the Ark. Is this a duplicate.
Prince: There is a duplicate Ark. The rabbincal council knows about it.
Corbett: There are lots of duplicates around. Isn't that true?
Prince: Yes. Finding the original Ark of the Covenant is an interest by the Catholic Church and the Pope during the 1936-1940 Ethiopian occupation by Italy and Mussolini and there's a good indication that the Catholic Church was looking for it.
Corbett: Was that one of Mussolini's aims?
Prince: Not Mussolini's, but he was persuaded by the Pope and, of course, the Pope has been criticized for blessing Mussolini's mission to Ethiopia because of that.
Corbett: What about Hitler, did he have any interest in the Ark?
Prince: No.
Corbett: The hit movie, 'The Raiders Of The Lost Ark,' was based on Hitler's obsession with finding religious artifacts such as the Ark. Was this true?
Prince: I never heard of Hitler's interest it. That's pure fantasy, but it would make a good movie, wouldn't it?
In fact as a boy prince known as Prince Stephanos, this favorite great grandson of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, spent time exploring the ancient city of Aksum, where the the most important, historical and religious object in man's history is likely buried in the bowels of an Ethiopian Orthodox church, St. Mary of Zion.
Others have written thousands of words about the Ark's supposed location, including the esteemed journalist Graham Hancock (author of 'The Sign and the Seal'), and even the Ol' Columnist, who spent time in Ethiopia and Israel on an extended search, which began in 1990 and continues to this day.
In a follow-up column to Thursday's 'Unforgettable' -- Gershon Salomon -- who believes he has been given the task of the rebuilding the Third Temple on Jerusalem's Holy Hill, Prince Stephanos believes the original Ark of the Covenant would be necessary for such an esteemed structure to be completed.
In the past, Prince Stephanos was instrumental in supplying me with valued information about Ethiopia's obsession with the Ark, which I have related in the three-volume 'The Glory of the King.'
However, sometimes, it's wise to look back on notes of conversations I had with him. With Israel so much in the news these days, this conversation was startling, for the Prince told me about a possible war that could rage over the Ark of the Covenant.
Corbett: What do you see as its future?
Prince: If it's found, and if it's such a sacred item for the Jewish faith, what's to stop Israel from waging war to get it back? It's not a matter of diplomatic negotiations or going to the United Nations. This is something the world Jewry around the globe believes it's necessary to build the Third Temple and if that's how important it is, the chances of Israel going to war to get it (are greatly increased). It's a fact that since Israel's creation, it has been inclined to strongly support Ethiopia, so the pressure from the Orthodox Jewish community in this case is there. They are not going to tell you, it's there. Absolutely not. But they also have a fascination of what if it's there in Aksum and if that's true we've lost it, so where is it, and if that story of Ethiopia's is true, then we want it. So there's pressure on whoever is in power in Israel to pursue the thought.
Corbett: Isn't it true there's a replica of the Ark in every Ethiopian Orthodox Church?
Prince: Yes, that's true. An Ethiopian Coptic Church can't be consecrated unless there's a replica of an Ark. In an Ethiopian Orthodox church there's a place for it and it's carved out of wood. It used to be carved out of marble, supposedly the same type of stone it was carved from originally.
In other conversations with the Prince, he firmly claimed there have been searchers for it, from Mussolini to the Israelis.
Corbett: What is the importance of the Ark?
Prince: The building of the Third Temple is the cornerstone of the revival of the Jewish faith and the coming of all Jews to Israel. Finding the Ark of the Covenant is paramount for this to happen and the coming of their Messiah. So even though it's unspoken, they're on the look out for it, and many times they have explored the possibility of the Ethiopian claim. It has been pursued by various people throughout history prior to the Italian occupation (through the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church) and after the restoration of the Emperor to the throne (in 1941). Even today, they're still looking for it.
Corbett: Is it possible there's an ark on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem?
Prince: The lack of an ark being mentioned in the book, 'In The Shadow of The Temple,' isn't evidence the Israelis don't care about it. After all it's the cornerstone. If you're going to build a temple, you have to have something to put in it and no where in Jewish traditions does it say that God is going to bring it down from heaven. There's nothing of that nature being mentioned in prophecy. The building of the Third Temple I just mentioned requires the Ark inside it or else it would be a meaningless building.
Corbett: I've read, probably in one of Grant Jeffrey's books, that during the evacations underneath the Temple Mount that they've spotted something that looks like the Ark. Is this a duplicate.
Prince: There is a duplicate Ark. The rabbincal council knows about it.
Corbett: There are lots of duplicates around. Isn't that true?
Prince: Yes. Finding the original Ark of the Covenant is an interest by the Catholic Church and the Pope during the 1936-1940 Ethiopian occupation by Italy and Mussolini and there's a good indication that the Catholic Church was looking for it.
Corbett: Was that one of Mussolini's aims?
Prince: Not Mussolini's, but he was persuaded by the Pope and, of course, the Pope has been criticized for blessing Mussolini's mission to Ethiopia because of that.
Corbett: What about Hitler, did he have any interest in the Ark?
Prince: No.
Corbett: The hit movie, 'The Raiders Of The Lost Ark,' was based on Hitler's obsession with finding religious artifacts such as the Ark. Was this true?
Prince: I never heard of Hitler's interest it. That's pure fantasy, but it would make a good movie, wouldn't it?
Unforgettable Gershon Salomon
Gershon Salomon is the most unforgettable character I have ever met in my lifetime. And, strangely, enough, I met him on the streets of Jerusalem.
With Israel in the spotlight with the agonizing withdrawal of settlers from Gaza and the deadly shooting in the West Bank, my thoughts turned to Israel where I was a newsman in 1999 for World Net Daily and a number of other publications.
It certainly was a quieter time than the turmoil of 2005, however, Salomon's message remains the same: The rebuilding of a great Jewish sanctuary on the Temple Mount.
In 1999, thousands, and I was one of them, walked with Salomon towards the closed gates of the Temple Mount and later to other Biblical sites. It was a sweltering day and there aboard a flatbed truck was a massive rock, which Salomon designated the "Foundation Stone" for the Third Temple
On June 6, 2005, Salomon's group repeated the parade from Ammunition Hill to the Temple Mount as "another step in their godly end-time campaign to build the house of G_d."
Salomon believes the mission to rebuild the Third Temple came as a result of a life-changing experience, which occurred 38 years ago in 1967.
As a commander of an Israeli unit of paratroopers, he helped "liberate" the Temple Mount and Biblical Jerualem.
He described it this way: "It was after a critical time in my life after I had been seriously wounded in a battle in the Golan Heights against the Syrian enemy which had attacked the Israeli villages. In a great miracle, G_d, together with His brave Israeli soldiers defeated the Syrians and saved my life.
"He appeared in my life on that critical day and promised me that He had not yet finished with me but that He had something great for me to do in my life. He surrounded me with His angels as the Syrians later testified. They told the UN observers that they saw angels with their own eyes.
"After a year in hospital with terrible pains and struggling together with G_d Who stood with me to recover and be ready for what He would tell me to do, I volunteered back to my unit using two crutches and G_d continued to heal me."
When the Temple Mount was in Jewish hands once again after nearly 2,000 years, Salomon was elated. He felt, at that moment, G_d had saved his life and "that I should build His House."
Salomon 's tears of joy turned to sorrow shortly afterwards when Israeli Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan, had the nation's flag and the Star of David removed from where Salomon believes is the Holy of Holies and "placed it on the Western Wall of the Temple Mount which is the symbol of destruction and exile."
While he considered Dayan's decision sinful and anti-godly, Salomon re-iterates his mission to anyone, who will listen, and that is to rebuild the Third Temple and for that purpose he's still leads The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement. Unforgettable.
UPDATING THE UNFORGETTABLES: In 1999, Ernest Frank Mauck, aka Prophet Elijah, was locked up in the stark confines of the Kfar Shaul mental hospital on the outskirts of Jerusalem, for "mentioning the Name of Yeshua (Jesus) and issuing pronouncements that God was going to judge the city of Jerusalem and Israel unless "they repented of their evil ways." As I wrote at that time, Mauck, with his flowing wild mane of white hair, was mocked constantly for his appearance, however, he gained thousands of supporters."He's considered a kind and completely sane man despite the fact he has been lumped with the Denver-based cult that was thrown out of Israel and also with those with 'Jerusalem Syndrome.'" In 2005, Mauck has been living on the island of Cyprus and he has a world-wide audience, for he uses a website and e-mails to spread his "messages" of impending doom.
CHECK OUT THE MOTIVE: (From R. Kent Hughes' 1001 Great Stories -- Quotes): Lining Miami's Flagler Street are bautiful royal palm trees. One night vandals cut down six of the magnificent trees, and the city did not have the money to replace them. Then, at last, a donor came forward and offered to replace the lost trees. But while the former trees had been 15 feet tall and formed a perfect foreground for a big Delta Air Lines billboard, the new trees were 35 feet tall and completely hid the billboard. The donor? Eastern Airlines.
DOG DAYS (From 'A Hog On Ice' by Charles Earle Funk): These are the extremely hot days that, in the Northern Hemisphere, occur during July and August. It used to be the popular belief that this hot period was given the name "dog days" or "canicular days," because dogs frequently went mad in such weather. Actually the name has an astronomical source. It is the period in which the Dog Star, Sirius, the most brilliant star in the constellation Canis Major (the Great Dog), rises in conjunction with the sun. In ancient belief it was the combined heat of Sirius and the sun, while these two heavenly bodies are in conjunction, that brought about the sultry weather.
TO KEEP UNDER ONE'S HAT (Also from Mr. Funk): One would suppose that this warning would be as old as the first hat, but its actual history appears to have been no earlier than the closing years of the 19th century. What is kept under the hat, of course, is retained within the head; that is, it remains a secret.
With Israel in the spotlight with the agonizing withdrawal of settlers from Gaza and the deadly shooting in the West Bank, my thoughts turned to Israel where I was a newsman in 1999 for World Net Daily and a number of other publications.
It certainly was a quieter time than the turmoil of 2005, however, Salomon's message remains the same: The rebuilding of a great Jewish sanctuary on the Temple Mount.
In 1999, thousands, and I was one of them, walked with Salomon towards the closed gates of the Temple Mount and later to other Biblical sites. It was a sweltering day and there aboard a flatbed truck was a massive rock, which Salomon designated the "Foundation Stone" for the Third Temple
On June 6, 2005, Salomon's group repeated the parade from Ammunition Hill to the Temple Mount as "another step in their godly end-time campaign to build the house of G_d."
Salomon believes the mission to rebuild the Third Temple came as a result of a life-changing experience, which occurred 38 years ago in 1967.
As a commander of an Israeli unit of paratroopers, he helped "liberate" the Temple Mount and Biblical Jerualem.
He described it this way: "It was after a critical time in my life after I had been seriously wounded in a battle in the Golan Heights against the Syrian enemy which had attacked the Israeli villages. In a great miracle, G_d, together with His brave Israeli soldiers defeated the Syrians and saved my life.
"He appeared in my life on that critical day and promised me that He had not yet finished with me but that He had something great for me to do in my life. He surrounded me with His angels as the Syrians later testified. They told the UN observers that they saw angels with their own eyes.
"After a year in hospital with terrible pains and struggling together with G_d Who stood with me to recover and be ready for what He would tell me to do, I volunteered back to my unit using two crutches and G_d continued to heal me."
When the Temple Mount was in Jewish hands once again after nearly 2,000 years, Salomon was elated. He felt, at that moment, G_d had saved his life and "that I should build His House."
Salomon 's tears of joy turned to sorrow shortly afterwards when Israeli Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan, had the nation's flag and the Star of David removed from where Salomon believes is the Holy of Holies and "placed it on the Western Wall of the Temple Mount which is the symbol of destruction and exile."
While he considered Dayan's decision sinful and anti-godly, Salomon re-iterates his mission to anyone, who will listen, and that is to rebuild the Third Temple and for that purpose he's still leads The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement. Unforgettable.
UPDATING THE UNFORGETTABLES: In 1999, Ernest Frank Mauck, aka Prophet Elijah, was locked up in the stark confines of the Kfar Shaul mental hospital on the outskirts of Jerusalem, for "mentioning the Name of Yeshua (Jesus) and issuing pronouncements that God was going to judge the city of Jerusalem and Israel unless "they repented of their evil ways." As I wrote at that time, Mauck, with his flowing wild mane of white hair, was mocked constantly for his appearance, however, he gained thousands of supporters."He's considered a kind and completely sane man despite the fact he has been lumped with the Denver-based cult that was thrown out of Israel and also with those with 'Jerusalem Syndrome.'" In 2005, Mauck has been living on the island of Cyprus and he has a world-wide audience, for he uses a website and e-mails to spread his "messages" of impending doom.
CHECK OUT THE MOTIVE: (From R. Kent Hughes' 1001 Great Stories -- Quotes): Lining Miami's Flagler Street are bautiful royal palm trees. One night vandals cut down six of the magnificent trees, and the city did not have the money to replace them. Then, at last, a donor came forward and offered to replace the lost trees. But while the former trees had been 15 feet tall and formed a perfect foreground for a big Delta Air Lines billboard, the new trees were 35 feet tall and completely hid the billboard. The donor? Eastern Airlines.
DOG DAYS (From 'A Hog On Ice' by Charles Earle Funk): These are the extremely hot days that, in the Northern Hemisphere, occur during July and August. It used to be the popular belief that this hot period was given the name "dog days" or "canicular days," because dogs frequently went mad in such weather. Actually the name has an astronomical source. It is the period in which the Dog Star, Sirius, the most brilliant star in the constellation Canis Major (the Great Dog), rises in conjunction with the sun. In ancient belief it was the combined heat of Sirius and the sun, while these two heavenly bodies are in conjunction, that brought about the sultry weather.
TO KEEP UNDER ONE'S HAT (Also from Mr. Funk): One would suppose that this warning would be as old as the first hat, but its actual history appears to have been no earlier than the closing years of the 19th century. What is kept under the hat, of course, is retained within the head; that is, it remains a secret.
Now, the rest of the story
Young Paul Aurandt had a smooth baritone voice, who while still in high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma went on radio in 1933.
This son of Harry Harrison Aurandt, a police officer, who died in 1921 after being shot on duty, and Anna Dagmar Christensen, quickly earned radio gigs across Kansas and Missouri and at KXOK-AM in St. Louis where he met Lynne (Angel) Cooper, the station's "women's news" reporter. On the first date, Paul Aurandt proposed to her and she soon became his wife, producer and editor.
According to his profile, he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio in 1951 and in 1976, he began his daily telling little-known anecdotes about famous folks or historic incidents, always with "a twist at the end."
Paul Aurandt and Angel had one son, whom they called Paul Jr.
So the other morning, I tuned to local radio and there were the dulcet tones of a broadcaster, whom I thought had died. But I knew he was very much alive, when Paul Aurandt, Sr. said those magic words: "Paul Harvey ... Good Day."
This prodded me into trying to find an original Harvey story, which I knew was buried in an aging scrapbook. It had Harvey's son, Paul Aurandt Jr.'s byline on it, but it was very much in the famous broadcaster's style.
It read (1980 Los Angeles Times Syndicate):
"He was lying there in the grass, hiding and thinking.
He had studied the little girl's habits. He knew she'd come outside her grandfather's house at mid-afternoon to play.
He hated himself for this.
In his whole miserable, messed-up life he'd never considered anything so callous as kidnapping.
Yet here he was, waiting for an innocent, red-haired, two-year-old child to come within reach.
It was a long wait; there was time to think.
Maybe all his life Harlan had been in too much of a hurry. He was five when his Hoosier farmer daddy had died. At 14 he dropped out of school and hit the road. He tried odd jobs as a farm hand, hated it. Tried being a streetcar conductor and hated that. At 16 he lied about his age and joined the army -- and hated that. too.
At 18 he got married and within months, wouldn't you know she announced she was pregnant the day he announced he'd been fired again?
Then, one day, while he was out job hunting, his wife gave away all their possessions and went home to her parents.
Then came the depression.
He tried selling insurance, selling tires. He tried running a ferryboat, running a filling station. No use.
Face it -- Harlan was a loser.
And now here was hiding in the woods outside Roanoke, Virginia, plotting a kidnapping.
He'd watched the little girl's habits, knew about her afternoon playtime. But this day, she did not come out to play, so his chain of failures remained unbroken.
Later in life he became chief cook and bottle washer at a restaurant in Corbin. And did all right until the new highway bypassed the restaurant.
He'd stayed honest -- except for that one time when he had attempted kidnapping. In fairness to his name it must be noted that it was his own daughter he'd meant to kidnap from his runaway wife. And they both returned to him, the next day, anyway.
But now the years had slid by and a lifetime was gone and he and they had nothing.
He had not really felt old until the day the postman brought his first social security cheque. That day, something within Harland resented, resisted, and exploded.
The government was feeling story for him.
His restaurant customers in Corbin said they'd miss him, but his government said 65 candles on the birthday cake is enough. They sent him a pension cheque and told him he was "old."
"Nuts," he said.
He got so angry he took the $105 cheque and started a new business.
For the man who failed at everything was Harlan Sanders. The late Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. And as Paul Harvey Aurandt would say in that smooth baritone voice: "NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY."
RULES TO REMEMBER (in the forecasting game) :1. Forecasting is very difficult, especially if it's about the future; 2. For this reason: He who lives by the crystal ball soon learns to eat ground glass; 3.Similiarly: The moment you forecast you know you're going to be wrong, you just don't know when and in which direction; 4. Nevertheless, always be precise in your forecasts because: Economists state their GNP growth projections to the nearest tenth of a percentage point to prove they have a sense of humour; 5. Another basic law: If the facts don't conform to the theory, they must be disposed of; 6. If you've always had doubts about the judgments of forecasters, it's quite understandable because: An economist is a man who would marry Farrah Fawcett-Majors for her money; 7. By the same reasoning, your suspicions about the narrow range of most forecasts are justified: The herd instinct among forecasters make sheep look like independent thinkers; 8. When presenting a forecast: Give them a number or give them a date, but never both. (Remember, the preceding came from an unknown source).
ERMA BOMBECK ONCE WROTE: "If a husband watches more than three football games a week the wife should have him declared legally dead and have his estate probated." Ouch!
This son of Harry Harrison Aurandt, a police officer, who died in 1921 after being shot on duty, and Anna Dagmar Christensen, quickly earned radio gigs across Kansas and Missouri and at KXOK-AM in St. Louis where he met Lynne (Angel) Cooper, the station's "women's news" reporter. On the first date, Paul Aurandt proposed to her and she soon became his wife, producer and editor.
According to his profile, he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio in 1951 and in 1976, he began his daily telling little-known anecdotes about famous folks or historic incidents, always with "a twist at the end."
Paul Aurandt and Angel had one son, whom they called Paul Jr.
So the other morning, I tuned to local radio and there were the dulcet tones of a broadcaster, whom I thought had died. But I knew he was very much alive, when Paul Aurandt, Sr. said those magic words: "Paul Harvey ... Good Day."
This prodded me into trying to find an original Harvey story, which I knew was buried in an aging scrapbook. It had Harvey's son, Paul Aurandt Jr.'s byline on it, but it was very much in the famous broadcaster's style.
It read (1980 Los Angeles Times Syndicate):
"He was lying there in the grass, hiding and thinking.
He had studied the little girl's habits. He knew she'd come outside her grandfather's house at mid-afternoon to play.
He hated himself for this.
In his whole miserable, messed-up life he'd never considered anything so callous as kidnapping.
Yet here he was, waiting for an innocent, red-haired, two-year-old child to come within reach.
It was a long wait; there was time to think.
Maybe all his life Harlan had been in too much of a hurry. He was five when his Hoosier farmer daddy had died. At 14 he dropped out of school and hit the road. He tried odd jobs as a farm hand, hated it. Tried being a streetcar conductor and hated that. At 16 he lied about his age and joined the army -- and hated that. too.
At 18 he got married and within months, wouldn't you know she announced she was pregnant the day he announced he'd been fired again?
Then, one day, while he was out job hunting, his wife gave away all their possessions and went home to her parents.
Then came the depression.
He tried selling insurance, selling tires. He tried running a ferryboat, running a filling station. No use.
Face it -- Harlan was a loser.
And now here was hiding in the woods outside Roanoke, Virginia, plotting a kidnapping.
He'd watched the little girl's habits, knew about her afternoon playtime. But this day, she did not come out to play, so his chain of failures remained unbroken.
Later in life he became chief cook and bottle washer at a restaurant in Corbin. And did all right until the new highway bypassed the restaurant.
He'd stayed honest -- except for that one time when he had attempted kidnapping. In fairness to his name it must be noted that it was his own daughter he'd meant to kidnap from his runaway wife. And they both returned to him, the next day, anyway.
But now the years had slid by and a lifetime was gone and he and they had nothing.
He had not really felt old until the day the postman brought his first social security cheque. That day, something within Harland resented, resisted, and exploded.
The government was feeling story for him.
His restaurant customers in Corbin said they'd miss him, but his government said 65 candles on the birthday cake is enough. They sent him a pension cheque and told him he was "old."
"Nuts," he said.
He got so angry he took the $105 cheque and started a new business.
For the man who failed at everything was Harlan Sanders. The late Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. And as Paul Harvey Aurandt would say in that smooth baritone voice: "NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY."
RULES TO REMEMBER (in the forecasting game) :1. Forecasting is very difficult, especially if it's about the future; 2. For this reason: He who lives by the crystal ball soon learns to eat ground glass; 3.Similiarly: The moment you forecast you know you're going to be wrong, you just don't know when and in which direction; 4. Nevertheless, always be precise in your forecasts because: Economists state their GNP growth projections to the nearest tenth of a percentage point to prove they have a sense of humour; 5. Another basic law: If the facts don't conform to the theory, they must be disposed of; 6. If you've always had doubts about the judgments of forecasters, it's quite understandable because: An economist is a man who would marry Farrah Fawcett-Majors for her money; 7. By the same reasoning, your suspicions about the narrow range of most forecasts are justified: The herd instinct among forecasters make sheep look like independent thinkers; 8. When presenting a forecast: Give them a number or give them a date, but never both. (Remember, the preceding came from an unknown source).
ERMA BOMBECK ONCE WROTE: "If a husband watches more than three football games a week the wife should have him declared legally dead and have his estate probated." Ouch!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Summer doldrums, Part I
escapism --n. tendency to seek distraction or relief from reality.
While the rest of the world was mired in political upheavals and storms in the Atlantic and forest fires in far southern British Columbia and nearby Washington State, the Ol' Columnist found himself "lost" in the late '50s. That's right, 1959, to be exact.
It surprised me to learn that my three favorite flicks of all-time were released that year: "North By Northwest," "Room At The Top," and "Some Like It Hot."
But "NbyNW" was showing on the small screen this weekend, and there I was stuck with Cary Grant in Lincoln's Nose.
While savoring the stylish "spy" thriller, there was so much I didn't know about the Alfred Hitchcock-directed flick, so I went searching for trivia.
Little did I know that there were two working titles: "Breathless" and also "In a Northwesterly Direction."
A bit of trivia told me that while the flick was in pre-production, Hitchcock had jokingly called it "The Man in Lincoln's Nose," a reference to the finale at Mount Rushmore.
On my research tour, here's some of what I found:
* James Stewart was very interested in starring in this movie, begging Alfred Hitchcock to let him play Roger O. Thornhill. Hitchcock claimed that 'Vertigo' (1958's) lack of financial success was because Stewart "looked too old." MGM wanted Gregory Peck, but Hitchcock cast Cary Grant.
* It was journalist Otis L. Guernsey, Jr. who suggested to Hitchcock the movie's premise of a man mistaken for a nonexistent secret agent.
Incidentally, Hitchcock had certain logistic problems. For instance, he couldn't get permission to film inside the UN, so he used a hidden camera to get the exterior shots and then Hitch recreated the rooms on a soundtstage; and then I learned the final chase wasn't shot on Mount Rushmore. Hitchcock couldn't get final permission to shoot an attempted murder on the national monument itself, so the director shot the scene in the studio on a replica of Mount Rushmore.
In the 1990s, the Missus and I traveled to Mount Rushmore and found the roads leading to those magnificent faces carved in the rock were clogged with advertising billboards. It was a major disappointment.
Before going on to the second and third "all-time" flicks in future musings, I wondered what the title meant: The trivia blurb said "the title might refer to Hamlet's line, "I am but mad north-northwest," where he tried to convince people of his sanity. The airline that they travel on (westbound) is called "Northwest Airline."
Of course, Hitchcock had to get in a cameo in the flick, which starred the masterful Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and it came during the opening credits. "Hitchcock arrives at a bus stop, but gets there a second too late and the door is closed in his face, He misses the bus," according to the blurb.
In the $$$ department, Grant fared well, receiving $450,000 for the movie and another $315,000 in penalty fees because he had to stay nine weeks past the time his contract called for. Of course, that's small compared to today's salaries, but remember this was 1959.
Finally, another bit of trivia: While at the Mount Rushmore location, Eva Marie Saint uncovered the fact that Grant charged 15 cents for his autograph. Well, a movie star has to pick up some extra cash somehow.
Incidentally, the Ol' Columnist once had movie aspirations.
In 1981, I was "The Viking" in "Running Brave," starring Robbie Benson and Pat Hingle. It was shot outside the federal pen in Drumheller, Alberta and in Edmonton and it told the story of a young Sioux Indian track star, Billy Mills, and how he conquered adversity and later went on to win at the Tokyo Olympics.
In my scenes, Billy's father played by noted actor, August Schellenberg, battled "The Viking" in a carnival ring. I ended up with a concussion and a few coins in my pocket.
Next time, if there's a next time, I want a more sensitive and sedate role.
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: The elite NCAA, south of the border, are in a rush to oust "hostile" and "abusive" American Indian nicknames during post-season tournaments. Here are a list of offensive mascots: Alcorn State University (Braves); Central Michigan University (Chippewas); Catawba College (Indians); Florida State University (Seminoles); Midwestern State University (Indians); University of Utah (Utes); Indiana University-Pennsylvania (Indians); Carthage College (Redmen); Bradley University (Braves); Arkansas State University (Indians); Chowan College (Braves); University of Illinois-Champaign (Illini); University of Louisiana-Monroe (Indians); McMurray University (Indians); Mississippi College (Choctaws); Newberry College (Indians); University of North Dakota (Fighting Sioux); Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Savages). Will such political correctness affect the pros as in Cleveland (Indians), Atlanta (Braves) and Washington (Redskins)? Nicknames which appear safe from any activists are: Toronto (Blue Jays), St. Louis (Cardinals) and Miami (Dolphins). However, in this day and age, and heightened sensitivity, you never know.
IN THE GRRRRRR! DEPT: Overloaded, speeding logging trucks on Highway 97 (between Vernon and Kamloops) swerving around corners, nearly toppling their loads onto unsuspecting vehicles.
NOW YOU KNOW: (From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader): In ancient Inca weddings, the bride and groom weren't considered "officially" married until they had taken off their sandals and traded them with one another.
While the rest of the world was mired in political upheavals and storms in the Atlantic and forest fires in far southern British Columbia and nearby Washington State, the Ol' Columnist found himself "lost" in the late '50s. That's right, 1959, to be exact.
It surprised me to learn that my three favorite flicks of all-time were released that year: "North By Northwest," "Room At The Top," and "Some Like It Hot."
But "NbyNW" was showing on the small screen this weekend, and there I was stuck with Cary Grant in Lincoln's Nose.
While savoring the stylish "spy" thriller, there was so much I didn't know about the Alfred Hitchcock-directed flick, so I went searching for trivia.
Little did I know that there were two working titles: "Breathless" and also "In a Northwesterly Direction."
A bit of trivia told me that while the flick was in pre-production, Hitchcock had jokingly called it "The Man in Lincoln's Nose," a reference to the finale at Mount Rushmore.
On my research tour, here's some of what I found:
* James Stewart was very interested in starring in this movie, begging Alfred Hitchcock to let him play Roger O. Thornhill. Hitchcock claimed that 'Vertigo' (1958's) lack of financial success was because Stewart "looked too old." MGM wanted Gregory Peck, but Hitchcock cast Cary Grant.
* It was journalist Otis L. Guernsey, Jr. who suggested to Hitchcock the movie's premise of a man mistaken for a nonexistent secret agent.
Incidentally, Hitchcock had certain logistic problems. For instance, he couldn't get permission to film inside the UN, so he used a hidden camera to get the exterior shots and then Hitch recreated the rooms on a soundtstage; and then I learned the final chase wasn't shot on Mount Rushmore. Hitchcock couldn't get final permission to shoot an attempted murder on the national monument itself, so the director shot the scene in the studio on a replica of Mount Rushmore.
In the 1990s, the Missus and I traveled to Mount Rushmore and found the roads leading to those magnificent faces carved in the rock were clogged with advertising billboards. It was a major disappointment.
Before going on to the second and third "all-time" flicks in future musings, I wondered what the title meant: The trivia blurb said "the title might refer to Hamlet's line, "I am but mad north-northwest," where he tried to convince people of his sanity. The airline that they travel on (westbound) is called "Northwest Airline."
Of course, Hitchcock had to get in a cameo in the flick, which starred the masterful Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and it came during the opening credits. "Hitchcock arrives at a bus stop, but gets there a second too late and the door is closed in his face, He misses the bus," according to the blurb.
In the $$$ department, Grant fared well, receiving $450,000 for the movie and another $315,000 in penalty fees because he had to stay nine weeks past the time his contract called for. Of course, that's small compared to today's salaries, but remember this was 1959.
Finally, another bit of trivia: While at the Mount Rushmore location, Eva Marie Saint uncovered the fact that Grant charged 15 cents for his autograph. Well, a movie star has to pick up some extra cash somehow.
Incidentally, the Ol' Columnist once had movie aspirations.
In 1981, I was "The Viking" in "Running Brave," starring Robbie Benson and Pat Hingle. It was shot outside the federal pen in Drumheller, Alberta and in Edmonton and it told the story of a young Sioux Indian track star, Billy Mills, and how he conquered adversity and later went on to win at the Tokyo Olympics.
In my scenes, Billy's father played by noted actor, August Schellenberg, battled "The Viking" in a carnival ring. I ended up with a concussion and a few coins in my pocket.
Next time, if there's a next time, I want a more sensitive and sedate role.
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: The elite NCAA, south of the border, are in a rush to oust "hostile" and "abusive" American Indian nicknames during post-season tournaments. Here are a list of offensive mascots: Alcorn State University (Braves); Central Michigan University (Chippewas); Catawba College (Indians); Florida State University (Seminoles); Midwestern State University (Indians); University of Utah (Utes); Indiana University-Pennsylvania (Indians); Carthage College (Redmen); Bradley University (Braves); Arkansas State University (Indians); Chowan College (Braves); University of Illinois-Champaign (Illini); University of Louisiana-Monroe (Indians); McMurray University (Indians); Mississippi College (Choctaws); Newberry College (Indians); University of North Dakota (Fighting Sioux); Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Savages). Will such political correctness affect the pros as in Cleveland (Indians), Atlanta (Braves) and Washington (Redskins)? Nicknames which appear safe from any activists are: Toronto (Blue Jays), St. Louis (Cardinals) and Miami (Dolphins). However, in this day and age, and heightened sensitivity, you never know.
IN THE GRRRRRR! DEPT: Overloaded, speeding logging trucks on Highway 97 (between Vernon and Kamloops) swerving around corners, nearly toppling their loads onto unsuspecting vehicles.
NOW YOU KNOW: (From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader): In ancient Inca weddings, the bride and groom weren't considered "officially" married until they had taken off their sandals and traded them with one another.
Now that's a 'Dirty Job'
Oh, give me a home
where the bison (or buffalo) roam
and I'll show you a dirty house!
Excuse my song-writing abilities, which are nil, but my grandson has served his penance as a "gut boy" at a nearby meat slaughterhouse, in slicing and dicing bison. It was a short-lived career. However, someone has to do it.
Such unsavoury jobs, however, are right up Mike Rowe's alley.
If you don't know who Rowe is, then tune in to the Discovery Channel some time and watch 'Dirty Jobs.'
During season one, he's been an exterminator, crab fisherman, blacksmith/farrier, pig farmer, chewing-gum buster, pigeon-poop cleaner-upper, garbage collector/recycling separator, shark catcher/tagger, car stripper, golf-ball diver, horse breeder, roadkill collector, bat-poop collector, mud gatherer, fish gutter, baby chick sexer, beer brewer, oyster harvester, sewer inspector, disaster clean-up crew member, demolition worker, worm-dung farmer, catfish noodler, septic-tank specialist and even worm rancher.
Yes, Mike Rowe is a dirty, dirty boy.
So it's not Masterpiece Theatre, however, 'Dirty Jobs' has become a major-league TV hit. Even The Missus tunes in, but then the Melville Spitfire has been known to ogle 'American Chopper(s)' on a regular basis.
But back to 'Dirty Jobs.'
In tracking down the 'dirt' about this program, I quickly learned how Rowe became involved with the show: He had studied history, English, communications, speech, music, drama and even a bit of philosophy and had even graduated from Towson State in Maryland. From there it was all downhill. After some acting jobs, 'Discovery' sent him to Alaska to work on a king-crab boat during the filming of 'Deadliest Catch' about the world's most dangerous job. From there, he found himself in 'The Sands of the Dead' in Egypt and as he said, "As a reward, I've been given 'Dirty Jobs.'"
Then Rowe proceeded to explain that being a would-be bat biologist ranked near the top of the worst jobs.
In an interview, Rowe said: "Bracken Cave is about an hour outside Austin, Texas, and home to 40 million Mexican free-tail bats. A bat biologist enters the cave once a month to check on the health of the colony. To do so, he must wade through three feet of guano (bat excrement) and make his way to the far end of the cave, where the bulk of the bats roost. The temperature is over 100 degrees. The air is filled with ammonia, and quite toxic. The bats, 40 million of them, are hanging overhead, urinating constantly, defecating deliberately and giving birth randomly. All the aforementioned substances are falling upon us. The guano that we're standing in is filled with billions of flesh-eating beetles, which survive on dead bats that periodically plummet from the ceiling. Bracken Cave is like no other place on Earth, and quite possibly the dirtiest hole on the planet."
So Mike, have you ever been scared doing a "dirty" job?
"I have a healthy fear of most dangerous things, but when you work alongside people who don't, you either suck it up or look like a sissy," he told the interviewer. "A few months ago, I was in Tampa, neck-deep in a muddy, slime-filled, methane-rich water hazard searching for used golf balls. (Yeah, it's a job). Though golf balls were my objective, I was focused mainly on avoiding the water moccasins and snapping turtles that seemed to infest this particular hazard. At some point, I stepped on something in in the murky, muddy ooze that shot out from under my feet with alarming speed. It was an alligator, and I haven't been the same since."
So, now that I have grossed you out and I've taken a shower, let's turn to something fab as in FabJob.com where Tag and Catherine Goulet have a flourishing business in telling folks how to get a real job.
On their site, the two Calgary-based sisters will tell you: How to become a professional organizer; a spa owner; an actor; an advertising copywriter; an archaelogist; an art curator; a book editor; a butler; a firefighter; a food writer (I would be great at that); an image consultant (what's that?); a pop star; a second-hand store owner; a television reporter; a yoga teacher (now that's twisted) and even how to become a movie extra.
But what about how to become a newspaper columnist?
My sage advice: Write about 'Dirty Jobs' and see how far that gets you.
IN PRIME 'REALITY' TIME: So, at present, there are only two Canadian-based reality shows on TV: 'Canadian Idol' and 13 episodes of 'Making the Cut', about young hockey players bashing their way to glory, some of which was filmed in Vernon. However, the Ol' Columnist is certain that a massive amount of 'reality' TV will seep across the border. Under the 'A' category, there's 'Adrenaline X' (NBC); 'All-American Girl' (ABC); 'All You Need is Love' (FOX); 'Amazing Race' (CBS); 'Ambush Makeover' (Syndicated); 'American Candidate' (Showtime); 'American Fighter Pilots' (CBS); 'American High' (PBS); 'American Idol' (FOX); 'Amish in the City' (UPN); 'Anna Nicole Smith Show' (E!); 'Anything for Love' (FOX); 'The Apprentice' (NBC); 'The Apprentice Martha Stewart' (NBC); 'Are You Hot?' (ABC); 'The Ashlee Simpson Show' (MTV); 'The Assistant' (MTV) and 'Average Joe' (NBC) ... And that's just under the A's ... Whew!
FYI: With the late Marilyn Monroe's latest 'revelations' in the news these days, did you know that Mick Jagger studied the way MM moved and learned to mimic her on stage? (A bit of trivia from 'Uncle John's Bathroom Reader')
where the bison (or buffalo) roam
and I'll show you a dirty house!
Excuse my song-writing abilities, which are nil, but my grandson has served his penance as a "gut boy" at a nearby meat slaughterhouse, in slicing and dicing bison. It was a short-lived career. However, someone has to do it.
Such unsavoury jobs, however, are right up Mike Rowe's alley.
If you don't know who Rowe is, then tune in to the Discovery Channel some time and watch 'Dirty Jobs.'
During season one, he's been an exterminator, crab fisherman, blacksmith/farrier, pig farmer, chewing-gum buster, pigeon-poop cleaner-upper, garbage collector/recycling separator, shark catcher/tagger, car stripper, golf-ball diver, horse breeder, roadkill collector, bat-poop collector, mud gatherer, fish gutter, baby chick sexer, beer brewer, oyster harvester, sewer inspector, disaster clean-up crew member, demolition worker, worm-dung farmer, catfish noodler, septic-tank specialist and even worm rancher.
Yes, Mike Rowe is a dirty, dirty boy.
So it's not Masterpiece Theatre, however, 'Dirty Jobs' has become a major-league TV hit. Even The Missus tunes in, but then the Melville Spitfire has been known to ogle 'American Chopper(s)' on a regular basis.
But back to 'Dirty Jobs.'
In tracking down the 'dirt' about this program, I quickly learned how Rowe became involved with the show: He had studied history, English, communications, speech, music, drama and even a bit of philosophy and had even graduated from Towson State in Maryland. From there it was all downhill. After some acting jobs, 'Discovery' sent him to Alaska to work on a king-crab boat during the filming of 'Deadliest Catch' about the world's most dangerous job. From there, he found himself in 'The Sands of the Dead' in Egypt and as he said, "As a reward, I've been given 'Dirty Jobs.'"
Then Rowe proceeded to explain that being a would-be bat biologist ranked near the top of the worst jobs.
In an interview, Rowe said: "Bracken Cave is about an hour outside Austin, Texas, and home to 40 million Mexican free-tail bats. A bat biologist enters the cave once a month to check on the health of the colony. To do so, he must wade through three feet of guano (bat excrement) and make his way to the far end of the cave, where the bulk of the bats roost. The temperature is over 100 degrees. The air is filled with ammonia, and quite toxic. The bats, 40 million of them, are hanging overhead, urinating constantly, defecating deliberately and giving birth randomly. All the aforementioned substances are falling upon us. The guano that we're standing in is filled with billions of flesh-eating beetles, which survive on dead bats that periodically plummet from the ceiling. Bracken Cave is like no other place on Earth, and quite possibly the dirtiest hole on the planet."
So Mike, have you ever been scared doing a "dirty" job?
"I have a healthy fear of most dangerous things, but when you work alongside people who don't, you either suck it up or look like a sissy," he told the interviewer. "A few months ago, I was in Tampa, neck-deep in a muddy, slime-filled, methane-rich water hazard searching for used golf balls. (Yeah, it's a job). Though golf balls were my objective, I was focused mainly on avoiding the water moccasins and snapping turtles that seemed to infest this particular hazard. At some point, I stepped on something in in the murky, muddy ooze that shot out from under my feet with alarming speed. It was an alligator, and I haven't been the same since."
So, now that I have grossed you out and I've taken a shower, let's turn to something fab as in FabJob.com where Tag and Catherine Goulet have a flourishing business in telling folks how to get a real job.
On their site, the two Calgary-based sisters will tell you: How to become a professional organizer; a spa owner; an actor; an advertising copywriter; an archaelogist; an art curator; a book editor; a butler; a firefighter; a food writer (I would be great at that); an image consultant (what's that?); a pop star; a second-hand store owner; a television reporter; a yoga teacher (now that's twisted) and even how to become a movie extra.
But what about how to become a newspaper columnist?
My sage advice: Write about 'Dirty Jobs' and see how far that gets you.
IN PRIME 'REALITY' TIME: So, at present, there are only two Canadian-based reality shows on TV: 'Canadian Idol' and 13 episodes of 'Making the Cut', about young hockey players bashing their way to glory, some of which was filmed in Vernon. However, the Ol' Columnist is certain that a massive amount of 'reality' TV will seep across the border. Under the 'A' category, there's 'Adrenaline X' (NBC); 'All-American Girl' (ABC); 'All You Need is Love' (FOX); 'Amazing Race' (CBS); 'Ambush Makeover' (Syndicated); 'American Candidate' (Showtime); 'American Fighter Pilots' (CBS); 'American High' (PBS); 'American Idol' (FOX); 'Amish in the City' (UPN); 'Anna Nicole Smith Show' (E!); 'Anything for Love' (FOX); 'The Apprentice' (NBC); 'The Apprentice Martha Stewart' (NBC); 'Are You Hot?' (ABC); 'The Ashlee Simpson Show' (MTV); 'The Assistant' (MTV) and 'Average Joe' (NBC) ... And that's just under the A's ... Whew!
FYI: With the late Marilyn Monroe's latest 'revelations' in the news these days, did you know that Mick Jagger studied the way MM moved and learned to mimic her on stage? (A bit of trivia from 'Uncle John's Bathroom Reader')
Musty booknooks and polls
So what happens, Corbett, when you suffer continuous brain drain?
Scratching what little hair I have left on this noggin, I replied: "I go to The Source."
"The Source" has a name, he's Brian Doling. He's the keeper of magazines and books, mainly old, and when in need of a column idea, which gets to be every day during the summer doldrums, my trusty steed (known as the Subaru) finds its way close to the Polson Park Mall and Doling's shingle, which reads: BJ's Books & Things.
For a scribbler, it's a haven.
Hidden behind the shelves of scattered books and magazines, sits Mr. Doling.
"I'm looking for something about Sayings or Myth Busters or Pet Peeves, something along those lines, do you have anything like that?" I whined.
Without hesitation, Doling guided me into one of the booknook's crevices, and there was a paperback, titled, "A Hog On Ice & Other Curious Expressions" that actually "eyed" me. The subtitle read: The Origin & Development of the Pungent & Colorful Phrases We All Use." The author's name was Charles Earle Funk.
"Is he related to Funk & Wagnalls?" I muttered to myself.
Then turning to the back cover, it read: Charles Earle Funk (1881-1957) was editor-in-chief of the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary Series. He wrote several other books on word and phrase origins, including Thereby Hangs A Tale.
"I'll take it," I said, shoving a five-spot into Doling's hand.
After speedreading its 214 pages, I found that "A Hog On Ice" is a treasure chest of common sayings in the English language that we use every day, in fact there are literally thousands of them and as the author writes: "They have come from all the trades and professions; they have come from the courts of kings and from beggars' hovels; they have come from churches and cathedrals and they have come from gambling halls and bawdy houses." And Mr. Funk went on and on to explain those "phrase origins."
Without delving into copyright issues and all that, let me briefly tell you about some of the phrases I have heard throughout my lifetime and see if they ring a bell with you:
In a Blue Funk -- The English phrase, "in a funk," was Oxford slang back in the middle of the 18th century, and seems to have been borrowed from a Flemish phrase, "in de fonck siin," which also meant "in a state of panic"; but no one has been able to to figure out why the Flemish fonck meant "panic."
Spick and Span -- The phrase has no other meaning than absolutely and wholly new.
Cock-and-Bull Story -- A story that stretches the imaginations somewhat beyond the limits of credulity.
Without explanations, here are a number of favorite sayings I have heard throughout the years: To cool one's heels; Dyed in the wool; To take the bull by the horns; Small fry; One-horse town; Red-letter Day; To rain cats and dogs; Till all the cows come home; To talk turkey; To eat humble pie; To split hairs; Best bib and tucker; To bark up the wrong tree; Once in a blue moon; Straight from the horse's mouth; To buy a pig in a poke; By the skin of one's teeth; Bats in one's belfry; and To shoot the bull.
Now you probably have heard those phrases and know their meaning, but, Smarty-Pants tell me what these mean: To come out at the little end of the horn; Not amount to Hannah More; Rope of sand; Sword of Damocles; Bull of Bashan or to Cut the Gordian knot?
And what about the book title: 'A Hog on Ice'? It seem Mr. Funk had a mother, who whenever she saw a pompous person strutting down the street, etc., etc., would always say that individual was "as independent as a hog on ice," meaning cockily independent, supremely confident, beholden to no one," according to the paperback's foreword.
NO ONE ASKED ME, BUT: The Ol' Columnist is on the verge of sulking. Why? No one, but no one has ever asked me what I think about The West separating from the rest of Canada. Have you been asked? No. So we both haven't a clue why Faron Ellis, a political science prof at the Lethbridge Community College, can claim 35.6 per cent of westerners agree with the statement: "Western Canadians should begin to explore the idea of forming their own country." When I checked out the Western Standard website (those were the folks that asked Ellis to conduct the poll) the headline screamed: A NATION TORN APART. Maybe so, maybe so. Now, Martin and the Liberals frustrate me as much as the next person in this vast nation, but to separate and go blindly into the future, without a solid game plan, now that would be ridiculous. But then again, nobody asked me for my opinion.
WORD FOR YOU, JAVA JUNKIES: Caffeine doesn't keep you awake by supplying extra energy; rather, it fools your body into thinking it isn't tired, according to a reliable source, 'Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.' Furthermore, when your brain is tired and wants to slow down, it releases a chemical called adenosine. This adenosine travels to special cells called receptors, where it goes to work counteracting the chemicals that stimulate your brain. Caffeine mimics adenosine; so it can "plug up" your receptors and prevent adenosine from getting through. Result your brain never gets the signal to slow down, and keeps building up stimulants. Now, excuse me, the Missus wants to know if I'd like another cup of tea.
Scratching what little hair I have left on this noggin, I replied: "I go to The Source."
"The Source" has a name, he's Brian Doling. He's the keeper of magazines and books, mainly old, and when in need of a column idea, which gets to be every day during the summer doldrums, my trusty steed (known as the Subaru) finds its way close to the Polson Park Mall and Doling's shingle, which reads: BJ's Books & Things.
For a scribbler, it's a haven.
Hidden behind the shelves of scattered books and magazines, sits Mr. Doling.
"I'm looking for something about Sayings or Myth Busters or Pet Peeves, something along those lines, do you have anything like that?" I whined.
Without hesitation, Doling guided me into one of the booknook's crevices, and there was a paperback, titled, "A Hog On Ice & Other Curious Expressions" that actually "eyed" me. The subtitle read: The Origin & Development of the Pungent & Colorful Phrases We All Use." The author's name was Charles Earle Funk.
"Is he related to Funk & Wagnalls?" I muttered to myself.
Then turning to the back cover, it read: Charles Earle Funk (1881-1957) was editor-in-chief of the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary Series. He wrote several other books on word and phrase origins, including Thereby Hangs A Tale.
"I'll take it," I said, shoving a five-spot into Doling's hand.
After speedreading its 214 pages, I found that "A Hog On Ice" is a treasure chest of common sayings in the English language that we use every day, in fact there are literally thousands of them and as the author writes: "They have come from all the trades and professions; they have come from the courts of kings and from beggars' hovels; they have come from churches and cathedrals and they have come from gambling halls and bawdy houses." And Mr. Funk went on and on to explain those "phrase origins."
Without delving into copyright issues and all that, let me briefly tell you about some of the phrases I have heard throughout my lifetime and see if they ring a bell with you:
In a Blue Funk -- The English phrase, "in a funk," was Oxford slang back in the middle of the 18th century, and seems to have been borrowed from a Flemish phrase, "in de fonck siin," which also meant "in a state of panic"; but no one has been able to to figure out why the Flemish fonck meant "panic."
Spick and Span -- The phrase has no other meaning than absolutely and wholly new.
Cock-and-Bull Story -- A story that stretches the imaginations somewhat beyond the limits of credulity.
Without explanations, here are a number of favorite sayings I have heard throughout the years: To cool one's heels; Dyed in the wool; To take the bull by the horns; Small fry; One-horse town; Red-letter Day; To rain cats and dogs; Till all the cows come home; To talk turkey; To eat humble pie; To split hairs; Best bib and tucker; To bark up the wrong tree; Once in a blue moon; Straight from the horse's mouth; To buy a pig in a poke; By the skin of one's teeth; Bats in one's belfry; and To shoot the bull.
Now you probably have heard those phrases and know their meaning, but, Smarty-Pants tell me what these mean: To come out at the little end of the horn; Not amount to Hannah More; Rope of sand; Sword of Damocles; Bull of Bashan or to Cut the Gordian knot?
And what about the book title: 'A Hog on Ice'? It seem Mr. Funk had a mother, who whenever she saw a pompous person strutting down the street, etc., etc., would always say that individual was "as independent as a hog on ice," meaning cockily independent, supremely confident, beholden to no one," according to the paperback's foreword.
NO ONE ASKED ME, BUT: The Ol' Columnist is on the verge of sulking. Why? No one, but no one has ever asked me what I think about The West separating from the rest of Canada. Have you been asked? No. So we both haven't a clue why Faron Ellis, a political science prof at the Lethbridge Community College, can claim 35.6 per cent of westerners agree with the statement: "Western Canadians should begin to explore the idea of forming their own country." When I checked out the Western Standard website (those were the folks that asked Ellis to conduct the poll) the headline screamed: A NATION TORN APART. Maybe so, maybe so. Now, Martin and the Liberals frustrate me as much as the next person in this vast nation, but to separate and go blindly into the future, without a solid game plan, now that would be ridiculous. But then again, nobody asked me for my opinion.
WORD FOR YOU, JAVA JUNKIES: Caffeine doesn't keep you awake by supplying extra energy; rather, it fools your body into thinking it isn't tired, according to a reliable source, 'Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.' Furthermore, when your brain is tired and wants to slow down, it releases a chemical called adenosine. This adenosine travels to special cells called receptors, where it goes to work counteracting the chemicals that stimulate your brain. Caffeine mimics adenosine; so it can "plug up" your receptors and prevent adenosine from getting through. Result your brain never gets the signal to slow down, and keeps building up stimulants. Now, excuse me, the Missus wants to know if I'd like another cup of tea.
Gretzky: A real class act
Wayne Gretzky has all the qualifications of being the head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. He'll try anything once.
When the Ol' Columnist heard about The Great One becoming the 15th head coach of the NHL franchise which shifted out of drafty Winnipeg into the Arizona desert, I went scrambling for a TV video buried in a dusty cupboard.
It had a simple title: 'Gretzky & Corbett' ( Running time: Approx. 30 min.) The date was in the fall of 1981. The scene: A crowded Edmonton street and there, surrounded by teammates Cowboy Flett, Mark Messier and Brett Callighen, was Gretzky on horseback. It was the opening of the Great Gretzky's Western Corral -- a top-notch men's clothing shop.
Corbett: First time on a horse, Wayne?
Gretzky: First and last.
Corbett: What instructions did Cowboy (Flett) give you?
Gretzky: Pray and hold on.
Inside the store, I asked Flett what technique he had used.
Flett: One thing he did do was he got on the horse and he got off it ... Well, you know, Wayne'e been with me a couple of other times in different transactions with horses and he's been nervous before, but tonight he was calm, cool and collected.
Gretzky: It was the first time I ever rode alone. I was with Cowboy a couple of years ago, but he had to hold onto the reins, but (tonight) it was the first time I ever rode alone.
However, when I asked him to sing "Mommas. Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," he refused, claiming he would do it on radio, but not on television. And then he blushed.
But what the piece of fading video told me, that a blushing Gretzky is not only the classiest athlete I have ever met, but he is also the most honest in a jaded world filled with puffed-up jocks.
He has surrounded himself with classy individuals as well, most notably, Phoenix general manager Mike Barnett. A former professional hockey player, Barnett was Gretzky's "confidante," during the years in Edmonton. Today, undoubtedly, the same formula still works in Arizona.
In Phoenix, he has put together a sharp coaching team in former Detroit Red Wings associate coach Barry Smith, former Coyotes player Rick Tocchet, and former interim head coach Rick Bowness.
When David Vest of the Arizona Republic asked him about the trio, the ever-modest Gretzky was quoted as saying, "I'm ecstatic to have this staff."
When veteran Jeremy Roenick was asked about Gretzky's coaching role, he was quoted as saying: "I think having him stand behind the bench is a great thing for the game of hockey, and we need that coming out of the lockout. He has so much pizzazz and he brings so much leverage to the game that it's a perfect thing for the National Hockey League to have Wayne more involved."
Gretzky has indeed had the Midas touch both as a player and as an executive with Team Canada and also as an 18 per cent owner in the Coyotes, so there's no reason to doubt he'll be successful in his new post.
There will be doubters, but The Great One can always remind them that he once coached a Canadian junior club for one game back in 1981-82. They won 7-0.
While scouting the wires about the Gretzky appointment, I uncovered a quote from John Iaboni of the defunct Toronto Telegram, which read: "There's a little number 9 in town who has ambitions of replacing Gordie Howe ... 10-year-old Wayne Gretzky has proven he can score goals, too." Ironically, Gretz scored 378 goals in one season in "atom" in 1971. I know, for I used to help Iaboni put the minor hockey page together for the Tely. And Gretzky's name was always prominent. So nearly 35 years later, the 44-year-old Gretzky is back in the headlines, where he belongs.
Although, I wasn't able to contact him yesterday in Phoenix, I knew he probably had become an expert horseman, but whether he can sing "Momma, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," on key, now that's another matter.
NOW THAT'S COSTLY: When Vancouver Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi flattened Colorado's Steve Moore way back on March 8, 2004, it not only caused 'Bert' a devastating suspension, but it cost him $501, 916.39 US in salary, according to the CBC website. That's a hefty price to pay, in any league. NHL head honcho Gary Bettman confirmed Bertuzzi's reinstatement, accompanied by a truckful of legalese.
MORE FROM UNCLE JOHN'S BATHROOM READER: The Quack: Dr. Elisha Perkins. Specialty: A contraption called, "the Tractor," patented in 1796. Treatment: The Tractor, which was made up of two rods -- one copper, zinc, and gold, and one silver, platinum, and iron -- was passed over a sick person. Perkins preached that it literally pulled diseases out of the body and patients such as George Washington and Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth of the U.S. Supreme Court believed him. Final Diagnosis: Medical experts of the day knew Perkins was a fake, but Perkins may have managed to fool himself. Armed with his magic rods, he traveled to New York in 1799 to treat the victims of a yellow fever epidemic that was sweeping the city. He didn't cure a single person and, a few weeks later, succumbed to the disease himself.
When the Ol' Columnist heard about The Great One becoming the 15th head coach of the NHL franchise which shifted out of drafty Winnipeg into the Arizona desert, I went scrambling for a TV video buried in a dusty cupboard.
It had a simple title: 'Gretzky & Corbett' ( Running time: Approx. 30 min.) The date was in the fall of 1981. The scene: A crowded Edmonton street and there, surrounded by teammates Cowboy Flett, Mark Messier and Brett Callighen, was Gretzky on horseback. It was the opening of the Great Gretzky's Western Corral -- a top-notch men's clothing shop.
Corbett: First time on a horse, Wayne?
Gretzky: First and last.
Corbett: What instructions did Cowboy (Flett) give you?
Gretzky: Pray and hold on.
Inside the store, I asked Flett what technique he had used.
Flett: One thing he did do was he got on the horse and he got off it ... Well, you know, Wayne'e been with me a couple of other times in different transactions with horses and he's been nervous before, but tonight he was calm, cool and collected.
Gretzky: It was the first time I ever rode alone. I was with Cowboy a couple of years ago, but he had to hold onto the reins, but (tonight) it was the first time I ever rode alone.
However, when I asked him to sing "Mommas. Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," he refused, claiming he would do it on radio, but not on television. And then he blushed.
But what the piece of fading video told me, that a blushing Gretzky is not only the classiest athlete I have ever met, but he is also the most honest in a jaded world filled with puffed-up jocks.
He has surrounded himself with classy individuals as well, most notably, Phoenix general manager Mike Barnett. A former professional hockey player, Barnett was Gretzky's "confidante," during the years in Edmonton. Today, undoubtedly, the same formula still works in Arizona.
In Phoenix, he has put together a sharp coaching team in former Detroit Red Wings associate coach Barry Smith, former Coyotes player Rick Tocchet, and former interim head coach Rick Bowness.
When David Vest of the Arizona Republic asked him about the trio, the ever-modest Gretzky was quoted as saying, "I'm ecstatic to have this staff."
When veteran Jeremy Roenick was asked about Gretzky's coaching role, he was quoted as saying: "I think having him stand behind the bench is a great thing for the game of hockey, and we need that coming out of the lockout. He has so much pizzazz and he brings so much leverage to the game that it's a perfect thing for the National Hockey League to have Wayne more involved."
Gretzky has indeed had the Midas touch both as a player and as an executive with Team Canada and also as an 18 per cent owner in the Coyotes, so there's no reason to doubt he'll be successful in his new post.
There will be doubters, but The Great One can always remind them that he once coached a Canadian junior club for one game back in 1981-82. They won 7-0.
While scouting the wires about the Gretzky appointment, I uncovered a quote from John Iaboni of the defunct Toronto Telegram, which read: "There's a little number 9 in town who has ambitions of replacing Gordie Howe ... 10-year-old Wayne Gretzky has proven he can score goals, too." Ironically, Gretz scored 378 goals in one season in "atom" in 1971. I know, for I used to help Iaboni put the minor hockey page together for the Tely. And Gretzky's name was always prominent. So nearly 35 years later, the 44-year-old Gretzky is back in the headlines, where he belongs.
Although, I wasn't able to contact him yesterday in Phoenix, I knew he probably had become an expert horseman, but whether he can sing "Momma, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," on key, now that's another matter.
NOW THAT'S COSTLY: When Vancouver Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi flattened Colorado's Steve Moore way back on March 8, 2004, it not only caused 'Bert' a devastating suspension, but it cost him $501, 916.39 US in salary, according to the CBC website. That's a hefty price to pay, in any league. NHL head honcho Gary Bettman confirmed Bertuzzi's reinstatement, accompanied by a truckful of legalese.
MORE FROM UNCLE JOHN'S BATHROOM READER: The Quack: Dr. Elisha Perkins. Specialty: A contraption called, "the Tractor," patented in 1796. Treatment: The Tractor, which was made up of two rods -- one copper, zinc, and gold, and one silver, platinum, and iron -- was passed over a sick person. Perkins preached that it literally pulled diseases out of the body and patients such as George Washington and Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth of the U.S. Supreme Court believed him. Final Diagnosis: Medical experts of the day knew Perkins was a fake, but Perkins may have managed to fool himself. Armed with his magic rods, he traveled to New York in 1799 to treat the victims of a yellow fever epidemic that was sweeping the city. He didn't cure a single person and, a few weeks later, succumbed to the disease himself.
You're an ol' namedropper
Your banker loves to give you greenbacks, right?
No, you say, well I have a few suggestions for you. Five, and possibly, 10, if you pay attention.
The next time you're in the Canadian Bank of Cheap Skates, tell Mr. Tightwad that you're a friend of Bill Gates.
Yes, that Bill Gates, who ranks No. 1 among the world's billionaires, according to Forbes Magazine.
Then if Mr. Tightwad doesn't choke on his pencil, tell him that Billy Boy, age 49, has a net worth of $46.5 billion and read him the Forbes' memo that claims Sir William (yes, he was given an honorary knighthood) is still pressing Microsoft beyond PCs into television set-top boxes, games, cell phones. Gates told his company researchers that "software is where the action is." Of course, Bill is diversifying his wealth, according to Forbes, because he sells 20 million shares each quarter and then re-invests in such hot commodities as Cox Communications, Canadian National Railway, etc. And then when he's not growing money trees, Gates gives it away -- some $27 million. His foundation, along with his wife, Melinda, fights infectious diseases, funds vaccine development and helps high schools.
Isn't Mr. Tightwad convinced you are worthy of a loan?
Well, here's another name for you: Warren Buffet, 74, of Berkshire Hathway, with a net worth of $44 billion. He's a major holder in such investments as insurance, energy, carpets, jewelry, furniture, paint (Benjamin Moore), apparel (Fruit of the Loom), American Express, Coca-Cola, Gillette, etc., according to Forbes.
After Gates and Buffet comes No. 3, according to Forbes, and that's Lakshmi Mittal, 54, from India, who lives in London, England. Overseeing the world's largest steel company, Mittal Steel, he has amassed some $25 billion. This father of two doesn't mind dropping a few dollars, in fact he spent $60 million to host his daughter's five-day long wedding celebration in Versailles last summer.
At No. 4, according to Forbes, is 65-year Carlos Slim Helu, who is worth some $23.8 billion from Mexico City. Cited as Latin America's richest man, this Midas is in communications with diverse holdings in retail, banking, insurance and autoparts manufacturing. In addition, according to Forbes, the widower with six children has invested heavily in Rodin sculptures and even restores colonial buildings in Mexico City's historic city centre.
Perhaps, the most flamboyant of the billionaires is No. 5 Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud with a cool $23.7 billion. From Saudi Arabia, this globe-trotting investor, at age 48, has a massive stake in Citicorp, and touts his wealth by taking ads out on CNN.
So there you have it, according to Forbes, the top five billionaires on the planet. Of course, since you're into name-dropping, don't forget to add six through 10: Ingvar Kamprad, Paul Allen, Karl Albrecht, Lawrence Ellison and S. Robson Walton.
O'REILLY GETS SECOND BILLING: As an avid Bill O'Reilly watcher on Fox, the Ol' Columnist was a bit surprised to learn that Greta Van Susteran's 'On the Record' had zoomed into the top ratings as she pursued the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. In case, you've missed the story, the Alabama teen vanished, almost into thin air, and has been nightly fare on U.S. networks. Van Susteran, who used to be at CNN, has "camped" out on the vacation island, and averaged 2.2 million viewers nightly during July. She bested O'Reilly eight times in the ratings, although Bill was off four of those nights. The lawyer has been a forceful interviewer in keeping interest in the tragic disappearance.
CARTOON NAMES: If you ever wondered how certain cartoon characters got their names, a peek inside Uncle John's Bathroom Reader might help. Take for instance Bugs Bunny. In 1940, cartoonist Bugs Hardaway submitted preliminary sketches for a "tall, lanky, mean rabbit" for a cartoon called "Hare-um Scare-um" -- and someone labeled the drawings "Bug's Bunny." Hardaway's mean rabbit was never used -- but the name was given to the bunny in the cartooon, "A Wild Hare."
PORKY PIG: According to creator Bob Clampett: "Someone thought of two puppies named Ham and Ex, and that started me thinking, So after dinner one night, I came up with Porky and Beans. I made a drawing of this fat little pig, which I named Porky, and little black cat named Beans."
ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE: Rocky was picked because it was "just a square-sounding kid's name. Bullwinkle was named after Clarence Bulwinkel, a Berkeley, California, used car dealer.
FOGHORN LEGHORN: Modeled after Senator Claghorn, a fictional politician in comedian Fred Allen's radio show.
So you're really that old, that you remember Fred Allen?
No, you say, well I have a few suggestions for you. Five, and possibly, 10, if you pay attention.
The next time you're in the Canadian Bank of Cheap Skates, tell Mr. Tightwad that you're a friend of Bill Gates.
Yes, that Bill Gates, who ranks No. 1 among the world's billionaires, according to Forbes Magazine.
Then if Mr. Tightwad doesn't choke on his pencil, tell him that Billy Boy, age 49, has a net worth of $46.5 billion and read him the Forbes' memo that claims Sir William (yes, he was given an honorary knighthood) is still pressing Microsoft beyond PCs into television set-top boxes, games, cell phones. Gates told his company researchers that "software is where the action is." Of course, Bill is diversifying his wealth, according to Forbes, because he sells 20 million shares each quarter and then re-invests in such hot commodities as Cox Communications, Canadian National Railway, etc. And then when he's not growing money trees, Gates gives it away -- some $27 million. His foundation, along with his wife, Melinda, fights infectious diseases, funds vaccine development and helps high schools.
Isn't Mr. Tightwad convinced you are worthy of a loan?
Well, here's another name for you: Warren Buffet, 74, of Berkshire Hathway, with a net worth of $44 billion. He's a major holder in such investments as insurance, energy, carpets, jewelry, furniture, paint (Benjamin Moore), apparel (Fruit of the Loom), American Express, Coca-Cola, Gillette, etc., according to Forbes.
After Gates and Buffet comes No. 3, according to Forbes, and that's Lakshmi Mittal, 54, from India, who lives in London, England. Overseeing the world's largest steel company, Mittal Steel, he has amassed some $25 billion. This father of two doesn't mind dropping a few dollars, in fact he spent $60 million to host his daughter's five-day long wedding celebration in Versailles last summer.
At No. 4, according to Forbes, is 65-year Carlos Slim Helu, who is worth some $23.8 billion from Mexico City. Cited as Latin America's richest man, this Midas is in communications with diverse holdings in retail, banking, insurance and autoparts manufacturing. In addition, according to Forbes, the widower with six children has invested heavily in Rodin sculptures and even restores colonial buildings in Mexico City's historic city centre.
Perhaps, the most flamboyant of the billionaires is No. 5 Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud with a cool $23.7 billion. From Saudi Arabia, this globe-trotting investor, at age 48, has a massive stake in Citicorp, and touts his wealth by taking ads out on CNN.
So there you have it, according to Forbes, the top five billionaires on the planet. Of course, since you're into name-dropping, don't forget to add six through 10: Ingvar Kamprad, Paul Allen, Karl Albrecht, Lawrence Ellison and S. Robson Walton.
O'REILLY GETS SECOND BILLING: As an avid Bill O'Reilly watcher on Fox, the Ol' Columnist was a bit surprised to learn that Greta Van Susteran's 'On the Record' had zoomed into the top ratings as she pursued the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. In case, you've missed the story, the Alabama teen vanished, almost into thin air, and has been nightly fare on U.S. networks. Van Susteran, who used to be at CNN, has "camped" out on the vacation island, and averaged 2.2 million viewers nightly during July. She bested O'Reilly eight times in the ratings, although Bill was off four of those nights. The lawyer has been a forceful interviewer in keeping interest in the tragic disappearance.
CARTOON NAMES: If you ever wondered how certain cartoon characters got their names, a peek inside Uncle John's Bathroom Reader might help. Take for instance Bugs Bunny. In 1940, cartoonist Bugs Hardaway submitted preliminary sketches for a "tall, lanky, mean rabbit" for a cartoon called "Hare-um Scare-um" -- and someone labeled the drawings "Bug's Bunny." Hardaway's mean rabbit was never used -- but the name was given to the bunny in the cartooon, "A Wild Hare."
PORKY PIG: According to creator Bob Clampett: "Someone thought of two puppies named Ham and Ex, and that started me thinking, So after dinner one night, I came up with Porky and Beans. I made a drawing of this fat little pig, which I named Porky, and little black cat named Beans."
ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE: Rocky was picked because it was "just a square-sounding kid's name. Bullwinkle was named after Clarence Bulwinkel, a Berkeley, California, used car dealer.
FOGHORN LEGHORN: Modeled after Senator Claghorn, a fictional politician in comedian Fred Allen's radio show.
So you're really that old, that you remember Fred Allen?
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