Jack Layton, 1950-2011

I was in a pretty good mood when I got to work last Monday morning. I'd barely sat at my desk and turned on my computer, though, when I got the news: "Jack Layton died."

It shouldn't have been a shock. Anyone who saw his gaunt appearance at his last press conference knew it couldn't be good. People talked about the possibility that he wouldn't return to Parliament Hill in whispers, as if saying it too loudly might cause it to happen.

Maybe in the end, someone spoke about it too loudly after all. Maybe it was just meant to happen this way. Maybe it was just a fluke of nature - a bad hand dealt in the game of life. I suppose in the end, it comes down to what you believe about life, and death.

In the past week, I've been kind of weepy when I thought about it. It's not because of any personal connection: like most Canadians, I didn't know Jack Layton personally; in fact, I never even met the man, or saw him from afar. Although I'm not registered with any particular party, I've always considered myself a Liberal who occasionally votes NDP. I've never lived in his constituency, so I have never had the opportunity to cast a vote for, or against him.

Really, me being weepy about something isn't all that unusual. Don't tell anyone, but the truth is I can get weepy over just about anything - happy or sad. Any strong emotion can elicit tears from me. It's kind of embarrassing.I don't think the subtle melancholy I've felt the past week has been my usual hyper-emotional state, though. There has been something about Jack Layton's passing that has affected me, and made me think about what I really believe in.

The title of this blog has always been tongue-in-cheek. As much as I've considered running for political office, I seriously doubt that my "30 Days of Ben Mulroney" entries are likely to help my cause. Layton's passing, though, does make me think a lot about what I believe.

I believe:

• That everyone should have equal rights - including the right to marry and raise a family.
• That every child deserves the best possible start in life. Sadly, this doesn't always happen at home, so our schools, and our community programs are pivotal, and deserve nothing but the best.
• That healthcare is a right, not a privilege. No one should go bankrupt paying medical bills. Families going through catastrophic illness deserve support.
• In justice, not vengeance.
• That higher education and apprenticeship training should be available to everyone. While it may not be realistic to assume that it could be free, there needs to be a better way of making it accessible, without students going into massive amounts of debt.
• That Canada needs to be at the forefront of finding alternative energy sources, while still keeping costs in line, so that families can afford to pay their utility bills.

In Jack Layton, we saw optimism, and hope for the future of Canada. Not that I'm generally a fan of Stephen Harper anyway, but I just don't see that kind of positive energy from him. He just always seems pissed off and angry. He appears - to me, anyway - like he's looking down on those he claims to represent. Jack Layton never did that. One of the best photos I've seen the past week was of Layton and his wife, Olivia Chow, riding in the Toronto Pride Parade, and looking like they were having a fabulous time.

I want to see Canada have a leader with that kind of vivacity. Not that personality alone makes a leader: you need the brains to back it up; but to see someone leading this country who actually cared what Canadians thought, and what they needed to make their lives better. Isn't that what we need?

As we talked on the day of Jack Layton's death, my husband said, "He was never meant to be Prime Minister." That may be so, but I truly hope that in the next few years of the Harper majority, a leader will emerge who will give Canadians a sense of optimism, and energy. I am so proud to be Canadian. I want the world to be able to see what an amazing country this is, and I want every Canadian to feel the same way.

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful, and optimistic. And we'll change the world."

 RIP Jack.

Heartbreaking Video of the Oil Spill

I admit it: I am an avoider. I avoid reading about issues that I know are going to upset me. I hate feeling helpless. If it makes me angry, fine, I'll read all about it, but if it's just plain sad, even with a little anger mixed in, I'll sometimes avoid an issue until I just can't anymore. I've done that with the oil spill.

Then the other day I watched a slide show of photos of marine birds, covered in oil, completely mired in, dying as surely as if they were covered in cement.

Today I came across this video of an AP reporter, Rich Matthews, scuba diving in the Gulf. It's a worthwhile piece, and I hope you'll watch it. You can read his account of it here.

Sale & Pelletier to Divorce

Jamie Sale & David Pelletier had one of the most famous "Love Story"s of the 2000's, but apparently it's coming to an end. The two skaters, who famously were awarded a second Olympic gold medal for pairs figure skating in 2002 captivated audiences worldwide. Those same audiences were thrilled to learn that the skaters were a couple off-ice, as well.

Sale & Pelletier married 4.5 years ago, and have one son, Jesse, who turns 3 in September. They say that they will continue to skate together professionally. They have been living apart for the past 18 months.

RIP Lena Horne

I was truly sad this morning to hear about the passing of Lena Horne. I'm not a huge jazz fan by any means, but I did love her voice.

She joined the chorus at the famous Cotton Club at the age of 16. She later moved to Hollywood and eventually starred in movies such as Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. She found herself blacklisted, though, during the McCarthy era, and returned to her nightclub roots, also releasing many albums. She was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement, as well.

There are a lot of more thorough obituaries out there right now where you can read more about her. She's actually quite fascinating. I have a feeling that many people of my generation will remember her mostly from this, though.

For Those Who May Not Read Both of My Sites...

I'm just going to link to my article about yesterday's school stabbing here in Oshawa.

June Havoc Dies at 97 (Maybe?)

I recently shared my love of Gypsy Rose Lee. It was kind of a strange admission that was, in fact, me just posting a video to test it for a friend having trouble doing so on his own blog. It was, though, a completely true admission.

And so, since my interest wasn't just in the Broadway show, but also in the "real" Gypsy (if there actually was such a thing) I was naturally interested in the truth about her sister "Baby" June.

In the musical, June and Louise (later Gypsy) are shown as "the Star" and "the Other". Sort of like "The Heir and the Spare" as Princes William and Harry are somewhat horrifically known. Mama Rose sees June's talent and pushes her onstage, leaving no-talent Louise in the background, on-stage and off. The sisters are obviously not close, but at one point in the show "If Mama Got Married", they unite in their wish to be off-stage and in a real home.

In truth, Gypsy and June were estranged for many years. June didn't like her sister's choice of careers, and was even less impressed by her own portrayal in the musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable (the last part was added in part to appease June by admitting the show stretched the truth - or outright lied, depending on who you talked to). They did apparently reconcile shortly before Gypsy's death in 1970, but I still find it sad that they were so torn apart by their mother's favoritism.

Ellen Evangeline Hovick was born November 8, 1912, or so she surmised. It was hard for her to know exactly since her mother carried five different birth certificates around to circumvent the child labour laws in various states. "June" was a huge hit in Vaudeville starting at an insanely young age. At the age of 6 she said she was making $1500 a week - not bad for 1918. She claimed to have been dancing on pointe at the age of 2. If you've never seen Gypsy, you don't know stage mothers. Rose Hovick was the stage mother to end all stage mothers from most reports. In the musical, Mama Rose is portrayed almost as quirky or eccentric, but her daughter claimed that she was actually physically and psychologically cruel:  June was pushed on stage even with a high fever and chicken pox - just covered with makeup.

As a young teenager (possibly as young as 13 years old) June did actually run away with one of the dancers from their show and get married. The marriage didn't last long, but the two stayed together professionally on the Depression-Era marathon dance circuit. Eventually June became a successful Broadway actress (Pal Joey, Dinner at 8), and appeared in films like Anna Christie and Gentlemen`s Agreement. She also created and directed the Broadway show Marathon `33 about the age of marathon dancing, and there is even a small Off-Off Broadway theatre named in her honour.

You can read more about the life of June Havoc here.

I Loved You Yesterday, but Today...

By now you may have heard of Constance McMillen, the Mississippi teenager who was told that she couldn't bring her girlfriend to the prom. When Constance went to the ACLU for help, and the media got wind of the story, the school cancelled the prom "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events". While the courts have decided that the school violated Constance's First Amendment Rights, they also ruled that the school couldn't be forced to hold a prom. Luckily a group of parents are arranging a private prom.

After hearing Constance's story, Derrick Martin, of Cochran, GA, decided to get permission to take his boyfriend to his prom. In this case, the school said okay, but sadly his parents, upset by the media attention, have kicked their son out of the house.


I just don't understand how someone can love their child one day for who they are, but as soon as a label is put on them, suddenly they're not the same person? You can't love your child because of who they love? It's just so sad.

International Skating Union Once Again Shows Its True Colours

http://www.thestar.com/sports/figureskating/article/780416--dimanno-joannie-rochette-faced-with-a-stark-choice?bn=1

DiManno: Joannie Rochette faced with a stark choice

Skater faces sanctions after accepting TV gig and bowing out of competition

by Rosie DiManno

A daughter's love for her dead mother or a skater's obligation to her sport: It's a stark choice that should not be demanded of Joannie Rochette.

She's been through enough already. But unless the International Skating Union does the humanitarian thing and relaxes its rules, makes one empathetic exception, this is precisely the dilemma facing Canada's Olympic bronze medallist.

A fortnight ago, the world was transfixed by the inspirational performance of a 24-year-old woman who compartmentalized her grief, competing in Vancouver just days after her mother's sudden death.

(Thérèse Rochette was struck down by a massive heart attack within hours of arriving in the city to watch her daughter's bid for a medal at the Games.)

Joannie Rochette dedicated that performance to her mom and, last week, placed the bronze medal on her mother's casket at the delayed funeral.

The native of teeny Ile Dupas, Quebec, then accepted an invitation to appear in "Thin Ice," a made-for-TV event to be broadcast live on Friday by ABC. On Monday, citing exhaustion and lack of preparation, she formally withdrew from next week's World Figure Skating Championships in Turin.

The ISU, a bossy organization at the best of times – and for Joannie Rochette these have been the worst of times – isn't having any of it. It has threatened unspecified punitive measures against the skater if she goes ahead and participates in the non-sanctioned "Thin Ice," citing a breach of two specific ISU rules and slyly shifting the blame to Skate Canada.

It was never Rochette's intent to compete in the ABC event. She wanted only to perform, at the end of the show, an exhibition tribute to her mother, the same routine she skated at the post-competition figure skating gala in Vancouver – choreographed to "Vole,'' a song by Céline Dion that was a favourite of Thérèse Rochette.

As of last night, there was no indication that Joannie Rochette, six years in a row the Canadian champion, has changed her mind, even though appearing on the show might put her ISU eligible status at risk – meaning it's possible she might not be allowed to compete in any future ISU-sanctioned event.

A statement issued by the skater on Monday addressed only her decision to withdraw from Turin.
"With everything that has happened over the past few weeks, I have missed a significant amount of training time. That means I'm not prepared either emotionally or physically to skate well at these championships and once again challenge for the podium.

"Whenever I compete I want to give my best to the fans and to respect the competitive nature of the sport. I just would not be able to do that for either the fans or myself next week.''

Her agent told Associated Press Rochette had filed her papers with Skate Canada, requesting permission to appear in the ABC show.

William Thompson, Skate Canada CEO, told the Star on Monday that the federation had made no objection. "But we didn't even know she was going to do it until we saw the press release from the promoter.''

At the time, Skate Canada presumed – but had doubts – that Rochette would still compete in Turin afterwards.

Skate Canada was then informed that "Thin Ice" lacked ISU approval, specifically because the event would be using non-ISU judges. Thompson told the ISU that Rochette was not competing, merely skating as an exhibition artist.

The ISU came back and said, uh-uh, not good enough. Another rule forbids skaters from participating in non-sanctioned events, even in an exhibition role, while simultaneously taking a pass on their competitions. And Rochette had just announced she wasn't going to Worlds. Even withdrawal from an ISU assignment on the Grand Prix circuit due to injury imposes a 30-day ban on any other appearance.

"There are legitimate reasons for the ISU rules,'' says Thompson, noting TV viewership and ticket sales decline when popular skaters – as Rochette certainly is – pull out of major events. "Skaters benefit greatly from ISU events also. They make a lot of prize money.''

While Skate Canada has no wish to directly sanction Rochette, it is at the mercy of the ISU, which has the authority to punish the national body and its other skaters.

"We're kind of stuck because there can be some sort of penalty against our skaters. We can't allow ourselves to be put in that position, but it leaves us between a rock and a hard place,'' Thompson says.

He says he doesn't know what the punitive range might be because he can't recall a similar situation in the past. But if Skate Canada bucks the ISU, it's entirely possibly other Canadian skaters might be denied participation in ISU competitions.

Thompson is now waiting to see if the ISU will show some flexibility.

"We're hoping they will relax the rules, given these particular circumstances. I certainly don't mind Joannie being in this show, and Skate Canada would not punish her. But I don't know where this is all going to land.''

Rochette's only other option might be to turn pro immediately and the hell with the ISU. In Vancouver, however, she made no mention of wanting to end her competitive career, and certainly not this way.

It would be shameful if the ISU pushed a grieving young woman into doing so.

This is an example of something that I talk about a lot: the literal sense of the law vs the spirit of the law. I can understand WHY the ISU would have this law in place. You don't want amateur skaters foregoing ISU events to do paid gigs.

This is not what is happening, though. A grieving young woman wants to do a tribute to the mother who sacrificed so much for her skating career. One small, exhibition performance on a television show. She doesn't, however, feel up to competing at the level of a World Championship. This girl just lost her mother, yet she still skated at the Olympics. Can't the ISU show a little bit of compassion? Oh right, I forgot who we were talking about for a moment.

This Woman Disgusts Me

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/780267--veterans-families-angry-over-bid-to-sell-wartime-artifacts?bn=1

Outrage is growing over the sale of a significant Canadian military collection amid claims that many of the artifacts are family treasures belonging to people who never intended them to be sold.
Adding fuel to the fire are reports that hundreds of World War II items from the Robert Stuart Aeronautical Collection and Camp X exhibit housed in the history buff’s museum have already been sold on eBay, following his death seven years ago.
Since Stuart’s daughter, Deirdre Stuart, advertised the contents of the museum on the Internet last month, benefactors have come forward to say numerous personal possessions were donated or loaned by veterans or their families, who want them back.
Newcastle firefighter Cameron Smith is one of them. His grandfather Harry Smith, who taught Allied agents safecracking, lock-picking and explosives demolition at Whitby’s Camp X spy training school, handed over his uniform and single-shot pistol in a “gentleman’s agreement” years ago.
“My grandfather wouldn’t have intended this stuff to be sold,” says Smith. “They do not belong to (Deirdre Stuart). This is a Canadian heritage collection and should be treated as such.”
Stuart, who’s asking $1 million for the entire collection on an aviation website, Barnstormers.com, says Smith and other claimants are out of luck.
“If you didn’t put it in writing, you pretty much gave it to us,” she says. “Like, hello? How stupid are people. We’ve had this museum for 33 years. It’s ours.”
She insists her father purchased most of the military and aviation collectibles housed in a city-owned building at Oshawa Municipal Airport on Stevenson Rd. Accusing dishonest types of “coming out of the woodwork to get a piece of the pie,” Stuart says she’ll only return articles to a couple of people who had a written loan agreement.
But documentation is practically nonexistent, says a longtime friend.
“Bob was such a lovely man and everyone liked him so much, no one would ask him to sign a document.”
He says the collection includes a “priceless national treasure” — a 1944 oil painting of ace fighter pilot Lloyd Chadburn that was donated by Chadburn’s family.
Since Robert Stuart died, artifacts worth between $100,000 and $200,000 in total have been sold on eBay by a third party, says a collector of militaria who knows the museum’s contents well. The sales include an RCAF World War II pilot’s lifejacket he witnessed being given to Robert Stuart to display.
Some of the items are so rare there’s no doubt where they came from, says the collector, who didn’t wish to be identified.
Not true, says Deirdre Stuart. “Tell them to prove that anything was ever on eBay.”
A friend who helped out at the museum says benefactors never intended the collectibles “to make money for his wife and daughter.”
“He’d turn over in his grave with what’s happening now,” Brian Munro says of the kind-hearted man who enjoyed “enormous support and respect from the community.”
Local historian and author Lynn Philip Hodgson, who fears the collection might leave the country, has launched a campaign to buy it and find a permanent home in Durham Region. He’s received many calls and emails from people who loaned artifacts in the belief that the museum, which is open on Sundays through the summer, is government-run.
“Usually, the stipulation was that they must always be on display or be returned to the owner,” says Hodgson, an authority on Camp X who also loaned items that he’d like back. A committee he’s set up is applying for charitable status so they can set up a bank account and start raising funds.
Bomber pilot Angus Dixon’s prized sheepskin-lined RCAF flight boots seem gone for good, says his dismayed widow, Jane Dixon.
“Stuart kept asking him for his flight boots to complete the pilot’s regalia on a mannequin,” she recalls. “It meant quite a lot to him. I don’t think he’d be very happy about it being on eBay.” After Angus died in 2000 at age 85, she donated his dress uniform and three flight posters.
Engineer Brett McLellan is similarly upset after Deirdre Stuart told him she has no record of his grandfather’s things, which an ailing Robert Stuart pointed out when McLellan was at the airport on a job in 2003.
“I feel sick to my stomach,” he says, thinking about his grandfather’s RAF uniform, Distinguished Flying Cross, pistol and other belongings being sold to a stranger.
“I really, really want to get the DFC back,” he says. “It’s family history.”

This woman should be ashamed of herself, but I think it's safe to say she doesn't have a conscience. “Like, hello? How stupid are people. We’ve had this museum for 33 years. It’s ours.” Karma's a bitch, Deirdre, karma's a bitch.

Donor Steps Up to Help Pay Costs for Haim's Funeral

Corey Haim is to be laid to rest on Tuesday in Toronto, the Toronto Star reports. The owner of a memorabilia company, Startifacts, has stepped forward to donate $20,000 towards the costs of bringing the body home, and the funeral and burial.

I'm sort of sad that it appears that none of the Hollywood stars who are claiming to be friends and admirers are helping. I hear varying things about Haim's family, and perhaps there isn't as much sympathy for them, but still, the cost of a burial is pocket change for some of these people. What about Charlie Sheen, his costar from Lucas, the highest paid sitcom actor on television (not that he doesn't have his own bills to pay right now, but still)? Charlie's problems with substance abuse are beyond well-documented; you would think he might have some sympathy. Haim's problems don't make him less deserving of a proper burial.

I hope that there doesn't end up with some big outcry in Toronto if the city pays for the burial plot. That's next to nothing, and it doesn't deserve some huge backlash. From all reports, Haim was a good guy who, as Corey Feldman put it, never did anything to hurt anyone but himself. Let him rest in peace at home.

Corey Haim Dead at 38

I wasn't a real fan of "The Coreys". My  teenage crushes pre-NKOTB (do NOT judge me!) leaned more towards River Phoenix, Chad Allen and Sean Astin.

Still, I remember going to see License to Drive in the theatre purely because 16 magazine (or maybe Bop?) told me that The Coreys were absolutely dreamy in it. I remember watching Dream a Little Dream and just SO not getting it. Pretty much any movie that either of them were in, I had to see.

I also remember reading all of the articles in Tiger Beat (or was it Big Boppper?) about how The Coreys didn't do drugs, so neither should I. I was young, and I was naive, and I believed it. After all, how could someone so young and so cute be a drug addict?

Of course, I was wrong. Both of The Coreys later admitted to drug problems, but it was Corey Haim who sadly couldn't overcome them. There are some pictures of him out there from the past decade that are just plain sad, to tell the truth. Bloated, overweight and looking like someone you might pass sitting on Queen St. West with a sign asking for spare change.

He seemed to want it so badly: the acceptance and the success, but he just couldn't quite get it. And honestly, when faced with that kind of rejection, who wouldn't go back to the one thing that made you feel better, even if only superficially?

I just feel sad right now. There is nothing more I hate than to see a life wasted, and this was truly a life wasted.