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Sunday Newsletter 2001-29Su. July 22, 2001. [John] I think what is lined up below is a nice collection of thoughts and facts for you, our avid reader. My apologies, but I could not include my promised article on toponymy this week. I hope you enjoy what is here. There is one small format change -- starting this week I will write the brief introduction that you see at the top of the newsletter every week, and Craig will sign off every week. You'll be able to tell who is talking (and therefore who to blame in Craig's case) by the name in square brackets at the beginning of the paragraph. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ TABLE OF CONTENTS // \ Question of the week \ Biography -- Chief Dan George \ Quote of the week \ Notes from the notable -- Sara Jeannette Duncan \ Reader feedback \ Recipes -- Yummy Angel Food Cake \ Humour for the week \ Sports tidbit \ Pet peeve \ Obituary \ Also born this week \ It happened this week in history \ Follow-up to article on Herschel Island \ Geek report \ Answer to this week's question \ Preview \ Links and resources \ Legal and subscription information _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ QUESTION OF THE WEEK // What is the Chute Montmorency? The answer, as usual, is near the bottom of the newsletter. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ BIOGRAPHY // Chief Dan George Like many aboriginal people that become involved in the world outside of their native realm, Dan George was known by many names. George was born the son of a Salish tribal chief on Burrard Reserve Three in North Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 24, 1899. His native birth-name was Geswanouth Slaholt, and he was also referred to by the native nickname "Teswahno". The English derivation of Teswahno is Dan Slaholt, which explains where the name "Dan" came from. At the age of five he entered a boarding school mission where, along with the other native children, he was forbidden to use his native tongue. Although Slaholt was supposedly his English surname, the mission school decided to have little Dan answer to the fully-English name of Dan George. Much later in his life he was referred to as Sagacious Sachem. "Sagacious" literally means having keen perception, sound judgment and wisdom, while "sachem" means chief of an aboriginal tribe. George stayed at the mission school until he was 17, when he left to work with nature in the outdoors. Six years later his father-in-law managed to work him into the longshoreman's roster, where he worked for the next 25 years. In 1947 a load of lumber nearly killed him, making a return to this occupation impossible due to the damage to his hip and legs. He spent the next few years recovering and travelling as a musician. When he became well enough, he spent a short time in construction and even drove the local school bus for a while. In 1951 he became chief of the Squamish Band of Burrard Inlet, where he served until 1963. It was during this time (1959 to be precise) that his talent for acting was discovered, although the exact method of discovery remains elusive. George began acting in a series of roles, portraying a gentle Indian elder in the formative years of Canadian television. He also took on the same role in a few theatrical productions. In 1961 he began appearing on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) television show "Cariboo Country". It was on this show, during the 1964-1965 season, that the actor previously given the role of Old Antoine become seriously ill and a replacement was needed almost immediately. George got the part and soon critics were describing him as one of the "finest natural actors anywhere". One episode won the Canadian Film Award for best entertainment film of 1965, and Walt Disney Studios adapted another of the series into the movie simply named "Smith". George's role in "Smith" was a highly visible one, as he appeared with actors Glenn Ford (also a Canadian), Dean Jagger, Keenan Wynn and Jay Silverheels (another Canadian and Tonto from the television series "The Lone Ranger"). One critic went so far as to say that Dan George, portraying Old Antoine, played the role to "ultimate perfection". George's top film honour came in 1970 when he was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance alongside Dustin Hoffman in "Little Big Man". He also continued to appear in film and make guest appearances on such television productions as "The Incredible Hulk", "Kung Fu", "Marcus Welby M.D." and "Bonanza". George was also honoured by a couple of universities, the first being Simon Fraser University (SFU, located in Burnaby, British Columbia) with a Doctor of Laws degree, then by the University of Brandon in Manitoba with a Doctor of Letters degree. George continued to work in film until his 80th year, and died the following year on September 23, 1981. (One of my references says he died on September 12. The source of this date is the usually reliable "Canadian Encyclopedia". Unfortunately I could not verify this on the Internet as every single other reference to his date of death [eight of them] claim the 23rd as the date.) On November 23, 2000, at Chief Dan George School in Scarborough, Ontario, a $17 000 "Millennium Totem Pole" was unveiled to further honour George. Students read poetry and writings by George as the pole was planted into position. All this came into being because of the numerous works of poetry and several books authored by this native spokesman during his film career. He is best remembered for his much-publicized recital of "A Lament for Confederation" which, recalling past injustices against First Nation people, promised the crowd of 35 000 at Vancouver's Empire Stadium "I shall grab the instruments of the white man's success, his education, his skills, and with these new tools I shall build my race into the proudest segment of your society." "The Wolf Ceremony", by Chief Dan George Fictitious (or maybe not) interviews with Chief Dan George's spirit Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreille _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ QUOTE OF THE WEEK // "O Great Spirit whose voice I hear in the winds, I come to you as one of your many children. I need your strength and your wisdom. Make me strong not to be superior to my brother, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy: MYSELF." Chief Dan George. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ NOTES FROM THE NOTABLE // Name: Sara Jeannette Duncan. Vocation: Novelist and journalist. Born at: Brantford, Canada West. Birth date: December 22, 1861. Died at: Ashstead, England. Date of death: July 22, 1922. Claim to fame: Duncan was the first woman to be employed full-time by the "Toronto Globe" newspaper in 1886. She also worked at the "Montreal Star" newspaper. Publications: Duncan began a round-the-world tour in 1888 which culminated in her first novel "A Social Departure". She met and married Everard Cotes and spent the next 25 years living in India, following which she moved to England. During this time she produced an additional 21 novels, including her brilliant masterpiece "The Imperialist" which has been described as her best. "The Imperialist" describes life as it was a century ago in southern Ontario, and has both romantic and political themes. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ READER FEEDBACK // I received a comment from a reader named Rob regarding my "Question of the Week" last week. I had asked; "The first radio station in Canada to broadcast a program did not even have four letters in its call sign. What was the name of this station that was granted transmission rights with the issuing of a licence in 1919?" The answer was that the experimental station referred to as XWA was the first to receive a licence. XWA later changed its call sign to CFCF. According to Rob, he was once told that CFCF stood for "Canada's First, Canada's Finest". Thanks Rob. ________---------=========^^^^Ô^^^^=========---------_________ \\ RECIPES // Yummy Angel Food Cake I was reminded by our write-up in the "Calgary Sun" last week that I have not given you a recipe for some time, so here is one from my sister-in-law, Sandy. It's a dessert which, by the way, adds only three points per serving to the daily count for those following a Weight Watchers program -- a program that seems to be working out very well for members of my family. My wife has been on the program for about five months and has lost 45 pounds. Her sister, who contributed this recipe (which was donated by another member of the clan), has been on the program for a shorter time, but I believe her weight loss is now in the 30-pound range! Good luck ladies. By the way, this is not a Weight Watchers recipe but has only been analysed for its value according to the program's point scale. Number of servings: 12. Preparation time: 5 minutes -- really easy. Baking time: 30-35 minutes. Ingredients: 1 package dry angel food cake mix 1 19-ounce can crushed pineapple (juice and all) Method: Mix the crushed pineapple and juice into the dry cake mix. (No water is needed.) Stir well. Pour into a 9" x 13" non-stick cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes. Because this is angel food, it is best if you can invert the pan while cooling. I put two cups on the counter and then rest the ends of the pan on them. It works quite well. Cut into 12 pieces. Really easy indeed -- even I could make this. My wife, Christine, has now cooked it three times, experimenting a little with cupcakes, and I admit it's delicious. For those not on a diet, I suggest vanilla ice cream, Kool Whip, or whipped cream as an accompaniment. "Calgary Sun" _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ HUMOUR FOR THE WEEK // A man and his young son were travelling to the bank one Saturday morning when they stopped at a corner. The little boy, hearing a beeping sound, asked his dad where the sound was coming from. His dad replied that the sound was coming from a nearby dump truck that was backing up, and that sound was to warn people behind it to get out of the way. When they arrived at the bank the lines were long, so they joined one of the lines behind a rather large person. All of a sudden someone's pager started beeping and, with fear in his eyes, the little boy said, "Look out dad! He's backing up!" _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ SPORTS TIDBIT // Who was George Gibson? More affectionately known as "Mooney", he was one of Canada's first players to appear in the "American" pastime of baseball. Born in London, Ontario, on July 22, 1880, Gibson signed a professional contract in 1903 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a catcher with an incredible throwing arm and led all National-League catchers in fielding percentage a number of times. Gibson also appeared in and helped contribute to Pittsburgh's World-Series win in 1909. He finally retired in 1918. Later Gibson managed the Pittsburgh Pirates during two different stints and also managed the Chicago Cubs between his Pittsburgh appointments. Gibson was named Canada's baseball player of the half century and, in 1958, was the first baseball player elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. A couple of old-time sports cards with Gibson depicted on them released in cigarette packs command quite a good price considering he is not American. The 1909 T206 (the "T" stands for "tobacco") white-border set lists his card (141) at a current value of US$70, and the 1911 T205 gold-border set lists his card (64) with a price tag of around US$90. Gibson died at his birth place on January 25, 1967. He was 86. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ PET PEEVE // Like the recipe article appearing above, it has been a while since I have included a pet peeve in our newsletter. This is not for lack of material on my part (I guess I complain a lot) but more for the fact that I have not received much input from you, our avid readers. I suppose you're all much better adjusted than I. This week, however, I received the following from Ralph. "When watching a show filmed or produced in the US and they make a reference to a place in Canada, they'll use only the city/country designation, ignoring the province. For example: Calgary, Canada (not Calgary, Alberta, Canada), Ottawa, Canada (not Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), and Toronto, Canada (not Toronto, Ontario. Canada). No wonder many US citizens seem to think that towns are all very close together up here, considering the above terminology. We wouldn't dream of mailing a letter down to the US without designating a city and a state." I agree 100 percent with Ralph's peeve. Anyone have any further comments? Contact me at john@factscanada.ca. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ OBITUARY // Back in FactsCanada.ca issue 2001-21Su on May 27, 2001, I featured a small article on the birth of the Dionne Quintuplets. In that article I described how two of the sisters had already passed on. I am sorry to report the third death of this unique pentad. On Saturday, June 23, 2001, Yvonne Dionne, one of the three remaining Dionne quintuplets, died at a hospital in Longueuil, Quebec, two weeks after undergoing cancer surgery. She was 67. Some information on the Dionne Quintuplets _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ ALSO BORN THIS WEEK // Charles Fraser Comfort, painter, director of the National Gallery of Canada (1960-1965), and an Officer of the Order of Canada (1972), born in Edinburgh, Scotland, July 22, 1900. He arrived in Canada at the age of 12. Sir Oliver Mowat, lieutenant-governor (1897 until his death in 1903) and premier of Ontario (1872-1896), born in Kingston, Upper Canada, July 22, 1820. James Thomas Milton Anderson, author, teacher, and premier of Saskatchewan (1929-1934), born in Fairbank, Ontario, July 23, 1878. Robert Joseph Farnon, composer, orchestral conductor and Grammy-Award winner, born in Toronto, Ontario, July 24, 1917. Maureen Forrester, teacher, musical contralto, and Companion of the Order of Canada (1967), born in Montreal, Quebec, July 25, 1930. Steve Podborski, alpine skier, Olympic medalist and Officer of the Order of Canada (1982), born in Toronto, Ontario, July 25, 1957. Sir Richard Ernest William Turner KCMG, VC, DSO, soldier, businessman, and knighted in 1917, this Victoria-Cross winner was born in Quebec City, Quebec, July 25, 1871. Marc Lalonde, politician, born in Ile-Perrot, Quebec, July 26, 1929. Edgar Peter Lougheed, lawyer, Companion of the Order of Canada (1987), and premier of Alberta (1971-1985), born in Calgary, Alberta, July 26, 1928. Harvie Andre, politician, born in Edmonton, Alberta, July 27, 1940. Ernest Howard Armstrong, journalist, lawyer, and premier of Nova Scotia (1923-1925), born in Kingston, Nova Scotia, July 27, 1864. Donald Farquharson, premier of Prince Edward Island (1898-1901), born in Mermaid, Prince Edward Island, July 27, 1834. Aubin-Edmond Arsenault, lawyer and premier of Prince Edward Island (1917-1919), born in Egmont Bay, Prince Edward Island, July 28, 1870. Arsenault was also the first Acadian premier of any Canadian province. Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox, Marathon of Hope runner and inspirer of a nation, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, July 28, 1958. (You can read Terry's biography in FactsCanada.ca issue 2000-04Su.) Russell Stanley "Russ" Jackson, Canadian football legend, high school principal, and Member of the Order of Canada (1969), born in Hamilton, Ontario, July 28, 1936. Jackson was a three-time Schenley-Award winner as the CFL's most outstanding player and was inducted into their Hall of Fame on May 16, 1973. Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG means Knight Commander of Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George) Distinguished Service Order (DSO) _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ IT HAPPENED THIS WEEK IN HISTORY // July 22, 1950 -- William Lyon Mackenzie King, prime minister of Canada for three terms (1921-26, 1926-30 and 1935-48), died in Ottawa, Ontario. July 23, 1983 -- The small town of Gimli, Manitoba, with a population around 1700, was the landing site for the "Gimli Glider", an Air Canada 767 en route from Montreal to Edmonton, which ran out of fuel over Red Lake, Ontario, and glided to a safe landing at the tiny Gimli airport. Coincidentally, Gimli is also the location of the Regional Gliding School for the Royal Canadian Air Cadets' Gliding Scholarship program! (You can read some fascinating information about Gimli in FactsCanada.ca issue 2001-17Su.) July 25, 1917 -- Tragedy struck Dominion, Nova Scotia, when 65 miners were killed in an explosion at their mine. July 27, 1857 -- Ann Augusta Stowe-Gullen (née Stowe) was born in Mount Pleasant, Canada West, on this date. In 1883 she was the first woman to gain a medical degree in Canada, graduating from Victoria College in Cobourg, Ontario, after having studied at the Toronto School of Medicine. July 28, 1981 -- A severe hailstorm crossed Calgary, Alberta, causing $150 million of property damage. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ FOLLOW-UP TO ARTICLE ON HERSCHEL ISLAND // In FactsCanada.ca issue 2001-13Su we profiled Herschel Island, Yukon Territory. There was an interesting story in the "Vancouver Sun" on Saturday, July 21, about coffins on the island resurfacing after being buried for 80 years. Apparently the coffins have been forced up by frost heaves during the spring thaw. Because of its location, the area has been home to several groups of people, including Russian Inuit, so nobody is sure who the graves belong to. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ GEEK REPORT // This is a short but very important "Geek Report" this week. There is a very sinister worm circulating the Internet called the "W32.Sircam.Worm@mm" that was discovered on July 17. What is different about this one is that it will scan your "My Documents" folder and send copies of the files it finds to every e-mail address it finds on your computer, including any found in your browser's cache and not just those in your Outlook address book. John and I have received several copies of this worm already, although thankfully neither of us has been infected. Please follow the link below to learn more about this worm, how you can protect yourself against it, and how you can recover from it if you have already been infected. Information on the W32.Sircam.Worm@mm worm _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ ANSWER TO THIS WEEK'S QUESTION // Above I posed the question: "What is the Chute Montmorency?" It's a waterfall! "Chute" is an exclusively French-Canadian term for a waterfall derived from the Old-French word "cheoite". Chute Montmorency is located 13 kilometres east of Quebec City at the mouth of Riviere Montmorency where it empties into the St. Lawrence River. It is the highest waterfall in the province of Quebec and the eighth highest in Canada. This 84-metre high cataract even surpasses that of Niagara Falls in Ontario, and forms a spectacular cascade as it joins the waters north of the Ile d'Orleans. The waterfall is an enduring tourist attraction and has observation points and picnic areas. Quebec City is provided with power and light from hydroelectric power developments at the waterfall. FactsCanada.ca map of Chute Montmorency, Quebec _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ \\ PREVIEW // Here's a partial look at what I will be writing about this Sunday: I'll profile Geddy Lee and hockey great Marcel Dionne, and I'll bring you my article on toponymy and my trivia on "saintly" place names. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ [Craig] Between a crashing computer, losing a bunch of data, a network that doesn't, helping my mum move last week, what feels like a developing abscess behind a crown, and what right now feels like appendicitis (my warranty must have expired on Friday), I am a week behind on everything. Things can only get better, right? I hope so. Talk to you on Sunday... I hope. _______-------=======^^^Ô^^^=======-------_______ == LINKS AND RESOURCES == FactsCanada.ca -- http://www.factscanada.ca Today's resources NinerNet Communications |
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