Monday, August 31, 2009

New meaning to the term "Gut Bomb"

It seems someone doesn't like the food in this place ,more than me.  lol

Verdun McDonanld's hit with something that looked like a grenade,.......here's the story from this morning's Gazette:

MONTREAL ­ A McDonald's restaurant in Verdun was shut down this morning after an object that 'looked like a grenade' was tossed through its window.

The restaurant at 4300 Lasalle Blvd. will be closed until a bomb squad removes the object. Streets around the restaurant are open to traffic.

Employees heard a window break at around 5:30 a.m. and went to investigate. They assumed someone had thrown a rock through the window, but instead they found what appeared to be a grenade.

"The object does not seem to active," reassured Montreal police Constable Annie Lemieux. "But you can't take chances anyway."

Sunday, August 30, 2009

God and Dog

The one thing I feel deprived of in living in a condo is having a dog.
Here is a wonderful composition written and sung by a talented dog lover no doubt. btw I never had a landlord dog, cat, tropical fish, or bird problem living on Second Avenue in the 40s 50s. Maybe now it is very different.
Bill


http://www.andiesisle.com/GoD_and_DoG.html

Scotty Bowman

Going through my files I came upon these pages from the 1950 VHS yearbook wich I had already posted in December 2006 on the old site but most members probably don't remember it so I am posting it again. Notice next to Scotty's photo is the following question:

Probable Destiny: A graduate of Sam Pollack's "Hockey School". How's that for a prophacy.

I recently posted a plaque that I photographed in the front garden of the Auditorium and I meant to return as I was told that there is another commemorative plaque or photo inside. I will check it out. As far as I am concerned, his accomplishment should be commemorated in a  much larger way in Verdun.

Guy

Steve Gladish, VHS 1965

Steve,

I found your VHS photo wich I had already posted on May 10th and wich you probably missed.

Guy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Sam 'the RIFLE' Etcheverry has died: (think Alouettes)

                                 

Sam Etcheverry, the legendary quarterback who led the Montreal Alouettes to three Grey Cup championships in the 1950s then later coached them to another, has died at the age of 79.

Etcheverry died Saturday morning following a long battle with cancer.

One of the most remarkable players in team and Canadian Football League history, Etcheverry quarterbacked the Alouettes from 1952 to 1960, setting virtually every team passing record. He totalled 30,303 yards and 186 touchdowns on 1,969 completions.

He led the Als to Grey Cup appearances in 1954, ’55 and ’56. In 1954, Etcheverry won the Schenley Award as the CFL’s best player. Two years later, he became the first quarterback in CFL history to reach 4,000 passing yards in a season.

He threw for 508 yards in the 1955 Grey Cup, setting a record that still stands.

A six-time CFL all-star, Etcheverry came back to the Als in 1970 as head coach, leading the team to a Grey Cup win over the Calgary Stampeders.

Peter Dalla Riva spent 14 seasons as an Alouettes tight end and was on that Cup-winning club in 1970.

“Sam was a legend. He treated you like an ordinary person, and wouldn’t yell and scream,” Dalla Riva said recently. “I had a lot of respect for him.

“We played hard and good things happened. Sam did a great job and we all stayed together.”

Etcheverry’s No. 92 jersey was retired by the Alouettes in 1996. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on Nov. 28, 1969.

All of us in the Canadian Football League feel a pang of sorrow, and a debt of gratitude, upon hearing of the passing of one of our legends, Sam Etcheverry,” CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said Saturday. “It is sometimes said of us fortunate enough to follow great men and women that we stand on the shoulders of giants. In the CFL, it is equally true that we have travelled far on the strong arms of great quarterbacks, and no one was better than Sam ‘The Rifle.’ ”Cohon added: “He not only led his team on the field and later from the sideline; he was one of the superstars who helped lead our league into a modern, new age. Sam Etcheverry will be sorely missed, fondly remembered, and forever listed among the greats who carried our league forward, with each and every pass" ..........................................here's the obit that appears in today's Gazette,Sept OBITUARY SAM ETCHEVERRY It is with great sadness that the family announces the passing of Sam Etcheverry on Saturday, August 29, 2009 in Montreal after a courageous battle with cancer. He was seventy-nine years old. Sam will be sadly missed by his wife Sinikka, children Steve (Sue), Mike, Nancy (Jeff), Jennifer (Bob), grandchildren Jenna, Krista, Zachary, Riley and Taylor and step-children. The family would like to thank Dr. Geoffrey Blake and the physicians, nurses and staff at Montreal General Hospital for their compassionate care of Sam. A visitation will be held at Mount Royal Funeral Complex on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., 1297 Chemin de la Foret, Outremont. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 2 p.m. at St Patrick's Basilica, 460 Rene-Levesque Blvd. W., Montreal, preceded by a visitation from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations would be greatly appreciated to the Jim Etcheverry Scholarship Fundre of Bishop's University attention Dave McBride 819-822-9600 or Le Garde Manger Pour Tous or Success for Youth Foundation both care of the Alouette Head Office -

Dancing Having Fun in Verdun----Remember?

Remember this old photo of the kids dancing outside at the old Woodland Park in front of the Bandstand................................Well it'seems they still have fun in Verdun dancing outside at the new covered shelter near the Natatorium,where the have a Swing Dance Party,.......this shot was then...........

                       ............and this link to the Video is Now (well summer 2008,actually) I haven't come across the 2009 Version Yet,....but in any case the kids are having fun,

                                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggwHbkXhjS0

....also here's the link to the Swing Dance website ,it looks like they've had all their dance's so far this year,.but check it out ,if you like:

                                   http://www.swinginmontreal.com/se/se_en.html

 

           

        ......and don't forget,   Have Fun & Remember Verdun 

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Costco Capturing the Moment or Capitalizing Early ...Yikes !! 118 days till x-mas

Big Box Store can't start to early,.......lol, Guess I'll have to wait until Christmas to buy a new BBQ ........................hahahahah

what a bunch of greedy pigs,.........and Costco isn't any better....................lol\

                

Strolling through the cavernous shopping mecca on a bright and sunny day, outdoor temperature 24C, noting the products for sale: A crock pot, six replacement heads for an Oral-B electric toothbrush, a pack of 36-AA batteries, an electric fireplace, a digital piano, the latest Kathy Reichs novel, a life-size bronze coloured statue of Father Christmas, holiday gift wrap ...

Say what? Isn’t this still summer?

Apparently not at Costco, where the retail giant has taken a giant step forward in terms of seasonal items.

Call it Christmas in August.

Slap dab in the middle of the patio furniture and the Halloween Tinkerbell costumes are two aisles of Christmas-themed items, everything from plastic garlands, LED lights for the tree, Christmas crackers, holiday greeting cards, red and gold candle sets, ceramic reindeer knick-knacks and hand-made gift cards to tuck on your presents.

“We’re always one season ahead of everyone else,” said a Costco greeter who is not allowed, by store policy, to speak for the chain or give her name.

Costco’s sole Canadian corporate affairs spokesperson is on vacation and not available to comment about the chain’s policies to The Gazette.

Other employees said it’s always been this way since the store opened in 1992 – Christmas items are on the shelves by the third week in August.

“People learn to buy things as soon as they see them because, otherwise, they’re gone the next time they come,” another employee said.

“Isn’t it usually October for this stuff?” shopper Mina Comodini asked as she surveyed the Christmas wares.

“It’s getting earlier and earlier every year, and I think it’s just marketing, to put out as much stuff as they can to get people excited.”

“We’re still in summer! I can’t even look at it, I’m just not there yet,” said Tina Sioufi, pushing a shopping cart with her two daughters in matching outfits.

“I’m an American and I’m used to the stores pushing a switch for Christmas right after (U.S.) Thanksgiving,” Sioufi said.

“It’s too early,” her 6-year-old daughter Isabella said.

Nevertheless, in a Costco world, a snow-thrower is stacked right beside vinyl barbecue covers and garden hose nozzles.

And, said the employees, all the other big discount stores are doing the same thing.

Um, no they’re not, as a quick trip to LaSalle confirmed.

The Walmart off Angrignon Blvd. has no Christmas items for sale yet. They don’t have the space, explained a greeter.

The prime spot for seasonal items, just inside the front doors, is chockablock with backpacks, notebooks, pencil cases and other items for the back-to-school crowd.

Store employees said that once the back-to-school rush is over, Halloween items will be put out, and after those, then come the Christmas decorations and accessories.

Over at Zeller’s in the Angrignon Shopping Centre, good old-fashioned Canadian common sense is at play.

There are displays of canning supplies, jars and lids, and that’s about it for the seasonal items.

“Usually the Christmas stuff comes out after Halloween, or just before, around Oct. 15,” said a female employee stocking the shelves. “Certainly never before Oct. 1.”

Hang on to your sun hats for this fact: 118 more shopping days until Christmas.

asutherland@thegazette.canwest.com

Ghosts of Cape Horn

Remember this one?
Bill


http://www.nshof.org/videos/nshof-video0006_player.htm

"People think Montreal is wild today. Hah! They have no idea what wild is."

Another Montreal bar story ,or more accurately a BarKeeps story,with lot's of experience in Montreal Bars................here's the story of Omer Brousseau.......

Without missing a beat, the diminutive Brousseau checks his watch, shoots back, "Sixty-five years," then continues making a vodka martini for an appreciative patron at the ornate L'Autre Saison bar in downtown Montreal.

It's safe to say, there are few 65-year-old bartenders in town, let alone those with 65 years' experience. Now, I haven't canvassed every saloon in the city - although it's not for lack of trying - but I've never run into a bartender about to turn 80 and still mixing with a vengeance.

Math geniuses will have deduced that Brousseau started plying his trade when he was just 14. Evidently, liquor laws were looser then, or Brousseau got his hands on some forged ID. His first place of employment was a restaurant called Drury's, all the rage in Montreal in the 1940s but long since defunct.

The secret to his longevity: "Women and vodka," Brousseau says with a big smile. "I really cannot tell a lie at my age," says the man who is as diplomatic as he is dapper in his formal bartender attire. And the secret to a good martini: "No vermouth. If a customer requests vermouth, simply touch the glass with the bottle."

Brousseau confesses that he never appreciated vodka until his 12-year stint at the Troika, a (local) Russian resto.

"That's where I learned to enjoy vodka and I developed an addiction to caviar. And that's why I continue to work and will never retire, because I have to pay for my caviar habit," he says with a wink.

Brousseau has been behind the bar at L'Autre Saison for the last 12 years. Over the decades, he has served just about every major politico, celebrity and athlete, not to mention a who's who of rogue's gallery patrons. Not surprisingly, his most loyal customers today, not counting the adoring women, are restaurant owners. George Lau, proprietor of the popular L'Orchidee de Chine, is a regular at Brousseau's bar when not making the rounds at his own place.

"Omer used to tend bar at Roma Antiqua, which is where L'Orchidee is now. I begged him to come work with me," Lau recalls at the L'Autre Saison bar. "I would have made a million with him. He has the touch. There's not a drink he doesn't know how to make. And he knows just about everyone in town. He is a true Montreal original."

Dotting the bar are photos of Brousseau with everyone from baseball star Sammy Sosa to Paul Newman: "One of the finest gentlemen I ever had the privilege of serving."

Brousseau also remembers mixing drinks for late Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis and film star Dorothy Lamour. "Those were the days bars never closed in Montreal," Brousseau reminisces, his eyes twinkling. "If the walls could have talked, what stories they would have told.

"People think Montreal is wild today. Hah! They have no idea what wild is.

"Those were the days Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis would show up regularly and play clubs like the El Morocco. Then there was Lili St. Cyr, the classiest stripper of them all, at the old Gayety Theatre.

"What I always liked about actors and performers is that they spent their own money," Brousseau says. "Politicians have a habit of spending the money of others."

Ron Blair, another of Brousseau's regular customers, asks if he has a philosophy. Brousseau replies: "They say, ‘Drink to forget,' but I say, ‘Don't forget to drink.' " Pause. "But the real key to working this trade is to leave your problems at home. A good bartender listens and only talks when asked a question. Not unlike a psychiatrist."

Brousseau has been married twice. The first, nearly 60 years ago, lasted six months. The second is still going after 11 years. The math-savvy will note there is a huge gap in between. "Let's just say I was having fun then."

Brousseau was one of seven kids. His family left their native Windsor, Ont., for better prospects in Montreal when he was 3. His mother passed away when he was 6, leaving the family in disarray and compelling him to start working before he was a teen.

"There was no question about that," he says. "My oldest brother became a missionary. Another brother became a priest. Someone had to help pay for food and rent.

"But as tough as those days were, they were still better for me. Montreal was considered one of the world's great cities in those days. Then, around 1970, everything seemed to come to a standstill. Politics got really intense. People moved away..." His voice tails off.

Kazim Toural, co-owner of L'Autre Saison, recalls being served by Brousseau in the mid-1970s at Montreal's Tour Eiffel.

"I was so impressed with his style," Toural says. "I was determined to get him to be bartender at our place. It took about 25 years. I told him I wanted him to retire happy with us. He said maybe he'd do a year here. That was 12 years ago. Now he's got a fan club. And he'll outlast us all. They just don't make them like Omer any more."

The cabaret music of Jean Gabin wafts ever so gently in the background as more customers head for the bar. Time nearly stands still. The scene could almost pass for Montreal of a half-century back. When Edith Piaf would shuffle in for a martini. When Charles Aznavour would warble a few tunes.

"Those were the days," Brousseau says with a sigh. "But we can't look back at what was. We have to move forward and make the most of what we have now. That's life."

                          Have Fun & Remember Verdun..............................Cheers !!!

Cock 'n Bull story (Montreal Mirror)

Someone mentioned this story the other day ,or at least drew our attention to the Gazette story ,re: the end of the Cock 'n Bull Pub.......here's another story about it,from the Montreal Mirror:

   

A Cock n’ Bull story

After 44 years, a historic downtown
dive closes its doors


HOME AWAY FROM HOME:
Cock n’ Bull barflies get their suds in while they can



by ROXANE HUDON

“It’s a home away from home, no matter where you’re from. If you’re here, you’re home,” says Tony Webb, cradling a glass of cheap beer and sitting at the same coin-encrusted bar he’s been sitting at for the past 40 years.

Under a barn-like red roof shining like a beacon of greatness amid a whole lot of downtown crap, Webb is not the only one in this city who’s started a day, ended a night, drank some Keith’s, spilt the rest and yelled at the jukebox at the Cock n’ Bull.

Opened in 1966 by Peter Barry, the bar’s business started going sour after a couple of decades, until a little lady named Ellen McCann took over in 1989. Since then, it’s been her family serving you drinks, keeping you in line and making the Cock n’ Bull the relic that it is today.

“I’ve been tending bar for 20 years in between my four children. I even broke water with my last baby here,” says the owner’s daughter, Missy McCann, sitting across from her husband and the bar’s manager, Christopher Beeker.

August 31 will mark the end of an era for this family-owned and run wonder of a bar.

On that day, the McCanns lose the place they’ve called home for the last two decades when Peter Sergakis, one of Montreal’s biggest bar owners and proprietor of such gems as the shit-hole sports bar across the street, takes over the lease.

For regulars like Webb, the bar might as well be closing.

“It’s not these four walls. It’s the people that make this place,” says Ann Meldrum, who’s been on staff for seven years.

A regular customer since 1994, Michel Masson tries to tell me the same thing. His friend who gives me his “artist name” of “BenArt” often interrupts with a slur customary of only the greatest Cock n’ Bull conversations.

“I know everybody here, I’m very respected. I’ve never had any problems. If I did, the people would be banned from the bar,” says Masson, who held his long-term boyfriend’s wake at the Cock n’ Bull. “I’ll never come back here, it won’t be the same.”

As the oldest surviving customer and the artist responsible for most of the drawings in the bar, Webb thinks the spirit will get lost. “But the memories of this place: ‘Oh My!’” he exclaims.


BEACON OF GREATNESS:
The space will remain, but regulars won’t return

Guns, girls and heart attacks

If these walls could talk, they wouldn’t have better stories than the people here.

“This was the best armed pub in the entire British Empire!” exclaims Webb, describing how guns used to hang from every wall back in the early days.

Missy McCann tells me how she once lent a guy $20 to buy a girl a drink. He came back a year later, gave her back the money and introduced her to his fiancĂ©e. “One guy even lost his ear here once, but we saved it for him. Maybe you don’t wanna print that one,” she laughs.

“I once had a heart attack on the stage. I was back here the next day,” says BenArt, who also specifies that he’s “not old, but just has a lot of experience.”

For many of these people, they’re not just losing a bar, but a community: the ultimate Cock n’ Bull story.

“It’s a huge chunk of my life working here. I always thought it would never be over. It’s one of those things that are always there, you kinda take it for granted,” says McCann.

Still, the family is looking forward, to a new story and a new bar.

“We’re trying to find our new place, we have a place in mind. As soon as we get it, we’re gonna tell everyone where we are,” says McCann, hoping the new bar will have the same luck as the Cock n’ Bull.

This weekend, they’re throwing a final farewell party to “Ye Olde Cock n’ Bull.” Masson and Webb will be at their regular spots, swapping stories. Missy will be asking you with her usual warmth: “What can I get ya?” The old busboy Tony will be limping about, winking at the ladies and picking up your dirty pitchers. Ellen McCann will be making sure everybody is comfortable and safe, just as she has for the past 20 years. I’ll be yelling in a corner, and at the end of the night, we’ll all meet at the bar.

FAREWELL TO YE OLDE COCK N’ BULL:
THE GOODBYE PARTY, FEAT. PERFORMANCE
BY THE SHAKES, DRINK
SPECIALS, 1944 STE-CATHERINE W.,
SATURDAY, AUG. 22, 7 P.M.

 

 

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Kennedy's thoughts on Canada's Ideas

..from Health Care to various other ideas & implemented plans for the people,Ted Kennedy had admiration for the Guts Canada has shown in supporting it's own People.............  Thanks Mr Kennedy for having the Guts to acknowledge this:

Ted Kennedy is acknowledged, as an ally of Canada's Health Care & other Social Plans

Wed Aug 26, 5:48 P

MONTREAL - Prominent Canadians paid tribute to Ted Kennedy as a longstanding ally of this country, full of admiration for Canadian policies on everything from medicare to the refusal to invade Iraq.

One former ambassador to Washington said it felt like there was a "brotherly Canadian" sitting in U.S. Congress.

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney recalled how the dean of the Senate swam against the tide of public opinion in his own country, offering rare support for a single-payer health system like Canada's.

He also described Kennedy as an ally in the fight for economic sanctions against South Africa's apartheid regime, and on environmental issues.

"He was deeply interested in our policies on South Africa and the liberation of Nelson Mandela because they ran counter to the policies of the United States and the Reagan administration at the time," Mulroney said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"Ted Kennedy is probably going to be remembered as the greatest American senator in modern history. There'd be few in the history of the United States that would have a legislative record that could rival his."

Mulroney was close friends with Kennedy, the last surviving brother of a fabled political dynasty who has died after a battle with brain cancer.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was far more succinct in his reaction to Kennedy's passing. His office issued a one-line statement offering "sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Senator Ted Kennedy."

Raymond Chretien, the former Canadian ambassador to the U.S., suggested Kennedy should almost be considered an honourary Canadian.

"It's almost as if he were a brotherly Canadian in the American Senate," Chretien said. "He was a good supporter of our issues."

Mulroney warmly remembered the hard-driving Kennedy, whose brother John was slain while president in 1963 and other brother Robert was gunned down during a presidential bid in 1968.

He said Kennedy, 77, wouldn't like the sniping at Canadian health care being done by opponents of President Barack Obama, saying Kennedy "thought that the Canadian health-care system was a very high-class one."

The former Conservative leader remembered Kennedy as "supportive and generous" with a touch of innocence about him, although that didn't stop him from being a tenacious battler on the Senate floor.

"But there wasn't an ounce of malice in him," Mulroney added. "He never had a mean word to say about anybody."

Ex-NDP Leader Ed Broadbent met Kennedy in the 1980s and described him as "very progressive right across the board."

He said they shared a lot of the same values and discussed health care many times.

"What struck me most about him was his value commitment," Broadbent said in an interview.

"Whether it's workers' rights or, later in his years, concern about the handicapped - anything of a progressive nature - he was instinctively on that side."

Kennedy's immense political skills coupled with his "Irish warmth" helped him get things done.

"I think, frankly, it was his capacity for affection for people . . . that enabled him to work so effectively with the Republicans. They liked him personally even though many of them detested his politics."

Broadbent said Kennedy's death will cost Obama in his battle to reform U.S. health care.

"They had a real chance of winning because of his skills and because of his passionate commitment," Broadbent said. "They're gone now."

Chretien said Kennedy was always keen to hear Canada's point of view on everything from health care, to fisheries disputes, to border issues.

"He was always prepared to listen, always prepared to understand our point of view."

On the Iraq war, Chretien says, Kennedy was among the few prominent American politicians who agreed with Canada's decision to stay out.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said Kennedy leaves a significant legacy as "a powerful influence for good among small-l liberals around the world."

"And I think that if you take a look at his record, arguably, he's been the most influential Kennedy, given the influence for good he's had in everything from civil rights to health care to education, international relations as well.

I would Imagine that a lot of Country's around the world would be impressed by Canada's Health Care, .........Norway & Scandinavia being the exceptions ,they Do take care of their People & just don't pass normal Political Rhetoric Bullshit ,about it,.............It works with it's flaws & all,but guess what ,You do get looked after,unlike some of the press clippings to the contrary......   Big Business is what keeps everyone from having Health Care......Why Do you think many citizens from down south go to either Canada or Mexico to get looked after.?? Everyone on this Planet ,should never go hungry ,nor should they be deprived of medicine....because of their Monetary Status,...but that my friends' is just dismissed as ideology.............  HF&RV

Ted Kennedy Dies

By now everyone has heard that Ted Kennedy has died of his brain cancer,after surviving for more than a year from the first diagnosis.......

    but how's this for a weird stat.////he was the only one of the four brothers to die of Natural Causes :

 

Kennedy arrived at his place in the Senate after a string of family tragedies. He was the only one of the four Kennedy brothers to die of natural causes.

Kennedy's eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a plane crash in World War II. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down in Los Angeles as he campaigned for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination

                

.hmmmmmm just a thought but I wonder if he now gets to apologise to MaryJo ???

 

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Technology

Our borough is repaving our street and these are some of the tools they have at their disposal. The large machine makes the curb automatically. A cement truck feeds the machine with a conveyor and the cement is guided towards a form that shapes the curb as the machine moves forward. The workers adjust the controls according to the shape required. I was amazed to see this machine in action and had to take some pictures in front of my house. One worker told me that this technology is 50 years old. I showed the photos to the workers and they were so impressed that they asked me for a copy. One worker asked me to send the photos to his computer and the foreman wanted a copy to put in his office.

However, the sidewalk across the street was made the conventional way, by making a steel form. I would'nt be surprised if the is a special machine for that operation also.

I also took a photo of the technician using a special instrument and I had to ask him what was it's purpose. He told me it was to verify the density of the ground. He hammered a steel rod 1 feet into the ground and inserted the instrument. This is no doubt to make sure that the density meets the standards and  that the ground is compact enough.

We live in a high tech world.

Guy 

Sunday, August 23, 2009

50 Years ago next week Streetcars Stop

Today's Gazette has a story re: the Streetcars........are they coming back ? Who Knows,but it was 50 years ago next week,that they stopped running.

             

        here's the Gazette story to go with the picture:

  

With only a week left before the 50th anniversary of the end of tramway service in Montreal, the last remaining tramcar still operating in the metropolitan region is being prepped and polished for its busiest day since 1959.

That day will come on Sunday, Aug. 30, when thousands of people are expected to visit the Canadian Railway Museum in the South Shore town of St. Constant to mark the anniversary and participate in some special activities.

For Montrealers of a certain age who actually rode on the old trams, nothing will be as special as the opportunity to ride on the museum's star attraction - its handsome, yellow-and-maroon Montreal tramcar that was built in Ville St. Pierre in 1928.

This is the tramcar that carried visitors for a ride on a short rail loop around the museum from 1987 to 2004. But wear and tear forced it back into the "carbarn" for four years of renovations carried out entirely by volunteers.

Since the spring of last year, the newly refurbished version of the very same tramcar has been back in service and thrilling visitors old and young alike. But museum officials expect that the Aug. 30 anniversary will see the yellow-and-maroon tramcar experience its heaviest daily ridership levels since its last day of regular service in Rosemont on Aug. 30, 1959.

"There are a lot of Montrealers who come to the museum and climb aboard for a ride and find that they are travelling back in time," museum president Stephen Cheasley says.

When the old Montreal Transportation Commission was created in 1951, it was given the dual mandate of carrying out feasibility studies for a subway system for Montreal, and of getting rid of trams altogether by 1961.

Until 1951, a private company, the Montreal Tramways Company, ran transit service in Montreal. By the time the public sector took over, there was growing public discontent with tramcars.

Growing automobile use after the Second World War put a lot more cars on downtown roads, and motorists found that slow-moving trams running down the middle of streets were creating traffic headaches.

And yet now, a full 50 years after the demise of trams, the administration of Mayor GĂ©rald Tremblay and other municipal leaders are lobbying for a return of new modern trams.

To mark the 50th anniversary, the railway museum will be lending one of the tramcars in its collection to a group that is staging an anniversary event in Old Montreal.

The tramcar will be showcased Saturday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Aug. 30 at the foot of Place Jacques Cartier. Inside the nearby Marché Bonsecours, an exhibit relating to the tramway's history- and possible future - in Montreal will be held.

On the grounds of the South Shore railway museum itself, activities will include a special presentation in front of the first electric tram used in Montreal in 1892. There will also be a demonstration showing electricity passing through a trolley pole, with a light source signalling the movement of the electrical current. Children will be invited to colour miniature tramcars made from carton and then join them up with string for a parade through the museum.

Outside the museum, the star of the day will be the yellow-and-maroon tramcar that has been back in service since spring of last year.

Older visitors who climb aboard for a ride will recognize the trademark rattan upholstery on the seats. Rattan is an organic material, a sort of reed that can be weaved, like straw. It is also the same yellowish colour as straw.

With no more rattan commercially available in North America, volunteers who carried out the tramcar's restoration had to go all the way to China to find a supplier, according to Daniel Laurendeau, vice-president of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association.

Another striking aspect of the renovated tramcar interior is the rich wood panelling, restored to its original cherrywood and mahogany. Riders will also notice the retro advertising signage running down both sides of the car, above the windows.

There are ads for Dow beer, Canadian General Electric's Radiolas, Farmer's Milk evaporated milk and the Simpson's department store, among others. Elsewhere, there are separate English-only and French-only signs warning that spitting is prohibited.

"In the early 1900s, some cars had smoking sections in the back and a lot of people chewed tobacco then, so there were spittoons, too," Laurendeau said.

"But then when smoking ended and the spittoons were removed, people didn't follow suit - the spitting continued. So heavy fines had to be threatened to put a stop to that."

It's hard to imagine anyone spitting today inside of this one and only tramcar still operating in the Montreal region. The two-toned beauty stands as a shining example of a Montreal icon that is long gone - and maybe soon to return.

djohnston@thegazette.canwest.com

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Bandstand

The Bandstand was built in 1938 and my guess is that the bottom photo dates back around that period judging by the old tubular steel raling along the boardwalk. Again, my guess is that the top photo is from the 50s or 60s as the boardwalk railing is made of stones. The top photo is a new discovery to me as I never saw it before. It is always nice to come back to this old Verdun landmark as it marked so much of our youth going back to the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Guy

Transit Info

Will be travelling to Chateauguay next week to attend a 50th Anniversary for some "old" neighbours. Was looking up the Southshore transit info site and stumbled onto the following site which gives a history of the Montreal buses. Interesting.

http://www.stm.info/English/en-bref/a-autobus.htm

Friday, August 21, 2009

America has the right to bare arms

 

 

and to bare legs

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OHe5I7YASo&NR=1

Wild West Coast off Tofino BC

You think these coast guard guys earn their dough,when they have to rescue wayward boats & folks...... check this out off the coast of Tofino near Pacific Rim National Park (Long Beach)       Btw: come & visit ,it's worth the trip........

        My Guess is they are not having a 'coffee' when in this close,............

                                                                                                  HF&RV

Metro Expansion (Mayors agree)

It seems the mayors of Montreal & Laval etc etc , have agreed in principle to expand the existing Metro system again,...it is a good system & Montreal has the largest (or one of the largest) riderships of public transit in North America...... 

     ................I always wondered why they haven't expanded a line directly to the Dorval Airport (sorry the Pierre Elliot Trudeau airport ,for the purist) Imagine a line that could whisk people from downtown & pick up people on the way all the way to the airport,that would allow West Island people to leave their cars out of the city & be in town in minutes instead of sitting staring at the arse end of the car in front of you, for an hour and a half ........but that would only makes sense ,so don't look for that to happen ,anytime soon.lol           Here's the story from the Gazette this morning.

                           

      

MONTREAL - The mayors of Montreal, Laval and Longueuil are close to signing an agreement on plans to expand metro services in the three municipalities, a media report says.

The agreement would help the cities lobby Quebec for money to extend the metro by 20 kilometres and build more than 10 new stations, La Presse says.

The long-term project is expected to cost more than $3 billion, the newspaper report says.

The expansion plans include an extension of the Blue line east to Anjou; the extension of the westbound Orange line from St. Laurent to Laval, with links to the existing Montmorency station; the extension of the Yellow line in Longueuil, with new stations to serve schools, health centres and residential areas.

Music heard on 2nd Ave. a few moons ago.

It's the birthday of jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie, born William James Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey (1904). One night in 1936, when they were still small-time performers, Basie and his nine-piece band were being played on a radio station in Kansas City, and the radio announcer wanted to say something to show that William Basie was in the same league as Duke Ellington, so he called him Count Basie. The jazz critic and producer John Hammond heard that broadcast, and he got a hold of Count Basie and told him to expand to a full big band lineup and move to New York. Basie led the Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years, until his death in 1984.
Bill (Second Avenue)

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Terry McCluskey (looking for)

If you know Terry or have any idea where I could get in touch with him, please email me at mumagain@hotmail.com. Trying to help reconnect an old friend!

Terry, if you're out there.......get in touch.

Thanks

Friday, August 14, 2009

Whoopeee ,Be the first on your block to have your ............(well you know how it goes)

Has the world changed ,what have we accomplished ? Maybe these one times kids had a good point..........Do you really want to be the first on your block to have your kid come home in a box,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,   Regadless of your stance,these lyrics were worth contemplating ,don't you think ?

  here's the song :                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBdeCxJmcAo

            ......................and the only good Commy is one that's dead............HF&RV

                    

an addition to the Woodstock thread,hope you don't mind.....

Checkout this site ,it's more or less a tribute to the 60's  (kind of)

The Magical 1960's
and the Neptune in Libra Generation(1942-1956)

Flower Power: the daisy as a symbol of peace and love and beauty

A Dedication

Something magical occured between 1962 and 1972 which profoundly changed the youth culture in our society. Spawned by the war in Vietnam, the Rock & Roll revolution, and disenchantment with the "system" in general, a counter-war, counter-political rallying occurred among the world's youth, particularly in the West, where such movements are more tolerated. It all came to a crescendo in the lowly village of Bethel, New York, on August 15-17, 1969 where almost half a million people came together in a music/peace/love fest, featuring such rock icons as Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. A similar event occurred in London's Hyde Park 40 days earlier featuring the Rolling Stones, and others were to follow that same year.


Woodstock concert, Bethel, August 1969

Despite the drugs and the sex, Woodstock's basic message or intent was Peace, Love, and Harmony. Concerts such as Woodstock and the 60's revolution in general asked the basic question "Why can't the world live in peace?" and sent a clear message to the "establishment" or ruling powers that war was not the answer. Unfortunately, this commendable defiance against the status quo did not have the necessary follow-through to succeed and was soon quelled or dissipated. Harsh reality set in and most of the "babyboomers" or flower power children of the 1960's soon settled into the "establishment" or "system" with regular jobs and lives.

The spirit of the 60's, however, lives on. What went wrong? Why didn't it unfold as intended? For one thing, the individuals involved lacked the essential knowledge and discipline to overcome both their own and everyone else's shortcomings or failures. The desire for peace is fine, but unless you have the wisdom and knowledge and discipline to maintain it, it will not happen. Also, the powers that be are not interested in peace, despite their words and preachings to the contrary. Those who did possess such knowledge and discipline were few and unwilling to expose or sacrifice themselves, and therefore remained in the background as the driving force or elite behind the entire revolution. This core or elite was in turn influenced or guided by the spiritual heiarchy of this planet (inner earthers) who wish to bring in the New Age on planet Earth.

After all, the signs for the beginning of the Aquarian Age or Millennium on Earth were plentiful; the end of World War II in 1945, the birth of "Israel" and the agarthean dethronement of the "King of the World(Satan)" in 1948, the beginning of the space age in 1957, the scientific discovery of the photon belt in 1961, the conjoining of all seven visible planets in Aquarius in early February of 1962, and the revolutionary Uranus/Pluto conjunction of the mid 1960's.

Also, what better generation to use than the Neptune in Libra generation(1942/43-1955/56) who were then in their teens and twenties and who were poets and peace seekers at heart. This generation also had Pluto in Leo which was concerned with the exploitation of love and creativity and entertainment in all its forms.

play music


Neptune in Libra, Pluto in Leo generation

Another generation is now pursuing the dreams of the flower power generation. These are the sons and daughters of that generation, particularly those who have the planetary configuration of Neptune in Sagittarius and Pluto in Libra(1972-1984). These people are now in their twenties and thirties. They are travelers who wish to see no borders or frontiers and have an all-or-nothing attitude when it comes to peace and relationships. These people will die for peace if necessary, and if anyone can bring about a global peace, it is they. Like their parents, however, they are idealists and highly impractical and need our help if they are to succeed in bringing about their dream of a utopia on planet Earth. They will face enormous challenges, as will all of us, and it is hoped this site and its contents will be of help to them.

The significance of the 60's youth rebellion is that it was a direct BAROMETER of our SICK society; a society that puts materialism and selfishness ahead of everything else. The young people saw through this, and many, unable to put up with it, dropped out of society and became the hippie culture. Unfortunately, they did not have a real remedy for the ills of society, and so they failed. Today's youth are just as troubled, only they show it in different ways, and today's society is just as sick today, if not more so, than it was in the sixties. Unable to find any real answers to the basic questions of life, young people turn to sex and drugs and drinking and smoking for solace and become just as bad as their predecessors.

If any generation is ever to bring ultimate and lasting peace worldwide it will be at the cost of leaning the truth about ourselves: that we are a lost and drugged and enslaved humanity who needs to be rehabilitated to its wonderful and original divine state. This means learning some horrible truths, as well as some wonderful and incredible possibilities which many of our world leaders know but are unwilling(or unable) to tell us. More importantly, rather than relying on our leaders, we should be learning how to master our own human nature so that we can become true leaders ourselves. War begins inside of us with our own lusts and desires. Conquer these lusts and desires and then you can go on to conquer (peacefully) the rest of the world. The chaos we see in the outer world is a direct reflection of the chaos in most people's inner lives, and untill we find that peace and truth within ourselves it is unlikely we will find it without.

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Widening of the Verdun Shorline

This recent map of Verdun gives you an idea of the widening of the shoreline along the river. The shaded area is the added portion wich was created by adding earth excavated from the Verdun Metro. This has permitted the creation of  the following 7 parks along the shorline:

George O'Reily Parc

Beatty Park

Woodland Park

Archie Wilcox Park

Desmarchais Park

Richard Park

Arthur Therrien Park

One of our members (SHGV) has counted 43 parks in Verdun including Nun's Island.

Guy

 



Wow 4 decades just shot right past us. It was 40 years ago this weekend that 500million strangers got together for a 3day weekend of Music (& whatever)



now if 'everyone ' who said they were at Woodstock were actually at Woodstock,there (by conservative estimates) would have been over two million people there..............hahahahaha However I imagine Our whole Generation was there ,at least in spirit....................... HF&RV
ps: I personally did not attend in body..........lol

40 year ago this weekend--------Woodstock 1969

Yes, it wa 40 short years ago this weekend that the                         almost          impromtu appearance of near a half a million people got together for a weekend 

 

 

                    

                                              Have Fun & Remember Verdun

    here's Santana ,doing Soul Sacrafice......................

                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnamP4-M9ko

            

Thursday, August 13, 2009

What is the Year of this VHS Yearbook

This is the reverse side:

I found this loose page from one of our VHS yearbooks at our society (SHGV). Shown is G. Priestley , a MVC member who will surely recognize this photo and perhaps tell us the year of the yearbook. Hopefully other members will be able to enlarge the photos and perhaps will alert us if they are on the photos and tell us of their memories.

Guy

Noted Guitarist checks out

More known for making his guitar famous (used by many musicians world wide) Les Paul ,died today,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,if you've got a real Les Paul , I imagine it's value has just gone up again,

             

Lester William Polfuss, known as Les Paul (June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009[1]) was an American jazz guitarist and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which "made the sound of rock and roll possible."[2] His many recording innovations included overdubbing, delay effects such as "sound on sound" and tape delay, phasing effects, and multitrack recording. He is often credited as being the 'father of modern music'.

The Sign to Say Thank You to the Military


This is pretty neat.....(30 second video)... Have you ever seen one of our military walking past you and wanted to convey to them your thanks, but weren't sure how, or it felt awkward?

  
Recently, a gentleman from Seattle created a gesture which could be used to express your thanks and has started a movement to get the word out..

  
Please everybody take just a moment to watch..... The Gratitude Campaign ...and then forward it to your friends!   THEN START USING THE SIGN.



Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Centre Culturelle de Verdun

Just thought i'd post this information,..........some of it is pretty cool stuff:

 Verdun. Histoire d'eau, de terre et de coeur.

Jeunes verdunois.<br />Fonds Ville de Verdun<br /><br />
1 de 118
Jean Talon (1626-1694)<br />Intendant de la Nouvelle-France. <br />Collection MusĂ©e du ChĂ¢teau Ramezay, MontrĂ©al<br />
2 de 118
Jeunes Verdunois.<br />Fonds Ville de Verdun<br />
3 de 118
Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (1612-1676)<br />Collection MusĂ©e du ChĂ¢teau Ramezay, MontrĂ©al<br />
4 de 118
Maison St-Dizier<br /><br />
5 de 118
George Frederick Beurling<br />Fonds Ville de Verdun<br />
6 de 118
Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635)<br />Collection MusĂ©e du ChĂ¢teau Ramezay, MontrĂ©al<br />
7 de 118
HĂ´tel de Ville de Verdun<br />Fonds Ville de Verdun<br />
8 de 118
' À la gloire de Dieu et à la mémoire des hommes de Verdun morts au champ d'honneur… '<br />
9 de 118
Cérémonie de commémoration de la bataille d'Ypres<br />Avril 1933, dépôt d'une couronne sur le monument.<br />Collection SHGV<br />
10 de 118
LaSalle Road<br />Fonds Ville de Verdun<br />
11 de 118
Boulevard LaSalle<br />Fonds Ville de Verdun<br />
12 de 118
Monseigneur J.A. Richard (1859-1945)<br />Collection SHGV<br />
13 de 118
Duc de Wellington (1769-1852)<br />Collection MusĂ©e du chĂ¢teau Ramezay. MontrĂ©al<br />
14 de 118
Armoiries de la Ville de Verdun
15 de 118
Les dimanches après-midi d'été<br />Fonds Ville de Verdun<br />
16 de 118
La Marina<br />Fonds Ville de Verdun<br />
17 de 118
Vive les joies de l'été!<br />Gracieuseté de Madame Jeannine Courcy-Racine<br />
18 de 118

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