London Bicentennial (Snippet 5)

 Another Building Collapse in London - 1907

Source: "Building Collapses at London, Ontario,: Daily Kennebec Journal, July 17, 1907.(Maine) The following is found on the website of the London Fire Department Historical Society. 

Dyslexia and Decorum

  A lack of the latter was again displayed in what passes for public discourse these days. On a book tour, California Governor Gavin Newsom has mentioned his dyslexia which is covered in his book. President Trump took notice and, with his usual empathy remarked that Newson “said, in a speech, he was dumb, had low Boards, can’t read, has dyslexia, and has a mental disorder — A Cognitive Mess!”
  I should note that Newsom’s response was also a little less than decorous: “Newsom fired back at Trump on the social platform X, saying, “I spoke about my dyslexia.” “I know that’s hard for a brain-dead moron who bombs children and protects pedophiles to understand,” he added.”

This is not the first time the Trump administration has demonstrated a lack of concern for those with dyslexia, among, it must be admitted, a very large number of other groups for which little concern is shown.

Font Fights

    In the Great Reaction and backlash to the somewhat excessive efforts of the DEI folks, there was one you likely missed. It came at the tail-end of last year and involved typeface, which was just typed in a different way and you may not have noticed. For people with various visual disabilities, like dyslexia, the types of typefaces can make a difference.
  Way back in 2023 during the Biden Administration, Secretary of State, Antony Blinken issued a directive that the State Department drop the typeface, Times New Roman and adopt Calibri. Calibri is more accessible it was argued and Blinken said “that Times New Roman “can introduce accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities who use Optical Character Recognition technology or screen readers.”

  On Dec. 9, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a new directive. Marco’s memo has, as its subject heading: “Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper,” Rubio called Calibri “informal” and said it “clashes” with State letterhead. He also criticized it as a “radical” diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiative.” The reaction was immediate.

  On Dec. 10, this response to the Times New Roman directive appeared in The New York Times. Since it is likely you chose not to read this typeface article, given all the other Trump news, much of it is reproduced below, where the issues and arguments are displayed in Arial.

“A Typeface Falls Victim In the Push Against D.E.I.: Secretary of State Marco Rubio Called the Biden-era Move to the Sans Serif Typeface ''wasteful,'' Casting the Return to Times New Roman as Part of a Push to Stamp out Diversity Efforts,” 

 by Mike Crowley and Hamed Aleaziz.
    Secretary of State Marco Rubio waded into the surprisingly fraught politics of typefaces on Tuesday with an order halting the State Department's official use of Calibri, reversing a 2023 Biden-era directive that Mr. Rubio called a ''wasteful'' sop to diversity.
  While mostly framed as a matter of clarity and formality in presentation, Mr. Rubio's directive to all diplomatic posts around the world blamed ''radical'' diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs for what he said was a misguided and ineffective switch from the serif typeface Times New Roman to sans serif Calibri in official department paperwork.

   In an ''Action Request'' memo obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Rubio said that switching back to the use of Times New Roman would ''restore decorum and professionalism to the department's written work.'' Calibri is ''informal'' when compared to serif typefaces like Times New Roman, the order said, and ''clashes'' with the department's official letterhead….
  Mr. Rubio's directive, under the subject line ''Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper,'' served as the latest attempt by the Trump administration to stamp out remnants of diversity initiatives across the federal government.

   Then-Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken ordered the 2023 typeface shift on the recommendation of the State Department's office of diversity and inclusion, which Mr. Rubio has since abolished. The change was meant to improve accessibility for readers with disabilities, such as low vision and dyslexia, and people who use assistive technologies, such as screen readers.

   Calibri, sometimes described as soft and modern, is typically considered more accessible for people with reading challenges thanks to its simpler shapes and wider spacing, which make its letters easier to distinguish. Mr. Blinken's move was applauded by accessibility advocates.

   But Mr. Rubio's order rejected the grounds for the switch. The change, he allowed, ''was not among the department's most illegal, immoral, radical or wasteful instances of D.E.I.A.,'' the acronym for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. But Mr. Rubio called it a failure by its own standards, saying that ''accessibility-based document remediation cases'' at the department had not declined.

  ''Switching to Calibri achieved nothing except the degradation of the department's official correspondence,'' Mr. Rubio said. He noted that Times New Roman had been the department's official typeface for nearly 20 years until the 2023 change. (Before 2004, the State Department used Courier New.)

  Echoing President Trump's call for classical style in federal architecture, Mr. Rubio's order cited the origins of serif typefaces in Roman antiquity. Those typefaces, which are used by The New York Times, include small strokes at the edges of many characters.

   Admirers say those flourishes make letters look more elegant and make them easier to distinguish from one another, even though they can also create a sense of clutter.

  Serif typefaces are ''generally perceived to connote tradition, formality and ceremony,'' Mr. Rubio's order said, adding that they were used by the White House, Supreme Court and other state and federal government entities, as well as in the script on the side of Air Force One.

   Many diplomats are unhappy with changes Mr. Rubio has made to the department's structure and leadership, and have reported badly damaged morale within their ranks. But the Biden administration's move to Calibri prompted some grumbling from some traditionalists who preferred Times New Roman. Mr. Blinken also changed the standard font size, from 14-point to 15-point, requiring extra keystrokes that some diplomats found annoying.”

   
  A few days later there was this follow-up piece in the Times: “Is Times New Roman Better Than Calibri for the State Department?” by Jonatha Corum, Dec.13. Perhaps this is the most important point in it: “I wonder if it’s all a bit of a distraction from what the State Department is actually doing, rather than the font they’re doing it in,” said Tobias Frere-Jones, a type designer known for Gotham, Interstate and other ubiquitous typefaces. “But it is an opportunity to talk about what makes things legible.” Perhaps the larger question is not which typeface is best, or the rationale for the change, but whether the clever people in the Trump administration deliberately chose Times New Roman to sabotage Newsom's run for the presidency. One would not want to elect a president who could not read the State Department memos. Or, the hugest question might be, to use a word of the kind often employed by the current President, do you think President Trump has ever read a State Department memo?

Sources: I have provided enough for this typeface topic and you can easily find some on your own. I could offer more, but will just give you the one with the best title: "A New Serif in Town: Trump's Font Culture War" by Will Barker in The Week:UK. CANCON Up here in the north things tend to move at a glacial pace, which has been quickening. DEI mantras arrived here fairly fast, but the Great Reaction is just now beginning and only the most extreme DEI demands have started to melt. On the language front, things seem fairly calm. The Government of Canada has enough problems in sending out memos in the two official languages so font issues are probably on the back burners. It is the case, however, that several new languages, which are very old, have been added and typeface traumas may be in the offing. Fonts for some of the Indigenous languages are being developed, particularly in British Columbia, but there are sure to be complaints from settlers who will not be able to find the characters on their keyboards, which sometimes are now required in official documents. There are many examples. The first one below is an "Acknowledgement" and the second a sign.

“This place is the unceded and ancestral territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and has been stewarded by them since time immemorial.”

March Breakup

 Orlando or Bust?
   There was an article in The Globe and Mail last month with this title: "Canada's Great American Breakup: Most Now See U.S. As a Risk, Not an Ally, Poll Finds," Steven Chase, Feb. 23, 2026. "The poll, by Nanos Research  took stock of deteriorating Canadian opinions of the United States after U.S. President Donald Trump’s first year back in office.The findings suggest a profound level of distrust and a significant recasting of how Canadians see the United States."

“The environment now in Canada is very emotionally charged,” Mr. Nanos said." While some Canadians are putting elbows up, many are not putting sandals on unless they are heading to Punta Canta or Cancun. 

  There have been many articles indicating that travel to the U.S. by Canadians is down to a significant degree. Next week is  "March Break" for many and it will be interesting to see if many chose not to seek the sun, just south of our border.

You Can't Get There From Here
   One used to be able to fly from London "International" Airport directly to some U.S. locations. That is now not the case. Also, some airlines are reducing routes.
   Air Transat has decided to cut its flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. 
   WestJet is also dropping many flights. Here are some examples:

WestJet's cancelled U.S. routes include:

Atlanta (ATL) – Edmonton (YEG)

Boston (BOS) – Vancouver (YVR)

Chicago (ORD) – Edmonton (YEG)

Las Vegas (LAS) – Toronto (YYZ)

Las Vegas (LAS) – Winnipeg (YWG)

Los Angeles (LAX) – Toronto (YYZ)

Nashville (BNA) – Vancouver (YVR)

Nashville (BNA) – Winnipeg (YWG)

Orlando (MCO) – Vancouver (YVR)

Raleigh-Durham (RDU) – Calgary (YYC)

San Diego (SAN) – Vancouver (YVR)

San Francisco (SFO) – Edmonton (YEG)

San Francisco (SFO) – Vancouver (YVR)

Seattle (SEA) – Edmonton (YEG)

Seattle (SEA) – Kelowna (YLW)

  I suppose this also means there won't be as many options from those locations for Americans who might want to visit Canada. 
  One notices the changes in Canadian magazines and travel sites. The Canadian Snowbird Association's winter issue is "The Captivating Canary Islands."
  They are even noticed in RV publications, where the marketing people must be having a hard time: "Winter Magic in Ontario Parks: Firelight Hikes, Family Fun, and Frozen Trails" and "Winter Road Trips in Canada: What You Should Know Before You Go."

Sources: The West Jet cancellations are found in: "WestJet Removes 15 Transborder Routes, Cuts Summer Capacity by 19.6%," Global Media, Feb. 20, 2026. "WestJet is cutting 15 several Canada–U.S. routes as transborder demand continues to soften, leading to a significant capacity reduction for Summer 2026....
As reported, softer demand from both Canadian and U.S. travellers has dampened transborder traffic flows."
   A sample of an article discussing this downward trend is found in The Toronto Star: "Canadian Snowbirds are Avoiding the U.S. in Greater Numbers; Anger at Trump, Poor Exchange Rate Spark Big Drop for Southwest Florida," Francine Kopun, Jan.25, 2026.

Post Script:
  There are other reasons not to fly -- to anywhere. If you are over 5 tall, on WestJet, is one of them.  Also the mid-air tussles have increased along with the turbulence. With regard to the fisticuffs, I have yet to see any example when the "Plane Police" happened to be on board when problems with passengers developed: see, Air Marshals. For the rough flights read: "Buckle Up: Why Is Turbulence Getting Worse?" Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, March 9, 2026.

London Bicentennial (Snippet 4)

 Disaster in London -1898

Source: Daily Capital Journal, Jan. 4, 1898 (Oregon). The information below is found on Facebook, see "Vintage London, Ontario":

   "On election night in 1898, a major disaster happened at the old City Hall on the west side of Richmond St, between Dundas & King.

  A large crowd assembled on the second floor to cheer on London's new mayor-elect, Dr. John Wilson. By 9pm that evening the room was at capacity. Around 10pm a loud crack was heard as a wood support beam under the room snapped. A portion of the floor collapsed, taking with it a couple of hundred people - along with a 500 lb safe. At least 23 people were killed and 150 people were seriously injured. Many prominent Londoners were among the people killed. Various reasons were given for the collapse including blaming the crowd & poor building construction techniques."

photo source - Western Archives The Leonard Family Fonds Box X1920

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 3)

  If one goes searching for recent news about London, Ontario, the stories and reports often involve Western University and the city's robust STEM and health sciences sectors. They are usually positive. Here are a couple examples from this month.

"Jaundice; New Jaundice Research from Western University Discussed (Open-source light calibration system for hyperbilirubinemia phototherapy..."

Biotech Week, 4 March 2026.

Press Release: "Aduro Clean Technologies Announces Participation in the 38th Annual ROTH Conference"

Dow Jones Newswires, 14:00, 5 March 2026.

"Life Sciences; University of Western Ontario Researchers Discuss Findings in Life Sciences (Better data for better predictions: data..."

Life Science Weekly, 3 March 2026.

Canada Health Journal Panned - 1870 While searching for snippets for London's Bicentennial, this put-down was noticed. It is my duty to report the bad along with the good. This very harsh review is from the Medical and Surgical Reporter in the year of 1870.

Western Men's Squash Wrap-up

 The Hoehn Cup
   Back in February in "Squashing It" I noted that the squash team at Western won the OAU Championship again. I also mentioned that the team would probably be competing for the Hoehn Cup at the College Squash Association Divisional Championships. They did and perhaps they didn't do as well as expected. Although Western had been ranked higher, they lost to Franklin & Marshall. The picture and the results are provided by the victor.

#19 Franklin & Marshall 6, #18 Western Ontario 3

Kyle Broadhurst (F&M) over Daniel Deverill (Western); 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-5)

Sharan Punjabi (F&M) over Josh Kay (Western); 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-4)

Aditya Chandani (F&M) over Rohan Paliwal (Western); 3-2 (11-9, 11-7, 10-12, 5-11, 16-14)

William Znidarec (Western) over Toby Clegg-Petri (F&M); 3-1 (11-6, 4-11, 11-8, 12-10)

Noah Katzer (F&M) over Liam McKay (Western); 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 12-10)

Jamie Stait (F&M) over Rio Schafer (Western); 3-2 (9-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-5)

Akshat Agarwal (F&M) over Arin Khot (Western); 3-1 (12-10, 13-15, 11-6, 11-7)

Dylan Erb (Western) over Dean Vahlsing (F&M); 3-0 (11-9, 12-10, 13-11)

Michael Knapp (Western) over Teerth Jilka (F&M); 3-0 (12-10, 11-6, 11-5)

  As you can see, there were a lot of good games. The teams were closely matched and Western had beaten Franklin & Marshall earlier in February. Here are the results of that match, taken again from the website of Franklin & Marshall.

 LANCASTER, Pa. – The No. 18 Franklin & Marshall men's squash team (8-6) was held off in a 5-4 loss to No. 19 Western Ontario (3-6) Sunday morning in F&M's first match on the Mayser Center Squash Courts since November 23. Tied at 4-4, the Mustangs earned a 3-2 victory in the No. 8 match to secure the victory over the Diplomats.

 
#19 Western Ontario 5, #18 Franklin & Marshall 4

Daniel Deverill (Western) over Sharan Punjabi (F&M); 3-1 (11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8)

Kyle Broadhurst (F&M) over Rohan Paliwal (Western); 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-3)

Aditya Chandani (F&M) over William Znidarec (Western); 3-1 (11-3, 13-11, 6-11, 11-4)

Toby Clegg-Petri (F&M) over Liam McKay (Western); 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-1, 11-9)

Rio Schafer (Western) over Noah Katzer (F&M); 3-0 (12-10, 11-8, 11-9)

Arin Khot (Western) over Jamie Stait (F&M); 3-2 (5-11, 11-2, 11-9, 4-11, 11-6)

Akshat Agarwal (F&M) over Dylan Erb (Western); 3-2 (9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-5)

Eesa Huq (Western) over Dean Vahlsing (F&M); 3-2 (12-10, 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-4)

Michael Knapp (Western) over Teerth Jilka (F&M); 3-0 (11-3, 11-3, 11-7)

Lucas Quon (Western) over Eeshan Sawant (F&M); 3-1 (12-10, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8) (Exhibition)
   The Hoehn Cup was won by MIT after a tight match against Colby. Colby had defeated Western in the quarterfinals. In last year's quarters, Western defeated Colby, 7-2. It is too bad the final was not between Western and Colby since it would have been the MUSTANGS VS THE MULES. 

   For a lengthy account of UWO/Western participation in the United States see:

"UWO SQUASH AND THE U.S. COLLEGIATE SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS" 

MM, March 15, 2024. 

Note: I am retired from Western where I attempted to play squash. I followed the teams back then and even sold some squash racquets for Coach Fairs to help support the teams financially. The squash tradition at Western is worth noting and supporting. The information supplied in these squash-related posts is gathered by me and I am solely responsible for the content and any errors that may be found. I have never met Coach Hanebury or any of the team members, but wish them well.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 2)

For International Women's Day

Early Feminism in London, Ontario - 1890
    An example is found in The Woman's Tribune, which is suitably situated in Beatrice, Nebraska. See the issue for Nov.8,1890. Under the heading "New Women's Papers", it notes "that new periodicals of, for and by women are springing up on every hand." 

   Ms. Wetherald is accomplished enough to have her own Wikipedia entry, from which the photograph was taken. A cursory search quickly found this: "Wives and Daughters," Isabel Campbell, The Mirror, Vol.1, No.1. 
   "Wives and Daughters" was published in London, Ontario as a monthly supplement to the London Advertiser between 1890 and 1892. Subscribers were expected to pay twenty-five cents per annum to receive it in the first year and fifty cents annually afterwards. Why and exactly when the publication folded is not known. The last known issue is Volume III, No. 1 in October of 1892 and there is no mention of the publication’s demise in it or in the London Advertiser at this time."
  The complete article is available online or in the Special Collections in the D.B. Weldon Library. It is published by the History Department at Western.