The Delicate Subject of Cartoons

  

   A distinction should be made between the act of drawing a cartoon and the beheading of a person. Many seem to think that the decapitators are better citizens than the cartoonists. I tend to side with the cartoonists and the silent minority on this issue. I can’t imagine a cartoon as bad as a beheading. Although I strive to avoid current events, at least this post does not again mention still-President Trump. It does involve our Prime Minister.

   The issue concerns the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. Five years ago, twelve staff members at the publication were killed because they published cartoons of Muhammad. The killers are now going on trial, so the magazine decided to re-publish the images. A teacher chose to show the cartoons and discuss the issue of ‘freedom of the press” with his class. He was beheaded for doing so. I suppose the majority wonder how stupid the cartoonists and the teacher could be, while I think the beheaders deserve more criticism.

   President Macron apparently felt the same way and when he sought support, none was forthcoming from our Prime Minister. Trudeau had second thoughts, and just a few days ago the Leader of the Opposition had a few of his own, here are some of them:

“Regrettably, in the wake of the recent Islamist attacks in France, killings committed as acts of revenge for our freedoms, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted he did not believe in free speech if it could be used to offend someone. To be frank, these words are unworthy of a Canadian prime minister. They once again show Trudeau bowing to ideological Twitter mobs rather than standing up for a founding principle of our country.

Let’s be clear: no dogma, whether political or religious, is immune from criticism. As my colleague Gerard Deltell put it so well in the House of Commons, “Freedom of expression does not exist only when it suits us … It must exist especially when it does not suit our business.” And I will go further: tolerance, which truly defines our country, should not be a one-way street.”

   It does definitely seem like we are on a one-way street. If you are heading the wrong way, you are labelled  an 'Islamophobe' and criticism of Islamists can be classified as a hate crime or deemed 'blasphemous'. If you are among the politically correct and heading in the right direction you perhaps secretly admire those who are really good at cancelling culture, or at least the Western version of it.

   A few brave people spoke up about the issue of freedom of speech, but fewer still were willing to go much beyond that. I fear a fatwa myself for this rather mild critique, but will take the slight risk and go a step further and present a few jokes - but, certainly no images. The jokes are not mine, but I will give no source since the author of them may wish to avoid the fate of Salman Rushdie.

   These jokes were offered after the writer of them noticed that a major American newspaper was providing advice for the increasingly Muslim audience of readers, Here they are, but there are no pictures:

“Which way is Mecca? Ten Timely Tips for Budget Hajj Travel”

“Modern Romance: How Many Wives is Too Many?”

“Healthy New York: Maintaining Vitamin D Sufficiency Under the Burka”

“Food: Top 100 Kebob Houses in Lower Manhattan”

“Sunday Styles: Goat Tending for City Dwellers”

“Five Times A Day: Suing Employers Who Don’t Provide Prayer Rugs”

“Best of New York: Local’s Guide to Men-Only Tea Houses”

“Know Your Tenant’s Rights: Halal Animal Slaughter on the Balcony”

“Summer in the City: Cool Lightweight Burkas that Beat the Heat”

“Taxing Matters: Time for a Municipally Collected Jizya?”

“Healthy New York: Female Genital Mutilation Without Tears”

“CityScape: The 100 Most Beautiful Mosques on the Upper East Side”

“Modern Romance: How Young Is Too Young for Child Marriage? 14? 12?”

“Mosque and State: Time to Rethink the Founding Fathers?”

“The Feminist Muslim’s Guide to Politically Correct Wife Discipline”

   Some of the advice offered involves women and I was reminded of a curious incident that took place in Massachusetts. It concerned signs that were posted around the town of Winchester. The signs were plain and rather innocuous, but still perplexing as this headline indicates: "'Islam Is Right About Women': Odd Signs Spark Confusion in Local Town," Boston 25 News, Sept. 18, 2019. Was the sign poster being sarcastic? Is Islam right about women? Or Wrong? Here is the clever sign that is likely just a bit of troll bait.

Sources:

"Freedom of Expression a Founding Principle of Canada,"Erin O'Toole, Toronto Sun, Nov. 13, 2020.

See also: "Trudeau Shamed Into Supporting France, Freedom of Expression," Brian Lilley, Toronto Sun, Nov. 6, 2020.  These quotations are from this article:

"It’s a sad statement when leaders from around the world stand with France but Canada doesn’t.

The central question is whether it is ever acceptable to insult religious figures, specifically by showing images of Mohammed.

Islam forbids showing images of Mohammed, but I’m not a Muslim and shouldn’t have to live by that rule any more than their rule against eating bacon.

What he should have said is that while he may find the cartoons of Mohammed offensive and understands why Muslims do, it is a fundamental freedom to show them, publish them or discuss them."

Post Script:

I am too cowardly to use the image of you-know-who and hope the cartoon of Erdogan is not overly offensive. I am not the only coward. In 2009, Yale University Press published THE CARTOONS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD, by Jytte Klausen. Oddly enough, there is not one cartoon in it.

If you are interested in the debate over this issue, go back to the spring of 2005. At that time PEN awarded Charlie Hebdo a freedom of speech award. You will think that PEN members would be automatically in favour of presenting such an honour, but the event was boycotted by some. Of course Salman Rushdie, a former PEN president agreed since he had to go into hiding for several years, after the publication of Satanic Verses. Canadian author Michael Ondaatje, among others, protested.

On Osler

   You will likely recognize the name 'Osler' and know that Sir William Osler was a famous Canadian physician, who is sometimes called the 'Father of Modern Medicine'. That phrase was even used in a recent article which went on to suggest his name should be erased from our memory.

   You will be able to judge easily from the headline, the sin of which he is now found to be guilty: "Sir William Osler's Revered Status in Medicine Shaken As Racist Views are Revealed," Marco Chown Oved, Toronto Star, Nov. 9, 2020. That article is reporting on another one with this rather sarcastic title, especially when appearing in a professional medical periodical: "William Osler: Saint in a White Man's Dominion", which is found in the Nov. 9th issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.  Some of Osler's views are now considered by some to be reprehensible (he died in 1919) and it is suggested that his name needs to be removed from various objects and replaced by the names of others now more acceptable. That would include, here in London, Osler Street and the Osler Society up at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

   I was not convinced by the arguments presented, that Osler needs to be eliminated. I admit, as well, that I am more concerned about the skills of my cardiac surgeon than her political views. There are others better equipped to defend Osler including some close by, to wit: "Dr. Vivian McAlister, a surgeon and professor at Western University in London, Ont., warned against people reading Osler's words and judging them by the standards of today. "(Historical figures) all said things that would make us cringe today, but they were still very noble people," McAlister said. "(Osler) inspired all physicians of all races and all backgrounds to do better. He continues to do that today. That is his legacy." (that is from the Star article.) 

   I made a similar point in my post about the current Historical Censoriousness:

“The dispensing of moral judgments upon people or upon actions in retrospect,” wrote Butterfield, is the “most useless and unproductive of all forms of reflection.”

   Both the articles are available to you and you can decide for yourself. As well, you should read the long biographical essay by Charles G. Roland in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, or the shorter one by him in the Canadian Encyclopedia.  There is a good profile of Osler at Johns Hopkins where he was physician-in-chief.  At McGill University, however, his legacy is under attack and, "This summer, Montreal emergency pediatrician and McGill professor Dr. Samir Shaheen-Hussain penned two columns asking why medicine still puts racists on pedestals." Apparently hiring policies at McGill are more liberal now than admissions standards once were, since the discriminatory policies against Jews were not changed until after World War II. While the Dr. above may not be Jewish, if he is really concerned about all the past injustices, he will likely be busier as a polemicist than a physician.

Osler's Other Controversies

   If the Thought Police wish to be thorough in their indictment of the evil Osler, they should include three other incidents which indicate he did not have the character required for the period in which we live. The first two are reported in the DCB profile of Osler mentioned above. For very sensitive readers I should place here one of those warnings one gets before TV shows, but the sentence so far should suffice.

"William was an active and mischievous child, and numerous stories describe his jokes and pranks, one of which ended in an overnight stay in jail."

and

"Sometimes, Osler’s spirits bubbled over into literary practical jokes. One such instance of joie de vivre almost backfired. While living in Montreal, he concocted a spurious and ribald account of the supposed sexual and obstetric practices of an Indian tribe in Quebec, sending it under a pseudonym to a friend who edited a journal. The joke got out of hand when the article was accepted and almost published. A few years later, a similar piece by him was published."

(It is fortunate that I have few readers, none of whom would read carefully enough to notice the involvement of the Indigenous in the episode above. Although the people at Hopkins seem to be aware of all this horrid stuff, if this information spread widely in Canada, Osler would surely be in deep trouble.)

   The third charge against Osler is far more serious. In 1905 he was widely condemned in the North American press for recommending that the elderly be euthanized. He made the suggestion during a talk he delivered as he was leaving Hopkins and it was quite controversial. It shouldn't be. The idea that we should all be allotted a "FIXED PERIOD" was taken from Trollope, but Osler's,  "attempt at jocularity failed when the American yellow press sensationalized the story, claiming that Osler had seriously recommended that all older persons be chloroformed."  His name became a widely used eponym and we can apply it artfully here and say the debate about Osler should be "Oslerized." Sir William Osler likely had both a better bedside manner and a better sense of humour than your current GP. 

Sources:

"Nationwide ridicule of “The Fixed Period” address included cartoons such as this one, showing haloed William Osler dispensing chloroform to aging men. Image courtesy of the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

All the above from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6413966/

For the article in the CMAJ. 

"William Osler: Saint in a “White Man’s Dominion,”

CMAJ November 09, 2020 192 (45)

Information about the "Fixed Period" fiasco is easy to find and you can begin with the Wikipedia entry.  A thorough account is found in the following article which also provides these eponymous examples:

“To Oslerize” entered the American lexicon as a synonym for euthanasia, but the Baltimore News went further:

Osler; v.—To retire, to be retired. Example: “I am about to Osler.” “We have decided to Osler the janitor.”

Oslerization—The process of applying the Osler. Example: “Your services are no longer required.”

Oslerumni—Those who have been Oslered or Oslerized; divided into two classes—the material but declining and the spiritual but declined.

Osleresque—Having the quality of early retirement; prematurely languid; that tired feeling at 40.

Osleritis—See lazy.

From: "Osler Goes Viral: "The Fixed Period" Revisited," Charles S. Bryan, Proceedings- Baylor University, Medical Center, 2018-10-02, Vol. 31 (4). p.550.

A new article about Osler has just been published, but I was not able to access it. Here is the abstract:

Charles S. Bryan, "Sir William Osler, Eugenics, Racism, and the Komagata Maru Incident, "Baylor University Medical Proceedings, Published online: 09 Nov 2020

Abstract

A recent critic levels two new charges against Sir William Osler: (1) that in 1912 he was a vice president of the First International Eugenics Congress; and (2) that in 1914 he asserted Canada should remain a “a white man’s country.” Osler was indeed among the 31 vice presidents of the First International Eugenics Congress, but he did nothing further in this area. Osler indeed asserted that Canada should remain a “white man’s country,” but his context was the Komagata Maru incident during which most Canadians felt the same way about 376 passengers from the Punjab Province of British India who sought to defy Canadian immigration law. There is little or no indication of racism elsewhere in Osler’s deeds and writings, and the idea that race is largely a social construct emerged only after his death. Advocates for racial equality should view Osler not as an adversary but rather as an ally in today’s battles for global justice and also for human survival.

Charles S. Bryan (2020) Sir William Osler, eugenics, racism, and the Komagata Maru incident, Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, DOI: 10.1080/08998280.2020.1843380

Bonus Information:

Did you know that the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is in London and has relocated to 100 Kellogg Lane, The Tower, 4th Floor. 

There is an Osler Society up at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry:

"The Osler Society at Western was founded as a permanent historical society at Western’s Medical School in the 1920s. It is named after Canadian doctor William Osler (1849-1919), who emerged as the ideal modern physician for his stance on the importance of practical instruction teaching in the laboratory, at the bedside and in the morgue. Osler’s The Principles and Practice of Medicine became a landmark textbook, going through eight editions in Osler’s lifetime and sixteen in total, and established him as the authority in modern medicine. His lay sermons include ethical and moral lessons relevant for physicians past and present."

Book Buying

 I frequently offer advice to those who have the bad habit of buying books. As a contrarian, my aim is to encourage rather than discourage your bad behaviour and I may soon branch out and cover other bad habits which are more popular. If someone is nagging you about your excessive purchases, read on.

What Books Are On Your Bookstand?

  That question is the first one asked in the series, "By The Book," which appears regularly in the "Book Review" section of the New York Times. The authors of books are queried about the books they themselves are reading. When asked about what was currently on his bookstand, the British author, Richard Lloyd Parry,  began by offering this useful remark:

“The books beside my bed are like the expensive, and suspiciously unsullied, pair of running shoes in the cupboard: an aspiration, and a symbol of the man I would like to be rather than the one I truly am…." He then goes on to name a few. Mr. Parry is described as a "journalist and author of “People Who Eat Darkness” and, most recently, “Ghosts of the Tsunami” avoids “lad lit” even more assiduously than he avoids “chick lit.” (See: "Richard Lloyd Parry: By the Book," New York Times, Book Review, Dec. 7, 2017.)

Books Are Like China.

   The Inn at Shelburne Farms in Vermont looks like a very nice place to stay. Apart from roaming around the 1,400 acres, you can browse the bookshelves in the Inn. Here is a description bibliophiles should remember when challenged:

“The Inn at Shelburne Farms belongs to a period when people had libraries, when reading was a central activity in life. It was how you got your information. I doubt the owners of these books read more than a few of them, but who am I to judge? Anatole France, asked if he had read all the books in his library, is said to have replied: “Not one-tenth of them. I don’t suppose you use your Sèvres china every day?” But they look as if they’ve been perused if not exactly read. Bound in leather, their fading pages rough-cut and tissue-thin, they have no jackets; their titles and the names of their authors are stamped in gold leaf on the cover. They aren’t just books; through the gentle weathering of time, they’ve become objects of beauty.”

(See: "Headed For The Graveyard of Books," James Atlas, New York Times, Feb.10, 2017.)

Books As Investments

   If you only buy new books from the remainder bins and old ones from your local Good Will, this section will not apply unless someone mistakenly drops off some incunabula along with the paperbacks.  I thought of this business angle because the value of other investments has dwindled, of late, and is likely to dwindle more. As well, I happened upon an article in an issue of the magazine Garden and Gun which was discussing a Sotheby's auction of rare and valuable books, many of which were related to hunting, and found in the collection of Mr. Arnold "Jake" Johnson, late of Bozeman, Montana. A large amount of money was spent at the auction. A copy of Random Sketches on a Hunting Trip Through Mexico, the Western States, and Alaska by Thomas Gilbert Bowick was estimated to be worth between $3,000 to $4,000, but sold for $4,750.  Those are U.S. dollars and this was a book about hunting. If you both a bibliophile and a hunter, you might want to show this to your spouse, whomever they may be.

Sources:

   At this time, the link to the Sotheby's website and the information about the collection of Mr. Arnold "Jake" Johnson still exists, but I will not insert it here. Just google his name for more information. If you do so you will find this article in Fine Books & Collections - "Americana From the Library of Arnold "Jake" Johnson to be Offered at Doyle," Jan. 14, 2019.

Although it is closed right now, we really should visit Shelburne Farms. 

The books pictured above and below are both by Edward Brooke-Hitching and someone said about The Madman's Library: 

'Anybody who loves the printed word will be bowled over by this amusing, erudite, beautiful book about books. It is in every way a triumph. One of the loveliest books to have been published for many, many years.'

Now you have two more books you have to buy.

The Bonus:

  You read correctly, I did indeed refer to a magazine called Garden & Gun. If you don't like guns, you can at least read about the gardens. If you don't like Southerners, you should know that this beautiful periodical is written by those who celebrate "National Seersucker Day" and they are more likely to be drinking mint juleps than moonshine. Have a look; you will be impressed: Garden & Gun. 

On Squirrels

    I can't say I chose squirrels as a subject because it is a slow news day. There is plenty of news about the current American election, the results of which are likely to be slowly reported over the next few months[in a few months you will applaud my prescience]. Squirrels are better subjects, however,  and I would rather focus on them than the larger Republican rodents to the south of us.

  It is fall and the squirrels are very active in our back yard. The falling leaves and the current "Indian summer" reminded me of my high school days when I used to go hunting for squirrels back in Maryland. So here are some thoughts quickly gathered so I can go outside and take advantage of the few warm days we have left.

The Colour of Squirrels

 

Black or Gray

   I think I remember correctly that most of the squirrels back in Maryland tended to be gray. The majority in the back yard right now are black, but the relations between them and the gray ones seem to be better than the relations between variously-coloured people, both here and in the U.S. 

   Apparently black squirrels were rather rare in the area where I grew up, an area just across the Chesapeake Bay from Washington, D.C.  That city now has a majority Black population and some black squirrels, thanks to Canadians. 

   The answer to the question, "Where did Washington's black squirrels come from?" is answered in the Washington Post. Here it is, in a nutshell:

"The first batch of black squirrels — eight in number — was sent to the National Zoo in 1902 by Thomas W. Gibson, Ontario’s superintendent for parks. Smithsonian secretary Samuel P. Langley, in his report to Congress that year, wrote that the squirrels were accepted “in exchange,” and, indeed, checking Canadian records, Answer Man discovered that Rondeau park received an unspecified number of gray squirrels from the Smithsonian. (They are “doing nicely,” reported park caretaker Isaac Gardiner.) 

The black squirrel and the gray squirrel are the same species of squirrel: Sciurus carolinensis, a.k.a. the Eastern gray squirrel, the only difference being a color variation. The black squirrels evince a “melanistic color phase,” the recessive gene for black coloration coming to the fore. 

The Canadian squirrels were released in the northwestern part of the zoo, “where they were very much at home,” according to the 1923 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. “They have since been constantly in the Park, especially from the vicinity of the great flight cage to the Klingle Valley, and they have spread northward to Cleveland Park and nearly to Chevy Chase.”

The entire article is found on April 1, 2011 in the Washington Post in a piece by John Kelly: "Where Did D.C.'s Black Squirrels Come From: Blame Canada." It was not an April Fool's joke and the subject of squirrels typically occupies a week of columns in the Washington Post every spring.  During that week in 2011, Kelly mentions that the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian has over 30,000 squirrel species. 

 

White

   You will likely know that there are even some white squirrels since there are some nearby in Exeter. You can learn more about them at Experience Exeter.  They are not only found in Ontario, but also in Olney, Illinois.  They are mentioned by Teale in Wandering Through Winter, (p.219). That town also uses them in municipal advertising and you can read about them here: White Squirrels of Olney. 

Red

   About them I will say little, except to say that they are in peril over in the U.K. where they are threatened by the gray ones. Have a look at the Red Squirrel Survival Trust. 

   Little additional needs to be added about squirrel colouring since a fellow who passed through London a while back, covered the subject. You will even learn that just as black squirrels were sent from Ontario to Washington, additional black critters were shipped from London to Kent State in Ohio. 

  The fellow mentioned is Ric Wallace, who describes himself as an ARTographer. He now lives in White Rock, B.C., but his London website is still alive and well and there is a whole subject devoted to Squirrel Stuff - and there is additional material on Victoria Park. Who would have thought? You can even buy squirrel memorabilia from him.

The Eating of Squirrels

   I mentioned that I went squirrel hunting, largely for 'sport', but  those killed were usually eaten. You very likely think that both the hunting and the eating of squirrels are primitive endeavours, but they both persist. You can hunt for them in Ontario and learn how to cook them in various YouTube videos. The most difficult parts of the exercise involve getting a hunting license and gun. Over in England it is popular to hunt the gray ones to help protect the red ones and a fellow in Old Darby, Leicestershire sells around 150 squirrel pies a week.

  In Paul Theroux's Deep South, the subject of eating squirrels comes up and the answer to the question he raised, "How Do You Cook Them?" is answered on p.353:

“Squirrel for breakfast -- smother-fried,” she said. “Gut the front shoulders and back legs and rib cage. You can cook the head too. Roll all of them in flour and shove them in a  skillet. Squirrel cooks real fast. Then put water into the skillet with the browned squirrel. The flour turns into gravy. Cover it, let it simmer awhile. It’s delicious first thing in the morning.” He is speaking with Pat and this is in Arkansas. There are other mentions of squirrel eating in the book."

 

   Apart from the new book, pictured above, see this fine piece by Mike Sula: "Chicken of the Trees," in the Chicago Reader, Aug.16, 2012. 

   This might be a subject you want to re-visit if we have additional food security issues, or if you find a drey in your attic.

The Migration of Squirrels

   I thought squirrels lived in relatively small areas, but in some cases they migrate and sometimes in great numbers.  They can even swim. The sun is shining so I will just provide some examples below. 

  I have several from this continent, but here is one from across the ocean:

"There are reports of mass migrations of both Red and Grey squirrels in response to seed crop failures. Following successive ‘good years’ a squirrel population increases to the carrying capacity of the habitat. If there is a subsequent poor mast year, there is insufficient food to support all the squirrels and they must either leave or starve. Reports from Russia in the 1930s and 40s describe enormous migrations of Red squirrels on the move, even swimming fast-flowing rivers such as the Amur, Ob and Yenesi or large bodies of water including Lake Baikal and the Gulf of Finland.

In Squirrels in Britain, Keith Laidler notes that the migrating squirrels “move in a long ‘skirmishing line, sometimes more than thirty-five miles [56 km] in extent”, are virtually impossible to stop once the migration has started, and tells of a hoard of black and grey squirrels swimming five miles (8 km) across Seneca Lake in New York state during 1848. According to Laidler, the migration ‘wave’ moves at about a mile and a half (2.4 km) per day. More recently, a large group of Greys were observed swimming across the Potomac River near Washington D.C. in the autumn of 1990. I’m not aware of any similar migrations having occurred in Britain."Source - Wildlife Online

Here are some screen shots from articles:

This is from the Scranton Tribune, Oct.1, 1897

The last example is from: "Migrations of the Gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis),"

Ernest Thompson Seton, Journal of Mammalogy, Vol. 1, No. 2  (Feb., 1920), pp. 53-58.

Here is one of the more recent mass migrations that I was able to find:

"NOT ENOUGH NUTS IN NEW ENGLAND: Squirrels Have Started a Strange Migration Westward--Biggest Exodus Since 1927--Do They Smell a Hard Winter Coming?--Many Are Drowned Swimming Lakes," Lawrence Hanscom, Boston Globe, Oct. 8, 1933

For an equally fascinating post about the activities in our back yard see: SPARROWS