News From Down Under

 Where's The Beef?
  Since the news up here is not so good, I went looking for news that is better and began searching in Australia. I noticed first this headline and was puzzled: "Unions put the bite on Maccas." Although my subtitle refers to Wendy's you may have figured out that 'Maccas' is how McDonald's Australia is referred to and that has been the case for over a decade. Established in Yagoona back in 1971, the history of the company in Australia is subsumed under "Macca's Story" on the corporate website. 

  Reading on, I did stumble upon some headlines that were refreshing, at least to me, since they indicated that Australians are happy celebrating Australia Day. These are from The Australian, Jan.26, 2025:

‘Unity is What Stands Out’: Aussies Young and Old Reclaim Our National Day: Australia Day Has a New Lease of Life, with Citizenship Ceremonies, Beach Parties, Barbecues and Events of all Kinds Attracting Record Turnouts."
AND
"Gloomsters, Listen Up – the People are Speaking Out: Australians are Proud of Their Country, Proud of How it has Evolved Into One of the World’s most Prosperous, Fair and Free Societies. That’s Something Mighty to Celebrate."

  When I returned to our northern and colder climes, the bit of news I looked at was bad - even the news about Australia.  I suppose I should have suspected that the rosy news in The Australian might not reflect how all Australians felt. Here is the headline from the New York Times, Jan. 26, 2025. 

"Monuments in Australia Are Vandalized to Protest National Day: The Vandalism Unfolded in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Australia Day is a Divisive Holiday That Critics See as a Symbol of Racism and Oppression," Mike Ives. 
  I suppose the lessons to be drawn from this are rather limited, but suggest that one needs to read the news both from the north and the south and the left and the right.

Footner Down Under

 

   This will be the third post in a row relating to the author, Hulbert Footner. I quietly introduced him when I told you about “Where I Went on My Spring Vacation." I went to Maryland and part of the reason for doing so was to visit Footner’s granddaughter and the Calvert County Historical Society where a room is dedicated to him. More recently, you learned that he became engaged to the daughter of the Canadian journalist, “Kit" Coleman, whose visage is now found on some Canadian coins.  And you just found out that jousting is the official state sport in Maryland and read Footner’s account of a tournament held in the 1940s in southern Maryland.

    This is likely Footner’s Last Post in this blog, so before leaving him I should explain why he has shown up in MM. Before that is done, you would probably like to be reminded of who he is and for that I will just direct you to the Wikipedia entry. That was the only source about him that I could find. After reading his non-fiction works, I couldn’t understand why more was not known about him. Additional catalysts were the facts that he was born close by in Hamilton and died in Maryland, the state in which I was born, and where they had declared March 14 as “Hulbert Footner Day.”

   Considerable research was done. I have often undertaken massive amounts of research related to a wide variety of subjects, as well as a number of people, and the paucity of finished output is truly astonishing. In this case, I thought the references gathered should not be wasted. The Footner family would find them useful, plus he is worthy of examination as a novelist and historian. They ended up in book form and to prove that this post is not a plug for that publication, I am only including the title here in the concluding sentence of this paragraph and will not note that it can be easily and cheaply purchased in print, or as an e-book from Amazon: Hulbert Footner: Author of Adventure Novels, Detective Novels and Historical Nonfiction: A Bibliographic Account of His Life and Work.

                              Additional Evidence From The Antipodes

   

   For that book, I searched throughout North America and the United Kingdom for references to Hulbert Footner  and for indications that he was, in fact, a popular author. There was little to be found about him, but there was considerable proof that he was relatively well-known. More data to support that were not needed and to plough through even more references would have been a chore for even the most dedicated Footner fan. But, there are now a few who are interested in Footner who are reading this blog and that is the reason he has shown up. They will be pleased to know that his stories, books and movies were popular with the Aussies and I now know that he was even liked by the Kiwis.

Even if you are not interested in Footner, but are in Australia, then you should visit TROVE, an immense digital treasure. You can search thousands of newspapers and sort the results in a variety of ways. (They have also figured out a way to placate ‘sensitive’ readers who might stumble across a one hundred year old word that is now offensive.) I found Footner information in it a few years ago, but did not include the Australian material in the book. The references to Footner  found in Trove have increased as new publications and years are added.  Apart from the ads for his books there are often reviews of them and apparently the Aussies frequently found them to be ‘rattling good.’ Here, for example, are some sentences from a review of The Fugitive Sleuth which appeared in The World’s News (Sydney) on Saturday, May 3, 1919:
“The Fugitive Sleuth is a rattling good detective story, breathless, pauseless, full of life and go. In Hulbert Footner the public has found the adventure story writer par excellence. The instant success of his brilliant romance, The Sealed Valley, will always ensure a wide welcome for a new book by the same masterly hand.”

You can now also do the same for publications in New Zealand in “Papers Past.” They are both free! Footner samples from both are provided below. 

When I searched for “Hulbert Footner” on TROVE a few years ago there were over 500 “hits.” Now there are 887. The results can be restricted in a variety of ways: you can look in particular papers or cities and separate the ads from the articles. Here are some of my notes from the earlier searches: [NB - note that these are from old 'notes'. They should be checked on TROVE and verified.]

"The Shanty Sled is described in similar fashion as “a rattling fine yarn of the frozen north.” Readers in Brisbane are told that Footner “is endowed with a sense of humour and the dramatic ease of a born story teller.” (The Queenslander, Saturday, Nov.14, 1925).

Advertisements and reviews for his films are also found. For example: Even in Tasmania - a review of “Ramshackle House,” The Mercury, (Hobart), Thursday, Dec. 20, 1925. As well in the West (Perth), The Mirror, Saturday, Jan. 9, 1926: “Similes fail in finding a fitting word for Betty Compson, star of The Ramshackle House, the picturisation of the Hulbert Footner novel of the same name now screening at the Palladium.” The earliest mention of Hulbert Footner found was in an ad for The Sealed Valley in 1915 (The Advertiser, (Adelaide), August 28, 1915. The latest is a mention of his name in a review in 1951.”

   I recently did a bit of searching again and here are some examples. One learns that the University of Sydney Library has a copy of De dubbelganger, which is apparently a Dutch version of Two on the Trail. The earliest mention of Footner is now found in 1908 when it is reported that an article of his is appearing in Century Magazine. In 1943, The Northern Advertiser (Western Australia) excerpted a piece from his New York: City of Cities: “One of the World’s Great Avenues” [Park], Feb. 27.

This is the title of an article in The World News Sydney, Sep. 6, 1919 “Have You Read?” Thieves' Wit (Hulbert Footner). "Those who read and enjoyed, as each reader surely did, this author's "Fugitive Sleuth" will welcome this latest story from his pen. It is a new type of detective story, and quite a good one at that. It is fashioned on new and fascinating lines, and it is quite difficult to forecast the end until the author chooses to take the reader into his confidence.” “Backwoods Breezes” The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.) May 23, 1917 “Canadian novels never lack In vigor and freshness of scene. The Fur Bringers, by Hulbert Footner, is conspicuous in that respect. The breezes of the pine forests blow through it, and make up a peculiar attraction for readers who nave tired of the old haunts and devices of the story tellers….Mr Footner has made a study of his subject, he is full of the spirit of the region, knows its moods and intrigues, and has fashioned a romance at once rugged and beautiful.” "The Folded Paper Mystery" , Sunday Times, Perth, Sep.28, 1930 “A good story can always be expected from Hulbert Footner. And "The Folded Paper Mystery" is one of his best productions.” Even Footner's book about his house in Maryland gets reviewed: The Australasian, (Melbourne), July 13, 1940

"Charles Gift " “Many readers will like to think of "CHARLES' GIFT," by HULBERT FOOTNER (Faber and Faber), as a delightful writer's gift to a reading public. The world is so unsteady, the present so uncertain, and the future to many unthinkable. In these days it is often hard to feel relaxed even when reading, but '•Charles* Gift" is a joy to read. Its tempo is one of leisure and of peace; one is lulled by the soothing prose. “

From New Zealand

A search in 2023 for "Hulbert Footner" in the newspapers digitized on Papers Past yields 950 "hits." The first (oldest) is his story "Melodrama in Fulton Street," in the Lyttleton Times, April 4, 1908. Soon after, "The Simple Adventures of 2112," appears in the Dunstan Times, Sept. 6, 1909. Reviews of Footner's works are easily found. For example: There is a short review of "The Nation's Missing Guest" in the New Zealand Herald, May 27, 1939, under the title, "Sultan Disappears", where it is described as "a diverting story." In the same newspaper on Sept. 22, 1934, Dangerous Cargo is reviewed. See: "Two Mystery Novels." "Always to be relied upon for an exciting and entertaining story, Hulbert Footner has thrills a plenty in his latest mystery novel, "Dangerous Cargo," a Crime Club book. Advertisements can be searched separately and many are found for the film, "Ramshackle House (e.g. Evening Post (Wellington), Sept. 14, 1926. Twenty years later Footner's book, Unneutral Murder is advertised by Hyndman's bookstore in the Otago Daily Times, Nov. 21, 1946.

There are many more for Footner aficionados to use and study. Although the global popularity of his writings may not be a proxy for the quality of them, one can still surely argue that Hulbert Footner deserves more attention and I am glad to see that he is getting some from the Calvert County Historical Society.

The News From Down Under

 

   In short: It is not good and it is the same as the news up here. I have commented, perhaps too often, about how bad things are in the headlines and that is one reason why I have been reading little that was published after 1929.  Perhaps parochialism is my problem, I thought, so I took a look at what is going on in Australia. It is spring there and surely things must be better than here.

   I was wrong and this report will be a short one. First, I was prepared and expected to see a lot about the less-than Royal Couple, but found Britney instead. The headline in the Geelong Advertiser is: "BRITNEY BOMBSHELL AS DAD FINALLY BOOTED." Even farther down, the Hobart Mercury reports that: "CROWDS GATHER TO AWAIT DECISION ON FUTURE OF BRITNEY SPEAR'S CONSERVATORSHIP." And, then there is Covid and even worse, there are also Aussies who don't want to get vaxxed: "MAN-BABIES SHOULD GET A JAB, WEAR A MASK AND GROW UP," The Sydney Morning Herald.  I knew that Rupert owned much of the news there, as he does here, and I knew that the Great Barrier Reef is now not so great, but I was hoping for better news from the Aussies. 

   I can offer some southern content that will make you feel better. If you started humming a tune when you read "Down Under", you were probably thinking of the one by the Melbourne band, Men At Work. Here it is and it will brighten your day: DOWN UNDER.  And, if you really want a laugh and are over 21, check out these Kiwis, The Flight of the Conchords and their rendition of Business Time. 

The Bonus: 
   I failed to find better news Down Under, but I did grab you a quiz that I cribbed from The Courier Mail in Brisbane.  Here it is:

1. Who is the middle child of TV’s Homer and Marge Simpson?
2. Melbourne is on what bay?
3. The Old Dart is an old-fashioned nickname for what country?
4. What word rhyming with “gusset” denotes a reddish brown colour?
5. Who was recently re-elected as prime minister of Canada?
6. TV personality Johanna Griggs represented Australia in which sport?
7. The name of what great ape comes from the Malay for “forest person”?
8. W.H. Auden was best known in what field of literature?
9. What is the name of the killer played by Anthony Hopkins in film The Silence of the Lambs?
10. What name is shared by the capital of French Guiana, and a type of spicy chilli pepper used in cooking?
11. Which Creedence Clearwater Revival hit song mentions “Willy and the Poor Boys”?
12. Which British king famously abdicated in 1936?
13. Which AFL player won the 2021 Brownlow Medal?
14. What pigment gives plants their green colour?
15. Which of these is an official currency of Panama: rambo, balboa, or corleone?
16. Actor Willie Garson, who died last month aged 57, was famous for his recurring role as Stanford Blatch on which US TV series?
17. The three “unalienable rights” outlined in the US Declaration of Independence are “life, liberty and the pursuit of …” what?
18. The song I’m Every Woman was originally a hit in the ‘70s for which singer?
19. Winner of the Booker Prize for his 2015 novel A Brief History of Seven Killings, author Marlon James is from what country?
THE STUMPER
20. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is made up of which four countries, whose leaders recently met at the White House.

The Bonus Bonus For Paying Subscribers - The Answers:

1. Lisa Simpson 2. Port Phillip Bay 3. England/Britain 4. Russet 5. Justin Trudeau 6. Swimming 7. Orang-utan 8. Poetry 9. Hannibal Lecter 10. Cayenne 11. Down on the Corner 12. King Edward VIII 13. Ollie Wines 14. Chlorophyll 15. Balboa16. Sex and the City 17. Happiness 18. Chaka Khan19. Jamaica 20. USA, Australia, India, Japan

The Great Cat Cull

Not For Cat Lovers


Last week I produced a post for my lone reader to learn if, in fact, he was reading this drivel. He is, it turns out, and he even commented about the contents and was surprised that the Brits killed all those pets and that John Barrymore also may have dispatched his dogs. (For that post see: Factlet (2) -Brits and Their Pets.)

 For his benefit I will continue with the animal theme and for the rest of you I offer a “Scoop.”
If you pick up the New York Times tomorrow, you will find in the Magazine the following article:
“The Culling: Australia is Deadly Serious About Killing Millions of Cats,” Jessica Camille, Aguirre, New York Times Magazine, April 28, 2019.

The article begins with a photograph of a gun-toting Aussie emerging from the Outback with a dead cat and describes how some other Aussies are flying overhead dropping thousands of poisonous sausages. 

Feral cats are a real problem down-under it appears and the Australian government decided in 2015 that two million should be eradicated. It is estimated that over 200,000 were killed during the first year even though Brigitte Bardot and 160,000 others objected. The cats are being culled because: 
"In addition to mammals, cats kill an estimated 377 million birds and 649 million reptiles every year in Australia. (In the United States, the numbers are even more striking: Scientists estimate that free-roaming cats kill 1.3 to 4 billion birds and 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals every year.)"

That should be enough to entice you to read the article and enough to satisfy my lone reader.

Post Script:
I thought by writing this stuff down it might help me remember it. That is not working. I have only vague memories that I already have written about the feral cats here in London, Ontario. See: Feral Cats and Dead Birds.
For those of you wondering how I know the contents of the New York Times for tomorrow - it's simple. Subscribe and you get articles early, but now I don't have anything new to read on Sunday and we may get some snow.