Devious Language

It was interesting to hear one of the spokespersons for a G20 protest group speaking about the potential for property damage as a consequence of their protest. He said that property destruction, or, as some choose to call it "property modification," can happen anytime. How convenient! Rather like describing looting as "property liberation." There is no shortage of mischievous or even malicious nonsense in all of this.

Ugly Clutter

Who are the people who clutter every hydro pole and traffic island in Hamilton with signs for house painting, carpet cleaning, exercise classes and sell it yourself real estate? And how do these visual blights appear on our landscape? I seldom see anyone posting them but there must be a veritable army of people out there putting them up. Does all this stuff get posted in the middle of the night?

And, while I am at it, how did we manage to create a society of slobs who plaster a neighbourhood with garage sale signs and then just leave them there to weather and fade for weeks.

Surely, Hamilton, amidst its myriad of bylaws, has something that covers this. And the culprits aren't hard to track down - they all list an address, a telephone number, or an e-mail address.

If bureaucracy can't help us move this blight from those traffic islands that we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars creating, perhaps it is time for ordinary citizens to register their objections. Maybe we should just call up these offenders and tell them that we don't approve. Perhaps someone needs to create a website that highlights the worst offenders without promoting their products. A few photos in the Spectator might help.

Mountain Memories is Back

The Hamilton Mountain Heritage Society has just taken delivery on a limited edition reprint of their popular pictorial history of Hamilton Mountain - Mountain Memories. This volume has been out of print for several years. Originally published in 2000, it is the only recent volume that has been produced on the history of the Mountain community. This reprint is a valued addition to the currently available resources on Hamilton's history.

The cost of the volume is $35.00 and information about securing copies is available on the HMHS website at http://hamiltonheritage.ca

Forever Henderson

The Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation has made a most lamentable decision. Without much public awareness the Corporation decided, back in 2006, to abandon the name Henderson as the designation of the city's hospital on Concession Street on the Mountain.

The decision was made to replace the Henderson name with that of Juravinski. The Juravinski name is already attached to the Cancer Clinic which is part of the facility and now it is to be extended to the whole institution. Assuming that the Health Sciences Corporation was not actually seeking an excuse to dump the Henderson name, their decision is puzzling. Mr. & Mrs. Juravinski have been very generous benefactors and their generosity certainly deserves to be celebrated. The question is, since the Health Sciences Corporation has a staff of experienced public relations people, how is it that they could not come up with some other alternative? Why do we have to take back an honour already bestowed on someone else in order to honour the Juravinskis?

For the moment, the point is not to justify the appropriateness of the honour previously given to Norah Francis Hamilton. There was more than ample reason to accord her that honour. The point is a more basic one than that. Why must one person be demoted in order for someone else to be celebrated? Has Hamilton so many heroes that there are not distinctions enough to go around?

As this earlier decision is now seeping out into public consciousness there is likely to be a public clamour. And so there should be! The Henderson Hospital doesn't belong to the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation they have just been appointed to administer it. The Hospital belongs to the people of this city. It is now time for those people to tell the HHSC what they think.

You can learn more about this whole issue by visiting Forever Henderson and registering your response.

Traditional Jazz returns to Hamilton

Traditional Jazz (popularly referred to as Dixieland or New Orleans style jazz) has only been an occasional offering on Hamilton's music scene. However, there are some signs that this may be changing.

The Southern Comfort Jazz Band, although associated with the Cambridge area, is actually under the leadership of Trevor Hodgson of Dundas. This group has had two recent appearances at the Wichester Arms in Dundas and is slated for another one on Sunday, June 7th.

The band members are all seasoned players of traditional jazz (which admittedly these days draws most of its fan support from a 50+ aged audience). Southern Comfort, like most such groups, has a team of regulars who are sometimes reinforced or augmented by guests. The seasoned regular Southern Comfort lineup is Trevor Hodsgson on clarinet, Peter Sagerman (trombone), Brian Graville (trumpet), along with Gary Tomlin (drums), Bill Stewart (guitar and banjo) and Bryan Day (bass). 

There are some other traditional jazz rumblings in Hamilton too and since I am a loyal fan of the genre I will try to keep you posted. Southern Comfort will be at the Winchester Arms (120 King St., Dundas) from 4-7 pm on Sunday, June 7th. and invite all who love that sort of music to drop in and enjoy some good listening.

Without hiding my conflict of interest I invite you to visit the Southern Comfort website at www.southerncomfortjazz.ca.

Bob Bernhardt

"If Cows Could Fly"

Beth Jacob Synagogue on Aberdeen Avenue was the setting for a wonderful theatric production on August 28th. The production features a solo performance by Allan Merovitz who is also the author of "If Cows Could Fly". This is the humorous, though sometimes bittersweet, account related in story and song of growing up Jewish in the Ottawa Valley. It is based on the author's own family history and his life experience as a boy in Smith Falls, Ontario. (Learn more about this production at: www. if cowscouldfly.com )

This sounds like it was a one man show but that would not be an accurate way of describing it. Integral to the presentation of the story is the contribution of a wonderful klezmer trio. Ronald Weihs (fiddle), Henri Oppenheim (accordion) and Frank Rackow (clarinet) were the talented musicians who formed the versatile on-stage Klezmer band that knit the whole presentation together with great musical skill.

This was an Artword Theatre (www.artword.net) production directed by Ronald Weihs with design and stage management provided by Judith Sandiford.

The wonderful Hamilton connection in all of this is that the Artword Theatre, which has been in operation since 1993, has recently relocated to Hamilton from Toronto. Artword has joined forces with Barbara Milne and Gary Santucci of Hamilton's The Pearl Company (www.thepearlcompany.ca) and will be presenting their fall season's offerings in the newly reconfigured theatre on the second floor of The Pearl Company (16 Steven Street in downtown Hamilton).

Artword describes its objective as being to "create art that provides a critical view of contemporary life. makes use of a range of art forms (music, dance, visual art, multimedia), reflects the diversity of the modern world, and honours the human spirit." If this weeks production of "If Cows Could Fly" is characteristic of what is on their agenda for the future then we in Hamilton will be richly rewarded by their arrival in our community.

Of course, the whole concept of The Pearl Company and its growing contribution to the arts in Hamilton is another story to which I hope to return often. I am delighted to welcome Artword Theatre to Hamilton as it seems to represent another bright spot on our horizon.

Bob Bernhardt

My Hamilton

I was not born in Hamilton nor was I educated here. Instead, my relationship with Hamilton began early in my employment career. I arrived in the early 1970s with some pessimism. To me Hamilton was famous for its industrial productivity not for its livability. However, as a new Mountain resident, I soon became enamoured of its quiet neighbourhoods, generally friendly populace and its wonderful parks and hiking trails.

Admittedly, the industrial sectors of the city looked and felt more gritty. In those days the air pollution index did not usually need to be announced it was there to be seen and tasted. But my overall impressions of the city and its people were warm and positive.

That early affection has not dissipated but it certainly has been tempered by some stern realities. Community leadership seems more often to be struggling in a quagmire than leading a parade. We seem to have a capacity for making even the more mundane activities of administration complicated and divisive. But, as events have repeatedly demonstrated, the solution is not to be found in finger pointing and critique. Somehow, we have to find ways to work more cooperatively in carving out some new beginnings.

So, I hope to use this blog to celebrate some of the positive things that I see and feel in this community about which I have come to care very deeply. Perhaps I can also encourage the efforts of at least some of the people who are making some good things happen. So, if an explanation is required, that's what "Hamilton Happenings" will be about!

Bob Bernhardt