EPISODE 603 BENARES CONCERT WITH AGE OF REASON June 24, 2022
Michelle Gee
Maria Moore
Chris Burke
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence”
ERROR IN 602…SHOULD BE HOWARD TANNER
EPISODE 602 PORT CREDIT SLMON DERBY JUNE 2022
EPISODE 601 : “CAR ON FIRE”
Begin forwarded message:
Sent from my iPhone
GRIMSBY SALE for keith and mary Seabrook of Beamsville, ontario, june 18, 2022
EPISODE 599 FORT MISSISSAUGA…HIDDEN AWAY ON A GOLF COURSE
Fort Mississauga
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada |
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In the 1720’s France began work on what would become Fort Niagara, which the British took from them in 1759, during the French and Indian War (1756-1763). Though after the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) this fort was within the boundaries of the new United States, the British lingered in Fort Niagara until 1796, when the Jay Treaty finally made it COMPLETELY CLEAR THAT THEY WOULD BE LEAVING NOW THANK YOU VERY MUCH. All of this meant that Great Britain suddenly had no defenses at the extremely important mouth of the Niagara River. Great Britain immediately got to work on Fort George, just a smidge upriver (and on the opposite bank) from Fort Niagara. Fort George was completed in 1802. Plans had been afoot to build a 14-gun battery facing Fort Niagara at Mississauga Point in 1799, but once the impressive Fort George was completed, adding more guns to this mix seemed unnecessary. Instead, the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes was built at Mississauga Point in 1804. The name Mississauga refers to the Algonquin Mississauga Indians, who were present in the area when the French first arrived in the 17th century. The word means, “those at the great river mouth,” which assumedly refers to the Niagara River where it meets Lake Ontario. |
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The British troops that had been ejected from Fort George thanks to the excellent planning and leadership of Colonel Winfield Scott (1786-1866) scampered to Burlington Heights, a fortified position at the far western tip of Lake Ontario. While the Americans had been great at capturing Fort George, they proved less great at further endeavors inland, perhaps in part due to the fact that Winfield Scott had been wounded at the battle of Fort George, removing him from the field until later in the war. Britain was victorious at both the Battle of Stoney Creek (June 6, 1813) and the Battle of Beaver Dams (June 24, 1813), and the demoralized Americans would abandon Fort George on December 10, 1813. |
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It seems that Boyd’s characteristic role in most tense situations was to lose control over them. True to form, just before abandoning Fort George, things got out of hand and American troops put Newark to the torch without warning anyone, dumping the town’s dazed populace into the snow. This needless destruction enraged the British, who would burn several American towns in retribution when it shortly became their turn to invade their enemy’s land and capture their starforts. |
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Another possibility seems to be that an American brigade of 3000 men under Colonel Moses Porter (1755-1822) advanced on what must have been a diminutive Fort Mississauga in July of 1814, only to be chased away by long-range cannon fire from the fort. These two events may or may not have happened, as they are briefly described in the signage at the fort, but I cannot find mention of them elsewhere. Both Brown and Porter fought heroically at the Siege of Fort Erie in August of 1814, and these actions may have been misattributed to Fort Mississauga. The starfort of our current interest did have impressive, 20-foot thick, star-shaped earthworks by the end of 1814, along with a series of log buildings within those walls, in which the garrison spent its lonely days. Perhaps fortunately for Fort Mississauga, it was left alone for the remainder of the war. The tower was only nine feet high in 1816, but was finally completed in 1823. In 1837 and 1838, a series of rebellions broke out in Canada, led by Canadians yearning for “responsible government.” While a government reeking of responsibility was indeed created not long after these rebellions, these events nonetheless freaked Great Britain out, and Fort Mississauga’s defenses were bolstered as a result. |
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I visited Fort Mississauga in August of 2015! If you’re interested in seeing more of how the fort looks today, perhaps you’ll visit the Fort Mississauga page in the Starforts I’ve Visited section. *The claim that Fort Mississauga is the only remaining star-shaped earthwork in Canada is made in the signing at the fort. Claims such as “biggest,” “oldest,” and “last remaining” seem to often be made locally at starforts without much in the way of research, or with a whole lot of qualifications affixed thereto. Fort Mississauga may be the only star-shaped earthwork remaining in Canada, but…Canada is a big place. Be careful with those heroic superlatives, starforts! |
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EPISODE 599 FORT MISSISSAUGA…HIDDEN AWAY ON A GOLF COURSE
Fort Mississauga
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada |
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|
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In the 1720’s France began work on what would become Fort Niagara, which the British took from them in 1759, during the French and Indian War (1756-1763). Though after the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) this fort was within the boundaries of the new United States, the British lingered in Fort Niagara until 1796, when the Jay Treaty finally made it COMPLETELY CLEAR THAT THEY WOULD BE LEAVING NOW THANK YOU VERY MUCH. All of this meant that Great Britain suddenly had no defenses at the extremely important mouth of the Niagara River. Great Britain immediately got to work on Fort George, just a smidge upriver (and on the opposite bank) from Fort Niagara. Fort George was completed in 1802. Plans had been afoot to build a 14-gun battery facing Fort Niagara at Mississauga Point in 1799, but once the impressive Fort George was completed, adding more guns to this mix seemed unnecessary. Instead, the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes was built at Mississauga Point in 1804. The name Mississauga refers to the Algonquin Mississauga Indians, who were present in the area when the French first arrived in the 17th century. The word means, “those at the great river mouth,” which assumedly refers to the Niagara River where it meets Lake Ontario. |
||||
|
||||
The British troops that had been ejected from Fort George thanks to the excellent planning and leadership of Colonel Winfield Scott (1786-1866) scampered to Burlington Heights, a fortified position at the far western tip of Lake Ontario. While the Americans had been great at capturing Fort George, they proved less great at further endeavors inland, perhaps in part due to the fact that Winfield Scott had been wounded at the battle of Fort George, removing him from the field until later in the war. Britain was victorious at both the Battle of Stoney Creek (June 6, 1813) and the Battle of Beaver Dams (June 24, 1813), and the demoralized Americans would abandon Fort George on December 10, 1813. |
||||
|
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It seems that Boyd’s characteristic role in most tense situations was to lose control over them. True to form, just before abandoning Fort George, things got out of hand and American troops put Newark to the torch without warning anyone, dumping the town’s dazed populace into the snow. This needless destruction enraged the British, who would burn several American towns in retribution when it shortly became their turn to invade their enemy’s land and capture their starforts. |
||||
|
||||
Another possibility seems to be that an American brigade of 3000 men under Colonel Moses Porter (1755-1822) advanced on what must have been a diminutive Fort Mississauga in July of 1814, only to be chased away by long-range cannon fire from the fort. These two events may or may not have happened, as they are briefly described in the signage at the fort, but I cannot find mention of them elsewhere. Both Brown and Porter fought heroically at the Siege of Fort Erie in August of 1814, and these actions may have been misattributed to Fort Mississauga. The starfort of our current interest did have impressive, 20-foot thick, star-shaped earthworks by the end of 1814, along with a series of log buildings within those walls, in which the garrison spent its lonely days. Perhaps fortunately for Fort Mississauga, it was left alone for the remainder of the war. The tower was only nine feet high in 1816, but was finally completed in 1823. In 1837 and 1838, a series of rebellions broke out in Canada, led by Canadians yearning for “responsible government.” While a government reeking of responsibility was indeed created not long after these rebellions, these events nonetheless freaked Great Britain out, and Fort Mississauga’s defenses were bolstered as a result. |
||||
|
||||
I visited Fort Mississauga in August of 2015! If you’re interested in seeing more of how the fort looks today, perhaps you’ll visit the Fort Mississauga page in the Starforts I’ve Visited section. *The claim that Fort Mississauga is the only remaining star-shaped earthwork in Canada is made in the signing at the fort. Claims such as “biggest,” “oldest,” and “last remaining” seem to often be made locally at starforts without much in the way of research, or with a whole lot of qualifications affixed thereto. Fort Mississauga may be the only star-shaped earthwork remaining in Canada, but…Canada is a big place. Be careful with those heroic superlatives, starforts! |
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EPISODE 598 “BLUEJAYS? NOPE, THE DAMN YANKEES’
SYNOPSIS (NOT THAT YOU NEED IT)
Sometime in the Future: Washington, D.C. Act I Meg and Joe Boyd are middle aged, and happily married. Meg knows that Joe is a good and faithful husband but that he isn’t always hers. For “Six Months out of Every Year” he, like millions of other men, belongs to baseball. He is a fan of the perennially losing Washington Senators and he hates the fact that those “Damn Yankees” are going to win the American League pennant again this year. He would do anything not to let that happen again. He would even sell his soul to the devil! Out of nowhere a suave man, Mr. Applegate, appears and makes Joe an offer. If Joe will give him his soul, Mr. Applegate (a.k.a. The Devil) will make Joe the great long hitter that the Senators so desperately need. Joe is, of course, concerned for Meg, but as he’s always wanted to be a ballplayer he gives in to the temptation. However, being the real estate salesman that he is, he negotiates an escape clause – if he decides that he doesn’t want to give his soul to the Devil by September 24, he can still have it back. Mr. Applegate reluctantly agrees. Joe writes Meg a farewell note – “Goodbye, Old Girl.” He is transformed into a younger, more vibrant Joe – Joe Hardy. Joe and Applegate leave to make Joe’s dream come true. Outside the ball field, four Washington players sing their philosophy of baseball and life. They may not have the skill to beat the Yankees but they have something else – “Heart.” Mr. Applegate enters with Joe and convinces Van Buren, the coach, to give Joe a tryout. Joe, shoeless because the previous Joe’s feet were much smaller, borrows a pair of shoes from another ballplayer. All of this is witnessed by a pushy reporter and Senators’ fan, Gloria Thorpe, who at Applegate’s invitation watches Joe’s skillful playing. His tryout is spectacular and Gloria offers to help catapult Joe Hardy to superstar status by naming him “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo.” Joe becomes irritated by all the press attention, particularly from Gloria. All he wants to do is play baseball and help the Senators win. More than all of that, he realizes how much he misses Meg. Applegate, sensing that Joe may change his mind about his soul, calls in his secret weapon: Lola, formerly the ugliest woman in Providence, Rhode Island. Lola can do anything – all it takes is “A Little Brains, A Little Talent.” Meanwhile, Joe misses Meg so much that he goes back home and convinces her to rent him a room – “A Man Doesn’t Know.” Meg’s bridge partners recognize the great Joe Hardy and are quite impressed. Out of nowhere Applegate appears to inform Meg that there is a new zoning law prohibiting the rental of rooms in private homes. Joe takes Applegate outside to send him away. Applegate quickly informs him that Lola is here and is dying to meet him. He explains that he isn’t interested. Thanks to Joe, the Senators are on a winning streak, and after a great game Applegate brings Lola in to meet him. He wants to get home but Lola has other things in mind – after all, “Whatever Lola Wants” . . . Joe succeeds in convincing Lola that where he should be is home with Meg. Applegate appears and chastises Lola for her failure to seduce him. The Chevy Chase Fan Club rehearses a song for a dinner saluting Joe Hardy – “Heart” – reprise. Prior to the dinner, a repentant Lola tells Joe that she’s on his side. Gloria, on the other hand, has just returned from Hannibal, Mo., and no one there has ever heard of Joe Hardy. Applegate tells Gloria emphatically that Joe Hardy is not Shifty McCoy, the bribe-taking ballplayer in the Mexican league. Meanwhile, the salute to Joe is about to begin, and Lola and one of the players, Sohovik, do their number – “Who’s Got the Pain?” Soon Joe is informed that the newspapers are about to hit the streets saying that he took a bribe. The crowd is in an uproar. Joe tries to calm them down. Van Buren informs him that the baseball commissioner has set a hearing for the next day, September 24, and if he can’t prove who he really is, he’ll be cut from the team. Act II In the locker room, the players worry about winning a game without Joe’s help. They must not be distracted by anything like women or Joe’s hearing, or women, or booze, or women – they have to think about “The Game.” Without Joe, the Senators lose the game. Joe is worried that he won’t be able to clear his name and that Meg might lose respect for him. He calls her and they meet. Without revealing himself, he asks her if she thinks he’s Shifty McCoy. She says no. She knows she’s a good judge of character. That’s why she knows the other Joe, her Joe will return to her. Joe assures her that he (the other Joe) is “Near to You.” At his swanky apartment, Applegate tells Lola of his plans to have the Senators lose so that Joe has to stay and play beyond the date that had been set. For her part Lola feels bad for Joe. Joe arrives to tell Applegate of his decision: he wants out. Today is the 24th. Applegate says it isn’t as simple as that, these transformations can only take place at the witching hour – midnight! Applegate tells Joe that if at five minutes to midnight he still wants out, so be it. Joe asks what he is supposed to do if the hearing is still going on. Applegate tells him to just ask to step into the next room and once through that door Joe Hardy will disappear forever. Joe agrees. Lola repeats the litanies that Applegate has taught her: “Never feel sorry for anybody, never feel sorry for anybody.” Distressed by Lola’s attitude and Joe’s decision, Applegate reminisces about a time when evil things were a lot easier – “Those Were the Good Old Days.” At the hearing Joe is vindicated, thanks to an impassioned speech by Meg and her bridge friends. However, his vindication comes just as the clock strikes midnight. It’s too late for Joe to become his former self. Lola, for spite, has slipped four sleeping pills into an ecstatic Applegate’s demon rum, so he won’t wake up until after the game tomorrow. Joe’s soul is lost, but at least the Senators will win the American League pennant. To celebrate this little bit of happiness, Joe and Lola go out on the town – “Two Lost Souls.” The next day Applegate awakens to find the game already in progress. He berates Lola for her “good” deed and then asks her what the score is, “4 to 3, Washington,” is her reply. Applegate assures her that Washington will lose the game even if he has to transform Joe in front of everyone. However, before that, he transforms Lola back to her former ugly self. At the game, Applegate and the ugly Lola watch as the Senators are about to clinch the pennant. Not being able to allow himself to be outwitted by Joe, Applegate transforms him as a ball is hit in his direction. The transformation takes place and the old Joe stumbles, but, at the last moment, he regains his balance and strength and catches the ball. The Senators win the game. Back at home the old Joe is welcomed by a relieved and happy Meg and despite the protestations of Applegate, Meg and Joe find the comfort they cherish in each other – “A Man Doesn’t Know.”