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Canadian Women’s Club of Chicago Newsletter
May 2009
President’s
Message
Another month has raced by, and here it is May already. This
is my favorite time of year.
Despite the less-than-ideal weather, I’ve been enjoying watching the grass green
up, the leaves pop out on the trees, perennials poke their heads out of the
ground, and now the flowering fruit trees and bulbs. It makes that long snowy
winter seem like a distant dream! My favourite flower has always been the tulip,
and I’m thrilled to see them blooming all around me! The annual Canadian Tulip
Festival in Ottawa is on this week – something I’ve always wanted to see.
Imagine the nation’s Capital swathed in tens of thousands of perfect blooms in
every colour under the sun. (Photo of the “Ottawa tulip” by Chelsea Smith, from
the website www.tulipfestival.ca)
We still haven’t finalized the Board for next year, and are looking for
volunteers for several positions. Please give me a call if you’re interested in
finding out more.
I hope we have great weather, and great turnouts, at our next two luncheons as
we wrap up the year. Once again this month, Consul General Georges Rioux and his
wife (and CWC Honorary President) Sharon Gray open their lovely home to us, and
we’ll enjoy a wonderful luncheon prepared by their staff. In June we’re going to
socialize around the pool and enjoy a “picnic” lunch in the adjoining party room
at (withheld)’s condo. I’m looking forward to seeing the flowers around the pool,
planted by (withheld) herself. It will be our last chance to get together until
September, so please come!
- Michelle Gillis, President
Newsletter
Deadline
The deadline for submitting articles to be
included in the June newsletter is Wednesday, May 20, 2009. All articles should
be submitted to Jan Dengis. Please put CWC on the subject line. Any questions,
please call Jan.
MEMBER NEWS
Please welcome our latest member to the club,
Norma Taylor!
Birthday wishes for May go to : Paula on May 1st, (withheld) and Joan Ridyard
on May 9th, Gail Thompson on May 18th, Lesley Green on May 22nd, Carol Taylor
and Ellie Altman on May 28th, and Vivi Martens on May 29th.
- Janet Walker, 2008-9 Membership Chair.
CANADIAN
NEWS
GO WEST!
For the past two years, Ottawa has topped Moneysense’s ranking of the best place
to live in Canada. But this year, Victoria has taken the crown, thanks to its
clean air, low unemployment, affordable tax rates, and the ease with which you
can get around the city. The B.C. capital could use some cheaper housing options
but who wouldn’t pay a little extra to live in a city where the thermometer
drops below freezing a mere 53 days a year?
Ottawa dropped to second on this year’s list, with Kingston rounding out the top
three.
- Source : Macleans.ca
Canadian, Eh?
Perhaps no other word is considered as distinctly Canadian as eh. The word has
been in use for well over a thousand years, with roots in Latin, Old English,
and Middle English. In Latin, it was derived from the word interiectio, which
means “something thrown in between.” In Middle English, the word was ey, an
interjection common in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Even then, the word
was considered slang, and little has changed over the centuries. In Canada, eh
is used at the end of a statement, basically turning the statement into a
rhetorical question and tacitly assuming the other person’s agreement – “It’s
cold in Canada, eh?” “I sure could go for a beer, eh?” and so forth. It’s not
exactly clear how the expression became so popular in Canada and how it came to
be so closely identified with the country. Even in 1959, the Journal of Canadian
Linguistic Association was reporting that “eh is so exclusively a Canadian
feature that immigration officials use it as an identifying clue.”
- (from Weird Canadian Words – How to Speak Canadian, by Edrick Thay, 2004)
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
Canadian Event Calendar
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Saturday, May 9, 8:00pm, Bryan Adams,
Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago
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Friday, May 15, Saturday, May 16, Monday,
May 18, Wiener Takes All-A Dogumentary, Siskel Film Center, 164 North
State Street, Chicago. The little-known
world of wiener-dog racing. For start times, please go to
www.siskelfilmcenter.org
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Saturday, May 16th through Tuesday, May
26th, various times, Opera: Benjamin Britten’s Owen Wingrave, Harris
Theater, 205 East Randolph, Chicago |
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Tuesday, May 26 and Wednesday, May 27,
7:30 pm, Concert: Tragically Hip, Vic Theater, 3145 North Sheffield,
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For more info, please go to www.cwcchicago.com
Canadian Club Calendar
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Thursday, May 28th, 7:30-9:00 AM, The
Obama Effect -- Canada/US Relations in a New Era presented by Consul
General Georges Rioux Cliff Dwellers Club, 200 South Michigan Avenue,
Chicago. Canada is the United States' most important bilateral
trading partner and ally; come and learn more about the political and
economic ties between the two countries at a time of new leadership and
global economic slowdown. Tickets for this seated breakfast event are
$25 for Canadian Club members, $35 for non-members.
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Wednesday, June 10th, 7:30-9:30 AM
Canadian Club of Chicago: Current Trends in US and Canadian Immigration
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, 200 West Jackson Blvd., 13th
floor conference center. Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy,
LLP, in conjunction with the Canadian Club of Chicago, will participate
in a breakfast seminar on Current Trends in US and Canadian Immigration
-- How the Economy and Politics Impact Immigration Policy and Practice.
The seminar focuses on current U. S. and Canadian immigration issues,
the effect of new immigration policies on companies and their employees
and how proposed immigration policies and legislation will impact
companies doing business in the U. S. and Canada. Tickets are $15 for
Canadian Club members, $25 non members.
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For more about these events search the website
www.canadianclubofchicago.org
CLUB NEWS
Social
On Sunday April 26, a number of members and
guests dodged the spring raindrops and met for brunch at Flatlander’s and
afterward moved down the street to the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort to catch
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” It was a wonderful production,
and the intimate “theater in the round” setup put everyone almost on the stage
with the actors. A great time was had by all!
- Paula , Social Committee
Programme and Hospitality Committee Report
During our April meeting a group of us met at the
Art Institute where we enjoyed lunch in the restaurant followed by a tour led by
a young lady born in Winnipeg! She expertly highlighted elements of Yousuf
Karsh’s portraits and what made his art distinct. She conveyed many
interesting stories around the portraits themselves, their subjects as well as
the photographer. It was a delightful way to spend time inside on a cold,
blustery April day. Looking ahead, we will be wrapping up our year with a Pool
Party Picnic at (withheld)’s in Winnetka! Please come and be ready to socialize
around the pool if it is good weather—but if not, we’ll pass our time in the
party room enjoying lunch and catching up with each other before taking a break
over the summer. Please note this meeting will be on Wednesday June 10th, the
2nd Wednesday of the month.
We would like to hear from you! What kinds of
programming would you like to see our club doing more of? What is of interest
to you? Would you consider hosting a meeting sometime in the near future?
Interested in taking an active role in the planning and execution of the
meetings? We need help! Please approach any of our programme committee members
with ideas or suggestions or willingness to participate in future programming.
Plans get under way during the summer and the more ideas we have, the better we
can plan something of interest to you, our membership!
- Anne Rizzolo, Mirella Caputo and Robin Allison
Garden Club
May 16, 2009, Reserve the date! You are invited to a Plant Exchange and
Luncheon at the home of (withheld). All Gardeners welcome! RSVP to (name
withheld).
Come even if you don’t have plants to exchange. You are still welcome to come
and enjoy (withheld)’ garden, and help pick an interesting garden walk for June or
July.
Plans for a Garden Walk will be in the June newsletter.
Book Club
The book club discussion of Adrienne Clarkson’s memoir, “Heart Matters”, will be
on Wednesday, May 27th, at 11:00 am. Sheila Chin will be our hostess. There is
plenty of street parking and Sheila’s home is a short walk from the Armitage
Station on the Brown Line.
TALES FROM
MISS HOLLYWOOD
Okay, I confess – I’m a Hollywood news junky! I tune in to watch Entertainment
Tonight or Access Hollywood to get the latest scoops. I also admit to watching
talk shows, my favorites being Regis and Kelly, David Letterman and, sometimes,
Oprah and The View. I have even been known to browse through entertainment
magazines and tabloid newspapers at the grocery store’s checkout counter,
although I draw the line at purchasing one. These actions have earned me the
distinction of being nicknamed “Miss Hollywood” by my family.
Keeping up with the latest Hollywood gossip has been a harmless avocation of
mine that dates back to the days when I lived in Canada. I have always been
interested in what new movies are debuting, who is appearing on whose show, who
has written a book, the new fall lineup on TV, who is dating who, who is
divorcing who, etc. etc. It’s fair to say that over the years I have accumulated
a substantial amount of useful information regarding celebrities from both sides
of the border. In fact, it’s my area of expertise that actually affords me an
edge and sets me apart from the ordinary Hollywood aficionado – my superior
knowledge about Canadians that have made their mark in the US entertainment
industry is unparalleled.
My husband first witnessed my superiority in this department early on in our
relationship during a highly contested game of Trivial Pursuit (which, by the
way, was invented by two Canadians). It was my turn. All eyes were focused on me
as I shook the dice. The dice rolled across the game board producing a number
that miraculously landed me on “pink” – an entertainment question! “Who wrote
the theme song for The Johnny Carson Show?” I smiled knowingly and gazed
confidently at the opposition as they all waited and wondered if I did indeed
know the answer. I let the drama build but finally I couldn’t hold back any
longer, time was running out. “Paul Anka!” I squealed triumphantly much to my
husband’s amazement. “How did you know that?” he enquired, to which I replied:
“I’m Canadian!”
I was just a young girl living in Toronto when Paul Anka zoomed to fame at the
early age of 17 with his mega-hit song Diana. The year was 1957 and everyone was
singing “I’m so young and you’re so old, this my darling I’ve been told.” This
song had a special meaning in my household since my mother’s name was Diana and,
with a young girl’s imagination, I thought Paul was singing this song directly
to her. How this young man from Ottawa, Canada rose to the height of fame not
only in Canada, but in the US as well, is a Hollywood success story that I
followed throughout the years with great interest.
Much later, in 1970, Anne Murray emerged on the music scene and scored an
enormous hit with her recording of Snow Bird. All Canadians were in awe when
this unknown singer from the improbable town of Springhill, Nova Scotia
catapulted to stardom and made such an impact on the music world. She went on to
become the first Canadian female singer to reach number one on the US music
charts paving the way for other notable Canadian female singers - Celine Dion,
Shania Twain, k.d. lang, Sarah McLachlin, Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne.
When my son was young we used to enjoy going to the movies together. He, of
course, knew that I grew up in Canada and I always made a point of letting him
know if someone famous was also from Canada. The first movie we experienced in a
movie theatre was: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. He was too young at the time to
understand that the star of the movie, Rick Moranis, was Canadian, so I didn’t
say anything. But, when we went to see Ghostbusters, I couldn’t resist leaning
over to him during the movie and whispering: “Dan Aykroyd is Canadian”. He
regarded me with a quizzical look not at all sure what relevance this was to the
movie. Then when we went to see Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, starring
Keanu Reeves, I once again pointed out that Keanu originated from Canada. When
we went to see Austin Powers, I didn’t have to say anything. He told me, “I know
mom, Mike Myers is Canadian.”
In 1975, Canadian Lorne Michaels introduced Saturday Night Live on American TV
and enlisted several comedians from Canada to join the cast in New York City.
When I moved to Chicago in 1982, I quite often found myself at a house
get-together watching SNL. Someone in the group would usually say to me, “Aren’t
you from Canada?” Back then I spoke with a Canadian accent that was easily
detected the minute I uttered “oot” or “aboot”. After establishing that I was
indeed Canadian, a debate would ensue as to who in the cast of SNL was also
Canadian – Dan Akroyd, Norm MacDonald, Mark McKinney, Martin Short, Mike Myers,
John Candy, Phil Hartman, Eugene Levy, Paul Shafer always came to mind. There is
certainly a long history of Canadians that have headlined at one time or another
on SNL and many were even fortunate to parlay their success into enormous movie
careers. Good for them!
The most famous, most successful and highest paid Canadian (he makes up to $20
million per movie) is Jim Carrey. I remember watching him debut on In Living
Color, his break-through TV show in the late ‘80s. I wasn’t quite sure what to
make of his lunatic behavior or whether to even admit that he was a fellow
Canadian. He appeared so obtuse and over the top back then. He finally settled
down, somewhat, and I quite enjoyed his early movies: Ace Ventura – Pet
Detective, The Mask and, the stupidly funny, Dumb and Dumber, is a classic.
And then there are the well-known Canadians that made their mark on US situation
comedy or drama TV shows – Michael J. Fox (Family Ties), Eric McCormack (Will
and Grace), Howie Mandel (St. Elsewhere), Pamela Anderson (Baywatch), Matthew
Perry (Friends), Jason Priestly (Beverly Hills 90210), William Shatner (Star
Trek), Michael Ontkean (Twin Peaks), Keifer Sutherland (24), Alan Thicke
(Growing Pains) and Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy). The list goes on and on of
famous people with roots in Canada who have achieved stardom in some form of the
entertainment industry in the US. I believe that a lot of those successful
Canadians still retain their Canadian passports and identify with Canada in much
the same manner that journalist Peter Jennings did. He eventually became an
American citizen, however, he still remained Canadian with dual citizenship.
A whole new influx of young Canadians has recently descended into the US intent
on putting their name up on the marquee. They arrive from all parts of Canada.
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, of The Notebook fame, both come from the
London, Ontario area. Ellen Page, who was nominated for an Oscar for her movie
role in the film Juno, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Ryan Reynolds, notably
known for the hilariously funny movie Best Friends, originated from Vancouver,
British Columbia. Seth Rogan, who starred in Knocked Up and most recently
Pineapple Express, also hails from Vancouver, British Columbia.
Each time I hear that yet another Canadian has crossed over the border and
established him or herself as a force to be reckoned with, I revel in glory. It
makes a statement that Canada also produces talent that can compete in a market
rife with outstanding abilities, aspirations and know-how. I’m proud of my
fellow Canadians that have moved to the US to make a new life in an industry
that offers them the opportunity to perform, grow and prosper. My only hope is
that they never forget from whence they came, extol the virtues of being
Canadian and adapt my motto “Boost Canada, it’s good for you!”
By Susanna Doolin |
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