BREAKING NEWS FROM HEAVEN AND CAMROSE, PLUS COUNTING THE NHL STARS WHO’VE NEVER WON THE CUP
Vol. 1, No. 40
In this edition, your sharp-eyed correspondent ponders the idea of the reception Pope Francis finds in heaven, how our dog could win a seat in Parliament, and why winners on the ice are not always winners of the Stanley Cup.
This week: A 6-minute read
COME MEET THE BOSS
If it wasn’t the recently concluded federal election campaign that had Canadians talking of late, it was the death of the Pope. There are about 11 million Catholics in Canada, more than 1.4 billion baptized Catholics on the planet. That’s close to 18 per cent of the global population, so what goes on with Catholics is a big deal.
The death of a Pope is always a sad thing, though nothing new. People should know since it seems to happen with a degree of frequency. After all, most Popes don’t get elected until they’re in their 70s. What is new, however, is conveying video images of the Pope rising from the dead and ascending to the heavens, just as the Bible taught us. Well, it didn’t tell us the Pope would so ascend; the Pope is never mentioned in the Bible. But the rest of it, yeah.
These images, created by Artificial Intelligence, are awash on the Internet, particularly on Tik Tok and Facebook Reels. They come equipped with all the stereotypes that attach themselves so persistently to such imaginings: fluffy white clouds, golden gates, angels in the choir loft, Popes galore and, of course, Christ himself, beaming broadly as he welcomes Francis to the fold.
If it all seems a bit much, well, you’re probably not alone. On the other hand, if it brings you some comfort, that’s a solid for you, too. For me, it was the video of Pope Benedict hanging with the other pontiffs. Wait, I thought, is that guy even dead? Turns out he is, having expired in 2022. It was like nobody noticed. This is what happens when you resign your pontifficacy—is that even a word?—rather than die on the job. Yet I digress.
Now we’re on to the most un-Catholic of developments: the betting line on who the new Pope will be. My money is on the Filipino guy.
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OUR OWN BREAKING NEWS
The breaking news on Friday (you ever notice that on cable news channels these days, every morsel of new information is now considered “Breaking News”?) was that newly re-elected Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek has announced he is resigning his seat after only four days to make room for Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.
Poilievre, as we all know by now, lost his Ottawa seat in Monday’s vote, necessitating a “let’s find some easy-going Alberta MP we can convince (bribe, surely) to get out of the boat to make room for me” strategy.
Now I met Damien Kurek in Ottawa a few years back. I know his riding, since my wife and I spend our summers there, and his constituency office is on the main drag in Camrose, a town where we spend an inordinate amount of time. Near as I can tell, Damien is a friendly sort and I assume a competent MP, a job he’s held since 2019. That said, this has to be just about the safest of all Conservative seats in Alberta. Poilievre should get elected there no problem. Hell, our dog Sarah could get elected if she was the Conservative candidate.
Now there’s a thought to ponder. Campaign slogan: “When We Bark, We Win.” Or, if the campaign gets dirty, “We Bite Liberals.”
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HOWE. ORR. LEMIEUX. NOT A LOT OF GLORY
Here is something I bet you didn’t know. There are 61 inductees in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto who never won a Stanley Cup. Among them: Börje Salming, Paul Kariya, Dale Hawerchuk, Gilbert Perreault, Darryl Sittler, Cam Neely, Eric Lindros, Daniel Alfredsson, Mats Sundin, and former Oiler Curtis Joseph.
Something else? Gordie Howe, who for 25 seasons was the best player in the world, won only four Cups, and none after his ninth season. Ditto Wayne Gretzky, who played 20 years but didn’t get a sniff from the Cup after winning four in his first nine years. Bobby Orr? Two Cups. Mario Lemieux? Two. You get the idea. It’s tough. Tough.
On the other hand, Jean Beliveau won 10 Cups, Henri Richard 11. Sigh.
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ONE THING NOT LIKE THE OTHERS
“It is one of life’s little ironies that I’m in Quartzsite, Arizona, watching the Montreal-Ottawa hockey game on the USA Channel.”
Another post of mine on Facebook from back in the day, though in that year (2015), Ottawa lost that series, too.
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MORE ‘DEAR TERRY’ LETTERS
Re ‘Canada the Positive,’ April 27. Terry, I am so grateful and inspired to see our Canadian collective soul awakening to our beauty and awesomeness as a country and a people. I guess Donald Trump is good for something. Gail Buick, Stouffville, Ontario
Hey Terry, you’re still clever and funny—and somehow still talking to me, which says a lot about your character. Jaron Summers, Los Angeles, California
By the way, if you want to drop me a note (and risk me publishing it here), just reply to this email or, if you prefer send it to mysundayreader@gmail.com.
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LATEST BOOK CLUB STUFF
We’re having great fun bringing you the My Sunday Reader Book Club every week, and we hope you feel the same.
In this week’s Episode 4, titled ‘You’re a Bloody Pilgrim, are ya?’ Stanley arrives in Lethbridge and meets the young woman who will not only prove to be the love of his life but will send that life off on a new trajectory. Harry is also in Lethbridge but is struggling with aimlessness and a yearning for that same young woman. Then they both enlist in the army, for different reasons but to the same end. Suddenly, that young woman, Hettie Drysdale, finds herself navigating unfamiliar territory.
Just a reminder: if you want to get in on this, a subscription to our Book Club is just $5 a month and you can sign up anytime. Proceeds help finance future projects, such as audiobooks and extra press runs, as well as assist us in doing the hard research for new projects.
Here's one we’re working on. Titled Peace River, this sequel to Lethbridge finds Harry and Hettie settling into newly married life in southern Alberta. Within a few years, they welcome twin boys to the family—“holy terrors,” as their big sister Babe describes them. Harry gives up his rum-running days to join the RCMP and is soon transferred to northern Alberta’s Peace River Country, where he is responsible for policing a thousand square miles of mostly wilderness, barely sustainable farms, and homesteads. The twins, Harry and Jimmy, continue to present their parents with hair-raising challenges while Babe faces her own obstacles while trying to fit in. And then, another war. All three kids enlist, the twins in the army at the age of 17, and Babe in the RCAF WDs. The boys make memorable contributions to the war effort, risking life and limb fighting the Nazis and each other across Europe, while their parents worry whether any or all three will safely come home.
Again, thanks for your consideration.
That’s it till next week. / T.
Please note: Artificial intelligence was not used in the preparation or writing of any part of this newsletter.