An annual TevyTown tradition (mostly because these posts bring me the most hits), we now bring to you a list of famous people who died in 2011. There were an insane amount of people who left us this year, and who knows – I may even have to update this list once more before the year ends (thanks Kim Jong-Il).

Nevertheless, here’s the list – which includes the name, age of death and a little ditty about who they were/what they’re most known for. The list begins with with the most recent passings:
When you see this * it means I put in my own little commentary.

And of course ‘famous’ is a subjective term. There are many well-known people who left us this year, and this list is my own subjective opinion who I wanted to include on this post. The ones left out are neither greater, nor lesser than those I’ve decided to include on this list.

December

19 – Václav Havel, 75, Czech playwright and politician, President of Czechoslovakia (1989–1992) and the Czech Republic (1993–2003)

17 – Kim Jong-Il, 70, North Korean Supreme Leader (since 1994), heart attack.

15 – Christopher Hitchens, 62, British writer (God Is Not Great) and commentator (Vanity Fair), esophageal cancer. *Albeit a hate-mongering atheist, this was one man you did not want to debate with.

7 – Harry Morgan, 96, American actor (M*A*S*H, Dragnet), pneumonia.

6 – Dobie Gray, 71, American singer (“Drift Away” – See below).

2 – Bruno Bianchi, 56, French cartoonist and animator. He created Inspector Gadget.

November

22 – Svetlana Alliluyeva, 85, Soviet-born American defector and author, daughter of Joseph Stalin, colon cancer. *It’s a good thing she was a girl,or else she’d probably have to live with the Stalin name for the rest of her life (barring she didn’t change her name).

8 – Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, 68, American-born Israeli Haredi rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Mir Yeshiva – the biggest yeshiva in the world. *I got the chance to meet him when I was living in Israel for a year. A very special person of the type that only comes around once a generation

Bil Keane, 89, American cartoonist (The Family Circus), heart failure. *Not gonna lie, but I absolutely hated this cartoon. With a passion.

Heavy D, 44, Jamaican-born American rapper (“Now That We Found Love“) and actor (The Cider House Rules, Life).

7 – Joe Frazier, 67, American boxer, World Heavyweight Champion (1970–1973), liver cancer. *One of the Top 10 greatest boxers of all time. The first fighter to ever defeat Muhammad Ali, in the first of three legendary fights between the two – culminating with the Thrilla in Manila.

6 – Hickstead, 15, Dutch-born Canadian show jumping horse, Olympic champion (2008), ruptured aorta. *One of the greatest show jumping horses in Canadian history.

4 – Andy Rooney, 92, American journalist, 60 Minutes correspondent (1978–2011), surgical complications. *Journalism at it’s finest

October

31 – Ali Saibou, 71, Nigerien politician, President (1987–1993).

22 – Sultan, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, 83, Saudi royal, Minister of Defense and Aviation (since 1962) and Crown Prince (since 2005).

20 – Muammar Gaddafi, 69, Libyan leader (1969–2011), shot.

16 – Dan Wheldon, 33, British IndyCar driver, racing accident. *You never wanna see an athlete during his prime as well as the best in his sport meet his untimely death

10 – Mikey Welsh, 40, American artist and musician (Weezer).

8 – Al Davis, 82, American football coach and team owner (Oakland Raiders), heart failure.

5 – Steve Jobs, 56, American computer entrepreneur and inventor, co-founder of Apple Inc., pancreatic cancer. *Hope that iCloud of yours in comfy… Thanks for all your contributions

September

16 – Frances Bay, 92, Canadian character actress (Happy Gilmore – Happy’s Grandmother:().

13 – Cliff Robertson, 88, American actor (Charly, Spider-Man, PT 109), natural causes. * “With great power, comes great responsibility”

11 – Andy Whitfield, 39, Welsh-born Australian actor (Spartacus: Blood and Sand), non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

7 – The 44 members of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash including coaches Brad McCrimmon (52) , Igor Korolev (41), Alexander Karpovtsev (41), and players Pavol Demitra(36), Ruslan Salei (36), Karlis Skrastins (37), Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek (32), Jan Marek (31), Stefan Liv (30)
* Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev were members of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the late 90s/early 2000s including one of my favourite teams of all-time, ’98-’99 when the Leafs made it to the Conference Finals. On my birthday and my first ever hockey game (Dec 16, ’98), Korolev scored two goals in a 5-2 victory against the Phoenix Coyotes. Thanks for the memories, Igor.

August

31 – Wade Belak, 35, Canadian ice hockey player (Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators), suicide.

*Hearing the news of Belak’s death really really stung. He was a fan favourite here in Toronto, and just a good, happy and a great person to be around. And to hear that he was suffering from depression, just ate at me. On the outside he seemed like the happiest guy who had so much going for him – a wife and two beautiful kids, a broadcasting position in Nashville after retiring earlier in the year and the adoration of all those who watched him play hockey and pretty much all people associated with him in any way. And yet deep down inside, he was hurting. It’s scary… When the fear of living outweighs the fear of death… I’ve personally felt that way at times, and although I believe I can relate to him, it’s not my responsibility (nor is it anyone else’s) to judge and speculate why Wade did what he did.

And of course this came after the deaths of Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien, two other NHL hockey players who played similar roles with Belak on the ice and perhaps similar reasons why they’re all not with us anymore. You can make all connections you want, but the fact of the matter is that three great and respected gentlemen are dead. And that’s sad.

26 – Aloysius Ambrozic, 81, Slovenian-born Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Toronto (1990–2006).

24 – Mike Flanagan, 59, American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays), suicide by gunshot.

23 – Frank Potenza, 77, American police officer and actor (Jimmy Kimmel Live!), cancer.

22 – Jack Layton, 61, Canadian politician, Leader of the Official Opposition (2011) and New Democratic Party (2003–2011), cancer.

*What a freaking bummer this was here in Canada. Regardless of whether or not you agreed with his political policies, this was a very charming and likeable man. And after achieving what was probably he biggest accomplishment of his political career, he tragically succumbs to cancer. I wrote a piece about him shortly after he died.

Nickolas Ashford, 70, American R&B singer (Ashford & Simpson) and songwriter (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“), throat cancer.

Jerry Leiber, 78, American songwriter (“Stand By Me“, “Hound Dog“, “Jailhouse Rock“, “Kansas City“), cardiopulmonary failure.

15 – Rick Rypien, 27, Canadian ice hockey player (Vancouver Canucks), suicide.

11 – Jani Lane, 47, American musician (Warrant).

*The man behind the song Cherry Pie, a song he wished he never wrote.

3 – Bubba Smith, 66, American football player (Baltimore Colts) and actor (Police Academy).

July

29 – Rabbi Elazar Abuhatzeira, 70, Moroccan-born Israeli rabbi & kabbalist, grandson of the renowned rabbi Baba Sali, stabbed.

*I wanted to vomit after hearing about this one. The murderer was in a private meeting with Rabbi Abuhatzeira when he killed him. Now that is the definition of a cold blooded murder. In the Orthodox Jewish community, it is a great honour to receive a private meeting with one of the leading rabbis of the generation. The visitors often ask for advice, or ask permission to pray for them or whomever the ask the rabbi to pay for. That the rabbi was killed in this manner – where he gave his time to the murderer – is downright disgusting.

27 – Hideki Irabu, 42, Japanese baseball player (Chiba Lotte Marines, New York Yankees, Montreal Expos), suicide by hanging.

Not the greatest pitcher… a fact that was immortalized in this clip from the final episode of Seinfeld.

21 – Amy Winehouse, 27, British singer-songwriter (“Rehab”), accidental alcohol poisoning.

Elliot Handler, 95, American businessman, co-founder of Mattel, namer of the Barbie doll, creator of Hot Wheels, heart failure.

20 – Myra Kraft, 68, American philanthropist, wife of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, cancer.

*She and her husband donated millions of dollars to the Kraft Stadium to promote American football in Jerusalem. I got to play baseball and football on that very field when I was in yeshiva. Great times

15 – Ed Flesh, 79, American art director, inventor of the Wheel of Fortune wheel, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

12 – Sherwood Schwartz, 94, American television producer, creator of The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island.

Leiby Kletzky, 8, a Hasidic Jewish boy who was kidnapped on as he walked home from his school day camp in the Hasidic neighborhood of Boro Park, Brooklyn. His dismembered body was found the following morning in the Kensington apartment of confessed suspect Levi Aron, aged 35, and in a dumpster in another Brooklyn neighborhood.

This one just rocked the Orthodox Jewish community to its core. Not only did it have “all the earmarks of a classic tabloid story: A missing child, a search, clues, a surveillance video, dashed hopes, blood and dismemberment. But it had more than that. It also parted the curtains on a private and insular community that the public rarely gets to see. And then it had the ultimate surprise: the suspected killer was not from the outside, but one of its own – a Jew.”

8 – Betty Ford, 93, American First Lady (1974–1977) and co-founder of Betty Ford Center.

7 – Dick Williams, 82, American baseball player and manager (Oakland Athletics), Hall of Famer, ruptured aortic aneurysm.

June

25 - Nick Charles, 64, American sportscaster (CNN Sports Tonight), bladder cancer.

23 – Peter Falk, 83, American actor (Columbo, Murder, Inc., Pocketful of Miracles, The Princess Bride).

22 – Harley Hotchkiss, 83, Canadian businessman, member of Hockey Hall of Fame, prostate cancer. A member of the Order of Canada, Hotchkiss helped bring NHL hockey to Calgary after buying the Atlanta Flames and subsequently moving them to Calgary.

20 – Ryan Dunn, 34, American reality television star (Jackass, Viva La Bam), car accident.

18 – Clarence Clemons, 69, American saxophonist (E Street Band) and singer (“You’re a Friend Of Mine”), complications following a stroke.

17 - Betty Fox, 73, Canadian cancer research activist, founder of the Terry Fox Foundation.

16 – Wild Man Fischer, 66, American street musician, heart failure. Very funny dude.

12 - Carl Gardner, 83, American singer (The Coasters).

7 – Mietek Pemper, 91, Polish-born German Holocaust survivor, compiled and typed Oskar Schindler’s list.

3 - Dr. Jack Kevorkian, 83, American physician and right to die activist, pulmonary thrombosis. Dr. Death.

Andrew Gold, 59, American singer-songwriter (“Lonely Boy”, “Thank You for Being a Friend” – Golden Girls Theme), heart attack.

May

27 – Jeff Conaway, 60, American actor (Grease, Taxi, Babylon 5).

20 – “Macho Man” Randy Savage, 58, American professional wrestler.

17 – Harmon Killebrew, 74, American Hall of Fame baseball player (Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals), esophageal cancer.

573 home runs is a lot of dingers.

13 - Derek Boogaard, 28, Canadian hockey player (Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers), accidental overdose of alcohol and oxycodone.

Mel Queen, 69, American baseball player (Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) and pitching coach (Blue Jays).

Wallace McCain, 81, Canadian businessman, co-founder of McCain Foods, pancreatic cancer.

11 – Robert “Tractor” Traylor, 34, American basketball player (Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets), suspected heart attack. We’re talking about a large man… He had a lot of potential and promise, which was probably to overwhelming and to much to handle.

Leo Kahn, 94, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Staples, complications from a series of strokes.

7 - Seve Ballesteros, 54, Spanish golfer, brain cancer. Between 1975 and 1988, he won five major championships.

Robert Stempel, 77, American automobile executive, Chairman and CEO of General Motors (1990–1992). Stempel helped develop technologies including front-wheel-drive cars, the catalytic converter and battery-powered cars.

2 – Osama bin Laden, 54, Saudi founder of Al-Qaeda, planned September 11 attacks, shot.

You know… That guy.

April

25 – Joe Perry, 84, American football player (San Francisco 49ers), member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

9 - Sidney Lumet, 86, American film director (12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network), lymphoma.

3 – Mandi Schwartz, 23, Canadian college ice hockey player, acute myeloid leukemia. *This one will make you cry.

March

26 – Roger Abbott, 64, Canadian actor and comedian (Royal Canadian Air Farce), chronic lymphocytic leukemia. *Awesome show.

23 – Dame Elizabeth Taylor, 79, British-American actress (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cleopatra, Butterfield 8), heart failure. * One of the greatest actresses of all time.

17 – Michael Gough, 94, British actor (Sleepy Hollow, Alfred from Batman ), after short illness.

15 – Nate Dogg, 41, American musician, heart failure. * The man who gave us these memorable lyrics: “Hold up…. eh! Hope you’re ready for the next episode, hey hey hey hey…. smoke weed everyday.”

13 – Rick Martin, 59, Canadian ice hockey player (Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings), heart attack. *One of members of the Sabres’ famed “French Connection” line along with Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert.

12 – Fogel Family from Itamar, Israel – (Uri-36, Ruth-35, Yoav-11, Elad-4, Hadas-3 months). The family was massacred while asleep in their house by two masked terrorists who “cut through the protective fence around the Itamar settlement in the West Bank and snuck into the Fogel home.” The terrorists killed three of the six children in the house. Tamar, 12, Ro’i, 8, and Yishai, 2 are now left without their immediate family.

*I’m gonna make this very clear: You will never hear a story about this where Jews are killing Arabs/Palestinians. When will the world wake up and realize that these are the types of people that it wants to grant a state? Cold-blooded killers… And yet, it always seems to be Israel’s fault… Why is the world so stupid?

8 – Mike Starr, 44, American bassist (Alice in Chains, Sun Red Sun).

4 – Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, 86, Nepali Prime Minister (1990–1991, 1999–2000), multiple organ failure.

2 – Sir Allan Louisy, 94, Saint Lucian politician and judge, Prime Minister (1979–1981).

February

28 – Jane Russell, 89, American actress (The Outlaw, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), respiratory illness.

27 – Duke Snider, 84, American Baseball Hall of Famer (Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants).

16 – Len Lesser, 88, American actor ( Uncle Leo from Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond), cancer-related pneumonia.

January

23 – Jack LaLanne, 96, American fitness and nutritional expert, pneumonia.

15 – Roy Hartsfield, 85, American baseball player (Boston Braves) and first manager of Toronto Blue Jays, complications of liver cancer.

13 – Tuviah Friedman, 88, Israeli Nazi hunter.

8 – John Roll, 63, American jurist, shot. * A District Court Chief, Roll was one eighteen people who were shot at the Tucson Shooting at a supermarket, including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

4 - Gerry Rafferty, 63, Scottish singer-songwriter (Stealers Wheel), liver failure. He wrote the songs ‘Stuck In The Middle With You‘ and ‘Baker Street‘ (one awesome song, one annoying song).

23 is now the past… And 24 is the future. (And I am Jack Bauer… racing against the clock, doing my very best to thwart the terrorists threatening to trample the town that is Tevy…)

(And yes… I just used ten straight words starting with ‘T’, and eleven out of twelve when including Tevy.)

And though finding it very hard to believe (being 24), I am nonetheless happy and very much looking forward to what next year has to offer.

And I wouldn’t be anywhere without the grace of G-d and the copious amount of support from all the people who care about me. I am beyond appreciative.

And since it is December 16 (and I of course want more hits), feel free to check out a previous post I wrote about said date. That being said, I’d like to wish all the people of Kazakhstan a very happy Independence Day…. It’s nice!!

Much thanks once again.

You’re older today. And that’s a good thing.H to the B, young fella.

Yeah, that’s right… I hugged a Muslim. And it was fun.

I was getting off the subway at Bloor Station on my way to an appointment when I noticed the filming. When I came back to the station after the appointment, they were still there filming. Me being the curious media dude, I asked the producer what they were filming and he immediately asked if I wanted to be interviewed. I had nothing to lose and said yes. “Kenny” (in disguise) began asking me questions regarding if it was alright if there should be a mosque built by Jews in the city. I honestly told him I had no problem with it and it would probably be a great sign of respect for two faiths to be peacefully be working towards something beneficial such as giving a group of people a place to pray; it would perhaps put Jews in a better light in the eyes of some Muslims. Kenny then spoke some Hebrew with me and that was it…. until the Muslim showed up. I stuck around to chat with the producer and all of a sudden Kenny motioned to me to come back for more. Next thing I know, Kenny is interviewing the Muslim and I simultaneously. Eventually the questions led to whether peace was possible between us, and then we hugged it out.

It wasn’t until after while signing the release did I realize that it was Kenny behind the whole thing. I went up to him in between shots and told him I had no idea it was him and that he was doing a great job. He smiled and said thanks to me and then muttered to himself, “that’s what I’m talking about,” with a big smile on his face.

The footage was shot around winter time last year (late 2010-early 2011) and wasn’t aired until July 29, 2011. The only reason I’m bringing this up now is because I never saw the footage until today, when a friend sent me the link on Facebook. Much thanks for find, bro

Amidst the non-stop advertizing in lieu of this Thursday’s Ontario Provincial election, I was reminded of this classic Dalton McGuinty video of him giving the cold shoulder to a man telling him that he’s dying of cancer and that McGuinty isn’t doing anything to help.

Recorded in 2007, the reporter explains in the video that the confrontation arose from the patient being unable to receive life extending cancer drugs from the US. This is because OHIP won’t pay it. Obviously feeling short-changed, the man decided to take the matter straight to the Premier.

While this video is certainly lacking a great deal of context, it nonetheless shows how inept McGuinty was at handling this uncomfortable situation. Sure he was clearly being backed into a corner and certainly felt that he shouldn’t take the bait, he decides to take the “safe” route and flat-out tell him “That’s not true.”

Let’s be real here for a second: Who the hell says that to someone dying of cancer?

The idiot clearly gives the patient the cold shoulder without an inch of compassion or concern for his well-being. The least he could have done is take the time to quickly talk to him about some of the circumstances, which is something any good politician should do (aka: talk to the people about their problems and give them a voice).

Yesterday I asked my sister, a social work student, what she would do if confronted with this very situation when dealing with one of her patients. She said she would ask him, “What can I do to help?” and “What should I do?” She would have the dignity to at least hear out the person while they convey their concerns – Which is something any normal person should do when confronted by someone who’s asking for their help, regardless of the manner in which they express it.

I’ll be honest: as of a few days ago I was undecided who to vote for. After watching the debate and hearing out as much as I could from the PC platform, I got the feeling that all they were doing was calling out McGuinty on his terrible record. I was like, “Okay, we know you think the Liberals suck, but what are you guys planning to do right the supposed sinking ship?” And Hudak seeemed smug.

And yes, McGuinty’s record really does speak for itself. He is a straight up “lying, lying, sneaky snake,” who’s unable to follow through on his campaign promises. His smugness overwhelms Hudak’s.

And considering where I live – the hotly contested riding of Thornhill – where incumbent PC MPP Peter Shurman is facing off against Liberal candidate Bernie Farber, I was sincerely torn as to who to vote for. Farber is a longtime friend of my mom, who was his camp counselor when growing up in Ottawa.

However, I’ve been promptly reminded of Peter Shurman’s great track record. I recall watching videos of him on YouTube, calling out the Liberals for their inadequacies and short-comings, as well as his strong stance on standing up for the needs of my Thornhill and of course, doing whatever it takes to preserve and promote the legitimacy and partnership with the State of Israel – an issue close to the heart of Thornhill’s largely Jewish population.

And so now, I have finally come to my decision. And it is one I am not afraid to express publicly. I am voting for the PC Party of Ontario. I am voting for both the person – Peter Shurman, and the party – the Ontario PC Party.

And unlike what McGuinty said, “that IS true.”

That unique piece was heard this morning when one of the DJ’s randomly threw out the question of what would’ve it been like had the technologies and innovations of smart phones, Twitter and Facebook were around when 9/11 was going on?Obviously this kind of perspective is nothing new – you can pretty much take any historical event, or even a mundane everyday event and wonder what would’ve things been like had x technology been around. But there’s something greatly contrasted about how today’s society literally depends on social media and how things were only ten years ago in 2001. The possibilities of how things could have been are endless.

Let’s start with people on the passenger airplanes:

Imagine… Tweets from passengers inside the doomed airplanes providing information and communication to not only their loved ones but perhaps to authorities on how to help those on board.

Imagine… Smart phones being used to take photos of the hijackers or of any other possible piece of evidence that could help prevent any destruction.

Imagine… The Wifi or 3G/Data connections on laptops being used to communicate (the same goes for applications like Google Voice, or Skype, which can take an individual beyond instant messaging and into the realm of more direct contact. Imagine talking to a police officer or any kind of armed forces or safety personnel delivering advice on what to do in this situation. Or if that isn’t enough, they could just go online and look for ways to help themselves.

Now let’s look at people trapped inside the WTC towers/Pentagon:

Just like with the passengers on the plane, think of the various opportunities of how the communicate with those outside the buildings… the ability to speak to loved ones… the chance to get help on what to do to survive

Imagine… seeing Tweets and Facebook statuses of those inside the buildings… the pouring of human emotion expressing the hopelessness of the situation. Or perhaps the cries of optimism and courage when all seems lost. And think of the responses. The comments. How could you keep up with it?

Then again, I don’t really think people are realistically going to be wiping away smoke and debris with one hand, and holding the blackberry in another, simultaneously trying to Tweet, read, respond and get to safety…

And imagine… and this one is pertinent to all people involves… all the footage. The historical footage. Today the footage from various archaic moment-capturing devices are reveled as significant historical documents and artifacts. Think of  the higher quantities and most likely the higher quality of footage and material (and not to mention as evidence to those attempting to spawn some sort of conspiracy theory… Now that would be something…)

And then there’s the bystanders. The witnesses of terror. The masses of humanity running as fast as they can away from the dearth of smoke. Imagine what kind of footage they could’ve had…

Tangible and captured memories of the wreckage, carnage, jumpers, rescuers, monsters and outright terror.

Even though so much can be imagined of what impact it would’ve held, had all of what we have today was around at time… it almost makes me wonder… Could 9/11 have happened with if today’s technology was around back then?

It’s tough to say… but that’s another question for another time. And most likely for another person too.

Over the past two weeks, two well-known Canadians passed away. One was a politician, the other a hockey player. And even though their professions were very much different (besides the aspect of immense competition involved), they both shared in common something more important – they were stand-up & exceptional human beings.

Much has been said about Jack Layton, and to be honest I don’t really have that much of an informed knowledge of the man, beyond what has been told to us since his death. But what I do know is that he seemed like a nice guy, regardless of his views on life. Even though I probably would’ve disagreed with much of what he believed in, it would be inhuman of me to belittle a man who can no longer defend himself, and who certainly doesn’t deserved to posthumously attacked. And although I identify myself as politically Conservative (at least in this country… don’t get me started on American Conservatives), it really bothers me how too many conservative individuals, including some of my own contemporaries can become so bitter and antagonistic towards the expressions of grief (in whatever form they may be) of those mourning Layton. Sure it might some people’s job (i.e. columnists and reporters) to deliver these types of analytic point of views, which some are quite intriguing (like Raymond J. De Souza’s editorial in the National Post)… But nonetheless it still bothers me that people can be almost malicious towards the undeserving dead.

This is partially why I’ve chosen the following video as my favourite Layton moment. It’s light-hearted, but it always stands out in mind, and of course makes me laugh. And I can’t think of anyone who would have something mean to say about this moment.

Obviously Jack will be remembered (and should be) for so much more…

As for Wade Belak, I was absolutely heartbroken to hear of his passing. Even though he played the role of enforcer, he was so much more than that…

Belak played parts of seven seasons with my Toronto Maple Leafs, and during that time fans grew to appreciate what he had to offer. Toronto is a kind of city that supports athletes that exhibit hard work, effort, and the willingness to take beatings but still be able to dish it back in return. Everyone loves skill, talent and points, but even though Belak lacked much of the latter, he was the epiphany of the former. And to add-on to that, he just seemed like an honest and happy dude. And who doesn’t like that?

Because Belak was so well-known for his enforcing duties and family man mentality, it shouldn’t surprise you that I’ve chosen a moment outside of the box. The following clip highlights a goal Belak scored in a game, after having not scored in 143 games. And you can even see how happy he and his teammates were for him. It just shows the kind of way how people thought of him

One of my favourite blogs – Toronto Mike – published a very touching article about Belak, highlighting what kind of person he was as well as a refocusing on the impact of clinical depression and mental illness, specifically when it’s suffered from in silence. Please check it out, it’s a really great link.

May they both rest in peace.

So I don’t take credit for these two jokes; I heard them on the Dean Blundell Show – the morning radio on 102.1 The Edge. The jokes were part of a segment featuring the show’s asian correspondent, Qi Min Sheng, where he read excerpts from his book “Jokes About Rob Ford Book“.

Here are the jokes:

1) Rob Ford is so fat, he got baptized at Marine Land.

2) At Toronto City Council, city councillors have to take a GO Bus and two TTC buses just to get to Rob Ford’s good side.

Below is the clip featuring the entire segment:

I used to say that the self benefits of doing this would outweigh the potential negative consequences that would result. But after doing some thinking as well as talking about this to a friend who had the guts to say some very strong and meaningful things to me (that no one else would say), I realized that I could no longer find any strong enough benefits that would legitimize writing these things on my wall.

I’ve learned that there are more than enough ways to deal with my issues without taking it to an incredibly public locale. Even though I’ve learned to be more open with my feelings, I’ve also learned about the values of control and discretion.

So from now on, all you’ll see on this blog is what I like to call entertainment and information.

Sure this space is called TevyTown, but from on it’ll be less Tevy, and more “town”, which in a sense is you, the reader.

Enjoy the goods to come.

I was reminded of this anniversary by his brother Evan, who created a Facebook group in his memory.

Even though I was thirteen when he died and we didn’t share too many memories together, simply the mentioning of his name was capable of bringing smiles to me and to other peoples’ faces along with great feelings of joy, laughter and overall happiness.

Whenever we did spend time together, which was typically during family get-togethers such as bar & bat mitzvahs, I recall him being the one often bringing up something extremely funny – which as a result, got all us riled up. It was the jokes, the laughter and the joy it brought that stood out to me.

Yale was a big fan of overnight camp, having spent time as a camper and counselor at Camp Northland (my old camp from 1999-2002) and the not too far away Camp White Pine, both just outside of Haliburton (cottage country in Ontario). Although we never crossed paths at camp, many of my own counselors were good friends with him. Whenever people at camp would find out my last name, they’d ask me if I was related to Yale. When I responded with a yes, the most typical response was one of , “Seriously! Your cousin is Yale? That guy is awesome!” and of the sort. Being Yale’s cousin gave me a sense of being cool, and gave people a reason to give me the time of day.

One of the things I was told about Yale was his reputation of being a prankster. I’m not sure if this was him (I’m pretty sure, but I can’t be 100% sure…), but I was told of a particular prank he did that had everyone in tears. While being a counselor at camp, he would wait for campers to go to sleep, he would take a rope and tie it around the leg or arm of a camper sleeping in a top bunk, throw the rest of the rope over a rafter, and tie the other side of the rope to an arm or leg of another camper sleeping in a bottom bunk. And then sit there, watching the body parts move around all over the place while the kids were sleeping.

My last personal memory came at the beginning of the 2002 summer, in May, when both were coincidentally assigned to the same blow-up ride while volunteering at the UJA Walkathon at Skydome. It was pretty much laughter the entire afternoon as we threw children around on the float, telling them to jump in various unsafe ways, and most likely passing off our work to other volunteers while we hung out in the Playstation 2 truck playing video games.

I’m certain everyone who knew and got to spend time with Yale had similar memories.  It is only fitting we remember those good times and share them. I’m sure Yale is smiling and laughing from heaven along with us.

Life is like an elevator. Sometimes you go up, sometimes down. You don’t really have control of which direction your going, but that’s alright.

I’m happy with that. Things will suck but that’s life. As long as you take it all in stride; make the most of the good times and learn how to find the best in all situations. It takes constant reminders, but it’s always good to remember that things work out for the sake of awesomeness.

I’ve been taught to internalize during the good moments because it’s easy. Plus it’s good practice for when things aren’t that great. That way when things suck, you can somehow tell yourself “you’ve done this before, even though circumstances were different.”

That should be enough.