Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets Blog

Archive for November, 2007

The harvest festival of Thanksgiving - in Canada, the second Monday in October - has wandered around the calendar more than most holidays:

• The first North American celebration was in Canada's eastern
  Arctic in 1578, by explorer Martin Frobisher.
• New England's Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving in autumn 1621, 'with turkey, squash, and pumpkin. This festival was brought to
  Canada as early as 1750. Abraham Lincoln made it an official
  U.S. holiday in 1863.
• From 1819 to 1921, Canada's official Thanksgiving was November 6. In 1931, it reverted to the second or third Monday in October, except for 1935 when it was held on a Thursday. In 1957,
  Ottawa formalized the present date.

November 14 is the milestone birthday of the anti-communist U.S senator Joseph McCarthy (1908-57). From February 1950 until December 1954, he was a powerful force in Washington:

• In 1939, McCarthy began his political career as a judge in Wisconsin, after inflating his opponent's age to 89 (from 66) and reducing his own to 29 (from 31). His campaign slogan was Justice is Truth in Action.
• McCarthy was a marine from 1942 to 1944. He said he was known in the Pacific as Tail-Gunner Joe - serving on 14, then 17, then 30 missions. In 1951, he applied for, and was given, the Distinguished Flying Cross. He had only flown on a few air strikes, as a passenger when resistance was light.
• In 1946, he was elected to the Senate; his campaign slogan was Congress Needs a Tail-Gunner.
• In 1950, looking for a dramatic issue for the 1952 election, he was advised that communism was a hot topic. He made a radio speech, claiming to have a list of 205 Communists in the State Department. Surprised by the stir he caused, McCarthy later tried to get a copy of that speech to check what he had said. Ultimately, he was unable to produce a single name - this led to his downfall.
• Postwar events created sympathy for McCarthyism: Canada's Gouzenko case, the fall of China, the first Soviet atomic test, the treachery of Julius and Ethel Rosenburg, the perjury of Alger Hiss, the Korean War, Republican frustration at being out of power for two decades, and the belief Hollywood was influenced by Communists.
• It is unlikely that McCarthy had deep feelings about what he did. In 1956, at a party, he met a civil servant and former drinking companion he had ruined and said to the man his wife was "talking about you the other night. How come we never see you? What the hell are you trying to do - avoid us?"

On October 19, 1944, Japanese vice-admiral Takajiro Ohnishi asked 23 young navy pilots to volunteer for suicide missions against Allied warships; those who crashed into aircraft carriers would get posthumous double promotions. They all agreed, creating the first "special attack group" in time for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which began the next day. Notes on Japan's kamikaze attacks:

• Some suicide fliers were volunteers, others under orders. There were kamikaze boats and rafts.
• By October 25, the U.S. navy realized that suicide crash landings on its ships were not just being improvised. It clamped a news blackout on kamikaze fliers and began to figure out how to deal with their strategies (such as their habit of tailing a group of American aircraft back home to the carrier). One in every four kamikaze flights inflicted damage, and the navy was seriously concerned that Tokyo not find out the success of its tactical surprise.
• A hero during the indoctrination of the kamikaze pilots, sailors, and swimmers was naval warrant officer Magoshiche Sugino. Japanese believed that he had given his life in 1904, during the Russo-Japanese war, while sinking a ship to bottle up the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. In 1946, he was discovered living quietly in
  Manchuria. Mr. Sugino had been rescued by a Chinese boat and, upon learning he was a dead hero, decided to keep a low profile.

On October 15, 1962, U.S. intelligence experts, studying films taken by a U-2 spy plane over Cuba, were surprised to see a Soviet missile-launching area. When the public heard about a U.S. blockade of Cuba on October 22, they didn't know the full story. Neither did Washington nor Moscow:

• Nikita Khrushchev, concerned about U.S. missiles in Turkey, had persuaded Fidel Castro to accept missiles in Cuba  as a defense  gainst U.S. invasion.
• The Soviet Union had 45 missiles in Cuba. Years later, the West learned that nine of them were "tactical" nukes each with the power of the Hiroshima bomb - that could be fired at the discretion of the local Soviet commander. (At the time, U.S. missiles in Europe were controlled by their local commanders, and the ICBMs were later discovered to have electronic faults that could have caused them to launch themselves.)
• On October 22, a B-S2 strayed over Siberia and was ordered destroyed. Officers in Moscow watched by radar as a pair of MiG-I7s converged on the target; 50 kilometers from the bomber, they turned back. They were low on fuel.
• On October 23, Gen. Curtis LeMay, with the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, said, "If there is to be war, there's no better time than at present. We are prepared and 'the bear' is not."
• On the night of October 25, a wild bear climbed over the perimeter fence of the U.S. air force base in Duluth, Minnesota. A sentry shot at the shadowy figure and sounded the sabotage alarm to alert bases throughout the region. However, at Volk Field, Wisconsin, the alarm for nuclear war was triggered. Air crew, who had been told there would be no practice alerts during this crisis, rushed to take off. Luckily, the base commander phoned Duluth to find out what had really happened (the "saboteur" wasn't identified until later) and subordinate officers drove a car onto the Volk Field runway, blocking any departures.
• On October 26, saying "only lunatics or suicides" wanted nuclear war; Khrushchev offered to pull his missiles in return for a no-invasion pledge. But Cuban troops knocked down a U-2 and killed the pilot; U.S. fliers assumed they would hit back; however, Kennedy said, "We shall try (negotiations) again."
• On October 27, which was the deadline for Soviet missiles to be operational, a deal was reached and announced on Moscow Radio.  The gift of patriotic U.S.A.  troops had been scheduled to invade Cuba on October 29.

Sources: Eyeball to Eyeball, The Limits of Safety, Independent on Sunday, and news services.

R. Timkin was an elderly man who lived alone. He was a retired Navy man and had spent many years sailing all over the world under the
United States flag.

Every day Eddie passed Mr. Timkin's house on his way to and from the school bus. On nice afternoons Mr. Timkin always sat on his front porch. At first Eddie and Mr. Timkin just waved to each other as Eddie went by. But after a while Eddie began to stop on his way home now and then to chat with Mr. Timkin. He liked to listen to the exciting stories that Mr. Timkin told about life on the sea and in strange faraway ports. One day Mr. Timkin taught Eddie how to fold a piece of paper and make an airplane. Soon Eddie and Mr. Timkin had become very good friends.

As Halloween drew near, Eddie made plans to go trick or treating once again with his friends Boodles and Anna Patricia and Sidney. On Halloween night, the four children, dressed in their family Halloween costumes, met at
Sidney's house. Eddie, of course, was a sailor, Boodles was a hobo, Sidney was a ballet dancer, and Anna Patricia was an Indian.

Anna Patricia, the great talker, said, "I'm really an Indian princess. My name is Minihaha."

"Oh," said Eddie, who liked nothing better than to tease Anna Patricia, "so you're a little ha ha. I guess that means we'll be laughing a lot tonight. "

Anna Patricia tossed her head and rattled her strings of beads. "I am an Indian princess," she repeated with great dignity.

"Well, Haha!" said Eddie. "Let's get moving along. We need lots of time if we're going to get any treats and do any tricks."

"Come along, Haha!" said Boodles, as he opened the door.

The four children went outside. Each one had a shopping bag for Halloween candy and a UNICEF box for pennies.

"Now," said Sidney, "where shall we go?" "Wherever we go," said Boodles, "I hope we get some peanut bars. I sure like peanut bars!"

"Boodles!" said Anna Patricia. "Don't you ever think about anything but candy?"

"Sure, Haha!" said Boodles. "Sometimes I think about ice cream."

"Look," said Eddie, "are you and little Haha going trick or treating or are you just going to stand there talking about food? We'll never get anything if we don't go soon. Remember, we're not the only kids out tonight."

"Where shall we go first?"
Sidney asked. "Let's go to Mr. Timkin's," said Eddie. "He's a friend of mine. He was a Navy man."

"Oh, I know who Mr. Timkin is," said
Sidney.

"I see him sitting on his porch. He always waves to me."

"Okay, Eddie!" said Boodles. "Is that why you're dressed up like a sailor? I hope he won't give us hardtack or bully beef."

"What's that?" Anna Patricia asked.

Boodles laughed and said, "It's the grub that sailors always get in sea stories, and it doesn't sound as good as peanut bars!"

Eddie led the way to Mr. Timkin's house.

They climbed the steps onto the porch, and Eddie rang the bell. Soon footsteps sounded inside the house.

"He's coming!" said Anna Patricia.

"Yeah, I sure hope he has peanut bars for us," said Boodles.

In a moment, the porch light was turned on, the door opened, and Mr. Timkin appeared in his bathrobe. When he saw the children, he cried, "Oh, Halloween! I forgot all about it! Seems I can't keep track of the days. Being all alone, there's nobody here to tell me. Probably miss Christmas if somebody doesn't tell me in time." Then he threw up his hands and said, "I haven't a thing to put in your trick or treat candy bags. I'm sorry."

"That's all right,"
Sidney said. "Do you have any pennies for our UNICEF boxes instead?"

Mr. Timkin felt in his pockets. "Not a cent," he said. "Not a cent to put in your boxes. I just forgot about Halloween. I'll do better next year if someone will just tell me."

Then Mr. Timkin held his hand out to Eddie and said, "I'm glad you've joined the Navy, Eddie."

"Sure!" said Eddie. "Someday I'll be Admiral Edward Wilson."

"Says you!" said Anna Patricia.

"Haha," said Eddie, "I'll be an admiral before you'll be an Indian."

Mr. Timkin laughed and closed the door.

As the children left the porch, Anna Patricia said, "Now we have to playa trick."

"Yes, a trick!" said Boodles and Sidney.

"He just forgot," said Eddie. "If he had remembered, he would have had something ready for us."

"That isn't any excuse," said Anna Patricia. "If I forgot to do my homework, I wouldn't be forgiven and neither would you, Eddie."

"I know a good trick," said Sidney. "My cousin told me about it."

"Well, what is it?" said Boodles.

"You take the gate from the fence and hide it.

It's a great trick."

"Let's do that!" Anna Patricia cried.

Eddie looked out toward the street. "I don't see how we can take his gate away, when he doesn't even have a fence."

"Oh!" exclaimed Eddie's three friends.

"We'll think of something else," said Anna Patricia.

"We could upset his rubbish cans," said Sidney. "That's another good trick."

"Great!" said Anna Patricia. "Let's do that." "We'll have to find the rubbish first,". said Boodles, as they all ran off the porch.

They went completely around the house, but they couldn't find any rubbish cans.

"Oh, shucks!" said Sidney. "Rubbish must be in the garage."

"Too neat!" said Anna Patricia. "That's what this guy is, too neat." "I know a good trick," said Boodles. "What is it?" asked Anna Patricia. "You push the doorbell," said Boodles, "and then you put a pin in it. The doorbell goes on ringing and ringing. It's a good trick."

Anna Patricia squealed. "Let's do it!" she cried.

"It sounds great. Who has a pin?"

"Not me," said Sidney.

"Gee!" said Boodles. "I thought girls always had pins. How about you, Eddie? Do you have a pin?"

"What would I be doing with a pin?" Eddie answered, "Sailors don't carry pins."

Anna Patricia pointed to Boodles' tattered jacket and said, "You look as though you were put together with pins, Hobo. Can't you find one?"

Boodles looked at the lapel of his old jacket.

"What do you know?" he cried. "Here's a pin."

The children ran up to the front door, and Sidney pushed the doorbell button as Boodles put the pin in the crack. "Beat it now!" he said to his friends. "Beat it!"

The children ran off the porch and down the steps. At the foot of the steps, Anna Patricia tripped and fell. When she hit the ground, one of her strings of beads broke and the beads scattered all over the ground. As Eddie helped her up, Anna Patricia cried, "Oh, no! I've broken my mother's string of beads, and I'll never find them in the dark. Oh, what will I do?"

Just then Mr. Timkin answered the ringing bell. "What's the matter out here?" he called.

"Anna Patricia fell down," said Eddie.

"Oh, did she hurt herself?" Mr. Timkin asked. "No," said Eddie, as loud as he could above the ringing bell. "She just broke her mother's beads."

"Eddie Wilson!" cried Anna Patricia. "How do you know I didn't hurt myself? My leg hurts. Maybe I broke it."

"You're standing on your legs," said Eddie, "so I don't think you broke it."

"Well, I broke my mother's beads," said Anna Patricia, "and I can't find them."

Then Mr. Timkin said, "If I can stop this blankety-blank bell from ringing, I'll get a flashlight and I'll help the little girl find her beads."

As the children watched guiltily, Mr. Timkin examined the doorbell and easily pulled out the pin. Now there was quiet again. Without saying a word, he disappeared and soon was back with the flashlight and a paper bag. He flashed the light all around and helped the children hunt for the beads. As they found them they put them into the paper bag.

When all of the beads were recovered, Anna Patricia said, "Oh, thank you, Mr. Timkin. I never could have found them without your flashlight. "

"Glad to help!" Mr. Tirnkin was laughing as he looked at the children. "That was a good trick you played on me. I used to stick pins in bells when I was a kid too. Serves me right for not having anything for you on Halloween. But you come back later. I'll see if I can find something in my freezer. Maybe I have something there that I can give you."

"We'll be back, Mr. Timkin," said Eddie.

"Come on," he called to his friends, "we better go see what stuff is left."

The children needed no urging, and they quickly ran off to make more calls. All of them were uneventful, and they gathered their treats without any further problem. About an hour later, they were back on Mr. Timkin's porch. Boodles rang the bell, but this time he did not put a pin in it.

A few moments later Mr. Timkin opened the door. "Well now," he said, "if you children will come into the house, I think I have something for you."

The children entered the house, and Mr.

Timkin led them to the kitchen. On the table there were beautiful chocolate cheesecake gifts covered with chocolate icing and decorated with nuts. Mr. Timkin pointed to the cake and said, "My daughter baked that for me some time ago. I decided to put it into the freezer and keep it for some special occasion, and tonight is a very special occasion."

Soon Mr. Timkin had cocoa ready to pour into five mugs. Then he cut five large pieces of cake, and the children sat down to a real party. At last Mr. Timkin said, "Must be nearly your bedtime."

"Guess so!" the children agreed.

"It's been a wonderful Halloween!" said Anna Patricia.

"Best chocolate cake I ever ate," said Boodles. "It was a great Halloween!" said
Sidney.

"Thanks for the treat."

When Eddie thanked Mr. Timkin, he saluted him, and Mr. Timkin returned Eddie's salute with a flourish.

Outside Anna Patricia said, "I'm glad we didn't play a bad trick on Mr. Timkin. He's such a nice man."

"He's a great guy!" said Eddie. "I wish I could have served on the same ship with him."