The Luñák's story starts before the second world war. Gliding had been a demonstration sport at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and was intended to be an event at the 1940 Olympiad. Well-known German sailplane designer Hans Jacob had designed the DFS Habicht for the Berlin games, and Czech Vladimir Stros−possibly influenced by the Habicht−subsequently designed and built an aerobatic glider, the Sokol.
Of course, that Olympiad never took place, but after the war it soon became clear that a market existed for an aerobatic glider and, drawing on his own experience with the Sokol and data from the Habicht, Stros began work on a new design at the Letov factory in Prague.
Called the LF-107 Luñák (Czech for kite or hawk), the prototype made its maiden flight on 25 June 1948. The following month the second prototype was flown by a Major Cervenka of the new Czechoslovakian air force.
Cervenka was very impressed by the Luñák, and urged the Czech Ministry of Defence to buy Luñáks as a trainer for the Czech air force. The following month the prototype made its international debut at an airshow at Grenchen, Switzerland, and was an immediate hit, being clearly superior to every other aerobatic glider.
Orders began to flow in. The Czech Ministry of Defence ordered fifty to train air force pilots in aerobatics, and 'Kovo Export' (the Czech bureau tasked with foreign sales) ordered another fifty.
The design was tweaked slightly for series production, with other improvements including a taller fin and rudder (albeit with reduced chord), a slightly greater wingspan, a longer nose and raised canopy bubble. The cockpit layout and instrumentation were also simplified. Contemporary photographs suggest that the two prototypes had a layout more like that of a MiG-15 than a glider, probably because the Letov factory viewed the military as its main market.
Orders continued to come in. A Czech living in Britain called Ladislav Marmol bought the original prototype and displayed it in Britain, France and Belgium. By all accounts his displays were truly remarkable−he once dived the Luñák to almost 245kt and routinely started his display with an entry speed of around 200kt. If you wanted to fly aerobatics in a sailplane the Luñák was the one to have, and the order book soon swelled to over 200.
However, increasing tension between NATO and the Warsaw Pact led to difficulties in accessing Western markets, while the Letov factory was instructed to switch production to licence-built MiG-15s, and only seventy gliders were built. Sadly, because all wooden Eastern Europe sailplanes were considered obsolete in the 1970s, many gliders, including Luñáks, were scrapped and today only about a dozen exist, although most are airworthy.
The test aircraft (hereafter referred to by its registration OM-0973) was built in 1950 (the first zero in '0973' is the clue here), and is S/N 22. As 0973 is always hangared (up in the roof of the Buckminster Gliding Club's main hangar) I've never rigged it, although I believe that there's no mystery to it as the wings are quite light and everything lines up nicely.
However, it's apparently quite a slow rig, as (except for the flaps) all the control pushrods must be connected with bolts, castellated nuts and split pins, and then various panels re-fitted.
In common with most other aircraft designed to fly upon the air, as opposed to through it, the predominant materials in its construction are the same as those used in the earliest flying machines−wood and fabric. The cantilever wing uses the NACA 23012 aerofoil, which is a semi-symmetrical section. Thinner at the root than is usual for a 1950s sailplane, it is mid-mounted and uses a single spar of pine and plywood, covered with a diagonal plywood skin, with an auxiliary spar to carry the flaps and ailerons.
The plywood skin extends back to the secondary spar to ensure adequate torsional strength and stiffness. The flaps are of the Fowler type, while the large mass-balanced double Frise ailerons (the inner ones without differential deflection) are interconnected with the flaps and droop slightly when the flaps are extended past the first positive setting.
The wing also carries relatively small Schemp-Hirth type airbrakes that when deployed protrude from both the upper and lower surfaces.
The oval-section fuselage is a wooden monocoque structure, also covered with the same diagonal plywood skin as the wings; the undercarriage consists of a wooden front skid (instead of a wheel brake), fixed unsprung monowheel and steel tailskid. The cantilever tailplane is again skinned with plywood, although the elevators and rudder are fabric covered, with the elevator being fully mass-balanced. There is a trim tab in the port elevator.
During static load testing the wing and fuselage were mounted in a jig and tested to destruction, the wing finally failing when the steel pin pulled through the wooden spar's aluminium alloy end fitting − at 16.5g!
From an aerodynamic perspective, the Vne was calculated to be an incredible 378 knots, while the practical limit was considered to be only 220kt. Sensibly, this was subsequently reduced to 188 and eventually to 162kt in order to provide a long service life.
Even the original maximum aerotow speed was a heady 135kt (well past the Vne of every other glider of similar vintage), although curiously the maximum winch launch speed was quite low at only 65kt. This may well be because Vfe (flap limiting speed) is also 65. Production aircraft were certified with maximum g loadings of +8 and -4.
Speaking of launching, 0973 currently only has one dedicated aerotow hook just below the big aerobatic pitot. Interestingly, and unlike Western gliders (which typically have a single hook for winch launching which is slightly offset from the fuselage centreline close to the centre of gravity), the Luñák originally had two hooks for winch launching, one on each side of the fuselage.
This is because the East European winch launch method uses a similar system to the strop arrangement used to catapult naval aircraft in the 1950s. I've never taken a winch launch in a Luñák, but Graham Saw (who owns the other UK-based airworthy Luñák, which does have the dual C of G hooks) says it winches beautifully, with a very light stick force.
Anyway, having had breakfast it is clearly time for launch so, after a thorough pre-flight inspection and a positive check of all the controls, it's time to go flying. I first flew 0973 in 2004 and on that flight had opportunity to experience both soaring and aerobatic flight, whereas my two recent flights were all about shooting some strong air-to-airs. Consequently, this flight test report is distilled from these various flights.
The Luñák has probably the coolest canopy arrangement of any glider I've ever flown. It consists of a fixed windscreen and sliding bubble canopy, which make it look a bit like a WWII fighter or early jet. This arrangement also makes it a bit easier to climb into the snug cockpit. The rudder pedals adjust and it is necessary to wear a parachute as the seatpan is designed to accommodate one.
Unlike modern sailplanes, the seating position is quite upright, and very firm. Once strapped in with the five-point harness, you really feel as if you're a part of the aircraft.
The instrumentation reflects the Luñák's heritage, being so utilitarian it's almost military. There's only an airspeed indicator, altimeter and compass, along with two metric variometers (as delivered from the Letov factory these were simply VSIs, with no flask for total energy compensation) and a prominently-located accelerometer. All the (very few) controls are easy to see and reach.
The short, straight stick falls nicely to hand, while the flaps and airbrakes are operated by two sinuously curved levers on the port cockpit wall, topped with correctly colour-coded black and blue knobs. A yellow cable release handle is logically located at the base of the panel while the elevator trim tab is adjusted by a small lever topped with a green knob which sprouts from the starboard cockpit wall, with a knurled wheel for the friction lock beneath it.
The tug taxies in front, so I duck my head, slide the canopy forward and lock it with the single, rather crude latch. As I do so (and remembering that Marmol regularly used to dive his Luñák at up to 200kt) it occurs to me that perhaps two such latches, one on either side of the bubble, might've been prudent.
For an aerotow launch, it is important to ensure that the trim lever is set forward of neutral, with the trimmer friction nut snug and the stick on the backstop (to avoid graunching the nose skid). The POH recommends taking off with the first stage of flap, and if taking off from grass or behind a weak tug I would agree.
I've tried with and without flap, and on tarmac into any sort of a headwind the controls come to life so quickly and the ground roll is so short I honestly couldn't tell the difference. However, it's worth noting that compared to many gliders the wingtips are relatively close to the ground, so don't drop a wing, and if taking off with flap retract them once safely airborne.
The Luñák is very pleasant on tow, and having released into a thermal I move the flap lever to +1 and adjust trim. The excellent field of view, slow speed and powerful controls make it easy to centre in the core of a thermal, while the low wing loading ensures it climbs well. Visibility is excellent and ventilation adequate − there is a fresh air vent above the instrument panel and the canopy can be slid back several inches in flight (although if you do this it is a bit noisy).
When moving between thermals with the flaps retracted it retains a surprisingly flat glide for a 1950s sailplane (every other sailplane of this vintage that I've flown starts to fall out of the sky at any speed above 55), and has quite a flat polar curve. This is probably due to the semi-symmetrical aerofoil section (the Fournier RF4 uses the same one).
The claimed best lift to drag ratio is a very conservative 24 to 1 at 43kt. This surprises me as its performance seems to be nearer to that of a Ka-6 than a Ka-8; perhaps the Czechs were just a bit more honest in their sales literature than their Western competitors!
That said there is little to be gained from flying at speeds much in excess of 65kt as the glide angle does get increasingly steep. Overall, it's a delightful aircraft to soar, with crisp, well-balanced controls.
Having gained some height, I try a couple of stalls and spins before moving onto a few basic manoeuvres. At the slow end of the speed envelope the stick forces are so low as to be almost unnoticeable, while the stall itself is very subtle and gentle. The pre-stall buffet is quite subtle, the best indications of an imminent stall being the stick position and the change in the sound of the air flow. The glider spins well and recovers promptly as soon as the correct control inputs are applied.
Moving onto loops and chandelles confirms that the Luñák is a joy to fly. Rolls are quite a difficult manoeuvre in a sailplane but the Luñák is easier than most, possibly because of the longer fuselage and mid-mounted wing.
Some of the displays flown by Luñák pilots are still talked about today. One famous aerobatic routine involved a Luñák performing a simultaneous snap roll with the Zlin Trener tug, while still on tow! Slow rolls on tow became commonplace.
On another occasion, a helicopter towed a Luñák aloft and then transitioned into the hover, leaving the Luñák hanging tail down. Its pilot released, converted the tail slide into a dive and then performed an aerobatic display.
Back in the circuit the handling is just as precise as every other aspect of the flight envelope; although the airbrakes are on the small side and barely adequate, when used in conjunction with the flaps they're acceptable, and allow a reasonably precipitous final. Half-flap feels about right.
I understand that using full flap allows quite a slow approach speed but I don't like low energy approaches in someone else's sailplane, and if you come in a bit faster with full flap a 'cushion of air' builds up under the wing and actually prolongs the float. Between 50-55 feels good, the landing as undemanding as every other aspect of the aircraft. As mentioned earlier, the monowheel is unsprung, so if the ground is bumpy you're in for a rough ride, but the ground run is generally pretty short.
Many years later, I'm aloft again in the Luñák, getting some photos for this feature. Taking air-to-airs of a sailplane away from a large area of reliable lift is quite tricky. After a not entirely satisfactory first sortie, we agree that, for the second try, EuroFox cameraship pilot Al will tow me up with Keith on board, and as soon as I release the towrope he'll promptly hit the 'retract' button to winch the rope in and simultaneously start slowing down.
Then, as soon as the speed is below the door opening limit and the cable retracted, Keith will open his door as Al instigates a gentle turn, allowing me to slide smoothly into close echelon port.
This works well, and as we continue around in a great sweeping circle Keith, ever the professional, looking for the next great shot (and the low autumn sun was producing light that was simply glorious on the Luñák's yellow fuselage), asks Al to continue the turn.
However, a lifetime leading formations of Phantoms and Tornados has left 'looking out for your wingman' ingrained in Al's DNA. (Basically, the wingman always burns more fuel than the leader, and an inconsiderate leader can easily put their wingman in an awkward situation.) He unapologetically denies Keith's request, quickly explaining he's concerned I may not make it back if we do another 360.
I'm blissfully unaware of this. The essence of being in close formation is to only ever look at your leader, and I have no real idea of our height or position, although I do suddenly realise that the ground seems to be not that far below the EuroFox!
I'm just about to break out of formation, convert my excess speed into height, then trim for best glide and start scanning for the field when I hear Al call "Saltby traffic, Salt formation, left base, 25, Saltby." A pause and then "Salt Two from One: you have the lead." I ease out of formation, look around and spot the runway perfectly positioned in my ten o'clock. It's a welcome sight, and I get busy with flaps and airbrakes.
The Luñák is a fascinating machine.
It is not only an amazing aerobatic aircraft and a fine sailplane (by the standards of the day), but a real piece of aviation history. It's also great fun to fly! If political machinations and the expediencies of the Cold War hadn't intervened, I'm sure that the Letov factory would have made a lot more than seventy before the Iron Curtain came down and closed the show−and that's a real shame.
The author is grateful to Graham Saw for his help in preparing this article.


text:
Wisdom to guide the end of life
By: Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth
Steve Bloom loved poetry, music, birds and his family.
Steve and Mike Bloom loved traveling the word together to see birds and beautiful scenery. One of their trips took them to Patagonia in 2015. Photo courtesy of Mike Bloom.
As Steve lay in his home during his last hours, his wife, Michele "Mike" Bloom opened the window of their bedroom so Steve could feel the fresh air on his face. Beyond the deck, the creek that runs behind their home shimmered in the spring sun.
Next to the window, the forsythia bushes were just beginning to show their yellow blossoms and the goldfinches jumped from branch to branch.
"The birds sang to him all day long," Mike recalled. "They have the sweetest song."
No one was ready to let Steve go.
He was beloved and brilliant. He had a doctorate in clinical psychology and worked as a consultant, helping high-powered CEOs and regular folks alike see the best in others and tap into their own strengths.
He performed with folk music groups throughout his life and often strummed tunes on his guitar, encouraging friends to sing along. He read a poem out loud before dinner every night. He voraciously studied his Discover and Smithsonian magazines and loved solving crossword puzzles, even the toughest ones every week in the Sunday New York Times.
Steve, 74, spent his career helping others navigate tough paths.
Then, when it came time for Steve and Mike to grapple with the most painful challenge of their lives, Steve gave his family a profound gift. He thought carefully about all that made his life meaningful and enunciated his thoughts clearly. Both he and Mike had created advance directives to spell out their wishes.
Before Steve had to have heart surgery last fall, Mike asked him to clarify even more precisely what living meant to him. He thought overnight about his answer, then gave Mike three tenets:
To be able to think and communicate and read.
To be able to relate to the people he loved.
To be useful in the world somehow.
Steve's insights proved invaluable as Mike had to help her husband navigate his tough path. Supporting her in their painful journey were many loved ones and a caring team from UCHealth's Palliative Care program. The interdisciplinary team that includes doctors, social workers, nurses, chaplains and music therapists provides guidance on treatment options and pain management along with emotional and spiritual support for patients and family members coping with serious illnesses.
Contrary to popular belief, palliative care is not limited to hospice care, which focuses strictly on end-of-life options. Rather, palliative care can help patients find meaning and hope while boosting their quality of life.
While Steve's death far too soon left all who knew him deeply sad, palliative care experts helped provide solace amid the sorrow.
A brain tumor and the determination to live
Three decades ago, when Mike and Steve were freshly married in their 40s and parenting three teen boys between them, a rare tumor surfaced in Steve's brain.
Steve and Mike Bloom soon after they were married. Photo courtesy of Mike Bloom.
The couple teamed up to confront that crisis as they faced new health challenges in the decades to come: united and optimistic.
A surgeon removed the entire tumor, known as a craniopharyngioma, back in 1987. But the surgery left Steve without pituitary function. He had to take replacement hormones for the rest of his life and both he and Mike tended his health as carefully as they nourished their marriage, high-powered careers, their gardens, friendships and their family, which eventually grew to include five grandsons.
Post-surgery 30 years ago, Steve declared his vision for the future.
"I'm not going to let this make me sick."
And so he didn't.
The couple traveled to 32 countries around the world, sharing their passion for birding. Mike kept a list of more than 3,000 birds they had seen from Costa Rica to Botswana. Steve photographed owls, hummingbirds, tropical tanagers and the other beautiful animals they saw on their travels.
"We were birding buddies," Mike said.
Professionally, they thrived too. Steve had served as director of Medical and Mental Health Services for Colorado's Department of Corrections and later became a consultant who worked with leaders around the U.S.
Steve and Mike Bloom shared a passion for seeing birds, first in Colorado, then around the world. Photo courtesy of Mike Bloom.
Mike, too, was an expert in behavioral health, then later became the founding dean of The Women's College at the University of Denver.
Steve was always his wife's biggest cheerleader and like his clients, she benefited from his wisdom. Once she remembers coming home from work and complaining about a difficult colleague.
"I suppose she's doing the best she can," Steve said, instantly giving Mike a fresh take.
"If I was frustrated and judgmental and certain I was right, he'd provide a different perspective," Mike said. "I was always astonished by his ability to see the best in people."
Steve once gave her critical advice to be an effective leader: "There's a difference between being right and being effective."
Heart failure, then an infection
For years, the couple kept Steve's health challenges at bay. Then in recent years, he developed heart disease and last fall when his heart failed, he traveled out of state for surgery.
About three weeks later, Steve and Mike returned to Colorado. He seemed to be recovering well.
Then, one day in January, he decided to get back to work and did a conference call. Moments after he hung up, he told Mike that he wasn't feeling well. He'd developed a fever and severe chills.
Mike knew she had to jump into action quickly as she had done so many times before. Because Steve's system could easily get out of whack, Mike always carried a steroid shot and learned how to administer it. She had saved her husband's life many times before. Paramedics arrived within minutes and said that Steve was septic and rushed him to the ER. His doctors then transferred him to UCHealth's University of Colorado Hospital, where cardiology experts took over.
A serious infection had attacked Steve's body, but at first, doctors struggled to find the source. They finally found that this infection had lodged itself in Steve's new heart valve and doctors said he would need a new one.
"The surgeon told us the odds of death were 100 percent without the surgery and 50 percent with it," Mike said.
Steve responded with his typical positive attitude.
"Then let's do it."
Unfortunately, Steve did not bounce back well from the surgery. He had spent two weeks in the cardiac unit, then after the heart surgery, went to the ICU, where he would spend six more weeks. No sooner would doctors tame one problem than another challenge would arise.
With each new complication, Steve's rare pituitary condition interfered with his recovery. Medications that would have helped other patients caused adverse reactions in Steve.
"They were always walking such a fine line with him," said Mike.
She found herself more at sea as she watched her husband struggle.
"He swung between being asleep, unaware, agitated, but not in pain to being almost unarousable. Then, at other times, he was awake, alert, talking and wanting to know what had happened to him," Mike said.
Exhausted, Mike nonetheless arrived at the hospital by 6:30 every morning so she could be there for the doctors' rounds. She had always served as her husband's informal care coordinator and supporter-in-chief. His determination not to be sick always had prevailed in the past. This time, Mike and Steve both suffered as he continued to decline.
"Over time, the up and down pattern was unrelentingly down," Mike said. "And I lost any control I might have thought I had."
By Mike's side throughout Steve's health ordeal were dear friends and family.
Once, when one of Steve's grandsons heard that Grandpa Steve was having trouble telling his nights from days, the 5-year-old drew him a picture. On one side, he drew Steve with plants and clouds and rockets on a white background. On the right side, he drew a nightscape with stars, planets and the moon.
"The picture had Steve in both, so he could see himself in the day and the night," Mike said. "It was a map."
One of Steve's nieces visited the hospital frequently. Steve hated his feeding tube and wanted to pull it out. To keep his hands busy, his niece brought little stuffed animals – a gray cat once and a crouched bear another time.
The Blooms' close friend, Sharon Sherman, was with the couple every step of the way.
"I watched them go from traveling all over the world, birding all the time, entertaining and having dinner parties, going out to plays and musical things to being absorbed by this illness," Sherman said. "It was so hard to watch."
Two weeks after Steve's admission to the ICU, Mike happened to see a poster on a wall about palliative care. She knew nothing about the program and hadn't realized Steve could receive support. She was hardly alone in asking, "What is palliative care?" Mike sought help right away for help and within hours, was meeting with the team.
Their approach proved transformational for the Blooms and eventually led Mike to take her husband home, where the forsythia blossoms and the goldfinches awaited him.
The power of listening
Mike met the palliative care providers in a quiet room at the hospital, where they first asked a simple question: "Tell us your story."
For Mike, it was a great relief to be asked. She spoke uninterrupted for 45 minutes.
She told them about Steve's remarkable talents and his caring demeanor, their happy marriage, their careers, their travels and how much their community mattered to them. For decades, Steve had served on the board for a drug treatment center and the couple had long supported the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.
Years earlier when Steve had lived in Evergreen, he had founded a Jewish congregation there called Beth Evergreen. She and Steve still celebrated his Jewish heritage and were now active members of the First Universalist Church in Denver. Mike was a masterful fundraiser who had led the drive to raise $10 million for the light-filled Women's College building at the University of Denver.
Mike also told the palliative experts about Steve's advance directive and his definitions for a good life. They let Mike know how lucky she was that she and Steve had so thoroughly discussed such difficult issues.
Mike Bloom saves rose petals. When the grandchildren come over, she helps them throw the petals in the creek near her home as they share memories of 'Grandpa Steve.' Photo by UCHealth.
And she shared a story that one of Steve's sons, an organic farmer in California, had told his dad a week earlier in the hospital.
"A time comes when you have to stop doing on the land all that you've been doing and hang up your tools and let nature take its course."
When Steve told Mike the story, she asked if he was ready to "hang up his tools." Was it time for her to put the brakes on all the treatments and let "nature take its course?"
"No," he told her. But he wanted her to remember the story.
"It became a metaphoric way for us to talk about the choice that would eventually come," Mike said.
Everyone listened intently, including their palliative care doctor, David Nowels.
"I learned about the depth of their relationship and how important and beautiful it was to each of them, but also how much pain they were experiencing. It helped me understand the motivation for all they had gone through," said Dr. Nowels, a family medicine doctor who practices both at the UCHealth A.F. Williams Family Medicine Center in addition to working with the palliative care team in the hospital.
"Mike had developed deep expertise about Steve's disease," Nowels said. "In the past, they'd always been able to fix all the problems that had come along. That was driven by their deep love for one another and how incredibly bright and committed they were. That came out in so many ways as I got to know them."
Providing comfort and support to the entire family is one of the core aims of palliative care, said Dr. Nowels, who is also an associate professor of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
"Palliative care improves patients' lives and often families' lives whether they are in the last stages of life or not," Dr. Nowels said. "Our goal is to help them live the best life possible. We listen deeply to their goals and values to figure out how we can improve their experiences whether they are dying in the short term or many years down the road."
Palliative care provides support that includes:
Treating pain.
Providing emotional and spiritual support.
Helping people who are suffering find the strength to carry on with life.
Maintaining hope.
Enriching communication between patients, caregivers and medical providers.
Providing guidance to help patients and families make difficult decisions about treatment options.
For Mike, the palliative approach brought great relief.
The team instantly understood that Steve was a gentle and wise soul. They gave him the dignity of calling him Dr. Bloom. And they created a set of guidelines to hang in Steve's hospital room so the many specialists could provide better care as they tried to save Steve's life. These included detailed descriptions of Steve's rare adrenal condition so all the medical providers would keep his unique physiology in mind.
The palliative experts also helped Mike reframe a Do Not Resuscitate order with gentler language: "to allow a natural death if Steve's heart stops or he stops breathing."
Among the most soothing visits was one from the team's music therapist. She brought her guitar and played some of Steve's favorites like John Denver's "Sunshine on my Shoulders" and "Rocky Mountain High."
"It was the most alive and awake I had seen him," Mike said.
The therapist was pregnant and the night after she visited Steve, she delivered her baby, so the Blooms' friends and one of the hospital chaplains stepped up to provide more music. With chaplain, Parker Ebling-Artz, Steve sang a duet of James Taylor's "Fire and Rain."
A harpist from the Blooms' church came and another friend visited with his guitar and played Pete Seeger tunes.
"This gave him pleasure and a sense of himself. It was an oasis for us both," Mike said.
A chaplain and social worker then visited Mike and Steve frequently. The chaplain carefully selected readings for his Jewish-Unitarian patient and settled on selections from the Psalms along with Mary Oliver poems.
More than anything else, the palliative care team reassured Mike that she was making the right choices.
"They helped me let go and go home and rest every night," she said.
Nowels said the University of Colorado Hospital palliative care team is one of the most robust programs in the country. All the providers have special training in palliative care and the program is certified and accredited through an independent non-profit called the Joint Commission.
"The hospital has made deep commitments to our service over time. Growing our team has been a huge benefit to our patients," Nowels said.
While Steve's ICU doctors kept doing everything in their power to help Steve recover, it soon became apparent that he was not living by the tenets he had outlined. He often was struggling with the basics: eating, sitting up and walking. Instead of getting stronger, he was declining.
"The hardest aspect of this journey was seeing him lose his sense of self, seeing his brilliant mind become so confused and frightened, seeing him in so humiliating and dehumanizing a situation," Mike said.
Even with all the treatment, she felt she was losing Steve, so she asked the ICU and Palliative Care providers to meet together with her. Steve was conscious and able to participate in that meeting.
The ICU doctor told the couple that he believed Steve could recover; still, he acknowledged that the process would be long and difficult. And Steve might never regain some of what he had lost. Dr. Nowels and his team helped the Blooms focus on Steve's wishes and reminded both of them that they were free to make choices about interventions they did or didn't want.
Following the meeting, Steve reaffirmed his wishes. He seemed to know he was dying. While it clearly broke his heart to know he was leaving Mike alone, he knew it was time to "put down his tools." He wanted to go home.
That evening, nurses moved Steve to a special area of the hospital devoted to Palliative Care so they could stabilize him. His room faced west and a brilliant sunset painted the sky in hues of orange, purple and pink.
During that first night, Steve woke up at 4 a.m. Mike had been staying in the room. Steve asked her to come crawl in the bed with him.
"He had dreamed he had died. I was there to comfort him," Mike said.
After one more night in the hospital, Mike was able to grant her husband's wish and take him home, where Steve's family and friends surrounded him. Dr. Nowels was there too, this time in his capacity as Steve's hospice doctor. Loved ones sang "Morning Has Broken" and read poems to Steve.
Peaceful in his familiar surroundings, Steve died on March 24 as Mike held him in her arms.
'I can fly'
The changes of the seasons have proved especially tough for Mike. She and Steve loved tending the garden together. They watched as the colors evolved and new birds arrived.
To bring some hope into her life, Mike decided to get a puppy. She's a Cavachon, a mix between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Bichon Frise. The puppy's name came from a little sticky note that Mike had long ago written to Steve: "You are my sunshine."
Mike Bloom outside her home with her new puppy, Sunshine. Photo by UCHealth.
Sunshine, the puppy, is about four months old now and loves snuggling and sashaying around the house.
"She gives me a reason to get up. She makes me laugh. She makes me smile. The house is terribly quiet. I'm not as lonely now," Mike said.
The puppy trainer noticed that Sunshine does well with strangers and is eager to learn new tricks. She suggested to Mike that Sunshine would be a perfect therapy dog. During Steve's hospital stay, a volunteer cheered Steve up when she brought her schnauzer for a visit.
Now, Mike is planning to get Sunshine certified so both of them can return to the hospital and bring some warmth to patients who are struggling.
Mike thinks back often over this year's tough times. Losing her soul mate has been devastating of course. Mike also grieves for all that Steve will miss.
"It was the most beautiful fall I can ever remember. All the colors were really vivid. The leaves stayed on the trees for such a long time," Mike said.
When the grandchildren come over, Mike hands them rose petals that she saves and they toss them into the creek nearby, sharing their memories of their grandpa and watching as the petals float downstream.
Sorrow often overwhelms Mike. But every once in a while, she experiences a moment of humor or mystery that feels like a little wink from Steve.
Over the summer, Mike was on her deck eating breakfast one day. Stella, the cat, was sitting on the railing nearby. Mike and Steve often saw hummingbirds near their home. But this was a rare one called a Calliope. Stella watched the bird, mesmerized. Then for a moment, the hummingbird swooped down and put its bill right on the cat's nose. The cat froze while the Calliope seemed to give it a kiss. Mike couldn't help but laugh and think of Steve.
Another time, Mike was walking out to her mailbox. Steve always used to tell the story of Dumbo, a Disney elephant who wanted to fly. Dumbo manages to soar with a single feather. He believes it's magic, but drops it and learns he can fly simply because he believes in himself. Steve used the feather story as a metaphor with clients. If they believed they could succeed, then they could – with or without a bit of magic.
On the way back from the mailbox, out of the blue, Mike saw a large black feather right at her feet. She hadn't seen it seconds earlier in exactly that spot and wondered where it had come from. It seemed like a little gift from Steve.
"I don't imagine they're visits. Whatever they are, they're beautiful," Mike said. "Wherever that feather came from, it reminded me that I can fly."
A.F. Williams Family Medicine Clinic Advance care planning Advance directive & living will planning Dr. David Nowels Intensive care unit Palliative care UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital
Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth
Katie Kerwin McCrimmon is a proud Colorado native. She attended Colorado College, thanks to a merit scholarship from the Boettcher Foundation, and worked as a park ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park during summer breaks from college. She is also a storyteller. She loves getting to know UCHealth patients and providers and sharing their inspiring stories.
Katie spent years working as a journalist at the Rocky Mountain News and was a finalist with a team of reporters for the Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of a deadly wildfire in Glenwood Springs in 1994. Katie was the first reporter in the U.S. to track down and interview survivors of the tragic blaze, which left 14 firefighters dead.
She covered an array of beats over the years, including the environment, politics, education and criminal justice. She also loved covering stories in Congress and at the U.S. Supreme Court during a stint as the Rocky's reporter in Washington, D.C.
Katie then worked as a reporter for an online health news site before joining the UCHealth team in 2017.
Katie and her husband Cyrus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, have three children. The family loves traveling together anywhere from Glacier National Park to Cuba.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Webster: Louise (Osborne), a resident of Bothwell, passed away peacefully following a short illness at the London Health Sciences Centre, Victoria Campus, on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at the age of 70.
Born in Chatham, daughter of the late Gordon and Beatrice (Smith) Osborne. Loving mother and grandma to Chris and Suzy Webster and their children Owen and Sophie, Shawna Webster ( Doug Shaddock) and their children Delaney and Marlee. Dear sister and sister-in-law of Elaine Vlcek (late Joseph), Fran Farrell (John), Wayne Osborne (Gayle), Pat Osborne (late Barry), Robert Osborne (Catherine), Lois Webster (Wally), and Ann Myers. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.
The Webster family will receive friends at the John C. Badder Funeral Home, 72 Victoria St., Thamesville on Saturday, February 9, 2018 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. A Private Family Celebration of Louise's life will be held at a later date. Cremation has taken place. Friends and family are also invited to join the family following visiting from 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM at the Thamesville Legion.


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Category Archives: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette
Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe for sale for $9.99 in the Palgrave Macmillan Cyber Sale
November 24, 2019 November 24, 2019 by CarolynHarris	| 1 Comment
My 2nd book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette is currently on sale for $9.99 as part of the Palgrave Macmillan cyber sale. Click here to buy Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe for $9.99 direct from Palgrave Macmillan until December 3, 2019.
Posted in: Book Reviews, Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Royal History	|
Today Interview: Queen Elizabeth changed how royal babies eat. Will Meghan Markle do the same?
April 22, 2019 by CarolynHarris	| Leave a comment
I discussed the history of royal parenting and how royal babies were fed over the past few centuries with Aly Walansky at Today. The debate concerning whether royal mothers should nurse their own children dates from the late eighteenth century when French Enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau objected to the prevalence of wet nurses employed to feed and care for infants. Marie Antoinette briefly nursed her daughter Marie-Therese over the objections of her own mother, Empress Maria Theresa and Queen Victoria's daughters nursed their children despite the Queen's distaste for the practice. The controversy surrounding royal mothers nursing their own children continued until the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II's children in the mid 20th century.
Click here to read Queen Elizabeth changed how royal babies eat. Will Meghan Markle do the same?
Posted in: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Queen Victoria, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting, Recent Talks and Media Appearances, Royal History, Royal News, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex	|
Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution: My Spring 2019 course at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
January 23, 2019 by CarolynHarris	| Leave a comment
I will be teaching an eight week course about Queen Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies on Tuesdays in March-April 2019. Click here for more information and to register.
About this course:
More than 200 years after her execution, Queen Marie Antoinette is still one of the most famous and controversial figures in European history. In late 18th-century France, her reputation influenced debates about the role of women in politics, their families and the arts. Austrian-born, her position at the top of French society fuelled criticism of the monarchy and contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. Her influence on popular culture continues today.
What You'll Learn:
Discover the real Queen Marie Antoinette behind centuries of myths in popular culture.
Trace the reasons for her controversial reputation.
Explore the clashes in the politics, culture and society of royal and revolutionary France.
Look behind the legend and examine the controversial queen's impact on politics, culture and society.
Click here for more information and to register.
Click here to purchase my book Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette
Posted in: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Recent Talks and Media Appearances, Royal Art Patronage, Royal History, Royal News	|
BBC History Magazine Article: 8 unconventional royal wedding dresses in history
October 9, 2018 October 9, 2018 by CarolynHarris	| Leave a comment
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the time of their wedding in 1937.
My latest article in the BBC History Magazine is about unconventional royal wedding dresses from Marie Antoinette to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. I discuss how wedding dresses at first considered unique or noteworthy set trends for future royal brides or contributed to the history of fashion.
Here's an excerpt from the article:
"For centuries, royal women were married in sumptuous garments and glittering jewels intended to announce the bride's wealth and status rather than reflect her own personal taste. But from the 18th century onwards, royal wedding dresses began to display more personal touches, some of which became traditions for future royal brides. As speculation mounts over the style and design of Princess Eugenie's wedding dress when she marries wine merchant Jack Brooksbank on 12 October, historian Carolyn Harris reveals eight royal wedding dresses that were considered unusual, unconventional or innovative in their time…"
Click here to read "8 unconventional royal wedding dresses in history" in the BBC History Magazine
Posted in: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Princess Eugenie, Queen Victoria, Royal History, Royal News, Uncategorized	|
Books I've Read This Week: Queens and Empresses
August 8, 2018 by CarolynHarris	| 1 Comment
My New Year's Resolution for 2018 is to read a book (or listen to an unabridged audiobook) every day: 365 books by December 31. I will post my reviews here each week and provide regular updates on Twitter and Goodreads. Recommendations are always welcome!
Week 30: Queens and Empresses: In recent weeks, I have been reading extensively about one of my favourite topics, the political and cultural influence of royal women. I will be delivering a lecture about Catherine the Great and the Hermitage later this month as part of a royal history lecture series on a Baltic Sea cruise and I have therefore been reading extensively about Catherine's famous art collection. I am also working on a feature article about royal wedding dresses to be published in time for Princess Eugenie's wedding this October, and so I have been reading more about royal fashions from the eighteenth century to the present day. I also recently read three more titles from the Palgrave Macmillan Queenship and Power series. Here are this week's reviews:
#204 of 365 Royal Women and Dynastic Loyalty edited by Caroline Dunn and Elizabeth Carney
Format: E-Book, 207 pages
Acquired: Borrowed From Robarts Library, University of Toronto
Date Read: July 25, 2018
Review: A collection of articles about royal women and their contributions to royal dynasties from classical times to the 19th century. While there are familiar figures examined in this volume, such as Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James I's queen, Anna of Denmark, most of the contributors examine comparatively overlooked figures. There are chapters concerning Empress Elizabeth Christine (the mother of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and the grandmother of Queen Marie Antoinette of France), and the little known royal women of the 17th century Ottoman Empire who served as stabilizing figures during an uncertain time for their ruling house.
The authors draw conclusions that continue to be relevant to the history of monarchical government, women and power, and royal court culture. For example, in her chapter on Queenship and the Currency of Arts Patronage as Propaganda at the Early Stuart Court, Wendy Hitchmough observes that royal palaces continue to be sites of national identity and memory, as demonstrated by the recent Remembrance Day poppies installation at the Tower of London and the role of Kensington Palace as a site for mourning Diana, Princess of Wales.
Since the book is based on a series of conference papers, the chapters are short and sometimes end abruptly, especially the opening chapter about King's Daughters, Sisters, and Wives: Fonts and Conduits of Power and Legitimacy by Waldemar Heckel. I hope that the contributors will expand their research into longer articles and books as the chapters in this volume examine important and often overlooked historical figures and their contributions to dynastic legitimacy.
#205 of 365 The Empress of Art: Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia by Susan Jaques
Genre: Biography/Art History
Acquired: Purchased from Amazon.com
Review:The Empress of Art provides a good overview of Catherine the Great's art patronage and the development of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. Jaques writes in an engaging, accessible style, and places the acquisition of key art collections such as the Walpole paintings within the context of the wider events of Catherine the Great's reign. The author has visited Saint Petersburg and demonstrates a familiarity with the historic buildings of the city, Catherine the Great's influence on architecture, and her role in setting wider cultural trends.
In addition to detailing Catherine's cultural activities, Jaques explains the ultimate fate of the paintings acquired by the Empress. While some of Catherine's purchases remain on display at the Hermitage museum, her grandson Czar Nicholas I sold some of the pieces that he judged to be inferior while other acquisitions were destroyed by fire or sold to the National Gallery in Washington D.C. during the Soviet period.
Unfortunately, there are some historical errors sprinkled throughout the book, especially toward the beginning and end. The errors concern names, dates, and, most often, the family relationships between royal personages. (For example, Maria Josepha was Maria Theresa's daughter, not her daughter-in-law. A daughter of the last Byzantine Emperor did not marry a czar, as stated in the book. Instead, a niece of the last Byzantine Emperor married a Grand Duke of Muscovy, Ivan III. The title of czar was not in use until their grandson's reign.) While these errors do not undermine Jaques's overall argument that Catherine was a key cultural patron with a lasting legacy in a number of different spheres, they are distracting for the reader.
The Empress of Art is an engaging biography of Catherine the Great as a cultural patron that is especially useful for visitors to Saint Petersburg and the city's Hermitage Museum. Includes illustrations of key paintings and architecture from Catherine's reign.
#206 of 365 Queenship and Counsel in Early Modern Europe edited by Helen Matheson-Pollock, Joanne Paul and Catherine Fletcher
Review: An excellent collection of scholarly articles about how early modern queens exercised and received political counsel. The book includes fresh perspectives on Tudor and early Stuart era queens who are often reduced to one dimensional portrayals in the popular imagination.
For example, Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, closely associated with her nephew Holy Roman Emperor Charles V because of the circumstances of the breakdown of her marriage, in fact had a more complicated attitude toward English foreign policy and was not always perceived as placing Spain's interests first. Henry VIII's sister Mary, Queen of France, famous for marrying Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and incurring the King's displeasure in fact remained closely interested in Anglo-French relations for the rest of her life, and attempted to maintain her own network of connections during her brief marriage to Louis XII. Mary, Queen of Scots paid careful attention to her household, avoiding appointing the wives of privy Councillors to attend her in a personal capacity in an attempt to separate her public and private spheres. Queen Elizabeth I made use of her classical education to affirm her authority over male Councillors.
In addition to chapters reassessing well known queens, there is analysis of little known queens consort and the manner in which they exerted political influence. The book's focus on the early modern period allows for exploration of how royal women's roles were passed through the generations. For example, there is a chapter about Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland followed by a chapter about her daughter, Catherine Jagiellon, Queen of Sweden, two queens consort who deserve to be more well known. The book comes together as a cohesive whole, with parallels drawn between the various queens discussed in individual sections and wider conclusions presented about the range of roles for a queen in the sixteenth century. Highly recommended for scholars and general readers interested in early modern queenship.
#207 of 365 Queens Matter in Early Modern Studies edited by Anna Riehl Bertolet
Dates Read: July 28-August 2, 2018
Review: A collection of scholarly essays dedicated to Carole Levin, the co-editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Queenship and Power book series. I am honoured that my own book is mentioned in Charles Beem's essay concerning the development of the series, which states, "…Carolyn Harris's Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, a provocative comparative study of two queens who suffered miserably at the hands of revolutionary ideologies." The chapters are divided by theme, presenting a broad range of perspectives on early modern queenship, especially the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. I found the chapters about Elizabeth I's role as a godparent (she had at least 114 godchildren over the course of her reign including John Harington, inventor of the flush toilet), and the comparisons between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots especially fascinating. An interesting and informative read.
#208 of 365 Catherine the Great: Art for Empire: Masterpieces from the State Hermitage Museum, Russia
Genre: Art History
Acquired: Received as a Gift
Review: The book that accompanied the 2005 Catherine the Great exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. A nice balance between beautiful illustrations of works of art collected and commissioned by Catherine the Great, and insightful essays about the different facets of her role as patron of arts. The art historians focus on the variety of different art forms in Catherine's collection including paintings, sculpture and cameos, her motives for amassing such an extensive art collection, and the question of whether she possessed good taste or was simply a "glutton for art" who bought large collections without considering the merits of the individual works. The essays concerning her patronage of women artists including Elisabeth Vigee LeBrun and Marie-Anne Collot are especially interesting. I would have been interested to read a concluding essay about the expansion of the Hermitage museum's collection after Catherine the Great's reign.
#209 of 365 The Royal Wedding Dresses by Nigel Arch and Joanna Marschner
Genre: History and Fashion
Date Read: August 2, 2018
Acquired: Read at Toronto Reference Library
Genre: Hardcover, 176 pages
Review: A beautifully illustrated history of royal wedding fashion from Henry VII and Elizabeth of York to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Although the title suggests that the book examines wedding dresses alone, the authors also look at the fashions worn by royal bridegrooms, bridesmaids and guests. There are some fascinating examples of royal brides adapting traditional bridal fashions to reflect their own preferences including Queen Marie of Romania choosing a tulle veil instead of the wedding lace favoured by most of Queen Victoria's descendants, and her cousin Princess Margaret of Connaught choosing an Irish made gown embroidered with shamrocks to reflect her happy memories of spending time in Ireland as a child. I would be interested to read an updated edition that includes the last few decades of royal wedding fashion.
#210 of 365 Marie Antoinette's Head: The Royal Hairdresser, the Queen, and the Revolution by Will Bashor
Acquired: Borrowed from Toronto Public Library
Format: Hardcover, 299 pages
Review: An excellent read, especially in tandem with Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the French Revolution by Caroline Weber. Bashor examines the life and hair-raising exploits of Leonard Autie, who rose from obscure origins in Gascony to become Marie Antoinette's hairdresser and confidant. Both the hairdresser and Marie Antoinette's milliner, Rose Bertin, became recognizable public figures in their own right and were nicknamed Ministers of Fashion, setting precedents for future celebrity stylists and fashion designers.
I especially enjoyed the chapters about the Flight to Varennes, where Leonard acted as a secret messenger for the King and Queen, and his brother may have unwittingly foiled the royal family's plan to flee France. Leonard had a long career after the French Revolution, styling the hair of the Russian Imperial family, including the murdered Czar Paul I for his state funeral. Marie Antoinette's Head is lavishly illustrated with images from the French archives of Marie Antoinette, her family and her famous hairstyles. Highly recommended.
Posted in: Book Reviews, Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Royal Art Patronage, Royal History, The Romanovs and Imperial Russia, The Tudors, Uncategorized	|
My BBC History Magazine article: The 8 most famous royal weddings in British history
May 18, 2018 May 18, 2018 by CarolynHarris	| Leave a comment
Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales on their wedding day in 1981
In honour of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this weekend, my feature article in the BBC History Magazine is about the 8 most famous royal weddings in British history. I discuss what each bride wore on her wedding day, guest list complications, wedding cakes and the variety of popular responses to royal weddings over the centuries from Tudor times to today.
Click here to read The 8 Most Famous Royal Weddings in British History
Posted in: Diana, Princess of Wales, Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Queen Victoria, Recent Talks and Media Appearances, Royal History, Royal News, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall	|
My 2nd book Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe is now available in paperback
November 7, 2017 by CarolynHarris	| Leave a comment
I am pleased to announce that my 2nd book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette is now available in paperback for $39.99 and as an e-book for $29.99.
Queen Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI of France and Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England were two of the most notorious queens in European history. They both faced accusations that they had transgressed social, gender and regional norms, and attempted to defend themselves against negative reactions to their behavior. Each queen engaged with the debates of her time concerning the place of women within their families, religion, politics, the public sphere and court culture and attempted to counter criticism of her foreign origins and political influence. The impeachment of Henrietta Maria in 1643 and trial and execution of Marie Antoinette in 1793 were also trials of monarchical government that shaped the English Civil Wars and French Revolution.
Click here to order Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette from Palgrave History.
Posted in: Book Reviews, Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette	|
My January-February 2018 course at University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies: Family Life from Medieval to Modern Times
November 2, 2017 November 21, 2017 by CarolynHarris	| Leave a comment
On Wednesday afternoons in January and February 2018, I will be teaching an eight week history course about Family Life from Medieval to Modern Times.
Our views on marriage and childrearing would seem very strange to families of past centuries. We'll see the influence of romanticism on the current understanding of family life, the changing role of grandparents in relation to family traditions, and the emergence of a distinct children's culture including the birth of children's literature, due in part to the expansion of formal education. Join us for a look at marriage and parenting customs and advice through the centuries, and the surprising influence of history on family life today.
Discover the impact of politics, religion and popular culture on family life over the centuries.
Trace changes in the definition of the ideal marriage and family over time.
Learn about the role of women within the family from medieval times to the present day.
Measure the influence of religious leaders, philosophers and royalty on marriage and parenting trends.
Realize how historical trends continue to influence family life today.
Click here for more information and to register
Posted in: Diana, Princess of Wales, Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Queen Victoria, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting, Recent Talks and Media Appearances, Royal History, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, The Romanovs and Imperial Russia, The Royal Succession, The Tudors, Women and Canadian History	|
My October-November 2017 course at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies: Women In Power
September 7, 2017 September 7, 2017 by CarolynHarris	| Leave a comment
"Boadicea Haranguing the Britons" by John Opie
In the Fall of 2017, I will be teaching an eight week course about the history of Women in Power at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. Click here for more information and to register:
Time and Date:
03 Oct 2017 – 21 Nov 2017
Powerful women have presented themselves as warrior queens, rulers by divine right, wives and mothers and, most recently, as elected officials. We'll examine the most significant female political figures in history, including Boadicea, Queen Isabella, Queen Elizabeth I, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton. Through lively lectures and discussions, you'll learn the story of women in political life. Why are women still underrepresented in political life? Join Carolyn Harris for a fascinating look at the often-neglected place of women in power from Cleopatra to Angela Merkel.
Survey changing attitudes toward women and political power throughout history.
Explore how female leaders have presented themselves to the public.
Understand how powerful women are portrayed in popular culture and the media.
Compare the experiences of female leaders around the world.
See how the history of women in power influences female political leadership today.
Posted in: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Queen Victoria, Royal History, The Romanovs and Imperial Russia, The Tudors, Women and Canadian History	|
Nova Scotia Book Tour Dates in September
I will be giving readings, delivering lectures and signing books in Wolfville and Halifax, Nova Scotia in September. All are welcome! Here's the book tour schedule:
September 14, 7pm: I will be giving a reading from my new book, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting at The Box of Delight's Bookshop in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Book signing to follow. More information available here.
September 15, 2:30pm: I will be giving a lecture about my 2nd book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette for the Early Modern Studies Program at the University of King's College in Halifax. Signed copies of all three of my books will be available for purchase. Click here for more information.
September 16, 12pm: I will be participating in the Word on Street Halifax festival, giving a presentation about my 3rd book, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting at the Halifax Central Library. Book signing to follow. The full schedule for the festival is available here.
Posted in: Book Reviews, Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting, Recent Talks and Media Appearances	|


Write exciting messages with this beautifully organized wooden alphabet stamp set. It includes 56 letters (upper and lower case), punctuation marks and a 4-color stamp pad. Keep it neat in the convenient wooden storage tray. Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.5" x 12" Packaged Recommended Ages: 4+ years Contains small parts. Conforms to ASTM D-4236.


We have split up the admissions and application process into different steps. You are now at Step 1.
Please check the the application deadlines of our master programmes and international double degree programmes.
Last modified: 11 March 2019 4.10 p.m.


Some are skeptical, but big majorities say machine learning could dramatically impact their line of work, according to new research.
You've probably heard that artificial intelligence and machine learning are set to transform healthcare with advances that were once hard to imagine. And you may have read that some think it could be changing the ways clinicians work in real and profound ways. Among the jobs, many expect to be most impacted: radiologists.
A new report from Reaction Data takes a closer look at the state of "Machine Learning In Medical Imaging," polling radiology leaders to find out what they really think about all the hype, how the adoption rate has increased, what applications are most in use and which AI vendors are top of mind.
"There are dozens of new companies claiming machine learning acumen especially in the field of medical imaging," said Reaction Data researchers. "At RSNA 2017 the most prevalent topic was machine learning and how much of an impact it will really have on the practice of medicine and on the business of healthcare overall."
But as with many healthcare technologies nowadays, "there comes a certain element of healthy professional skepticism. How truly useful is AI? Where is it most useful and applicable? Are organizations really going to pay for it? And if so, how will they do so with the many downward cost pressures they face? "
Among the report's findings: a large majority of those imaging professionals polled – mainly directors of radiology from acute care organizations but also imaging directors, radiology managers, PACS admins and some imaging center employees – say machine learning is either "important or extremely important" in the field. Just 16 percent say they aren't yet convinced it will have much of an impact.
As for concrete adoption plans, most hospital radiology departments and imaging centers say they expect to avail themselves of machine learning tech within the next two years. Only 16 percent of imaging professionals say they have no plans for deployment.
Interestingly, when it comes to those who are already using ML, the report finds that "there has been very little adoption by imaging centers; all of the adopters are hospitals. This is something we did not expect, as oftentimes imaging centers are less risk-averse than are their hospital counterparts. "
Reaction data asked those imaging professionals who aren't enthused about machine learning why they're reluctant to embrace the technology. Their top responses: Unsure of its usefulness right now (46 percent); We just aren't that forward thinking (39 percent); Humans are better than AI (15 percent).
"We won't commit to new improvements until they have been clearly tested," said one respondent. "My experience is that machine learning doesn't have the ability to understand the nuances of various findings in individual cases and thus is prone to making mistakes, " said another.
There's been a lot of speculation recently that machine learning might soon lead to "radiologist" joining "milkman" and "telegraph operator" on the list of obsolete careers. While it may still be a bit early to prepare for the wholesale replacement of human radiologists, it's certainly worth thinking more about how the job will evolve in the years ahead.
"No human being is going to be able to read a radiology PACS image nearly as well as a computer would, just because the pixelation gets down to such fine points that our eyes can't see it," said Jeff Axt, project manager and systems analyst in the IT department at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, Connecticut, in a recent interview.
But that doesn't mean all-seeing and omniscient artificial intelligence is coming for radiologists' jobs tomorrow, he said. Instead, the technology should be seen as a knowledgeable (but not infallible) assistant.
"I look at the AI as a consult," said Axt. "Something that has skill sets and abilities, not quite to the level of the physicians or the radiologist, but certainly to the extent that there is value to that input. The clinician is still the key decision-maker, but it's still incumbent upon me as a radiologist to look at that: The computer is telling me this, but I'm going to evaluate it with my brain. That's the difference. Radiologists are not going to go away. Their roles are going to be different."


NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 15, 2016 -- Repeatedly losing and regaining weight, known as weight cycling or yo-yo dieting, may increase the risk of death from heart disease among postmenopausal women who were of normal weight at the start of the study, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.
"Weight cycling is an emerging global health concern associated with attempts of weight loss, but there have been inconsistent results about the health hazards for those who experience weight cycling behavior," said Somwail Rasla, M.D., study lead author and internal medicine resident at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island.
Women considered "normal-weight" at the start of the study who lost and regained weight had about three and a half times higher risk for sudden cardiac death than women whose weight remained stable.
Weight cycling in the normal-weight women was also associated with a 66 percent increased risk for coronary heart disease deaths.
No increase in either type of death occurred among overweight or obese women reporting weight cycling.
Similarly, no increase in death occurred among women who reported that they gained weight but did not lose it or, in the opposite scenario, that they lost weight without gaining it back.
Evidence indicates that being overweight in midlife increases the risk of dying from two types of heart disease. In the first type, coronary heart disease, the blood vessels to the heart become blocked by fat and other substances, decreasing blood flow to the heart. In the second type, sudden cardiac death, the heart's electrical system abruptly stops working, causing death. It is unclear whether losing and regaining weight in adulthood also increases the risk of death from these heart diseases, so the investigators looked at this relationship among postmenopausal women.
"More research is needed before any recommendations can be made for clinical care regarding the risks of weight cycling, since these results apply only to postmenopausal women and not to younger-aged women or men," Rasla said.
In the United States and worldwide, heart disease is the leading cause of death. Obesity is a major risk factor, along with high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, poor diet, and smoking. One way to lower your risk factors is by following the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 program, which recommends: (1) manage blood pressure; (2) control cholesterol; (3) reduce blood sugar; (4) get active; (5) eat better; (6) maintain normal weight; and (7) stop smoking.
Note: Scientific presentation time is 10:45 a.m. CT, Tuesday, Nov. 15 in the Science and Technology Hall, Population Science Section.


Nicole Garneau (1), Lindsay Barr (1); (1) Flavor Lab, LLC, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
In the 1970s, representatives from the American Society of Brewing Chemists, the European Brewing Convention, and the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, developed a system of flavor terminology to identify, define and communicate attributes in beer. The terminology system they developed is universally recognized as the beer flavor wheel. Despite the huge advance in standardization that this work allowed, the authors recognized that their contribution was only the beginning. In the publication, Meilgaard et al. made a call-to-action to the industry to continue the task of bringing the terminology up-to-date. Since its debut we have seen great advances in both brewing and sensory science, and yet the most recognized tool in the beer flavor toolkit has largely remained stagnant. Inspired by Meilgaard's original paper and call to action, as well as discussions with leaders in the brewing community where complacency with the flavor wheel and it's shortcomings has become mainstream, the authors here propose a radically different model for beer flavor, the Beer Flavor Map. This new tool is scientifically aligned with the sensory research of the last four decades, accounts for new complexities in brewing science and is also accessible for brewing professionals and consumers alike. The purpose of the Beer Flavor Map is to provide a scientifically accurate model that is both user-friendly and rooted in up-to-date, published scientific research.
Nicole Garneau is a geneticist who studies sensory perception and the interactions of sensory attributes in pairings. She completed her B.A. degree in genetics at Rutgers and her Ph.D. degree in microbiology at Colorado State University. As cofounder of Flavor Lab, LLC, she is responsible for the taste and mouthfeel components of the new sensory tool, the Beer Flavor Map. In addition to conducting research, Nicole actively promotes public participation in scientific research through crowd-sourcing and through accessible language and dialogue. For this reason, she is a sought-after speaker, has done numerous media interviews and is featured in other media, including the book, Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pros. She is active in the brewing community as a member of ASBC, a founding member of the Beer & Food Working Group, and an advisory board member of the Fermentation Sciences program at Colorado State University. When she's not in the lab, or consulting on sensory perception, she's dropping science gems online as @yopearlscigirl. Visit drnicolegarneau.com or BeerFlavorMap.com to connect and learn more.


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Stuck in bed that morning, I turned on the television to keep myself occupied. The lead story on the BCTV noon news showed a group of angry Sikhs attacking the Indian tricolour-raising ceremony at the home of the Consul General of India in West Vancouver. A police helicopter could be seen circling above as the Indian flag was pulled down and set on fire; unruly demonstrators battled with police on the ground.
Prior to June 1984, some of us had written off the few members of the Babbar Khalsa in Canada as relatively harmless clowns and nincompoops. How tragically wrong we were. In the wake of the armed assault on the Harimandir Complex, the angry Sikh diaspora provided unlimited recruits for the likes of the Babbar Khalsa and dozens of other violent outfits that mushroomed overnight.
Freedom of expression for those who disagreed with the extremists was already under threat. In what had metamorphosed into a religious crusade by Bhindranwale to maintain the "purity and honour" of Sikhism, some elements of the diaspora mistakenly saw parallels between the Dharam Yudh of 1984 and the 1914 call of the Gadhar movement for Indians living in North America to return home to free India from the yoke of British rule. The intention of the 1914 movement was to establish a secular, free and united India. The Gadhar movement had never been about one religion.
By burning the Indian tricolour in Canada, the 1984 demonstrators were only hurting the Sikhs' standing in India. Scores of Sikhs had struggled and died alongside other Indians to defeat the mighty British Empire. For Indians, the tricolour had a kind of sanctity; it symbolized the love of country, a love second to none. These demonstrators were distorting our position in the minds of other Canadians; they were also undermining the place the Sikhs occupied in free India. The Khalistanis were stifling free speech and wrongly claiming that the majority of Sikhs abroad supported the dismemberment of India.
I began to rethink my plan not to attend the Independence Day ceremonies. Normally, I rarely went to these events. The cocktailcircuit types populated them in large numbers, not out of support for India or the idea of India, but simply because they were something to do, and there was always good scotch. But I knew many of these same types would stay away from that evening's reception, not wanting to be seen at the residence where that morning Khalistani demonstrators had burned the tricolour. I, on the other hand, decided on principle to go. The anger of ordinary Sikhs over the assault on the Harimandir complex was understandable, but none of the temples here, nor the many militant outfits that had cropped up overnight, sought to channel that anger into constructive work for peace in Punjab. No one seemed worried about the families of the men and women who'd been killed on both sides in the Harimandir complex. Instead, there was hatred and senseless range. Many angry men would have agreed with Ontario journalist T. Sher Singh when he said of the assault on the Harimandir Complex, "If I had an atomic bomb, I would like to drop it on Delhi."
Rami and I, along with my walking stick, strode into the residence of the Consul General in full view of the placard-carrying demonstrators. There was a heavy police presence there, too. The mood of the smaller-than-usual crowd inside was sombre but determined: determined to ensure that we remained sensitive to the feelings of the Sikhs, but also determined to ensure that no one be allowed to permanently scar the close relationships among all the people of the Indian diaspora, particularly between Sikhs and Hindus at that moment. Violent demonstrations and hate speech as natural responses to religious injury were medieval; they had no place in a modern democratic state.
Above all, I did not want the desecraters of the Harimandir or the torchers of the tricolour to speak for me. The voices calling for the dismemberment of India did not represent me. If I remained silent, I would never be able to look myself in the mirror again. I was a human rights activist. I had fought for the rights of domestic, janitorial and farm workers. I had twice attempted to be elected to the legislature of B.C. How could I represent people if I did not have the courage to speak up for peace in the face of violence and intimidation? I remembered Mahatma Gandhi's dictum: An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. Silence was no longer an option.
I talked to many friends at the reception and shared my angst with some. Rami and I also bumped into Nancy Knickerbocker, who had taught ESL with Rami and was now a journalist with the Vancouver Sun. Nancy wondered aloud if anyone would dare to speak out against the hate and violence the demonstrators represented. I asked for her card. As we rode home, Rami asked if I was thinking of saying something publicly. I have never been able to hide much from her.
I returned to work on August 20. By then, I had written a background statement about why I felt the need to speak out now. I had prepared a summary of it that I could hand to the press if I decided to go public, and a longer version I could read at the press conference I was now mulling over.
I had already decided that silence was not an option. I had no hesitation or second thoughts. But I wanted to be sure I was ready for the brutal assaults that I knew would follow—on my integrity, my reputation, and perhaps even my person. More importantly, I wanted to shield my sons from the negative fallout of my actions by changing the school they attended. Their current school, J.W. Sexsmith Elementary, had lots of Indian children, and some of them might take hurtful attitudes to school that would affect my sons.
I called a press conference at my law office on Victoria Drive for the early afternoon of August 23. Three reporters showed up: a journalist from Radio station CKNW whose name I can't recall, Nancy Knickerbocker from the Vancouver Sun, and Gillian Findlay of CBC TV. My position was simple. All Sikhs had been hurt as a result of the politics in Punjab, the actions and omissions of Bhindranwale, and the government of India bringing us to the tragic spectacle of Operation Blue Star. I had had time to talk to many Sikhs, I told the reporters. Many of them wanted to speak out but remained silent out of fear. I did not blame them. I had personally witnessed the anger of the separatists and their reckless antics. What had transpired at the consular residence on the morning of Indian Independence Day worried me deeply as a Canadian and as an Indian, I said. The Indian community had come a long way during its ninety years in Canada, and the separatists threatened to take us back into the dark ages. I wanted other Canadians to know that the vast majority of the Sikhs were peaceful. That, despite their silence, most did not support the violence or the demand for Khalistan. Above all, on behalf of the silent majority of Sikhs, I wanted to reclaim the right to free expression. I no longer wanted the reign of intimidation by separatists to go unchallenged. With my comments, I wanted to shout from the rooftops: I fear not a soul. My soul has no fear.
On June 12, I had written a letter to Mrs. Gandhi, reminding her that during our meeting in January 1984, "I indicated to you that Indians living abroad would like to see a just, reasonable and peaceful political solution to the issues of Punjab. I am deeply saddened and hurt that that was not to be. It disturbed me that the government sought a solution with guns and ignored the fact that a bullet shot into the Temple is as desecrating as one shot from inside the Temple." I also wrote: "However presented, the demands of the Akalis were not unreasonable. India requires a serious reassessment of central and state powers. Undoubtedly your delay and inability to address and resolve these grievances has been the main escalating factor in the situation that culminated in this assault at the Golden Temple—hurting directly the sensitivity and dignity of my community . . . Many of us feel orphaned by our Motherland itself." I further expressed the hope that one day the wounds and divisions could be healed.
I wasn't sure I would receive a reply; I had been frank, and I could easily have been ignored. But Mrs. Gandhi did reply. This is what she wrote, in a letter dated June 30 1984:
Dear Mr. Dosanjh,
I have received your letter of 12 June. You seem to have written with inadequate knowledge and understanding of the facts and issues involved.
Few Decisions in my long political career were sadder than the one to ask our troops to clear the terrorist hideout which was misusing the refuge of the Golden Temple. But it was a duty I owed to the nation and to the Sikh community itself.
To understand this you have to answer some elementary queries. Why did these people, in the first place, accumulate arms? They wanted to use them against some persons, surely? And why did they choose to take refuge in the most sacred Golden temple and other gurudwaras? Was it not in the belief that they could not then be got at, and if they were, then they could exploit the religious feelings of millions of pious and law-abiding Sikhs? Was it tolerable that they should be allowed to organise the murders of Sikhs and Hindus from within these sacred precincts? What were the duly constituted management committees of the Temples doing even when Government repeatedly drew their attention to these armed activities? The rule of the Golden temple that all weapons, umbrellas and sticks be left outside was broken.
If the miscreants had not gathered such a vast arsenal, which included sophisticated weapons of foreign origin, and if they had not indulged in terror and crime, there would have been no question of entering the Temple. Crime does not become less heinous if committed from within a temple, mosque or gurudwara. In fact it becomes more reprehensible. Ordinary citizens in Punjab, Sikhs and Hindus, were feeling insecure and afraid.
You have said the demands of the Akali Dal were not unreasonable. We were carrying out negotiations with them—which indicates a willingness to reach an agreement. But the Akali Dal was evidently terrorised by the ultras not to come to such an agreement. That is why they spurned our equally reasonable proposals. The terrorists certainly wanted no settlement.
I can understand your grief and the hurt sentiments of many. But this should not cloud the dangers to the unity and integrity of our country, which would be harmful to all communities, including the Sikhs.
(Indira Gandhi)
My letter and her reply were extensively reported in the newspapers in India and abroad at the time.
Following my press conference, a deluge of threats came in: telephone calls, messages left on our home answering machine, notes delivered to my law office or pushed through our mail slot at home. The oldest Sikh organization in Canada, the Khalsa Diwan Society, then controlled by Khalistanis, issued a press release branding me a "heretic." The Vancouver Sun, however, received a few calls commending my remarks and the Sun's responsible coverage, and I got dozens of calls myself from all across Canada supporting my views and my right to express them.
The war of words kicked off by my press conference would continue into the late eighties. I did not seek to silence the separatists. They were entitled to their views, and they had the right to express them.
But I made it clear I would not brook any interference with my right to express my views, and I would not let go unchallenged the Khalistani claim that most Sikhs supported their cause and their violence. I knew that was not the case.
Promod Puri wrote me a letter telling me he could no longer publish my weekly column in the Link. He was frightened of those who now controlled the narrative of the Sikhs. He made a flimsy excuse for his capitulation to intimidation, arguing that I expected my column to receive more prominence than he was prepared to give it. During all the years of turmoil, I lost only one client from my law office, and that was Promod's company, which published his paper. From then on, he became my critic. Years later, one woman in the community shared with me her view that in our culture, any ethical compromises made to protect one's livelihood or family are forgivable sins. I disagreed, but if it is true, this is one more explanation for the deep-rooted and ubiquitous corruption in India.
In mid-September, Harjit Atwal, who was later charged but subsequently acquitted in the attempted assassination of the visiting Punjabi minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu near Campbell River, asked to bring some friends to meet with me. I spoke to Rami about it, and we decided to invite Joyce Whitman to be present, so that no one could distort the discussion if it were to be reported publicly.
Five or six men showed up at our home at the appointed time. I recognized most of them from the melee at the Indian Consul's home on Independence Day. A man named Amar Sandhu did most of the talking. He argued that I was wrong to oppose Khalistan and also said I should not be speaking to the mainstream English media; I should confine my views to the Punjabi media. If I did that, he said, my opponents would not be as concerned or as angry.
I was taken aback by their suggestion. I was a Canadian, I said, and no community was an island unto itself. What a few hotheads were doing in Canada under the pretext of legitimate anger at the government of India was a Canadian issue, even if the government of the day and most Canadians did not yet see it that way. Canadian politicians were not yet concerned that some brown guys were fighting each other in the streets of Vancouver over something that had happened fifteen thousand miles away in Amritsar, a word most of them could not pronounce. And yet I believed it was their concern.
Harjit Atwal and his friends wanted to neuter my views. In the Indian community of the time, it was easy to suffocate the voices within. The voices from outside were harder to silence through threats of violence. I told them their biggest supporter and mouthpiece, Tara Hayer, would not last a single day if he wrote in English what he so routinely did with impunity in Punjabi.
Community activist Charan Gill had publicly denounced both the harebrained idea of Khalistan and Bhindranwale's tactics. When he was inundated with threats, he issued a retraction to get the angry men to go away. The only man left standing publicly against the violence among my friends in the Indian community was Darshan Gill, who published and edited Canada Darpan—"darpan" meaning mirror—a Punjabi weekly that promoted secularism, amity among faiths, non-violence, and the integrity of India. His paper was the sole progressive voice in the Punjabi media. Darshan published Canada Darpan from 1982 to 1990, during the most difficult years. Even when his home was firebombed, he unwaveringly stood his ground. Lokta, an irregular publication put out by friends of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the East Indian Workers Association, made its presence felt, too. Sadly, neither publication was enough to counter the poison spewed by Tara Hayer's Indo-Canadian Times.
Another courageous voice of the time belonged to my friend Gurcharan Rampuri, a renowned Punjabi poet. At the beginning of October 1984, he wrote a piece in Punjabi in Canada Darpan analyzing how Bhindranwale, an articulate populist perhaps mesmerized by his own rhetoric, unwittingly created the conditions that led to Operation Blue Star. Tara Hayer, already angry at Rampuri for truthfully describing Tara in an interview with a Punjabi daily as a staunch supporter of Sikh separatist militancy and violence in Canada, fanned the flames against him by distorted reporting on Gurcharan's piece. A few days later, on his way to work, Rampuri was ambushed in downtown Vancouver by unknown Sikh assailants. He escaped with minor but painful injuries. Tara Hayer gleefully reported on the attack, suggesting what had happened to Rampuri was not severe enough. Progressive Sikhs and others, however, organized a meeting to condemn the dastardly attack against Rampuri. Wearing the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as a placard, I was one of the speakers at the meeting.
The attack on Rampuri came just days before the next bombshell: the assassination of Indira Gandhi at the hands of her own bodyguards. I learned of the news late in the evening of October 31, 1984 in a telephone call from Sohan Pooni. I was concerned immediately about what her killers might not have anticipated: violent reactions from Indians to the killing of the prime minister. The Sikh bodyguards had served Mrs. Gandhi loyally for some time. After Operation Blue Star, her senior staff had replaced the bodyguards out of an abundance of caution, but Mrs. Gandhi had ordered them reinstated.
Her murder was not completely unexpected for those who knew of the "tradition" of revenge against "desecrators" of the holy Harimandir. In her letter to me, she had maintained that her actions were taken to protect the sanctity of Harimandir and the national interest of India. After Operation Blue Star, she had visited the Harimandir, because she recognized the anger among Sikhs and felt it important to make a gesture of atonement and reconciliation. But the flames of revenge consuming her assassins had finally engulfed her.
That night I went to bed worried to death about the fallout on the ground in India. We were woken at midnight by the noise of drums and slogans in the Punjabi Market a block and a half away. To my horror, I learned the next day that the demonstrators had been celebrating the killing of Indira Gandhi. The Himalaya Restaurant, owned by Kewal Pabla, had opened its doors to allow laddoos, Indian sweets, to be distributed. In television footage of the night's chaos, I spotted one of my own close relatives celebrating the death of the prime minister of the country he had left behind. In times of crisis, we are often touched, even if not directly overcome, by insanity.
The killing of Indira Gandhi made sense only to those swirling in the vortex of revenge. In the feudal culture of large parts of India, revenge was the only currency that "honour" accepted. A whole community should not have paid for the vengeful attack on the prime minister, but that is exactly what happened. Thousands of Sikhs were massacred in cities across India. The Congress government failed to protect its citizens; in fact, there is abundant evidence that the complete inaction on the part of the police and military for several days was deliberate. In some instances, the police, instead of protecting people, turned complicit marauders and killers themselves. Suddenly thrust into leadership, Rajiv Gandhi added fuel to the fires of hate and violence against Sikhs by declaring, "When a big tree falls it is only natural that the earth trembles." In the moment of that utterance, Rajiv dwarfed himself.
It was lust for power that begat the Dharm Yudh Morcha, the Bhindranwale phenomenon, and Operation Blue Star. All of that led to Indira's death and the massacre of Sikhs that followed—thousands of people who had had no role in any of this. The corrupt elements of the regime did not lift a finger for several days to stop the massacre. Earlier, Indira allowed the crisis at the Harimandir to get out of hand. She may have been the iron lady of India, but she proved less than farsighted in the way she handled the intransigent Bhindranwale, a dangerous creation of her own Machiavellian underlings. Her lasting legacy in most Sikh minds would be that she attacked the Harimandir complex and damaged the Akal Takhat. There could be no moral equivalence between Bhindrawale's actions and that of the government of India. Bhindranwale was responsible for making the Harimandir a base of his often violent campaign. But he was a small, non-state actor not accountable to anyone. The defence of India as a united, secular country warranted a more nuanced and sophisticated response.
I had criticized the Indira regime for the way it had mishandled Bhindranwale, and publicly condemned both the killing of Indira and the massacre of the Sikhs. To highlight our disgust at the violence in India, a group of us organized a candlelight vigil on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery to mourn the victims. As some friends gathered at our home and readied to leave for the vigil, San Minhas, a dear friend, called and asked us to wait at home for him. When he arrived, he told us he had heard rumours that someone was planning to make an attempt on my life that evening. I was concerned but not deterred.
There were about a hundred people assembled on the art gallery steps. They were brave to be there in the face of intimidation and threats. But when we held a moment of silence in memory of all the victims of violence, Manmohan Singh and his associates from the Sikh Students' Federation disrupted it by singing a Sikh religious hymn. That was their way of saying they were not sorry for Indira's assassination, and how dare we mourn her death along with all the others. As we concluded the event, the Federation men tried to walk toward me, but they were prevented by friends of mine who encircled them.
All of my statements, with the exception of my Punjabi columns in Canada Darpan, were made to the mainstream media. Most separatists at the time were not well versed in English, and they were easily misled by the erroneous reporting of my comments and positions in the Punjabi media. Tara Hayer was the master of misquotation and distortion. He derided me as "Ujjal Gandhi" in an attempt to tag me with Indira and Rajiv Gandhi's name. I accepted the name Gandhi as a badge of honour, since I stood for the non-violence espoused by the other, more important Gandhi, my idol the Mahatma. But for Tara and other separatists, I became Enemy Number One. For some weeks, his paper wasted as much ink on denouncing me as a "traitor" as he lavished on praising the "living martyr" and eventual Air India terrorist Talwinder Parmar and others of his ilk.
By now, there were several outfits drumming up separatist fervour among Sikhs in the world, including the Babbar Khalsa of Talwinder Parmar, the International Sikh Youth Federation, the Sikh Students' Federation, and the World Sikh Organization (WSO). The WSO had been founded at a gathering of several hundred Sikhs from the U.S. and Canada held at Madison Square Garden in New York City in the immediate aftermath of Operation Blue Star. There Ajaib Singh Bagri, in a fiery and vengeful speech, said, "I give you my most solemn assurance, until we kill fifty thousand Hindus, we will not rest!"
Jaswant Singh Bhullar, a retired Indian army major-general who had moved to the U.S., became secretary-general of the WSO. Bhullar attended a meeting at the Khalsa Diwan Society temple in Abbotsford in the fall of 1984. The television news showed him being saluted by many young Sikhs in army fatigues on the grounds of the temple. Clearly, the message was that Sikhs abroad were being trained to carry out sabotage back in India. I spoke out against such outrageous militarizing of peace-loving Canadians. I also criticized the federal government for allowing the likes of Bhullar into Canada. The government of Canada did not give a hoot about our community, I charged. Around the same time, there were news stories about angry separatists taking combat training in the Lower Mainland of B.C. in preparation for inciting violence in India or starting a guerrilla campaign for the dismemberment of India, with the hope of separating Punjab from the country to establish Khalistan.
The torrent of threats against my life and the lives of my family members continued unabated. I continued to insist on my right to free speech, my right to live harmoniously with others in peace, and my commitment to secular values.
One late evening, Bhaji and my brother-in-law Harpartap Sahi came to our home. My family and I needed to leave for the night, they said, because someone had passed on information about a "credible threat" of an attempt to be made on my life. I agreed to leave under duress; if I had stayed, I would have been up arguing with them all night, because they refused to leave unless I did. Rami and I bundled up our sleeping young sons and sought refuge at a relative's home, leaving our own home uninhabited. I remained awake all night, thinking about the twists and turns life was taking.
On another occasion, half a dozen relatives crowded into my law office, including Papa, Bhaji, Masarji Dhillon, Harpartap's father and several in-laws of Bhaji's. Those present were worried about my safety, and they attempted to persuade me to keep quiet in the future. No one could have any doubts about my views by now; there was no need to say anything more, they argued. Bhaji's brother-in-law Harchand Grewal, an old Communist Party of India (Marxist) supporter, compared the prevailing winds in the community to a potent storm that could uproot big trees. Perhaps in reaction to Harchand's attempt to use fear as a silencer to protect me from harm, I told them only trees with deep roots could survive a storm of that magnitude. I refused to live in fear of my own voice.