A Day With The Flu Trux Klan In Toronto

So I went out & covered the Toronto Trailerban protest today & took photos of the registration numbers of most of the trucks in case they should be needed in that future class action lawsuit which I had planned be to pass on although to be honest it was pretty tame. Unlike in Ottawa where there have been documented threats, assaults, vandalism, smashed windows, and at least really scary arson attempt. I mean except for the guy who was arrested for throwing literal shit. At any rate I'll post them here and you can decide if you want to business with them.



First unlike Ottawa the cops here did an effective job of funneling them away from any place like Hospital Row, Queen's Park & City Hall leaving them confined to a few blocks on Bloor from Bay to Spadina and on Queen from Spadina to University and that's really it.



Also I don't know about Ottawa or Calgary but downtown Toronto is basically a confusing warren of narrow one way streets. Because Fuck You and your stupid truck that's why.



Seriously; People have broken down in tears trying to navigate or find parking downtown so if the Trailerban thought they were going to roar up & down the streets blaring their horns they were in for a rude awakening.



Apparently some of them also thought they could get around the cops by using the Gardiner Expressway. Tee-Hee. I hope you brought a lunch Jethro.



This is why we ride the subway you goobers. Also we have streetcars. And as the Ford Bros found out when they tried to scrap them we love our streetcars. We especially enjoy watching you get stuck behind one. Also Fuck You again.



All this means that I saw dozens of trucks, not hundreds and certainly not thousands. There were also a lot of SUV's & pickups and hundreds of people on foot who had to park their cars a dozen blocks away where I saw them. Enjoy the hike to Bloor.



Seriously we have bigger traffic jams during the FIFA World Cup Finals and we're not even in that. There was also a moderately large rally behind Queen's Park, but I've seen bigger turnout for Pride Week. Also tougher looking cowboys.



Later I headed down to Queen st where there were maybe a dozen more trucks & few dozen vans etc. One guy blocked a truck for several minutes giving it the finger while it blared a super loud foghorn. Seriously it was deafening and I've seen Motorhead.



Then I walked over to City Hall where I was expecting another protest and...nothing. Just the usual crowd happily using the ice rink. Not a sign in sight. Zero. Nada.



Next I strolled over to Dundas Square. There's literally always somebody protesting something at Dundas Square right? All I found was a single bored security guard. Pathetic. I don't think these people are from around here.



These People Aren't from around here pt2; Pronouncing the second "T" in Toronto. I knew it! Fucking tourists.



These People Aren't from around here pt3; Overheard at the Royal Ontario Museum; "I think this is where they have the dinosaurs". To be fair he wasn't wrong.



Also outside the ROM; A dude yelling through a bullhorn that he has God & that's why he don't need no stinking vaccines. I should ask him about the dinosaurs. I bet he has some thoughts.



Bloor st; A line of trucks blaring horns along with an SUV with a dinky Beep-Beep horn. Hold-Renfrew's doorman yells out; "Get a louder horn loser!" Welcome to Toronto BTW.



Bay & Bloor; Trucks blocking the intersection so a twenty-something girl crosses the street by scampering UNDER the trailer. I actually yelled & reached out to grab her because even though she's a fucking moron and probably a terrible person that was damn dangerous.



I mean unless you think God gives you natural immunity from being crushed to death under the wheels of an idling semi. JFC I can't handle these fucking people.



I saw at least two rental trucks. So now we're just gonna rent a truck to join a "trucker" protest? Posers.



Kensington Market; Is easily the most left wing neighbourhood in Toronto, full of old school anarchist punks, vegan hippies, reggae shops and Chinese markets. Virtually impossible to drive through at the best of times so the residents put up barricades like it's "Les Miserables" or something. I mean assuming the ones in "Les Mis" were festooned with signs saying “Honk If You Have A Tiny Dick”, I haven't actually seen it. So some Trailerbanners got out and held a march through the street to be greeted by jeers. Honestly I’m surprised they got off so easy, even Nazi skinheads stay clear of the place. I was expecting eggs at least.

Random dude wearing a brand spanking new Infowars jacket. Dress for excess amIright?



Oh and don't have a truck? Just make your own out of a cardboard box and wear it down the street. That's cute.



Got to admit they put some work into that giant sheep on a flatbed. What are they going to do with it once they're done though? I'm picturing some sort of Wicker Man deal.



Clearly they have given some thought to messaging, I saw no Nazi or Confederate flags this time, although there were US flags, Gadsen flags & Trump flags because "Patriots".



What we do have is lots of vaccines = Communism type signs comparing Trudeau to Mao and Ceausescu and calling him a murderer. And some Holocaust signs & Yellow Stars. Nice to see the classics.



We also have a guy with a sign blaming vaccines on a Jewish Cabal. Because we certainly can't have a "Freedom Rally" without some old school conspiracy hate. Note this is not my pic but I did see him on Bloor.



He called himself Greg from New Brunswick and he's since been indentified;



I'd call this confirmation;



Also a truck with an Albanian flag. Yes I'm sure you have some deep thoughts about how Trudeau is just like Enver Hoxha. Sigh. These people are so exhausting.



What is this hippie shit?



Folks; I think he's on to me. Can he even cover up like that? What am I saying, what even are rules anyway?



Another one covering up. Does your boss know you're doing this instead of being at work?



BTW; Truckers bragging about a supportive tweet from Elon Musk, a billionaire trying to market a technology that assuming it worked would put them out of work, is peak 21st century populism.



Amidst all the "Fuck Trudeau" flags it's worth mentioning that in the last three elections the Tories won a grand total of zero seats in the entire city and it wasn't even close. These jerks do not speak for us. Here's the Toronto I know; Kensington Market. No trucks here. And Nazi Punks don't dare show up here.



And here's a Provaxx rally put on by healthcare workers at U of T which somehow the media missed.



In the interest of fairness I saw no violence and really this was just a mildly annoying Saturday afternoon that most of Toronto could easily ignore like we usually ignore you. Cry harder next time.




Note; At least one of the Trailerban didn't enjoy their trip to Toronto posting;"We were given the finger and told to fuck off more than we have in our entire lives". They should totally put that in the tourism ads.

Of Maus & Men

The attention given to the banning of "Maus" (which I have and it's brilliant) in Tennesse and hundreds of other books mostly by black & gay writers in the USA has led to some premature and superficial reactions from well meaning liberals. Saying that "Sales for Maus have skyrocketed" may be fun but misses the point that the book is still banned from schools & libraries and if the only way to get it is to buy it then only kids with the money to do so and the motivation to find it will be able to read it. People spending their own $50 to buy a few copies & donating them to the library are no doubt sincere and decent but it doesn't matter if the book becomes banned from said library anyway, which they will. I've been around long enough to remember the "Satanic Panic" against Rock & Rap music and Dungeons & Dragons in the 80's so let me tell you what comes next.


"TOO DIVISIVE"



"TOO DIVISIVE"


Once conservatives have banned their (ever growing) list of books from the schools they will target public libraries. They will take over Library Boards & impose their list of banned books, deep budget cuts, staff layoffs & reduced hours. They will claim they're "protecting children" and "cutting waste". This is already happening in the US but we shouldn't forget the Ford Bros attempt to decimate our libraries, they closed the big municipal affairs library downtown on the grounds that "only the elites use it", proposed more cuts and closings and Doug Ford actually complained that Toronto had more libraries than Tim Horton's which is of course total bullshit but that kind of "anti-elite" name calling is very effective. Only a massive public outcry forced them to back down. I testified at one of those all-night hearings and the turn out genuinely impressed and moved jaded journalists. There are more of us than there are of them and we shouldn't forget it just because they are loud and hateful.


"INSULTING TO DONALD TRUMP & TELLS GIRLS THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF SOUNDING WHITE"



"MIGHT CAUSE WHITE CHILDREN TO FEEL ASHAMED"


Having established that they are "protecting children" right wing city councilors will naturally claim that they need to do the same with private bookstores mandating that their list of books be removed from shelves where the precious innocent children might see them, starting with stores that are within several blocks of a school then expanding coverage. They will not stop at books and will expand into the comics, music and video games they have always hated. Since today there are far fewer book and music stores to target their job will be easier. Smaller towns may have only one or two such stores while big box stores who could fight back will quickly cave in to high profile pressure campaigns claiming they are selling "child porn".



"DEPICTS AMERICAN SOLDIERS AS EVIL TERRORISTS"



"TOO DIVISIVE"


Since the attempts to convict bands like Dead Kennedys, 2 Live Crew, Judas Priest, Dayglo Abortion and Ozzy all failed spectacularly they may not try that official route again (although I wouldn't put it past them) but they will instead use the latest Republican tactic; passing laws which allow private citizens to sue stores, libraries & schools and pick up a $10,000 or more bounty for every banned book they find. Again there are already several states passing such laws. Once passed you have "Concerned Parent Committees" going around to stores and libraries with their list of banned books and threatening to have them shut down if they don't comply and most will. The rest will be dragged into court where even if they win these laws specify say they will not recoup their costs. Independent stores have tiny profit margins as it is.


"PROMOTES TERRORISM";


The added panic over Critical Race Theory adds another level of paranoia and censorship. Previous censorship panics were ostensibly about juvenile crime & sex (and Satan) but the new anti-CRT laws specifically target anything that could cause white people to feel "discomfort" which has meant that pretty much any account, even clearly factual, about slavery or the Holocaust is fair game. Expect Christians to pile on targeting science books or anything they deem as "occult" as well because they never give up.


"TOO DIVISIVE"


Libertarians will say; "Big deal; kids can just go on the internet for free" but again this misses the point. The internet is a cesspool of conspiracy theories, disinformation, junk science, scammers, porn, Incels and Nazis and to expect kids to navigate their way through that swamp when frankly most adults clearly can't is a recipe for a more misinformed, radicalized, paranoid and hateful public more easily manipulated by demagogues and grifters which of course is what the right wants. There is still no substitute for a variety of good books provided by people who know the difference.


"PROMTES PREDJUDICE BASED ON RACE"


These attacks on free speech can not be won by a privileged few buying a few more books nor will they be won online. These are coordinated political attacks and can only be won through political action and that will take years of boring work. Some people will complain about "making this political" but those people are naïve. Everything is political now and you might as well admit it. In the meantime in Canada we need to keep an eye on our own far right, they don't have nearly as much power but that doesn't mean they won't try.


"TOO DIVISIVE"



"PROMOTES BLACK LIVES MATTER"


One final note about all those Free Speech Warriors who spent the last decade whining about mythical "Cancel Culture" bans of Dr Suess & Mr Potato Head or college censorship of white men or make believe "shadow bans" or the poor oppressed comedians who can't tell racist jokes anymore; I notice none of you have anything to say once real censorship happens to people you don't like. I see you and I am not surprised.


"SHOULD BE REPLACED BY THE BIBLE"





Seriously; The sign is literally true. Don't make me point to the sign.

RIP Don Wilson Of The Ventures

THE VENTURES ~ "TWLIGHT ZONE";


Don Wilson, guitarist for the classic 1960's Instro/Surf band The Ventures died Jan.22 at the age of 88. The Ventures were the first guitar instrumental band (as opposed to solo artists like Dick Dale, Link Wray and Duane Eddy) to have multiple hits, at least in the USA, in Britain there were the Shadows and the Tornados. As such they would be a huge influence on future generations of Surf guitarists. Their two guitarists Wilson and Nokie Edwards (who died in 2018) were different from reverb drenched singles of Link Wray, Dick Dale or Duane Eddy. Hailing from Tacoma, Washington they also differed from the loud crunchy Northwest Coast bands like The Wailers, Sonics, Kingsmen and Paul Revere & the Raiders. Instead played mid-tempo, clean, clear, very precise melodic lines closer to those of Chet Atkins and Les Paul.

THE VENTURES ~ "WALK DON'T RUN";


They would score a series of hits starting with "Walk Don't Run" in 1960 and carrying on with a series of lesser hits including versions of hits done by similar bands like the Tornados "Telstar" and the "Hawaii 5-0" theme. As the sixties told hold for real and instro bands fell out of fashion the Ventures, unlike their similar contemporaries continued to be reasonably successful albeit as an album act rather than a singles hit-makers especially with theme albums like "The Ventures In Space" (1964) and "Christmas With The Ventures" (1965) becoming cult favorites. Besides America they would find success in Japan where they would become highly influential in the sixties spawning soundalike bands.

THE VENTURES ~ "JINGLE BELLS";


They would in fact carry on into the seventies with albums of instro versions of hits from the disparate likes of Led Zeppelin, George Harrison, Issac Hayes, Cat Stevens, Booker T, Cher, Steve Winwood, Tito Puente and Paul Anka, a similar track taken by their UK fellows the Shadows although unlike them the Ventures managed to update their sound somewhat, the Zeppelin cover is actually pretty heavy. By the mid seventies the Rock & Roll Revival scene brought about a change in fortune for surviving artists from the early R&R era and the Ventures would hit carry on as touring act to the present. In the Punk era the R&R Revival scene would lead to a second generation of Rockabilly, Surf and Garage bands with the Ventures influence showing up in the likes of the Shadowy Men, the Raybeats and Los Straitjackets. The Ventures would continue as a touring band until the recent deaths of original members Nokie Edwards and Don Wilson.

THE VENTURES ~ "OUT OF LIMITS";


Coincidentally last year, in time for Halloween as a project I took a couple tracks from the classic "Ventures In Space" album; "Twilight Zone" and "Out Of Limits" and slowed them down 100% then found some appropriate visuals for a haunted spacey soundtrack.

THE VENTURES ~ "TWILIGHT ZONE";



THE VENTURES ~ "OUT OF LIMITS";

The Week John Lennon Died, In Toronto

Since everybody's posted about the death John Lennon (and Darby Crash of the Germs BTW) here's what was happening in Toronto that week, which was typical for the busy Toronto scene of the era;



U2 played the El Mocambo (I don't know the openers);

U2 ~ "I WILL FOLLOW";


The Romantics with The Poles and Johnny & The G-Rays at the Danforth Music Hall;

THE ROMANTICS ~ "WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU";


THE POLES ~ "CN TOWER";


JOHNNY & THE G RAYS ~ "SHE'S GOT A MONKEY";


Jim Carroll also at the El Mocambo;

JIM CARROLL ~ "THE PEOPLE WHO DIED";


The Inmates at the El Mocambo;

THE INMATES ~ "STOP IT BABY";




Teenage Head at Larry's Hideawy;

TEENAGE HEAD ~ "LET'S SHAKE";


L'Etranger & the Young Lions at the Edge;

L'ETRANGER ~ "ONE PEOPLE";




THE YOUNG LIONS ~ "PRAY FOR JULIE";


Nash The Slash at the Edge;

NASH THE SLASH ~ "19th NERVOUS BREAKDOWN";


FM at the Nickleodeon (note; Nash The Slash had founded FM around 1976 but by 1979 he had gone solo and been replaced in FM by Ben Mink);

FM ~ "SURVEILLANCE";


The Spoons, The Scenics & the Outriders at the Edge (the first Spoons gig with keyboard player Rob Pruess);

THE SPOONS ~ "NOVA HEART";




THE SCENICS ~ "WAITING FOR MY MAN";


Goddo at the Horseshoe;

GODDO ~ "SO WALK ON";


Not listed here but I am reliably informed that the Blushing Brides played in Hamliton that weekend

THE BLUSHING BRIDES ~ "WHATCHA TALKING ABOUT";


Later that month; the Vapors at the El Mocambo;

THE VAPORS ~ "TURNING JAPANESE";


Chris Spedding at the Edge;

CHRIS SPEDDING ~ "MOTORBIKING";


Toronto at Ryerson Theatre;

TORONTO ~ "WHEN CAN I SEE YOU AGAIN", "START TELLING THE TRUTH" & "YOUR DADDY DON'T KNOW";


The Cry at Headspace;

THE CRY ~ "I'M NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE";


The Grottybeats at the Jarvis House and The Northgate;

THE GROTTYBEATS ~ "GOT YOUR NUMBER';


David Wilcox at The El Mocambo;

DAVID WILCOX;


Frank Soda & the Imps at the New Shamrock Hotel;

FRANK SODA & THE IMPS ~ "HIGH TIMES";


Rhinegold (with Larry Gowan) at the Knobb Hill;

LARRY GOWAN ~ "KEEP UP THE FIGHT";


Cinema Face at the New Shamrock Hotel;

CINEMA FACE ~ "YOU DRIVE ME OUT OF MY MIND";


Prism at the Danforth Music Hall;

PRISM ~ "SPACESHIP SUPERSTAR";




The Downchild Blues Band at the El Mocambo;

DOWNCHILD BLUES BAND ~ "SLEEP ALONE";


The Whiskey Howl Blues Band at the El Mocambo;

THE WHISKEY HOWL BLUES BAND;


Oliver Heaviside at Spats and the Nickleodeon;

OLIVER HEAVISIDE ~ "LEVEL CROSSING";


The Cameo Blues Band (with Dave Bingham, ex of the Ugly Ducklings) at

THE CAMEO BLUES BAND ~ "GIMMIE THAT HARP";


Professor Piano & the Deltoids at the hotel California and Ollie's;

PROFESSOR PIANO ~ "ONE TRACK OPEN";


Bob McBride (ex of Lighthouse) at Alastairs;

BOB McBRIDE ~ "HORSE WITH NO NAME";


Carlene Carter at the El Mocambo;

CARLENE CARTER ~ "I FELL IN LOVE";


Roy Young (formerally with Long John Baldry) at Alastairs

ROY YOUNG ~ "WILD COUNTRY WINE";


The Persuasions at the El Mocambo;

THE PERSUASIONS ~ "BUFFALO SOLDIER";

Artists Who Died In The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic

The Corona pandemic has thus far killed dozens of musicians including Toots Hibbert, John Prine, Ellis Marsalis, Lee Kontiz, Bucky Pizzarelli, Trini Lopez, Dave Greenfield of the Stranglers, Allan Merril of the Arrows and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains Of Wayne, and actor Alan Garfield. Along with 1,000,000 other deaths worldwide (so far).

The 1918-19 Spanish Flu pandemic killed somewhere between 17-50 million people, most of whom would remain forever unknown but there were a few noteworthy artists, actors and musicians.

ARTISTS;

Gustav Klimt - One of the most iconic painters of the Edwardian era, Klimt practically personifies Art Nouveau decadance and it would be interesting to see how he would have reacted to the Art Deco era to come. He died aged 55.



Egon Schiele - A close friend of Klimt, Schiele brought a less ornate but no less decadent style to Art Nouveau that probably would not have worked into the Art Deco style nearly as well as Klimt's larger-than-life style but still would have had a successful career ahead when he died aged only 28.


EGON SCHILELE

Bohumil Kubista ~ This Czech artist is not as well known as Klimt or even Schiele but his style, which took in influences from Expressionism, Cubism and Futurism, would have had had greater influence in the age of Picasso. He is considered a founder of 20th century Czech art. He died aged 34.


BOHUMIL KUBISTA

Morton Schamberg - An American painter also influnced by Cubism, Futurism and Dada who exhibited at the famous 1912 Armory Show and probably would have also had a greater influence had he lived. He died aged 38.

Amedeo De Souza-Cardoso ~ Influencial Portugese artist who worked in various Modern schools. Art Nouveau, Impressionsim, Cubism, Futurism, Dada and Abstract art died aged only 30.


AMEDEO DE SOUZA-CARDOSO

Ruby Lindsay - An Australian artist with influences that ranged from Art Nouveau, Impressionism and a more traditional romanticism and included paintings, illustrations and posters. She died aged 33.



Niko Pirosmani ~ A Georgian painter with a idiosyncratic style influnced by a crude rethinking of Eastern Orthodox art.


NIKO PIROSMANI

====================================================
ACTORS & FILM MAKERS;



Gaby Deslys - A French stage & film actress, dancer & singer who was famous as a scandalous stage star in Paris, London & New York in the 1910's. She was considered a sex symbol who caused her male fans to brawl for her favours, carried on an affair with the King of Portugal and carried on fueds with critics than included a lawsuit against one and threats to have another horsewhipped. She made a few recordings and five films (all now lost) before dying of the flu. Her fame suggests she certainly would have made more films if she had lived but at the time of her death she was 38 and probably would not have been a film sex symbol in the Jazz Age, although her stage career would have been secure.


GABY DESLYS


GABY DANCING

Vera Kholodana - A major star of Russian films who made dozens of films (unclear how many) of which only eight survive, speciallizing in romantic and historic melodramas. After the Russian Revolution she remained in Russia and was still working when she died aged only 25 with a future in Soviet films assured. Ironically one of her sirviving films is newsreel footage of her funeral which was attended by thousands.


VERA KHOLODANA


VERA'S FUNERAL

Gilda Langer - A young German film actress who in her short career managed to work with actor Conrad Veidt, and directors Fritz Lang, Paul Leni and Robert Wiene who had just cast her as the lead role as the damsel in distress in his next film "The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari" a soon-to-be horror classic when she died suddenly aged only 23.


GILDA LANGER

Myrtle Gonzalez - An American actress of Mexican-American background, Gonzalez made over 70 films in only 4 years (most of which were likely shorts) including several with actor/director William Desmond Taylor and a six part serial. Her trademark was a spunky girl-next-door type in westerns and outdoor adventure films. Ironically in spite of her tomboy image her health was poor and after marrying in 1917 she retired at least temporarily which turned out to be permanant when she died aged only 27.


MYRTLE GONZALEZ

Harold Lockwood - A major American leading man of the 1910's, he started out in Vaudeville before appearing in a number of films of various types including maor films like DW Griffith's "Intolerance", "Tess Of The Storm Country" (with Mary Pickford) and "The Avenging Trail" when he died aged 31.


HAROLD LOCKWOOD

Shelley Hull - An American actor who had a successful stage career with several popular Broadway plays to his name over a dozen years. Staring in plays popular w/Billie Burke, He had only recently moved into film making two films(both lost) including "Sapho" (1913) later remade by Theda Bara, before dying aged 34. His younger brother Henry Hull was also an actor in the sound era best known for "The Werewolf Of London".


SHELLY HULL

Julian L'Estrange - A British born actor who also had a successfull stage career for over a decade both in London and on Broadway before moving into films including three starring Pauline Fredrick (directed by Edwin Porter) and one with Betty Blythe based on plays done by Alla Namizova & Leslie Carter when he died aged 38.


JULIAN L'ESTRANGE

Dark Cloud - American-Indian film actor who appeared in several popular western films including directed by Francis Ford, DW Griffith and actors Mary Pickford & Mack Sennett as well as a model for painter Fredrick Remmington. He was one of the older actors of the 1910's dying aged 62


DARK CLOUD

John Collins - An American film director and screenwriter who made over forty films, many starring his wife popular actress Viola Dana when he died aged only 28.


JOHN COLLINS

Walter Stradling - Anglo-American cinematographer who worked with Cecile B DeMille, Mary Pickford, Blanche Sweet and Sessue Hayakawa.

=====================================================

MUSICANS & COMPOSERS;
Henry Ragas ~ New Orleans pianist with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB), generally considered to have been the first Jazz band to record in 1917. They were an immediate sensation and popularized Jazz nation-wide. Within a few years they would be surpassed by better (mostly black) bands led by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver and Sidney Bechet and the members of the ODJB would be largely forgotten by the time the Swing Era began but the ODJB are still a historically important band. He died aged 28.


THE ORIGINAL DIXIELAND JAZZ BAND ~ "TIGER RAG"

Alex King Watzke - New Orleans Ragtime & Jazz band leader and violinist of the early Jazz era. Watzke was one of the popular band leaders of the era having written the hit song "Tiger Rag" and served as the model for the Irving Berlin classic "Alexander's Ragtime Band" song and later movie. In spite of his reknown he never got around to making any known recordings or even any surviving photos before dying aged 42.

Felix Arndt - An American pianist/composer of French background (his mother was related to Napoleon) who became a succesfull songwriter of pop and ragtime songs including "Nola" which would later become a hit in versions by Vincent Lopez and Les Paul years later. He also made several records of ragtime piano solos. He died aged 29.


FELIX ARNDT ~ "NOLA"

Charles Griffes - One of the most important American pianist and composers of the 1900's who started out as a conventional classical composer before being influenced by more modern French Impressionists like Claude Debussey, Erik Satie and Russians Scriabin and Stravinsky and even Japanese music. He had apparently not yet been exposed to the Avant Garde music of Schoenberg or Charles Ives or Jazz and Ragtime but it's interesting to wonder if he would have been had he lived when he died aged 35.


CHARLES GRIFFES ~ "POEM FOR FLUTE & ORCH"

======================================================
WRITERS;

Guillaume Apollinaire - Highly influencial French/Polish poet, playwright, novelist and art critic. Considered one the founders of Surrealism and having coined the terms Cubism and Surrealism. He was an early promoter of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Leger, Marcell Duchamp, Francis Picabia and Erik Satie. He was also accused of being involved in a plot to steal the "Mona Lias" in 1911. Although he is credited with coining the term Surrealism he died before the proper movement started, he would have no doubt have played an important role in Surrealism and Dada had he lived. He died aged 38.


GUILLAUME APOILLINAIRE

Edmond Rostand - French playwrite best known for his plays "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "The Fantastiks". He died aged 50.


EDMOND ROSTAND

Bernard Capes - English writer of numourous novels (specializing in ghost stories) and literary magazine editor and theatre reviewer. He died aged 64.


BERNARD CAPES

Margit Kaffka - An important Hungarian feminist novelist who was not relation to Franz Kafka, who incidentally also got the flu but survived.


MARGIT KAFFKA

Ivan Cankar - Slovenian writer compared to Franz Kafka and James Joyce.


IVAN CANKAR

Stephen Reynolds - An English writer known for novels about sailors and fishermen.

====================================================

Some political leaders also died including the Presidents of Brazil, Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, and South Africa, Luis Botha. Their deaths probably had little effect on history as their successors carried out similar if not identical policies. However there were a few deaths that did have historical ramifications.

Max Weber - German writer and political theorist. One of the founders of the Weimar Republic and the Democratic Party, he was also one of the authors of the Weimar Constitution. A highly respected figure his committment to democracy, peace and the rule of law would be missed in the years to come.


MAX WEBER

Yakov Sverdlov - Russian Bolshevik leader and Lenin's right hand in the early days of the Revolution. Unlike the flashy Trotsky, Sverdlov was a shadowy figure content to remain in the background and totally loyal to Lenin. If he had survived and outlived Lenin it's unlikely he would have succeeded Lenin, being not well-known as well as being Jewish, however if he had remained in place he would never have allowed Stalin to rise to power nor would Lenin have seen the need to promote Stalin in his place and the consequences of this are incalcuable.


Свердлов Яков Михайлович

Fred Trump sr - At the time Fred Trump's death did not get much notice. He was a real estate millionaire who had made his fortune as a draft-dodging owner of a casino/brothel in the Klondike Gold Rush. However his sudden death aged 49 left his son Fred Trump jr to take over the family business which required him to become a cold ruthless "killer", an attitude he would bully into his son Donald twisting him in turn into a cruel, heartless bully. Perhaps if Fred Trump sr had lived his son and then grandson would have been nicer people.

Woodrow Wilson - Wilson didn't die but we now know that he did get the flu while he was in France negotiating the Versailles Treaty. Accounts from the time make it clear that it laid him out for weeks during which time he was in no condition to pay attention to the negotiations or any other affairs of state. We now know that the Influenza can have serious and lasting side effects including draining the stregnth of the victim, sending him into a depression, sapping his ability to concentrate, remember things, make decicions or engage in prolonged study and debate. All of which contemporary accounts make clear Wilson had. The results of which Wilson essentially checked out for the last two years of his presidency, providing any leadership during a pandemic, allowing his Attorney General, A Mitchell Palmer to run amock with the first Red Scare and worst of all mismanging the treaty negotiations which ended up treating the defeated Germans far more harshly then he had promised or intended, as he himself seemed to understand. His health was also broken to the extent that he later suffered a series of serious strokes which left him an invalid for the last year of his presidency. The failure of Versailles and the League Of Nations are acknowledged causes for World War 2 and the domestic backlash led to the Republican Party sweeping the next three elections in landslides that would last until the election of FDR in 1932.