1. David: thanks for your reporting on the Robinson trials. I have read that people heard him blaring black sabbath albums while washing his car. Is there any truth to this? If so, it certainly adds fuel to his conviction as it is not exactly the type of music one would expect a priest to listen to. Also, has anyone ever been able to verify that the so-called secret files did indeed document that the diocese helped pay for abortions?
    Anonymous

    To answer your first question, yes, several people told me that he used to listen to Black Sabbath while working in the yard or washing his car. I think that is an interesting choice of music for a priest but in my opinion it doesn’t prove or disprove anything. I think people can draw their own conclusions. Regarding the secret files, they remain secret.

  2. True or false?

    I got a mailing today from the magazine Mother Jones that had this curious trivia question on the cover:

    In law school, Barack Obama applied to model for a pinup calendar, but was turned down by the all-female committee.

    True or False?

    * * *

    According to MJ, “the factoid” is true. “While he was at Harvard Law School, Obama was rejected by a committee of female students when he applied to model for a black-pride pinup calendar.”

    * * *

    You just knew every politician’s deep, dark secrets would surface this election year!

  3. Extreme bargaining

    As a newspaper union worker, I’ve been through some painful and demoralizing labor disputes in the last decade or so. But I can honestly say that none of our union reps ever mentioned using the threat of mass suicide as a negotiating tactic.

    The Chinese apparently really know how to play hardball, if the reports cited below are accurate.

    Beijing (CNN) — Microsoft is investigating a report that workers at a Chinese plant that makes its Xbox game systems threatened mass suicide in a pay dispute, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the company’s Hong Kong office.

    CNN has not been able to confirm details of the dispute, but Microsoft and Foxconn, the plant owner, did respond to inquiries.

    “Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue,” the Microsoft statement said.

    Foxconn — a Chinese contractor that makes brand-name electronics for companies such as Microsoft and Apple — would only say that there was a protest at its Wuhan, China factory and it was over.

    Foxconn’s raised workers pay twice at its factory in Shenzhen, China in 2010 after a spate of suicides, Chinese state media reported at the time.

    “We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge,” Microsoft’s statement said. “Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy.”

    After the 2010 suicides at Foxconn, the company said it was taking measures to improve workers’ lives, including organizing recreational activities, calling in Buddhist monks to offer spiritual consolation and setting up a 24-hour help line.

    Foxconn, one of the world’s top electronics manufacturers, also makes products for companies such as Dell, Hewlett Packard and Sony.

    It employed at estimated 800,000 employees in China in October 2010.

  4. Life with Archie

    Somehow I missed the news that Archie, the comic book character from Riverdale High whose stories I read regularly as a youngster, recently got married — to both Betty and Veronica. Maybe he’s a Mormon?

    Now Archie’s back in the news with a cover of a gay wedding of two male characters.

    Here’s a link.

    Life with Archie apparently has taken a few twists and turns in the 21st century.

  5. Robinson denied new trial

    Photo taken from screen shot of Gerald Robinson’s TV interview with Paula Zahn, broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012. Photographer said the photo was taken the moment Father Robinson described getting a phone call telling him that Sister Margaret Ann Pahl had been murdered.

    * * *

    I’ve been waiting for Judge Gene Zmuda’s ruling on the Gerald Robinson case for many months, since the priest appeared in court for a hearing in May, 2010.

    It was possible that the judge would grant a new trial, depending on his opinion of the significance of 136 police documents from the 1980 murder investigation that were misfiled and went missing until being discovered by accident in 2009.

    From his 11-page ruling, Judge Zmuda clearly did not think the reports contained anything of importance, leagally speaking.

    Here is a link to the article.

    Had he granted a new trial, it would have an extremely interesting development. But he rejected the appeal so now Father Robinson will have to pursue his case in another court.

    There had been hints that the appeals might be over, with one insider citing the priest’s age (he’s 73) and an observation that “he is not uncomfortable where he is,” in a relatively low-security, dorm-like prison environment at Hocking Correctional Facility in southern Ohio.

    But yesterday attorney Rick Kerger said he definitely will appeal. Time is a concern, as the full process could take 15 years. If it went that long Fr. Robinson would be 88 by the time he runs out of legal options.

    The case of a Toledo Catholic priest being arrested by cold-case detectives and convicted of murdering a nun 26 years earlier continues — at least for now.

    Stay tuned.

  6. End of a 123-year era

    On Sunday, the congregation of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Toledo’s Old West End will celebrate its last service, after which the congregation will merge with that of Trinity Episcopal Church.

    I wrote about the church’s transition for tomorrow’s paper. It’s sad to see such a beautiful old church close its doors, but St. Mark’s demographics and financial situation made the decision unavoidable.

    On the other hand, the members will be able to continue as a community after they merge with Trinity. It seems like a sensible solution, albeit a difficult one.

    I’ve done a number of stories about churches closing. It’s always a difficult step for the faithful. Churches are a big part of their lives, especially for the important milestones — baptisms, weddings, funerals. There is an intimate connection that runs deep.

    I remember a Lutheran minister telling me that churches have life cycles, just as people do. They are born, they grow, they reach maturity, they get old, and they die.

    That obviously is true for some churches but hopefully not for all of them.

    I think churches are more like companies than human beings. Some businesses get started, grow and prosper. Others fail miserably. The best ones reinvent themselves to meet people’s needs, without compromising their core values.

    If they are true to their mission and able to adapt, they can live forever. But it’s not easy and not many will manage to reach that level. But it can be done — unlike the limitations of human frailty.

  7. Odds and ends

    Things I learned in the last couple of days:

    The Chevy HHR stands for “Heritage High Roof.” Found out a little late — when reading an article announcing the demise of that model. Sadly, the article also reported that Honda will stop making the Element. That is such a cool vehicle, although the last time I shopped for a car I passed because it didn’t get very good mileage.

    Dean Koontz is now writing his fifth Odd Thomas novel (what a great character and series), titled “Odd Apocalypse,” that will be published in July. He then plans to immediately begin writing the sixth in the series, “Deeply Odd,” and eventually wrap it up with a seventh Odd Thomas novel.

    Meanwhile, the film Odd Thomas is expected to be released in October or November (from Dean Koontz’s gem of newsletter, “Useless News.”)

    Alec Baldwin has too many Words with Friends game going on and cannot accept any new challenges (I tried).

    Steve Jobs’ obsessive diets included one that centered on carrots and carrot juice, so much so that “friends remember him having, at times, a sunset-lilke orange hue.”

    Asia has 25 cities with populations of 1 million or more (led by Tokyo). Europe is next with 19 (London), followed by North America (New York) with 12, South America with 5 (Buenos Aires),  and Africa with 4 (Cairo).

  8. 525,600 Minutes…

    525,600 minutes…
    As that profound lyric from the musical Rent song, “Seasons of Love” asks, how do you measure a year? 
    “In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
    In cups of coffee
    In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.”
    As we stand at the exit ramp of 2011, preparing to merge into 2012, what do we see?
    In the rear-view mirror, most Americans will be glad that 2011 is ending.
    It was a year of collective strife and angst, a year in which our country’s stature and quality of life continued to lose ground. 
    We are not the indominable world leader we were just a few years ago. 
    There were, of course, some highlights, wonderful moments and major accomplishments for the United States and for the world. Every year has them. If I think of any, I’ll be sure to include them. So far I’m drawing a blank.
    Personally, we’ve all had our ups and downs in 2011. 
    When I look back at the last 525,600 minutes, a few things bring warm thoughts and fuzzy feelings.
    First and foremost in my life is becoming a grandfather. Dana and Matt broke the news to us last spring at lunch at the Grape Leaf restaurant after church. Janet yelled at the top of her lungs, “Are you kidding me?”
    Graham was born Nov. 16 with a full mop of hair and the most alert and inquisitive eyes I’ve ever seen on a baby. And that was at age 2 minutes. I think he is going to want to know everything that’s going on around him 24/7 — just like his Mom.
    Being a grandparent changes you in ways that you don’t expect and didn’t imagine, and it’s all good.
    I won’t go on about grandparenthood now but will save that for a future essay. Meanwhile, back to 2011.
    Another highlight was my trip to Guatemala in June, joining a group from St.John’s Jesuit High School and led by Father Don Vettese of International Samaritan.
    Whenever I think I’ve got it rough, all I’ve got to do is remember the people of Zone 3 in Guatemala, the city’s notorious garbage dump community. The people work 11 hours a day sorting through the trash in the garbage dump, looking for recyclables or anything worth saving. 
    It’s a meager way of life and there would be virtually no way out were it not for Fr. Vettese’s outreaches, building a well-reasoned and strategic plan to provide safety, security and an education for long-term success.
    Two other trips were memorable this year, one to California in May to visit Janet’s brother Ed and his wife Laurie in Orange County, the other to Florida in March where we visited with my family, especially Rick and Vicki.
    My sister Elaine and her husband Ken and two of their three boys came to Ohio for a visit and it was wonderful to see them.
    For me, one of the saddest things about 2011 was the continued decline of the newspaper industry in general and the paper I work at in particular.
    Sometimes you are too caught up in the daily grind to step back and take in the mega-trends, but you’d have to be blind not to see how newspapers are going the way of the town crier, vinyl records and morse code. 
    Technology and economics are reframing the picture of how we get our news and information. 
    Here I am writing on an iPad, a device that personifies the change in media. I had expected and predicted that a handheld, portable, user-friendly device would someday be invented that would hasten the demise of printed news. I believe the iPad is the tipping point toward that transition.
    People don’t realize the impact, they just like the device. And that’s fine. You can’t hold back the future by trying to lay a guilt trip on people. They either want to buy newspapers or they don’t. 
    More and more often, people are getting their news online. They think nothing of it. It’s free and it’s increasingly easy, so who can blame them? The newspaper industry dug its own grave by offering its products online for free, never thinking that this little diversion called the internet would someday be the dominant force in media.
    This is all very simple and yet profound. The big question is, what are we going to do about it?
    As much as I’d like to see the big media corporations adapt smartly and gracefully, I’m afraid they are going to stumble and lumber along until they either fall in line or fade away as the 21st century media model evolves.
    Meanwhile, people who have made their living providing information to readers are caught in the upheaval. There have been layoffs, pay cuts, losses of benefits, increased workloads, and lack of respect from preoccupied “decisionmakers” who are staring at the next shaky  floor tile they will step on instead of looking up and looking at the world around them.
    One thing for sure on a personal note, I am going to do my best to be the best grandparent I can be in 2012 and beyond.
    I also plan to continue my ongoing quest of self-improvement by reading 50 books a year, a goal I set and accomplished in 2010, and repeated in 2011.
    I’ve already started with a one-year Bible reading plan to read through the Bible in 2012. This will be the fourth time doing that with a scheduled daily reading; I didn’t do it in 2011 and I miss it.
    Today, before the parties start, I will finish writing my first screenplay, which I plan to submit in an online contest — predictably, I’ll be just beating the deadline. Another goal for 2012 is to finish my first novel within the next few months. I might have been able to do that if I hadn’t diverted my attention to the screenplay.
    However you look ahead, 2012 appears to be a year of more changes, either by choice or by consequence. A lot of decisions will need to be made, and I am anticipating it will be a year of new vision and dramatic change.
    Whatever your situation or calling in life, I wish you and yours all the best in the new year. May you make the most of the upcoming 525,600 minutes.

  9. A little verbal joyride

    Christmas dinner at the Yonke house.

    I’ve been on vacation for five days already, and I haven’t even taken the time to write a blog. Blame it on the holidays!

    This hasn’t been your normal laid-back stay-cation.

    Our home was brimming with family and friends for most of the week, and it was a real joy to have everyone together for the holidays. A little chaotic, but a pleasure. Not to play favorites, but having 6-week-old Graham here for his first Christmas was a special treat.

    I got everything on my Christmas list, so although I find it hard to believe I guess Santa put me on the good-boy list for 2011.

    One of my favorite gifts, thanks to Dana and Matt, is a National Geographic World Atlas. I’ve wanted one for many years, and although I’ve had other atlases they just don’t compare to Nat Geo’s. It’ll be helpful if (when?) Lisa and I are picked for the Amazing Race (we’re expecting a phone call from Phil early next month).

    I’ve been working on my screenplay, trying to finish it in time to enter it in a year-end contest. That means I’ve got until midnight Saturday. I am close enough to see the finish line. It’s not easy to discipline myself to write this project, but the deadline is a real motivation.

    I ran an errand yesterday for Lisa, before she left for Rockford, and it turned out to be a costly and inconvenient little trip. I pulled into the wrong strip-mall parking lot on busy Central Avenue. As I was cruising through the lot looking for an escape route to the adjacent strip mall, I struck a high curb in the lot, and the right front tire of my Saab went KA-BLAM! I never saw the curb. It really is poorly designed, just jutting out into the lot with no markings, no paint, no sign, and no apparent purpose — but I admit it was driver error.

    I parked immediately and started to put on the spare tire, but it turned out the parking lot is on a slight incline and my car rolled back — and onto the jack. I couldn’t get it loose. I had to call for reinforcements — Janet brought my hydraulic jack from home. What a hassle. Fortunately I stayed to the side of the car and wasn’t hurt when the car slid off the jack. Meanwhile, anyone have an extra 195-60-15 tire for sale?

    The whole family, including Graham, went to the movies on Monday, intending to see We Bought a Zoo (not my pick). The theater was jammed, however — fans are flocking despite the critics’ universal trashing of the movie — so we opted for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol instead (my preference but it wasn’t my choice, there was just nothing else convenient). The plot was about as dull as can be — a madman trying to launch nuclear missiles! — but it was still highly entertaining, with lots of nonstop action and exotic scenery. Movies like that are best seen on the big screen.  

    Well that’s enough rambling for now. I need to get back to my screenplay. At least I managed to squeeze in a blog.

    Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Hanukkah and I wish everyone the best for 2012.

  10. Rock royalty

    Next month, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will announce their inductees for the class of 2012.

    As a lifelong music fan and a former music critic who attended 120 or so concerts a year and listened to tens of thousands of CDs, here is how I would vote on this year’s nominees:

    Beastie Boys: Yes. Pioneering rap group worthy of the hall of fame. Favorite BB story is the Rolling Stone headline on the review of their 1986 License to Ill album: “Three idiots create a masterpiece.”

    The Cure: Sorry, never really was much for shoe gazing.

    Eric B. and Rakim: Who dey?

    Guns n’ Roses: Yes. One of the premier rock bands of their era.

    Heart: Sure, why not. “Barracuda” alone should get them in.

    Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: No. I think the Runaways were more important.

    Freddie King: Absolutely. One of the 3 Kings — B.B., Albert, and Freddie — who laid the foundation for most British rockers. Eric Clapton virtually copied Freddie’s guitar, note for note, on some of his covers.

    Laura Nyro: Seems to me to be a singer whom critics love to fawn over, but nobody else ever listens to.

    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Definitely. Flea is one of the greatest rock bassists ever, perhaps THE greatest. I’ll never forget seeing them at the 1994 Woodstock festival where they were dressed up as giant light bulbs.

    Rufus featuring Chaka Khan: Nah. Chaka sure could sing but I wouldn’t rate them among the rock pantheon.

    The Small Faces/The Faces: No. Solid early British rockers, but their best achievement was launching the careers of Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.

    The Spinners: On the bubble. I had a fraternity brother at Duke who was just gaga for the Spinners. Their music does make you feel good.

    Donna Summer: No. She was the queen of disco, but disco was an anti-rock genre. Doesn’t seem to fit. Maybe disco should start its own hall of fame.

    War: Yes. Talented and visionary band who meshed soul and rock so seamlessly. Many great songs still hold up today including “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” “Cisco Kid,” “Spill the Wine,” “Lowrider.”

About me

Everyday adventures and/or musings of journalist and author David Yonke. Contact me at davidyonke@hotmail.com