STEM CELL THERAPY From life-threatening to life-saving – a very personal journey
RAISING A BLACK CHILD IN A WHITE SOCIETY A mom’s perspective
RESETTING THE CALENDAR
When did Halloween get attached to Christmas?
THE SIDEONE PHOTO ESSAY Shenzhen – An explosion of people and buildings
SENSIBLE DOLLLARS Smart investor or just lucky?
IN THIS ISSUE... WELCOME TO SIDEONE. PG.03
An introduction and an explanation.
RESETTING THE CALENDAR. PG.04
From Halloween to Christmas in one fell swoop.
A MILLENNIAL’S POV. PG.07
The pandemic and missing something taken for granted.
THE SIDEONE PROFILE. PG.38
This month we meet James Piccoli, an up-and-coming Canadian cyclist on the Grand Prix circuit.
SENSIBLE DOLLARS. PG.42
Are you a smart investor or just lucky?
COMING UP. PG.47
A sampling of next month’s stories.
STEM CELL THERAPY. PG.10 A very personal experience.
NEW MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES. PG.16 The Holiday Edition.
A MOM’S PERSPECTIVE. PG.20
Raising black children in a white society.
Editor and publisher: Kevin Gilligan
Shenzhen – China’s bustling manufacturing centre.
Contact Email: sideone@gilligangroup.net Mail: P.O. Box 43503 Leaside, Toronto, ON M4G 3BO Phone: 416-489-9257
GREY CUP FEVER. PG.30
SideOne Magazine is published monthly online @ www.sideonemagazine.ca
THE PHOTO ESSAY. PG.24
A tale of sweet revenge that happened on the field – sort of
NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS… PG.35
A monthly feature of dates and facts that may surprise you.
02
FOR THE GENERATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.
SIDEONE DECEMBER 2020
SideOne Magazine is a division of The Gilligan Group Inc.
WELCOME TO
FOR THE GENERATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.
Kevin Gilligan is the editor and publisher of SideOne Magazine. After years in marketing and advertising he decided to do something he truly loves. Welcome to the December edition of SideOne. It’s our fourth issue since launching this ambitious venture. Like the months before, we’re publishing stories that we think will be of particular interest to our generation. The common element in most of them is experience. We look for stories where the writer has a personal experience with the subject they’re writing about.
A MILLENIAL’S POV
It’s an editorial approach of caring and sharing that seems particularly relevant in the month of December. Here’s some examples of what’s inside this month’s SideOne.
A list of lesser-known Christmas tunes that are definitely worth your attention, especially if you’re tired of the same old, same old.
GREY CUP FEVER
Having missed this year’s game, we thought we’d share the story of love lost and sweet revenge centred around the 1968 version.
RAISING A BLACK CHILD IN A WHITE SOCIETY
The beginning of a series where a mom shares the unique difficulties faced by this community in doing something so basic to all parents.
STEM CELL THERAPY – A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
This is a regular feature that tries to bridge the divide between generations by providing a point of view that might not be as different as expected. This month deals with a longing caused by the pandemic and one we’re sure many boomers have shared.
NEWISH MUSIC – THE HOLIDAY EDITION
A CANADIAN ATHLETE TO WATCH FOR
James Piccoli is a rising star on the Grand Prix cycling circuit and he’s also the topic of this month’s SideOne profile. We hope you enjoy these and all the other stories in this month’s SideOne. If you’d like to share your thoughts on anything you see in the magazine, please join us on our Facebook page. And again, the answer to the question of “Why SideOne?”. Because that’s where the best stuff was and that’s where we want to be.
The author invites us into her experience with a deadly disease, the therapy that saved her life and the kindness of a stranger that made it all possible.
SIDEONE DECEMBER 2020
03
RESETTING THE CALENDAR
When did Christmas attach itself to Halloween’s By Elizabeth MacGregor heels?
Elizabeth MacGregor is a regular contributor to SideOne, following a successful career in education.
The skeletons climbed on to a roof one night and the reindeer took over the next morning. No sooner had those bony creatures finished frightening young souls than happy snowmen and illuminated wreaths gave off a merry welcome. I was startled by the transition of a neighbour’s yard from Halloween fright to friendly light. It was
MAD DASH The mad dash to install decorations, to be the first, or to get it over with, starts earlier every year. Our neighbours to the south are protected from this folly by a late Thanksgiving. They have something else to celebrate, buttressing them from this premature and unnecessary tribute to the snowy season.
suddenly Christmas time in the city -- even though
The shock I felt when I noticed the scary Halloween
Remembrance Day was still to come.
decorations replaced the very next day by a huge Frosty on a new neighbour’s lawn led me to ponder
The humming sounds emitted by huge colourful
why people are so eager to extend a season that
snow creatures on front lawns and small porches
heralds snow and cold. I can fully understand
not only scare dogs, but create an electronic buzz
celebrating the coming festive season in December,
through the neighbourhood. Lights, large red noses,
and I agree that November is a hellish month -- dark,
and blow-up images of reindeer and snowmen,
dreary, short days, and little to recommend it.
electrically enhanced, are up and ready before Santa arrives in town.
No matter how much I dislike November, I still don’t want to hear Christmas carols for two months.
Why is this happening so soon, and when did
“White Christmas” can make my eyes tear up only on
Christmas attach itself to the heels of Halloween?
the first go-round. After hearing it continuously for
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05
weeks, I start wishing for a huge snowstorm to take
Or, will the clamour and chaos of too much corny
out all communication devices and leave me in a
music and too many stark white LED lights,
“Silent Night.�
bad Santa movies, and stale fruitcake take over
SELLING GUILT Commerce is to blame, stores keen to whip us into
January?
I wonder if this Yuletide will be a bit different.
I wonder if this Yuletide will be a bit different. Perhaps, with our deep desire to connect socially being restricted, we may find ways to experience the true meaning of the season.
Perhaps, with our deep desire to connect socially
There is much to be enjoyed if December is handled
a buying frenzy. Selling guilt and scarcity are good for business, and setting up display windows to depict wintry scenes is a way to nudge us toward the gluttonous shopping sprees that mark the Christmas season. All the proselytizing about the true seasonal meaning is lost amid the noise of bad versions of carols, and shopping bags being walked out of stores.
being restricted, we may find ways to experience the true meaning of the season.
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November, and make us wish we could just skip to
SIDEONE DECEMBER 2020
with delicacy. I am simply opposed to celebrating it a month or two early.
A MILLENNIAL’S POV
What I’m longing for… By Kimberly Elliot Kimberly Elliot is an associate with a Toronto-based marketing agency.
15
If I had to use a single word to characterize my
lyrics of “that” song and you throw your hands in
experience of the past eight months amidst the
the air and raise your voice in cheer, almost without
global pandemic that shall not be named, it would
realizing. That feeling when your body belongs to
be “longing.” This has been a season of great longing
music and for the entire set you forget you’re a
for the version of life I now realize I took for granted.
person with a name.
And while I acknowledge that to some I have had a comparatively comfortable ride, there are still things I am longing for – things I really miss. They range in varying degrees of essentiality: from going to the movies to our morning routine of school drop-off, from hugging my nephews, taking the kids on grocery trips, going to a concert. It’s all relative. But that last one looms pretty large for me. Going to a concert, seeing a show – it’s a feeling I’m missing more than most.
THAT FEELING It’s a feeling that flows with every song, building from your stomach to your heart and all at once moving you. Body writhing, head banging, heart throbbing as you become made of drums and guitars and piano keys – breaking down and filling the space and time of the moment. You stand with hundreds or thousands of strangers and share in a spiritual experience that is at once individual and collective.
This has been a season of great longing for the version of life I now realize I took for granted.
That feeling of singing in unison with those
I’ve been heartsick, soul-sick for that feeling, the
hair in trance-like worship – literally dancing like no
unmistakable, irreplaceable sense of sheer rapture
one is watching. Jack White said, “Music is sacred,”
you can get only from scream-singing your favourite
and I’m not sure I’ve heard a truer sentiment on the
songs back to the band you love, voice squeezing
topic. Music is religious, spiritual food for the soul,
and cracking with emotion. When the lights finally go
and my soul is trying to survive the famine.
down at the show and you hear the first notes and
strangers, voices rising a cappella until the drop – then raging together at once. And at the end, you’re reborn. Emerging a changed person, heart touched in new places, feelings untapped, energy well spent. Yes, I’m one of those people at shows. I am limbs and
It’s a feeling that flows with every song, building from your stomach to your heart and all at once moving you. Since I have been old enough to have a job and spend my own money irresponsibly, I have done so on shows. From high school gymnasiums watching IllScarlett and two summers at the Warped Tour (before it went the way of Katy Perry and Black Eyed Peas) to Prince’s Piano & A Microphone Tour (complete with what felt like 10-plus encores), Mumford & Sons, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Florence and the Machine, FKA Twigs (whose Kate Bush vibes and prima ballerina athleticism make for an epic show), Neil Young, The Lumineers, Jack White (twice, and as many more times as I can possibly manage), and the Arkells … to name a small few.
I don’t have any idea when I’ll be back to flailing and hollering at a concert again, so the season of longing plays on. Side note: I also went to a Fleetwood Mac show last year sans Lindsey Buckingham, and I have to say: If you see Fleetwood Mac without Lindsey Buckingham, did you even see Fleetwood Mac? I don’t have any idea when I’ll be back to flailing and hollering at a concert again, so the season of longing plays on. In the meantime, there’s the subpar experience of watching live performances secondhand on the Internet, which will just have to do. If you, like me, are patiently waiting for the day when you feel the thrumming of bass and song bouncing off your body, here are a few concert films and documentaries that might satisfy your itch. Happy viewing.
SUGGESTED VIEWING LIST • Stop Making Sense Talking Heads, 1984 • The Last Waltz Various artists, 1978 • Homecoming Beyoncé, 2019 • Monterey Pop Various artists, 1968 • The Dance Fleetwood Mac, 1995 • Sign o’ the Times Prince, 1987 • Under Great White Northern Lights The White Stripes, 2009 • Awesome, I F*ckin’ Shot That! The Beastie Boys, 2006
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STEM CELL THERAPY
A stranger saved my life. By Susan Doherty-Hannaford Susan Doherty-Hannaford is a former journalist and an accomplished novelist. Her most recent novel is The Ghost Garden, published by Random House.
was cold because of the weather. I was shaking so
My story begins at 3 p.m. on February 25, 2015. I’m
dressing to return to the conference, my body broke
referring to my crisis, a Greek word that connotes
into a profound sweat. My ankles, thighs, hands, and
the “turning point” of a disease, when an important
forearms were sweating. I was the Trevi Fountain
change takes place indicating either recovery or
of sweat. And then I was fine, as though something
death. We’ve all had such instances, and this was the
nefarious had simply breezed through my body
most significant of mine – a curveball that became a
and left.
moment of enlightenment.
10
dramatically, I left the conference hall for my hotel room, and filled the bathtub with hot water. The hot bath seemed to do the trick, except that as I was
Unbeknownst to me, it was my first case of rigors,
While attending a conference in Boston, I was
an extreme reflexive response to exaggerated
shivery and cold. But that week in New England,
shivering. It was what the soldiers felt in the
239 centimetres of snow had tumbled from the sky,
wretched wet trenches of the First World War when
and the downtown streets were freakishly lined
they had contracted tuberculosis. Sweating is the
with three-metre walls of snow. I convinced myself I
body’s attempt to cool itself.
SIDEONE DECEMBER 2020
A LONG 10 DAYS
golf-ball sized lymph node under my jaw. Trust me
After 10 straight days of rigors and night sweats, I
when I say a neck biopsy is not as good as it sounds.
went to a walk-in emergency clinic. The doctor asked
Seven needles were inserted into an area extremely
questions about my personal life, then said, “There
close to the carotid artery, causing excruciating pain.
is nothing wrong with you. It’s anxiety.” I danced
Oddly, the pathology report showed no cancer, no
away, feeling as light as a bag of cotton candy. I had
leukemia, no lymphoma. It did show complete and
ways to deal with stress, I told myself. The engine of
total cell death – necrosis – but no diagnosis.
my life continued to run smoothly, except that for five months and nine days I had profuse, mattresssoaking night sweats.
This entire time, I was living my life in every normal way: I was about to publish my first novel, and teaching spin classes at 6 a.m., working at the
During that stretch I also had enlarged lymph nodes
Douglas Hospital in Montreal with patients suffering
under my chin, as though a string of pearls had been
symptoms of schizophrenia, and caring for my
embedded beneath my skin. I saw three specialists,
husband, who was battling depression. In hindsight,
and had an emergency CAT scan and a bone-marrow
I was hurtling down a black tunnel, but I had every
biopsy, all of which turned up nothing conclusive. I
intention of launching my book, A Secret Music. That
saw an oncologist who ordered a neck biopsy of the
single-mindedness has given me great pause. We are
SIDEONE DECEMBER 2020
11
able to compensate when we need to, even when the
kilometres from Maine to Montreal. I had a fever of
body is sending out a multitude of distress signals. It
105°F, saw clouds in the shape of angels, and prayed I
was as though I had run through a dozen red lights.
wouldn’t have a stroke before we got to the hospital.
In August, at our beach house in Kennebunk, I got sick the way Ernest Hemingway says people go broke: gradually, then suddenly. GRADUALLY, THEN SUDDENLY
the Jewish General Hospital I was the only patient. I had the distinct impression I was travelling first class. I spent the next five days undergoing every conceivable medical test, including bone-marrow biopsies, lumbar puncture, lung scans, MRIs of the body and brain, CAT scans, PET scans, and blood tests. I was taking 4,000 mg of Tylenol a
In May, June and July, I did a book tour, ending every
day to combat the fevers. I had visions. My father,
evening with four to five hours of extreme night
who passed away in 2006, appeared several times.
sweats. I had a fever of 103°F at each event, but I was
Scrawled across his face was the message: Do not
ridiculously happy. The mind is a powerful tool.
come. It’s not your time. Stay and fight.
In August, at our beach house in Kennebunk, I got sick the way Ernest Hemingway says people go broke: gradually, then suddenly. My chills and fever occurred around the clock, instead of only at night, and then, in case I needed a final wake-up call, the right side of my face went numb. I couldn’t feel my gums or my nose. I could no longer wish myself well, or pretend it was stress. My husband and I drove 470
12
At the border we were the only car, and in triage at
SIDEONE DECEMBER 2020
Through process of elimination, I was diagnosed with HLH, a rare autoimmune disease with a death rate of 70 per cent. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. It’s a good Scrabble word. It affects one in a million adults. Without treatment, the patient dies of multiorgan failure within 60 days of onset. Nobody knew where I was on that trajectory.
THE BODY’S SECURITY DETAIL Your immune system is your security detail. It’s hardwired to tell the difference between what belongs in your body and what doesn’t. When it spies a villain like a virus, bacteria or a parasite, it finds it, surrounds it, kills it. Your immune system turns on if you have a cold or sore throat, as it’s supposed to, but then it turns off. With HLH, it never turns
Through process of elimination, I was diagnosed with HLH, a rare autoimmune disease with a death rate of 70 per cent.
off. Think of a driverless and powerful John Deere
Thankfully, I responded to the HLH protocol, and left
lawnmower in your backyard destroying everything
the hospital on a sunny day in late October, ready
in sight.
to resume my book events. It was a euphoric time
Once HLH was identified, I was hurried into a chemotherapy protocol that very night. My children flew in from New York. I had months of regular chemo, as well as intrathecal brain chemo (in which medication is injected into the fluid-filled space between the layers of tissue covering the brain), 32 transfusions of platelets, and a dozen
in my life. I enjoyed 77 days of wellness – but then the wheels fell off the tracks. HLH came back with a vengeance, and my organs were threatened. I would need a bone-marrow transplant if I had any hope of survival. Did I have any siblings? Yes, I answered, five. Good, the doctors said, siblings are the best possible match.
types of intravenous treatments through a catheter
A SURREAL FEELING
that had been sewn into a vein in my neck. I also took
After all that was swirling around me, I had the
high doses of Decadron (dexamethasone), the type
surreal feeling that I was about to jump through
of steroid Lance Armstrong used to win the Tour de
a one-way portal, that I would never be the same
France. I needed it to win the Tour de Vie.
again, forever changed by the people I would meet,
the endurance test, the lessons I would learn. I was
digestive tract, I sucked ice cubes to counteract
to put my arms around this experience without fear.
mouth sores. I had near-daily blood transfusions.
Don’t they say the steeper the climb, the better the view from the top?
There is no payment to the donor; it is done altruistically, out of sheer compassion.
Let me tell you, I felt ugly. But my husband arrived every single morning with a cinnamon latte that made me feel beautiful inside. With chemotherapy, my immune system was eliminated, a process that took several weeks. I had four eerie days when I had zero white blood cells,
I entered the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal
and no ability to fight infection. Germs of every kind
on May 15, my sister’s birthday, an auspicious
are your fatal enemy, hence the strict isolation.
date. Two days after I set up shop in my isolation room – with my weights, my yoga mat, my orange running shoes, and a calendar painted with cardinals so I could strike off each day – I went to pieces. It would be disingenuous to say there weren’t some terrible days. I lay on the floor of the bathroom so nobody would hear me crying as all the seams of my body opened up to let out my distress. Could I run a marathon without any practice? Did I have the stamina to cross the finish line before my body broke
FINDING A MATCH One of my brothers had matched but for genetic reasons was eliminated from contention as a donor. That devastating cancellation required me to be listed on the International Donor Registry to try to find another stem-cell match. That was a terrible time. The clock was ticking. The 60-day window was shrinking.
down? The doubt, fear, and psychological pain were
For all bone-marrow transplants, matching occurs
much harder than the physical pain.
through HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing. HLA are proteins, or markers, found on most cells in
EXTRAORDINARY PROPERTIES Inside your bones is a hollow passage, filled with soft spongy tissue, where your blood is made. That tissue is called bone marrow. The marrow is composed of red blood cells that oxygenate your body, white blood cells that fight infection, platelets that help clot a wound, and immature cells known as stem cells. The body makes stem cells every minute. Stem cells have two extraordinary properties: They multiply like crazy, and they have the ability to become any type of cells in the body, as needed.
your body. Your immune system uses these markers to recognize which cells belong in your body and which do not. The best possible outcome for transplant is when the patient and the donor have 12 identical isomers, a certain type of chemical compound. William Ashby-Hall, a 23-year-old gay British man, was a 12/12 perfect match. There is no payment to the donor; it is done altruistically, out of sheer compassion. I mention his sexual orientation only because the rules for gay donors are highly restrictive in Canada and the United States. The same day William’s HLA typing was entered into
The stem-cell team removed all my bone marrow
the computer system, he was called and asked to
with chemotherapy. Blood cancers like lymphoma
save the life of an anonymous Canadian woman. He
and leukemia are treated the same way. The side
jumped.
effects are profound: My hair fell out, my muscles
14
wasted from the steroids, there was a cardboard
On the day of the stem-cell retrieval, William sat in a
hat to collect black diarrhea, I had lesions along the
recliner in a hospital in London, and over a period of
SIDEONE DECEMBER 2020
eight hours his blood was drawn from one arm into a machine via a plastic tube. The stem cells from his blood were extracted via centrifuge and the blood, minus the stem cells, was returned to his other arm. It’s a procedure called apheresis, and replaces the old way of obtaining stem cells, which was done by inserting numerous large needles into the hip bones and withdrawing bone marrow. Apheresis is pain-free. A Canadian policeman waited in the hallway. After the stem cells, salmon pink in colour, were collected, the officer flew to Canada with the fresh cells, which he brought to the hospital lab for verification. (William’s HLA typing was reconfirmed! Thank goodness.) I waited on the stem-cell unit with an unbridled sense of hope, tinged with dread. Would my body accept his cells? Graft versus host disease (GvHD) occurs when the patient’s organs reject the new stem cells. I’m here to say, it was a success.
FIRST PATIENT IN QUEBEC
they receive a diagnosis and a chance to be treated. People have asked me if the ordeal has changed me. I’m still me, of course, but near-death can be an amazing teacher. Every detail about what one desires comes sharply into focus. What has changed is my attempt to preserve the sanctity of all that I hold dear. I guard my human possessions. People have also cited my resilience. No. A thousand hands lifted me back to where I am now. I began to write thank-you letters to my donor, despite the fact that no contact can happen for two years; the death rate is too high. The first letter simply said, “It’s been 100 days, the first hurdle. I’m alive.” The second letter said, “It’s been one year, thank you for the miraculous gift of your stem cells.” The third letter said, “I would love to look you in the eye and thank you for giving me a second chance at living my life.” William contacted me 27 months after my transplant. I met him in London on January 17, 2019, surrounded
I was the first patient in the province of Quebec to
by my family. It was one of the truly transcendent
receive a stem-cell transplant for HLH. The statistic
moments of my life.
is even more stark, given that most people die before
By Terry Paquet
Terry Paquet is an award-winning copywriter with more than 20 years of experience. He wears pants (most of the time). He has never been to jail (except in Monopoly).
NEW-ISH MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE
The Holiday Edition
Like a lot of people, I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas music. On one hand, I like the memories they evoke, the way a particular song transports me back to my childhood. On the other, a lot of holiday music just sucks. It’s way too sappy. Predictable. Expected. I mean, isn’t there another way to sing Jingle Bells? And if you’re an artist and you’re trying to come up with original Christmas classics, good luck. Most people have a preference for the tried and true. That’s why Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You has a gazillion views on YouTube. As for me, most times I want different. Fresh. Or, at least, a new take on something old. That’s why, in the spirit of the season (and of what I’ve been trying to do here since the get-go), I’ve compiled this list of lesser-known holiday albums that are definitely worth your attention – especially if you’re tired of listening to the same old – by some artists you know and some you should know. So pour yourself a glass of eggnog, light a fire, and slip into this selection of holiday ditties.
Coming Home for Christmas
It’s retro, but it’s new. Familiar, but different. Polished, but raw. It’s the one and only G. Love & Special Sauce doing Christmas as only they can. Hailing from the streets of Philly, this tight trio is known for mashing out a unique mix of R&B, hip hop, and blues. Fronted by Garrett Dutton (aka G. Love) on slide guitar, Jim (Jimi Jazz) Prescott on bass, and Jeffrey (The Houseman) Clemens on drums, the band’s sole holiday album delivers the perfect soundtrack for seasonal get-togethers with friends – especially when the only friends you can hang with in the time of Covid are Jose Cuervo and Jack Daniel’s. Released in 2017, it has all the goodtime, get-down vibes you could want at this time of year. Give it a listen, and this album could become an instant classic that you’ll want to come home to year after year.
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT • Cape Cod Winter Blues • Christmas Boogie • Merry Christmas • Christmas Baby
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LESLIE ODOM JR.
JD McPHERSON
The Christmas Album
Socks
In case you didn’t know, Leslie Odom Jr. is an actor
This is the second time I’ve featured JD McPherson
and singer who rose to fame five years ago as Aaron
in this column, so if you haven’t yet discovered
Burr in the widely successful Broadway musical,
his music, get to it. You won’t be disappointed,
Hamilton -- a performance that earned him a 2016
and his Christmas album is no exception. Socks
Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He has three
serves up 11 tracks of original holiday music à la
jazz albums in the can, the first of which reached
Jackie Wilson, Louis Prima, and, yes, even Elvis. It’s
No. 1 on the Billboard jazz charts in 2016. Curiously
vintage rockabilly with a modern twist that deserves
enough, he also has two Christmas albums under his
ample time on your playlist this season. Check
belt, 2017’s Simply Christmas, and The Christmas
out Hey Skinny Santa!, a rolling, rollicking, foot-
Album, released this past October. If you’re looking
stomping ode to getting the big man fat in time for
for the tried and true, you’ll probably enjoy his
Christmas. Follow that up with All the Gifts I Need,
soulful take on classics like It’s Beginning to Look
and Christmas just can’t get more joyful. And, quite
a Lot Like Christmas, Auld Lang Syne, and O Holy
frankly, after a year like this one, we need all the
Night. But it’s on one of the original tracks, Heaven
good feelings we can get.
& Earth, in which Odom Jr. hits all the sweet spots. Not to be missed is his take on Little Drummer Boy, featuring the Mzansi Youth Choir from South Africa. And if Hanukkah’s more your style, he even
• Bad Kid
delivers a jazzy, breezy rendition of Ma’oz Tzur in an
• All the Gifts I Need
emotional duet with his wife, Nicolette Robinson.
• Hey Skinny Santa!
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT • Heaven & Earth • Snow • Little Drummer Boy • Ma’oz Tzur
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TRACKS TO CHECK OUT
SIDEONE DECEMBER 2020
• Ugly Sweater Blues
SIA
ANA GASTEYER
Everyday Is Christmas
Sugar & Booze
Sia is a singer-songwriter out of Australia whose had
You probably know Ana Gasteyer from Saturday
much success in the pop, electropop and indie pop
Night Live, where she parlayed her considerable
worlds in the last 25 years. Her first really big North
comedic abilities into an array of memorable
American hit, Chandelier, from the album 1000 Forms
sketches, including Schweddy Balls with Alec
of Fear, was a Top 10 single, earning the album a No.
Baldwin, and spot-on impersonations of Martha
1 spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 in 2014. She might
Stewart and Céline Dion. What you may not know
not be on your radar, but if you’re looking for holiday
is that before she made her mark on TV, Gasteyer
music that strays from the usual, then the Everyday
was schooled at Northwestern University, where
is Christmas album is for you. What stands out is
she enrolled as a voice major. So it may come as a
that even though this is a holiday album, almost
some surprise when you learn that she released a
every song could be listened to at any time of the
remarkable Christmas album last year titled Sugar
year. It’s not all bells and elves. Rather, it’s expertly
& Booze, which holds its own against works by
crafted pop with all the usual Christmas themes but
more established artists. Gasteyer created a fresh
featuring melodies that would work just as well on a
collection of classic Christmas tunes and original
hot summer night in July. And that, in a nutshell, is
compositions that delivers everything a holiday
the gift Sia gives us with this album.
album should, thanks to some tight arrangements, solid production, and her undeniable vocal chops.
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT • Candy Cane Lane • Underneath the Mistletoe • My Old Santa Claus • Ho Ho Ho
It’s one of those albums you can put on and never tire of. The most notable track for me is Blue Black Friday – a sultry, jazzy ballad that has New York written all over it. If you’re looking to restore your faith in Christmas music, Sugar & Booze does the trick.
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT • Sugar and Booze • Secret Santa (with Maya Rudolph) • Nothing Rhymes With Christmas • Blue Black Friday
CHECK OUT THE SIDEONE DECEMBER PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SQDNDMJmHZBHAGSjn3cQ0?si=WQeH6vilSsu3yWasxU8ZAQ
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A MOM’S PERSPECTIVE
Raising Black Children in a White Society
By Sonia Huggins Sonia Huggins is a former teacher who recently gave up a distinguished career. This article is the first in a series. We had the talk with our teenage son after he was almost arrested in front of our house just as we arrived home with our two young daughters. He was accused of trying to break into our house because he forgot the alarm code. This was 23 years ago and he was living with us but not full-time. Kindly white neighbours asked if he needed help talking to the police as they pulled up to the house. He said no – he could explain the situation because this was his home. Well, that didn’t work. With the house alarm blaring, the police immediately asked for his ID. He refused. Before they packed him into the police van, he tried to explain, showing them the pictures of himself that were in the house, but that didn’t work. He continued to refuse to provide ID and that really, really didn’t work. It was while he was arguing with them that we arrived home.
THE TALK We hadn’t had the talk before. Now we had to have the talk. Our son didn’t feel that he had to prove who he was in front of his own home. His word was his bond. The police did not agree. He was devastated and refused to budge. Only after his father spoke with police and got them to release his son did the situation calm down. Or so we thought. As he stormed into the house, his two preteen sisters looking on in fear and confusion, crying the whole time, I began to talk to the police. I tried to explain the rage of a young black man coming into his adulthood never having had a run-in with the police.
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As the police left our property with apologies, I knew our work was just beginning. I explained that he felt emasculated and diminished because of the way they had roughly treated him and that this was damaging to his psyche. I tried to tell the officers that being treated aggressively by the police and not being listened to were triggers
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I continued talking to the officers just the same, in hopes that our conversation would increase their sensitivity and reduce friction in their next encounter with a person of colour. Meanwhile, our son was consumed with rage. Despite speaking with his father at length, he was inconsolable. As the police left our property with apologies, I knew our work was just beginning. The need to have “The Talk” was upon us.
that would escalate the situation. One of the officers
WHAT IS “THE TALK?”
claimed he had a black girlfriend in his efforts to
It’s the talk that black families have had with their
deny any hint of racial motivation. It really wasn’t
children for generations. Each generation’s talk has
relevant.
been slightly different. In my time as a young parent,
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Regardless of the generations, one subject has always been included in the talk and that is how to behave with the police.
it was about being twice as good in order to receive
and trying to give them the tools to handle racial
half the credit as your white counterparts and about
adversity in a society that carries no reflection of
blending in and not drawing attention to yourself lest
themselves.
you be perceived as angry, radical or, God forbid, equal. Regardless of the generations, one subject has always been included in the talk and that is how to behave with the police. Every black family, from our great-great-grandparents’ time up until today, has a story about discrimination, unfair treatment, or excessive violence at the hands of the police due to the colour of their skin. Raising black children in white society has always meant providing them with positive role models
I continued talking to the officers just the same, in hopes that our conversation would increase their sensitivity and reduce friction in their next encounter with a person of colour. That was then, this is now – what has changed?
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By Michael Doherty Michael Doherty is a film and television editor based in Toronto. He is also an avid traveller. The photos and commentary are from his visit last November.
Shenzhen, in southern China, is a massive, bustling, manufacturing centre. It was set up in the early ‘80s as a special economic zone. Although based on market capitalism, it still operates, for better or worse, within the ideals of Chinese socialism. In 1977, 43,000 people were living in Shenzhen; today there are over more than 13 million. It has more skyscrapers over 200 metres than any other city in the world. Its subway system, first opened in 2004, has over 400 kilometres of track and by 2030 it will have 1,142 kilometres of track. By contrast, Toronto first opened its subway in 1954 and has a total of 76.9 kilometres of track.
Like many cities in China, it is a testament to the long-term vision of the country’s leaders and to the success of large-scale infrastructure spending. However, it is also China: there are facial recognition cameras everywhere and all messaging done on WeChat, the preferred social media program, is monitored. Access to Google, Facebook, other Western social media platforms and news sources is blocked. Shenzhen is very hot and humid in the summer, but is sunny and dry in November, making it the best time to visit an intriguing place.
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A surprising tale of sweet revenge Field level photos taken at the 1968 Grey Cup thanks to the author’s clever yet fake press pass.
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Back in the ‘60s when I was a student at the Ontario
Standing at the top of the subway stairs, with her
College of Art in Toronto, I tracked down an old
blonde hair backlit in the November noonday sun,
girlfriend, Elizabeth. A few phone calls got us
I was thrilled to see how she had matured into a
connected. “Lloyd, please come up for Sunday
slender hazel-eyed beauty. My arms opened, but she
dinner with my family. We will pick you up at the
stepped back, demurely holding out her hand for me
north end of the subway line at noon.” Her soft voice
to shake. “I would like you to meet my fiancé, Frank.”
fired feelings I had long forgotten.
Abruptly, a guy with short greasy black hair edged
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Regardless of the generations, one subject has always been included in the talk and that is how to behave with the police
By Lloyd Walton Lloyd Walton is a multi-award-winning directorcinematographer, a painter with five solo gallery shows and a writer. Grey Cup Fever is abridged from his historiography, Chasing the Muse: Canada (available on Amazon, Kindle, Chapters Indigo, and Barnes and Noble)
directly between us, offering a limp handshake.
Bel-Air coupe, I felt like a kid being taken to the
“Our plan for the afternoon,” he said, “is to cruise
dentist by both Mom and Dad. With one hand on
Richmond Hill, looking for a house for Liz and I to
the wheel, and the other around Elizabeth, Frank
raise a family.”
commandeered the conversation. He boasted at
NEXT WEEKEND’S GREY CUP Squeezing into the back seat of his two-door Chevy
how he was setting up a bleacher in his back yard and renting a big-screen TV to watch next weekend’s Grey Cup game with all of his friends.
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Throughout the family dinner, Frank kept interrupting my stories by adding names for his Grey Cup party. Elizabeth was very quiet. After a tense ride back down to the top of the subway line, he gave me a look that said,“Now get lost, buddy.” They sped away into the night. I slinked down the subway stairs and fumed the whole long cold lonely Toronto Transit Commission ride home. All week my head swirled, thinking of
With one hand on the wheel, and the other around Elizabeth, Frank commandeered the conversation. a moment in the car when Liz and I were alone together. Sparks from our old friendship ignited. I had the fever. And Grey Cup fever was in the air. Stories of Calgary Stampeders fans riding stallions
SWEET REVENGE Pow! It came to me. I could appear at centre field for the opening of the Grey Cup, so they could see me on their big-screen TV. I made up a press pass by gluing a 50-cent, photo booth portrait next to a logo on CJIC Television stationery, the hometown TV station where I had a summer job. Entering CNE stadium, I flashed my press pass and got waved through. A sea of bobbing Stetsons cheered as the kickoff teams moved into position. A Toronto Police constable stopped me as I was climbing over a barricade. He checked my concocted credentials, pointing and saying, “That’s the way to centre field. You’d better hurry.”
Grey Cup fever was in the air...then there was Frank. I had to get back at that son of a bitch.
through the Royal York Hotel lobby also fuelled my
Walking between the kickoff teams of the Calgary
excitation. Then there was Frank. I had to get back at
Stampeders and Ottawa Rough Riders was like
that son of a bitch.
walking through a deep canyon. The players, in
pregame jitters, looked as nervous as I felt. A huge roar went up and I turned around to find myself walking right in front of the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau.
Pow! It came to me. I could appear at centre field for the opening of the Grey Cup, so they could see me on their big-screen TV. O CANADA It was 1968 and there he was, the gushingly charismatic French Canadian Prime Minister with his handsome grin, savouring a raucous adulation in the heart of English Canada, not to mention the millions viewing Canada’s Super Bowl on television. I stood beside Pierre Trudeau and Ontario Premier John Robarts for the singing of O Canada while
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fixing my gaze to the cameras beaming out to a
With a final wave to the two on the bleachers, I
couple hunched together on a makeshift bleacher
sauntered off the field like a cowboy riding off
somewhere north of Toronto.
into the sunset. Afterwards, as winning Ottawa
“Look, look, is that Lloyd?” “Can’t be.” “It sure looks like him.”
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quarterback Russ Jackson held up the coveted Cup, I reached over and touched it, grinning too, like I had won the Grey Cup.
NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS… DECEMBER 22, 1808
By John Chaput John Chaput was raised in Montreal, has lived in Western Canada for about 45 years, and is seriously thinking about settling down there. A retired journalist and editor, he is the author of three books about Saskatchewan sports history. He is also an amateur actor and has won two awards for his performances at Theatre Saskatchewan festivals.
In what must have been the most prolific package of
DECEMBER 21, 1891
musical composition offered in one premiere, Ludwig
An instructor of physical education at the YMCA
van Beethoven presents a four-hour concert in Vienna
International Training School (now Springfield
consisting almost entirely of new material. The
College) in Springfield, Mass., has the perfect number
program begins with the Sixth (“Pastoral”) Symphony,
of students in his class – 18 – for a game of baseball.
continues with a soprano aria, the “Gloria” from the
Too bad it’s December. So, as he has done several
Mass in C minor, and the Fourth Piano Concerto, with
times before, Canadian-born Dr. James Naismith
Beethoven himself as soloist. And so ended ... the
improvises a new game, which leads to grumbling
first half. After intermission came the powerful Fifth
among the class. Undaunted, Naismith mounts peach
Symphony, the “Sanctus” from the Mass in C minor, a
baskets at opposite ends of the gymnasium, gives
Beethoven piano improvisation, and, finally, his Choral
them a soccer ball, splits the young men into two
Fantasy. Not everyone knows this, but the incredible
teams of nine, draws up some rules, and the game of
package of masterworks was a flop. Cold weather
basketball is born. Not everyone knows this, but the
made the Theatre an der Wien uncomfortable and
final score of the game was 1-0 and for at least one
the orchestra, which had put in little rehearsal time,
day a certain William R. Chase was the sport’s all-time
performed so haphazardly that the Choral Fantasy
leading scorer. Two things can be safely assumed:
had to be stopped and restarted. (So what? Just listen
first, the point likely was scored on a layup; second,
to the first movements of the Fifth Symphony and
Mr. Chase probably spent the rest of his life insisting it
Fourth Piano Concerto and marvel at what Beethoven
was either a soft 30-foot jumper or a two-handed dunk
could produce out of a simple four-note sequence.)
with opponents hanging off of each arm.
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DECEMBER 30, 1941 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivers a stirring speech to the Canadian Parliament and
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is then ushered into the Speaker’s chamber for a
DECEMBER 1, 1955
hurried shoot with Ottawa portrait photographer
After a hard day of working in a department store in
Yousuf Karsh. Deciding that Churchill’s omnipresent
Montgomery, Alabama, 42-year-old Rosa Parks takes
cigar is interfering with the session, Karsh snatches
her seat in the front row of the “Colored” section of
the cigar from the Prime Minister’s hand and
a city bus. When the bus picks up a bunch of white
clicks the shutter, recording the scowling, defiant
passengers, Parks and three other blacks are ordered
expression in the portrait that would come to be
by the bus driver to give up their seats and stand in
known as “The Roaring Lion.” Churchill had spent
the back of the bus. Parks refuses, is arrested and
much of the previous week in Washington, where
found guilty of breaking the city’s segregation laws,
he had given an equally stirring speech to Congress
which leads to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and
just two weeks after the Pearl Harbour attack had
the beginning of effective mass civil rights protests
brought the United States into the Second World War.
in the United States. Not everyone knows this, but it
Not everyone knows this, but while in Washington,
was not the first time Parks had experienced a tense
Churchill suffered a mild heart attack. So he was
encounter with that bus driver. Back in 1943, Parks
probably a little testy even before Karsh plucked
boarded the bus through the front door, paid her fare
his cigar from him. Despite the cardiac episode,
and took her seat, whereupon the driver ordered her
Churchill stayed on the job for the next 3 1/2 years,
to get off the bus and re-enter through the back door.
and the photo graced the cover of Life magazine in
Parks exited, the doors were shut, and the bus
May 1945.
drove away.
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DECEMBER 17, 1964 Three months after its debut in the United Kingdom, Goldfinger has its American premiere and is an
DECEMBER 15, 1979
instant hit. The film benefits from enormous
So you land on an orange space and you get a
publicity. In November, the cover of Life magazine
question on Sports & Leisure: What game did
featured actress Shirley Eaton strategically
editors Chris Haney and Scott Abbott sit down
photographed lying nude on a bed, covered from
to play on this date? If you answered, “Scrabble,”
head to toe in gold makeup, recreating her death
congratulations, you win a slice of (miniaturized
scene. In addition, word of mouth is dominated by
plastic) pumpkin pie and you roll the die again.
the mere name of Pussy Galore. Not everyone knows
Haney, a photo editor for the Montreal Gazette, and
this, but American censors, while permitting the
Abbott, a sports editor for The Canadian Press,
character’s full name to be used on screen, banned
were going to pass some time playing Scrabble but
it from all promotional materials. It hardly mattered
discovered they were missing some tiles. Thwarted,
because actress Honor Blackman got a kick out of
they decided to invent a game of their own and, over
embarrassing interviewers by constantly dropping
the next few hours, developed Trivial Pursuit. Not
the full name in her comments. The film features one
everyone knows this, but over the course of the past
of the James Bond franchise’s greatest exchanges,
four decades the game, in its various formats and
where Sean Connery (as 007) asks, “Do you expect
themed versions, has sold more than 100 million
me to talk?” And Gert Frobe, as Auric Goldfinger,
copies. So, for a (yellow) slice of lemon pie, here’s a
replies, “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to DIE!” And
History question: Who were Canada’s Prime Minister
Connery did die ... 56 years later. That’s a lot of
and America’s president on the night Trivial Pursuit
expectation.
was invented? (A: Joe Clark and Jimmy Carter.)
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THE SIDEONE PROFILE By Phyl Newbeck
A resident of Jericho, Vermont, Phyl Newbeck is a freelance writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines. She is the author of Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving
James Piccoli: The Canadian reaching every road racer’s dream. 2019 was a breakout year for cyclist James Piccoli.
“I think that’s part of the experience and we missed
He podiumed in three of the premier races on the
that,” he said. “Having fans is the reason we’re all
North American circuit, winning the Tour of the Gila
cyclists. We love to perform in front of people and
in New Mexico and finishing second in the Tour de
entertain. Having people cheer you on when you’re
Beauce in Quebec and the Joe Martin Stage Race
on those crazy climbs is a really cool experience.”
in Arkansas. 2020, however, was even bigger. The 29-year-old from Montreal was signed by the Israeli Start-up Nation racing team and competed in his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España in November. The
Piccoli praised the race organizers for their work in ensuring Covid-19 protocols were followed and crowd control measures were taken. “Obviously this
18-day race (reduced from the usual 21 days because
year there were a lot less fans than usual,” he said,
of Covid-19 travel restrictions) covered a total of
“but there was still a lot of support.”
2,892 kilometres.
A BIG STEP UP
“It was very exciting.” Piccoli said. “The Grand Tours
The Israeli Start-up Nation team is four years old
are the most televised cycling events. It’s the dream
and this was the first year they had World Tour
of every cyclist who starts road racing to do a Grand
status. “That means they are officially invited to all
Tour because it’s the ultimate test and there are
the biggest races in the world, including the Grand
only three of them: the Tour de France, the Vuelta
Tours,” Piccoli said. “I personally took a step up this
a España, and the Giro d’Italia.” Piccoli recognizes
year and so did the team. There were five of us at the
that due to the pandemic, he wasn’t able to enjoy the
Vuelta who had never done a Grand Tour before.”
full Vuelta experience since organizers limited the
While Piccoli benefitted from the veterans on the
number of fans along the roadsides.
team, he also enjoyed having the company of others
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39
in his position. “It’s been nice to grow alongside the
I’m training,” he said, “because climbs are often the
team and share the experience of my first Vuelta with
nicest roads with great views and you can stand up
other first-timers,” he said.
and look around. Plus, the descents are fun.” When
Piccoli may not have finished on the podium at the Vuelta but he is happy with his performance in support of his teammate Dan Martin, who finished fourth overall. “Dan won a stage and had his best Grand Tour result ever,” Piccoli said. “I wasn’t racing to finish as high as I could. It was my job to help him in any way so he could save energy for the next day.”
level of pleasure. “I happen to be good at climbing,” he said, “but that just means I go faster while I’m suffering as much as everyone else.”
THE EVEREST CHALLENGE During the first wave of the pandemic, Piccoli put his climbing prowess to good use. “A popular way for
“Having fans is the reason we’re all cyclists. We love to perform in front of people and entertain. Having people cheer you on when you’re on those crazy climbs is a really cool experience.”
climbers to keep in shape,” he said, “was something
Piccoli’s task was made easier by the fact that the
around 9:00 p.m. for a total of 322 kilometres
teammates enjoyed one another’s company. “All the riders got along well,” he said. “We also had a great time off the bike. It’s easy to have one without the
called Everesting, which meant doing hill repeats until you reached 8,848 metres, or the height of Mt. Everest.” When a friend suggested that Piccoli take part in an endurance challenge to raise money for charity, he decided to “Everest” on Mount Royal near his Montreal home. “That would have been 75 or 76 repetitions,” he said “but one of us suggested doing 100, so that was the challenge I set for myself.” Piccoli started his ride at 4:30 a.m. and finished and 12,605 metres of elevation gain (roughly 1 ½ Everests), raising $20,000 to purchase personal protective equipment for workers at Montreal area
other and it’s best when you have both.”
hospitals. “That was one of the best days on the bike
Piccoli admits it took him three or four days after
said. “It took me all day but it’s a day I’ll remember
the Vuelta to feel normal again. Two weeks after the
for the rest of my life.” Friends and family lined the
race, he still had not gone on a training ride. “It was a
road to cheer him on and give him snacks, and some
week of not doing much and another week of finding
rode laps with him. “I saw a beautiful sunrise,” he
my rhythm again,” he said. After the race, Piccoli
said, “and later I saw a beautiful sunset.”
recovered at his European base in Girona, Spain before heading back home to Montreal. “Girona is perfect for training,” he said. “There are a lot of foreign riders and since that includes Canadians, Americans and Australians, there is a little bit of
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he’s racing, however, Piccoli doesn’t have the same
in my career in terms of how gratifying it was,” he
Riding the Vuelta fulfilled a lifetime dream for Piccoli. “A Grand Tour was my goal ever since I started cycling,” he said. “I always wanted to experience the ambience.” Piccoli noted that he has been fortunate
home.”
to have another race – the Grand Prix Cycliste de
Piccoli is considered a climbing specialist but he
day World Tour race in my hometown,” he said. “I
confesses he doesn’t reap much enjoyment from
started watching it when it was a woman’s race and
that aspect of racing. “I really do like climbing when
it takes place on the same roads I ride every day
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Montréal – closer to home. “I’m lucky to have a one-
when I’m home.” Covid-19 caused the cancellation
and I’ve never seen so many people on the roads,
of this year’s race but Piccoli was able to take part
both young and old.”
in two prior iterations. “It’s a special event for me because I can race in front of family and friends, some of whom don’t really understand what I do for a living,” he said. “Very, very few riders can say they have a World Tour race in their backyard.”
A CANADIAN BREAKTHROUGH Canadian cyclists have not been well represented
“Now there is more of a network to grow the sport. I think cycling has the potential to be big in Canada.”
in cycling’s Grand Tours but Piccoli hopes that
Piccoli noted that 10 years ago there was, at most,
situation will improve. “Cycling just isn’t as popular
one Canadian each year in a Grand Tour race. “Now
as hockey and other team sports,” he said. “With less
there are six or seven,” he said, “and next year there
popularity comes less government funding, fewer
will be one or two more. Hopefully it will continue
development teams and fewer riders, but I think
on that path.” Piccoli hopes the uptick in cycling
that’s changing.” Piccoli noted that one unintended
will continue and some of those riders will take up
side effect of the pandemic was that people
racing. “More racers means more teams and more
rediscovered bicycling. “All the Montreal bike shops
funding,” he said. “Now there is more of a network to
sold out in May and June,” he said. “People wanted
grow the sport. I think cycling has the potential to be
to keep fit. I’ve been riding Mount Royal for ten years
big in Canada.”
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SENSIBLE DOLLARS Are You a Smart Investor or Just Lucky?
By Allan Kunigis Allan Kunigis is a Canadian-born financial freelance writer based in Shelburne, Vermont. He has written about personal finance for more than two decades. His A Kid’s Activity Book on Money and Finance: Teach Children about Saving, Borrowing, and Planning for the Future was recently published.
So, you picked an investment that did really well last month or year. Congrats! But was it skill or luck? Could you do it again? And again? This is an age-old question in the world of investing: Was that one good investment performance a result of you being that good or just that lucky? Whether a single stock or a mutual fund that you bought, or a portfolio that you held for a period of time that performed better than the investment markets, was it skill or luck? The honest answer is it might be really hard to say. Could you do it repeatedly? Or is your long-term performance as an investor likely to “revert to the mean” or regress to the average over time? Think of the law of averages. How many times in a row could you flip a coin and get “heads?”? Maybe five or six?
THE AVERAGE PROFESSIONAL INVESTOR TRAILS THE STOCK MARKET Numerous studies have tracked how well the average mutual fund, managed by a team of professionals, performs over time against a well-known benchmark, such as the S&P 500 Index. The sad news is that the average mutual fund does not outperform its benchmark – the index that the fund compares its performance against. That’s partly because of the costs of running a fund, trading stocks and bonds after researching them and paying for all of the fund’s overhead. Incurring those costs every year means that in order to do better than a benchmark that doesn’t carry those costs, your fund would need to make up for those costs and then perform that much better yet.
Perhaps seven or eight? Now try it 100 times. You’re
For example, if the annual costs of running the fund
likely to get results that are pretty close to 50-50.
make up 1% of the fund’s assets, if the index you’re
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measuring your performance against gains 10%, your
But surely some investment managers are better
fund would need to earn 11% per cent to break even.
than others, right? They can beat the market again
In this study, “92% of Canadian equity funds underperformed their benchmark in 2019 and 86% underperformed over the past decade.”
some legendary fund managers have done better than others. But even they are going to have some bad years. They make mistakes or their investment style falls out of favour. But let’s get back to you. Just how good are you? Do you know more than the market? How? How do you know more than the pros?
Historical returns show that it’s hard. In 2019, for
I don’t know you and I don’t want to insult you,
instance, just three in 10 U.S. stock funds beat their
but study after study shows that average investors
benchmark index, according to Barron’s. Canadian
actually do appreciably worse than the overall stock
stats are even worse. In this study, “92% of Canadian
market. One key reason is that they trade too often.
equity funds underperformed their benchmark
The more you trade, the more expenses you incur
in 2019 and 86% underperformed over the past
and, more importantly, the more mistakes you can
decade.”2
make.
1
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and again. It’s true that over the years or decades,
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AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS TRAILED THE S&P 500 BY ALMOST 6% Dalbar, a highly regarded investment industry research firm, published a study that showed that the average stock mutual fund investor trailed the S&P 500 Index by 5.88% over a 30-year period ending December 31, 2018. Ouch! And these are people entrusting their decisions to a team of pros. And you think you know better than the professionals? Hmmm…
I don’t know you and I don’t want to insult you, but study after study shows that average investors actually do appreciably worse than the overall stock market. One key reason is that they trade too often. Another tidbit is that males often trade more than female investors – and do worse!. Terrence Odean and Brad Barber, a couple of academics at the University of California at Berkeley, published a famous study entitled “Boys Will be Boys: Overconfidence and Common Stock Investments.” In it, they determined that among more than 35,000 households using a large discount brokerage in the early to mid-1990s, men traded 45%% more then women, and “trading reduces men’s net returns by 2.65 percentage points a year as opposed to 1.72 percentage points for women.” More recently, in a 2017 study, Fidelity Investments found that women outperformed men by 0.4% a year on average even though men are more likely to think they’re better-than-average investors. In contrast, only 9% of women investors think they’re better than men.
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WISDOM FROM WARREN BUFFETT I think we can all learn from a truly superior investor, Warren Buffett, whose net worth is an estimated $86 billion U.S. He amassed that wealth through hard work, humility, sober analysis, and by buying shares of companies that he believed in and that he assessed as “undervalued.” Over the decades, he has bought shares of companies, sometimes at bargain basement prices, and held onto them for years. Not very sexy, but highly successful. As quoted in investopedia, Buffett said, you don’t have to be a genius “to invest successfully over a lifetime. What’s needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework.” You might not be as smart or skilled as Buffett, but you might learn from his humility, discipline, and long-term perspective. The next time you think you know of a hot stock or trend that you want to cash in on, remember these Buffettisms: • Our favourite holding period is forever. • Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing. • You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out. • Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. If I can throw in a Kunigisism: Sometimes slow and steady – and humble – wins the race.
FOOTNOTES: 1: https://www.barrons.com/articles/if-you-still-ownactively-managed-stock-funds-get-ready-for-somebad-news-51579691701 2: https://www.evidenceinvestor.com/92-percent-ofcanadian-funds-underperformed-in-2019/
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COMING UP:
A sampling of next month’s stories JUST BECAUSE I SAY – DOESN’T MEAN I DO
THE SIDEONE PROFILE
A look into our personal myths.
impact without a lot of celebrity.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES DEBUNKED
SENSIBLE DOLLARS
Paul McCartney and the great myth of his demise.
ANXIETY – AN EXPLORATION
The all-too-common ailment that seems to be worse among young females.
THE PHOTO ESSAY – VENICE A new look at this ancient city.
NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS… More dates and facts that may surprise you.
We’ll meet another Canadian who is having a big
More investing advice from our financial writer.
