Arthur Fuller
fuller.artful at gmail.com
Thu Sep 1 12:27:09 CDT 2011
I will miss him immensely. I wrote his first campaign-manegement software which was shared by his soon-to-be-wife Olivia Chow. Thanks in part to them, I have begun learning both Cantonese and Mandarin. This is a very long process, especially when you are 64 years old, but I am trying, and the people in my building are helping me achieve this goal. A. On Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 10:56 AM, Tina Norris Fields < tinanfields at torchlake.com> wrote: > Arthur, > Thank you for sharing this. A great man, indeed! > T > > Tina Norris Fields > tinanfields at torchlake.com > 231-322-2787 > > > > On 8/27/2011 3:08 PM, Arthur Fuller wrote: > >> This week, a man died of cancer in Canada. His name was Jack Layton. He >> was >> Leader of the Opposition in parliament, head of the New Democratic Party, >> and a galvanizing force in Canadian politics and political life. About 30 >> years ago, when Jack was a City Councillor in Toronto, I wrote the first >> version of his campaign-management software, later to be shared with >> Olivia >> Chow, who would soon become his wife. In step with his successes, we went >> on >> to develop several subsequent versions. Each time the software got better, >> and I like to think that it played some small part in his success. >> >> Jack is the first person in Canadian history who is not a prime minister >> or >> cabinet minister to be given a state funeral. It's occurring as I write >> this. He has so many achievements that it's hard to know where to begin. >> He >> was the first to embrace gay rights, green city culture, he invented the >> White Ribbon HIV-AIDS campaign. campaigned for bicycle-culture (he rode >> his >> bicycle to work even in the dead of winter; I remember him saying that if >> you dress for it, you can bicycle even in Toronto winters). He was >> tri-lingual (he was born in Quebec and so learned English and French when >> he >> was young, and later on learned Cantonese from his wife Olivia Chow). He >> had >> several remarkable and unique characteristics, notable among them his >> open-door policy. I know this because I was frequently there working on >> his >> computer, adding reports etc. while people walked in and told him of their >> problems and complaints -- and he acted on them. >> >> In this week of his death, it is astonishing how many thousands of people >> are weeping openly at his loss. Even those who don't share his political >> views are weeping. One thing everyone of every political stripe can say is >> that Jack never argued ad hominem (against the man), but always stuck to >> the >> issues: poverty, homelessness, gay rights, green economics. >> >> Such was his measure that even the prime minister of Australia flew >> halfway >> around the world to attend Jack's funeral == not to mention thousands of >> Torontonians and others who came to pay their respects and honour a man. >> >> Rest in peace, Jack. You will be missed by Canadians of every political >> stripe. >> >> Arthur >> ______________________________**_________________ >> dba-Tech mailing list >> dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com >> http://databaseadvisors.com/**mailman/listinfo/dba-tech<http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech> >> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.**com<http://www.databaseadvisors.com> >> >> ______________________________**_________________ > dba-Tech mailing list > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/**mailman/listinfo/dba-tech<http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech> > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.**com<http://www.databaseadvisors.com> >