MONTREAL – Three men have been injured after a 24-year-old man entered a mosque southwest of Montreal armed with a knife.
Police in Châteauguay, Que., on Montreal’s South Shore, say the three men were in their fifties and suffered only minor injuries, with one transported to hospital.
The suspect entered the Muslim cultural centre in Châteauguay this afternoon.
A physical altercation followed, but police wouldn’t confirm whether the knife was used to cause any of the injuries.
Police say the 24-year-old has been transported to the police station and an investigation is underway, but they did not provide any details about a possible motive.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims says it is “greatly concerned” about the incident.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
Truman Capote’s influence on my writing makes it impossible to ignore his 100th birthday.
My journey with Truman Capote’s writing began when a high school reading assignment required me to read his short story, Children on Their Birthdays. I was captivated by Capote’s ability to use clear language to create vivid descriptions. The next day, I went to my local library and read his short story, A Christmas Memory (1956), about a particularly memorable Christmas spent with his older cousin, Sook Faulk, and checked out his true crime non-fiction novel In Cold Blood (1966), which I read over the weekend. Since then, I’ve devoured all of Capote’s published works and strive to write with as much clarity and emotional depth as he did.
Truman Capote is the bed on which I lay my writing.
Capote’s bookend dates:
Born: September 30, 1924, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Died: August 25, 1984, Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, USA
Between these dates, Capote lived a life filled with destructive selfishness reminiscent of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘all-out, full-tilt, hell-bent way of living.’ He could have been one of America’s greatest writers had it not been for two things: his need for celebrity, his own and surrounding himself with celebrities, and his alcoholism. While Capote did achieve the fame he desperately craved, it came, as it often does when one chases “to be loved and worshipped” at the cost of his humanity. Capote’s life serves as a cautionary tale about the danger of making a demonic bargain with your moral integrity to achieve celebrity status.
The American writer Dorothy Potter Snyder explained Truman Capote in three words, “great, gay and Southern.” Ironically, Truman’s first love wasn’t writing. Capote wrote in the preface to Music for Chameleons (1980): “Then one day I started writing, not knowing that I had chained myself for life to a noble but merciless master. When God hands you a gift, he also hands you a whip; and the whip is intended solely for self-flagellation.” Capote didn’t write for the sake of writing; it was a means to an end. First and foremost, Truman loved gossiping with “high society,” recognition, and the celebrity-like attention his writing provided.
Writer Truman Capote, 1976
Who doesn’t, at least to some degree, contort themselves to be loved, recognized, and accepted?
Capote wasn’t just a writer who offered immense literary value to American literature. Besides his ability to blend traditional Southern Gothic with modern sensibilities, Capote’s flamboyant nature unwittingly—due to the advent of television and its widespread reach, which he shamelessly exploited, even appearing in a comedy skit in 1973 on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour—contributed to contemporary celebrity culture. Additionally, as far as I know, even though Capote avoided discussing his sexuality in interviews, he was one of the first openly gay celebrities in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, thanks to his ballsy “Like it or not, here I am!” attitude.
Capote matter-of-factly told anyone who inquired that his longtime companion was Jack Dunphy, a married man who left his wife for him and remained his companion until Capote sent himself into an early grave dying in Joanne Carson’s, the ex-wife of NBC’s Tonight Show host, Johnny Carson, Bel Air home having ruined his health and beautiful mind with alcohol and all sorts of recreational drugs. Gore Vidal, being “Gore Vidal,” declared Capote’s death “a wise career move.”
It was Capote’s ability to self-promote that helped him become so famous. On the back cover of his 1948 debut novel Other Voices, Other Rooms, a photograph of Capote, then 24, reclined across a Victorian couch in an overtly sexually suggestive pose generated quite a reaction among postwar conservative Americans. From the get-go, Capote knew how to create buzz and curate readers, as he did with his 1958 novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s, in which he captures the complexities of gender and sexual identity, so it resonated with a burgeoning audience longing for representation.
Capote’s most significant contribution to American literature and contemporary journalism was his groundbreaking book, In Cold Blood. Often regarded as the first nonfiction novel and the beginning of the New Journalism movement, In Cold Blood systematically recounts the events leading up to and following the unwarranted and violent murder during the early morning hours of November 15, 1959, of the Clutter family—Herb Clutter, his wife, Bonnie, and their teenage children Nancy and Kenyon—in Holcomb, Kansas. With vivid characterizations and psychological depth, Capote’s narrative style redefined narrative nonfiction and set the stage for future literary explorations of violence and morality.
Capote’s dramatic flair extended beyond his writing. A regular at high-society gatherings, his social life was as vibrant as his prose. His ability to navigate different social strata and his keen observation of human behaviour lent credibility to his narratives. As a result, Capote emerged as a force in Southern Gothic literature, whose writing evolved into a more journalistic style while continuously challenging the social conventions and expectations of his time.
Capote’s impact on celebrity culture can’t be overstated. He was one of the first authors to seek out and wrap himself in the concept of celebrity author—a figure whose life and persona are as captivating as their work, not much different from Hemingway. Though he didn’t seek out fame, Papa led a life, possibly by design, that was, to say the least, compelling. Capote’s friendships and public “sharing” of their lives—essentially gossip—with celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and socialites Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ sister, and Babe Paley, wife of CBS founder William S. Paley, contributed to the creation of today’s celebrity culture.
Capote’s “Black and White Ball,” held at New York City’s Plaza Hotel on November 28, 1966, attended by some of the most prominent figures of the time, was a manifestation of his desire to merge artistic merit with social capital and served, as much of Capote’s life served, as a commentary on the transient nature of social status and fame.
If Truman Capote were alive today, with social media’s ability to create and destroy fame, I envision Capote would be constantly on the edge of his seat monitoring the digital circus, as most of us do.
Capote’s observations on celebrity culture were critical, often to the point of being scathing. His sharp wit and keen observations allowed him to dissect the absurdities of fame. His 1956 book, The Muses Are Heard, a journalistic account of The Everyman’s Opera’s mid-1950s cultural mission to the Soviet Union, reflects his fascination with the tensions between art and commerce and the commodification of personal identity.
Capote did not just participate in celebrity culture; he was the ubiquitous fly on the wall reporting on and critiquing the very world he inhabited, which ultimately led to his being shunned by those he vehemently wanted to identify with. Given Capote’s notorious self-serving nature, it’s hard to believe that no one he befriended didn’t consider his friendship came with conditions.
In keeping with the advice that writers should write about what they know, based on what has been published of Answered Prayers, his never finished tell-add novel, Capote packed, Answered Prayers, with thinly fictionalized versions of some of the world’s wealthiest and most fashionable women. Capote knew, as Marcel Proust and Oscar Wilde did, that stories which pulled back the curtain on a segment of society most people aren’t privy to would attract readers en masse. There wasn’t an affair, abortion, divorce or death among New York City’s elite that Capote didn’t know about. “Instead of a shrink, I had Truman,” said Marella Agnelli, Italian socialite, fashionista, and wife of Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli.
Capote’s publicity skills failed him when he miscalculated (?) the possible consequences by publishing what was supposed to be Answered Prayers seventh chapter, La Côte Basque, in Esquire‘s November 1975 edition, exposing, along with heaps of dirty gossip and speculation, the private lives of New York City’s upper-class women. Overnight, Capote found himself on the outside, resulting in isolation and despair. Publishing La Côte Basque was a monumental act of self-destruction.
As a fair point of reference, Capote published the supposed first chapter of Answered Prayers, Mojave, in Esquire‘s June 1975 issue and received favourable reviews. La Côte Basque was too venomous to be ignored, and Capote was punished in a way that would ultimately destroy him; his access to the social elite he worked tirelessly to be a part of was revoked.
Capote’s contributions to American literature and his impact on celebrity culture are undeniable. As long as high school students are introduced to Truman Capote, and I hope they are, he’ll remain a vital talking point in our cultural conversations, and his writing, with its Southern charm and razor-sharp wit, will remain a staple of American literature.
As for me, I’ll continue to strive to paint with words, as Truman Capote seemed inherently able to do. However, more importantly, Capote’s life taught me this: It’s when you’re chasing a dream that you’re at your finest and always be careful as to what you do to get what you want.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — UNC Asheville soccer player Xander Naguib and his teammates are preparing to spend the next several weeks — or perhaps months — at the state’s sister school in Charlotte, where they will be housed, fed and be able to continue playing sports.
Given what Naquib has been through in the last week, he couldn’t be more grateful. He and his teammates are among many programs in the area that have relocated to other schools in what one athletic director called a stirring example of colleges helping each other amid dire need.
“It felt like we were blocked off from the world,” Naguib said.
Hours later, Naguib found a hotel and contacted his worried parents in Frisco, Texas, who quickly booked him on the next flight out of Asheville.
With UNC Asheville’s campus closed for the next 10 days and classes cancelled until at least Oct. 28, the school has asked students to return home or placed them on other campuses. Athletic teams have the benefit of being with their teammates; for Naguib, it means living and playing soccer two hours away in Charlotte.
UNC Charlotte athletic director Mike Hill had reached out to Asheville AD Janet Cone to offer any assistance in the wake of the disaster.
Cone took him up on his offer, and Charlotte will host Asheville’s men’s and women’s soccer teams and volleyball squad in the days ahead, putting them up at an overflow dormitory, feeding them meals in the cafeteria and allowing them to use their athletic facilities. They will have access to medical attention to treat injuries.
“We want them to feel comfortable,” said Chris Thomasson, Charlotte’s executive associate athletic director for internal affairs. “A lot of people worked hard to make it happen. And our coaching staffs have been terrific. It’s interesting, on the field or the court our coaches are fierce competitors, but when they heard Asheville needed help they were like, ‘whatever we can do — anything.'”
UNC Charlotte hasn’t been the only school to step up.
Asheville’s tennis teams will be living and practicing at High Point University. Its swim teams will stay at Gardner-Webb University. The golf teams will be head to Wofford College next week.
Cone is still working to get all the school’s athletes placed, including the school’s basketball teams as part of what she called “a logistical puzzle with a whole lot of pieces.”
But she’s confident the school will get through it.
“The world of college sports is a really tight-knit group,” Cone said. “It’s been really heartening for me to see. So many people have gone out of their way to help us. I’ve received calls from schools all over the state and all over the country saying, ‘what can we do?’ There is a lot of trouble in this world and people sometimes do crazy things, but at times like this it makes you feel good to the see the care in people’s hearts.”
UNC Asheville isn’t the only college impacted by the hurricane. Schools such as Tusculum, Lees-McRae, Western Carolina, North Greenville, Appalachian State and Montreat are among those whose campuses were hit hard, including sports facilities. Fall sports schedules are severely disrupted.
With no water available in Greene County (Tennessee), Division II college Tusculum had its teams leave the Greeneville campus with help from sports rivals, a pair of former Tusculum coaches, alumni, friends and neighbors. Josh Ealy, Tusculum’s vice president for athletics, said the school won’t be able to do anything on campus until water service resumes.
Tusculum’s football team is staying in spare space at a residence hall and eating on campus at rival Carson-Newman in Jefferson City. The Pioneers are practicing at Jefferson County High School, which is coached by Spencer Riley, who was Tusculum’s offensive line coach for seven seasons.
The Pioneers’ women’s soccer team is in Baneberry, Tennessee, with former head coach Mike Joy reaching out to family and friends to host the players. Joy helped coach many of the current players who are practicing at Lakeway Christian Academy in White Pine.
The men’s soccer team accepted help from rival Lincoln Memorial University to stay, eat and train on campus in Harrogate.
Lincoln Memorial also is serving as the host for games for both of Tusculum’s soccer teams and volleyball. Tusculum’s first-year women’s volleyball coach Hannah Barrett tapped into her connections for her team to stay with people in the Knoxville area. Her team is practicing at the University of Tennessee.
“This has been a tremendous undertaking which came together very quickly due to the hard work of so many people,” Ealy said.
Cone said she is optimistic that UNC Asheville’s fall sports teams will play close to a full schedule, even if games will mostly be away from campus.
On Friday, Cone and her staff returned to Asheville to retrieve sports equipment and uniforms that were left behind in the evacuation process. They plan to distribute them to their students hosted at other schools.
Returning home was tough. The destruction to the tight-knit community is unspeakable.
“I can’t emphasize this enough, sports is a very, very small part of all this because we’re talking about people who’ve lost their lives and their homes — they lost everything,” Cone said. “It’s my job to try help our student-athletes get back to some sense of normalcy and our staff is working to do the best we can to help them.”
For Naguib, that means the world.
“If we are able to play, that’s all that matters,” Naguib said. “I feel thankful and blessed to have a place to stay and do what I love.”
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AP journalists Teresa Walker, Aaron Beard and Barry Bedlan contributed.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe say if re-elected his party would increase and reintroduce a pair of tax credits designed to help current and prospective homeowners.
Moe says the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit would increase to $15,000 from $10,000.
He says the Saskatchewan Party would also reintroduce the Home Renovation Tax Credit, which was a temporary program the government piloted between 2020 and 2022.
That tax credit would allow homeowners to claim up to $4,000 in renovation expenses on their income taxes.
May says seniors would be able to claim up to $5,000.
The provincial election is set for Oct. 28.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024.