But the "hole" contains a secret -- a hologram -- only visible when the bill is tilted, just so.
The distinguished gentleman on the front side of the $50 bill is (William Lyon) Mackenzie King, our tenth Prime Minister who was our longest serving PM at 22 years.
But like the bill itself, dear Mr. King had a secret that few were aware of during his political tenure. Our Prime Minister, consulted psychics, ouija boards, crystal balls, and his dead mother (among others).
"Privately, he was highly eccentric with his preference for communing with spirits, including those of Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Wilfried Laurier (an earlier PM), his dead mother, and several of his Irish Terrier dogs, all named Pat except for one named Bob. He also claimed to commune with the spirit of the late President Roosevelt. He sought personal reassurance from the spirit world, rather than seeking political advice. Indeed, after his death, one of his mediums said that she had not realized that he was a politician.". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie_King#Personal_life)
But in spite of (or because of?) his predilection for consulting the great beyond, a survey of scholars in 1997 ranked King first amongst ALL Canadian Prime Ministers. The scholars were not impressed with King the man, but rather, with his political skill and attention to Canadian unity.
Kind of cool that his image comes and goes, almost magically. I think he'd like that.
very interesting to learn all this stuff about your Prime Minister (William Lyon) Mackenzie King.
ReplyDeleteYour recent comment on my blog
"where's the comments?" is THE cleverest comment I've ever received. I'm still laughing!
Thanks Rosie, I love some of the questions you get asked... and how you handle them.
DeleteMackenzie King was a character, that's for sure.
I hope you don't get a visit from the Mounties! I've always been under the impression that it's illegal to photograph Canadian paper money. Maybe that's no longer the case. The new stuff is so cool. In fact I think all our bills and coins are cool, not like south of the border where it's so easy to hand over the wrong denomination note because they're all the same colour! And their coinage is cheap-looking too, not like ours.
ReplyDeleteRachel, interesting question. I Googled it and I "think" that the photography isn't the issue per se, but the reproduction of that photograph. SO, don't print my picture of the bill, cut it out and use it to go shopping. ;-)
DeleteIllegal to photograph Canadian money? Really? That sounds even crazier and more paranoid that some of the USA's bizarre rules.
ReplyDeleteFun little history lesson here. Politicians provide us with so many grins and giggles, don't they?
Oh you'd be surprised how crazy we can get but I "think" it's safe to take a photo of Canadian money.
DeleteHe is one of our most interesting Prime Ministers. And we had some goodies ...
I think he'd like it, too! No, wait a minute, let me consult him in a psychic way. Yes, Sybil, he is grinning from the beyond. He says there's a hole in the beyond, too. Hmmmm...do you have any idea what that means? lol!
ReplyDeleteI assume that Pat is there with him ?
DeleteI didn't get any information on that...and now he won't answer!
DeleteTell him to answer you or you'll tell his mother !
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