A Star is Almost Born

Great Grandfather and his second wife

The result of a singing debut, by my friend and I in a school Christmas Concert, was a musical partnership that was entered in a local talent contest. These Saturday night talent searches were on CFQC radio out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The winners of each local program were entitled to compete in a grand finale that would be televised later in the year.

Our little duo won hands down, singing "The Happy Wanderer". I still remember the lyrics. We did go on to compete on the televised version but were defeated by much cuter and more talented youngsters than us.

The result of this attention was a certain notoriety in our little town and of course, in the extended family. When you think of it, how many people back then could claim that they had actually been on TV? In fact, how many people could even claim to own a TV?

We were at a large gathering at my great grandfather's home when my celebrity status became a topic of conversation. It was the consensus that this kid must be good or he would not have made it to the TV studios. I was asked to sing, but declined due to the fact that I was one element in a duet and I did not do solos. The relatives would here none of my excuses and I was getting scared to death by all the pressure. 

It was then that my great grandfather took me aside and made me a deal. This is what he said. "All these people in here are mostly interested in visiting with each other. Instead of standing in front of them and singing, why don't you go out on the veranda and sing there. We will leave the door open a bit in case anyone wants to hear you, they might catch a bit of your singing through the door. (It was summer and the door was a full screen door) When you are all done with your song, come to me and I have something for you."   

With great fear and trepidation, I stepped out onto the veranda and, facing the street, I sang "The Happy Wanderer" without my partner. When I entered the house, there was great applause and I was embarrassed beyond measure. My great grandfather beckoned me to his chair and asked me to hold my hand out. I did so and he dropped a heavy silver dollar into my hand, still warm from his pocket. I suddenly forgot about the ordeal and was just ecstatic that I was now a rich man. I had a very warm feeling toward my great grandfather ever after.  

Long Ago

This photo was taken in 1940 in the days when there were no lawn chairs. It is my great grandfather who is sitting all prim and proper getting his photo taken. He lived to the ripe old age of 98 and never spent a day in a hospital or an old folks home. About 15 years after this photo was taken, I had a most memorable experience with him that endeared him to me and helped me to vividly remember him to this day. A seven year old boy can be so very impressionable and can easily be bought.

Stay tuned.  

The Sequel

The opportunity to read the sequel to "The Kommandant's Girl" came this last weekend so I dove right into it. The political intrigue and the espionage of Nazi occupied Poland is replaced with post war Communism and the early stages of the Cold War in "The Diplomat's Wife".  Although the main character in this story is a minor character from the last book, the suspense is definitely a carry over. There are plenty of plot twists and closed doors once again opened that the reader can expect just about anything as the story progresses. There is a definite intertwining of the characters from the last book and it helped to have read it. The book reads like a good old-fashioned spy novel with an intriguing romance twist put in for good measure. On second thought, I suppose that first and foremost it is a love story. I am grateful that busylizzy and I did not start off our lives together in the same manner as the two heroes in this book. 

I would give this book the same rating as the last Pam Jenoff novel I read, and that is a 4 star.   

Petition

Our usual place for Sunday Brunch is in a bit of trouble these days. It used to be that we would have to wait a while to get a table, but recently the place is almost always only half full. It is not the service, the food, or the prices that are keeping the customers away, but apparently the city. There is road construction at the entry to the property that has been ongoing for at least six months now. Business is down 50% and the gals who own the place are hurting. They get daily reports from regular patrons that they are turned away by construction flag people at the entrance to the restaurant. The city has an obligation to provide access to businesses when doing this sort of thing, but in this case, they are not being at all accommodating.

There was a petition on a table near the exit, and unsolicited, we signed it. It was simply asking for financial compensation for lost revenues due to the city's slowness and lack of effort to accommodate. There were hundreds of signatures and we heartily encouraged the owners to pursue their effort for justice. Government, at all levels, is supposed to be there to serve the people. Instead, we have a case where the tax payer is being trampled upon.   

Tension, Pure and Simple

The story takes place in Nazi occupied Poland during WWII. It is immediately apparent the the young lady, our heroine, is in trouble simply because she is Jewish. For the next 400 pages we are on a very tense walk through hostile territory. I say walk because although the story does move forward, it is slow. We get a look at what it must have been like to live during those times when there was such a great divide between the Nazis, the Poles, and Jews. It is often heartbreaking, but always tense. I know that the character is young and naive, but her continual waffling over obvious issues irked me at times. Her thought processes and justifications for questionable activities is interesting and convincing, but somewhat disturbing too. But, then, we do not know what we would be capable of either were we in a situation such as she finds herself. The Nazi Kommandant is well portrayed, and, is he a protagonist, or an antagonist? Even at the conclusion of the book it is difficult to determine.

The story is well written and captivating, the plot and characters easy to follow, with the climax leaving the reader ready for a sequel, or ..... maybe just leaving it to one's imagination is enough.

I will give it a four star rating.   

Too Many?

According to the USA Census Bureau's World Population Clock, baby seven billion arrived on March 1, 2012. That is a very large number of people. Does it concern you?

Paul Ehrlich's alarmist 1969 book, "The Population Bomb" put a fear into the world that remains to this day. He predicted that in the 1970's there would unparalleled starvation and hunger and people would start to 'die off'. There simply was not enough food to go around. Since then, the world population has doubled, and where do we stand?

The theory was that food production would not keep with the demand, however, as Time Magazine reported recently, a billion people tragically go hungry in the world today, "but it is not because the world is incapable of producing enough food for them. We already grow enough grain globally to feed 10 billion people on a full vegetarian diet." And, "world wide, humans currently throw out or waste half the food we produce."

Hence, hunger is not a production problem, but a distribution and stewardship problem.

Well, you might say, we are running out of room. Not so.

As both Time and the Guardian reported, all seven billion of us could live in the state of Texas with no more population density than we currently find in New York City.
To offer an even more vivid illustration, all seven billion of us could move to Rhode Island with each of us having 6.4 square feet to wave our arms around.

OK, but it will continue to get worse, no?
According to a new report conducted cooperatively among six universities, the average woman in the developed world only produces 1.66 children in her lifetime, well short of the 2.1 children needed for human replacement.
In fact, in more than 75 countries around the world, or 42 per cent of the world's population, fertility is below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to maintain current work levels as well as support and care for aging populations.
Countries like Japan are experiencing economic stagnation due to below-replacement fertility levels that started in the 1970s. China followed suit in the early 1990s, a development that will dramatically slow their national prosperity. If the trend is sustained, all countries with below-replacement fertility can expect similar stagnation.
Over the last decade, the United States has been just at or below replacement level, while Canada has hovered lower and closer to the 1.66 below-replacement average for the developed world.

So, don't worry, keep having babies ...... and grandbabies. Somebody is going to have to take care of the seven billion 'oldies'.

Shake Your Head

And yet another post for my "Stupidity" category. Last time it was the story about how the police showed up at a little girl's house because her library books were overdue. You could not make up stuff this silly, and yet, read below how the Premier of Ontario is defending another, similar action.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is defending Kitchener school officials for calling police and reporting a four-year-old girl who drew a picture of her father carrying a gun.

Father Jessie Sansone was arrested, strip searched and told he was being charged with illegal possession of a firearm after police were alerted to the drawing last week.
Sansone's three children and his pregnant wife were also questioned by Family and Child Services.

Waterloo Regional Police found only a transparent toy gun in Sansone's home during a search and Sansone was released without charges.
An internal police investigation has been launched into the way Sansone was treated by officers.
Speaking on Wednesday, McGuinty defended the school's decision to alert police to the potentially revealing picture, saying it is difficult for teachers and administrators to make such decisions when they believe a child's welfare could be at risk.

I could be wrong, but I think it was Ron Paul, Republican candidate for the nomination for the presidency who stated that, "When the people are afraid of the government, it is called tyranny. When the government is afraid of the people, it is called democracy."  

Cold ... Part 2

Snowfall on Feb.29  2012

And on the fifth day, God created ...... no, that's not what I was going to write. On the fifth day, I awoke from a really good night's sleep with a clear head and clear sinuses. I have never had a cold without going through those awful final stages of coughing and ever thickening phlegm. It was gone! Completely! How can this be? Is it a miracle or is it all the 'stuff' I take to keep healthy? Maybe the latest elixir is working its magic. It is supposed to relieve oxidative stress and actually reverse the aging process. My grandson got over his cold in four days too, and he is only three. Maybe I am now only three also!  Hey .... I must go look in the mirror to see if it is true.

Cold

It has been about five years since I have had a cold or the flu, but what I think happens, is that every time you come in contact with a virus, but it does not 'get you', it accumulates, and then when you get it, you get it good! As I wrote this, I was in my fourth day and my cold had not yet peaked. I am not over the hump. It has not broken. I am still in that stage where there is constant sneezing, watering eyes, plugged sinuses, headache, and mouth breathing at night. This is not pretty to write about, but I know you have all been there. Normally, a cold runs a five or six day cycle with me, but at this rate, I may be better in the fall of 2013, about the time I will be due for another one.

Action

John Grisham is a novelist who is a Christian, but, with a few rare exceptions, it is not evident in his books. I suspect that Mark Young, a former cop and author of "Off The Grid", is the same.

The story is about a US Marine who returns home from Afghanistan when his parents are killed in a car bombing. He then joins the Seattle police force, a decision that he thinks will help him better investigate that crime.

His investigations leads him to a sinister plot, by some very powerful people, to heist the information from computers around the world in order to create a new world order. It is what I would call low key James Bond stuff. The action is continuous and the multiple characters are a little difficult to keep straight. The underlying tension in the story is "who do you trust".

The reason I think that the author is a Christian is because a few of his characters are. They talk about their faith and changed lives and all in a good and positive light. But it is by no means a 'Christian novel'.

I would give this book a three star rating.  

Glitz and Glam

I am not proud to say that I watched a bit of the Oscar Award Ceremonies on Sunday night. Who really admits to doing that. In my defence, I had not watched this annual tribute to narcissism for at least twenty years or more. Also, I was very under the weather and had no energy to do anything but sit in front of the TV, an extreme rarity for me.

I think in my far distant past, I remember Billy Crystal emceeing  the show and there he was again on Sunday. I have not seen this man in many years and my first impression is that he was bit slow on the uptake and his face lift only worked on the top half. Having said that, he did make me laugh at least twice.

There was an unending parade of behind the scenes types who tried so hard to act surprised when their name was called. I know almost nothing about all the films that were nominated so it was kind of dull, to say the least. I thought the one bright light was Canadian Christopher Plummer who did finally win an award. He was a class act from start to finish, and he was not long winded or dull, almost a prerequisite this year.

The best thing, for me, was catching a movie called "Shooter" on another Channel during commercial breaks. It was based on a Lee Swager novel by Stephen Hunter called "Point of Impact", which I remember as being an excellent read. Matt Damon as the lead character makes it even better.

I love movies, but not the inevitable award ceremonies that they spawn.

Writing as Art

I was browsing in the Kindle store and came across this book that I thought might be for women only (or at least preferentially) until I read the reviews. There I discovered that not only did everyone give it a 5 star rating, but many of them were men. Being the open minded fellow that I am, I bought it, and believe me, I do not have a single regret.

After the first chapter, I knew I had discovered a rare treasure and from then on, savoured every paragraph right, to the end. My immediate impressions were that I was reading something similar to what John Steinbeck or even Mark Twain would write. And then I was reminded of a favourite John Grisham novel, The Painted House, which somehow brought me back to my own childhood.

From the opening sentences, I got the strong sense that the author was a true artist, using words and imagery so beautifully as to involve all five of my senses. Her depiction of a young girl growing up in Mississippi in the 1930s is remarkable in that even though I did not grow up in the era or that part of the world, I now feel like I have been there, in that time and in that place, and moreover, I know little Millie like my own child. 

The reader absolutely sees the world through this child's eyes, lives her fears, anxieties, emotions, and struggles on every page. 

Her struggles with the tragedies that are thrown her way over the ten years of this story may not be familiar to our own experience, but her struggles with faith and her ever changing concept of God is something most of us can identify with. 

I do not want to give even one element of the story away here, so it will not spoil your own experience with this book. The rich characters and ever evolving plot will keep your interest into the wee hours of the morning. Your present life will fade as you absorb yourself into Millie's world. You will be satisfied at the end of the book, but with enough questions that you will be glad to know that there is a sequel coming. Not soon enough I say. And, like all the other reviewers, I too give this book a 5 star rating.  

I just wish I could write like this.   

Following Through

The last book I reviewed was titled "Sons of the Great Satan", with Satan referring to the USA. So I thought I would do a little follow-up on the theme and try to discover what Satan has to do with America. I picked the right book for sure.

"Unlocking the Mysteries of Satan" is a book intended for Christians because the reader needs a lot of background information on the Christian faith and culture and the Bible. In this regard, it is an excellent book. It explores the origins of Satan and most interestingly how Satan was duped when he had a hand in the betrayal and crucifixion of Christ. Satan's intents and purposes are laid out carefully in the following chapters and all done with numerous Scriptural references. 

Last, and best of all, it explores the best lies of the "Father of Lies" and how all of us, Christians and non-Christians alike, fall for  them. This was a rather convicting book for me. It pointed out what I already knew, but in such a way as to make me sit up and take more notice. I believe that what he says in this book is true because it all lines up with a final authority, the Bible itself. The author ends with a bleak picture of the ineffectiveness of the Evangelical Christian church in today's culture and climate and after reading the book, the reasons are quite apparent. 

This is a book not so much about the scary entity we know as Satan, as it is a book about how most of us are falling for lies with eternal consequences, how the lies work, and how to free ourselves from them. 

If you want to be challenged in your Christian walk, I highly recommend this short but insightful book.    

Joy

Most grandparents love to talk about their grand kids. Get over it, it's normal. We use a common phrase that goes like this: "My grand kids bring me such joy!"

Here is a sample of what that looks like. The adults were sitting around the table discussing some heavy issues when Liam comes up to me and says, "I want to tell you something in you ear".

I give him focused attention whenever I can so I bent over and he put his little mouth close to my ear and whispered, "I want you to tell me something in my ear".

So, I asked him quietly, like it was our own little secret, "What would you like me to tell you?"

"Something about grandson", he replied.

There was only one thing to say, so I said, "You are my sweet little grandson and I love you so very much."

He was good with that and turned away to resume playing with his alphabet train.

When I say "joy", that's what I'm talking about.

And that's how I got the noodles in my ear.

Don't Bother

While shopping in the Kindle store, a title caught my attention and, on impulse, I bought the book. Iran is in the news daily as tensions increase. I remember well in the late seventies the turmoil that went on in that country and I thought it would be interesting to educate myself a bit more on some of the more recent history of that country. The author, Anthony Roberts, grew up in Iran during the last days of the Shah, when Americans were welcome and were indeed manipulating the country for their own purposes. It was a westernized nation, but seething beneath the surface was Islamic fanaticism led by the Ayatollah Khomeini  and a national pride that wanted to see America, the great Satan, ousted.

The book reads like it was written by two different authors. When talking about the country and its people, the story takes on an elegance and respect that is interesting and rewarding. When it gets into the characters and their shenanigans, it takes on a dirty and profane tone and is over the top. Oh, that one could rip out pages on a Kindle download!

The story is about a teen aged boy who spent his final high school years in Iran and became best friends with his next door neighbour, the son of the head of the Iranian secret police, a cruel defender of the Shah's regime, but a wonderful, loving family man also. Life in Tehran deteriorates and each family eventually meets their own fate when, in 1979, the revolution succeeded in ousting the Shah.  

What I came away with was a better understanding of what I set out to find, the background to the turmoil in Iran. As it turned out, it could have been done nicely without the added characters and plot that made me cringe a little too often.

Don't bother reading it.   

Apples

We do not play as many games as we used to, so it was with a bit of hesitation that we accepted an invitation from some friends to join them in an evening of appies and apples. Perhaps as we age we are reluctant to expose our inadequacies of intellect, knowledge, and memory, things that are required in so many games.

The green card is held and read by the 'judge' while the rest of the players, who each have seven red cards, determine which of their cards best describe the word on the green card. Green cards have adjectives or adverbs on them, red cards have names of people, places, things, or situations on them. Example: Green card will read "Awkward". Red cards may read "Tom Cruise", "Strawberry short cake", "Plane crash", "My first kiss", "Power tools", "Honeymoon", or "Life Insurance".

After all the selections from all the players are collected, the judge reads the cards, and then according to what he determines, a winner is announced. The winner gets the green card and the player with the most green cards at the end of the game wins.

Now, I hope you all go out and purchase one of these games as I just bought a whack of shares the company. (Just kidding). There were ten of us and we had a great time with a lot of belly laughs, and great relief on all our parts that we did not have to use any intellect, knowledge or memory to have a fun games night.

Nostalgia

My oldest cousin sent me 35 old photos a few weeks ago. We have a family website on which we post news, photos, and other items of interest to the extended family on my father's side. The photos all came from her mother, my dad's oldest sister, who is 95 years old and still doing just fine. She would have taken this photo 58 years ago when we all still lived in a small dusty prairie town. The grinning kid with the suspenders and tweed pants is me. The others are cousins from two other familys and a sister.

I have strong and fond memories of those days and a photo like this totaly brings me back to those days, the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the wonderful experiences. As time went on, I grew more distant from some of my cousins, but especially the ones in this photo. The little guy in the front, in the heavy sweater, eating the apple, is no longer with us as he had a fatal heart attack two years ago. I had not seen him since these early days and feel a great loss because of it.

Today, with our digital cameras and cell phone cameras, we snap away and have tens of photos for every single occassion we ever attend. As we over record the moment, we take it for granted and even years later wonder why we took so many photos. Back then, photography was rare and to capture a moment like the one above becomes a rare gem with great value. However, one day, as someone looks through the digital archives of the family website, or my hardrive, they will look at this photo and wonder who on earth that was and why were they wearing those funny clothes. The photo will have lost its value. I know, because I have some old photos with people on them who are total strangers to me and certainly nobody in the future will know them either.

Nostalgia is in the eye of the beholder and is a fleeting thing.

Art Walk

                  
Sunday afternoon was not a great time for a walk as the wind was bitterly cold and the dark clouds were a constant threat of rain. But, we packed on the layers, grabbed an umbrella and set out. Half way through the walk, we needed to duck in somewhere to get our blood flowing once again. Because busylizzy only orders hot water at the coffee shops, they do not like us there so we surreptitiously entered the local Art Gallery. We do this occasionally in order to see where our hard earned tax dollars are being spent. We are usually disappointed and this time was no exception. There were several displays depicting local themes, such as a Police display with photos and uniforms from the old days, some painted furniture, some ink jet prints of various scenes from the Fraser Valley, and China (?) and a bunch of plaster of paris fish and plastic boats hanging from the ceiling. We saved the 'big attraction' for last, a gallery of Goya sketches, and I quote:

"This exhibition features Francisco de Goya's famous print suites: Los Caprichos(1799) and The Disasters of War(1810-1820) which document the brutality of the Peninsular War and the atrocities that mankind inflicts upon itself."

There were 80 3"x5" sketches in rather larger frames all depicting very gruesome scenes of famine, death and war. The single image at the top of this post is a scene glorifying the brave women of
Spain defending themselves against Napoleon's soldiers. Note the mother holding a baby in one hand while spearing her attacker with the other. All the other images were just as uplifting.

 As a depiction of a period of time in history, these are, no doubt, important images. They did not do photography back then. But as someone who appreciates beauty in art, this display was not something I expected in the art gallery. Fine for those who like this kind of thing, but I was glad to get back out into the brisk air and continue our walk.

A Conversation

Ravi Zacharias is an internationally renowned speaker and expert on comparative religions. I have heard him in person and he is a very compelling, articulate, and intelligent speaker. In this book, Jesus and Buddha have a conversation in the presence of a very broken and dying person. The conversation is respectful, deep, and very revealing. What can each of them offer this dying woman in her shame and brokenness. She is dying from AIDS as a result of a life of prostitution and degradation.

The narrative is full of nuggets of insight and wisdom, as well as being a helpful guide to the comparisons of the two religions, where they are similar and where they diverge.

"When you mix falsehood with truth, you create a more destructive lie." This is how we are often deceived, when falsehood is disguised in a mixture of truth and lies. 

Another destructive tool of deceit is "when you try to reconstitute reality by changing the language". If it sounds wonderful and is mixed with what we deem as truth, it must all be good. It is a deceit that is common in our culture today, and sadly, in our churches also. 

This book is a short read, but if you stop and ponder the implications of what is written, you will not breeze through it quickly, but will read and re-read to catch the nuances. It is worth it.     

Help

Help!! My memories of Mexico are fading.