Chapters of One’s Life

I first encountered Amber Tamblyn in the short-lived TV series Joan of Arcadia. I loved the show, and all the characters, especially Ms. Tamblyn’s portrayal of Joan. I was terribly disappointed when the show was cancelled. The only other thing I saw Tamblyn in was The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, which I liked, too.

Ms. Tamblyn wasn’t recently on my radar, so I was surprised and interested when I discovered that she’d written a book called Era of Ignition: Coming of Age in a Time of Rage and Revolution.

I’m in my 70’s; Tamblyn is in her 30’s. She’s American; I’m Canadian. So, what do we have in common? She’s been in the entertainment business since she was a child, but has also written poetry, a novel and now a non-fiction book (I won’t call it a memoir because it is much more than that). I’ve worked at various jobs and have written two collections of short stories and two fantasy novels (a third in process). I think that Ms. Tamblyn and I also share at least some values and a view of the world.

I too believe that there are times in our lives when we need to re-examine and renew. This can come at any time and occur more than once. I’ve considered myself a feminist most of my life. I believe in celebrating diversity in all areas of life and know that equal opportunity for all is yet to be achieved.

Here is a quote from the first chapter of the book: ‘And my Jungian therapist, Evan, told me, “Most people in our culture would say one must apply discipline to pulling oneself out of the muck. I would say the muck is where the magic is. One must apply discipline and self-control to staying put and tolerating difficulties that come with the dark stuff, so that one can be changed and improved by it.” ‘

I am currently very much aware of starting a new chapter of my life. I’m getting older and facing challenges that I haven’t faced before.  There is arthritis, pain, less energy, a certain emotional volatility. This is the ‘muck’ of my life right now. There are things I want to achieve – another book finished, a more positive attitude to my current situation, time spent on learning watercolour painting, and the regaining of a belief that magic can still happen.

Here’s another quote I like from the book: ‘Bottom line: Until women are allowed to make mediocre works of art while still succeeding in the way that many white men get to do this every single day, we will not have the power to take our creative freedoms back.’

For those of us who are writers and artists it’s not always easy to find a way to be heard, to have our work seen or read. I agree with Ms. Tamblyn that we may have to find ways outside the ‘norm’ to do the work that is important to us. For some of us this can mean self-publishing, online distribution of our work, and sharing it in other ways.

If you are interested in American politics, you may find Ms. Tamblyn’s insights into Hilary Clinton’s bids for president eye opening. Tamblyn was involved in both campaigns and experienced the misogyny. Particularly telling are the pages in the book called ‘Requirements for a Woman to Become President of the United States.’

Tamblyn doesn’t pull any punches, whether she’s writing about the United States, ‘We are a nation that is morally backpedaling, scared of change, and stuck in the back pocket of social media’s isolation and alienation. We are a nation that not only refuses to resolve matters face-to face, we refuse to see eye-to-eye. We’re not only lost, we’re just now coming to terms with the fact that we’ve always been lost.’ Or about women’s health, ‘If we want equality and inclusivity in medicine, and if we want to see better results both for women in the field of medicine and for women who are patients, we need to see more female representation in leadership positions and in what research is being funded.’

I was moved by this book and felt that I was getting to know other dimensions of this young woman, whom I had known previously only as an actor. Now I know more about the woman, the writer, the activist, the human being.

‘Put your defenses down. Let go. Listen. And learn.’ - Amber Tamblyn

Climate Change Deniers, and the Cigarette Smoking Connection to Lung Cancer Deniers

As a species, we humans have a history of denying facts even when they are staring us in the face.

‘Lung cancer was once a very rare disease, so rare that doctors took special notice when confronted with a case, thinking it a once-in-a-lifetime oddity. Mechanisation and mass marketing towards the end of the 19th century popularised the cigarette habit, however, causing a global lung cancer epidemic. Cigarettes were recognised as the cause of the epidemic in the 1940s and 1950s, with the confluence of studies from epidemiology, animal experiments, cellular pathology and chemical analytics. Cigarette manufacturers disputed this evidence, as part of an orchestrated conspiracy to salvage cigarette sales. Propagandising the public proved successful, judging from secret tobacco industry measurements of the impact of denialist propaganda. As late as 1960 only one-third of all US doctors believed that the case against cigarettes had been established. The cigarette is the deadliest artefact in the history of human civilisation. Cigarettes cause about 1 lung cancer death per 3 or 4 million smoked, which explains why the scale of the epidemic is so large today. Cigarettes cause about 1.5 million deaths from lung cancer per year, a number that will rise to nearly 2 million per year by the 2020s or 2030s, even if consumption rates decline in the interim. Part of the ease of cigarette manufacturing stems from the ubiquity of high-speed cigarette making machines, which crank out 20,000 cigarettes per min. Cigarette makers make about a penny in profit for every cigarette sold, which means that the value of a life to a cigarette maker is about US$10,000.’

The above is a quote from the abstract for The history of the discovery of the cigarette-lung cancer link: evidentiary traditions, corporate denial, global toll, from the History Department, Stanford University.

People still smoke; it’s a highly addictive habit, and hard to kick.

‘Lung cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in men and the third most commonly occurring cancer in women.’ Even though lung cancer rates have been decreasing because of the changes made to packaging and ongoing information and education about the dangers of smoking, not only to the lungs, there were still ‘2 milion new cases in 2018.’

Quotes above from https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/cancer-trends/lung-cancer-statistics

‘The oil industry’s knowledge of dangerous climate change stretches back to the 1960s, with unearthed documents showing that it was warned of “serious worldwide environmental changes” more than 45 years ago.

‘The Stanford Research Institute presented a report to the American Petroleum Institute (API) in 1968 that warned the release of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels could carry an array of harmful consequences for the planet.

‘The emergence of this stark advice follows a series of revelations that the fossil fuel industry was aware of climate change for decades, only to publicly deny its scientific basis.

‘ “Significant temperature changes are almost certain to occur by the year 2000 and these could bring about climatic change,” the 1968 Stanford report, found and republished by the Center for International Environmental Law, states. “If the Earth’s temperature increases significantly, a number of events might be expected to occur including the melting of the Antarctic ice cap, a rise in sea levels, warming of the oceans and an increase in photosynthesis.’ From The Guardian, April 2016

For the complete article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/13/climate-change-oil-industry-environment-warning-1968

For more from the Center for International Environmental Law:

https://www.ciel.org/

Our planet still has a huge dependency on carbon-based fuels, and ‘Carbon dioxide is the main cause of human-induced climate change.’ Certainly ‘Small changes in the sun’s energy that reaches the earth can cause some climate change. But since the Industrial Revolution, adding greenhouse gases has been over 50 times more powerful than changes in the Sun's radiance. The additional greenhouse gases in earth’s atmosphere have had a strong warming effect on earth’s climate.’

‘Carbon dioxide is the main cause of human-induced global warming and associated climate change. It is a very long-lived gas, which means carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere with ongoing human emissions and remains in the atmosphere for centuries. Global warming can only be stopped by reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide from human fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes to zero, but even with zero emissions, the global temperature will remain essentially constant at its new warmer level. Emissions of other substances that warm the climate must also be substantially reduced. This indicates how difficult the challenge is.’

The quotes in the above 2 paragraphs are from the website:

https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/causes.html

We’ve heard and seen the demonstrations asking governments to pay attention to the science in regard to climate change. We’ve heard and seen the people who deny that we need to make radical changes. We’ve had the experience of denying that cigarette smoking is harmful.

How long will it take to make changes that will improve our future? What kinds of disasters will we see if we don’t?

The Privilege of Voting in Canada

I’ve voted consistently in elections – federal, provincial, municipal. We are so lucky that we have the opportunity. People in some countries don’t get the chance.

In Canada there have been various restrictions on voting in the past, e.g. only property owners could vote if they were male and British, conscientious objectors couldn’t vote at times, women and Indigenous people were denied the vote. For a more detailed history of voting in Canada, check out: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/franchise

Whether you are frustrated with political parties in general, or leaders, or the process, we are still fortunate to have the opportunity to have voices in choosing our government. So vote because the alternative is dictatorship!

Some choose to vote strategically in terms of which parties they think might get in. But if you never vote for the party whose policies you wholeheartedly or mostly support, and if everyone thinks like that, then how will we ever get real change?

I usually make up my mind early on, based on the record of various parties, and the policies they have supported over a period of years. I do factor in the leader and whether I support him or her, but it’s not my first criteria. And whether I like the candidate in my riding comes much further down the line. And I mostly ignore the debates and the posturing of election campaigns.

At times I even vote for a party that I know has a snowball’s chance in hell of forming the government (unless hell is a frozen wasteland rather than a hot fiery furnace), because I do support their policies and I think they need to know that there are people who support them.

I’d like to see electoral reform (e.g. proportional representation), though I’m not holding my breath on that one. For more on various electoral systems see this 2016 article in Macleans:

https://www.macleans.ca/politics/making-sense-of-electoral-reform-what-are-canadas-options/

I’m happy to hear that there was at least a 29% increase in voter numbers at advance polls this year for the federal election from 2015. I hope the increase in number carries through into election day.

Monday, October 21 – Vote!! (If you haven’t already done so.)

Legends and Loss

My old hardcover Webster’s dictionary defines a legend as:

o   a story coming down from the past, especially one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable

o   a popular myth of recent origin

o   a person or thing that inspires legends.

I intend, in this blog, to write about all three.

Most of us are familiar with Greek and Roman myths of gods, goddesses and heroes that we learned about in school. More recently comics and movies have used a few of these stories and embellished them. Other people may be familiar with African or Asian legends, or the stories that Indigenous People tell in various parts of the world. I’m not going to write about any of those legends.

I can’t remember when I first heard about George Mallory and the various expeditions he joined in attempts to climb Mount Everest (Sagarmatha or Chomolungma; this mountain did have names before Europeans ‘discovered’ it). Sadly, if he and his young climbing partner Andrew Irvine hadn’t disappeared, few would probably remember them, unless they’d managed to reach the summit.

It is believed that on the morning of June 8, 1924, Mallory and Irvine began their climb from Camp VI toward the summit. The last picture of the two was taken by Noel Odell on June 6 at Camp IV. A couple of notes were sent down later by Mallory with porters explaining that they were going to leave early for the climb. Odell was climbing toward Camp VI and watching for them, though for a while the weather was too misty for him to see much. At 12:50 the mists cleared so that Odell could see the summit ridge and final pyramid. He wrote in his diary, “Saw M & I on the ridge, nearing base of final pyramid.” He said that he had seen two moving black dots. Later his sighting was challenged by others, and he also varied his account. At any rate, no trace of Mallory and Irvine was found for many years and no one knew whether they might have reached the summit.

Seventy-five years later an expedition set out to find the climbers remains. Other climbers remains had been found at various times, and there had been rumours. In 1933 Irvine’s ice axe was found in the area of their last known route. It was identified by three notches. In 1960 a Chinese porter reported seeing the remains of “an English dead.” In May 1999 Conrad Aker discovered Mallory’s body. However, Irvine has yet to be discovered, and the camera that the two carried has never been found, so there is no proof on whether they reached the summit or not.

Wade Davis wrote an amazing book, published in 2011 ‘Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest.’ There are also lots of videos and other on-line resources if you’re interested in more on this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIs7JzoJpmw

You may be familiar with Stan Roger’s song ‘Northwest Passage.’ It has the words, “Ah, for just one time, I would take the Northwest Passage to find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea.” Songwriters play a part in creating legends. The search for a northwest passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific involved many explorers at various times, resulting in failures and claiming many lives.

One of the most famous expeditions was led by Captain Sir John Franklin. Between 1819 and 1827 Franklin was involved in overland explorations of Canada’s north, from the western shores of Hudson Bay toward Alaska. In 1845 Franklin set out to search for a northwest passage. His two ships, the Erebus (primeval god of darkness, son of Chaos) and the Terror carried 128 men. Interesting names for ships, considering what happened.

The last sighting of the ships was in late July, by British whalers, north of Baffin Island at the entrance to Lancaster sound. In 1847, when no further word had been received, search parties were sent out. For twelve years searches were conducted, but nothing was known until 1859, when Captain Francis Leopold McClintock’s expedition found skeletons and a written account through to April 25, 1948. The written account revealed that the ships became trapped in the ice. An old Inuit woman told McClintock about starving men who fell as they walked. Post-mortems conducted in the late 20^th century on preserved bodies, found that botulism, scurvy, and lead poisoning may have contributed to the mental and physical decline of the crew.

In September 2014, the wreck of the Erebus was found off King William Island. Two years later the wreck of the Terror was found 100 kilometers north in Terror Bay.

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/nu/epaveswrecks

Another legend that has fascinated me since I was a teenager is the loss of the Eagle of the Ninth Roman Legion. This fascination was sparked by reading Rosemary Sutcliffe’s book ‘The Eagle of the Ninth,’ published in 1954. By the way, you can order the book from Indigo.

A Roman Legion was a military unit of the Roman Empire, usually composed of about 5,000 men, though I’ve seen various numbers. Each legion carried an eagle standard.

The Romans first invaded the British Isles (though the land was not called that then) in 55 B.C. under Julius Caesar. The Roman occupation ended around 408 – 409 A.D. Various legions served in Britain, including the Legion IX Hispania. Each legion got its name through various ways. The Ninth was probably stationed in Spain during the time of Augustus.

The Ninth Legion disappeared from surviving Roman records around 120 A.D. So, what happened to it?

The various groups that lived in the British Isles did not take kindly to Roman occupation, and though there was a certain amount of integration and intermarriage, revolts did occur. You may have heard the story of Boudica of the Iceni. (A story for another time and place, and more legends. Read ‘The Eagle and the Raven’ by Canadian author Pauline Gedge.)

In 60 or 61 A.D. there was a battle at a place called Camulodunum, which resulted in the massacre of the Ninth Legion. This was in the southeastern part of England. Supposedly the Legion was not totally wiped out and was again brought up to strength and moved north.

An inscription was found at York dated from 108 A.D. that credits the Ninth Legion with rebuilding the fortress there. This appears to be the last written record of the legion.

In Rosemary Sutcliffe’s version, the Ninth Legion marched north to deal with revolts (Hadrian’s Wall area).

Sutcliffe wrote, “Sometime about the year 117 A.D. the Ninth Legion, which was stationed at Eburacum where York now stands, marched north to deal with a rising among the Caledonian tribes and was never heard of again.

“During the excavations at Silchester nearly eighteen hundred years later, there was dug up under the green fields which now cover the pavements of Calleva Atrebatum, a wingless Roman eagle, a cast of which can be seen to this day in Reading Museum. Different people have had different ideas as to how it came to be there, but no one knows, just as no one knows what happened to the Ninth Legion after it marched into the northern mists.

“It is from these two mysteries, brought together, that I have made the story of ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’.”

https://www.historyhit.com/the-eagle-of-the-ninth-what-do-we-know-about-romes-ninth-legion/

My Favourite Cities - Halifax Nova Scotia

I’ve visited Halifax, Nova Scotia four or five times and it has become one of my favourite places in Canada. Perhaps it’s partly that it’s on the ocean. All three of my favourite cites have water – ocean or river.

All of these cities are fairly small – both Victoria and Halifax in the neighbourhood of 400,000 and Saskatoon around 260,000. All of them have good urban walks and neigbourhoods that are convenient to downtown. They have history, museums and art galleries, older buildings, and great parks.

Point Pleasant Park in Halifax is at the south end of a peninsula, 75 forested hectares with walking paths. There are also various histories ruins. The city rents the land from the British government for 1 shilling a year (about 10 cents) with a 999 year lease.

The Martello Tower, also known as the Prince of Wales Tower, is located in Point Pleasant Park. It was the first and thus differs somewhat from later designs. It was meant to back up the batteries in Point Pleasant Park. It was completed in 1799. Later more of these towers were built in Halifax and other parts of Canada, as well as  in England. There they were intended to defend the coast against an invasion by Napoleon.

The Halifax citadel is located on top of a hill overlooking the harbour, originally built  in 1749 to protect the city. It was rebuilt three times but has never been attacked. One of the most exciting events here, is the firing of the noon cannon, a tradition since 1857.

There are also wonderful places to visit not far from Halifax, including Fisherman’s Wharf at Dartmouth, as well as other sites around Nova Scotia., such as Peggy’s Cove, and many beaches.

Universities, a great Farmers Market, good restaurants, and many wonderful walks are all reasons why I could live in Halifax.

 

My Favourite Cities – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

When I was in Victoria in June of this year shopping at the market in the Fernwood neighbourhood, I got into conversation with one of the cashiers. When I told her that I was visiting from Saskatoon, she told me the following joke. “My West Coast friends don’t get it,” she said, “but another friend who is from the prairies does.”


A couple were at the airport waiting to go on a winter holiday, dressed in their t-shirts shorts. The wife looked over at another couple who were dressed in parkas and mukluks. “I wonder where they’re from,” she said to her husband. “Go and ask them.”


“You’re the one who want to know,” he said. “You ask.”


So, she went over and said, “Hello. I was wondering, where are you from?”


“Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,” they said.


The wife smiled and went back to her husband. “So where are they from?” he asked.


“I don’t know,” she replied. “They don’t speak English.”


I got it, and thought it quite funny, because I’ve had the experience of being on the telephone with someone from the U.S. and when I say my location, they are struck dumb for a moment or two and often stutter.


Anyway, that’s my prelude to talking about another city that love. I’ve lived here continuously for more than 44 years, and for a few years before that while going to university. I have deep roots here, friends, favourite places and activities. In this blog I’m posting photos of a few of those places and activities.


Going by the calendar, the sights begin in January – cold and snow, but magnificent at the same time. They key is not to consider yourself trapped by the weather. There are plenty of events and activities.

After months of cold and snow, however, spring does come as a welcome relief for people and other creatures.

There are many wonderful places to walk and spent time.

The river and its banks, trails and parks are part of the attraction that Saskatoon holds for me. I also love the creativity of the people, some of which is planned and commissioned ...

and some of which is spontaneous.

There are many unique places to shop,

and meet friends for coffee or a meal.

I enjoy the animal life …

some of which is quite bold.

and some of which is encouraged by creative feeding.

Philosophy can be found not only in discussions with friends, but also along the street  …

In fall the spectacular colours and lack of mosquitos provide a welcome prelude to the next season.

Saskatoon is a place to call home, a place to visit, a unique place with a rich history and culture.

My Favourite Cities – Victoria, British Columbia

What is it that makes a city become a home? Living there for a period of time, of course, and loving things about it. I’ve discovered that more than one city feels like home to me, even if I don’t live there anymore.


I currently live in Saskatoon, but I’ve been travelling to Victoria since the 1970’s. Partly because I lived there for several months in the mid 70’s and because I loved so many things about it, that city is like a second home. This June I returned after not having been there for about ten years. There were changes, of course, but all my favourite things still exist.


Victoria is a city on water and rock with a moderate climate – often flowers are blooming in February. These are pluses. When I lived there, I didn’t enjoy the winter grey skies even if there was no snow (or rarely). Despite the winter cold of Saskatoon, I do like the amount of sun. Both Saskatoon and Victoria have good walks, and one can live in a neighborhood that doesn’t require owning a vehicle.

For me the Inner Harbour is the heart of Victoria, from where I can easily get to many of my favourite places. There you can look at people, boats, performers, and the Empire Hotel. It’s a short walk to the Museum and the Imax Theatre, Beacon Hill Park (big and varied, restful), James Bay (one of my favourite neighbourhoods), Fisherman’s Wharf, and downtown.


Fisherman’s Wharf is worth seeing for the creative houseboats as well as a few eateries. The day I visited this June, they were celebrating World Ocean Day with events for kids – displays, First Nations performance and music, activities, and information.

My favourite neighbourhoods are James Bay, where I once lived, and Fernwood, where my brother and his partner now live. Both neighbourhoods have a certain ‘funkiness’ as one of my friends names it.


We came to James Bay by accident. Had left Saskatchewan with an old truck because we wanted a new start. Drove to Saltspring Island where we had some connections and then I went into Victoria to stay with a new friend and to search for a place to live.  Everything I looked at was either too expensive, horribly dilapidated or too far away (we wanted to be close to the middle of the city. So my friend suggested putting an ad in the paper, saying young couple with child looking for a place to live. I can’t remember what other details I included, but it resulted in a phone call from a man who owned a small apartment building in James Bay. At the time, so-called hippies and counterculture people lived there and it felt very welcoming. There was a community school, which meant that classes and programs were offered after school for all ages and events such as a visit by Santa Claus were hosted. We often walked to the beach to collect treasures, could walk to the local laundromat, café, and free store (where people left items for exchange). A part of my heart still lives in James Bay.

Fernwood in the present day has a lot of artists and when I visited this year, I was able to take part in their art walk, seeing all sorts of art as well as wonderful yards. There’s a local theater, The Belfrey (a converted church), restaurants, a local market, and other shops. The neighbourhood is close to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, as well as other attractions.

I also like Oak Bay, with its village street atmosphere – bookstore, restaurants, small shops. There’s the wonderful Willow Beach with a tearoom run by Kiwanis volunteers. Great views into the bay and a lovely walking path.


Whenever I return to Victoria, I must visit Munro’s Books, established in 1963 by Alice Munro’s husband at the time. I love that they keep not just the latest books by an author, but past published books. They have a great selection of many genres and a good sales table. Staff are friendly and helpful.

Murchie’s Tea and Coffee is close to the bookstore. I like to stop there for a snack or a meal – good food and quick service. It may look busy when you arrive, but the line moves speedily and there’s usually a place to sit by the time you get your food. The souvenir shop is great too, and this year I discovered that you can order products online!

I also love to wander the Government House grounds, which are free. The rose garden is a delight for sight and nose! This year, for the first time, I had lunch at the tearoom, which was delicious – salad and quiche, with an Italian soda.


I spent just a week this time and walked a lot – second-hand bookstores, Chinatown (Fan Tan Alley is fun), past Craigdarroch Castle (which I’ve toured in the past), and lots of lovely scenery. I could live there again, if it wasn’t so expensive! I could get to know even more neighbourhoods.


And if you love Victoria, too, try to get hold of the book Hometown: Out and About in Victoria’s Neighbourhoods by Anny Scoones, with wonderful watercolour illustrations by Robert Amos. (Available from Munro’s Books of course.)