Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer

“There were many, many fine reasons not to go, but attempting to climb Everest is an intrinsically irrational act—a triumph of desire over sensibility. Any person who would seriously consider it is almost by definition beyond the sway of reasoned argument.”

Jon Krakauer, journalist for the adventure magazine Outside, was hired to document an expedition to Mt. Everest in 1996. What he couldn’t know was that by the end of the expedition, eight people would be dead and he would be left with a very different story than what he originally planned.  

We begin with the victory of Krakauer summiting the mountain, quickly followed by ominous words that presage what’s to come. But instead of heading straight into the disaster we know is coming, we’re given a history lesson on Mt. Everest instead. The book provides a mass of information on the dangerous of climbing and what summiting Everest requires in terms of equipment and fortitude. It also touches on Mallory and Irvine and Hillary and Norgay, building a solid foundation on the history of the mountain and how climbing has evolved over the years. Today it’s a commercial operation where inexperienced clients can add to the risk of climbing, endangering not only themselves but also guides and Sherpas.

In stories where the outcome is already known the ‘what’ becomes less important than the ‘why’ and ‘how’. Before reading this book I already knew it involved death and that things were going to go very wrong for a large number of people trying to ascend the mountain. This left me to discover the details around the larger story. Told in hindsight, it creates a growing anxiety as an accumulation of small problems and mistakes leads our climbers towards a slow but inevitable plod towards doom. It was unnerving, knowing some of the people I was reading about would never go home, that I was essentially reading about ghosts.  

Finishing this book I was left with one question. What is a human life worth? I already knew the story was a tragedy but I had no idea how the actions of some climbers would horrify and depress me. The actions and mistakes made along the way were one thing but to discover that climbers were left for dead, that others passed them by on the way to the summit or believed they were beyond help was sickening. It seemed callous and possibly criminal to make no attempt at saving a fellow climber and human being. The excuses made in the book were myriad. “We didn’t know them.” “It’s dangerous to help others at this altitude.” “I was worried for my own life.” But at what point does someone become culpable? They may not have had an active hand in their deaths but what if they could have been saved? Krakauer on other dwell on this, second-guessing themselves, wondering what might have been.

“The plain truth is that I knew better but went to Everest anyway. And in doing so I was a party to the death of good people, which is something that is apt to remain on my conscience for a very long time.” 

Blitz! - Margaret Gaskin

“The two worlds, the world of peace and the world of war, exist side by side, separated only by a few minutes of twilight.”

 

“Blitz!” tells the story of December 29, 1940 in London during the Blitzkreig when the city experienced one of the worst bombings of WWII. The book encompasses a wide variety of people from all walks of life with the one thread tying them together the fact that they’ve decided to stay in London despite the danger. We learn of the bravery of ordinary citizens and how important landmarks were to morale, including St. Pauls’ Cathedral, a symbol of London which is threatened during the firebombing.

We begin before the bombing with all of the volunteers who have chosen to stay behind, going about their everyday jobs. Most of these Londoners were civilians so it’s interesting to see how they adjusted to their new jobs, whether it was a member of the Home Guard, the ARP (Air Raid Precautions Service) or the Auxiliary Fire Service. I loved how the book chronologically progressed through December 29 with each chapter beginning with a radio program schedule for that portion of the day. Not only is this a refreshing way to inform the reader about which part of the day the events in the chapter unfold, it also creates a growing sense of apprehension as day turns to night because the reader knows what’s coming.

“The high wind which accompanies conflagrations is now stronger than ever, and the air is filled with a fierce driving rain of red-hot sparks and burning brands. The clouds overhead are a rose-pink from the reflected glow of the fires.”

The great descriptions and visual imagery create an atmosphere of danger and fear that puts you right in the midst of the chaos and heat. “It was as light as day, with huge fires all around, flames rising far above the houses, the place full of smoke and sparks and great blobs of burning stuff floating about and every now and then a bomb.” Throughout the night we follow a variety of people in different situations across the city. All of these great little stories interspersed throughout really showed how all-encompassing the threat was. It wasn’t unlikely for children to slip out of their bomb shelters during raids to help fire crews. I especially liked reading about the roof crew looking after St. Paul’s Cathedral. During the bombing it’s described as “some miraculous figure that appears before peace-hungry soldiers on a battlefield.” The best story though has to be about St. Lawrence Jewry. During the raid, an otherworldly shriek came from inside as a bomb had hit the synagogue, lighting the organ on fire. As the hot air from the fire blew through the organ pipes it made a sound like an alien in the throes of death. This was an awesome image and I could easily imagine what the pipes must have sounded like.

One paragraph that really made me think described the fire as ‘burning away time’ as it destroyed modern London. It was such an evocative image and really cemented the destructive power of these bombs and how it wasn’t just destroying the city it was destroying London’s past, obliterating all memory of what came before.

I loved reading this book, not only because I’m interested in WW2  but also because I didn’t know much about the London Blitz other than that it happened. If you’re interested in learning about what the London Blitz was like, this book will put you right in the middle of the action.

Timeless: Photos from Yesteryear 4

These photos are from Shorpy.com an amazing website full of old photos from every walk of life.

June 1942. Cable tower from which buckets carry materials used in the construction of Shasta Dam, California. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee.



This monstrosity looks like it belongs on some mineral rich alien planet.



German zeppelin LZ3 entering its shed on the Bodensee. 1908. George Grantham Bain Collection.

This picture was so strange when I first saw it. I never think of zeppelin's that close to the ground and who know they had sheds? I suppose they provided protection from the weather.

"See what Prince will do for me." Prince Albert, Ida Cuthbertson's "famous educated horse." Brown Studio, Riverside, circa 1909.

How very Mr. Ed - horses doing people things! This horse is a lot prettier though. I have a soft spot for greys.

Night view of the Washington Street produce market, New York City, 1952. Photograph by Walter Albertin for the World Telegram & Sun.

It interesting to think that before grocery stores there were outdoor markets and they closed up at night. You couldn't just wander into a store at 3am to pick up what you needed.
 

"New York City: Horse overcome by heat." Circa 1910. George Grantham Bain Collection. Hopefully the equine ambulance was on its way.

This brings back terrible memories of "Black Beauty". It's hard to believe that once upon a time New York's biggest polluter wasn't car exhaust but horse manure. This looks like a regular occurence as no one seems phased

Preparing for Circus Week at Madison Square Garden, New York. March 21, 1913. 5x7 glass plate negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.

This looks like something out of a movie. I love the lighting and all of the ropes strewn about.

 

"A Winning Miss" in 1911. Art Photo Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.



And people say the Edwardians were prudish!

A model floating in the water at Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida. The image by fashion photographer Toni Frissell was published in Harper's Bazaar in December 1947.

This is my favourite photo of the group this week! It's ethereal and slightly creepy.

B-24 bomber assembly hall, location unspecified. April 1943.

The scale of assembly operations for the war is sometimes more than boggling. It's an endless line of planes. The only things that would have made this better was if they were Lancasters.

"Margaret Ciampa, 14 years old, finishing flowers at Boston Floral Supply Co., 347-357 Cambridge Street. Said to be the only flower factory in Massachusetts." January 29, 1917. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine.

I remember my mom doing something similar for decorating. It's strange to thing that almost 100 years ago someone was doing the same thing.

Timeless: Photos from Yesteryear 3

These photos are are from Shorpy.com a great resource for old photos and one of my guilty pleasures.



Three views of Lewis Payne (a.k.a. Lewis Powell) in April 1865, three months before his execution by hanging, wearing the same sweater. Hanged as one of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. The photograph probably taken aboard the ironclad USS Montauk or Saugus.Photographs (wet collodion, glass plate) by Alexander Gardner.

 

He looks so relaxed. It's difficult to believe he was facing death and seemed so nonchalant in these photos.


1910 Irving Underhill photo of the 22-story Flatiron (Fuller) Building at 175 Fifth Avenue, one of the earliest (1902) buildings in New York to attain such heights.   An iconic building but I had no idea it was one of the earliest to be so tall.


  "Washington Monument as it stood for 25 years," 1860. Glass-plate (wet collodion) photograph by Mathew Brady.   It's not so impressive in this state. And to think it was like this for a quarter century, surrounded by shacks and fields.


 

Celebration on Wall Street upon the news of Germany's surrender in World War I. November 1918. Photograph by W.L. Drummond.

  What a celebration. If you look closely, in the top right by the flags, there's a man standing outside the window on the building.


July 1863. Dead Confederate sharpshooter at the foot of Round Top. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Photograph by Alexander Gardner.   Creepy and sad. Dead but preserved in this photo, possibly for all time.


"'Safety first' is the motto of Miss Mary Jayne of Keith's circuit. Mary Jayne, seated in rocking chair with pistol strapped to her knee, claiming exemption from concealed weapon regulation by saying her thirty-two isn't a concealed weapon in these days of knee-length skirts." National Photo Company Collection, February 14, 1922. The Keith Circuit was a chain of vaudeville theaters that eventually transitioned to motion pictures.   This is one awesome photo. I wonder if she ever used the gun.


  "The Burning of the Call." The San Francisco Call newspaper building in flames after the April 18, 1906 earthquake. Pillsbury Picture Co.   What a photo!


View of ruined buildings through porch of the Circular Church at 150 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina. April 1865. Wet collodion glass plate, half of stereograph pair. Photographer unknown. While much of the damage shown here is from shelling by the Federal Navy, the Circular Church itself was heavily damaged by fire in 1861.   If there had been no place or date attached I would have guessed this was shot during WWII. I can't imagine such destruction could have been wrought by civil war cannons.

15-year-old sweeper in the spinning and spooling room of Berkshire Cotton Mills. Adams, Massachusetts. July 10, 1916. Photo by Lewis Hine.   This is my favourite of this group. Look at his bare feet! Many children worked from a young age in cotton mills before the advent of child labour laws.


P-51 Mustangs of the 332nd Fighter Group (Tuskegee Airmen). Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945. Photograph by Toni Frissell.   I love that this was shot from the ground looking up at the plane's bellies.

Gettysburg (1993)

”In the morning, there's to be a great battle. Tomorrow or the next day will determine the war.”

The Confederate army had crossed into Pennsylvania from Virginia, pushing into Union territory to force the North to concede defeat. The two armies converged on Gettysburg, a town of little note until July 1 1863. Over the next few days it would serve as a battleground for some of the bloodiest fighting of the American Civil War. The battle didn’t spell the end of the war but it was most likely the turning point for both armies. This seemingly inconsequential battle outside a small town in Pennsylvania was a heavy blow against the Confederate army thanks to poor tactics, incompetent officers and a bullheaded commander unwilling to listen. It all could have gone very differently if not for a few key reasons and one can only imagine what the United States would look like today if the South had won. The movie itself presents a small window into the war, only several days during which the Battle of Gettysburg took place but it provides us with a glimpse of a different time when a country was torn apart.

I’ve wanted to watch this movie ever since reading Killer Angels by Michael Shaara as the film is based on the book. It closely follows the story, leading us chronologically through each day of battle culminating in the triumph of the Union over Johnny Reb. I really appreciated that several aspects of the book were carried over into the movie such as both sides of the conflict being shown and given equal screen time. The viewer sees that the Union and Confederate soldiers are formal, polite and well-spoken, allowing us to see the dynamics of conversation and everyday life, including the variety of music and song that permeated the camps before and during the battle which I found pleasantly surprising. It brought to mind the idea that these were ordinary men, mostly volunteers and not career soldiers, who had left homes and families with little understanding of what they would be facing.

The opening credits were both entertaining and informative. Photos of the participants are overlaid with the actors portraying them and some of the resemblances are uncanny. I also appreciated both the performances of Jeff Daniels, who I’m consistently surprised by, and Richard Jordan. Both gave performances that made me feel for the character. Daniels as Chamberlain had this quiet, concerned quality and Jordan as Lew Armistead choked me up when he spoke about not wanting to meet his friend in battle who happened to be fighting for the other side. Everyone else left me rather cold, including Martin Sheen as General Lee which I did not expect.

It was interesting to watch a 20 year old film and see how much cinematics have changed in such a short time. I expected a regular amount of quick cuts throughout but instead found a film composed of long takes. At times this was frustrating, partly because I felt it slowed the action down as quick cuts could have been used to great effect during the battle. Long takes can be effective when used properly, they can amp up the tension but I don’t feel it was used to full effect here. The battle scenes could have been shot more dynamically and occasionally it felt as if they were being shot at angles that didn't take full advantage of the scope of the battle. I did however get a chill during the various shots of lined cannons firing in succession. This, combined with the technology available at the time, made the film seem more like a History Channel documentary. I did appreciate the lack of gratuitous violence as the film could easily have tipped into a gorefest. Instead, the portrayal of death and destruction felt authentic. It did however, feel as if there was a lot of untapped potential in this film.

One of the issues I had with the movie was the viewer didn’t get the great internal dialogue present in the book. In Shaara’s work, the reader could see into the hearts and minds of the major players and empathize with their situation, how they would be forced to fight friends and fellow countrymen. This made it easier to care about and worry for men on both sides of the conflict. The connection with the movie characters isn’t as well established as the story rests entirely upon the visuals, omitting an important aspect of the book. As a result, there wasn’t as much tension built around character survival as I didn’t care about about everyone living through the battle.

Running close to four hours though, this movie feels overlong. Some of the dialogue feels stale, stretching out scenes to an interminable length. And then, when we finally reach the battle scenes, they are less than eletric. The movie just doesn't measure up to the book. That doesn't mean it's a bad movie though. If you’re looking for a visual representation of what the Battle of Gettysburg looked like, filmed where it took place 130 years later, watch this movie. I also cannot recommend enough the soundtrack composed by Randy Edelman. It is spectacular.

King Richard III's body found!

Photo courtesy University of Leicester

I’ve always been a bit obsessed by history so identifying a skeleton as a murdered King of England who happens to have been rediscovered under a parking lot in Leicester is rather fascinating. It was strange to think that someone I’ve only ever heard stories about, some most likely untrue, has a physical presence in this world again. It brings history to life and forces one to focus on the mortality of life. Here is a man, dead for more than 500 years and lost to history, has been brought back from ‘the grave’. There’s renewed interest in him as a person and in his story. Even the information about how he was found and his identification reads like a fairytale.






Artist unknown, late 15th c

At first the archaeologists who were looking for him weren’t even sure they were digging in the right place. Originally he’d been buried in a church called Greyfriars. Unfortunately after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, the Greyfriars’ church was torn down and eventually lost to time. Several centuries later it was determined that the remains of the church and possibly Richard might be located under a parking lot used by the Leicester City Council.

They started to dig and immediately found the remains of the church and then eventually human remains. It was reported that they had found two skeletons, one male, one female. The male skeleton was found to have various injuries and a SPINAL ABNORMALITY! This was exciting because Richard was rumoured to have been a hunchback. While some historians thought this rumour may have just been slander from Tudor successors, the skeleton on the parking had a curved spine, probably from scoliosis, causing one shoulder to be higher than another and possibly leading to stories about Richard being a hunchback.

Photo courtesy University of Leicester

The plan was to do a DNA analysis on the remains and to compare to DNA from a descendant of Richard’s sister. This descendant happens to be CANADIAN and one member of the family literally lives less than 6 hours away from me! Unfortunately we would have to wait six long, agonizing months to find out the results of this test, meaning we would have to wait until after the New Year.


Then, on February 4 they made the big announcement, holding a press conference with all of the involved parties. About an hour in, after explaining that they were able to retrieve viable DNA from the skeleton and describing all the various wounds on the skeleton, including the ones that slice off parts of his skull, they confirmed that the skeleton had been positively identified as RICHARD III! I heard about this over the radio could not stop from punching the air! It was so very cool to have something like this all come together so easily and so well. There are plans to rebury him in Leicester Cathedral at the end of August 2014.


Thanks to a facial reconstruction here is most likely what he looked like:

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

It’s events like this that make history more than just a dusty old story you’re told about in school. All of the people who’ve come before that you’ve never met did actually live. All those dates and years you had to memorize, all those events did actually happen, even if they sometimes appear little more than a memory. People tend to forget how much has happened in the history of man and that’s just the information that’s been preserved and written down. It boggles the mind how much has been lost, forgotten or destroyed.

I would hightly suggest checking out The History Blog if you want a more detailed description of the discovery. This site is how I first found out about the dig and the hunt for Richard's body. It has daily updates and always has something interesting to read.

Getting back into Gear

I've been gone for awhile thanks to work. This summer was a bit crazy and the changeover into autumn even more so.

Here's what I've been up to over the past few months:

I tried a vodka martini for the first time, once with olives, once with a lemon peel. Both were equally distasteful. I was hoping I had a more "sophisticated" palate but since I'm not the biggest fan of wine or beer, I shouldn't have had high hopes for hard liquor. The best part was I made them myself and actually learned about the difference between shaken and stirred martinis, dirty and dry martinis. The next step is to try a proper martini made with gin. Apparently vodka martinis weren't popular until the 1950s, making the whole exercise fruitless as I wanted a martini similar to the ones Nick and Nora Charles order in "The Thin Man". When I actually do get around to the original martini I'll let you know but I don't expect a better outcome.

I discovered Fritz Lang and watched "M". I had to keep reminding myself that I should watch the whole film through first and then later go back to pause and marvel the film. I'm glad that at this point in my life I'm comfortable with foreign films. Otherwise I would have missed this masterpiece. I love the cinematography, the sets, the ambiguous camera and how Fritz and Lorre managed to convince the viewer to pity a child serial killer. I'll be posting a review for the film soon with my insights and opinions.

I also discovered and watched the scariest movie known to man. "When a Stranger Calls Back" is a sequel to "When a Stranger Calls", the movie where the babysitter got that infamous call saying "the call is coming from inside the house". This movie has no gore, very little blood and is all suspense. I ended up turning on all the lights in my place because it was that scary. This pertains to how the killer gets around which I won't give away. I would highly recommend this movie but don't watch it alone.

I also started to watch M*A*S*H as I have several seasons kicking around. Why isn't today's television as funny as this? There are so many jokes flying around I can't keep track of half of them. What happened? Did the writers retire and the talent wasn't replaced?

Archaeologists have possibly discovered the skeleton of King Richard III under a parking lot in Leicester! Gah! This is crazy! The first best part is that a Canadian is helping to prove the identity of the remains as he's believed to be a descendant of Richard's sister Anne. The second best and most amazing part is that the skeleton they discovered had a twisted spine, resulting in one shoulder being higher than another. If it's him then maybe the idea that Richard was a hunchback was just an exaggerated truth. It's strange how quickly this has all happened and in December we'll find out if the bones are royal or not.

100th Anniversary of the Titanic sinking

100 years ago today the Titanic, so-called unsinkable by some, sunk, taking around 1500 lives down to the bottom of the ocean.

A century is a long time and all the survivors from that voyage have passed on but it's important to remember what happened that night. Maritime safety forever changed afterwards due to the horrible loss of life. In the aftermath the International Ice Patrol and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea were established and are still in operation today.

On such an important anniversary there are understandably many Titanic-related events going on. "Titanic" the movie has been rereleased in 3D. While I thought the whole world went mad in 1997, it wasn't a bad movie, just not one I thought should be rereleased in theatres or made 3D.

There is also a memorial cruise, duplicating the journey and menu of the original ship. Some passengers are descendants of survivors and victims of the sinking of the ship. Some will be dressed in period costume, experiencing food from the menu on the original ship and a group of musicians will finish what the original group was playing as the ship sank. This voyage thought, has had its own share of issues

The most disappointing part of this anniversary is that some people apparently didn't know the Titanic was a real ship. They thought the James Cameron movie was fictional which makes me headdesk every time I think about it. Seriously! Check out this link for examples of people discovering the Titanic wasn't just a movie.

95th Memorial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge

Today marks the 95th anniversary of the battle at Vimy Ridge where Canadian troops wona major victory where the British and French couldn't break through. Many historians have called this the moment where Canada came of age as a nation. While existing as a country since 1867 it is this moment where Canadian divisions first fought together, where they were under command of a Canadian, General Arthur Currie, and not a British General. It is here where we won out where so many others had failed. It's estimated that over 100 000 British and French soldiers died trying to take Vimy Ridge before the Canadians were brought in. They used different tactics and trusted ordinary soldiers with the battle plan so that every man might know what to do. Never again would we be commanded by anyone other than Canadians. We even had our own seat at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

It's important to remember such moments, not only because they
have shaped the country and its people but to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in the defence of our freedom. My great grandfather fought at Vimy Ridge and lived. While I never had the pleasure of meeting the man I am very proud of him and his service to this country and consequently, to me, a great grandchild he never met. It's important to remember because the last WWI war veteran died in 2010. There is no one left to keep the memories of that war so we must keep it for them: for everyone who came home and had to live with what they'd experienced; for those who lie buried in Europe and never came home and for those who were never found, who have no headstone, no place for a family to come and mourn.

The Monuments Men - Robert Edsel

"The reconstruction of Europe after World War II was one of the most complicated and comprehensive international efforts of modern times. The identity and infrastructure of the nations of Europe had to be rebuilt and the restitution of artwork was a vital component. To say the war was the greatest upheaval of cultural items in history would be a grave understatement. In the end, the Western Allies discovered more than one thousand repositories in southern Germany alone, containing millions of works of art and other cultural treasures, including church bells, stained glass, religious items, municipal records, manuscripts, books, libraries, wine, gold, diamonds, and even insect collections."

This book tells the little known story of the Monuments Men, experts in the art field tasked with locating, recovering, preserving and repatriating art looted by the Nazis. This small band of men faced an almost insurmountable task. The amount of irreplaceable art and artifacts taken by the Nazis was staggering and whole of the Monuments Men consisted of less than 400 people to look after the entire western half of Europe.

What I loved about this book was how these men came from ordinary backgrounds and accomplished extraordinary things. They were architects and scholars, working in museums and universities; some had little to no training in the preservation and transportation of precious artwork. The odds were against them from the start but it's their dedication and the fact that they were willing to put their lives at risk to save mankind's art history that make you root for them. They are the ultimate underdogs where they not only fought against the Nazis but against the clock. "What if we win the war, but lose the last five hundred years of our cultural history on our watch?" Much of the art was stored in mines to protect them from bombing but these places were not always suitable for storing fragile works of art for years at a time. They were prone to cave-ins and flooding while the art was also susceptible to moisture and looters.

I really liked the chronological nature of the book. As the war unfolded, so did the search for the art. I was caught up as much as the Monuments Men were and I found myself filled with anxiety over certain works that were missing. I also got to follow various members of the group as they tramped around Europe, following troops, striking out on their own, stealing supplies, commandeering vehicles, men and the help of local civilians if needed.

There are also some great photos and maps to illustrate what Edsel is talking about. A main character crew list with photos and short bios is included in the beginning which puts faces to the men the reader follows. I wish the art photos hadn't been clustered together though but rather interspersed throughout. For example, whenever the Ghent Altarpiece was mentioned I had to keep flipping back to the photo to remind myself what it looked like as there's a wide variety of works mentioned and it's tough to keep everything straight.

Learning about these men and everything they went through, I shared in their triumphs and failures. I worried about them and feared for their safety. Edsel made me feel like I was there. It was exciting and nerve-wracking and heartbreaking, a great read! If you like art history and WWII then this book is for you.

Rating: 4/5

On a side note, George Clooney is apparently going to be co-writing, directing and starring in a movie based on this book. I look forward to this if it happens but I'm hesitant about whether it will be any good. Many war movies have romances shoved into the plot where they have no business being because "it will make the movie more commercially successful". I hope Clooney will stick to the source material though as the story is interesting enough without adding in some random peasant women for the MMS to moon over.

The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

“Who would ever think that so much went on in the soul of a young girl?”

For several years during WWII, the Frank family hid in a secret attic, existing on the kindness of others and an ever diminishing food source. They lived in constant fear and took extreme precautions to avoid being discovered. Anne Frank was all of 13 and a precocious child before going into hiding. Once secluded with her family, the van Daans and Mr. Dussel, she decided to document daily life within the secret annex in a diary. Her writing betrays a maturity beyond her years as she develops a meditative internal life, an inner monologue that is strong, stubborn and independent.

I found this book difficult to finish. It might sound weird but right when Anne starts to spend time with Peter I just wanted to put it down. I knew the ending before I started and in my head I wanted her to remain happy. Sounds silly right? But I’ve never been one to not finish a good book. The closer I got to the end the more nervous I became. It reminded me of something I read when I was a kid. It was called “The Monster at the End of this Book”. It was a Sesame Street book starring Grover. It broke the fourth wall because he spoke to the reader and was scared to reach the end and find the monster. He would construct all sorts of elaborate walls of brick, cement and wood to keep the reader from turning the page, all the while begging them not to finish the book.

I loved seeing Anne's opinions develop over time and how confident she became with her own voice. She can be quite cruel at times towards the other occupants of the attic, revealing an articulate mean streak that pokes at others flaws. I didn’t like to read how she tore other people down but it showed me she’s not a character, she’s a real person with real feelings.

We see her voracious appetite for books, the emergence of young love and a penchant to examine issues you wouldn’t expect to hear from teenagers, like the hatred of Jewish peoples within German occupied territory. She writes truth and never holds back, revealing a complex young woman with dreams beyond the attic. It is this honesty that makes the writing fresh and new, despite the diary being almost 70 years old.

If you want to know how a regular Jewish family lived and suffered through the war or if you want to read about life from the prospective of a strong young woman, read this book.


Rating: 5/5

Hailstones = French Revolution

I can hardly believe it's true but it does sound like hail was one of the contributing causes to France's Republic.

In July 1788 a gigantic hailstorm destroyed crops in France, leading to the worst harvest in 40 years. Due to the shortage of grain, prices for bread skyrocketed, leading to malnutrition, famine and disease. The peasantry was already suffering under high unemployment and the country was almost bankrupt thanks to various wars fought by Louis XV.

When aid from the nobles wasn't forthcoming and the upper classes spent lavishly on food and luxury goods, the lower classes grew resentful. And so began the French Revolution with Robespierre, guillotines, riots, tricoteuses (female knitters who watched guillotine executions) and most notably, the Reign of Terror.

Of course, the causes and details of the Revolution are far more complex than what I've laid out but it's strange to think what effect a little frozen water had on a country and its class system.

Khubilai Khan's Lost Fleet by James Delgado

..."very few Westerners have any understanding of how the forces of nature and history brought Khubilai Khan and kamikaze together off the shores of Japan's southern coast in the late thirteenth century. Even today in China and Japan, where Khubilai once reigned and where the battles and shipwrecks that marked his failed invasions played out, most do not have more than a cursory understanding of what really happened."

Khubilai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, took control of his grandfather's empire and for a time ruled China as Emperor. In 1274 and 1281 he tried to invade Japan, failing both times. The story that most of the world knows is the second invasion was supposedly destroyed by a "divine wind", otherwise known as a kamikaze. This gave rise to the idea that as an island nation, Japan had the divine protection of the gods. No one knew what had really happened to these invasion fleets until the early 1908s when mechanical engineer and WWII veteran, Torao Mozai made a discovery off Takashima Island.

The Good:

Delgado tells a good story around the facts when this book could have easily been a dry academic text. Things are described in layman's terms, making it easy for the average person to understand. As well, the reader gets a good background on ships, sailing and trading in Ancient China, showing how technologically advanced the Chinese were. They invented the stern rudder whereas it was unknown in the Mediterranean until the 13th century. Also, Chinese mariners used watertight bulkheads, something the Titanic failed to faithfully reproduce.

It was fascinating to discover how much of a contribution Khubilai made to China as well as read about his rise to power, despite the machinations of other family members. He introduced paper currency to China and "in his memoirs, Marco Polo waxed eloquent on the novelty and efficiency of the Khan's paper money, manufactured from the bark of mulberry trees."

Despite the face that "nautical archaeology has yet to be developed", we are able delve into what really happened to the Mongol invasion fleets of 1274 and 1281. Several theories are put forward, including the idea that a great storm, a kamikaze, was indeed responsible for breaking up the fleet of 1281. The proposed truth is far more interesting and complex.

The Bad:

This book includes a photo section and Delgado make various references to paintings, artifacts and manuscripts but very few of these examples are accompanied by photos. For example, Delgado mentions surviving portraits of both Kubilai and his wife Chabi, yet they aren't reproduced in this book. Delgado goes to great lengths describing the Great Khan's rise to power and his decisions as Emperor of China so why not let us take a look at the man?

As well I don't believe enough time has passed since excavation began to warrant a book. It's only in the last twenty years that some major discoveries have been made. I would have expected to see a book perhaps twenty years down the road, when a more concrete idea has emerged from Takashima Island. Here the archaeologists and Delgado only scratch the surface of the invasion fleet with less than one percent of the estimated underwater battlefield excavated. Only one chapter out of twelve is actually devoted to the finds made. This was disappointing considering the book seems aimed at answering the big question: what happened to the fleet? Even with the proposed theories, archaeologists admit theres a lot they still don't know.

The Ugly:

Somebody find Eli Wallach.


Rating: 3.5/5

Julia Child: OSS Spy

You may know her as the host of "The French Chef" on television but during WWII she was a spy for the Office of Strategic Services(OSS), a precursor to the CIA. My limited knowledge of Julia Child was thanks to channel surfing and Foods 9 & 10 so I was surprised to hear this.

Apparently she applied for the post after the December 7 bombing of Pearl Harbour. Her job involved working as a research assistant and file clerk. She also worked directly for OSS chief Gen. William J. Donovan. She also was involved in a project to develop a shark repellent, to stop sharks from exploding underwater mines. (This just goes to show that shark repellent isn't ridiculous as I've often believed thanks to the use of shark repellent bat spray in the 1966 Batman movie). She was later, posted to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where she met her husband Paul Cushing Child, also an OSS operative.

Documents released from the US National Archives on Thursday confirmed her participation in the organization formed by President Franklin Roosevelt. Without written proof I don't know that I would have believed it. If someone told you this you this nice lady holding a big fish was a spy would you be inclined to believe them?

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Olmypic Update: The drought is over! Today I heard over the radio that we've won three medals, one of each. Our first gold of the games was won by a woman from right here in BC. Her name is Carol Huynh and she's originally from Hazelton, BC.

100 Years Ago Today - Anne of Green Gables

It's 1908 and Lucy Maud Montgomery has just received the first copy of her book "Anne of Green Gables". Little does she know that what she holds in her hands will become known and loved the world over. There will be a musical, tours of the house that inspired her, an invasion of tourists and enough Anne related material to drive Prince Edward Islanders up the proverbial wall.

I really appreciate the fact that her books became so popular, the story universally identifiable. It helped put PEI on the map as a destination for international tourists, showing off the beautiful countryside. (I've only seen pictures. But one day, I'm going to take the Maritimes by storm). As far as I know it made her one of the first globally known authors from Canada, putting us on the map. And you can't forget the story itself. Who can forget the "auburn-haired" little girl in pigtails with a flair for the dramatic?

But here's where I have to admit my dirty little secret. I've never actually finished the book. *pause for effect* Now here me out before you start haranguing me. I received a beautiful hardcover edition when I was about nine and over the years I would start reading, get about halfway through and get distracted. Then I would start again, having forgotten key events and plow through the book before getting distracted again. Today I have plenty of time on my hands but the book is on the mainland, hours away and I only want to read the story from that book. I know it's weird but that's how I operate. I suppose now is also the time to admit that I have a hardcover edition of "The Jungle Book" I also haven't finished. *hangs head in shame*

But I do have a favourite scene. I almost wished I was Anne when she smashed her slate over Gilbert's head. I myself have never smashed a slate on someone's head but I imagine it must be immensely satisfying. Oh and "C-H-R-Y-S-A-N-T-H-E-U-M". That too.

If I manage to get home sometime this year, I will definitely read the book and then all of you can stop being disgusted. Don't worry I understand how you must feel. I have the same problem with people who've never seen "The Wizard of Oz". I mean come on. What are you waiting for? To be fair though, I haven't read that book either.

Happy VE Day!

For those of you who don't know, 63 years ago today, Victory in Europe was declared. The Allies of WWII accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. Our Governor General Michaelle Jean is currently in France, attending ceremonies that marking the anniversary of VE Day.

I really feel for France. Both world wars they were caught in the middle and the fighting was in their backyard.My only hope is that the world will never have to suffer through something like again.

This is Churchill, Winston Churchill. He's waving to crowds after announcing the end of the war on the radio. I took "The Gathering Storm" out of the library and hope to dig into it soon. It's his account of the beginning of WWII.

Lost Egyptian Queen 3000 Years Later - Part 2

Cont. from Part I.

Hatshepsut's mummy was never found. Some scholars suggested that Tuthmosis III may have destroyed it.

She was the daughter of Pharaoh Tuthmosis I and wife of Tuthmosis II, her half-brother. When her husband-brother died, she became regent for the boy-king Tuthmosis III, the child of Tuthmosis II and a concubine. But hieroglyphic carvings suggest she proclaimed herself pharaoh.

She reigned from 1498-1483 B.C. as the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. Under her 20-year rule, Egypt was prosperous. Of all the buildings that she may have commissioned, only two remain, two obelisks at Karnak and the temple at Deir al-Bahari.

The mummy believed to be the missing queen is an unidentified female found by Howard Carter in 1903 as he entered tomb KV60.

According to Carter, who later discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, KV60 contained stuffed geese and the denuded bodies of two women. One was in a lidless coffin for a wet nurse, later identified as Sitre In. The other mummy, thought to be a possible match for Hatshepsut lay on the floor.

Carter closed the tomb up soon after discovering it and the location was lost. It was rediscovered in 1989 by Egyptologist Donald Ryan, who noticed the pose of the mummy on the floor.

"It was striking, it was what many believe to be a royal female pose: left arm bent across the chest with the left hand clenched, right arm straight alongside the body. I've always felt that this was a royal mummy, and possibly Hatshepsut, but there was no evidence in the tomb to prove who this mummy might be," Ryan, an archaeologist at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash., told Discovery News.

The fact that the mummy wasn't in a coffin suggested it had been moved from another tomb into KV60, making it more difficult to identify. But a canopic jar with the queen's name inscribed on it provided some answers. Scans revealed a tooth, possibly Hatshepsut's and when considering the unidentified female in KV60 had some dental issues and teeth missing, a match might be made.

The tooth matched within a fraction of a millimeter the space of the missing molar in the mouth of a 3,000-year-old mummy called KV60A. This shows that the mummy is Hatshepsut, according to Hawass. "A tooth is like a fingerprint," he told reporters at a news conference.

According to Ryan, the evidence from the tooth will create a debate. "There is always room for creativity in science and I think this is a fascinating and novel approach to solving an intriguing mystery," Ryan said.

DNA testing on the mummy and mummies from the queen's family will be the next step in order to obtain conclusive evidence. Egyptian molecular geneticist Yehia Zakaria Gad told reporters that preliminary mitochondrial DNA showed “encouraging” results to prove a relationship between the mummy and her ancestor, Ahmose Nefertari.

The find, if true, is said to be the most important in Egypt's Valley of the Kings since the discovery of King Tutankhamun in the early 1920s, follows a one-year investigation led by Zahi Hawass, Egypt's secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

"I suggest that in the Third Intermediate Period, during the 21st or 22nd Dynasties, the priests moved the mummy of Hatshepsut to KV60, which possibly was cut in the 18th Dynasty but never used, or perhaps was originally intended for Sitre-In," Hawass wrote in "Quest for the Mummy of Hatshepsut," an undated article that appears on his Web site.

Lost Egyptian Queen 3000 Years Later - Part 1

Egypt, land of the Nile, hot desert sand and home of the Pharoahs.

This July, one of the great pharoahs of Egypt was found again after 3000 years. Her name was Hatshepsut. You may have heard of her.

For those of you who haven't, she was the ancient world's greatest queen, ruling during the golden period of Egypt and was the only woman to rule as a full pharoah, going so far as to wear the traditional headdress and wooden beard. The Egyptian royal line was matrilinial, descending through the female line. Other women have ruled Egypt but Hatshepsut is the most famous of these.

She took power after her husband Tuthmosis II died, taking over as regent for his son by another woman, Tuthmosis III. This is where things start to get a bit fishy. Eighteen years later, Hatshepsut died and Tuthmosis III took over. Subsequently her name and relief carvings were mysteriously defaced in an attempt to erase her from history. As well, this was believed to cause her to die a second permanent death in the afterlife as names and reliefs were believed to hold power. For years, scholars believed Tuthmosis was responsible, perhaps because he resented her, perhaps to assert his royal bloodline over that of his stepmothers.

She was thought lost to history but there was always the hope that one day she would be found. This was the hope of one, Dr. Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. He is the man to see if you want to excavate in Egypt.

The search began more than a year ago when the Discovery Channel offered to make a documentary about the missing queen. To help with the search, the first-ever DNA laboratory for mummies was built in the basement of the Egyptian Museum. CT (computerized axial tomography) scanning equipment was brought in on loan from Germany.

The reason being that the museum wanted to test four unidentified female mummies they believed were royals as well as known members of Hatshepsut’s family. Why this wasn't done years ago I don't know. Funding? Time? Staff Numbers? Who knows. I can only say that I'm glad it happened.

Want to know how it all happened? Tune in for Part II.

This Day in History - July 6

1189 Richard 'the Lionheart' is crowned King of England

1348 – Papal bull of Pope Clement VI issued protecting Jewish people accused of having caused the Black Death

1535 Sir Thomas More is beheaded in England for refusing to swear allegiance to King Henry VIII as head of the Church.

1536 Jaques Cartier returns to France after discovering the St. Lawrence River in Canada.

1785 – The dollar is unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States

1885 – Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies. The patient is Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog

1892 – 3,800 striking steelworkers engage in a day-long battle with Pinkerton agents during the Homestead Strike, leaving 10 dead and dozens wounded

1917 – World War I: Arabian troops led by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt

1935 Dalai Lama [Tenzin Gyatso], Tibetan religious leader, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize born.

1942 – Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse

1944 – The Hartford Circus Fire, one of America's worst fire disasters, kills approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut

1957 – John Lennon meets Paul McCartney at a fete in Woolton.

67 years ago today, Canada declared War against Germany

On September 10, 1939, Ottawa declared war against Germany. We were the last of the "great" Dominions to declare against them but it was the first time we'd made our own declaration of war as a sovereign province. Yay us.

It's hard to imagine something that happened so long ago had such an impact. From that day onward nothing was ever the same. Of course, the innocence of the world had was smashed to pieces in the Great War but can you imagine how people must have felt when they heard the country was going to war again? The last years of the 10s were terrible, the 20s were a small reprieve and then the Depression was really, well, depressing. Then the 40s come along and yes it lifted people up out of the 30s but at what cost?

And what about the men who had been young enough in the Great War that they were still technically eligible to fight in WWII? Do you have any idea of how depressing that must have been? WWI was a slaughter, with cavalry still being employed and elderly officers commanding young men to die in the mud because they stuck to tactics that had died out with the last century.

I can't even imagine having to live through that. Whether it was on the front lines or at home. Each seemed equally horrible. But I have to say, I'm really worried about it happening again. All these crazy old men with nukes just makes me nervous. All I can say is, our grandparents were tough folks and I don't think I could do what they could.