2016: 'Like or Dislike?'

At this time of year, news sources feel compelled to feature survey stories 'looking back' ... and 'looking ahead.'

Opinions are widely mixed this year, to put it mildly!
I offer the following four excellent examples:
1. CBC News website has posted an 'Opinion' piece by Scott Reid, for CBC News: 'Think 2016 was bad? 2017 will be worse; Four reasons to despair about 2017.'
His four categories are not surprising:
-- President Trump
-- Global Economy
-- Prejudice
-- Journalism
Perhaps, Dear Reader, some folks might claim that Reid was just getting started!
His closing is sombre: 'It's not a very rosy outlook and human nature runs contrary to much of this analysis. We're wired to look ahead with hope, to dismiss the naysayers and expect that things will somehow work out for the best. But reason tells us that can't always be so. Now and then, the outlook is every bit as grim as it appears.'

Was it really all that bad?
Is it going to get worse?

TV Technicians

My goal from an early age was to work in TV, either in a technical area or even perhaps in front of the camera.
Throughout my high school years during the early 1960s, I had gathered quite a library of written material from a variety of TV sources, near and far.

Most items were related to my fascination with the technical side:
-- catalogues of studio and control room equipment (Marconi, RCA, G-E);
-- detailed yearbooks (from BBC, WGN, Chicago, and CJIC, Sault-Ste-Marie, Ontario);
-- with even a running subscription to the monthly 'Canadian Broadcaster' magazine, full of news from around the country!
I could watch a bit of U-S TV, especially duruing the summer,

Bucket List -- 'Music Producer'

I wanted to produce a record (with the video).
What used to be called 'goals' is now called your "Bucket list."
The closest I came to being a record producer occurred when I was teaching high school. A group of the senior students had formed a musical group to enter a local talent contest.
Some of them knew I had done radio production and had some background in music. They asked me if I would help them get their band together.

I proposed one condition: they could submit musical numbers, we would work on them and then I would make all final decisions.
Agreed!
At our first rehearsal, I discovered:
– Many of them could read music (while I had only the basics).
– Their musical choices were rather limited: Two guys, both guitarists, wanted to sing material by (Carlos) Santana, who was quite popular at the time, but were not avid followers of other musical styles.
– The gals were into folk music, and wondered how that style would fit in with the Rock material.
– Our excellent bass guitarist was an "import," a young man in his mid-20s

'Conclave' - A Novel

This book's theme is short: The Pope is dead.
The one hundred twenty members of the College of Cardinals from all over the globe will gather to elect a new pope.
Over the next seventy-two hours one of these holy men -- who also have political and other ambitions -- will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.

This process, held behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, is the world’s most secretive election.
Many of us of an age, Dear Reader, can recall the news coverage in 1978 of the election of Pope John Paul I, his mysterious death only a few weeks later, and the election of John Paul II.
(John Paul's death has never been solved, though many [conspiracy] theories, crime reports and even several books have been advanced.)
One of these, 'The Vatican Murders,' states the case. "The political infighting that goes on when a pope is elected is often fierce. There have been times it has turned to murder ... ."
The most recent papal election led to the global -- almost 'rock-star' -- phenomenon of Pope Francis, who continues to shake the cobwebs around the papacy and the entire Catholic Church.
I first heard about this book a couple of months ago,

Radio and Me ... 38

My Fave Radio Apps:
I am an avid radio listener. (Understatement!)
The local Halifax radio dial ... now all FM ... contains the usual Canadian urban stations: 4 CBC / Radio-Canada, 7 rock, 2 country, 1 news / talk, 4 community (including one in French, and a new one in Arabic), 1 Christian, and 1 easy listening.

But, of course, Dear Reader, that's never enough!
After dark, I seek out some of the big 50,000-watt AM stations on the East Coast, such as WCBC-News 88 and 1010 WINS, both in New \York, or Bloomberg, in Boston.
But the sound quality on those is hit-and-miss most of the time.
So, I've collected a number of radio apps.
You can click on their title for the URL, listen if you wish.

Awesome Autumn Colours

The time has sped by, and we're already in mid-October.
Here in Nova Scotia, that means we're experiencing: farm markets displaying great varieties of fruit and vegetables from a bountiful harvest -- despite a very dry summer -- frosty nights, and spectacular multicoloured forest foliage.
Here is a photo from one of our favourite Autumn scenes in the Musquodoboit Valley, about 50 kilometers east of Halifax:

This year, however, we drove west, to observe the Autumn Colours arrayed along the Annapolis Valley, along routes 1 and 101.
To help celebrate our 37th Wedding Anniversary, we enjoyed a huge Thanksgiving Dinner, at Old Orchard Inn, in Greenwich (near Wolfville).
And once again, the Valley and the chef did not disappoint:

Peter Coade Retires

Folks in the Maritimes, who want to get a comprehensive weather forecast, probably tune in to reports on CBC by Peter Coade.
Or, if you happened to live decades ago in Truro, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., or even Toronto, chances are you heard him on local radio.
Peter is retiring today, celebrating 54 years of continuous service as a meteorologist.

In 2013, he was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a weather broadcaster, which of course has continued until today.
His first appearance on CBC television was back in the late 1950s, when one day he job shadowed the legendary Maritimes weatherman, Rube Hornstein. He has been 'hooked on weather' ever since.

Fabulous at 70

If you're from Cape Breton, you have probably taken part in a large 'family reunion,' or a 'class reunion.'
The one I experienced in St. Peter's, a couple of weeks ago was an 'age reunion!'
Let me explain.
During the Christmas holidays, I received a phone call from Ann, a close friend, alerting me that they were planning a party for those of us from River Bourgeois who are celebrating our 70th birthday this year.
She asked: ‘Do you want to attend?’
My reply was quite short: ‘I would be delighted; thank you very much for asking.’

So there we were, on September 3, at Louie's Cozy Corner, a dozen members of our ‘Fabulous at 70’ group, greeting and hugging one another after all these years!
Our respective spouses had also been invited, probably to relate some untold or long-neglected stories of our younger days.

'Africa Called Her Name'

Late last year, Elaine Fougere published what might be called the ultimate travel book, "Africa Calls My Name: Remembering, Not Wondering." (available on Kobo)
Warning: This is not your regular ‘travel book,' but rather her first-person account of moving her family to live in Zambia for a year.
Transparency: Elaine is my cousin-in-law; her husband Roy is my first cousin.

Early in the book, she confesses that she had always wanted to travel and live in Africa, and was getting restless.
By mid-1995, the family had just lived through a grueling five-year bout of chemo therapy against Roy's cancer, and were ready to do something new — and different.
Roy, a mining engineer, signed a contract with copper mine in central Zambia to help improve the skills of local miners.
Their two children, daughter Leah, and son Nicholas, both approaching their teens, were both eager to make the move.
Using a straight-ahead, highly readable style (remeniscent of the lady herself!), Elaine describes their adventures of settling and living in Zambia for a year.

Bonne fête de l’Acadie!

Attention, tous les Acadiens / Acadiennes de partout dans le monde -- de l’Acadie, du Canada, de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, et nos cousins / cousines de la Louisianne, du Texas: célébrons ensemble notre Fête nationale.

On va faire, partout, un grand 'Tantamarre,' pour proclamer:
'Asteure q'on est là, c'est pour y rester!'
Célébrons la fête de l'Assomption de la Vièrge Marie, 'Stella Maris,' notre Patronne.
Félicitations, et bonne fête Acadienne!

Radio and Me ... 37

A few months ago, Halifax Radio Station CHNS marked its 90th birthday.
The inaugural transmission went on the air in May, 1926, produced by founder / manager Major William Borrett.

For the first 20 years, it was the only Halifax radio station.
It gave the news of the progress of the solo trans-Atlantic flight of Charles Lindburgh in 1927, and provided the world-wide riveting reports by J. Frank Willis of the Moose River Mine Disaster in 1936.
On a lighter note, in the 1940s, it hosted a daily music program by a young baritone from the South Shore, Hank Snow.

Radio and Me ... 36

Many schools today have extensive audio and video systems, to go with computers and other specialized facilities.
In the mid 1970s, a group from staff and administration met to launch a close-circuit Radio System in our residential school, the Halifax School for the Blind.

I was not part of the launch group, as I was working that year on my master's degree at Boston College.
They got funds to build a studio on the main floor, complete with sound-proofing materials and donated equipment from the CBC. Telephone wire to carry the radio signal was strung from the studio location to a dozen speakers throughout the student living areas.
Even by the technical standards of the day, the studio equipment was not state-of-the-art,

A Remarkable Sailor - 2

During my Dad's wartime service in the Royal Canadian Navy, he took part in a variety of assignments.
He was now in his early 40s, and because he was always the oldest member of the crew, he was usually known as: ‘Pops.'

He began serving on minesweepers, doing convoy duty from Halifax (known by military men as: ’Slackers,’ where all the desk officers were stationed) to the British Isles.
Minesweepers were the ‘poor’ members of the fleet: the older ones had been conscripted from private sources, and the newer had been 'thrown together’ in a hurry at a number of shipyards, near and far.
As you can imagine, life was especially tough for the crews;

A Remarkable Sailor

We are marking Father's Day this weekend, so I decided to write this tribute to my Dad.
Hyacinth Pottie was born in April, 1900, in Hawker, Cape Breton. (This post office ‘station,’ located on the west side of River Bourgeois, no longer exists.)
As many of the local boys did, he left school at age 14, to go to work. He worked as a sailor for the next 40 years.

It was wartime, during the waning of the age of sail, and he began by working on the 'coal boats,’ mostly schooners, which carried coal from the bustling mines of Cape Breton to ports in the Maritimes, Newfoundland (which was a British colony until 1949), and beyond.
Older boys — and others who lied about their age —

Cub Reporter - 2

As my summer job at the ‘Mail-Star’ rolled on, I enjoyed meeting a number of 'colourful' characters.

I got to work with specialty reporters posted on such assignments as City Hall, the Legislature, Halifax Harbour, along with several others who covered General news and feature stories (and one who wrote stories only on yachting!).
On the other side of my desk, the Women's Editor, Shirley Ellis, and her colleagues, were very kind and patient.
I grew to appreciate the amount of organization and planning they displayed to cover weekly social events, and especially, the 'major’ event, the Lieutenant-Governor's Garden Party (double-page coverage, 3-column photos, extensive copy and I.D. names and cutlines), held annually in late June.

Cub Reporter - 1

Fifty years ago this week, I began an interesting and rewarding summer job: newsroom reporter at the Halifax ‘Mail-Star.'

It was the afternoon edition of the twin newspapers published by Halifax Herald Limited, the other being the 'Chronicle-Herald,' which is the only one still active. The 'Herald' was essentially the provincial newspaper of record, while the 'Star' featured local/urban stories.
Each evening (no Sunday editions), at about 11 p.m., the 'Herald' was printed and loaded into trucks, bound for Yarmouth, Amherst and Sydney, and all areas in between.

Radio ... and Me - 35

The 'Family-singing-in-harmony' file.
From the time I was a wee tot, I have enjoyed listening to songs featuring close harmony. I suppose that it came from my Mom, who was a member of our church choir, and liked almost every kind of song.
On the radio, we heard harmony in country songs, especially in the high voices of bluegrass style, as well as on Broadway tunes and the latest pop songs.
I began to notice a pattern: across the styles, the names of the singers showed they were members of the same family.
Here's what I mean, as I present some favourite titles (for your listening pleasure):

— Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B, by the Andrews Sisters, who were the top singing group during the war years;
— Sincerely, by the McGuire Sisters, who made their name during the 40s and 50s;

Radio ... and Me - 34

'The love-that-harmonica' file
When you were a youngster, Dear Reader, were you ever given an harmonica?
If you did, you probably played it, two chords: inhale / exhale -- over and over and over -- during all your waking hours, and drove everybody crazy.

Until, of course, your mom or your big brother took the 'Hohner Marine Band' away from you!
Many members of my extended family we're quite musical, and knew how to make music with it.
They played Cape Breton music tunes -- either Scottish or French -- and, wherever they went, they were often considered the life of the party.
One of my good friends, to this day, carries one in his shirt pocket wherever he goes, and will begin playing from his wide repetoire at any time!
In those days, we heard the harmonica on some Broadway show tunes, pop songs, but especially on TV westerns,

Radio ... and Me - 33

It's the 'I-can-hear-clearly-now' File.
During the 50s to the 70s, I listened to lots of music on the radio. But the sound quality was really never that great.

First of all, the music was broadcast on AM around here, and the sound quality didn't improve until the onset of FM, and then stereo FM.
The speakers in cabinet and transistor radios (but not the car radios) had been designed primarily for the spoken word. Unless you had really expensive 'hi-fi' gear, with big speakers, you pretty well had to rely on the local jukebox for excellent sound quality!
Now I listen to the same music (don't even THINK of playing 'covers') on FM radio or the internet, using headsets, and NOW have access to better sound quality,

Playing Hunches

Have you ever thought out a problem and then decided to 'play a hunch'?
Or have you worked on a problem for days or weeks, and after 'sleeping on it' came up with a great answer?
Better yet, have you heard somebody encourage you to 'write your ideas' in a notebook?

If this is you, Dear Reader, you're in good company!
Literary detectives -- from Sam Spade to Sgt. Friday to DCI Morse -- work with hunches all the time, as do their professional counterparts who strive to solve real-life cases.
After 'sleeping on a problem,' you may think of an excellent solution that now seems simple and logical.
And, if you're like me, you can't keep your important ideas (not to mention your calendar!)

The Sad State of Privacy

It is used to be -- and until not that long ago -- that the phrase "in the privacy of your own home" meant something.
When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau stated some 45 years ago that, "The government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation," he meant that Canada's laws were not designed to encourage spying on its citizens.

You could enjoy the quiet use of your home by not making loud noises, by not kicking your dog or cat, or by pulling down the shades — and that was about it!
<--- Image: 'Spy vs. Spy' -- Prohias) Today, we have to be aware at all times that someone might be spying on us:
-- The camera on the top of my computer or smart phone screen might be relaying my portrait.
-- My household's electronic gear -- computer, TV, or even refrigerator -- might be sending data to be collected overseas.

Family Day? Heritage Day?

Today, we Nova Scotians are celebrating Family Day, ah, Heritage Day, our mid-winter provincial holiday.
This is not an official National holiday, though it is celebrated on this date in a number of provinces.
Here is a clue as to what it should be called:

Back in the early 1970s, the idea of a national midwinter holiday (and we really NEED one!) was proposed by Stanley Knowles (our longest-serving member of Parliament) in the House of Commons.
He would talk about it at every opportunity, and although it was discussed in every kitchen and coffee shop in the nation,

Parking Headaches

Two local news stories during the past week have highlighted the precarious state of handicapped parking in the Halifax area.

The first profiled an office worker in downtown Halifax who uses a wheelchair. He must park his pickup truck on a street spot because the winch on the back of his vehicle is judged to be too high for any of the parking garages in the vicinity.
When he does find a parking spot, he must make sure that he moves his pick up every three hours to avoid getting a parking ticket!
(I did not see a blue parking sign on his vehicle.)
Empty parking spots are rare in downtown Halifax, and sometimes when he must return to the same one, he will later find a parking ticket on his windshield

The 'Charles Todd' Stories

Both my wife and I enjoy reading, across many styles -- but especially mysteries.
A couple of years ago, when we got a ''Kindle,' we embarked on a mystery series by "Charles Todd", an American mother and son storytelling team. Their novels are set during the post World War I period in Britain.

The main character is Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard, a recently demobilized officer in the British army.
Following treatment for 'shell shock' (what we today call PTSD) after the Armistice, he returns to hs pre-war job at Scotland Yard, under his nemesis, Chief Superintendent Bowles.