Lynn L. Clark's Blog: Writing in Retirement, page 3

The Oldest Survivor of Pearl Harbor Looks Back

This is a special weekend for Ray Chavez, who at 106 is the oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

As CNN reports:

At 106, the indefatigable veteran has been traveling around the country for years, attending memorial services and commemorations. . . .

Ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, Chavez reflected on his service, and recounted his experience on the day that President Franklin Roosevelt declared would 'live in infamy'.

December 7, 1941

Chavez was a quartermaster stationed in Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack on Hawaii, living there with his wife and oldest daughter. He was assigned to a minesweeper, the Condor, that, while on patrol, had detected a Japanese submarine in nearby restricted waters the morning of December 7 before returning to the harbor.

'I had told [my wife], I didn't want to be awakened because I had been [out] all night, and I was very tired, and I wanted to get some sleep,' Chavez said. 'After she saw the beginning of the war, she went and called me, and I couldn't believe what she was telling me. And after her pleading with me to get up, let's see. I finally broke down, and went up, and sure enough, she was right.'

'And so, [there were] all the ships on fire, and a terrible smoke screen all through the harbor, covering it, and ships, all the adjoining area,' he recalled.

After the attack, Chavez served on a transport ship called the LaSalle that brought soldiers to several island battles throughout the Pacific, including Okinawa and Guadalcanal.

Asked how often he thinks about that day and his military service, Chavez answered quickly. 'Every day. And not hysterical or mean thoughts about it -- it was great. But it never goes away. All of what you see and learned.'

Chavez said that 'discipline' was the most important lesson he learned from his service as well as the enjoyment he gained from the company of his fellow soldiers.

'It's quite a pleasure to meet new people and enjoy their company, and that's what happened to me,' he said.

For the full text of the article and related video, please see https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/26/politi....

Shelter Dogs to the Rescue

As USA Today reports, dogs are being saved from euthanasia at animal shelters and trained for canine-human rescue units by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF). According to the newspaper:

The SDF is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit organization that trains dogs rescued from shelters to become rescuers themselves. It was founded in 1996 by retired schoolteacher Wilma Melville, after she and her search dog were deployed to the Oklahoma City bombing site. Struck by the fact that there weren’t enough search dogs to meet emergency demands — at that time there were only 15 teams nationally that were certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — Melville came up with the win-win idea for SDF: Not only would they create more canine disaster search teams, but shelter dogs would be rescued from an uncertain fate.

SDF’s National Training Center is set on a sprawling 125-acre campus located in Santa Paula, Calif., 90 minutes north of Los Angeles. Over the course of eight to 10 months, SDF trainers teach dogs to comb through the rubble of natural and man-made disasters, working in simulated environments in their specially designed “Search City,” “Earthquake House” and “Industrial Park” (which contains derailed train cars).

For the full text of the article, please see https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2....

A New Meaning to the Rat Race

I came across a reference recently to rats that are being trained to sniff out landmines. Naturally, it caught my attention. The rats are being trained by a non-profit Belgian company

Here is an excerpt from National Geographic providing more information:

African giant pouched rats—huge, cat-size rodents native to central Africa—have bad vision but an extraordinary sense of smell.

This makes them perfect candidates for discovering hidden landmines by sniffing out the explosive TNT. Even decades after conflict, explosive remnants of war linger in the earth, maiming and killing thousands of people who stumble across them each year.

In 2013, mines and other buried explosives caused 3,308 casualties worldwide—down from 4,325 in 2012, according to the 2014 Landmine Monitor report.

Finding these hidden explosives is challenging and dangerous: People with metal detectors not only risk their lives, they work slowly, stopping to investigate every suspicious ping. Trained dogs, while commonly used, are expensive and tough to transport....

Enter APOPO, a Belgian nonprofit that has created an army of TNT-sniffing African giant pouched rats. These critters are light enough to walk over the mines without setting them off, and use their noses to find the explosives quickly.

One rat can search over 2000 square feet (200 square meters) in 20 minutes, an area that could take a human up to four days, APOPO training manager Abdullah Ramadhan says in an email.

Since APOPO was founded in 1997, these furry super-sniffers have helped clear 13,200 mines from minefields in Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, and, most recently, in Cambodia....

For the full text of the article, please see https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2....

Incidentally, the rat's weight is not enough to trigger an explosion so rest assured that the rats live to sniff another day.

Golden Moment Farm

I had the pleasure last weekend at the annual Delta Maple Syrup Festival of meeting John and Norma Banford and three of their beautiful purebred Golden Retriever dogs.

John and Norma have a farm in Athens, Ontario, where they raise not only Golden Retrievers, but also Clydesdale horses.

The Banfords also sell organic vegetables, maple syrup, and a line of culinary herb mixes.

In addition, Golden Moment Farm is now open to the public. The Banfords offer day trips to ski, walk, or enjoy a horse-drawn wagon/sleigh ride. They also offer farm getaways and a location for special family parties. For more information, please visit www.goldenmomentfarm.ca/.

World Book and Copyright Day

Today is World Book and Copyright Day, and readers who wish to support Canadian creators and publishers, can go to http://www.ivaluecanadianstories.ca/ to send a letter to the members of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (INDU) and the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC) who are collectively responsible for the current Copyright Act review.

You can also get involved by sharing updated messages on social media and using the following hashtags: #IValueCdnStories #CreativeCanada #ValueGap #INDU #cdnpoli #WBCD2018 #worldbookday2018 #worldbookandcopyrightday

I Value Canadian Stories is an initiative driven by a coalition of associations across the creative industries founded by: Access Copyright, Association of Canadian Publishers, Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens, Canadian Publishers’ Council, News Media Canada, Playwrights Guild of Canada and The Writers' Union of Canada.

Thanks for your support!

Jinxing Spring?

I grew up in a household shrouded in arcane practices relating to various superstitions. If you knocked over the salt shaker, you had to sprinkle it over your left shoulder. If you forgot something when you left the house, you had to sit down for a few seconds before retrieving it. God forbid that you tempted fate by raising an umbrella in the house or walking under a ladder. The superstition that has in fact stayed with me the longest is the one saying it's bad luck to put shoes on a table. (The recently departed used to be laid out for viewing on a kitchen table so supposedly the shoes foreshadow a death in the family.) To this day, I'm embarrassed to admit that I NEVER put shoes on a table.

All of this leads me to my present subject. I'm staring forlornly out at a foot of freshly fallen snow. Two days ago the ground was bare. Two days ago I went outside, raked up a side garden, and put out some spring bird ornaments that I'd bought from the dollar store.

Did I jinx spring? I just had to get out there and pretend the warmer weather was here to stay. It all has an inevitability about it--like the iceberg forming in the Atlantic while shipbuilders were blithely constructing the "unsinkable" Titanic. (Thomas Hardy in "The Convergence of the Twain" has nothing on my fatalism.)

But did I REALLY jinx spring? I'm staying indoors for the next few days just in case...

The Subtlety of Good Horror

I'm not fond of slasher horror and, because I scare easily, I prefer movies without "jump scares" (although once in a while they're fun just to keep the blood flowing).

I did a Google search to see if anyone else liked subtlety in horror, and I discovered quite a few entries.

I enjoy the building up of atmosphere more than special effects: a movie where, as one of the Google entries suggests, you become aware gradually that "something is off".

I also enjoy the intelligent treatment of horror movie/book themes by the director and actors. One of my favourites is Stanley Kubrick's The Shining based on Stephen King's excellent novel. I just wish Jack Nicholson hadn't been quite so hammy in it.

I admire Rosemary's Baby, based on the book by Ira Levin, for its subtlety and excellent acting. More recently, I've really enjoyed The Conjuring and Insidious movies with Patrick Wilson.

Please feel free to comment on this post and share your view of what makes a good horror/supernatural novel or movie.

The Portal & The Experiment

My apologies for the length between posts. I hope to start blogging regularly again.

I'm pleased to announce that my fourth book, The Portal & The Experiment: Two Novellas of Suspense, is now available in e-book format and will shortly be published in paperback.

This is my first venture into the use of first-person narrative, and I hope you will like the book. As in my previous novels, I've used elements of the supernatural, as well as extra-sensory perceptions. I added the element of a "chase" to the second novella, "The Experiment," something I always enjoy in a suspense novel.

Here's a synopsis of the two stories:

THE PORTAL - As a young girl, Emily Montfort invented a mythology of her own, but as an adult caring for her mother, who is dying of Alzheimer's disease, she knows that flights of fancy are a luxury she can no longer afford. Still grieving after her mother's death, Emily hires Carrie, an exuberant young woman, to help her run the antique shop she's inherited from her mother. Emily prides herself on her practicality, living in an apartment above the shop in a closely circumscribed world. But one day she discovers that the mirror on an antique dresser reflects more than her pale, sad face and that there may be a world beyond the practical and sensible inviting her to enter its portal.

THE EXPERIMENT - Jack Booth is an empath who's been made to feel like an outcast by his own mother. But now he's bonded with five other university students who possess extra-sensory powers in an experiment that's supposed to map the potential of the human brain. Under the direction of the self-professed transhumanist Dr. Derek Avery, the sky seems to be the limit until Jack and his fellow subjects find themselves trapped in an abandoned asylum with no potential for escape, and the purpose of the experiment no longer seems quite so noble.

The book is available online at https://www.amazon.com/Portal-Experim....

Tips for Little Trick-or-Treaters

It's coming up on the big day, and this is the last in my series of posts on Halloween, which features tips on how parents can help ensure that Halloween is both safe and fun for their little ones.

1. Plan a route in advance:
Map out a route before leaving home. Stick to paths that you and your child are familiar with to avoid getting lost.

2. Wear comfy shoes;
Make sure you and your children are in comfortable, well-fitting shoes. Girls in dresses should avoid heels, and all shoelaces should be double-tied to avoid tripping in the dark.

3. Stay well-lit:
Apply reflective tape to your child’s costume to ensure they are seen by drivers on the road. Also, carry a flashlight with you to keep your child’s path lit at all times.

4. Make sure all costumes are short:
Long costumes that drag on the ground can be dangerous, especially at night. After purchasing your child’s costume, make sure it’s an appropriate length, and hem anything that’s too long to avoid tripping.

5. Avoid masks:
Masks can make it difficult for your child to see or breathe. If possible, skip the mask altogether and use non-toxic make-up to complete the costume instead.

6. Use flexible props:
Try to avoid costumes that have weapons as accessories. But if your child’s costume won’t be complete without a weapon, make sure it is rubber or plastic. Choose a prop that won’t cause injury to your child or their friends.

7. Check your child’s candy:
When sorting through candy at the end of the night, be sure to throw away any candy that is not in its original wrapper, or looks as though it has been opened.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

The Origins of Halloween: Part 2

Here are some fun facts regarding Halloween:

Originally, Jack-o-lanterns were carved from turnips because pumpkins were not grown in Ireland. An ember was placed inside to ward off evil spirits. To find out the various stories behind "Jack" please see http://www.pumpkinnook.com/facts/jack....

The tradition of bobbing for apples dates back to the Roman invasion of Britain when the conquering army merged their own celebrations with traditional Celtic festivals. The Romans brought with them the apple tree representative of the goddess of fruit trees, Pomona.

It was during the 1950s that candy became popular as a treat for children.Throughout the 1960s, other treats were still offered, and it wasn't until the 1970s that candy came to be seen as the only legitimate treat. An average Jack-o-lantern bucket holds about 250 pieces of candy with about 9,000 calories and about three pounds of sugar. See https://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar....

In Canada, Halloween is a billion dollar industry with holiday-related spending that is second only to Christmas. See http://business.financialpost.com/new....