Lynn L. Clark's Blog: Writing in Retirement, page 6

Running Afoul of Russian Censorship

It is not only journalists and authors who risk running afoul of Russia's censorship laws. Librarians can also face the consequences of stocking books banned by Russian authorities.

The following is an excerpt from an article in the publication of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA):

In October 2015, Natalya Sharina, Director of the Library of Ukrainian literature in Moscow, was arrested and charged on suspicion of inciting hatred or animosity towards a social group. The justification? Allegedly holding banned books in the library she ran.

IFLA has followed the case closely, issuing public statements in November 2015, and May and September 2016, underlining . . . the crucial role of libraries in defending freedom of expression and access to information, and the duty on librarians to make choices as to collections free of political influence. Natalya, in fulfilling these core parts of her mission as a librarian, has not merited the treatment she has received.

After over a year of house arrest, Natalya is now facing trial. IFLA President Donna Scheeder has written, once again, to both the Public Prosecutor and the Chair of the Investigating Committee, urging them to bring an end to Natalya’s detention and the case against her.

In this way, they will prove to Russia’s librarians and library users that they are valued and supported. They will also be upholding the human rights of freedom of access to information and freedom of expression to which Russia has committed as a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This is a link to the article: http://www.ifla.org/node/11070

Let's Talk, Let's Listen

Bell's Let Talk Day is coming up on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, and you have a chance to participate.

Bell donations are fully funded by Bell based on engagement by Canadians in the cause. Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of the following interactions on Bell Let’s Talk Day (at no extra charge to participants):

- Every text message, mobile and long distance call made by Bell Canada and Bell Aliant customers;

- Twitter: Every tweet using #BellLetsTalk;

- Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk;

- Instagram: Every post using #BellLetsTalk; and

- Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let’s Talk Snapchat geofilter.


Here are five simple ways to help end the stigma of mental illness:

Language matters – pay attention to the words you use about mental illness;

Educate yourself – learn, know and talk more, understand the signs;

Be kind – small acts of kindness speak a lot;

Listen and ask – sometimes it’s best to just listen;

Talk about it – start a dialogue, break the silence.


To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

A Christmas Message

One of my earliest and fondest memories of Christmas is of my older brother Jimmy--who sadly has been deceased for 29 years--pointing to the snow-covered lawn of our house on Christmas Eve and whispering to me that Santa was out there waiting and watching and would soon be on his way. I still remember vividly the sense of magic and excitement I felt.

I'm not sure why Christmas has always been so important to me, but it continues to be a time--though not quite so magical--when I enjoy hokey songs and movies, overload the house and outdoors with decorations and lights, and turn the TV to the burning log and watch the guy with the flannel shirt poking in the embers and building up the fire.

I guess if I had to articulate a reason, it would be that I have always associated Christmas with a sense of wonder that's missing from our daily lives. It's so very easy to be cynical of the holiday with its rampant commercialism, but I still like to be the first one up Christmas morning, waiting for my grown-up son and very sleepy husband to come to the living room and open up their stockings.

Christmas still matters to me.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Here's to a little magic!

Rekindling the Spirit of Giving

It seems that each year brings us further away from the spirit of sharing and giving that originally characterized the holiday season. If you're tired of the hype and commercialism, here are some suggestions for taking back the holidays:

Rather than trying to find the "perfect" gift for a family member or friend, why not consider purchasing on their behalf the gifts offered by such organizations as Canadian Feed the Children and other aid organizations? For a relatively small amount of money, you can purchase seeds, animals, and school supplies, among other items, that could potentially be life-changing for the recipients. Until Christmas, the Canadian government is matching private donations, which means that your donation is doubled.

If you have office mates or a group of friends that usually meet in a restaurant to celebrate the holidays, why not consider making a change this year and have a potluck supper at your home? You'll have lots more food to choose from and can exchange the crowded restaurant setting for a more intimate one. You and your friends can then donate the money you saved to a local charity.

As a family, you can experience sharing by each member identifying unwanted items such as clothing and toys to donate to local charities. Children's snowsuits and skates are especially appreciated at this time of year. Local food banks are also in need of non-perishable donations. If you have any time to volunteer, the Salvation Army's kettle campaign always appreciates additional resources.

Finally, Christmas can be an especially lonely time for seniors or people who have recently lost loved ones. A visit with a tray of your homemade Christmas goodies would mean a lot.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

Some Short Book Reviews

Night Tremors by Matt Coyle - The author creates an interesting and suspenseful novel in the genre of the hard-boiled PI confronting evil, duplicity, and his own inner demons. The novel will appeal to readers of detective crime fiction.


Living Death by Graham Masterton - This is the seventh novel in the Katie Maguire series, but certainly not my favourite one. It is an especially violent and unpleasant story that illustrates how Masterton's penchant for horror carries over into his crime fiction. Maguire has always been a deeply flawed character but her actions in this novel seem particularly questionable. It will, however, appeal to readers of noir crime fiction and is garnering primarily favourable reviews on GoodReads.

Creative Spirit by Scott Nicholson - This is an earlier novel (2003), but I enjoyed it more than the two later ones I've read by this author. Nicholson pays homage to Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House", while creating suspense and intrigue in dealing with both the haunted house/spirit theme and the nature of the creative mind.

A Review of David Gibson's The Other Side of Reason

I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program in return for an honest review.

On September 18, 2013, an OC Transpo bus collided with a VIA train in the south Ottawa, Ontario, suburb of Barrhaven. The driver—a substitute for the regular driver of this route—failed to reduce his speed as passengers shouted for him to stop. He plowed through a crossing guardrail and hit the ongoing train. A Transportation Safety Board hearing subsequently determined that the driver might have been distracted by on board cameras and thus failed to stop at the crossing. The driver and five other people, including students from Carleton University, died that day. (Royalties from the sale of this book go to two memorial funds set up by Carleton University for the students who were killed in the crash.)

David Gibson was one of the 83 passengers on board the bus that day. His life changed forever as he began his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with its flashbacks, nightmares, feelings of both anger and survivor's guilt, and the helpless realization that life can change in a minute: he cannot protect his wife and four children from potential tragedy.

The Other Side of Reason consists of Gibson's journal entries—largely poems—over a three-year period as he struggles to deal with PTSD. As his journal entries indicate, it is an up and down struggle with no linear path to recovery.

This book is not intended as a factual account of the events that occurred that day nor as a professional guide to the prognosis and treatment of PTSD. What Gibson hopes to achieve in this book is to raise awareness of PTSD and the constant struggle it involves for those who must battle it. As he states in the Preface to the book:

My hope is that by sharing my experience of the accident I can also inspire people who survived the accident to have the courage to speak out loud and not suffer in silence or in shadows. I never thought I would ever experience such trauma or the after effects that continue to interfere with my life and my family’s life. In the end, I realized that I needed to find some meaning from what happened.

The Other Side of Reason will no doubt hit a deep, personal chord with others suffering from PTSD and help them understand that they are not alone.

Remembering Kitty Genovese

I've been reading all sorts of books lately: either ones I've ordered for my Kobo or free copies I've received as part of the Early Reviewers Program of LibraryThing.

Here is one that you might like to check out:

Kitty Genovese: The Account of a Public Murder and Its Private Consequences by Catherine Pelonero - The name Kitty Genovese has stayed with me since I read about her murder in a Psychology 100 textbook back in the 70s. If you're not familiar with the case, it's still cited as an example of the"bystander effect". Many bystanders either saw or heard her being attacked but her pleas for help went unheeded. By the time the police arrived, it was already too late to save her. The "bystander effect," which has been the subject of many psychological studies, postulates that the more people who are witness to an event, the less likely they are to become involved and respond to it.

The number of witnesses to Kitty Genovese's cries for help was originally reported to be almost forty, but subsequent revisionist accounts have suggested the number to be less than ten. However, the author has done extensive research, including obtaining copies of the original police reports that substantiate the large number of witnesses.

Pelonero's account is particularly effective not only in painting a bleak picture of Kitty Genovese's last moments, but also in giving us a glimpse into her life and the type of affable and caring young woman she was. The author examines how her death affected those closest to her. Pelonero also gives us detailed background information on the murderer and his family. (Winston Moseley died earlier this year in a New York prison.)

This is a well-written book that keeps the reader's interest and puts a human face on a young woman often known only for her name and the violent manner in which her life ended.

It's Almost Over

There's a line from a Samuel Beckett play that says "it's over, it's almost over, I can't be punished anymore." If you've been following the 2016 US presidential election, you probably share this sentiment.

It's an election in which Trump fact-checkers have developed carpal tunnel syndrome (perhaps they should have focused on whether there was anything he said that was actually true). We've seen the politics of hatred become mainstream, the compromising of the US Attorney General and the FBI, and millions of (for the most part) well-meaning Americans bamboozled into believing that a billionaire notorious for stiffing workers has their economic interests at heart.

And for those of us who have followed CNN's election coverage, we can bid good-bye to the moral gymnastics of newscasters trying to present Trump as a serious candidate while subjecting viewers to an endless parade of Trump supporters/surrogates trying to retain some semblance of their dignity while attempting to explain away Trump's demagoguery.

Glass half-full: after tomorrow Trump will accept defeat and slink away; his supporters will finally recognize that Emperor Trump has no clothes and cares squat about them; his surrogates will crawl back under their rocks; and the morally-compromised Mike Pence will gracefully fade into the background.

Wishful thinking? I hope not.

A Review of Chef Q in Paris: The Winter Collection

Having previously reviewed the fall collection in this series (please see https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...), I was happy to receive a free copy of the chef's winter collection for review.

The hallmark of Chef Q's recipes is the use of simple, available seasonal ingredients to create delicious meals. The recipes are straightforward and easy to prepare, often with only four or five main ingredients.

In the winter collection, Chef Q focuses on comfort foods with the added benefit of being nutritious. There are hearty soups, turkey, lamb and fish recipes, and a whole menu for two for Valentine's Day. As the ultimate comfort food, chocolate is also featured in many recipes from hot chocolate to chocolate cake and chocolate praline bread pudding.

The recipes are accompanied by color photographs, beverage pairings, and preparation tips, and the author's anecdotes add to the charm of the book.

One Boy's Fight Against Bullying

When a thirteen-year-old boy, Matthew Kaplan, discovered that his younger brother was being bullied, he decided to do something about it. He created a one-day anti-bullying workshop that he presented to his brother's class. During the workshop, the kids who had been bullying his brother apologized to him.

CNN reports that

The experience inspired Kaplan to start a nonprofit, the Be ONE Project—an acronym for Be Open to New Experiences. Since 2011, he has shared his free anti-bullying program with more than 4,600 middle school students, mostly in his home state of Arizona.

Matthew is now nineteen years old and a college student, but he and his team of volunteers continue to give the workshops. For the full story, please see
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/13/us/cnn-....

October is anti-bullying awareness month.

For a list of resources available in Canada on bullying, please see https://www.osstf.on.ca/en-CA/publica.... The Kids Helpline can be reached by calling 1-800-668-6868.

For resources in the US, please refer to https://www.stopbullying.gov/. The LIFELINE can be reached by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).