Life takes us in many strange directions and wonderful discoveries. It never turns out the way we thought it would.
Monday, January 31, 2022
Sunday, January 30, 2022
The Simple Pleasures Of Life!
The legendary investor Warren Buffet has a pearl of wisdom that I shall paraphrase as follows:
"When you have worked hard and
accomplished good things, be kind to yourself."
I don't think that he meant to go out and buy
luxuries. I think that he meant to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. I have
been working hard to get all of our income tax and regulatory filings covering
2021 in order. I decided to be good to myself. I enjoyed a great swim with
friends. I went grocery shopping at my favorite store (Mollie Stone's) I had a
hamburger at my favorite hamburger restaurant (Big Mouth Burger), I came home
and watched a brilliant French science fiction film (Proxima). The afternoon
was beautiful. I listened to a beautiful
LP by the Canadian Jazz singer Diana Krall. She sang only Brasilian songs. Then
I had a long and deep nap.
Saturday, January 29, 2022
It Is Very Important To Have A Will
My mother
and father made a big mistake before they passed away. They failed to write a
will. This created a legal nightmare with months of mental agony for my dear
sister. If you live in a system with US law, British Common Law, Code Napoleon
legal system, Roman-Dutch legal system, Eastern Europe, Russian, or mainland
Chinese legal system, one is allowed to write out a will (last will and
testament) by hand and get his or her signature confirmed by three witnesses or
some official like a notary.
Yesterday with the help of Dan Miller and
Bay CPA, I helped a dear friend to set up her estate plan. One does not need a
fancy law firm with a $10,000 to $20,000 US legal fee. In the US, one can go to
www.legalzoom.com. They will help you with the paperwork that you need at a
very low price.
I recommended the following documents for
my friend:
1) A Will
2)A Power of
Attorney allowing someone to take over and do things if she became disabled,
mentally incompetent, or died.
3)A Health
Care Directive (In the event that one is brain dead and being kept alive by an
artificial machine, this allows your relatives to give instructions to turn off
the machine and allow you to die.
4)A Pet Care
Directive that leaves instructions for the care of your pets.
5)A change
in the title to your house or apartment from a title in your name to A
Revocable Property Trust (State of California) in your name. This will save you
a legal bill of up to $22,000 that would result if you had to go to probate
court. This change can be made without increasing your property taxes.
6) An LLC (limited liability corporation) or Subchapter-S Corporation is set up to allow you to achieve more lawful tax deductions.
Friday, January 28, 2022
Canada-What Lies Beneath
What Lies Beneath
CANADA
An Indigenous community in British Columbia found 93 potential burial sites near the premises of a former residential school, the latest in a series of discoveries since last year as Canada reckons with the historical treatment of its native population, the Hill reported.
Officials said that ground-penetrating radar showed the existence of potential human remains near the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School, which operated near Williams Lake between 1891 and 1981.
The community added that the findings are preliminary and they would need to excavate the site, according to Canada’s CTV News.
Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars said during a news conference that investigators had also uncovered reports of neglect and abuse at the residential school, including evidence of children’s bodies being disposed of in lakes and the institution’s incinerator.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that the discovery “brings a lot of distressing emotions to the surface.”
The St. Joseph’s institution was part of the controversial residential school system that operated across Canada from the late 1800s until 1996. During that period, nearly 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families in an attempt to assimilate them and prevent them from having any connection with their culture.
The schools have been found to have abused children, some of whom died, and hundreds of unmarked graves have been uncovered around the grounds of the former institutions since last year.
Earlier this month, Canada agreed to pay $31.5 billion in a settlement intended to make up, at least in part, for the country’s past treatment of Indigenous children.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Why The Nazis Lost The Battle of Stalingrad
The German 6th Army was the second most powerful army in Germany after the German 9th Army and was easily the most decorated army in the German theater of operations. It was considered an elite and professional force and by any measure was capable of achieving almost any operation. It’s leader, General Walther von Reichenau was killed in a plane crash and Friedrich von Paulus, his chief of staff, was promoted in his place. Initially, the 6th Army thrived under Paulus. He knew the army and what it could do and in a brilliant move, he captured Kharkov. However, Paulus had many deficiencies in his personality and suffered from bouts of depression and nervousness and often doubted his abilities. He was paired with a Chief of Staff named General Arthur Schmidt, who was a hardcore Nazi, a thorough believer in Hitler and a “victory or death” proponent. He was there to shove an iron rod up Paulus’ ass when he became unable to perform to expectations.
Paulus believed from the beginning that attacking Stalingrad was not a sound strategic action and sent off many missives complaining of lack of resources and quality of resources and so on. He did not want to invade Stalingrad. He knew that urban fighting would negate almost all of the advantages of the German 6th Army. However, this was his mission and he doggedly did what he could. The Germans, faced by the Russian 62nd Army, should have easily prevailed on paper but all over the things Paulus complained about came to pass. The urban combat negated German mobility; the mounds of rubble created excellent defensive positions for the Russians; the attrition the Germans were suffering were not being made good by the replacement system; the supply lines were stretched too thin to bring up all of what was needed in a timely fashion. Strategic mistakes were made bringing armor into the city where it was destroyed piecemeal.
When the Russians attacked in an operation called “Operation Uranus” it was part of a theaterwide “Constellation” strategy by Stalin where the Germans outside Moscow were also attacked at the same time. Because of this, troops from Stalingrad could not be sent to help the ones in Moscow and the ones in Moscow could not be sent to Stalingrad. A titanic series of battles ensued, probably unheard of in any previous war. In the run-up to the Russian attack, a Romanian General warned the Manstein and Paulus and Hoth that the Russians were preparing for a large scale attack that could, in theory, pinch off Stalingrad and surround it. He knew that the Romanian armies in position were no match for the equivalent Russian forces, even with the two German panzer divisions assigned to stiffen them up. The Italian 8th Army had always been ill-equipped and did not have the ability to be there, or the equipment. The entire Italian 8th Army had a total of 62 operational planes versus well over 1000 by the Germans. The Italian 8th Army was suffering from inadequate clothing, food and gear even before the Russians attacked.
Paulus had been offered a plum position in Berlin if he succeeded in taking Stalingrad and so he was motivated to succeed. He wanted to get out. von Seydlitz, who later turned on the Germans while in Russian captivity, had been promised the 6th Army when Paulus left for Berlin. When the Russians attacked, the high command knew immediately that it was a catastrophe. The average German soldier did not. He took it in stride. Being kessel-bound was something that happened, and this was the 6th Army. Everyone inside knew that an entire army would never be allowed to die. It was unthinkable. The Germans had confidence in victory, or at the worsts, breaking out and retreating to a more defensive posture. They did not realize that the loss of four allied armies, the Italian 8th, the Romanian 2nd and 4th and the Hungarian 1st, were a catastrophe that could not be made right, no matter how poor those armies were.
Manstein, in his memoirs, recalls the meeting where Hitler is being briefed on the situation. He is told by his entire staff that the only hope is for the 6th Army to break out right this minute because every passing minute means it gets weaker and weaker and less capable of making German lines. Manstein figures out on the back of an envelope that the army would need 1000 tons of supplies every single day, with a rock bottom minimum of 600 tons. von Richtofen, in charge of Luftflotte 4 had been stocking up aircraft for some time but even he didn’t have enough aircraft to drop 1000 tons a day. That would require 350 planes making 3 trips a day minimum in all kinds of weather against Russian attacks and so on. It was simply a logistical impossibility. And if a day was missed because of bad weather, then the next day they would have to deliver 2000 tons and so on. It was not possible.
However, Herman Goering, who was on Hitler’s shit list for losing the Battle of Britain and other failures, saw an opportunity to redeem himself. He ordered an analysis based on the relief of Demyansk earlier that year where a surrounded garrison of German troops had been supplied from the air for many months until it could be relieved. Based on this success, or ordered his man Jeshonnek to tell Hitler it could be done. Jeshonnek was a policy wonk and numbers man and he told Goring twice, while trembling in fear, that it was impossible. But Goring ordered him to tell Hitler it was possible and he did, and Hitler, took the bait and told the Luftwaffe to do its thing.
Manstein was in constant touch with Paulus and both knew that the possibility of supplying Stalingrad from the air was impossible. Manstein had already gone to Hitler to appeal for a breakout but Hitler refused. It cannot be forgotten that at this time, the Germans under Model outside Moscow were fighting for their lives (and beating the ever-living snot out of the Russians in a lopsided victory the Russians never talk about now) and if the 6th Army pulled out of Stalingrad, the Russian armies there would be sent north and the balance of power could have crushed the entire German defensive system and the war would have been over by summer. Hitler truly had no choice but to force the 6th Army to fight on simply to tie down 2 million Russian troops.
However, Manstein and Paulus came to an agreement where, despite Hitler’s orders, the 6th Army would fight its way to the German 4th Panzer Army under Hoth (the only man in WW2 who had the potential to win the war twice and missed both opportunities). Hoth was a real soldier, a true fighting man and capable in all forces of arms but his force was splintered fighting the Russians on too many fronts to relieve Stalingrad. Meanwhile, the Russians were also seriously threatening the German 2nd Army outside Stalingrad and it was falling back in serious disrepair. A catastrophe of even larger proportions was brewing and the entire southern front was saved by one man, General Hermann Balck and his 11th Panzer Division which, in 30 days wiped out the entire Russian 5th Guards Tank Army, considered the greatest divisional combat action in the history of warfare. However, this did not take the pressure off the 6th Army which was now beginning to starve.
Manstein and Paulus agreed that upon the code word “Thunderclap” from Manstein, the 6th Army would begin the breakout towards Hoth’s 4th Panzer Army. The logistical effort to accomplish this task would be enormous. Since there was not enough fuel for transport, only tanks and SPCs would be fueled; troops would have to pull hand sledges or use horse-drawn wagons through heavy snow. The artillery would have to fire off all its rounds and be abandoned as there was no transport to tow it. The Luftwaffe would have to run interference from the sky. The breakout was expected to take one week at a minimum and man thousands, especially the wounded who were to be pulled out on sleds, would die horrible deaths.
Paulus was then attacked by his Chief of Staff, Arthur Schmidt, who told him he was a coward, that he was defying Hitler, that his duty was to fight to the last man and so on. Paulus suffered a nervous breakdown. He ordered the 6th Army to prepare for the breakout and all the needed men and supplies and equipment were brought to the breakout point. At the same time, other supplies that could not be taken were blown up or burned. The average German soldier was thrilled with this plan and the expectation of breaking out to safety.
But then a strange thing happened. Manstein never gave the code word. Paulus waited as long as he could; one day, three days, a week. And then it was too late. There was no longer enough fuel for the 393 tanks and hundreds of SPCs to go half the distance required. It was no longer possible to make the breakout, and Paulus had already destroyed all the supplies he needed to stay inside the cauldron. Paulus could have started the breakout on his own and forced Manstein’s hand but the constant haranguing from Gen Schmidt had wiped out any beliefs he had in his own abilities. As time went on, Paulus slipped further into depression and defeatism and Schmidt took over day-to-day operational command of the army, meeting with the generals in the cauldron and deciding strategy, often drastic and suicidal. By this time, many of the Generals had decided to try and break out on their own and one attempt by a few divisions was made and failed. As time went on, other Generals began negotiating surrender of their divisions to the Russians. Paulus stayed in his room in the cellar of the Gum department store asking over and over to either surrender or be relieved. He was refused. Schmidt reigned abuse on Paulus throughout.
Eventually the 6th Army was wiped out and surrendered. 90,000 men went into the bag and within 30 days, 45,000 of them would be dead. Only the fittest or luckiest or most cunning or most dangerous would survive to get home, about 2 percent of the entire force. 25,000 wounded had been flown out as had some politically connected Generals and their staffs and many technical experts who were needed. Paulus was found by the Russians lying in his bed, nearly delirious, surrounded by metal cans filled with piss and shit or moldy bread and half-smoked cigars and cigarettes. He went into captivity a completely broken man.
Arthur Schmidt was put into solitary because of his belligerence and constant verbal attacks on the Russians. At one point he was threatened with a firing squad for abusing his female valet, provided by the Russians. Paulus became bitter and attacked Hitler for allowing his entire army to be destroyed. Meanwhile, in the north, Model had wiped out something like 5 Russian armies who barely gained a meter of territory but suffered hundreds of thousands dead. It didn’t matter. They had won at Stalingrad.
Both the Germans and the Russians were exhausted by the effort. The Italians, Romanians and Hungarians would never recover, the Hungarians, who hated the Russians, were able to reconstitute enough of a committed fighting force to repeat Stalingrad in Budapest just two years later with the same results. Manstein was able to engineer an astonishing victory against the Russians at Kharkov and later at Kursk, a strategic defeat for the Germans, where Hoth could have achieved the objective but turned away at the last moment fearing a non-existent flank attack. The Luftwaffe lost 700 planes of all types at Stalingrad, including 4-engine Condors and experimental planes. The Germans even committed a squadron of obsolete biplanes to the relief effort. At Kharkov and Kursk, the Germans were astonished to find themselves fighting many of the captured 393 German tanks lost at Stalingrad, now sporting the Star of the USSR.
Paulus turned against Germany was always hated for the rest of his life as a traitor. Schmidt never waivered from his committment to Nazism and Hitler, event to his death in Germany years later. Manstein, the best General Hitler had, was sacked in 1944 over differences of opinion. He survived the war to write memoirs and work with other generals to re-write history as revisionists and apologists for the German Army. Balck went on to lead a German army at Budapest that was destroyed outside Vienna.
The 6th Army was reconstituted as Army Group Hollidt with the 25,000 wounded used to recreate the corps of the army. It was completely rebuilt and destroyed again outside Debrecen and then restored again and destroyed again outside Budapest. The 6th Army holds the distinction of being the only army to be destroyed three times.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
The Earth's Core-Running Cold
Running Cold
In the science-fiction movie “The Core,” Earth’s core stopped rotating and scientists need to restart it in order to save humanity.
Now, a research team came across some ominous findings about the state of the Earth’s core, Newsweek reported.
In their paper, lead author Motohiko Murakami and his colleagues analyzed the conductivity of bridgmanite, a material found in great quantities between the planet’s core and mantle – an area known as the Core-Mantle-Boundary (CMB).
The team found that bridgmanite is about 1.5 times more conductive of heat than previously thought, which has some important implications for the planet’s future.
Murakami explained that it means the high temperatures at the center of the world are quickly transferring to the outer areas, suggesting that the Earth’s core is cooling “more rapidly than expected.”
He explained that this phenomenon could impact convection currents of the mantle that drive the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates. Eventually, the cooling could cause the currents to slow down, decreasing tectonic activity and reducing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Consequently, Earth could become a geologically dead planet akin to Mars: The red planet’s core became inactive a long time ago and ended many key processes, including the activity of the magnetic field.
Murakami posited that this could happen on Earth, but it could take “millions or even billions of years.”
“How long the Earth would remain dynamically active would be definitely one of the biggest issues that we have to tackle,” he cautioned.
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Three Former Ambassadors To Russia Are Interviewed
https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2022-01-25/us-ambassadors-russia-interviewed?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=1e5e1255-9922-45f4-a4ae-80903f3af1da
A Dear Friend Talks About Her Near Death Experience With Covid-19
Ariaa Jaeger
t21ptf1n0s4 4hthoar3ts5f ·
A personal note: I am finally ready to tell you that I was at death's
door on Christmas Day from a combination of viral pneumonia and Covid. I am
vaccinated and have not been sick in 29 years with even a cold so I let a
little cough and sore throat go too far without doing anything about it and it
almost cost me my life. I was traumatized by the experience and it took me 27
days to get back to 100% but I am now.
I learned so much from that near death experience. I especially learned
how vital air and breathing are. I will breathe deeply for the rest of my days
because when I couldn't it was the most desperate feeling you can imagine.
Having died in 1993 and now near death in 2022 has given me a new perspective.
Forgive me if I don't interact with you as much as I did for the last 13 years
here. I used to comment and respond to everyone but now conserve my energy to
solely serve others. It doesn't mean I don't love or appreciate you, I do. It
simply means the days in front of me are far fewer than those behind me and I
still have much to do.
I don't need or require your sympathy. I was jolted into an enormous
dose of humility and now seek to relish every moment before there are no more.
I want you to know how critical it is you make the most of your life,
don't squander even a second. Love with abandon, stop bitching, whining and
complaining. Life is short and it can end in a nanosecond. I never thought I
would come that close to death again and survive it but I did and I urge you to
appreciate your life as if it will end tomorrow. Love each other, set your
boundaries, don't be aligned to those who don't genuinely care about you. I found
out who my real friends were during those 27 days and will cherish them even
more. Surround yourself with spiritually evolved likeminded and kind humans.
Don't waste your gifts on those who are nothing more than fluff in your life.
Kill your ego, slay it. Humble yourselves and speak softer more gently each
day. Conserve your energy for the big things and serving others, serving
animals and mother earth to improve the quality of life for all is the big
thing.
Sending all of you love, light and most of all hoping to awaken the god
within you. ❤ p.s. thank you all for your prayers during that time when I requested prayer,
I am certain it is the only reason I pulled through.
Monday, January 24, 2022
Antarctica=The Hidden Deep
Hidden Deep
Antarctica’s Weddell Sea is home to a massive breeding colony of icefish that spans about 93 square miles, Axios reported.
Last year, a group of scientists was investigating the seafloor when they first spotted the fish nests. Initially, they only came across 60 nests, but their findings revealed the vast area was home to nearly 60 million active nests.
“We found fish nest after fish nest for four hours,” said lead author Autun Purser. “Nothing but fish nests.”
Each nest – which could contain 1,500 to 2,500 eggs – was guarded by one male icefish, CNET noted. The researchers believe the icefish used the warmer waters in the area to navigate to the breeding colony.
The team also observed that the colony is a popular destination for seals that like to snack on the icefish.
Currently, the researchers have set up cameras in the water to monitor the nests for the next three years. The authors said that they are trying to learn how the colony delivers nutrients to the unique ecosystem.
They are also calling for the creation of a regional marine protected area in Antarctica to prevent fishing or invasive research and preserve the unique habitat.
“The deep sea and under ice environment are not barren of life,” Purser said.
Britain Blasts Russia About The Ukraine Over The Weekend
The Layout
UKRAINE
Britain accused Russia over the weekend of trying to install a pro-Kremlin leader in Ukraine, as tensions continue to rise between Moscow and the West over a potential Russian invasion, the New York Times reported.
The British government released a communique saying that former Ukrainian lawmaker, Yevhen Murayev, is being considered as a potential candidate. It added that a number of former Ukrainian politicians have links to the Russian intelligence services, including agents involved in planning for an attack on Ukraine.
The communique, however, offered few details about how the Kremlin was planning to install a new government and provided no evidence to back up its assertions.
Russia denied the allegations.
The announcement is the second one in over a week in which a Western power publicly accused Russia of interfering in Ukraine’s affairs. On Jan. 14, the United States accused Moscow of sending saboteurs into eastern Ukraine to provoke tensions that could serve as a pretext for invasion.
It also comes as more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been mobilized near Ukraine’s borders.
Russia and the West are involved in high-stakes talks to defuse the crisis, with the Kremlin dismissing accusations that it intends to invade Ukraine as “hysteria.”
Meanwhile, Britain has delivered weapon shipments to the Ukrainian military. Baltic countries have also received US permission to send American-made armaments to Ukraine. But Germany – a US ally and NATO member – has refused to send German-made weapons to Kyiv over concerns about exacerbating the current crisis and also Germany’s role in starting World War II and the Nazi atrocities committed in the region, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Analysts noted that Germany’s reluctance underscores the difficulties the US and its European allies are facing in forging a common response toward Russian aggression.
A
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Russia IS Too Broke To Support A Super Power Military Machine
0%. “Money is the sinews of war” - Marcus Tullius Cicero
Russia is poor. VERY poor. People still thinking Russia is a superpower should realize that Russia has a smaller economy THAN NEW YORK CITY. Russia’s industry is in the shitter. Even if their industry wasn’t in shambles the super corrupt Russian government wouldn’t have enough money to order all the military materiel they’d need to fight a world war. Russia has 3rd rate tanks, planes, and ships. They do have a lot of poorly paid and probably not super loyal soldiers. The only thing they have to fear are nukes, but they can’t use the nukes or the USA would use nukes.
The US military would run through Russia’s military like shit through a goose. I doubt the Russians could even hold off the Germans if the Germans got frisky.
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Everyone The California Public Utilities Commission Is On The Verge of Destroying The Solar Power Industry In California
Everyone The California Public Utilities Commission under pressure from PG and E is considering a move that would destroy the solar industry in California.
Most of us have heard that old saying:
"The operation was a success but the patient died." Some years ago,
the Australian Federal government made a move that many considered visionary
and courageous. They decided to make Australia a solar power generator. They
urged the Australian state governments to waive all permitting regulations to
expedite the installation of solar panels on homes, apartment buildings, office
buildings, etc. They were almost giving away solar panels to users. Solar
panels started to sprout up everywhere. The program was a huge success with one
unintended consequence. The electric power production companies in all the
Australian states found themselves going broke. All they had left was
uneconomic customers. They came with, as the old saying goes, "Their hat
in their hands" asking for help. It is unclear how the various Australian
governments solved the problem. I seriously doubt that they put a tax on solar
users to keep obsolete and often polluting power producers going.
Since Elena and I went solar, we have been
delighted with the dramatic reduction in our monthly electricity bill that used
to range between $400 and $600 US. We noticed last month an ominous new charge
on the bill. It warned us that we would need to pay a "Solar Tune-Up
Fee" of between $750 and $1,100 in August of 2022.
I started doing some in-depth research.
Sure enough, PG and E finds themselves in a position like the Australian
power-producing companies after solar power took off in Australia. They are
left with uneconomic less affluent customers. They claim that they need this
new tax or fee to protect poor power users from massive rate increases. They
try to appear to be altruistic and champion of the poor. In reality, they know
if they raise rates on the poorest power consumers, these people will have
legal avenues to lower these rates because they do not have the money to pay
the new higher bills. When this happens, their profit margins will fall
greatly.
This matter will be looked at by the
California Public Utilities Commission on 27 January. Fortunately for all of
us, Governor Gavin Newsom is aware of this move. He is against such an action.
He calls for a serious and long-term study to address the problem. If this new
fee or tax went into being, no one would buy solar anymore. Our hopes for a
green energy future would be dashed.
I see a possible solution here. It comes
from South Africa. Eskom is the power company there. It has not reached a point
where solar panels are threatening its revenues. It is suffering from a chronic
problem called "load shedding." For some hours every day, the power
goes off to customers. There are all sorts of noble plans in the works for wind
farms, solar panel farms, clean nuclear energy, etc. These are long in the
future. One group decided to "think outside the box" and come up with
a counterintuitive solution. They identified three old and obsolete
coal-powered plants still in service. Obviously, these plants spew tons of
poison into the atmosphere each day. They also have huge maintenance expenses.
The recommendation was to close these three old plants and redeploy the money
being spent on them to more modern power plants. It would solve the problem
short term. PG and E needs to consider this option seriously.
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Birds-The Perpetual Tune
The Perpetual Tune
Birds in the mountain peaks of East Africa have been singing the same songs for as long as a million years, Live Science reported.
Sunbirds in the family Nectariniidae are small, colorful, nectar-feeding avians that resemble hummingbirds and are found throughout Africa and Asia.
A research team studied different populations of the eastern double-collared sunbird found in the “sky island” mountains from Mozambique to Kenya.
The tall peaks have isolated different populations – or lineages – of this species from one another for up to a million years. Even so, many of these lineages remain indistinguishable from each other, the team noted.
For their study, researchers visited 15 sky islands and recorded the songs of 123 individual birds from six different lineages. They then came up with a statistical technique to analyze how the birds’ songs evolved.
Their findings showed that some of the isolated populations stuck to the same tune, despite these lineages having been separated for thousands of years. The team also noticed that populations that had been separated for the longest period had nearly identical songs, unlike those that were separated for a shorter time.
The results were peculiar because biologists have noted that bird songs – as well as behavior and plumage – evolve through time in different populations, so they can adapt to new environments.
The authors suggested that the lack of geological change in the mountains of East Africa meant that the sunbirds did not need to evolve different feathers or songs – and therefore could remain unchanged for eons.
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
There Is "A Jungle Telegraph" Out There
From late 1982 to early 1984, I lived in a charming small village of 15,000 that sits on the Indian Ocean. It is Albany, West Australia. At that time in my life, I was "broke and down on my luck." I didn't even own a car. I had a small black and white portable TV. I lived in a tiny room. My main pastime was going to the library and reading books. I started to really enjoy African adventure novels by a South African author named Wilbur Smith (over 100 million books sold in many different languages.) One of his books really caught my attention. It was titled "Rage." It was about the plight of an average white South African family living through Apartheid.
I wrote a letter to Mr. Smith in care of
his publisher in London. I asked him what the future of South Africa would be.
Was a peaceful transition to an all-race democracy possible? At worst I
expected no response. At best I expected a dull form letter thanking me for my
interest.
Some weeks later when I went to my post
office box, there was a note there. It asked me to see the postmaster. I went
to the postmaster's office. He was holding a letter. The return address
indicated Wilbur Smith and a post office box in Cape Town. I opened the letter
that was handwritten. Mr. Smith said that he had no plans to move out of Cape
Town. He saw a peaceful transition to an all-race democracy. I showed the
contents of the letter to the postmaster. For the rest of that day, people came
up to me and talked about the letter that I had received from Wilbur Smith.
News indeed did travel fast.
Yesterday morning after an appointment with
my eye doctor, I went to the post office. A large brown envelope was in my post
office box. I opened it. The was an Explore Mars, Inc, lapel pin mounted on a
stiff board. Dr. Sian Proctor's autograph was there as well as the appropriate
certifications. I had a pin that had spent 3 days 300 miles above the earth. I
took it to my picture framer Tyrell. He designed an excellent display for Elena
and me. My next stop was the swimming pool. One of my "swim buddies"
shook my hand. He congratulated me on receiving the lapel pin that had spent 3
days in orbit. Two other "swim buddies" congratulated me.
There is "a jungle telegraph" out
there. News does travel fast.
