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IN THIS ISSUE

• Kate Brookfield continues her account of a visit to Shanghai
• Dick Monaghan formulates some new rules for presidential conferences
• Jim Olson included one of his haikus in a recent note
• Kate thanks the editor for 14 years of Tale Spinners
• Bruce Galway sends a questionable winter statistic
• Gerrit de Leeuw tells of a rapid change in attitude
• Betty Felhaber, Catherine Green, and Tom Telfer suggest URLs

Kate Brookfield resumes her account of a recent visit to

SHANGHAI

We decided that the next day we would make separate plans for the day. Alice had friends in Shanghai she wanted to visit and? I preferred to see more of the sights.

We were familiar with getting around using the MRT and I now had two maps in English. I had marked a little route on the map and was anxious to get going as it was not raining. I decided to take the MRT to the Jade Buddha Temple in the west of the city, then take a bus from there to People´s Square to see more of that area, possibly have lunch in a park, and then go through the tourist tunnel from the Bund to Podong and visit the aquarium. A full day, but all places Alice had no interest in visiting.

When I got up, Alice was already out as she had a breakfast meeting with a friend. I was just leaving when she returned. She had asked if I wanted to go to the city of Hangzhou the following day and said she would book the train tickets. But when she saw I was ready to leave, she insisted that I come with her to the office on the seventh floor while she did the booking.

The office was busy with the two women from the apartment plus about six other members of staff all sitting at computers. Alice found a free computer and starting surfing the internet and calling people on her cell phone. She called me to the computer to show me video shots of the water show that looked fascinating. The tourist industry probably staged it so that the show ended after the last train left for Shanghai, so we had to book a hotel. As there was little I could do regarding the bookings, except to agree to the cost, I told her that anything she arranged would be fine with me.

But she seemed to have a problem. She went to different staff members, asking them questions. Finally, a young man came in and she pounced on him and dragged him to the computer. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing and with a few quick keystrokes he showed us the train timetable, we chose a time and seats. He then showed the hotel on West Lake and we agreed for him to book it.

Good, now I could go and do my sightseeing of Shanghai. I started to put my backpack on ready to go, but Alice beckoned me to wait a bit longer. The next thing I knew we were all going into the board room where boxed lunches arrived. So we sat around having lunch and chatting. Well, they were chatting and Alice was at the centre of the talk, but no translation was offered for my benefit. Before we started eating, Alice said something to the maid who came back with a huge metal serving spoon and fork for me. I was quite offended by this as I have no problem eating with chopsticks and have eaten many times with Alice in Chinese restaurants.

Eventually, I asked Alice if everything was sorted, did I have to pay anything, and could I go to the city now? She indicated with another of her hand gestures for me to sit still and wait while she finished the story she was telling. Finally she picked up her bag, indicated again with beckoning hand for me to follow her as she literally ran from the room. The young man got up and came with us and in the elevator she told me that we had to go to the railway station to book the train seats and the young man would take us in the company car.

The railway station was only a block away and we got our tickets in a few minutes. All I wanted to do was find an MRT station and get on with my planned sightseeing, but I wasn´t getting away so easily. Alice asked where I was going, so I showed her my map and my plans for the day and she insisted that the driver would take me to the Jade Buddha Temple. The traffic was slow and I was sure the journey on the MRT would have been quicker, but eventually we came to the temple. It was 2:30 p.m.! Before going to the temple, I found a coffee shop and had a leisurely drink of coffee and planned how I would spend the rest of my day.

The Jade Buddha Temple was built in the late 19th century specifically to house two exquisite jade Buddha carvings which were brought by sea to Shanghai from Burma. The beauty of the sculptures is in the size, the exquisite carving, and the fact that each one is carved from a solid piece of translucent white jade. The original temple was destroyed during the revolution that resulted in the birth of the Republic of China and ended the Ching dynasty. Fortunately, the statues were undamaged and the present temple was built in 1928.

Unlike temples in India, one has to pay admission to enter the temple area. It was only 20 RMB, so I did not mind, but I was surprised to find that there was another 10 RMB fee to enter the tower where the jade Buddha statues are housed. My interest was mainly in the jade statues as I do not claim to understand the significance of all the statues in the various halls around the central courtyard. I took a quick walk through the different buildings and saw the gold-plated statues of the various incarnations of the Buddha. The four statues of the Heavenly Kings in one of the chambers present terrifying, almost grotesque images. People who were there to worship carried handfuls of sticks of burning incense which they held reverently as they bowed their heads and prayed to Buddha. I always feel awkward gazing about and taking photographs when people are praying, but it seems acceptable and the tourists mingled with the worshippers.

The shop was busy selling replicas, books, incense, and paintings. It was an uncanny mixture of reverence and rampant commercialism.

After seeing all the rooms on the ground floor, I paid the extra fee to climb up into the tower to see the famous Jade Buddha statues. I was disappointed to find that photography was strictly forbidden in this section of the temple. In other places where precious art is displayed there is usually a request not to use flash, but it seems a shame to forbid taking a photo as I do not think even a flash would damage jade as it might paintings or frescoes.

The statues of the seated and reclining Buddha were absolutely magnificent and well worth the visit. The milky white translucent jade is the perfect medium for a statue that portrays a sense of peace and tranquility. Although we were not allowed to take photographs there was a display of photographs in an anteroom of celebrities and heads of states who have visited the temple. I was glad I made the effort to go, but the Longshan Temple in Taipei felt more spiritual to me than this temple.

After the temple, I took a bus to People´s Square and had a quick walk in the park before getting on the MRT to Podong. Because of the morning´s delay I did not have time to visit the aquarium as the entrance fee was quite high and it was due to close at 5:30 p.m. and it was already 4:15. It was still overcast so there was not much point in paying to go up the Pearl Tower to look over the city.

Instead I walked along the sea wall, where there were many vendors, and watched the boats moving up and down the river. I went back to the same restaurant for my evening meal and met a couple from Australia and spent a pleasant hour with them sharing stories. They had been travelling in China for three months and they thought Shanghai was very clean compared to some of the cities they had visited.

I took a different line back to the apartment and got out hoping to see one of the bridges over the river, but it was just an overpass, the traffic was chaotic, and I couldn´t even see the river. So I went back to the MRT station and continued my journey back to the apartment.

ED. NOTE: For Kate´s pictures of the museum described in last week´s issue, see http://arunaurl.com/2lkb

For pictures of the Jade Buddha Temple, go to http://arunaurl.com/2lkc

To be continued.

Dick Monaghan outlines his

NEW RULES FOR PRESIDENTIAL PRESS CONFERENCES

Now that an Iraqi journalist has thrown his shoes at President Bush, the concept of the Presidential press conference has changed forever. I propose new rules to govern these events - we cant have just anyone throwing just anything at the leaders of nations. I submit the following code of conduct (minimum requirements):

1. Reporters from The New York Times, The London Times, and other papers of that calibre shall throw only sturdy, high-grade footwear costing at least $100 per pair.

2. Those from GQ, Playboy, and publications of that ilk must throw only shoes that cost a minimum of $500 per pair.

3. Ink-stained wretches from daily publications with circulations of less than 50,000 may throw Reeboks or Nikes.

4. Representatives of The National Inquirer, World News, etc., may throw their underwear (but only if it was freshly laundered that day).

5. Writers from Israel, Palestine, and other places in that area shall throw only sandals.

6. Iranian scribes shall throw only slippers with curled toes.

7. Internet bloggers shall throw only pictures of themselves folded into paper airplanes.

I hope I have made a small contribution to the cause of civilized discourse.

It is a long time since we had one of Jim Olson´s haiku. Here is one especially for

WINTER

softly, tenderly
dawns´ white wakening beckons
angels to the snow

It is not every day that an editor gets such a glowing testimonial, and I would put a frame around it if I could. However, I will have to be content with publishing it just as Kate Brookfield has written it:

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR EDITOR

Why do we give certain numbers high priority and other numbers remain unheralded? Fourteen is as good as any other number. It is special for being the number of lines in a sonnet and this is kind of song of praise, if not in verse. I will leave it to some talented poet to write a sonnet in praise of The Tale Spinner! This is just a message to thank Jean for her dedication and to congratulate her on the 15th birthday of her offspring. When you are looking at producing a weekly newsletter without a break, then I think fourteen is an incredible age. Many print magazines do not reach this age.

So, Jean, from me, and I hope other readers join me, a BIG THANK YOU and hearty congratulations for a wonderful achievement. I look forward every Saturday to seeing the Spinner come rolling into my In Box. When I see the issue number, I am aware of how fast the year is rolling by, but the .volume number shows me how fast the years are rolling by!

For those newer members, this seems an appropriate time to reflect on the history of the Spinner. It is Jean´s baby; she saw a need and had the talent and the commitment to do something. This is what I admire. So many people talk about good ideas, but taking the extra step and going the extra mile takes guts.

I remember receiving a message from a friend in a BBS Conference way back in 1994. (For those of you don´t know what a BBS was, it was the Bulletin Board System that preceded ISPs. The Conference in question was called Best Years for "those who have retired, are about to retire, or expect to retire some day." The friend was Bill Nyberg, known to all his computer friends as Opa. He was the moderator and maybe initiator of Best Years and was passionate about encouraging older people to use the computer to network with other like-minded folks). The message he sent told me that a woman in BC had a letter in CARP (Canadian Association for Retired People) suggesting that maybe older people might be interested in exchanging e-mail addresses to share stories about their lives or travels. The letter also said something about computer messages being dominated by younger people and the topics not interesting to older people and maybe some people would like to communicate with people of their own generation.

I had never heard of CARP but discovered it was for people over 50, so I qualified, bought a copy of the issue and saw Jean´s message. Some of the Best Years group thought it was a good idea and we contacted Jean. She sent a message back saying she had been overwhelmed by the response and got about 400 people who wanted to share stories (Jean will correct me if this number is wrong, but I know it was too many for one-to-one correspondence.) [ED: It was only 40, Kate.] Jean came up with the brilliant idea of starting a newsletter to share the stories.

She sent out messages to the people who had expressed interest and asked for suggestions for a name. A bright spark came up with The Sansumite and a logo of a suitcase. That name was used for about half a year until Jean decided she did not like the name and the stories were not all travelogues as several contributors wrote about their life experiences. Jean created the name Tale Spinner and introduced her charming little spider.

The early editions were not numbered and we sometimes got more than one a week. Many have been lost so if any old readers are squirrels and still have copies of the early editions, Jean would love to hear from you.

We have all gone through many changes in our computer use since the Spinner started. Jean got on a list as a suspected spammer because she sent messages to many people. I remember phoning Sympatico, one of Canada´s major internet providers, and telling them about the newsletter and requesting that they stop blocking messages to me from Jean. Over the years, whenever Jean has travelled out east to see her daughter, she has made a point of trying to meet with Spinner readers in different parts of the country. In the early years, she would stop en route to Ottawa or back in out-of-the-way places like Guelph and Toronto! Once we had a combined meeting with Spinner readers and Best Years members in Toronto. Also, Jean has met other readers in Vancouver. My last meeting with Jean with was on a casino riverboat on the Fraser River.

Maybe others have stories about how they heard about the Spinner? This could give Jean some material for when the stories dry up. There must be more of you out there with interesting stories to tell, so think about putting fingers to the keyboard and write up a storm. Jean, I hope you get a tsunami of material for next year. I know sometimes you are at the bottom of the barrel, but somehow you manage to find a new writer or some article so the Spinner comes out on time.

Thanks again. I look forward to writing another thank you for the Spinner´s 21st birthday!

ED. NOTE: Thank you, Kate, for this kind tribute. It is messages like yours that make the often challenging job of editor such a gratifying experience. I have valued the friendship and contributions of my readers over the past 14 years, and I hope our relationship continues as long as they can keep sending me stories and I can keep editing. In view of the fact that I will be 87 on January 14, by the 21st birthday of the Spinner I will be 94!

Bruce Galway sends this, which is obviously open to argument about the percentages:

A WINTER STATISTIC

Ninety-eight percent of Canadians say "Oh shit!" before sliding into the ditch on a slippery road. The other 2% are from Newfoundland and they say,

"Hold my beer and watch this!"

Gerrit de Leeuw forwards this story of?

RAPID ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

A young man named John received a parrot named "Chief" as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird´s mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird´s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and anything else he could think of to clean up the bird´s vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. In desperation, John grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he´d hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.

The parrot calmly stepped out onto John´s outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I´m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behaviour."

John was stunned at the change in the bird´s attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behaviour, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Betty Fehlhaber recommends this video of a song about Barack Obama´s Irish heritage. She writes: Moneygall is a small village in County Offaly, Ireland. It has a population of approximately 300 people. Moneygall has a Roman Catholic church, five shops, a post office, a national school, a police station and two pubs.

President-elect of the United States of America Barack Obama´s great- great-great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, emigrated from Moneygall to New York City at the age of 19 in 1850 and eventually resettled in Tipton County, Indiana. Kearney´s father had been the village shoemaker, then a wealthy skilled trade.

See http://www.oneeyedparrot.org/obama.html

Catherine Green suggests watching a video of some very well trained dogs:

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=AUtPKbMwnRo

Tom Telfer sends the URL for a new web browser from Google:

http://www.google.com/chrome

The editor really likes this idea of "slow cities":

http://arunaurl.com/2lji

You may also read this newsletter online at http://members.shaw.ca/vjjsansum/ or http://nw-seniors.org/stories.html