Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2012-16

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IN THIS ISSUE

• Kate Brookfield and family have arrived in Chandigarh
• Lyle Meeres explores the attractions around Tucsan, Arizona
• Lyle writes about one of the recommended websites last week
• Pat Moore watches a program about the intelligence of crows
• Bruce Galway reminds you of truths about golf
• Bert Taylor writes a poem in praise of "Treasure Island"
• Burke Dykes suggests words you should never say to a cop
• Sites are recommended by Barbara Wear, Bruce Galway, Don Henderson, Gerrit deLeeuw, Pat Moore, and Tony Lewis

Kate Brookfield describes the beginning of their stay in

CHANDIGARH

We were very happy to finally arrive at Chandigarh bus station. As we dismounted from the coach, we were surrounded by a crowd of touts offering us transport in taxis, auto-rickshaws or cycle-rickshaws. They were very persistent and all trying to pull us away from the competition.

But the first impression we got was the cleanliness of the broad streets compared with Delhi. The bus station is in the central district of the city known as Sector 17. We soon discovered that this was the "downtown" part of a huge and modern city that appeared to have been built in the middle of a desert. In 1984, there were still huge areas undeveloped and quite long distances between the different sectors.

We finally got all our cases into a taxi and went immediately to Sector 14, which is the University sector.

The entrance to the University sector was controlled with a walled gate with two guards bearing rifles. Our taxi driver had to stop and show his pass, and we were asked our business. Neither the guards nor the taxi driver spoke much English, but after a lot of talk between the taxi driver and the guards, we were allowed to pass through the gate. The taxi driver showed us his pass, and indicated that we would need such a pass to get our or in.

Michael reported to his department and the person who was supposed to meet us was "out of station". We discovered that this was the expression used by everyone for "away" or on vacation. I guess it dates back to the times when the British were in India.

The Chairman of the Department was very kind, and throughout our stay, he and his wife were very hospitable to our family.

He was surprised to see us and told us that they thought we would not be coming because of the situation in the Punjab. He was very apologetic and told us that the house for visiting faculty was not prepared for us. So it was arranged that we stay in the accommodation for overnight visitors to the University. It was run like a small hotel. Our window looked out to the roof of one of the university buildings, and on the roof were soldiers manning a machine gun aimed at another building.

We stayed there for a week, while we slowly got acclimatized. The place was swarming with uniformed guards, all carrying guns at the ready. But we got our passes and in a short time, we found our way around and walked out of the gates to the shopping area.

My husband´s collaborator came back, and he recommended a school for the children: "The Chandigarh International School." We went to the school and met the director, Madame Singh, who gave us directions for acquiring the books they needed and the store to go to for getting their uniforms tailor made. Before the first week was out, they were both in school as the school year had started two weeks earlier. They were bussed to school in a little minibus that would take about eight to 10 people in Canada. This bus had about 35 kids packed into it!

After a week, we moved into our own house, which was the last one in a row of houses for University faculty. Nature had already moved into the house as it had not been occupied for six months. We watched as a huge ant hill suddenly grew up between the cracks. A young boy arrived on a bike with a canister of DDT on his back to spray the floor! He wore no mask, and we beat a quick retreat while he sprayed this stuff around. A lot needed to be done to the house and they kept promising us a western toilet and better cooking facilities, but it was about eight weeks after we moved in when everything was done in one day.

That day is a story in itself and I will describe it later, when I hope to have some photos to share. All our photographs of this year are slides and I need to scan them to digital form.

But it was a large house with a carpeted living room, dining room, small kitchen, and three large bedrooms. All the floors were cement, and there were ceiling fans in every room. At the back was a small garden surrounded by a 12-foot wall. Beyond the wall was a waste area at the back.

Our neighbours were Surinder and Saruj with their two children. Ritou was the same age as Caroline and they were soon great friends. Their son was three years old, and they had a live-in nanny to take care of him. Saruj´s mother also lived with them. Surinder was a professor in the Department of Economics, and Saruj taught biology at the Women´s College. This family was very kind to us and we could not have settled into life in Chandigarh so easily without their help and guidance.

The city of Chandigarh, 260 kms. from Delhi, is situated in the foothills of the Shivalik Hills in the north-west of the subcontinent. This model city was established by Nehru after Indian Independence as a show piece of India´s pride and strength as a nation. Before Independence, Lahore was the capital of the Punjab, but it became part of Pakistan after partition.

Map of Chandigarh (click to enlarge)

The massive migration that followed partition brought many people east from the newly-established Pakistan and the need for a new city in the north was essential. Because it was established in 1953, it differs from all the major Indian cities in its absence of any imposing 19th century British-style buildings. In fact, it is often given as an example of the only city in India built on any kind of a plan, and the only city uninfluenced by the British Raj.

The French architect, Le Corbousier, famous for his creation of the new city of Brazilia, was commissioned in 1953 to design this model city surrounded by the three states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachel Pradesh. The city serves the three states and is a Union Territory under the control of the Central India government.

This is when it led to the creation of a new capital, namely Chandigarh for Punjab on the foothills of the Shivalik range. The name of the city is derived from the goddess of power known as Shri Chandika. It is considered to be an ancient site and has a major religious significance for Hindus.

A Google search of Chandigarh will tell you all you need to know, and the photos today show a more complete city than it appeared in 1984.

To be continued.

Lyle Meeres writes about the Sonora Desert Museum in

ARIZONA

The second time we visited, we were with our guests and we saw much that we had not seen previously, including a javelina, which is often mistakenly called a wild pig. A docent fascinated children with a snake which she held, but she also interested adults by explaining the difference between that brightly-banded snake and a similar-looking snake that was venomous.

A Road Runner in the Raptor area.(click!)

This time when we went to the raptor area, the trainer was working with a large owl and a road runner. The birds readily found the hidden food. At one point, the trainer threw a bit of food over the head of the road runner, and it leapt about eight feet straight up into the air and caught it. [4] The trainer commented, "Imagine that had been a hummingbird." I´d never thought of the road runner as a hunter and I felt sorry for the hummingbirds.

Barn Owl in the Raptor area (click!)

Once again we had a superior lunch and once again we walked, and walked, and walked. Hats and sunscreen are essential. A docent showed us a beautiful owl. [5]

Our third visit was devoted to two favourites: lunch and hummingbirds. The birds are in an enclosure surrounded by nets and double doors. Docents pointed out tiny nests and one carried tiny eggs in her hand. The birds were not bashful, zipping around visitors and posing. Resident birds are changed occasionally.

Metal sculpture at Tohono Chul (click!)

Our neighbours mentioned Tohono Chul, so we chose to visit it, too.[6] Tucson is sprawled out, so we learned that it is a bit of a drive to get to most places. Tohono Chul, or "desert corner," is a botanical garden that illustrates the difference that water makes in an arid location. Interesting metal sculptures appear here and there. Later we learned that the parks tea house is noted for excellent food. We will have to return some day.

Mission San Xavier del Bac (click to enlarge!)

Mission San Xavier del Bac, the "White Dove of the Desert," was next. Guide books list it as one of the chief reasons to tour the Tucson area. It has been restored beautifully to preserve the Spanish, Moorish, and baroque architecture that makes it striking in its stark desert context about sixteen kilometres south of Tucson.[7] Founded by Father Kino in 1692, the original mission - about three kilometres from the present site - was destroyed by Apache attacks. The rebuilt structure still serves as a parish church. The interior features carvings, colourful paintings, and painted statues that create an intriguing sense of mystery.

Our next trip couldnt have been much different. The neighbour in the house next to the one we were house-sitting said that her husband always wanted to visit Tombstone when they came to Tucson. I thought, "Unappealing tourist trap," and yes, it has all the trappings, but somehow it was not unappealing. Its violent history provides a good deal of the interest. Very few Western movies lack some kind of gunfight. However, it was a prospector who started the town. Ed Schieffelin had been warned that all hed find out there was his tombstone, so in 1877 when he found silver, he called his mine "The Tombstone."

The boom town drew respectable and not-so-respectable people in droves. Respectable women stayed well away from the Bird Cage Theatre, which featured gambling, drinking, and prostitution. Supposedly 140 bullet holes have been found in its walls and ceiling.

The lengendary O.K. Corral (click to enlarge)

Fires destroyed the town twice and twice it was rebuilt, giving it the reputation of a "Town Too Tough to Die." However, lots of its people died, giving rise to the Boothill Graveyard in 1879. The dead include the victims of the "Gunfight at the OK Corral," which was actually on a vacant lot.[8] Wyatt Earp, with brothers Virgil and Morgan, and Doc Holliday, killed Billy Clanton, and Tom and Frank McLaury. Today those killings keep the town alive. We rode in a stagecoach, watched actors portray the famous gunfight, visited Boothill, and ate lunch in Big Nose Kates saloon. I wouldnt go again, but it was fun.

We enjoyed visits to Saguaro East, where we walked a trail and drove the scenic loop, and Saguaro West, where a guide taught us a great deal about desert plants and animals during a short walk from the Visitor Centre.

The colour and style of life in Arizona is distinctive. We saw this in architecture, in furnishings, in yard decorations, in crafts and in art. This led us to Tubac and to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun. The latter grew from a small gallery - built by a crew of friends using adobe bricks - to a large series of collections of DeGrazias distinctive originals. There are some 15,000 originals. DeGrazia was very prolific. Many of the works portray young children, some as angels. The faces are simple, usually with dark circles or ovals for eyes and mouths. The work is unique.

Tubac is described as "Southern Arizonas artist colony," but we started with a look at the local museum, which reflected the towns 250-year-old Spanish history. Then we explored several of the over eighty galleries and shops. The quality of the arts and crafts is very high indeed. We enjoyed looking at metal and woodwork, for example, but even t-shirts showed a lot of originality. We eventually returned with our guests at the time of Tubacs festival in February. Over 200 artists and musicians set up along the town streets and once again the quality was exceptional.

We joined our neighbours from home for a drive up Mount Lemmon, the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains at 9,157 feet. At higher elevation, there are interesting rock formations, and then at the top we found people on skis and snowboards. Mount Lemmon gets about 180 inches of snow annually. The drive up is the main interest and the road is enjoyed by motorcyclists and cyclists. Near the top we enjoyed a picnic.

At the end of January, we went to the Visitor Centre in downtown Tucson and then walked parts of the El Presidio Historic District. The Pima County Courthouse is particularly striking, with its pink colour and mosaic-tile dome. We also visited the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, with its permanent and changing exhibitions, and we walked around nearby historic houses.

To be continued.

CORRESPONDENCE

Lyle writes: We really enjoyed the video of the conductor who was reunited with his daughter, who had been hidden to protect her from persecution in Russia.

Bruce Galway sends these thoughts about golf, just in case you have forgotten over the winter months:

THE SEASON IS APPROACHING

Don´t buy a putter until you´ve had a chance to throw it.

Never try to keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing.

When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either use one more club or two more balls.

If you´re afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can immediately shank a lay-up, or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there.

The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing.

No matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse.

The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the instant elimination of the one critical unconscious motion that allowed you to compensate for all of your many other errors

Everyone replaces his divot after a perfect approach shot.

A golf match is a test of your skill against your opponent´s luck.

It is surprisingly easy to hole a 30-foot putt. For a 10.

Counting on your opponent to inform you when he breaks a rule is like expecting him to make fun of his own haircut.

Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts.

It´s not a gimme if you´re still away.

The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the centre of a very large tree.

You can hit a two-acre fairway 10% of the time and a two-inch branch 90% of the time.

If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age.

Since bad shots come in groups of three, a fourth bad shot is actually the beginning of the next group of three.

When you look up, causing an awful shot, you will always look down again at exactly the moment when you ought to start watching the ball if you ever want to see it again.

Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two double bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe.

To calculate the speed of a player´s downswing, multiply the speed of his back-swing by his handicap; i.e., back-swing 20 mph, handicap 15, downswing = 300 mph.

There are two things you can learn by stopping your back-swing at the top and checking the position of your hands: how many hands you have, and which one is wearing the glove.

Hazards attract; fairways repel.

A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours.

If there is a ball on the fringe and a ball in the bunker, your ball is in the bunker. If both balls are in the bunker, yours is in the footprint.

It´s easier to get up at 6:00 a.m. to play golf than at 10:00 a.m. to mow the grass.

A good drive on the 18th hole has stopped many a golfer from giving up the game.

Golf is the perfect thing to do on Sunday because you spend longer praying than you would do in church.

A good golf partner is one who´s always slightly worse than you are.... That´s why I get so many calls to play with friends.

If there´s a storm rolling in, you´ll be having the game of your life.

Golf balls are like eggs. They´re white. They´re sold by the dozen. And you need to buy fresh ones each week.

It´s amazing how a golfer who never helps out around the house will replace his divots, repair his ball marks, and rake his sand traps.

If your opponent has trouble remembering whether he shot a six or a seven, he probably shot an eight (or worse).

It takes longer to learn to be a good golfer than it does to become a brain surgeon. On the other hand, you don´t get to ride around on a cart, drink beer, and eat hot dogs when you are performing brain surgery!

Pat Moore´s article is related to the TED talk about intelligent crows in last week´s recommended sites:

CROWS

After the silence of the night was no longer disturbed at 4:00 a.m. by the crows, it was interesting to see/hear a TV discussion by scientists regarding the intelligence of crows. They had been testing their intelligence compared to that of other animals. It had been believed that monkeys and gorillas had the greater intelligence, but then scientists devised some tests that astounded them.

It was found that no matter how difficult or unusual the task, the crows could find a way to do it - such as untying a string tied in many knots.

Another finding was that crows pass along not only tricks to their young, but passwords as well. Apparently crows can give signals in two ways - one is a general signal to all the crows, and the other is a slightly different signal in the same language but in a different tone for their own family. This apparently is very handy in the case of danger, when they want to alert their own family quickly but not so quickly for other crows not related.

In testing the crows, they also found that the adult crows would not only pass information along to their young, but also to the next generation. To test this, they had a man wearing a rubber mask attempt to steal food or threaten the adult crows, and then tested later generations to see if they would recognize an intruder wearing the same mask. They did.

Crows have apparently adapted very well to different environments. In many locations, people often use steel or metal hangers to use on balconies for drying clothes. Crows now often steal and use the metal hangers, and after a great deal of work, arrange them in a form that will attract females. Since all crows are approximately the same colour, the artistry of the metal hangers then becomes an advantage in attracting mates.

This poem was written by Bert Leston Taylor, "Colyumn conductore" of the Chicago Tribune, many years ago. I remember when I too enjoyed the book, but not as much as this young reader:

TREASURE ISLAND

Comes little lady, a book in hand,
And a light in her eyes that I understand,
And her cheeks aglow from the faery breeze
That sweeps across the uncharted seas.
She gave me the book, and her word of praise
A ton of critical thought outweighs.
"I´ve finished it, daddy!" - a sigh thereat.
"Are there any more books in the world like that?"

No, little lady, I grieve to say
That of all the books in the world today,
There´s not another that´s quite the same
As this magic book with the magic name.
Volumes there be that are pure delight,
Ancient and yellowed or new and bright;
But - little and thin, or big and fat -
There are no more books in the world like that.

And what, little lady, would I not give
For the wonderful world in which you live!
What have I garnered one-half as true
As the tales Titania whispers you?
Ah, late we learn that the only truth
Was that which we found in the Book of Youth.
Profitless others, and stale, and flat;
There are no more books in the world like that.

Burke Dykes suggest there are some things you should

NEVER SAY TO A COP

1. I can´t reach my license unless you hold my beer. (OK in Texas)

2. Sorry, Officer, I didn´t realize my radar detector wasn´t plugged in.

3. Aren´t you the guy from the Village People?

4. Hey, you must´ve been doin´ about 125 mph to keep up with me. Good job!

5. Are You Andy or Barney?

6. I thought you had to be in relatively good physical condition to be a police officer.

7. You´re not gonna check the trunk, are you?

8. I pay your salary!

9. Gee, Officer! That´s terrific. The last officer only gave me a warning, too!

10. Do you know why you pulled me over? Okay, just so one of us does.

11. I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there are no other cars around. That´s how far ahead of me they are.

12. When the Officer says "Gee, your eyes look red; have you been drinking?" you probably shouldn´t respond with,"Gee, Officer, your eyes look glazed; have you been eating doughnuts?"

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Barbara Wear sends this link to a video of a new device that makes wheelchairs obsolete. Probably these are very expensive now, but perhaps in the future they will become more reasonable and more people will be able to use them:

Bruce Galway forwards the URL for a panoramic view of Paris from the top of the Eifel Tower. Bruce writes: It may be a bit slow coming up, and I wish they had picked a clearer day, but it is still pretty neat. Don´t forget to try all the buttons at the bottom of the photo:

Don Henderson recommends this British documentary of the Polish pilots who flew for Britain in WWII. It is 45 minutes long, but if you have any interest in the RAF in the war, you will find this fascinating:

Gerrit deLeeuw forwards this link to a video of unwelcome visitors to Banff, a lovely city in the Rockies. Notice the handy vehicle the traffic control officer is riding; I want one of those!

Pat Moore and Bruce both recommend this video of the excavation of a gigantic ant hill:

Tony Lewis forwards this URL for a video of flying robot quadrotors performing the James Bond theme by playing various instruments, including the keyboard, drums and maracas, a cymbal, and an adapted guitar built from a couch frame. The robots are autonomous, meaning that humans are not controlling them; they are controlled by a computer programmed with instructions to play the instruments:

Verda Cook forwards this link to a video of popcorn being popped by cell phones. According to Snopes, this video is a hoax, a variation on a previous hoax about cooking an egg with cell phones. The popcorn effect was achieved by dropping already-popped corn into the scene while filming, then using digital editing to remove the kernels from the table. It is interesting to watch the result here:

For a video from CNN on Vancouver´s urban farmers, click on

To check out the features of the "freedictionary", which changes daily, go to