And Then Some News

The first paragraph of the second essay on "The Falkland Islands: Gypsy Cove (cont.) and Stanley" reads as follows:


After walking up the pathway past Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay, you turn a bit inland and up a small prominence where there is a World War II gun that was used to defend Port William (where our ship is currently anchored), the outer harbor on the approach to Stanley.
.

Poorer Richard's America: What Would Ben Say?

Poorer Richard's America: What Would Ben Say?
By Tom Blair

Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

If you are just looking for a delightful book, you would not go wrong in choosing this one. Blair has certainly captured Ben Franklin’s voice, and whether or not you agree with all the wisdom espoused, I assure you that it is both refreshing and wonderful.

On page XIX, "Notes to the Reader," Blair, in the guise of Ben, writes, "So with your leave anticipated, I did petition one of yours to clarify and amplify those things most mystifying to me. And to assure that this missive is contemporary in terminology and speech, this kind gentleman [Ben is referring to Blair] translated and otherwise fashioned my many words to your ear, lest you laugh a confused laugh when you lay your eyes upon my writings" (p. xix).

If you are looking for sage advice about America’s current situation and future possibilities, this is a thoughtful, challenging choice. Blair has not only addressed many contemporary issues (e.g., the national deficit, federal budgets, prejudice, democracy, Republicans and Democrats, taxes, the moment of conception, hardships and sacrifice, marital bliss, the Bill of Rights, foreign affairs, equal rights, health care, love and marriage, and China among others), but he gently offers reasonable, realistic solutions as well.

To give you some sense of Blair’s (Ben’s) writing, here is a quotation from Chapter 19, "The Written Word . . . Yesterday’s Printing, Today’s Media": (Remember this is Ben Franklin speaking as he observes today’s media.) "Alas, as I watch your news, news reported over the airwaves to tens of millions of citizen’s ears, I fear the legs of fair reporting do not always straddle an issue; at times they seem to kick it to one side or another. And, many of those that report the news appear to comingle their opinion with the flow of facts, thus relieving the listener of the need to draw his own conclusions. If, perchance, some of America’s news personalities became judges, they might well sentence the accused before the jury rendered its verdict" (p. 95).

Then, if you are just looking for a collection of Ben’s thoughts, lifted from Poor Richard’s Almanac, this wouldn’t be a bad choice either.

For me, this is a five-star book, first, because it is original in conception and presentation, second, because it is thoughtful and well-written, and, third, because of its sheer entertainment value.

Friday Humor

In a convent in Ireland, the 98-year-old Mother Superior lay dying. The nuns gathered around her bed trying to make her last journey comfortable. They tried giving her warm milk to drink but she refused it. One of the nuns took the glass back to the kitchen. Then, remembering a bottle of Irish Whiskey that had been received as a gift the previous Christmas, she opened it and poured a generous amount into the warm milk. Back at Mother Superior's bed, they held the glass to her lips. The frail nun drank a little, then a little more and before they knew it, she had finished the whole glass down to the last drop. As her eyes brightened, the nuns thought it would be a good opportunity to have one last talk with their spiritual leader.. "Mother," the nuns asked earnestly, "Please give us some of your wisdom before you leave us." She raised herself up in bed on one elbow, looked at them and said: "DON'T SELL THAT COW."

Split-second persuasion: The ancient art & new science of changing minds

Split-second persuasion: The ancient art & new science of changing minds
by Kevin Dutton

Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

When you read that Kevin Dutton has been published in journals that include Scientific American Mind, Journal of Experimental Psychology, and Cognition and Emotion, you get a glimmer of the depth this book is likely to have. He is a Research Associate of the Faraday Institute with a background in psychology, and after completing his PhD in Psychology at the University of Essex he worked as a Senior Research Fellow in the same University on A Cognitive Bias in Emotional Disorders.

There are almost 20 pages of notes and an 11-page index. The book clearly reflects the thinking and research of a highly educated, deep-thinking, persuasion theorist. This is NOT a lightweight, self-help, psychobabble sort of book — even though the title of the book might lead you to believe it is.

What keeps this book readable and engaging is the enormous number of examples used — and how reader-engaging many of them are. There are 253 pages of text, but readers are bombarded with thought-provoking, enlightening, and incredibly fascinating facts, illustrations, statistics, and examples. Whether you accept anything the author says, you could read this book just to become exposed to all this additional, supportive material and be throughly entertained.

You may just end up fascinated with the author’s incredible breadth of knowledge and range of exposure. (Incidentally, many of the humorous examples Dutton uses throughout the book have made their rounds on the Internet. This in no way diminishes Dutton’s use of them or their use to support points in the book. What it shows more than anything is that Dutton collects his material from a wide range of sources.)

The summaries at the end of each chapter are great. They don’t just take you back over the content of the chapter, they highlight key points you may have missed and forecast what is to come — just what a good summary in a textbook should do!

Dutton is a fine writer, and he is able to make the social-science research he cites, the studies he uses, and the incredible number of facts he conveys, palatable and understandable by the lay — general — reader. It is impressive.

I loved — and found very useful — his five major axes of persuasion (SPICE): 1) Simplicity, 2) Perceived self-interest, 3) Incongruity, 4) Confidence, and 5) Empathy (p. 161). The explanations and supporting examples for each of these — alone — make this book a valuable reference (pp. 162-194). To purchase the book just for this information alone could be easily justified.

I could say this book is for the serious reader, or those committed to finding keys to effective communication/persuasion, or for those looking for both breadth and depth in the area of communication/persuasion, but the book — quite surprisingly for its overall substance — is accessible and engaging.

One quotation from the book offers an example of the language and depth of analysis provided at various points throughout the book:

"For SPICE, too, there are implications. A style of persuasion that engages, simultaneously, all three of the brain’s influence hotspots (incongruity — the anterior cingulate cortex; simplicity, perceived self-interest, confidence, and empathy — the ventromedial prefrontal cortex; with the combination of all five elements disengaging, rather than engaging, the redundant anterior insula) is undoubtedly going to be powerful. Under some circumstances (one thinks, for instance, of neonatal persuasion: crying pitch activating the anterior cingulate cortex, and kindchenschema networks in the prefrontal cortex) irresistible even" (p. 243).

I am not suggesting this is a typical paragraph; however, it reveals the credibility, background, and thinking of the author. Also, it offers a counterweight to the notion that this is a popular, self-help type of book that the title might convey.

The author’s sense of humor, his use of examples and illustrations, his wonderful and captivating narrative, and his overall language and style of writing, make this an outstanding (serious) reader’s choice. Also, as an added bonus, for those who have an interest in persuasion theory, the fact that Dutton is Brittish, provides an interesting dimension for he adds research and depth to which American theorists might not be exposed.

This is a five stars out of five-type book. Well done Dutton!

Quotations by Richard L. Weaver II

When you realize that meaning lies in you, then to communicate accurately with others requires that you are clear in your intentions, in the words you choose, in the nonverbal support you provide your ideas, and in the manner with which you connect with others.


Find tons of quotes to inspire your journey:
SMOERs - Available at Amazon
Self Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement Rules

And Then Some News

SURPRISE!!!!!!

Yes, we made a change this week to accomodate April Fool's Day.  Did you really think we were seeking an IPO?  Of course, I could say, "Why not?" --- but I didn't!

This week's essay appears on Monday instead of the book review that is normally there.  And, for this week only, the book review appears in the Thursday essay slot.  The book is SPLIT-SECOND PERSUASION, and it is a superb book.

Everything else remains the same.  Oh, and while I am chatting here, may I remind readers that more essays by Richard L. Weaver II appear in the following books:

AND THEN SOME: ESSAYS TO ENTERTAIN, MOTIVATE, AND INSPIRE

YOU RULES---CAUTION: CONTENTS LEADS TO A BETTER LIFE

EXOTIC DESTINATIONS AND THEN SOME: STORIES OF ADVENTURES FROM AROUND THE WORLD


Then there are two books that do NOT include essays, but offer readers a great deal of personal advice and helpful suggestions:

RELATIONSHIP RULES: FOR LONG-TERM HAPPINESS, SECURITY AND COMMITMENT

PUBLIC SPEAKING RULES: ALL YOU NEED FOR A GREAT SPEECH!


There is an additional book---this one full of over 1600 quotations---that is designed strictly to be encouraging and motivational:

SMOERs---SELF MOTIVATION, OPTIMISM, ENCOURAGEMENT RULES: DAILY REMINDERS FOR OUTSTANDING LIVING


And, if you are looking for great reads, I encourage you to look at the three books by Dr. Edgar E. Willis:

HOW TO BE FUNNY ON PURPOSE: CREATING AND CONSUMING HUMOR

CIVILIAN IN AN ILL-FITTING UNIFORM: A MEMOIR OF WORLD WAR II

MOSS ON THE IVORY TOWER: A NOVEL OF MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE


There is a lot going on at And Then Some Publishing LLC, and we try to keep you abreast of all the outlets and activities, books, blogs, and videos, through our "And Then Some News" posts on Tuesdays.

And Then Some Publishing Seeks IPO

And Then Some Publishing LLC (ATSP) is seeking capital that is needed to grow our private company; thus we are seeking an IPO (Initial Public Offering) as a way for growing our company.

We understand that IPOs are one of the hottest topics in financial management, but behind all the glamour and the glitz of IPOs, there is a great deal of hard work and personal sacrifice that will be accomplished by the large staff of ATSP.

Our core group of highly skilled professionals have worked around-the-clock for one year, realizing that our first step in acquiring a successful IPO is the formation of a seasoned, experienced team of professionals who are determined to make the IPO happen. We are looking forward to a payoff for all our hard work.

ATSP has recruited the best possible people we can find knowing, in advance, that we do not have the time to supervise inexperienced MBAs fresh out of school.

Our team of highly seasoned professionals include an investment banker, legal council, and SEC expert, and an outside auditor. After a large number of profitable and successful meetings over the course of a year, in addition to a large number of additional conference calls, we have established a plan for the IPO process, which is a basic timeline that has been agreed upon and will be followed religiously.

The first thing we will do—and the process has already been initiated at the highest levels of the company—is to recruit a new management team to run the public company. We have hired a new CEO, Ms. Margaret McConnell, and CFO (Chief Financial Officer) who have already dug in their heels and begun their work. Their first job has been to start compiling the financial information necessary to move the process forward. This is close to being accomplished, and all current signs are positive.

Ms. McConnell has begun her due diligence work. She has written off worthless assets, and all inconsistencies with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) are in the process of being resolved. For example, she has compiled all information useful to present to potential investors and creditors and other users in making rational investment, credit, and other financial decisions.

That information is now available and being constantly updated at the website; however, it is being formalized in a complete prospectus that will coordinate and collect all the data and, thus, minimize duplicative efforts. A draft prospectus will be created and circulated for comments and once corrected, adjusted, and finalized by all concerned, and as a final step in the process of launching an IPO, it will be filed with the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission). At that point, and, too, as a final step, ATSP will issue a press release and sell the company to investors.

In addition, potential investors and creditors and other users will be kept abreast of cash receipts of the company, economic resources, all the claims to those resources, and the changes that have occurred in them. Our new CFO will be providing potential investors, creditors, and other users all the information necessary for making financial decisions, for making long-term decisions, and for improving the performance of the business,. In addition, this information will be useful for maintaining the records of the company.

A three-year historical financial has been drafted, transition contracts for services and products that will now be provided to the newly formed public company have been created, and ATSP has made room for new contracts for independent audits of financial statements.

In addition, pro forma and interim financial statements have been finalized, interim (stub) financial statements for the current period have been produced. From all reports, the financial concerns of the company—past, present, and future—have been assessed and are in the process of being finalized.

A Board of Directors has been formed, and it will govern the organization by establishing broad policies and objectives. It will select, appoint, support, and review the performance of the CEO. It will ensure the availability of adequate financial resources, approve annual budgets, account to the stakeholders for the organization’s performance, and set its own salaries and compensation.

The Board of Directors will be composed of a director (any member of the board), an inside director (a director who, in addition to serving on the board, has a meaningful connection to the organization), an outside director (a director who, other than serving on the board, has no meaningful connections to the organization), an executive director (an inside director who is also an executive with the organization), and a non-executive director (a director who is not an executive with the organization).

The new Board of Directors has been convened.

All of the necessary controls, procedures, and systems that will be required within "public life" have been implemented. Staff changes within the company have been made, new financial systems have been tested, and functions like human resources have been managed.

ATSP is fully aware that once we are a public company, we will be operating in a fish tank—much more visible to outsiders. We realize, too, that this will require servicing our investors, the SEC, and other interested parties. Also, we know that we will have to pay at least $500,000 per year in accounting and director liability insurance fees.

Going public fits perfectly with our strategic long-range plans for growth, and we expect the benefits to outweigh the costs.

We have our eyes on the single biggest source of money, investments made by other companies in emerging, high-growth companies. We realize that for many companies, the IPO process is a grueling and wrenching process that fails to meet expectations; however, for ATSP we have planned for it well in advance (well over the previous year), explored all the various possibilities and problems, laid the proper foundation and support structures, and look forward to a successful IPO.

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At eHow: Money , "IPO Advantages," it says, "While initial public offerings are usually managed so that they increase in value upon going public, this doesn't always happen. Especially when an initial public offering is sold on a "best efforts" basis, the IPO may not be fully subscribed prior to trading and may actually drop in value. While the potential is there for initial public offerings to trade at a profit, investors need to realize that there is still risk involved and that they may lose money, even on an IPO."

At INESTORGUIDE.COM , the opening paragraph of the essay, "Initial Public Offerings," reads: "Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) are the first time a company sells its stock to the public. Sometimes IPOs are associated with huge first-day gains; other times, when the market is cold, they flop. It's often difficult for an individual investor to realize the huge gains, since in most cases only institutional investors have access to the stock at the offering price. By the time the general public can trade the stock, most of its first-day gains have already been made. However, a savvy and informed investor should still watch the IPO market, because this is the first opportunity to buy these stocks."

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Copyright April, 2013, by And Then Some Publishing LLC

Friday Humor

His request approved, the Fox News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight. He was told a twin engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.

Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger. He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, 'Let's go'.

The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off. Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, 'Fly over the valley and make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.'

'Why?' asked the pilot.

'Because I'm a photographer for Fox Cable News,' he responded. 'And I need to get some close up shots.'

The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, finally he stammered,

'So, what you're telling me, is . .. you're NOT my flight instructor?

Falkland Islands: Thank heavens for the penguins

by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

As I was riding the tender the two miles back to the Star Princess moored at Port William Harbor the second time, the passenger sitting directly opposite me on the tender bench, said, "Thank heavens for the Falkland Islands that they have penguins!" His meaning, for anyone who has visited Stanley, would be clear: There is no reason for visiting the Falkland Islands unless you want to see penguins.

Visit any of the several souvenir stores in Stanley, and your conclusion might be the same: Thank goodness for the penguins. Almost every tee-shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket, and nearly every key chain, tree ornament, statue, or refrigerator magnet has the likeness of a penguin (or penguins) on it (them). It is by far, the dominant icon used to represent the islands. You needn’t wonder why: The Falkland Islands are best known for their penguins, with five breeding species and over a million penguins total. That is a lot of penguins, but Falklands penguins numbered over 6 million in 1984. The massive decline of 5 million penguins has resulted from commercial fishing, and the Falkland penguins are in urgent need of protection. More on seeing penguins later in this essay.

For the moment, let me say that we’re very fortunate to even be in the Falkland Islands. Here is what it says at the CruiseCritic website on The Stanley Port

"The area [around the Falklands] is so windswept and the seas around it so fierce that only about half of the cruise ships scheduled to call at Port Stanley actually make it. Since there is no dock, even if the ships themselves can get into the harbor, the tenders are often unable to handle the wind and high seas. It's no great surprise, then, to discover that the harbor itself and the areas surrounding it has more shipwrecks from the 19th-century shipping trade than any other harbor in the world ... some 20 hulls are actually visible from the town when the tide is out"Our captain said in one of his broadcast announcements, that he has been cruising this area of the South Atlantic Ocean for seven seasons, and on our trip, he said, we have the best weather of any that he has seen in the Falklands.

Now back to the penguins. Having twice seen the Fairy Penguins in southern Australia, and having seen penguins on the Internet and in movies, we made a decision that we would not take a Princess excursion to see them while in the Falklands. The Falklands are a breeding ground for King Penguins, Gentoo Penguins, Rockhopper Penguins, Macaroni Penguins, and the Magallenic (Jackass) Penguins, and their breeding grounds literally pepper the coastal areas. If you want to see some great YouTube videos, enter Falkland Island Penguins into Google.

Incidentally, and just as an aside here, the Falkland Islands lie 280 miles east of the South American continent, and they are divided into two large islands—West Falkland and East Falkland,—and there are more than 750 small islands and islets. The West and East areas are separated by the Falkland Sound, and there is a ferry that traverses the Sound from Port Howard in the West to New Haven in the East.

If you know that the entire population of the Falkland Islands is only 3,200 (1,550 live in Stanley—the only town), and there are at least a million sheep—but sheep don’t make nearly as interesting a symbolic icon for the islands!—then you will realize the villages are small, and with two huge cruise ships moored in the Port William harbor at the same time, the passengers on these two ships easily double the entire population of the Falklands.

I mention the sheep in jest, but the Falkland’s economy has been based on sheep farming, but the worldwide slump in demand have left sheep farmers struggling for survival. According to the "Stanley Princess Port Guide," "[Sheep] farmers are now financially supported out of the revenues generated by the fishing industry, which currently produces about 50% of the Falkland Island Government revenue."

The Falkland Islands are ideal for sheep farming because of the nearly flat or gently rolling hills and the barren, rocky terrain. The terrain is either rocky or grass covered.

Instead of taking a Princess excursion, we chose a van trip arranged at the Public Jetty in Stanley Harbor (where our tenders dropped us off), to Gypsy Cove. During the high season of tourists, the cost is $25.00 U.S. per person, but because the season was winding down, the cost was reduced to $20.00 U.S. per person, and Gypsy Cove is about 4 miles from Stanley—about an hour-and-a-half walk.

A number of passengers booked Princess excursions to Volunteer Point to see King Penguins. The reports were not so good. First, the groups travel together in a caravan of four, five, or six jeeps, the trip takes almost 2½ hours one way, and the dirt road is so bumpy that they warn people with bad backs or neck problems not to take the trip.

At the dock where the tenders came in we hopped onto the $20 tourist van to Gypsy Cove, a National Nature Reserve owned by the Falkland Islands Government. It is a small bay with a crescent of white sand and is backed by dry heathland with patches of tussac grass, cinnamon grass, and dune. This is a Magellanic Penguins rockery. Some had borrows only a few feet off the trail. Many had chicks in the burrows.

Parts of Gypsy Cove are fenced off and red warning signs are posted all along the sidewalk overlooking the Cove and Yorke Bay. As it turns out, during the 1982 occupation of the Falklands, the Argentines placed several fields of plastic landmines nearby, in order to prevent a British landing. The British, instead, marched on Stanley from the landward side, from the west, avoiding Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay.

According to our Princess Port Guide:
"In April, 1982, Argentine Special Forces invaded the islands and met fierce resistance from the Royal Marines, in particular of the defence (sic) of Government House. Argentine reinforcements who followed later though were poorly trained and equipped. By June of the same year Argentine forces were defeated, setting the stage for the collapse of the military regime."
More on Gypsy Cove and our walking tour of Stanley in the second essay on the Falkland Islands. Incidentally, the Falklands were one of our favorite stops on this cruise.

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This site is from the Falkland Island Tourist Board. It has good information and some great pictures.

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Copyright March, 2013, by And Then Some Publishing LLC

Quotations by Richard L. Weaver II

Be Creative

I have often found that time away from a task — in recreation, exercise, or play — is a way to squeeze the creative juices into action.

Find tons of quotes to inspire your journey:
SMOERs - Available at Amazon
Self Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement Rules

And Then Some News

by Anthony Weaver

There will be penguins on Thursday! Grab your tuxedo's and follow along to the Falkland Islands.

Here's an excerpt of Thursday's essay, "Falkland Islands: Thank heavens for the penguins!":

"As I was riding the tender (the small passenger transit boat) the two miles back to the Star Princess moored at Port William Harbor the second time, the passenger sitting directly opposite me on the tender bench, said, "Thank heavens for the Falkland Islands that they have penguins!" His meaning, for anyone who has visited Stanley, would be clear: There is no reason for visiting the Falkland Islands unless you want to see penguins."
-----

This week I'm uploading the rest of the Edgar E. Willis video series. The two-part lecture, The Anatomy of Humor, discusses both why jokes are funny and how to tell a great joke. This video, filmed on VHS tape in 1984, required substantial work to make it viewable today, but I'm sure when you see it, you will agree that it was worth the effort.

I'll also be uploading the Who Wrote the Shakespeare Plays? lecture series with his new video conclusion that discusses who Edgar thinks wrote the plays. This lecture series was recorded in the late 1980's.  The question is, is Edgar convinced by the new information he has read and researched about him, that it was Shakespeare, indeed, who is the author of the works everyone associates with him?

With these two lecture series uploaded I have concluded all the new videos with Edgar.  The only exception would be a video that would include answers to questions posed for him at the Internet address below.

Do you have a question for Edgar?  Record your questions at: AskEdgar99@gmail.com

My reading life

My reading life
By Pat Conroy

Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

On page 88, Conroy conveys an insight about his own writing that not only corresponds to my own experiences, but also offers a suggestion to "would-be writers" who might want to begin a writing career:

"Whenever I sit to write, I never allow myself the benefit of a Sabbath or day off; nor do I give myself time off for good behavior. Good writing is one of the forms that hard labor takes. It is neither roadhouse nor weigh station, but much more like some unnamable station of the cross. It is taking the nothingness of air and turning it into a pleasure palace built on a foundation of words. From the time I could talk I took an immense pleasure in running down words, shagging them like fly balls in some spacious field. Though I failed to notice it at the time, my childhood was a long, patient apprenticeship of finding my comfort zone in the ocean of words that rushed through me each day" (p. 88).

At another point in the book, Conroy writes, ". . . I am a man of ingrained habit, my life has fixed points of immovable behavior that can make my daily schedule seem neurotic to the point of inertia. To me, the writing life requires the tireless discipline of the ironclad routine. The writing of books does not permit much familiarity with chaos. . . " (p.108). So many people would love to be a writer; so many people do not have the self-discipline to be a writer.

I have read none of Conroy’s previous nine books, but I do not read fiction. As an active and involved author of college textbooks (see COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY (McGraw-Hill, 2012), I use my reading time for keeping up with current events, reading nonfiction, and devouring any material that might — in some way — contribute to my textbook writing or the writing of my essays (see the blog at andthensomeworks). Writing college textbooks is a highly competitive industry that requires 24/7 devotion to task, year-in and year-out. As another example, I have read On Writing (and loved it), but I have read none of Stephen King’s fiction.

I am always fascinated by writers who write about their craft. As it turns out, we all have our habits and eccentricities. What works for one writer does not necessarily work for another just as the ease with which words come to authors is not the same for all. Some
sit down at the computer keyboard (or typewriter) and words flow as if they are simply a channel or conduit for some mysterious, outside donor while others struggle with every word which only reveals itself through beads of sweat wrenched from some intense brawl with unknown interior antagonists. That is precisely why reading about a writer’s craft is so engaging.

Conroy’s book, however, is more than just his "reading life." Sure, he reveals the books that have meant most to him, and the teachers (and librarians) who have been inspirational, but, as the quotations above suggest, his book is about how he writes and the discipline necessary to pursue it. Also Conroy is a terrific story teller. Not everyone has that gift.

For 22 years I commuted from Perrysburg, Ohio, to Bowling Green State University, and that 20-25-minute drive allowed me time to prepare for my professional life as a professor (on the way there), and gave me ample time to unwind (de-stress) on the way home. It was a time, too, for thinking, and just as when I jog three miles in the morning now, I would discover new ideas, unique ways of saying things, and compelling solutions to outstanding problems. These are times I work with words.

There is something more, however, in the Conroy book. It is, indeed, the language: Conroy is a wordsmith.

"On my writing desk, I always keep the poets close by, and I reach for them when those silver, mountain-born creeks go dry or when exhaustion rearranges the furniture of my fear-chambered heart. The poets force me back toward the writing life, where the trek takes you into the interior where the right word hides like an ivory-billed woodpecker in the branches of the highest pines" (p. 142).

Some might label it florid, flamboyant, even affected or artificial. No such thing! It is a delight to read someone not only with Conroy’s command of the English language but with his ability to conger-up all the analogies and metaphors. Reading this book is like immersing yourself — bathing gloriously — in an ocean of words and expressions, language and style. As Conroy says, you "drift into that bright cocoon where the writer loses himself in language" (p. 305). Ahh, sheer reverie!

"For reasons that have always been unclear to me, the books inside me seem to reach some unanimous agreement about which one of them will go to the head of the line as I open up the next artery that surges out in a tidal fury from the headwaters of my interior" (p. 170). That kind of writing cannot be taught. It is instinctual; however, it is instinct that gathers momentum from training, nurturing, passion, and desire. And that is what this book is all about. How and where does this pallet of background and experience originate?

Conroy answers the origination question: "Story and language brought me to the craft of writing; then passion and my childhood provided both the structure and the details" (p. 306).

"You feel everything in War and Peace except the strain of its creation. It’s like a book made from starlight and fire; the spirit of life itself lends it structure" (p. 271). The quotations, of course, could go on and on. After all, this is Pat Conroy steering the ship, navigating the narrative, piloting the plot, and guiding the verbiage. It is truly a verbal adventure.

Just as Conroy talks about his reading, reading this book (for me) is similar. Conroy writes, "I want a book so filled with story and character that I read page after page without thinking of food and drink, because a writer has possessed me, crazed me with an unappeasable thirst to know what happens next" (p. 311). I loved this book. Five stars out of five! Buy it for his ideas on reading, on writing, or for his delightful storytelling. Or, buy it to be totally enveloped by a wonderful world of words.

Friday Humor

During my physical examination, my doctor asked me about my physical activity level. I described a typical day this way: "Well, yesterday afternoon, I took a five hour walk, About 7 miles, through some pretty rough terrain. I waded along the edge of a lake. I pushed my way through brambles. I got sand in my shoes and my eyes and I avoided standing on a snake. I climbed several rocky hills. I took a few 'leaks' behind some big trees. The mental stress of it all left me shattered. At the end of it all I drank eight beers".

Inspired by the story, the doctor said, "You must be quite an outdoors man!"

"No," I replied, "just a terrible golfer!

ATSP News: World War II Memoir Book Interview

by Anthony Weaver

I've rereleased the four part interview with Edgar E. Willis about his memoir of World War II, Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform. He discusses his life before and after the World War II, captains he served under, his family... And Then Some!

In Part 1 of the interview I ask Edgar about his inspiration for the book, the reason for the title, and why he decided to include his life before and after his service.

Part 2 discusses events had happened to Edgar that were either pure luck or just because of the circumstance of the moment including his pure luck Navy physical. As we progressed, I asked about the captains Edgar served under and his best explanation? He reads from his memoir. We finish off Part 2 with, "That's the way the navy does it!"

Part 3 of the WWII discussion continues the story of the captains Edgar E. Willis served under. The "Winding path to Peace," includes the fact bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and yet, the USS Alaska hadn't suffered it's only casualty of the war. Edgar reminds us with precision what was happening in the Pacific Theater, the timing, and the feelings of where our country was during WWII, including the difference between enlisted men and officers.

Part 4 is the conclusion of Edgar E. Willis's interview about his book "Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform." In his decommission Edgar faced some big decisions that would choose the path for his life. With an education, he had career choices, a wife and children, what was to happen next?... And what does he hope readers will take away from his World War II memoir?

  Part 1:  Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform: Edgar E. Willis  



  Part 2:  Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform: Edgar E. Willis  



  Part 3:  Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform: Edgar E. Willis  



  Part 4:  Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform: Edgar E. Willis  

Buenos Aires II: Our only Princess excursion (a bus tour)

by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

La Boca, as it turns out, is a very special place. I began talking about it in the first essay, but it deserves more space. There are two things that make La Boca stand out, and we passed close to the first, in getting to the second.

The first is the soccer stadium. "A man," Teresa said, "will give up his home, his family, and even his marriage, but he will never give up his devotion to soccer." These are dedicated, committed, zealous, even fervent soccer fans.

At this soccer stadium, a unique marquee meets the visitor’s eye. A visitor might not even notice it if it is not pointed out. It is the only stadium in the world where the sponsor’s logo (which is wrapped around the top of the stadium for all to see), is in black-and-white, not in red-and-white as you usually see the coca-cola logo. Why would that be? It is because the opposing team’s colors are red and white!

The second feature of La Boca that stands out are the homes. La Boca may be a very poor part of town, but the houses there are painted in bright colors. We’re not just talking about yellow, green, orange, or blue colors of different homes, we’re talking about all these colors—at times—on a single home! These are not subtle, subdued shades of these colors, these are as stark as possible—and made even more striking by the sun on the day we visited.

As we entered the pedestrian walkways into La Boca, we had to walk around a group of three older men moving one step at a time to the beat of their own three drums. That was when, too, we came upon the many artists’ displays of their paintings—quite good ones I thought.

La Boca, as stated in the previous essay, is a place that thrives on the tango. Here, I want to quote from "The Tango" web site :

"Nevertheless [despite the speculation that Cuba was the place where the tango was danced for the first time], most experts [agree] that Buenos Aires, during the decade of 1880 marked the starting point of the music and the dance. In those years there was a proliferation of brothels in Buenos Aires, mostly sustained by immigrant women from Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Poland, whose clientele were also immigrants that had left their families and wives in search of new opportunities." "Initially, the tango was played in brothels with a violin, a flute and a guitar, and if a guitar was not available, it was replaced with a comb turned into a wind instrument alongside a cigarette paper and an expert blower that marked the rhythm. The mythical instrument, the bandoneon, was not a part of the tango until a couple of decades later, around 1900 approximately, and little by little it started to replace the flute."

The reason this quotation is so important is because if provides a preface for a story that our tour guide, Teresa, told us about the tango. She admitted up front that there is a great deal of speculation regarding the beginning of the tango. Teresa said that the tango was perceived as a sinful dance born in the brothels and bordellos and, thus, unaccepted by the church and mainstream citizens. So, a couple of tango dancers went to Rome to get the Pope’s blessing for the dance. Instead of doing the tango, however, the couple did the waltz. The Pope saw it, gave it his blessing, and the tango suddenly was accepted, and with the Pope’s blessing, became the most popular dance of the country.

As an aside, soon after it received the Pope’s blessing, in 1917, a porteno (citizen of Buenos Aires), by the name of Carlos Gardel, recorded a tango called "Mi Noche Triste" ("My Sad Night"). The song became a hit, he became a superstar, and the song introduced the rest of the world to the tango.

Our final "must see" destination was La Casa Rosada (The Pink House, or Government House) built in the late 1800s. It sits at the eastern end of the Plaza de Mayo, the large square which since the 1580 foundation of Buenos Aires has been surrounded by many of the most important political institutions of the city and of Argentina.

It is hard to imagine when you see La Casa Rosada (because of its distance away on a hill from the main thorofare and from the river) that when it was originally constructed, it was at the shoreline of the Rio de la Plata (the River of Silver).

Now, you might wonder as I did, why would they paint this enormous building pink? First, it was considered a drab building to begin with, and Domingo Sarmiento beautified it with patios, gardens, and wrought-iron grillwork. Second, however, the reason is all about politics. The colors of the opposing political parties were red and white, and color pink (a combination of the two colors) was selected to defuse political tensions.

As an aside, an alternative explanation for the pink color suggests that the original paint contained cow’s blood designed to prevent damage from the effects of humidity. The information we received onboard said that the pink color was derived by mixing beef fat, blood, and lime!

La Casa Rosada, however, has far more significance for tourists than for local residents. It turns out that Madonna was one of a very limited number of people actually allowed to visit the balcony where Eva Peron made her final farewell address to the Argentine people before she died. In fact, the Argentine government even allowed the filming of the famous "Don’t cry for me Argentina" scene from her 1996 movie, "Evita," to take place on the actual balcony. "Evita," as you will recall, was the film adaptation of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of the same name based on the life of Eva Perón.

The northern side of the Plaza de Mayo is dominated by the Municipal Cathedral, which is the tome of the Orden del Liberator (the highest decoration that is awarded in Argentina), General Jose de San Martin (1778-1850)—one of the most important historical figures in South America. He freed Argentina, Chile, and Peru, from the crown of Spain.

From the Pink House, we drove to Florida Street, where we left 2 people from our tour to shop. It is one of the city’s leading tourist attractions because of its variety of retail stores, shopping arcades, and restaurants. It bustles with shoppers, vendors, and office workers, too, because it is close to the financial district. By evening, Florida Street relaxes as street performers flock to the area, including tango singers and dancers, living statues, and comedy acts.

Although our excursion lasted exactly 3½ hours, we feel we achieved a real feel for the city. We saw the essential "must see" sights, and by stopping at the port terminal, we found our own essential "must buy" items—a tee shirt for me and a shot glass for one of our granddaughters. We boarded our ship, had a very late lunch, and I settled in at Skywalker’s Nightclub to write-up my excursion notes. This is one place I would highly recommend some kind of excursion or tour.

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Wikipedia has the most complete information regarding the history and culture of Buenos Aires.

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Copyright March, 2013, bt And Then Some Publishing LLC