Looking For Space: 2009

Saturday, February 21, 2009

WHAT???

I haven’t blogged in a while, life’s been a bit too consuming. But, I’m ready to get back into it and armed with a bee in my bonnet.
Ok, yesterday my son tells me the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has banned the teaching of creationism as a theory.
Whoa Back!
Now you may assume I’m outraged as a Christian, but I’m not. I’m outraged as a scientist.
The ‘state’ is now dictating what can and cannot be taught as a theory????? To explore all possibilities is the very essence of science. Science has no boundaries to its theories. All is fair game. How can children learn what pure science is, if the state mandates what can and cannot be discussed in the classroom?
A 2005 CBS poll stated 51% of Americans believe in Intelligent Design. So, half the population believes a thing to be true and yet it isn’t even allowed to be presented as a theory in the classroom???? What the heck is up with that?
The very essence of Science is questioning. That is what drew me to the discipline in the first place. There are no boxes in Scientific Theory. That is the place for imaginations to run completely wild. What if the world isn’t flat? What if the sun doesn’t move around the world? What if people really don’t care what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are up to? Theory is the place for us to wonder, ponder and propose.
Now, that is being stifled.
The people who should be the most vocal about this restriction aren’t the Christians; it should be the Scientists.
What theory will it be next?
Come on people, this is the 21 Century!! What are we doing banning the teaching of theories? I don’t care if my kids are taught that some have a theory the earth was created by Smurfs. As long as it is presented as a theory and time is spent looking into the validity of it.
Science, the last great frontier…. Not.

Book Reviews

Inn Keeping with Mr. Fawlty - Andy Hageman

If anyone dreams of retiring, buying a hotel and leading the simple life, first read Inn Keeping with Mr. Fawlty. A hilarious look at what really goes on behind the desk, kitchen door and pleasant expression of your hotelier. “Basil” fills us in on the trials and tribulations while keeping his sanity to a degree Mr. Fawlty couldn’t begin to aspire to. I’ll never look at staying at a hotel in the same light.

Not having seen the infamous BBC series prior to reading, I was in the dark as to some of the references, however, the book stands upon its own merits. Now having watched most of the “Fawlty” episodes, I can’t wait to reread the book.
Rumor has it Andy Hageman is soon to publish another book of inn keeping secrets. I can’t wait to discover what else “Basil” has been up to.

A Farewell To Arms – Ernest Hemingway

First, I have to say it feels the greatest act in pomposity to write a review of Hemmingway. It is more I should be ashamed to admit I am just now reading this classic.
That said, I’ll proceed anyway.
A Farewell To Arms was a delightful surprise in that so many classics can be torturous to read when all one mainly wants is a story.
I’ll not regale you with a synopsis of the plot except to say, no Suzanne Sugarbaker, it’s not a story of a guy who lost his arms.
One thing I find interesting, knowing how challenging it can be, is how authors write of the opposite sex. Catherine was such a ‘good wife’. Were women really that submissive or was it merely Mr. Hemmingway’s impression? I also was hooked by the prolific lies of the ambulance driver. Is it charm to tell people what they want to hear, even though they know it to be a lie? Or was it a survival tactic of wartime?

If you, like me, have neglected your education in never reading this classic, go to the library and get reading.

The Copper Beech – Maeve Bincy

Now, this novel did not in the least disappoint me. Once again Ms. Binchy writes of the lives of everyday people proving a plot doesn’t need to be grandiose or bizarre and writing doesn’t have to be ‘clever’.
Shancarrig, a small village in Ireland, provides the setting and its inhabitants the drama. Even in small places, there are hopes, dreams, loves and secrets. The Copper Beech tells of the lives of eight children who attended the village school together. Equal in youth, their lives diverge once leaving school only to repeatedly intertwine.
The Copper Beech is a wonderful read that I cannot recommend highly enough.

I Heard That Song Before - Mary Higgins Clark

It has been a while since I’ve read a Mary Higgins Clark novel. I remember her stories as can’t put down riveting. Unfortunately I Heard That Song Before didn’t live up to her past work. I had more difficulty picking it up than putting it down. It reminded me of a Victoria Holt novel. Where was the tension? The edge of your seat suspense? The best I can say is it was an OK read.

Moving to the Country
By Anna Cheska

Moving to the Country is heralded as a thinking woman’s romance. Well, I suppose so. Then again, isn’t the storyline of empty nest woman done wrong by cheating husband finding fulfilling life of her own a bit overdone? To temper the wronged woman side of things, we have the daughter and sister involved in affairs with married men. It seems no one wants to faithful except the main character. It might have provided an interesting twist had the husband been given some depth of character instead of being a womanizer who was in love with his wife but unable to be faithful to her. That said, it was a readable book and not completely predictable.

Mrs. Fytton's Country Life - Mavis Cheek

Mrs. Fytton is a product of the 70's Feminist movement, a woman who really did 'bring home the bacon, fry it in the pan and never, ever let her husband forget he's a man'. Until middle age strikes. When this grooved in London superwoman makes a change in her life, she changes it all. Now unencumbered, she moves to the country where people are honest, true and as clear as a crystal brook. Or are they? Mavis Cheek's wicked humor makes Mrs. Fytton's Country Life a can't put down delight.

The Lilac Bus - Maeve Binchy

OK, yeah I realize this book is 20 years old. What can I say; I’m a library reader.

The Lilac Bus is the story of seven passengers who commute from Dublin to their country hometown of Rathdoon every weekend in Tom Fitzgerald’s lilac colored minibus. Each with their own secret lives amazingly hidden from the communal consciousness of the village. Some of the secrets are dated, others perpetual.

What bothered me about this book is I didn’t realize it was this story, plus four others. So, once each passenger’s story was told, I was expecting some further resolution. The same with the first of the included short stories. I felt cheated that I had invested that much reading in each character to then have it end abruptly.
Otherwise, the stories were engrossing, if somewhat sad. Infidelity plays a large role in her plots. Another sign of the times? Women didn’t have as many options in the early 80’s as they do today. Or are the intrigues, complications and consequences of infidelity eternal?

Looking For Space

Saturday, February 21, 2009

WHAT???

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