Month: January 2020

Generator and TWRP

We went to Toronto, in part, to see Generator. It was a . . . the best description I come up with is a speed Chautauqua.

My understanding of Chautauquas is that they were traveling or fixed location events intended to entertain, enlighten, educate, uplift, promote conversation. The Chautauqua Institute in far west New York continues this tradition.

Generator (produced by astronaut Chris Hadfield’s son Evan)  did all of this, and also encouraged the attendees to not let fear govern their actions. I learned about AI being used to diagnose and treat conditions with a genetic basis, mushroom shrouds, body farms, mistakes in mathematics, and advances in mapping. All presented with some humour and much verve.

There was a house band – TWRP – which played several songs, and did a little bit as each presenter was introduced.70EB1708-4625-4D1D-9140-9F40194392E8_1_201_aAs you may be able to see in this cell phone photo they have an, interesting, stage persona and make good music. The fellow lounging on the couch was introduced later as ‘Tres Magnifique’ before he played tenor sax.

It was an evening very much enjoyed.

 

Dinner.

We recently travelled to Toronto for a weekend in the Big City. After delivering the dogs to our boarding kennel we rode VIA (the Canadian passenger train) and chose Business Class for the trip there. That meant we were treated to dinner – for me, cod in a tomato and caper sauce with green beans and potato wedges, an olive roll, skewered cheeses and cherry tomatoes, and strawberry slices with strawberry ‘squish’ topped by a mint leaf. All washed down with a glass of pleasant white wine.

What a civilized way to travel and so much less stressful than a three hour drive in the dark on very busy freeways.

FEC69D93-7684-487F-8D7B-3DEB912CCAE4_1_201_a

Dramatically

This Fokker Dr. III is dramatically suspended from the ceiling of the Early Years Gallery of the Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

AB81B87C-895D-48F9-A77B-04485C74D320

We can hope.

We can hope that recent events in the Middle East do not lead to more trauma and horror inflicted on war dogs and their handlers.

07A81C2D-C67A-4AFE-A85C-769CAE655B58_1_201_a

Close-up

This close-up only begins to reveal the exquisite wood work done by James Mellick, the artist who created the works on display in the exhibit Canine Warriors – Courage and Sacrifice, Always Beside You, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. I was deeply moved by this ten-figure exhibit depicting the traumas and horrors that war dogs and their handlers can experience. See yesterday’s post.

IMG_1597

Blown up.

Faye and I recently visited Dayton OH and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

We had agreed that before seeing anything else we’d see the temporary exhibit of “Canine Warriors – Courage and Sacrifice, Always Beside You”. Ten live-size dog figures exquisitely, beautifully hand carved and shaped from various woods and other materials graphically depicted the traumas and horrors that war dogs and their handlers can live, and not live, through. The sculptures are distressing, even disturbing.

This work depicts the instant a dog and its handler were blown up by an improvised explosive device. The dog was badly injured yet survived. The handler did not.

IMG_1605

Later, Faye rightly pointed out the wrong-ness of putting in harm’s way animals that don’t understand why they are put in harm’s way. I agreed, and pointed out the wrong-ness of old men – they are almost always old, almost always men – with little if any skin in the game, sending young men and women to fight sometimes absurd wars.

This wrong-ness is not new. Nor will it end soon, if ever. It’s important for me, for everyone, to see how the terror and horror of war affects those who are at the spearhead of war-fighting.