Realism - more than Patriotism
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
Remembrance Day, 2016 Part I
I have written about my mother's family, the Dinsmores, in previous posts, father Robert and two older brothers, Richard and Arthur, all went overseas in the months following the declaration of war.
The news reached the family-run hotel, Rostrevor, on Lake Rosseau via the Royal Mail steamer that connected Muskoka cottages and resorts to the rail-line to Toronto. The German-chef saw the headlines and caught the steamer out. The family faced the challenge of war ... as British Canadians.
This past year I've read greedily about the coming of WWI to Europe ... and the ghastly casualty figures on all sides .... but what has stuck in my mind is the destruction of an old, graceful lifestyle .... the destruction of wealth ... and values. Make no mistake about it ... the war changed everything and there was no going back .
So the passing of a way of life .... my ancestors' way of life .... has been on my mind this memorial day. The photos tell the story.
Note: Granddad ... the man with the mustache
, was a builder, entrepreneur and hotel operator. Mom is the sweet blonde with ringlets ... and a cast of brothers, cousins, her Mom Suzie and gracious guests.
I have written about my mother's family, the Dinsmores, in previous posts, father Robert and two older brothers, Richard and Arthur, all went overseas in the months following the declaration of war.
The news reached the family-run hotel, Rostrevor, on Lake Rosseau via the Royal Mail steamer that connected Muskoka cottages and resorts to the rail-line to Toronto. The German-chef saw the headlines and caught the steamer out. The family faced the challenge of war ... as British Canadians.
This past year I've read greedily about the coming of WWI to Europe ... and the ghastly casualty figures on all sides .... but what has stuck in my mind is the destruction of an old, graceful lifestyle .... the destruction of wealth ... and values. Make no mistake about it ... the war changed everything and there was no going back .
So the passing of a way of life .... my ancestors' way of life .... has been on my mind this memorial day. The photos tell the story.
Note: Granddad ... the man with the mustache
, was a builder, entrepreneur and hotel operator. Mom is the sweet blonde with ringlets ... and a cast of brothers, cousins, her Mom Suzie and gracious guests.Attachments
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
That is very cool, thanks for sharing!
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
November 16. Overcast, plus 5.
Back in town and winter-ready
Back in town and winter-ready
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
I like that cat.
Wildcat
Major
I just caught up on this thread Mike - fantastic family photos! I particularly like the shot of the men sitting on the front steps.
Old Wizard
2nd Lieutenant
Memories.
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
November 25. Mild and overcast
Preparing my seasonal toasted wasabi-soya
almonds
Preparing my seasonal toasted wasabi-soya
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
November 29. Mild, overcast.
"CASTRO IS DEAD! .."
When a political fixture like Fidel Castro moves on it's best to keep to the fundamentals in wording your communique ...
, Mr Trump hit the right note, Mr Trudeau, following his father's example, got it wrong, IMO. "Controversial leader" is young Trudeau's admission that Castro was a brutal dictator ..... seamlessly papering over the evidence. Controversial doesn't describe the contrived brutality of Castro. (The guy was a lawyer, after all, a communist lawyer )"... It's hard to single out the worst atrocity committed by the Castro regime. One might surely be the execution of 166 Cubans back in 1966. Before they died, their bodies were drained of blood – an average of seven pints a person. The blood was sold for $50 a pint to Communist Vietnam, in order to support the Viet Cong aggression and gain hard currency for Cuba. After the victims were exsanguinated, their limp bodies were carried off to the firing squad."
[M. Wente, Globe & Mail]
I spent 2+ weeks filming in Cuba, August, 1972. Prior to that I had only been to Mexico which I enjoyed and I loved Cuba ..... the beer and rum were good, the people were lean and polite, they believed in their revolution and the transformation of the society in 13 years was clear, but what was also clear was that it was a closed political system and society ... and capable of any action ... however outrageous ... as long as it was expedient.
Veterans of the Africa Wars against the Portuguese and South Africans were never allowed "home" but were deposited on the Isle of Pines because most had AIDS .... some will say that was smart public health policy, but it was cold punishment for men who had fought well in Africa and had bought credibility to the expansionist Soviets.
If we can believe the movies ... Hanoi Hilton ... Cuban interrogators in North Vietnam were an especially nasty lot.
So Castro is Dead is welcome news but Mr. Trump will have to respect the fact that Castro transformed Cuba ... but that transformation is hardly to be desired by anyone who loves freedom.
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Tracker
Senior Airman
MM,
This is not political in any way, just personal observations.
I have spent many winters in Cuba and have found the people to be generous and welcoming. Having got to know many over the years, many especially the university trained, they wanted to get out. Engineers, doctors, hotel employees and street sweepers all make the same wage approx. 20 CUC's (Convertible Cuban Pesos) a month. This was approximately $25-$30 CDN depending on their arbitrary exchange rate. Many supplement this wage with tips, especially in the resorts.
Their air force was quite good as far as I was to led to believe. As is the case with a lot of countries, military spending has degraded the force.
The Current State of the<br> Cuban Armed Forces
This is not political in any way, just personal observations.
I have spent many winters in Cuba and have found the people to be generous and welcoming. Having got to know many over the years, many especially the university trained, they wanted to get out. Engineers, doctors, hotel employees and street sweepers all make the same wage approx. 20 CUC's (Convertible Cuban Pesos) a month. This was approximately $25-$30 CDN depending on their arbitrary exchange rate. Many supplement this wage with tips, especially in the resorts.
Their air force was quite good as far as I was to led to believe. As is the case with a lot of countries, military spending has degraded the force.
The Current State of the<br> Cuban Armed Forces
