tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50334991049680690262024-03-26T23:36:47.055-07:00Tim Torkildson's Clown AlleyThe Poet Laureate of the New York Times NewsroomTim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.comBlogger5064125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-54827256464997725172023-12-12T11:10:00.000-08:002023-12-12T11:10:43.752-08:00Hvorfor norsk mat er bedre enn kinesisk mat<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixhTCumsThg9ph0XE-3hYgmgDqC-5Pa4LiUbotCNyzSmrXBTUlZdKi0fiPoSwZntwznmTRNcrRj58e17pAJ7aR1r7TZWQNyeti25s6YcwW7cAAFIRX1dk_irucQwCkoXDcK_UO6wcuHYJJnL0cqzeELzS_sfN_KKzhYKJJMUg-OGxaJXluDl3FmaEyC9G/s1280/IMG_20210710_123008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixhTCumsThg9ph0XE-3hYgmgDqC-5Pa4LiUbotCNyzSmrXBTUlZdKi0fiPoSwZntwznmTRNcrRj58e17pAJ7aR1r7TZWQNyeti25s6YcwW7cAAFIRX1dk_irucQwCkoXDcK_UO6wcuHYJJnL0cqzeELzS_sfN_KKzhYKJJMUg-OGxaJXluDl3FmaEyC9G/w400-h225/IMG_20210710_123008.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> Norwegian and Chinese cuisines are distinct, reflecting their unique cultural, geographical, and historical influences. Here are the key differences along with examples of specific dishes:<br /><br />### Norwegian Cuisine<br />1. **Ingredients:** Predominantly features seafood, particularly salmon, trout, and cod, due to Norway's extensive coastline. Dairy products, game meats like reindeer and moose, and root vegetables are also common.<br /> <br />2. **Cooking Methods:** Simplicity is key. Boiling, roasting, and pan-frying are common techniques, aiming to preserve the natural flavors of the ingredients.<br /><br />3. **Flavor Profile:** Less spicy, focusing on the freshness and natural taste of the ingredients. Herbs like dill and parsley are often used for seasoning.<br /><br />4. **Famous Dishes:**<br /> - **Fårikål:** A traditional mutton and cabbage stew, seasoned with whole black peppercorns.<br /> - **Lutefisk:** Dried whitefish (usually cod) rehydrated through a lye solution, then boiled or baked and served with butter, salt, and pepper.<br /> - **Rakfisk:** Fermented fish, a delicacy that has been part of Norwegian cuisine for centuries.<br /><br />### Chinese Cuisine<br />1. **Ingredients:** Extremely diverse, ranging from rice and noodles to a wide variety of meats (pork, chicken, duck) and vegetables. Soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers are staple ingredients.<br /><br />2. **Cooking Methods:** Stir-frying, steaming, braising, and deep-frying are prevalent. These methods are often quick and involve high heat, creating complex flavors and textures.<br /><br />3. **Flavor Profile:** Rich and diverse, often balancing the five flavor profiles: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Use of spices and seasonings is more extensive and varied.<br /><br />4. **Famous Dishes:**<br /> - **Peking Duck:** A famous duck dish from Beijing, known for its crispy skin and tender meat, often served with pancakes and hoisin sauce.<br /> - **Mapo Tofu:** A spicy dish from Sichuan cuisine, made with tofu, minced meat (usually pork), and chili bean paste.<br /> - **Dim Sum:** A style of Chinese cuisine prepared as small bite-sized portions of food, served in small steamer baskets or on small plates, often for brunch.<br /><br />### Summary<br />- **Ingredient Focus:** Norwegian cuisine leans towards seafood and simple ingredients, while Chinese cuisine is diverse and includes a wide range of ingredients.<br />- **Cooking Style:** Norwegian cooking is more about preserving natural flavors, whereas Chinese cooking is about creating complex flavors and textures.<br />- **Flavor Palette:** Norwegian dishes are less spicy and more natural in taste, while Chinese dishes are rich in flavors and often incorporate a mix of different taste profiles.<br />- **Dish Examples:** Dishes like Fårikål and Lutefisk in Norway and Peking Duck and Mapo Tofu in China showcase the culinary diversity and characteristic flavors of each cuisine.</span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-52063673193426175182023-12-06T19:57:00.000-08:002023-12-06T19:57:29.702-08:00A Brief Sketch of the Life and Times of Journalist Larry McShane. <p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div><p dir="ltr" id="m_-7474869919926720925gmail-docs-internal-guid-7a681fbf-7fff-6888-ba0d-e041974e55b4" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Larry McShane never met a verb he didn’t like.</span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Known for his prowess with acrostics and balsamic vinegar, McShane makes no secret of the fact that he was weaned on Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, and wrote his first scarehead at the age of 7.</span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it comes to his background and career, McShane takes reticence to new heights. </span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He will only admit to being born on planet Earth, being bitten by a spectacled caiman during the Vietnam War, and a liking for pickled walnuts.</span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other than that he is a complete cypher. In fact (I can’t resist it) he is the original cypher space . . . </span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He goes by the nickname of ‘Brynjar.’ Which is Nordic for ‘he who scribbles at night.’</span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His awards include an Honorable Mention in the 2019 Scatalogical Society Highbinder’s Literary Contest; the Pumpernickel Medal for Indirect Lighting; and an endorsement from the Lydia Pinkham Institute. </span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His advice to young journalists is: “Never mistake mush for meaning. Always double check your sources. Eat a good breakfast. Keep your nose clean. And last but not least, always listen to your inner somnambulist.” </span></i></span></p></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-51749886308170642272023-12-05T07:52:00.000-08:002023-12-05T07:52:13.267-08:00A Brief Sketch of the Life and Times of Reporter Bill Kole.<p> </p><p> </p><p dir="ltr" id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-8c5ddb77-7fff-e585-5917-09fba3b05581" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Bill Kole was born, America was still in the rotary phone age. No one wore seat belts. There were ashtrays and spittoons in every public building.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In other words, he was born into a dark and dismal age.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His parents came from humble stock. His mother canned hand-picked gravel to make ends meet. His father was a man of great learning and rectitude, who never really found his niche. He put his savings into a candied sauerkraut factory that never really took off. He was beloved by all and sundry.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His son Bill vowed to expose the crooked machinations of the candied sauerkraut cartel when he was old enough to hold a pen and could afford paper.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was able to perform his vow when he turned 18 and went to work for the Associate Press in Paris. There he not only unearthed damning documentation against the CSC (Candied Sauerkraut Cartel) but also exposed Marcel Marceau as a silent partner in the helium racket.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His books have been bestsellers and he now lives in genteel retirement in a refurbished ropewalk.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His hobbies include collecting dilithium crystals and hiking through Bert Lahr’s Moose Country.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His advice to beginning journalists is: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Write your mother once a week.” </span></p><p> </p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-25931643748453221812023-11-27T06:45:00.000-08:002023-11-27T06:45:22.530-08:00Autobiography. Chapter one. <p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXniIksqsZ3luTTqa9T8n9woKQOuoDCUoc3MIXzQ7TWxI19eKC2lBA88o8MAgSDA4ijX4ABrlAOb3PzDHGDzuBTtCG9r1jOFf9Piwfifs89gvjusGVV3RzOMuZTFFYQys70ab3EYr4nAdeUqy9c4ckBNi1qn5DxjJRtdVSKYJu6nF0PAWSw9F5NJCfZ3v/s1280/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXniIksqsZ3luTTqa9T8n9woKQOuoDCUoc3MIXzQ7TWxI19eKC2lBA88o8MAgSDA4ijX4ABrlAOb3PzDHGDzuBTtCG9r1jOFf9Piwfifs89gvjusGVV3RzOMuZTFFYQys70ab3EYr4nAdeUqy9c4ckBNi1qn5DxjJRtdVSKYJu6nF0PAWSw9F5NJCfZ3v/w400-h225/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="Ar Au Ao" id=":b6f" style="display: block;"><div aria-controls=":bgp" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true" aria-owns=":bgp" class="Am Al editable LW-avf tS-tW tS-tY" contenteditable="true" id=":b6j" role="textbox" spellcheck="false" style="direction: ltr; min-height: 204px;" tabindex="1"><br id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-82582499-7fff-f593-cc2f-9252d317b98c" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WHAT I REMEMBER – OR – OUR CLOWNS ARE NOT TO BE LAUGHED AT.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Autobiography. By Tim Torkildson. Started on Friday November 24. 2023.</span></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Booth Tarkington</span></p><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chapter one.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I’ve just had a plate of leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. With a slab of cranberry sauce. Washed down with a Mountain Dew.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I ate it on the patio of our daughter Madelaine’s house, in Woodbridge, Virginia. She flew us out here earlier in the week for a two week stay. Having just turned 70 in September, and being grossly overweight and suffering from bad knees and bad feet, I never thought to do any extensive traveling again, prior to her invitation. The credit for this lovely miracle so late in my life is due to the encouragement and help of the lady I like to refer to as Wonder Woman – Amy Lynn Snyder Torkildson. My wife for 15 years, and now my wife again for the past 3.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I told her today I was starting a rewrite of my autobiography (for I have written one before; some thirty years before, entitled Clown Notes) she shook her head quietly and either said or thought so hard that I heard it: “You’ll never go through with it.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And if precedent is anything to go by, she’s right. I start strong and then stop even stronger. But I’ll be tinkering with this thing the rest of my life. A man needs a hobby; tinkering with a memoir, like tinkering with an old car, accomplishes little but eats up the time in a dignified manner.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And since I may never finish this thing, I’ll put the conclusion to it right here. It’s a Japanese death poem, from a book of death poems compiled by Yoel Hoffman.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 3 lines are by Hakurin:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, then, let’s follow</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The peal of bells to the</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yonder shore.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**********************************************************</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amy wants to watch horse movies tonight on the Freevee Channel. So I continue my tinkering. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The character of the Editor, who interrupts this narrative with questions and criticisms, is a literary device to break up the thick slabs of narrative with some dialogue. In my previous autobiography, Clown Notes, I made up conversations. Which caused readers to keep asking “How can you remember exactly what they said all those years ago?” Which irritated me. So this time around I’ll use the Editor.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My first memory is of a horse installed in our garage on 18th Avenue Southeast in Minneapolis.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both my parents told me years later it was a palpably idiotic idea, and never happened. None of my siblings remember it either. So it never happened?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Do you remember when Daisy was born at home, and all you kids were there when the midwife delivered her”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I once asked Madelaine.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I wasn’t there, dad. I was at girl’s camp that week” she told me firmly.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So another memory shot to hell. The persistence of memory, in my case at least, then, is the persistence of error. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It wouldn’t surprise me if most of my memories are an amalgam of episodes from the books of H.G. Wells, Lewis Carol, Balzac, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For as a child I lay on my bed reading while my childhood ran out. Holding a book felt good. Felt right. When my parents began yelling at each other I’d flee to my room to grab the first handy book, then begin to read until the noise downstairs became part of the book’s dialogue. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “This is rather a pedestrian observation. Did you dabble in any pornography? That would lend more interest to your story.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “No I did not. I liked pure and exhilarating stories and pulp fiction along the lines of Tarzan. I never even looked at a Playboy magazine until I was in my 40s. If you want to be helpful go search the aether for a book called The Lemonade Test, which I read when I was in 3rd grade and tormented by bullies, which tells of a chemical that turns bullies into nice kids. I’ve never been able to find it on the internet. That story moved me to tears.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “You sure this isn’t just another one of your make-believe memories that has no basis in fact?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “No, I’m not. But you need to leave now. You ask too many impertinent and disturbing questions.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other books left a lasting impression on me in my teenage years:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W.C. Field. His Fortunes and Follies. By Robert Taylor.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy. By John McCabe.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buster Keaton. By Rudi Blesch. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notes on a Cowardly Lion. by John Lahr. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I recall the writing in those four biographies as being both robust and sometimes sentimental. Celebrating clowns is godly work.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I cut my teeth on S.J. Perelman. His finicky humor turned my vocabulary into a tumorous growth. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I never got along too well with Mark Twain. I enjoyed reading about his life more than I enjoyed reading his books.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">********************************************</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was six I poked a wasp’s nest with a stick. They swarmed over me as I ran down the block screaming. I’ve been running ever since. Most often fueled by a bottomless rage which needs to be bled dry every day like an overloaded radiator to avoid ridiculous explosions of petty wrath.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Such as peeling potatoes for the Thanksgiving lefse this year. Scraping some skin off my index finger with the peeler, I gave vent to a foul expletive. One I would never purposely use. Yet I said it because I was surprised with a minor cut, and my daughter Madelaine heard me say it. That’s not the way I want her, or anyone, to remember me. So let’s drain the outrage this instant, shall we? Just for another day.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “Where does this bottomless rage come from, Tim? Your readers want to know that.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “After half a dozen therapists, I still don’t know. A combination of vivid imagination, uncontrollable ego, and sense of frustrated entitlement, maybe. Anyway, no one wants to read that kind of psycho-babble. And I don’t want to write any of it, either!”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “I’m sensing a pattern of denial here, Timmy. Whenever you face an unpleasant reality about yourself you shut me out rather than confront it, explore it, and perhaps come to terms with it. Or you dismiss it with a joke.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “Shut up. And don’t call me Timmy!”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**************************************************</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I google myself, here are the first three headlines to appear:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Utah Poet Trades Prose For Cash.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Newsroom Doesn’t Have A Poet Laureate, But This Guy Comes Pretty Close.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">School Blogger Tim Torkildson Fired After Boss Confuses Homophones With Homophobes.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So if I don’t intervene on my own behalf, those headlines will define me, tell the world who I am and who I was. Which I don’t like. I’ve lived a long life, slightly askew. And I want to narrate and interpret it myself. Which reminds me, I should request a copy of my Patriarchal Blessing. I lost my last copy years ago . . .</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And through the magic of the internet and Church archives . . . I now have a digital copy in front of me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am of the lineage of Ephraim. By blood or adoption. Amy says Ephraim is the tribe of leadership.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quoting from the Church website, under Ephraim:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ephraim was given the birthright in Israel (1 Chr. 5:1–2; Jer. 31:9). In the last days their privilege and responsibility is to bear the priesthood, take the message of the restored gospel to the world, and raise an ensign to gather scattered Israel (Isa. 11:12–13; 2 Ne. 21:12–13). The children of Ephraim will crown with glory those from the north countries who return in the last days (D&C 133:26–34).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Wikipedia, Ephraim translates as “I will be fruitful.” That part, at least, I can vouch for. Eight children is a quiverfull, by any standard. Amy and I planned to have a dozen kids when we first married, and that purpose never wavered despite illness and poverty. We never made it because we divorced after 15 years together. By the time we got back together again the fruitful days of our youth had vanished. If you’re looking for hindsight regret for our decision to have so many kids you won’t get it from me. I’m grateful for all of our kids and love each one of ‘em. Amy bore the brunt of the toil and heartbreak of raising a large brood. She has every scintilla of gratitude and love I can muster for this. When the books are finally balanced at Judgement Day she will be recognized and acclaimed by all as an amazing heroine. She is truly my Wonder Woman.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*************************************</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quoting from my Patriarchal Blessing:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You are to be a leaven for righteousness wherever your lot is cast, and you will not move about the world except under the design of your God and Father . . . “</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This statement I take to explain in part my wanderlust between the ages of 18 and 65, when I never wanted to stay rooted very long in any one place. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “So were you led by God, or did you simply stray to so many different places because of your own restlessness?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “Good question. I think I’d like to sleep on it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so to bed.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That was an excellent nap. I slept wearing my thick winter coat, which weighs five pounds and was made in China. Amy said she bought it online for two dollars.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now to my transient state of mind. In my younger times I lacked the virtue of wu wei – the taoist belief in the value of non-action. I thought, mistakenly, that every issue must be forced and that my thought and will should be paramount. And that what I wanted must be what God wanted. If I wanted to move to what I thought were greener pastures, then it had to be the right, the only, inspired path to take.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the web page The School of Life, these words capture how I want wu wei works to work in my life today: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wu wei is closely connected to the Daoist reverence for the natural world, for it means striving to make our behavior as spontaneous and inevitable as certain natural processes, and to ensure that we are swimming with rather than against currents. We are to be like the bamboo that bends in the wind or the plant that adjusts itself to the shape of a tree. Wu wei involves letting go of ideals that we may otherwise try to force too violently onto things; it invites us instead to respond to the true demands of situations, which tend only to be noticed when we put our own ego-driven plans aside. What can follow is a loss of self-consciousness, a new unity between the self and its environment, which releases an energy that is normally held back by an overly aggressive, wilful style of thinking. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today I hold dear the stillness and modesty of our little apartment at Valley Villa in Provo. And because there is a temple just four blocks away, I feel I have come to my final home, where mystery and joy blend to create a warm light in my mind and heart. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “Aren’t you forgetting that mostly you’ve become extremely sluggish and lazy due to sitting around all day pretending to be in deep thought? That’s really why you want to make your sedentary lifestyle into a virtue. Remember one of your favorite lines from Balzac: ‘He sat in his study, as dumb as a carp.’</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: Stifle it, Edith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*****************************************</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I grew up in a 3 bedroom house at 900 19th Avenue Southeast, near the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis. We had one bathroom for six people. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a swing set and a willow tree in the backyard. My memory insists that there was a mysterious hole in the backyard that appeared during the hasty spring thaw in April. The snow stayed piled up three or four feet all winter, until a sudden burst of heat in mid-April caused it to melt in just two or three days. This was often the cause of terrific spring flooding around the state, and in our backyard a small hole appeared in the soggy ground right under the clothesline – it sucked up all the meltwater so our yard did not become a swamp like all the other yards in the neighborhood.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where did that hole come from? Where did it go? No one ever wondered about this but me. In my imagination that meltwater was siphoned into a huge underground cave full of forgotten prehistoric creatures thrashing about in icy darkness. I never got too close to that hole, lest I get sucked down and perish in the jaws of an ichthyosaurus. My mother couldn’t understand my reluctance to go near the clotheslines in April. When I told her about the dreadful hole (which always disappeared overnight in early May) she just shook her head. Thinking, no doubt, that I must be a changeling.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also liked to pry thin slabs of ice off frozen puddles on my way home from school to crash over my head. A la the Three Stooges. The neighbors viewing little Timmy Torkildson happily trying to induce a concussion this way occassionally went to my mother to gently inquire if her little boy were right in the head. She would sigh and tell them to mind their own business, then tell me to leave the frozen puddles alone for gosh sakes. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having had eight children with Amy now, I can empathize with my mom for fretting over the odd behavior of the fledgling minds under her care. Although I don’t think that Billy, Sue Ellen, or Linda, gave her quite the amount of jitters that I did. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My imagination has always needed domesticating.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “I notice you using some ten-dollar words in your narrative so far, as well as making reference to things that most people won’t know about. Is this on purpose?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “It’s just the way I write. When I was reading S.J. Perelman as a kid I had to stop frequently to look up a word or a phrase in the dictionary. My readers can do the same thing.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “Do you really think any of them will do so?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “No. Not really. And if it’s off putting, so be it. I’m writing this thing for my own enjoyment and entertainment. It won’t be fit reading for the crop of ignoramuses coming down the pike.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Editor: “But if you want readers to know . . . “</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “This is not a commercial venture, bub. So put a sock in it.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***************************************************</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t know how to approach writing about my dad. He was a heavy drinker, smoked like a chimney, delighted in profanity, and was a dedicated skirt chaser. He never told me, that I can remember, that he loved me. I never told him I loved him. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yet he always kept us in our own home with solid food and warm clothes. He was a better provider than I ever was for my family. He’s a wild card in this narrative; I’m not sure at this point where he’ll show up or what else I’ll write about him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">****************************************************</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of my friends and contemporaries have offered a ‘foreword’ to my life and hard times. This one is from Nathan Draper, a friend from my days in corporate Thailand:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tim Torkildson came into my orbit in 2003 while I was living in</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thailand and working for a magic juice grift from Provo called</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tahitian Noni International. Peter Willden had invited Tim to come</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to Thailand to start life anew. I think that was the general concept.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riches and fame awaited as he would soon be rubbing elbows, and</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chopsticks, with the powerful diplomatic community, teaching their</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">children the finer points of American literature as they prepared to</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">enter Harvard, Yale, or Chulalongkorn University. I think he even</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">got a new business suit to play the part!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Tim arrived I soon learned a bit about his history as a</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thailand missionary and a former clown with Ringling Brothers. I</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">didn’t know that it was history, for at that time this line of work had</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not really left him. IMO, it never has. The day Tim ran away to join</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the circus he had found his calling.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But on this foray to Thailand, a type of “escape from Alcatraz”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">maneuver, Tim didn’t stick around long. My naïveté was still in</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">force when I asked Tim to handle some business matters while I was</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">out of the country. Upon my return Tim was gone. I wouldn’t hear</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">from the minion of Minnesota for many more years.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before Tim skipped town I asked him, or he offered, to interview</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">me about the most stressful year of my life, 2002, which I’ve</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">listened to a few times since recording it. Tim would have made an</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">excellent late night show host if given the chance! I would have</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">liked to hear him interview Boyd K. Packer!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the years I learned several things from being around Tim not</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the least of which was the power of language and that everyone has,</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or needs, a shtick! Tim had a shtick which comes through in his</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">writings. He never tires of relating stories of his circus days and</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">never lets the truth get in the way of a good story, including his run</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in with the smallest man in the world who helped him get expelled</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">from the big top! (I have this story on “tape” and it will debut at</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tim’s funeral!)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tim writes poetry every day. I never knew people did such things</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">until meeting him. I admire this nuclear habit which he does for his</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">own purpose and of his own volition, without the requirement of</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">compensation. I contend that this art form and offering to god will</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">get him much further up the celestial staircase than would a calling</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of Bishop, Stake President or General Authority. I’d much rather</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hear a Timrick or haiku than the latest statistical report by the</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">heavenly accountants! These lyrical masterpieces will be passed</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">down through the clouds to the terrestrial realms where we can</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">enjoy a good laugh, even on Mondays.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If this isn’t enough, Tim has the distinction of being the only person</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I personally know whose antics made headlines on The Drudge</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Report. If you don’t believe me: Google Homophones and Tim</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Torkildson. Eat your heart out Mr. Michu!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This, along with many other headlines from the New York Times or</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post, gave Tim much satisfaction. Indeed, for Tim, all</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">press, any press, anywhere, anytime was good press. I wonder if he</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ever tried to get published in Playboy? I’ll have to ask. Either way,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m sure the NYT missed an opportunity to make Tim their official a</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">poet laureate.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve enjoyed our sarcastic duels over the years, some over burgers</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and fries, some with a side of rutabaga casserole (don’t ask). From</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my perspective Tim’s life story illustrates the crapshoot in which we</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all live. Some days everything goes right, and many days a lot goes</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wrong, even with the gods in your corner. Tim has navigated the</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">events of his life with the ability to laugh at everything! After all we</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are all part of the cosmic comedy where everything is made up and</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the points don’t matter. I like to think that Tim must have said</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“When life gives you lemons, write poetry!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Poetry is the great language because poetry is the art of saying</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what can’t be said. Every poet knows this.” — Alan Watts</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">##</span></p><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div><p></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-79085862298287821552023-11-15T04:15:00.000-08:002023-11-15T04:15:22.946-08:00The Roots of the Israeli-Hamas Conflict<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgrDu1tpXaFoS_LF9aK0jj_lzTCD2Hfp6AXyz6zMQwig5OfhphidQN4MJKPFuVval21shGnPzS6-OYlgsz-XV58IsjDyJl_OpfYHNx9VGDmFJ6rCi3WadvYteMgnaE5QHTxFehsfZ31THE-HYyju0o0d41zT-a16JGfmZcA-SRbSCNodw-EKEkDuIDKAn/s4160/IMG_20220530_193120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgrDu1tpXaFoS_LF9aK0jj_lzTCD2Hfp6AXyz6zMQwig5OfhphidQN4MJKPFuVval21shGnPzS6-OYlgsz-XV58IsjDyJl_OpfYHNx9VGDmFJ6rCi3WadvYteMgnaE5QHTxFehsfZ31THE-HYyju0o0d41zT-a16JGfmZcA-SRbSCNodw-EKEkDuIDKAn/w480-h640/IMG_20220530_193120.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas in 2023 has multiple underlying causes, reflecting the complex and long-standing tensions in the region:<br /><br />1. **Immediate Causes**: The conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launched a multi-pronged invasion of southern Israel, including a barrage of rockets and ground attacks on military and civilian targets. Israel responded with extensive aerial bombardment and a ground invasion of Gaza【9†source】.<br /><br />2. **Blockade and Economic Hardship**: The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade since Hamas's victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections. This blockade has significantly damaged Gaza's economy and is viewed by international rights groups as a form of collective punishment. However, Israel defends the blockade as necessary to prevent weapons from entering the territory【10†source】.<br /><br />3. **Political Dynamics in Israel**: Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was criticized for policies that allegedly empowered Hamas in Gaza, potentially to sabotage a two-state solution and to weaken the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Critics argue that these policies have backfired, resulting in increased hostilities【11†source】.<br /><br />4. **Hamas's Goals and Strategies**: Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, is driven by a long-term vision of destroying Israel. The recent attacks were not seen as a miscalculation but rather a deliberate escalation to open a more volatile chapter in their conflict with Israel【12†source】【13†source】.<br /><br />5. **Escalation of Violence and Tensions**: The months leading up to the attack saw an increase in violence and tensions, including Palestinian attacks on Israelis and Israeli forces' responses, settler violence, and clashes around the Al-Aqsa Mosque. These events set the stage for the October 2023 conflict【14†source】.<br /><br />6. **International Involvement and Regional Dynamics**: Iran's support for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including training and funding, has been a contributing factor. Additionally, regional dynamics, including Israeli-Arab normalization talks and strained Egypt-Hamas relations, influenced the escalation【15†source】.<br /><br />7. **Broader Israeli-Palestinian Conflict**: The ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the associated humanitarian and political issues have been a backdrop to the conflict. Several human rights organizations have characterized the Israeli occupation as akin to apartheid, though this is disputed【16†source】.<br /><br />8. **Warnings and Predictions of Conflict**: Prior to the attack, warnings from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Palestinian Authority officials about the potential for escalation highlighted the growing tension and despair among Palestinians, exacerbated by the blockade and lack of political progress【17†source】.<br /><br />9. **Exploitation of Despair by Hamas**: The blockade of Gaza has created a sense of hopelessness among Palestinians, which Hamas has exploited to convince young Palestinian men that violence is the only viable response to their situation【18†source】.<br /><br />These factors illustrate the complexity of the conflict, driven by a mix of immediate triggers, long-standing political and economic issues, regional and international influences, and deep-seated grievances on both sides. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-46716856814373057272023-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:002023-11-15T04:00:48.418-08:00The Homophone Incident (in third person.)<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohmTvb3Q3KlTy-Bh2SUtXknAt4V9JN1hPfji-zyoxgU8pJTQcvacNuZBKM0bfL4ebhQBz0MfP8xzxLLw1K1AtJxbwnn5LCRmF4SV48G1E6UC4A2ylEIz778Kp7t0HeEdBnOxa83jGOub6j21GO92gTixQAiKLViGSGxgdjN-DhCF93MSS6-0-2Oqts8HZ/s1280/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohmTvb3Q3KlTy-Bh2SUtXknAt4V9JN1hPfji-zyoxgU8pJTQcvacNuZBKM0bfL4ebhQBz0MfP8xzxLLw1K1AtJxbwnn5LCRmF4SV48G1E6UC4A2ylEIz778Kp7t0HeEdBnOxa83jGOub6j21GO92gTixQAiKLViGSGxgdjN-DhCF93MSS6-0-2Oqts8HZ/w400-h225/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The incident involving Tim Torkildson at Nomen Global Language Center in Utah revolves around a blog post he wrote about homophones. Torkildson, who was the social media strategist for the school, was dismissed from his role following the publication of this post. His boss, Clarke Woodger, the owner of the language school, expressed concerns that the post about homophones might be misconstrued as promoting homosexuality, which led to Torkildson's termination【12†source】【20†source】.<br /><br />A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another but has a different meaning and sometimes different spelling, such as "witch" and "which," or "carat" and "carrot." Torkildson's post was intended to explain this concept, an important one for English language learners. He stated that he understood the "homo" prefix might cause controversy, but he believed his explanation was straightforward and necessary for those in the early stages of learning English【12†source】.<br /><br />Torkildson described the situation in a Facebook post, recounting how Woodger expressed a lack of trust in him and concern about the school being associated with homosexuality due to the blog post. Woodger, on the other hand, refuted these claims, asserting that the decision to remove Torkildson was not related to homosexuality but because his blog postings had become confusing and sometimes offensive. He also mentioned that homophones were a concept beyond the understanding of most of the school's students, who were at basic levels of learning the language【12†source】【20†source】.<br /><br />The content of Torkildson's blog post, as retrieved from a Google cache, was straightforward and educational. It explained the concept of homophones with examples starting with the letter A, such as "ad" and "add," "ail" and "ale," etc. This content, typically taught in English language learning, highlights the unusual nature of his dismissal【21†source】.<br /><br />The incident garnered significant attention on the internet, leading to widespread criticism of Nomen Global Language Center. Many commentators accused the school of homophobia and ignorance of basic English language concepts. The controversy resulted in Nomen's Facebook page being deleted due to the backlash and negative comments it received following the incident【22†source】.<br /><br />Overall, the incident highlights the complexities and sensitivities surrounding language and its interpretation in different contexts. The response to Torkildson's blog post reflects broader societal issues and misunderstandings related to language and sexuality. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-60802674271973093552023-11-13T11:05:00.000-08:002023-11-13T11:05:27.330-08:00My Love Affair With Elizabeth Taylor.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSivAVTazRhqGT1DwnS-lyfvkxtOB9IbDp8I-ttqWx2ZnfFKEbIXnWSZBY6019MQsBQrGbUF2er8fUwBRNfnvsQxXditPe2V6RUhMkRtb3Hyo3LyUntwKqT8CQKCkqqHleGt4fuBZ7A45VAVr7xjIaDmwZn9Jdq7NYVzA-Q9C-l4QIDY8JHbkoJaUZ5el/s1280/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSivAVTazRhqGT1DwnS-lyfvkxtOB9IbDp8I-ttqWx2ZnfFKEbIXnWSZBY6019MQsBQrGbUF2er8fUwBRNfnvsQxXditPe2V6RUhMkRtb3Hyo3LyUntwKqT8CQKCkqqHleGt4fuBZ7A45VAVr7xjIaDmwZn9Jdq7NYVzA-Q9C-l4QIDY8JHbkoJaUZ5el/w400-h225/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /><br />---<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">### My Love Affair with Elizabeth Taylor<br /><br />From the moment I first laid eyes on Elizabeth, the world seemed to stand still. She was more than a screen siren; she was a force of nature, her violet eyes sparkling with an intensity that could captivate any man. I was no exception.<br /><br />Our love story began in the golden age of Hollywood, a time when glamour and romance intertwined with every reel of film. I was an amalgamation of the many men who had fallen under her spell – an actor, a producer, a lover of life and a seeker of its deepest passions. In her, I found a kindred spirit.<br /><br />Our first meeting was like something out of a classic movie. I was attending a lavish Hollywood party, the kind where the champagne flowed like rivers and the stars shone brighter off-screen than on. There she was, across the room, laughing in a way that made everyone else's laughter seem like a mere whisper. I knew I had to speak to her.<br /><br />As I approached, our eyes met. It was as if we both recognized something in each other – a shared destiny, perhaps. Our conversation flowed effortlessly, moving from the trivialities of Hollywood life to the depths of our own dreams and desires. She spoke with an honesty that was disarming, her famous eyes revealing a soul that had known both immense joy and profound pain.<br /><br />Our romance was a whirlwind. We traveled the world together, from the glamorous streets of Paris to the sun-kissed beaches of the Mediterranean. We shared moments of unbridled joy and faced the inevitable challenges that came with a life lived in the public eye. Through it all, our love remained a constant, a beacon guiding us through the storm.<br /><br />Elizabeth was a woman of many facets. She could be fiercely independent yet deeply vulnerable, a celebrated actress yet a woman yearning for true connection. In her, I saw not just the glamour of Hollywood but the genuine heart of a woman who loved with every fiber of her being.<br /><br />Our relationship was not without its trials. The pressures of fame, the constant scrutiny of the media, and the ghosts of our past relationships often cast shadows over our love. But in those moments, when the world seemed too much, we found solace in each other's arms. <br /><br />We shared a love that was passionate, tumultuous, and deeply real. It was a love that taught me more about life, about love, and about myself than I could have ever imagined. Elizabeth was not just a lover; she was a teacher, a muse, and a mirror reflecting the best and worst of who I was.<br /><br />As our affair drew to a close, marked by the inevitable ebb and flow of life's tides, I looked back on our time together with a sense of awe and gratitude. Elizabeth Taylor was more than a Hollywood icon; she was a woman who loved fiercely and lived fully, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of her incredible journey.<br /><br />In the end, our paths diverged, each of us moving on to new chapters in our lives. But the memories of our love affair remain, vivid and indelible, a testament to the power of love in all its complex, beautiful forms.<br /></span><br />---<br /><br /><br /></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-92204231328420543642023-11-12T09:21:00.000-08:002023-11-12T09:21:45.453-08:00Why zombies would make good soldiers.<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxS2SC9OTa3vLnKQLafWXjkrbeZPeHZrgumuBnqRJLw06V8q-Nruc4_mIk3jlVMP5FjnHAZsK0bgcyGKzZnwSGYgrAuO8IlpZSWMxxBP1M0M6ZlaERewbCMB11iDMGK9XnGXifC-oxUqZdiYoQoobSeQbvDafUGpTYEAJW-hbR9xkyHM-WQ3xZWH3jfg79/s1280/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxS2SC9OTa3vLnKQLafWXjkrbeZPeHZrgumuBnqRJLw06V8q-Nruc4_mIk3jlVMP5FjnHAZsK0bgcyGKzZnwSGYgrAuO8IlpZSWMxxBP1M0M6ZlaERewbCMB11iDMGK9XnGXifC-oxUqZdiYoQoobSeQbvDafUGpTYEAJW-hbR9xkyHM-WQ3xZWH3jfg79/w400-h225/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The concept of zombies as soldiers is a fascinating and multi-dimensional topic, providing numerous angles from which to analyze their potential effectiveness in military contexts. In a 600-word exploration, we can delve into several key areas that highlight why zombies could be considered good soldiers, focusing on their unique characteristics and the strategic advantages they may offer.<br /><br />1. **Unwavering Obedience and Lack of Fear:** One of the primary attributes that could make zombies effective soldiers is their unwavering obedience. Zombies, as typically portrayed in popular culture, do not possess self-awareness or consciousness. This lack of sentience translates into an absolute obedience to commands, assuming they can be controlled or directed effectively. They do not experience fear, stress, or doubt, which are factors that can significantly impact the performance of human soldiers. In high-risk scenarios, such as direct combat or hazardous environments, zombies would continue to operate without regard to personal safety or preservation, potentially outperforming human soldiers in terms of sheer tenacity and willingness to engage in dangerous situations.<br /><br />2. **Endurance and Resilience:** Zombies are often depicted as creatures that can sustain significant bodily damage without being incapacitated. This resilience would be a considerable advantage on the battlefield. They could continue operations despite injuries that would typically debilitate or kill a human soldier. Furthermore, their apparent lack of need for sustenance, rest, or medical care simplifies logistical concerns, such as supply lines and field support, which are critical aspects of modern warfare.<br /><br />3. **Psychological Impact on the Enemy:** The use of zombies could have a profound psychological impact on opposing forces. The sight of undead adversaries, impervious to pain and seemingly unstoppable, could be a significant demoralizing factor. The psychological warfare aspect of deploying zombies should not be underestimated, as fear and moral disruption can be as effective as physical weaponry in weakening an enemy's resolve and effectiveness.<br /><br />4. **Potential for Mass Deployment and Low-Cost Maintenance:** Assuming a method exists to create and control zombies, they could potentially be deployed in large numbers. Their creation might be more cost-effective than training and equipping human soldiers, considering they require no food, shelter, or conventional medical care. This aspect could allow for a substantial numerical advantage in warfare.<br /><br />5. **Reduced Political and Ethical Constraints:** Deploying zombies as soldiers might circumvent some of the political and ethical issues associated with putting human lives at risk. The decision to send troops into dangerous situations is often fraught with moral and ethical considerations, public opinion concerns, and political repercussions. Zombies, being already deceased, do not carry the same weight of ethical dilemmas, potentially allowing military strategies that would otherwise be untenable due to the risk to human life.<br /><br />6. **Limitations and Challenges:** However, it's crucial to address the limitations and challenges in utilizing zombies as soldiers. Control and direction are significant issues; without a reliable method to command them, zombies could be as much of a liability as an asset. Additionally, their presence could pose a risk of infection or other forms of contamination to both allies and civilians. The long-term effects of deploying zombies, such as environmental impact and the potential for uncontrollable spread, must also be considered.<br /><br />In conclusion, while the idea of zombies as soldiers might seem far-fetched, examining their characteristics and potential strategic advantages reveals a range of factors that could make them formidable on the battlefield. Their unwavering obedience, resilience, psychological impact, potential for mass deployment, and reduced ethical concerns present compelling arguments for their effectiveness as soldiers. However, significant challenges and limitations must be addressed to realistically evaluate their potential in military applications. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-77027048978347110722023-11-10T14:31:00.000-08:002023-11-10T14:31:05.035-08:00Vampire. <p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Vampires are a fascinating subject that has been explored through various mediums such as literature, folklore, and cinema. Each of these mediums has contributed to the rich tapestry of vampire lore, creating a diverse range of tropes and themes. Here’s a breakdown of how vampires have been portrayed across these different mediums:<br /><br />### Literature<br />1. **Ancient and Medieval Literature**: Vampires in early literature were often depicted as demonic entities or revenants, arising from the dead to harm the living. These stories were less about horror and more about morality and the consequences of sin.<br /> <br />2. **19th Century**: With works like John Polidori's "The Vampyre" (1819) and Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (1897), the vampire became a symbol of seduction and sophistication, often seen as a charismatic aristocrat.<br /><br />3. **Modern Literature**: Contemporary vampire literature often uses the vampire as a metaphor for other themes. For example, in Anne Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles," vampires symbolize existential angst and the burdens of immortality, while in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series, they are more romantic and conflicted beings.<br /><br />### Folk Tales<br />1. **Eastern European Origins**: Traditional vampire folklore in Eastern Europe depicted vampires as bloated, ruddy corpses who returned from the dead to harm their living family and neighbors. They were often associated with plagues and unexplained deaths.<br /><br />2. **Slavic Folklore**: In Slavic cultures, vampires were often undead nobles or criminals who had led sinful lives. They were feared for their superhuman strength and their ability to shapeshift.<br /><br />3. **Global Variations**: Almost every culture has some form of vampire myth, from the blood-drinking spirits of Asia to the vampiric creatures of African folklore. These variations reflect different cultural fears and superstitions.<br /><br />### Cinema<br />1. **Early Film Representations**: In early cinema, such as in "Nosferatu" (1922), vampires were portrayed as monstrous, rat-like creatures. This portrayal was more aligned with the folklore depiction than the aristocratic vampire of 19th-century literature.<br /><br />2. **Golden Age of Hollywood**: Films like "Dracula" (1931) introduced the suave, charismatic vampire, largely based on Stoker's Dracula. This era cemented the image of the vampire as a sophisticated, yet dangerous, figure.<br /><br />3. **Modern Cinema**: Recent films have diversified the portrayal of vampires, ranging from horror-centric interpretations to comedic and even sympathetic versions. Films like "Let the Right One In" offer a more nuanced, often tragic view of the vampire.<br /><br />4. **Themes and Metaphors**: Modern cinema uses vampires to explore themes like sexuality, addiction, the fear of the unknown, and the struggle with immortality.<br /><br />### Analysis and Trends<br />- **Evolving Symbolism**: The vampire has evolved from a symbol of evil and the supernatural to a complex character that can embody various themes like alienation, desire, and the human condition.<br />- **Cultural Reflections**: Vampire stories often reflect the cultural and societal fears of the time, whether it be disease, the unknown, or the breakdown of traditional values.<br />- **Enduring Popularity**: The adaptability of vampire lore to different themes and settings keeps it relevant and continually interesting to new audiences.<br /><br />Overall, the vampire trope has shown remarkable versatility, adapting to the cultural and artistic demands of each era while maintaining its core elements of mystery, horror, and allure. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-17361758112133721142023-11-08T13:57:00.000-08:002023-11-08T13:57:44.884-08:00Inflation<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWn-vdFLQ7JPojgUI4Xy7Ts5HIRhAA3QfYsrMc7WA8BdVlALt8wiXbwHYj2VBU9EEfrtLh9PjgJ4Slnc-fvI-tHG9DV2BgjLXypwoOMMZ-7ZlckwUe82RyXj5ZGfxZc3mjMujo8onx-DnefLkQhWgHs8RlvILdxaNech7-kHYNogLXvgeZrFtfXq56ixdb/s4160/IMG_20221213_195356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWn-vdFLQ7JPojgUI4Xy7Ts5HIRhAA3QfYsrMc7WA8BdVlALt8wiXbwHYj2VBU9EEfrtLh9PjgJ4Slnc-fvI-tHG9DV2BgjLXypwoOMMZ-7ZlckwUe82RyXj5ZGfxZc3mjMujo8onx-DnefLkQhWgHs8RlvILdxaNech7-kHYNogLXvgeZrFtfXq56ixdb/w480-h640/IMG_20221213_195356.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ladies and gentlemen, can we talk about inflation for a moment? Not the balloon kind, no, that’s child's play. I mean the kind where your wallet goes on a diet, and your money starts to feel like it’s burning calories instead of earning them.<br /><br />You know inflation's kicking in when you overhear your piggy bank is seeing a therapist for 'emptiness issues'. And your dollars are now entering the witness protection program because they’re worth less and less and don’t want to be recognized.<br /><br />Remember the good old days when a buck was a buck and could actually buy you something more substantial than a puzzled look from the teenager behind the counter? Now, it seems like every time I open my wallet, the bills inside have thrown a going away party for the ones that left.<br /><br />Grocery shopping has turned into a game show. You know, “The Price is Right”? Except Bob Barker isn’t there to console you, and every time you guess a price, it’s wrong and it’s higher. I picked up a block of cheese the other day and had to check if it was made of gold. It wasn’t, but I'm considering an investment in dairy commodities.<br /><br />And have you tried to buy a car recently? The salesperson was like, “How about a nice compact?” And I'm like, "Sure, but where's the car?" Because I swear, the price they're asking, you’d think they come with a built-in butler and a spa.<br /><br />Then there’s the gas station. I saw the numbers rolling so fast, I thought I was winning something. I was waiting for the bells to ring and someone to come out with an oversized check. But no, it's just me, donating to the “Oil Company’s Children's College Fund” one tank at a time.<br /><br />Utilities aren’t any better. I got my electric bill the other day and I thought it was a phone number. I tried calling it, and some guy answered with, "Thanks for paying off my yacht!"<br /><br />Eating out has become eating “in” because when you look at the menu prices, suddenly, your home-cooked meal of canned beans and toast looks like a Michelin-star feast. I asked a waiter for a wine recommendation and he said, “Honestly, sir, with these prices, I recommend sobriety.”<br /><br />Even the dollar store is under existential threat. They’re about to be called “Five Dollar Stores” and you can forget about finding treasures in there. It’s more like a safari where you’re hunting for anything that’s actually a dollar.<br /><br />And in this economic climate, forget about the tooth fairy. Kids are waking up to IOUs under their pillows. The tooth fairy's facing bankruptcy, saying, “At these rates, keep your own teeth, kid.”<br /><br />But let’s end on a good note. They say laughter is the best medicine, right? Which is great because it’s the only prescription we can afford now! Just remember, folks, when you finally find that sofa change, hold onto it tight. Because at the rate we’re going, it might just be your retirement fund.</span><br /></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-73354360209616480592023-11-01T13:03:00.001-07:002023-11-01T13:03:10.259-07:00A Clown at Brown Institute. Part One.<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnb1q_qyYUpeoC-XTocbFQi4DBoy6qO_Z4zaH0gMR63ODgcP0xhU9zBh5uEdx0UQzWeG0g4rJbJHIgsis71mCV-6WFnLzsqLCLyB65omxdqNbkAwdHf3xubmSZUzRlhO9yAHrTY9VGN9idqqem8tax555NM2flcA8gR46qDHB1w4FSw6rQgEtsW-K1MYs/s1280/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnb1q_qyYUpeoC-XTocbFQi4DBoy6qO_Z4zaH0gMR63ODgcP0xhU9zBh5uEdx0UQzWeG0g4rJbJHIgsis71mCV-6WFnLzsqLCLyB65omxdqNbkAwdHf3xubmSZUzRlhO9yAHrTY9VGN9idqqem8tax555NM2flcA8gR46qDHB1w4FSw6rQgEtsW-K1MYs/w400-h225/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After my epic battle with Michu the World’s Smallest Man on the Ringling Blue Unit I was blacklisted for several years. Or, more precisely, I decided to voluntarily withdraw from the big top milieu for a few seasons when I saw how the wind was blowing vis-a-vis my continuing employment. Management was cold and distant towards me. And Tim Holst, my galant pal, now Assistant Performance Director, laid it on the line for me one night.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-21e1755d-bef6-c0c5-424b-13a5bde041ee" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Tork” he said, “you better look for some other line of work. I’ve been plugging you with Baumann and Mr. Feld these past few weeks, but they won’t budge. They think you’re mental, and I think my own job could be in the donniker if I keep sticking up for you all the time.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I quickly told Holst to cease jeopardizing his own career to take care of mine; I could get along without Ringling or circuses in general. I was sick of them. There was a whole ‘nother world out there breathlessly awaiting my stellar talents. I’d make out just fine. When the season ended and I was not offered another season’s contract I went back home to Minneapolis to mull over my options.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At one time as a child I had thought of becoming a concert violinist after watching Jack Benny on TV. That owly old guy seemed to do okay on the fiddle. And I was now an adept on the musical saw, as well as the Irish tin whistle. But I lacked the gumption to practice. Rote of any kind was DDT to my soul. That let out just about anything that required a university degree. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-5db21380-c3ab-162f-29c4-24ab0151bf35" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I sat in my wooden rocker to think some more. Rocking is the only way I can generate any sustained thought. I began rocking as soon as I could sit up. My mother took me to the doctor when she couldn’t stop my constant swaying to find out if this was incipient cretinism. She was always afraid she was birthing cretins after the she saw how my father was turning out. The pediatrician assured her it was only a phase and would soon pass. But it never did. I am rocking in my beat up old Deseret Industries thirty-dollar recliner as I write these sentences on my Chromebook.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact, when I have to stand still I tend to sway back and forth like an elephant. This used to drive choir directors at church crazy. The director would majestically indicate we should all rise to begin warbling “If You Could Hie to Kolob,’ and I would immediately spoil the spirit of the whole thing by bumping shoulders with my fellow basses. My singing neighbors learned to give me a wide berth if they didn’t want to go home to Sunday dinner with contusions. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Vietnam War was just over and the National Guard had more money than they knew what to do with to recruit new cannon fodder. I was offered a two-thousand dollar sign up bonus, training in any field I wanted, and completely free medical and dental care for life. But I was healthy as a horse and didn’t look good in khaki -- it highlighted my lichen-colored eyes. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During my years with the show I’d done literally hundreds of radio interviews, and it seemed to me that it didn’t take much brains or talent to spout platitudes over the airwaves. I could do that kind of stuff with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back. Compared to the backbreaking physical work of the circus, it looked like a nice cushy sinecure with regular hours and the lure of possible fame as another Wolfman Jack. So I applied to Brown Institute of Broadcasting, down on Lake Street, for the training necessary to backtime a record and get my Third Class FCC Engineer’s License. In those antique days you couldn’t work on the air without a federal license in your back pocket. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brown Institute was housed in a former carpet store. It was one of the more successful vocational schools that the Twin Cities was famous for. It was started in 1946 by the Browns, a married couple who owned some small market AM stations in western Minnesota. Concerned over the lack of trained announcers, they began classes in voice, music appreciation, how to avoid getting arrested for Payola, how to gather local news, and how to run the board and record commercials. By 1955 their school was churning out dozens of DJ’s, sportscasters, and newscasters each year for a market that was expanding like crazy with the advent of FM radio. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The real money was in sales, and my Brown advisor, Mike Kronforst, strongly suggested I take the additional one week course in how to sell radio advertising. But I pooh-poohed his advice. I had my sights set on doing the news, since my voice held a pleasing baritone timbre that impressed me no end. There was no reason I couldn’t soon be mesmerizing the nation with my urgent bulletins and incisive editorials like Walter Cronkite.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Classes ran from 9am to 2pm each weekday. Since everything in radio is timed down to the nanosecond, punctuality was of particular importance, and the school offered a ten percent tuition refund to any student who finished the nine month course without a single tardy mark. Since I walked to school from home, I figured I was a shoo-in -- but missed it by seven minutes one lazy spring day when I dallied on East River Road to lob rocks at the Mississippi carp schooling near a gushing drain pipe. Some Minnesota mornings are made for sheer lollygagging and nothing else. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mike Kronforst was also one of the key instructors at Brown. He took me in hand to discourage my tendency to turn the most mundane PSA into a dramatic reading more appropriate for a circus midway pitch. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Flash! This just in: The First Lutheran Church will hold a potluck supper AND bingo this coming Thursday night! Tickets for this monumental event are knocked down to an incredible FOUR DOLLARS PER PERSON!! You can’t afford to miss this stellar occasion -- the most important social gathering since Cleopatra held salacious court in ancient Egypt!!! All proceeds go to the Altar Cloth Fund. Hurry! Hurry! HURRY!!!!!!!” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Now Torkildson,” Mike would remonstrate with me patiently “stop trying to sound like a carnival barker. You’ll wear out your voice and wind up croaking the weather like someone inside a hollow log. Don’t improvise like that. Let’s try it again, and this time keep your voice level and lose about a dozen decibels, okay?” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He eventually got me to deliver news, weather, and sports in a more reasonable facsimile of a silken voiced professional radio announcer. But not before I had exasperated him with a variety of buzzers, whistles, and other raucous sound effects I dug out of my clown trunk to punctuate the pork belly futures out of Chicago. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I graduated in the spring of 1980 and immediately went down to WCCO Radio in downtown Minneapolis with my audition tape, ready to pinch hit for Steve Cannon or Howard Viken -- two of the top Twin Cities radio personalities. In years past I'd appeared as a Ringling clown spokesperson on WCCO's Boone and Erickson Show several times, trading banter with the two insouciant radio clowns. The receptionist thanked me for my visit, assuring me that a station vice president would personally study my resume before making me an offer. I haughtily told her to make it snappy, because my next stop was <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009JAX11M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009JAX11M&linkCode=as2&tag=torkythai9105-20&linkId=6dd61d6825f11a9aa778ccaed5ee68df" target="_blank">KSTP</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=torkythai9105-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B009JAX11M" style="border: medium; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> over in Saint Paul, and it would be strictly first come first served. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few weeks later Kronforst tried to let me down gently. I hadn’t heard back from anyone. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You can’t start in a big market without any broadcast background, Tim. Start out small market, get some experience under your belt and then try again. There’s an opening out in North Dakota for a news director -- let me call them and see if I can get you in.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was as good as his word, and in a few days I was on the Amtrak to Williston, North Dakota, where I began my broadcasting career at KGCX Radio -- 93.1 on your FM dial. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(to be continued) </span><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-60455150140621040252023-10-23T05:38:00.001-07:002023-10-23T05:38:16.092-07:00Entrepreneurs and the Book of Job<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEA-e_aNNhTJ_dNp8R94iCqgKbA_nwTXkHejtlt5zXvO-6UlLRmAG3PdADYMXrzODGPvO-geOLrDjlPCr26q9uWXlbM8Sw_zfXG0nUtKuw4zINJ6vQVwJTBvZzLvY8UOlHxuivA1BcZYAOtKDfNGKqWeqaPMxj4Miuf8kEJMjRpV4P_dYMkr_K7DEbB_8J/s4160/IMG_20220530_193120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEA-e_aNNhTJ_dNp8R94iCqgKbA_nwTXkHejtlt5zXvO-6UlLRmAG3PdADYMXrzODGPvO-geOLrDjlPCr26q9uWXlbM8Sw_zfXG0nUtKuw4zINJ6vQVwJTBvZzLvY8UOlHxuivA1BcZYAOtKDfNGKqWeqaPMxj4Miuf8kEJMjRpV4P_dYMkr_K7DEbB_8J/w480-h640/IMG_20220530_193120.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The story of Job from the Bible is a profound narrative that revolves around faith, suffering, perseverance, and humility, which can offer numerous insights to entrepreneurs in their journey through success and failure. <br /><br />1. **Embracing Uncertainty and Suffering**: Job was a wealthy man with a prosperous life, but he lost everything – his children, his wealth, and his health. Entrepreneurs often face uncertainties and failures in their ventures. Job’s story teaches them to embrace these challenges, understanding that adversity is a part of life and the entrepreneurial journey.<br /><br />2. **Maintaining Integrity**: Despite his sufferings, Job maintained his integrity and did not curse God. For entrepreneurs, this is a crucial lesson in maintaining their values and ethics, regardless of the situation. The business world is filled with temptations to take shortcuts or engage in unethical practices, but maintaining integrity is vital for long-term success and personal satisfaction.<br /><br />3. **The Importance of Patience**: Job’s story is also a lesson in patience. He endured his sufferings for a long time, and eventually, his fortunes were restored. Entrepreneurs often want quick success, but the path to success is rarely linear. Patience and perseverance are key virtues that can help them navigate through tough times.<br /><br />4. **Humility in Success**: When Job’s fortunes were restored, he remained humble, recognizing that everything he had came from God. This is an important lesson for entrepreneurs, especially in times of success. Achievements can sometimes lead to arrogance, but humility keeps one grounded and open to learning and growth.<br /><br />5. **The Value of Seeking Wise Counsel**: Job’s friends came to counsel him, and while some of their advice was misguided, the intention was to help him reflect on his life. Entrepreneurs should seek wise counsel and be open to feedback. Having a trusted group of advisors or mentors can provide valuable perspectives, helping to avoid pitfalls and make informed decisions.<br /><br />6. **The Role of Faith**: Job’s story is ultimately about faith. Despite his sufferings, he did not lose faith in God. Entrepreneurs can draw from this the importance of having faith – whether it is faith in themselves, in their vision, or in a higher power. This faith can provide strength and resilience in tough times.<br /><br />### Citing Religious Leaders from Various Faiths:<br /><br />1. **Christianity**: Pope Francis has often spoken about the virtues of humility, patience, and maintaining integrity. He emphasizes the importance of humility in success, urging individuals to recognize that every achievement is a gift and to remain grounded.<br /><br />2. **Islam**: Imam Ali, a central figure in Shia Islam, has numerous sayings about patience, humility, and maintaining integrity. He emphasizes the importance of being patient in adversity and remaining humble in success, recognizing that all comes from Allah.<br /><br />3. **Judaism**: Prominent Rabbis like Rabbi Jonathan Sacks have spoken extensively about the lessons from the story of Job. They highlight the importance of faith, the human capacity to endure suffering, and the need for humility and gratitude in both success and failure.<br /><br />4. **Hinduism**: Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, though not a religious leader in the traditional sense, was deeply influenced by Hindu philosophy. He emphasized the virtues of humility, patience, and maintaining one’s integrity and ethics in all aspects of life, including business.<br /><br />5. **Buddhism**: The Dalai Lama frequently talks about the importance of compassion, humility, and patience. He urges individuals to remain grounded, recognizing that success and failure are impermanent, and to maintain integrity and ethical conduct.<br /><br />By drawing on these universal virtues exemplified in the story of Job and emphasized by religious leaders across different faiths, entrepreneurs can find the strength to overcome failure, learn from their experiences, and maintain humility and integrity in success.</span><br /></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-40977149095602776872023-10-16T17:45:00.001-07:002023-10-16T17:45:12.235-07:00Stan & Ollie<p><span style="font-size: large;"> **Laurel & Hardy: Timeless Icons in a Changing World**<br /><br />Laurel & Hardy, the iconic comedy duo consisting of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, reigned supreme during the early years of cinema. Their slapstick humor, impeccable timing, and endearing character dynamics captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. Even today, decades after their last performance, they remain a symbol of comedic genius, resonating with audiences across generations. What accounts for their timeless appeal, and why do they continue to matter in today's world?<br /><br />**1. Universality of Humor:**<br /><br />Laurel & Hardy mastered the art of universal humor, which transcends cultural and temporal boundaries. Their sketches focused on simple, everyday situations, which often spiraled into comical chaos. Their humor, based largely on visual gags and physical comedy, is universally understandable, bypassing language barriers. As film critic Roger Ebert once noted, "Their comedy is elemental, dealing directly with the most basic human needs and emotions." It's this fundamental, human-centered approach that makes their acts relatable, even to contemporary viewers.<br /><br />**2. Archetypical Characters:**<br /><br />Stan and Ollie represent contrasting character archetypes — the naïve, childlike fool and the pompous, often misguided, authority figure. Social scientists argue that these character dynamics tap into shared human experiences. Dr. Julian Hoxter, a film studies expert, posits that "the bumbling, error-prone nature of both characters speaks to the fallibility inherent in all of us." We see our own flaws, missteps, and vulnerabilities reflected in their antics, allowing us to laugh at ourselves through them.<br /><br />**3. Evolution of Comedy:**<br /><br />Modern comedians owe a debt to the foundational principles set by Laurel & Hardy. Their influence can be seen in the works of comedians like Abbott and Costello, Morecambe and Wise, and even contemporary acts like Key & Peele. By studying the duo's expert pacing, delivery, and use of props, budding comedians can learn the essence of comedic timing. The manner in which Laurel & Hardy utilized pauses, reactions, and even silence, is a masterclass in the art of eliciting laughter.<br /><br />**4. Endearing Friendship:**<br /><br />The genuine bond between Stan and Ollie was palpable both on and off the screen. Their friendship, rife with bickering yet underscored by unwavering loyalty, mirrors the complexities of real-life relationships. Social scientist Dr. Rebecca Steinberg argues that "their relationship embodies the ups and downs that all friendships endure, making them eternally relatable." In an era of digital relationships, their tangible camaraderie serves as a poignant reminder of the depth and value of human connection.<br /><br />**5. A Source of Comfort:**<br /><br />In today's fast-paced, often tumultuous world, the simplicity and innocence of Laurel & Hardy's comedy offer a refuge. They provide an escape to a world where problems, no matter how convoluted, are resolved with a laugh. Their work reminds us of the therapeutic power of laughter and the importance of finding joy in life's absurdities.<br /><br />In conclusion, Laurel & Hardy's relevance in today's world stems from their universal appeal, their representation of timeless human archetypes, and their foundational impact on the comedic arts. As the world changes and modernizes, the human need for laughter remains constant, and there are few who can deliver it as profoundly as this dynamic duo. Their legacy is a testament to the enduring power of humor and friendship, reminding us that some things are indeed timeless.</span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-87946567982139382092023-09-28T11:48:00.002-07:002023-09-28T11:48:22.124-07:00Chinese Naval Aggression is Hurting the U.S. Economy.<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8RwRKsLgNwT5_90MizlGkRViJtJOgcNAAjDIWrKP6RCyFj81F2S0Z9LKsyqDeLgZuiofj7n-lp6s2C4k13SNiywXV8Q3AepGXF64Y1Y9LIaYZnmaDgdZkB14d_bLAbnugILg687Pcd6nFOp9K18_z0SPaNiEeqHr2uYzOBVpjN7eGVbQAILAPrXZ-Qb6/s3264/IMG_20230809_185638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8RwRKsLgNwT5_90MizlGkRViJtJOgcNAAjDIWrKP6RCyFj81F2S0Z9LKsyqDeLgZuiofj7n-lp6s2C4k13SNiywXV8Q3AepGXF64Y1Y9LIaYZnmaDgdZkB14d_bLAbnugILg687Pcd6nFOp9K18_z0SPaNiEeqHr2uYzOBVpjN7eGVbQAILAPrXZ-Qb6/w480-h640/IMG_20230809_185638.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Business Victims of Chinese Naval Aggression: Inger & Olaf Grimstead.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">**The Rising Aggression of the Chinese Navy in the South China Sea and its Implications for the U.S. Economy**<br /><br />The South China Sea, with its rich resources and crucial shipping lanes, has been the stage of intense territorial disputes for many years. In recent times, however, there's been a perceptible increase in tensions, largely driven by the increasing assertiveness of the Chinese Navy. With its implications for regional stability and the global economy, especially the U.S. economy, the situation warrants a closer look.<br /><br />In one telling instance, a New York Times report highlighted a significant encounter where the Chinese Navy reportedly threatened a Vietnamese fishing boat, demanding that they leave what China claims to be its sovereign waters. This incident isn't isolated. As cited by the Washington Post, there have been numerous cases where Chinese vessels have harassed, intimidated, or even collided with fishing boats and naval ships of other nations like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.<br /><br />This aggression in the South China Sea is deeply rooted in China's territorial claims. The so-called 'Nine-Dash Line'—a demarcation used by Beijing to mark its claims in the region—covers most of the South China Sea. These claims, as many analysts and the Wall Street Journal have noted, are far-reaching and overlap with the territorial waters of several Southeast Asian nations. The Chinese government asserts that its historical rights justify these claims. However, in 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague rejected Beijing's claims, declaring many of them to be inconsistent with international law.<br /><br />The question arises—why does the South China Sea matter so much to China, its neighbors, and, by extension, the U.S. economy?<br /><br />To begin with, the South China Sea is a strategic waterway. It's a lifeline for global trade, with approximately $3.4 trillion worth of trade passing through it annually. It's not just crucial for regional players; it's a major conduit for U.S. trade as well. The New York Times has noted that any disruption in the South China Sea can impact the global supply chain, affecting everything from electronics to energy supplies.<br /><br />Moreover, beneath its waters, the South China Sea is believed to house vast reserves of oil, gas, and other natural resources. For an energy-hungry country like China, these resources can aid in fueling its massive economic machinery. It's no wonder then that the Washington Post quotes experts who believe China is keen on establishing de facto control over these resources, irrespective of the interests of smaller Southeast Asian nations.<br /><br />But what does all this mean for the U.S. economy?<br /><br />For one, a militarized and volatile South China Sea threatens the stability of a region that has become a vital hub for American trade and investment. The U.S., as stated by the Wall Street Journal, stands as a significant trading partner for many Southeast Asian countries. Any disturbance in the waters of the South China Sea can disrupt the flow of goods, leading to potential supply chain bottlenecks and increased costs for American businesses and consumers.<br /><br />Furthermore, as China flexes its muscles in the region, neighboring countries might feel compelled to ramp up their military expenditures. An arms race in Southeast Asia would divert valuable resources away from economic development, potentially shrinking markets that are vital for American goods and services.<br /><br />Another critical aspect to consider is the potential for a direct U.S.-China confrontation in the waters. Both nations, as major Pacific powers, have strategic interests in the region. While the U.S. does not have territorial claims in the South China Sea, it has been a vocal proponent of freedom of navigation. Consequently, as the Chinese Navy becomes more aggressive, the chance of unintended incidents or confrontations between Chinese and U.S. vessels grows. Such an event could precipitate a broader conflict, the economic ramifications of which would be severe for both nations and the global economy.<br /><br />In conclusion, the rising aggression of the Chinese Navy in the South China Sea is more than just a regional issue. It has profound implications for the global balance of power and the international economic order. The U.S., with its deep economic ties to the region, stands at the crossroads of these evolving dynamics. As tensions escalate, it's crucial for all stakeholders to engage in dialogue, understanding, and diplomacy, ensuring that the South China Sea remains a sea of peace and cooperation, rather than conflict and division. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-24899006964583893552023-09-26T14:22:00.002-07:002023-09-26T14:22:15.810-07:00WHY LIMBURGER CHEESE IS GOOD FOR YOU.<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8dHDKseNQfXf6rHg8AKtI-Idt9gcrsEL2d1DVl7Td3iDtrYXfJH5wzp-_bbCOKXqaDHpuOe6UXfhAoTN9Uf2mvbMfUSiCWeRvqV5WNOUzteIOIdOgVhILSDH7OAsT_biW3IQn2siiSfyurkTKnwxuSftph8PcJ2S5mx8Bdh1jLDJVFFbMRRTWQytQmp5/s4160/IMG_20230829_091420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8dHDKseNQfXf6rHg8AKtI-Idt9gcrsEL2d1DVl7Td3iDtrYXfJH5wzp-_bbCOKXqaDHpuOe6UXfhAoTN9Uf2mvbMfUSiCWeRvqV5WNOUzteIOIdOgVhILSDH7OAsT_biW3IQn2siiSfyurkTKnwxuSftph8PcJ2S5mx8Bdh1jLDJVFFbMRRTWQytQmp5/w480-h640/IMG_20230829_091420.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">**Limburger Cheese: A Nutritional Powerhouse As Endorsed by German Health Authorities**<br /><br />Limburger cheese, often associated with its strong aroma, has deep roots in the history and culture of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. But beyond its distinct scent and unique taste, Limburger cheese boasts an impressive nutritional profile that's backed by various German health and dietary authorities.<br /><br />**1. Rich Source of Calcium and Phosphorus**<br /><br />Like many cheeses, Limburger is a dense source of calcium, which is vital for strong bones and teeth. The German Nutrition Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung or DGE) recommends a daily calcium intake for adults at 1000 milligrams. A single serving of Limburger cheese can contribute a significant portion of this recommendation. Furthermore, it contains phosphorus, another mineral essential for bone health, which works synergistically with calcium.<br /><br />**2. Good for Gut Health**<br /><br />The bacteria responsible for the distinct smell of Limburger cheese is Brevibacterium linens. This bacterium is also found on human skin and plays a role in the characteristic scent of body odor. But more than just its odor, this bacterium can potentially benefit our gut microbiome. A diverse and balanced gut microbiome is crucial for digestion, nutrient absorption, and overall immune function. By consuming foods rich in various bacteria, we promote a diverse gut environment, and Limburger cheese can be part of that diversified diet.<br /><br />**3. Quality Protein Source**<br /><br />Limburger cheese is a good source of protein, providing all essential amino acids necessary for muscle building, repair, and other vital body functions. The German Federal Centre for Nutrition (Bundeszentrum für Ernährung or BZfE) notes the importance of varied protein sources in the diet, and Limburger cheese can serve as an alternate protein source for those looking to diversify their intake.<br /><br />**4. Presence of Essential Fats**<br /><br />Cheese, including Limburger, contains fats, specifically saturated fats. While excessive consumption of saturated fats can be harmful, moderate amounts, as part of a balanced diet, can be beneficial. Fats are essential for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K. Moreover, the German Heart Foundation has acknowledged that dairy fats might have a neutral or even beneficial effect on heart health when consumed in moderation.<br /><br />**5. Rich in B Vitamins**<br /><br />B vitamins play an essential role in energy metabolism, nerve function, and the formation of red blood cells. Limburger cheese is particularly high in vitamin B12, which is necessary for nerve tissue health and the synthesis of DNA. Vitamin B12 is especially vital for vegetarians and vegans, who might not get enough from plant-based sources. As such, incorporating Limburger cheese, in moderation, can help ensure adequate B vitamin intake.<br /><br />**6. Supports Local and Traditional Production**<br /><br />While not directly a health benefit, there's something to be said about supporting traditional and local food production methods. Limburger cheese production sustains local economies, promotes traditional cheesemaking techniques, and encourages the consumption of regional products, which reduces carbon footprint.<br /><br />**7. Mental Well-being and Culinary Exploration**<br /><br />Exploring different cuisines and food items can have a positive impact on mental well-being. According to the German Federal Centre for Health Education (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung or BZgA), trying out new and varied foods can be a source of pleasure and can contribute to a balanced and health-promoting lifestyle. Limburger cheese, with its distinctive taste and texture, can be an exciting addition to the culinary repertoire, adding to the diversity of the diet.<br /><br />**Conclusion**<br /><br />Though Limburger cheese might not be everyone's first choice due to its strong aroma, its myriad health benefits, as cited by various German health and dietary authorities, make it a worthy addition to a diversified diet. As with all foods, moderation is key. When consumed in a balanced manner, Limburger cheese can be both a delightful culinary experience and a nutritional powerhouse. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-39993117979786299462023-09-25T16:13:00.003-07:002023-09-25T16:13:33.653-07:00Donald Trump. by Vladimir Putin.<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class=""><div class="ii gt" id=":ah"><div class="a3s aiL " id=":ag"><div dir="ltr"><h1><span style="font-size: large;">**A Personal Perspective on Donald Trump: As Narrated by Vladimir Putin**</span></h1><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Not to be found in the New York Times.) <br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />As
the President of Russia, my interactions with world leaders have been
numerous and varied. Among the most memorable and media-covered of my
relationships was with the 45th President of the United States, Donald
Trump. Let me share my insights into the life and works of this
controversial and unique figure.<br /><br />I first became aware of Donald
Trump long before he entered politics. The businessman-turned-reality TV
star had already made headlines for decades. Trump's ventures spanned
real estate, golf courses, casinos, and television shows. The world knew
him for his iconic skyscrapers, luxurious resorts, and the phrase
“You’re fired!” from his reality show, "The Apprentice." These endeavors
not only earned him wealth but also a name synonymous with brashness,
opulence, and self-promotion. When I read about Trump's successes and
failures in the glossy magazines, I perceived a man of ambition and
determination.<br /><br />Our first meetings, post his election, were in the
crucible of global politics. The world watched as Trump's policies and
tweets made daily headlines. In newspapers, they often paraphrased his
words: "Make America Great Again," "Build the Wall," and "Fake News"
were just a few of his oft-repeated catchphrases that echoed across
global media outlets. His directness, some said, was refreshing; others
found it alarming. <br /><br />In the realm of international relations, his
"America First" policy was a notable departure from previous US
administrations. He questioned NATO contributions, renegotiated trade
agreements, and sought to rebuild domestic industries. Such moves, for
some, upheld his promise to prioritize American interests, while critics
argued it weakened international alliances.<br /><br />When Trump and I sat
across from each other, our interactions often became the subject of
speculation and intrigue. The media loved to paint our relationship in
various shades, ranging from camaraderie to rivalry. Reports from
magazines quoted sources claiming we had a "special bond" or that our
meetings were laden with "hidden agendas." I must clarify that our
discussions, like with any other leader, focused on the interests of our
respective nations. We spoke of Syria, arms control, and economic
cooperation, to name a few topics. Despite disagreements, we maintained a
dialogue, which I consider vital in the complex tapestry of
international diplomacy.<br /><br />During Trump's tenure, his
administration faced numerous challenges. The investigation into Russian
interference in the 2016 US elections, spearheaded by Robert Mueller,
made headlines for months. Newspapers eagerly cited the findings: "No
collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia," yet opinions on the
matter remained deeply divided.<br /><br />On the domestic front, Trump
pushed for reforms and changes that were both praised and criticized. He
slashed regulations, overhauled the tax code, and appointed three
Supreme Court justices. His handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was a
major point of contention. Supporters lauded his ban on travel from
China as proactive, while detractors said he downplayed the virus's
severity. Paraphrased headlines from those times read, "Trump pushes for
quick reopening," showcasing his eagerness to restart the American
economy.<br /><br />Yet, beyond policies and politics, what struck me most
about Donald Trump was the man himself. Here was someone who, despite
facing constant scrutiny and criticism, remained undeterred in his
beliefs and actions. Whether in business or in the Oval Office, Trump
displayed an unwavering confidence. Some might call it arrogance, but no
one can deny the impact of his persona on the global stage.<br /><br />In
our meetings, Trump presented himself as a dealmaker. He approached
diplomacy much like a business negotiation, always searching for a
beneficial outcome for America. This pragmatism was both his strength
and his limitation. While he often found unconventional solutions to
longstanding issues, critics argued he lacked a deeper understanding of
geopolitical complexities.<br /><br />In conclusion, Donald Trump's life and
works are a testament to the complexities of modern politics and media.
He remains a polarizing figure, evoking strong reactions from both
supporters and critics. My experiences with him were shaped by our
mutual roles on the world stage, and while we did not always agree, I
respected his commitment to his country.<br /><br />From a personal
perspective, as I reflect on Trump's tenure and our interactions, I am
reminded of a quote I once read in a newspaper: "In a world of scripted
politicians, Trump is an improviser." And in that improvisation, he has
certainly left an indelible mark on history.</span></div></div></div></div><table cellpadding="0" class="cf gJ"><tbody><tr class="acZ"><td class="gF gK"><table cellpadding="0" class="cf ix"><tbody><tr><td class="c2"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIt-c7gqb8Fqkxmrm_dQ0eEDgTiSq41nBJ-z-IBopqs9SEgPRkgm25PUN5tlSwS26psvShFWioyW5DvxEevYDLh8lGc8FDNfMfptZSnU4guU8AnAQEWWp5k89V_x9qS2-N2qtJ84xRtvVa3XdJbrEoOZ3k_pQvylz3Up5ftDSQP0VE7VTwLe7jUyTtTjwc/s1280/IMG_20210710_123008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIt-c7gqb8Fqkxmrm_dQ0eEDgTiSq41nBJ-z-IBopqs9SEgPRkgm25PUN5tlSwS26psvShFWioyW5DvxEevYDLh8lGc8FDNfMfptZSnU4guU8AnAQEWWp5k89V_x9qS2-N2qtJ84xRtvVa3XdJbrEoOZ3k_pQvylz3Up5ftDSQP0VE7VTwLe7jUyTtTjwc/w400-h225/IMG_20210710_123008.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td class="gH bAk"><div class="gK"><span style="font-size: large;"><span></span><span alt="Sep 25, 2023, 5:07 PM" class="g3" id=":aj" role="gridcell" tabindex="-1" title="Sep 25, 2023, 5:07 PM"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr><tr class="acZ"><td class="gH"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td><td class="gH acX bAm" rowspan="2"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr><tr class="acZ xD"></tr><tr class="acZ xD"><td colspan="3"><table cellpadding="0" class="cf adz"><tbody><tr><td class="ady"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-7092482659166268892023-09-12T04:10:00.002-07:002023-09-12T04:10:31.474-07:00Who was Till Eulenspiegal? <p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCcfZM_AqTfHjAvGgOtYPj9xrCdYFJDElVi0bovRAG1PXh2RJnVQl4RmsOCsw3JMsUGQq9bdZqXHAfgGwYsLbITB1f25QoKl-iP12eePgJJCh8SnO08plwbK_cX5SEG3bnFXtPKlPMXcpMMirNY60N__5FCTVqvlfPSw3tijDWjY8iOOxLVGDZh6U6IqO/s1280/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCcfZM_AqTfHjAvGgOtYPj9xrCdYFJDElVi0bovRAG1PXh2RJnVQl4RmsOCsw3JMsUGQq9bdZqXHAfgGwYsLbITB1f25QoKl-iP12eePgJJCh8SnO08plwbK_cX5SEG3bnFXtPKlPMXcpMMirNY60N__5FCTVqvlfPSw3tijDWjY8iOOxLVGDZh6U6IqO/w400-h225/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">**Till Eulenspiegel: The Prankster of German Folklore**<br /><br />**Profile**:<br />Born in the village of Kneitlingen, near Braunschweig, in the 14th century, Till Eulenspiegel is one of the most beloved figures in German folklore. Though historical records on the real Till Eulenspiegel are scant, his legend has thrived over the centuries through countless stories, poems, plays, and even operas. Often depicted as a vagabond or itinerant jester, Eulenspiegel's name literally translates to "Owl Mirror," which reflects his dual nature of wisdom (symbolized by the owl) and reflection (the mirror).<br /><br />**Alleged Tricks and Pranks**:<br /><br />1. **The Sticky Buns Incident**: In one tale, Till is a baker's apprentice and sells warm sticky buns in the market. Instead of telling customers to be cautious of the hot buns, he uses a riddle. When customers burn their hands or mouths, Till argues he did warn them, just in his own playful way.<br /><br />2. **Playing Dead**: In another story, after having caused enough trouble in a town, Till fakes his own death. The townspeople, in both relief and respect, arrange a funeral. As people pay their respects, Till suddenly jumps out of the coffin, causing pandemonium.<br /><br />3. **Mirror Trick**: Till once claimed he could have a horse eat from his palm without touching the oats. After taking the townsfolk's money for the bet, he spread oats in his hand and placed it behind a pane of glass. The horse, seeing the oats but unable to eat them, proved Till's point.<br /><br />4. **The Donkey Trick**: Till enters a town riding a donkey, promising townspeople that the animal can read. He arranges an expensive demonstration wherein the donkey chooses the greedy mayor's hat over the honest teacher's, suggesting the donkey knows the mayor's corrupt nature.<br /><br />**Modern Interpretations**:<br /><br />Modern scholars see Till Eulenspiegel's tales not just as simple stories of mischief, but also as sophisticated social critiques. They highlight several recurring themes:<br /><br />1. **Anti-authoritarianism**: Till's pranks often involve undermining or mocking those in power, be they aristocrats, priests, or town officials. This anti-establishment angle has endeared him to many over the years.<br /><br />2. **The "Fool as Sage" Trope**: Like many jesters in folklore and literature, Till's foolish exterior masks deep wisdom. His pranks often reveal deeper truths about human nature or societal norms.<br /><br />3. **Morality and Ethics**: Several of Till's tricks play on the dishonesty, greed, or pride of his targets. By doing so, the tales force readers or listeners to reflect on their own values and behaviors.<br /><br />4. **Linguistic Play**: Eulenspiegel's pranks are often based on wordplay, puns, or the literal interpretation of idioms, pointing to the unreliability of language and the dangers of miscommunication.<br /><br />In the present day, Till Eulenspiegel's tales are seen not just as entertaining stories but as sharp societal commentaries that offer insights into medieval European life, the nature of authority, and the enduring qualities of human nature. He remains a symbol of wit triumphing over might, and his legend continues to inspire artists, writers, and thinkers around the world. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-58644963472709708552023-09-10T11:30:00.000-07:002023-09-10T11:30:13.079-07:00Letter to the Kids. Sunday, September 10. 2023.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vlu1WfPvcMeih0yNizPIPaJQwa2xNclyVxuA_y_teKI_xY_JSsaq_Kz5VAzn5oTNgX6WXP91Y31W_UHFm9x_DupYRS3jQawvC6gTeQHr-X-EYgkqyQuxg3A9-Yc9amm8mCt_sPrI-aKKFx6Q52JX1hKT_t5yhDiZNShuFqhy_RTINlv3VrWXsqMH_4Ns/s1280/IMG_20210802_195922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vlu1WfPvcMeih0yNizPIPaJQwa2xNclyVxuA_y_teKI_xY_JSsaq_Kz5VAzn5oTNgX6WXP91Y31W_UHFm9x_DupYRS3jQawvC6gTeQHr-X-EYgkqyQuxg3A9-Yc9amm8mCt_sPrI-aKKFx6Q52JX1hKT_t5yhDiZNShuFqhy_RTINlv3VrWXsqMH_4Ns/w400-h225/IMG_20210802_195922.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Dear kids;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">this week has gone by faster than a honey buzzard after a titmouse. i'm happy to report that my chronic exhaustion has somewhat abated this week. i thought i would have to give up our daily early morning temple sessions, since it left me so drained for the rest of the day. but there's been a definite physical change taking place, so that i can now get up at 430 each morning, do the 6 a.m. session with your mother, and then have enough energy left to go out to the kolache place with one of my haiku poems on a sign board for a few hours.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">THEN i come home and collapse for the rest of the day. until your mother and i go to the rec center at 5 p.m. to work on the machines. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">this morning i thought i would be making jalapeno cornbread. i bought a fresh jalapeno pepper last night for that purpose. but this sabbath morning finds me unmotivated to mess around in the kitchen. i'd rather let the 25 cent jalapeno pepper rot in the fridge than turn on the oven or mix up a big bowl of batter. am i getting more focused on other things, or am i just getting lazier? maybe neither; maybe i just need to take my 'poet for hire' sign out onto the boulevard for a few hours before we got to church at 1 p.m. after all, i am a performance artist, so i need to be out performing. right?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">this past week has been blessed with a complete lack of annoying nonsense. no nut cases have accosted me at the kolache place. your mother and i have pulled together in peace and harmony. i eat my prunes each morning and take my Metmucel with religious regularity. aches & pains come and go with varying intensity, but nothing that i'm not already used to and resigned to endure with saintly patience. we are getting new neighbors, as old neighbors die and/or move out. the new neighbors will be hispanic, no doubt. this place is turning into a barrio. it makes for interesting potlucks. your mother has been doing a lot of sewing with sarah's sewing machine; making tote bags and mending my shirts. we find the Lord blesses us so that each time a new medical bill comes in that is not covered by medicaid/medicare we find another way to earn enough to pay it off. without robbing any banks. yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">every saturday i buy your mother a bouquet of flowers. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">whenever i get sleepy while i'm out with my haiku, i write a new one along the lines of:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">the old man dozes</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">in the warm caress of sun</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">while passersby smile</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">and then prop it up against my wheelchair so i can fold my hands over my belly mound and take a snooze for ten or fifteen minutes. sometimes when i wake up i find another dollar or two dropped in my can while i slept. only in provo. anyplace else i'd wake up and find the can gone.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">this morning your mother and i learned all about quick clay. this phenomenon occurs in parts of norway and canada. we were looking at youtube videos about norway when we came across a post about the geology of norway and learned that as the ice age glaciers retreated they left behind a weird blend of clay and silt, called quick clay, that appears to be firm ground -- but when it is disturbed or a great weight is placed on it it turns to liquid, causing huge landslides that swallow up houses, barns, people, whole villages even. who knew? we always thought norway was such a safe place to live.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">your mother is making grilled cheese sandwiches this morning to place out in the community kitchen at noon for anyone who would like one.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">well, the outdoors beckons. i can think of little else i'd rather do on a mild sunday morning than to take my poet for hire sign out into the fresh air and wave at cars as they pass by. the world needs to know there are such things as poets for hire. i need the wind and the sun and the hiss of tree branches rubbing against each other. or else an anchovy pizza.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">roses are red</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">violets are cheap</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">may you be so blessed</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">you never do weep. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Heinie Manush. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-7206274792649872772023-09-07T14:57:00.002-07:002023-09-07T14:57:44.791-07:00Work. (A Poem dedicated to Emma Goldberg)<p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCd-IbDUDr85g39fB1sHReErRQFyOcZNW6_h0ci4kMuXZEwaqNlJGk9dGG_KF0U4SdgS9oqJahyQFjqnx_uZa3uhG87cC5JgsoRQtNqbSiNO_KuQb0Fi1z5VeNiCGjOjWPbrfYmYQK1WqwKGH_LZGmfRktNJPA6mYfowxxIBNgY3kNEwOB1Ci9UEDMfk4r/s1280/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCd-IbDUDr85g39fB1sHReErRQFyOcZNW6_h0ci4kMuXZEwaqNlJGk9dGG_KF0U4SdgS9oqJahyQFjqnx_uZa3uhG87cC5JgsoRQtNqbSiNO_KuQb0Fi1z5VeNiCGjOjWPbrfYmYQK1WqwKGH_LZGmfRktNJPA6mYfowxxIBNgY3kNEwOB1Ci9UEDMfk4r/w400-h225/IMG_20210717_110025.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p> </p><div>I retired long ago,</div><div><br /></div><div>so I could watch a TV show</div><div><br /></div><div>when I wanted, and besides</div><div><br /></div><div>commutes are really awful rides.</div><div><br /></div><div>I stayed broke and homeless while</div><div><br /></div><div>all my friends turned mercantile.</div><div><br /></div><div>now they all have condos where</div><div><br /></div><div>they sit and at not much do stare.</div><div><br /></div><div>Me, I moved in with my kids</div><div><br /></div><div>and raise jellyfish and squids.</div><div><br /></div><div>I loose these nasty beasts on them</div><div><br /></div><div>who say I'm lazier than phlegm.</div><div><br /></div><div>I do a little dumpster diving,</div><div><br /></div><div>and yet my ego still is thriving.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have had a great career</div><div><br /></div><div>sleeping late and swilling beer!<br /></div><p> </p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-80707776357825364182023-09-04T12:50:00.000-07:002023-09-04T12:50:05.270-07:00Buttons. Monday, September 4. 2023.<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyft7xGSADC8hJZKtoL_ocZACGmeyTThCgmZgKNV2wSrjW-dosZumgVOAgQvy3Lb8Som5fkvJTKGznAr_0zfFOfpkZFRJYJo0FEdZqjSMyMNcxy1ZBQGEyaVGN4p2WUewvxfLOZUORTpx8B6Zf2wAXLHuojirO4XMScVeJ6pia64bLJI6DXox9gNYC4wpm/s4160/IMG_20230904_093634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyft7xGSADC8hJZKtoL_ocZACGmeyTThCgmZgKNV2wSrjW-dosZumgVOAgQvy3Lb8Som5fkvJTKGznAr_0zfFOfpkZFRJYJo0FEdZqjSMyMNcxy1ZBQGEyaVGN4p2WUewvxfLOZUORTpx8B6Zf2wAXLHuojirO4XMScVeJ6pia64bLJI6DXox9gNYC4wpm/w480-h640/IMG_20230904_093634.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Buttons. Monday, September 4. 2023.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What is the moral responsibility of the artist? With balding pate, white goatee, and mischievous mien, Sung Neung Kyung is sitting in his studio in Seoul, South Korea, looking back half a century to the country’s authoritarian regime and wondering whether, as a radical young artist, he made a difference.</span></em></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">“I have to say, thinking back to my artistic practice then from the luxury of hindsight, I feel that my activities at the time were not political enough,” he says on a Zoom call. “I feel that I was carrying the voice of a mosquito. It was just so small, and because of that, I am ashamed.” </span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">(The Guardian Newspaper.)</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As a First-of-May, I tried to be political with my clowning (which I now see was always performance art first and comedy second) at Ringling Brothers. When the show played Chicago, I made up like Hitler and began goose-stepping out into the arena to salute then-mayor Richard Daly because I considered him a fascist. Performance Director Charlie Baumann grabbed me before I could “Sieg Heil” hizzoner and literally carried me under his arm backstage. Where I got a terrific dressing down.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">My comedic voice has been that of a mosquito, like Sung Neung Kyung’s, but I have not felt ashamed about it. Having been denied a national or international forum for my shenanigans, I now find profound contentment and fulfillment in displaying my japes locally here in Provo. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I got rained out this morning at Hruska’s Kolaches at 8:30 without making any money or getting any kolaches.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But today, I had an ace up my sleeve. With Amy’s help yesterday, I printed out a notice in both English and Spanish that read:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We are serving a free helping of homemade Tuscan turkey/spinach loaf, along with a side of brown rice, on Labor Day, Monday, September 4. Promptly at Noon. With Amy’s amazing cookies for dessert.</span></em></strong></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To receive your free serving, you must bring us a button; any button will do. </span></em></strong></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Tim & Amy Torkildson. Apartment #115. Valley Villa.</span></em></strong></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Lunes. 4 de septiembre. 2023. Estamos sirviendo una porción gratis de pan casero de pavo / espinacas de la Toscana, junto con un lado de arroz integral en el Día del Trabajo, el lunes 4 de septiembre. Puntualmente a las 12 del mediodía. Con las increíbles galletas de Amy para el postre. Para recibir su porción gratis, debe traernos un botón; Cualquier tipo de botón servirá. Tim y Amy Torkildson. Apartamento #115. Villa del Valle.Monday. September 4. 2023.</span></em></strong></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Yesterday, we put this notice on door knobs and under windshield wipers in the parking lot. And today, we reaped a total of 11 people at our door, all with buttons and all dying to know what we would do with the buttons. “Ask me no questions, and I’ll tell you no lies,” was my reply to each.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The truth is I never had any intention of doing anything with the buttons. Would people show up for a free meal in exchange for a button? They did. So that was my work as a performance artist today.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The weather is still moist and gray this afternoon, so I’ll not be going out again. Instead, I’m warming up some cold spaghetti with a can of smoked mussels for my lunch. Then, write a haiku for tomorrow. The forecast calls for clear skies and cool temperatures for the rest of the week. Perfect weather to dress up as Hitler again . . . </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-53739029689001506742023-09-03T07:29:00.000-07:002023-09-03T07:29:38.171-07:00Sunday Morning Haiku.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEk2DUqjh1VLUu5Inxr9SndK5fnGudKnyQIa8EPgjG2_9fN13IOLXjG17BfBtQnHQ3aS8jo20aaaeinH8TAqeGsjOaFkS2bOF4gH8MYpY2FDAOQknquJAYhc9XQKIp-FZPzORDfNzIFdv2fbc_0zQ2NgEUTLOk3QJQNWIMazoLpPOyGuDS1b0ok5cPP6x/s4160/IMG_20230829_091420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEk2DUqjh1VLUu5Inxr9SndK5fnGudKnyQIa8EPgjG2_9fN13IOLXjG17BfBtQnHQ3aS8jo20aaaeinH8TAqeGsjOaFkS2bOF4gH8MYpY2FDAOQknquJAYhc9XQKIp-FZPzORDfNzIFdv2fbc_0zQ2NgEUTLOk3QJQNWIMazoLpPOyGuDS1b0ok5cPP6x/w480-h640/IMG_20230829_091420.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning sleep --</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">all the bells are in my head.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">why no outside bells? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning street --</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">full of brittle brown leaf dust.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">mute parked cars glisten. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning sun --</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">leftover Saturday games</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">and cold grilled sweet corn. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning clouds </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">seem to be settling in</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">for a long visit. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning birds</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">put on their hats and trousers</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">to stroll in the park. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning smells --</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> orange sweet rolls, and fried eggs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> with Tabasco sauce.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning shoes --</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Florsheim or jogging sneakers?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">No. Carpet slippers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning socks --</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">new pair with the plastic clip</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">still holding them tight.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning dew --</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">seen by so few and believed</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">by even fewer.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning news --</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">lawyers eat donuts on air</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">and talk of the dead. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-19420186233899541422023-09-02T16:17:00.002-07:002023-09-02T16:17:51.127-07:00Haiku Hiatus. Saturday. September 2. 2023.<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Haiku hiatus. Saturday. September 2. 2023.<br /><br />I have been unstable all my life. My artistic sensibilities kicked in at a young age. These sensibilities were not understood by my parents or even by me. So I was labeled “moody,” “thin-skinned,” and “unfocused.” I grew up feeling guilty about my inability to find much interest or make much of a commitment to anything outside of performing and writing. I have always needed a public. After I joined the Church, I scolded myself as “selfish” and “self-centered” when the lack of artistic outlets left me stifled and ill-tempered.<br />And, let’s face it, I AM self-centered and selfish – my need to express myself either as a performer or a writer overwhelms most other considerations in my life. I’m difficult to live with and unsympathetic to the needs of others when I’m caught up in my art – whether it is creating a new clown gag or organizing a limerick or haiku.<br /><br />This past week has proved to be a watershed in self-realization because I finally gave up on the idea of being only a poet so I could blossom into what I truly am and will indeed be for the rest of my mortal life: a Performance Artist.<br /><br />Let’s back up a bit. Last Monday, I promised Amy that we would go to the Temple four times a week for endowment sessions. She has wanted this for years, but I have not been enthusiastic about it. I don’t really “get” the Temple ceremonies and symbolism. What generally happens is I feel a genuine lift in my spirits and nothing more. And with my bad knees and back, it’s always been more a test of endurance than an act of faith and worship.<br />So we went to the 6 a.m. session at the Provo City Center Temple four days in a row. And I was feeling more and more miserable. Because there was less time to get out with my haiku sign and because I felt exhausted and ill from fasting until noon each day, I had to forgo food, water, and my medications, or else I would have had an accident. Or so I thought. <br /><br />BTW: I have to go to the earliest morning session because, by noon, I am entirely done both physically and mentally.<br /><br />Then, on Thursday, while at the Temple, I was hit with a thought so forceful it nearly toppled me out of my seat.<br />Relax and take it easy as part of this thought. You have never been just a poet but are a performance artist, was the other part.<br />A great deal of pressure and misery immediately left me.<br />The Temple session became much more peaceful and enjoyable for me. And I formed an idea of what I would do when we were home, and I was on my way to Hruska’s Kolaches.<br />I would take a blank piece of cardboard to display. See how people reacted.<br />I got two dollars in my can and no kolaches. Each dollar bill was deposited by a kind person who wished me good luck . . . and who apparently never realized I was holding up a piece of blank cardboard.<br />Two other people stopped to read my sign, realized there was no sign, and asked me what it meant.<br />I told them both: “It means nothing, and it means everything.”<br />Both passersby rubbed their chins sagely and seemed to say to themselves, “Yes, that is very profound – very profound indeed!”<br /><br />And now, other ideas flood my mind in the Temple. I’ll wrap myself up in newspapers, and when people stop to gawp, I’ll tell them, “I get wrapped up in the news.”<br />I’ll have a sign that reads “AVOID MIND CONTROL. Get your tin foil hats here!” And I’ll be wearing a tin foil hat.<br /><br />I’ll hold up one of the many colorful circus posters at home just to see what people will do. What they will ask. How much money, if any, they’ll give me.<br /><br />Yes, the Temple has become a fruitful place for my imagination. Sometimes, I ponder a new performance art routine, and sometimes, I am struck by something in the ceremony that puts me in a deep ponder about how our world was organized and the role Adam & Eve played in it all, etc. My wit is quickened while attending the Temple, and my eyes see more.<br /><br />Pray for me, gentle reader, that I do not relapse into a guilt-ridden, fasting fanatic!<br /><br />Today, Saturday, I only spent an hour and a half at the kolache place. Because it began to rain, Amy and I had a granddaughter’s baptism to go to. So, I did a haiku:<br /><br />A lot of brown shoes<br />Passing on the wet pavement –<br />Avoiding the cracks.<br /><br />And I managed to make enough money to buy Amy a large bouquet of flowers at Fresh Market.<br /><br />My total earnings for the week were $80.00. Plus, I got a used $50.00 Visa gift card with nine dollars left on it.<br />I can hardly wait until Monday to get out there again!<br />It’s time for a bagel with cream cheese and then binge-watch The Blacklist with Amy. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-27485864178791583362023-08-31T13:50:00.004-07:002023-08-31T13:50:59.357-07:00Who was James Finlayson?<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">**James Finlayson (1887–1953)**<br /><br />**Early Life:**<br />James Henderson "Jimmy" Finlayson was born on August 27, 1887, in Larbert, Stirlingshire, Scotland. He began his career on the stage in Britain before moving to the United States in his late 20s.<br /><br />**Work and Career:**<br />In the U.S., Finlayson found steady work in Hollywood, initially with Keystone Studios under Mack Sennett. It was at Hal Roach Studios, however, where he would make the majority of his films and where he would gain his most widespread fame. Roach was responsible for producing many of the era's top comedy shorts, and Finlayson became one of the studio's regular actors.<br /><br />While Finlayson played a variety of roles, he is best remembered for his numerous appearances opposite Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. In fact, it's difficult to think of Laurel and Hardy without also thinking of the indignant, mustachioed Finlayson, who was often cast as their antagonist.<br /><br />**Comic Characteristics:**<br /><br />1. **Exaggerated Double-Take**: One of Finlayson's signature comic moves was an exaggerated double-take, often accompanied by a slow, wide-eyed look of disbelief. This became one of his trademark reactions.<br /><br />2. **Catchphrase**: He's sometimes remembered for a drawn-out "D'oooooh", a catchphrase (or more accurately, an exclamation) of frustration. While this exclamation was not as emphasized as the one later made famous by Homer Simpson, some believe it may have been an inspiration for the more modern iteration.<br /><br />3. **Physical Comedy**: Despite his often irate and pompous characters, Finlayson was skilled at physical comedy. His interactions with Laurel and Hardy often saw him end up in various slapstick situations, ranging from getting pies to the face to more complex physical gags.<br /><br />4. **Distinct Appearance**: With a bald head, thick mustache, and expressive eyes, Finlayson was instantly recognizable. His stern visage contrasted brilliantly with the more bumbling and innocent appearances of Laurel and Hardy, making their interactions all the more comically charged.<br /><br />5. **Frustrated Antagonist**: Finlayson often played characters that were constantly perturbed by the antics of Laurel and Hardy. He excelled at portraying the irate landlord, suspicious neighbor, or any other figure of authority constantly thwarted by the duo's inadvertent mischief.<br /><br />**Later Life and Legacy:**<br />James Finlayson continued to act in films throughout the 1930s and 1940s. His career began to wane in the late 1940s, but by then he had already left an indelible mark on the world of comedy. He passed away on October 9, 1953, in Los Angeles, California.<br /><br />Today, Finlayson is remembered as one of the great character actors of early Hollywood cinema. His contributions to comedy, especially his work with Laurel and Hardy, ensure that he will continue to be celebrated by film enthusiasts and historians for generations to come. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-25624697582608270992023-08-30T03:21:00.003-07:002023-08-30T03:21:28.710-07:00Who was Field Marshall Mannerheim?<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">**Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim: A Profile**<br /><br />Born on June 4, 1867, in Askainen, Finland, Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim embarked on a journey that would see him rise to be one of Finland's most influential figures. Hailing from a noble Swedish-speaking family, his early life was marked by privilege, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. He started his military career in the Russian Imperial Army in 1887 and steadily climbed the ranks, demonstrating a combination of leadership skills and military acumen.<br /><br />During the First World War, Mannerheim led troops against the Central Powers as part of the Russian Empire. Yet, as the Russian Revolution erupted, he found himself navigating a rapidly shifting political and territorial landscape. Seeing an opportunity for Finnish independence from the waning Russian Empire, he returned home.<br /><br />Back in Finland, Mannerheim took charge during the Finnish Civil War in 1918, leading the White Army against the Red Guards in a bitter conflict. His side emerged victorious, solidifying his reputation as a military leader. Though he had fought for Finland's independence, the ensuing years saw him struggle with the country's political landscape. He ran for president in 1919 but lost.<br /><br />However, his military expertise remained invaluable to Finland, especially as the shadow of World War II loomed. When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939, marking the beginning of the Winter War, Mannerheim again took command of the Finnish Defense Forces. Against overwhelming odds, his strategies ensured that Finland retained its sovereignty, even though it made territorial concessions.<br /><br />As World War II progressed, Finland found itself allying with Nazi Germany, not out of ideological alignment but as a strategic move against the Soviet threat. This led to the Continuation War (1941-1944). Here again, Mannerheim played a pivotal role, though the end of this conflict saw Finland ceding more territory to the Soviets.<br /><br />Recognizing his invaluable contribution to the nation, the Finnish parliament appointed Mannerheim as the country's president in 1944. He steered Finland through the immediate post-war period, securing the nation’s place in a new European order.<br /><br />Mannerheim's thoughts and ideologies were complex. While a staunch anti-communist, he also distanced Finland from Nazi Germany's atrocities. He believed in a strong and independent Finland, advocating for its cultural and territorial integrity.<br /><br />Beyond the battleground, Mannerheim was an avid explorer. He undertook an extensive expedition in Asia between 1906 and 1908, documenting the lives and customs of various ethnic groups.<br /><br />Mannerheim retired from public life in 1946 and spent his last years penning his memoirs. He passed away on January 28, 1951, leaving behind a legacy as a military strategist, statesman, and explorer. Today, Finland remembers him as a national hero who played a defining role in shaping its modern identity. <br /></span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033499104968069026.post-82092081091150068512023-08-29T12:38:00.002-07:002023-08-29T12:38:56.288-07:00The Man with the Twisted Brain. Tuesday. August 29. 2023.<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyuAWp1WstS2FyE-4ehttt1VG-uoO7jC6V2dKfe36FCbFf_XP5fjbldOs53P53nBIdjX6pmv1JXOXHP3tTu2bHFc09YP999raluw7Ot3FEPvTHEMOdl2Pcb4Yk0jgvvbv84lbQHt2gsu4BsTobMJj6Acn0qqYWuC9HlZG4anQb9E4KIKn4kp5VPC4wLAe/s4160/IMG_20230829_091420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyuAWp1WstS2FyE-4ehttt1VG-uoO7jC6V2dKfe36FCbFf_XP5fjbldOs53P53nBIdjX6pmv1JXOXHP3tTu2bHFc09YP999raluw7Ot3FEPvTHEMOdl2Pcb4Yk0jgvvbv84lbQHt2gsu4BsTobMJj6Acn0qqYWuC9HlZG4anQb9E4KIKn4kp5VPC4wLAe/w480-h640/IMG_20230829_091420.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The man with the twisted brain. Tuesday. Aug 29. 2023.<br /><br />In "The Man With the Twisted Lip," Sherlock Holmes is enlisted to help find the missing Neville St. Clair. The investigation leads Holmes to an opium den in a seedy part of London, where he encounters a disfigured beggar, Hugh Boone. Intriguingly, Boone is discovered to have possessions belonging to the missing man. As the story unfolds, it's revealed that St. Clair had assumed the identity of Boone as a lucrative ruse. Originally, St. Clair had dressed as Boone to track a man who owed him money. Still, when he realized how profitable begging in London could be, especially with Boone's convincing appearance, he continued the charade. Over time, St. Clair found that he was earning more as the beggar Boone than in his respectable profession. The transformation became his secret double life, enjoying the earnings of his deceit until his disappearance and the subsequent investigation by Holmes unveiled his secret.<br /><br />So far, the great detective has not unmasked me on the streets of Provo; I continue to display my haiku in front of the Kolache bakery while sitting in a wheelchair, with a large tin can prominently displayed in front of me.<br /><br /><br />Amy and I started the day together at the Provo City Center Temple for the 6 a.m. endowment session. Meaning we got up at 4:15 a.m.<br />Amy's suggestion that I use the wheelchair finally percolated down into the conscious portion of what passes for my brain. Roomy, higher than the temple seats, I discovered there are privileges when you're in a wheelchair. Head of the line, and so on. In addition, I did not take any of my pills before the endowment session and wore an adult diaper. Meaning, my fine feathered friends, that I finally enjoyed the session as much as I used to before all the ills and embarrassments of old age set in ten years ago. So, I scheduled us to be at the 6 a.m. sessions Wednesday through Friday this week. I never feel like a failure or an outsider at the temple. It's better than any therapy for me.<br />Of course, this cut into my time at the Kolache place. I got there at 8:27 a.m.<br />Plus, I have discarded the artist's sketch pad in favor of a whiteboard to display my haku.<br />I was given my first and only kolache of the day at 9 a.m.<br />And my one and only contribution of the day came at 10:34 a.m. when a lady put one dollar in my can.<br />Otherwise . . . bupkis.<br />People ignored the whiteboard as much as they did my artist's sketchpad. Maybe even more. I only observed two persons who read my haiku and reacted. The first was a young lady who gushed: "Oh, how lovely!"<br />The second person was an ill-dressed honyocker, who came out of the pawnshop next to the bakery, gaped at my poem, and then guffawed like Pinto Colvig (who did the voice of Walt Disney's Goofy, as well as Bozo the clown.) As he walked away, he mumbled something unintelligible. I just gave him a nod and wished him in Hades.<br />Things got so boring for me that a little after 11 a.m. I erased my haiku and wrote, in all capitals, DO NOT READ THIS SIGN!<br />But nobody reacted. <br />In a final act of frustration, I resorted to doggerel:<br /><br />Roses are red<br />Violets are green<br />Can you believe<br />I was once lean.<br />This gem didn't get any reactions from passersby, so I closed shop at 11:47 a.m. to go to Fresh Market to buy some bacon jam and a box of Entemann's chocolate donuts. Once home, I asked Amy to make me a prune and yogurt smoothie. Now I've written up my notes, it's time to siesta. <br /><br /><br /> </span></p>Tim Torkildsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08738098178455881211noreply@blogger.com0