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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-04-18, Page 5Final Thought Human reason needs only to will more strongly than fate, and she is fate. — Thomas Mann THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2001. PAGE 5. Other Views , Watch Caution: for tourists ahead! So, did you go to Paris for your vacation? I dunno. My wife bought the tickets. Brace yourself, Canada. It is spring at long last; our splendid nation looks more beautiful and peaceful than ever, and the Canadian loonie is still worth just a hair more than a plugged nickel. Such a divine convergence of phenomena can signal but one thing: The annual tidal run of tourists is just around the corner. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against tourism. It's a decent enough way for a country to turn a buck - certainly better than clear- cutting a province, throwing up another box store megamall or draining a Great Lake. I like tourists. I really do. Their credit cards and wallets are welcome any time at all. But...do they have to be so dumb? Tourists, I mean. Do they put their brains in cold storage before they cross the border? Not all of them, of course. Some visitors are smarter than, say Al Capone, who, when asked if he smuggled booze from Canada, replied, "I don't even know what street Canada is on." On the other hand, some tourists make old Scarface look like Bertrand Russell. A travel 1 sometimes wonder how many Canadians can actually sing all the words of our national anthem. I will take the matter one step further and question how many people who, like myself, were not born here but can still remember the words of the anthem of their country of origin? I bring all this up because I stood recently beside a native-born Canadian who, by his own admission, mumbled the words. After sitting down, I determined that, one, he also did not know that the anthem had been composed by a French Canadian and, two, that the words in French are not a translation of the English or vice versa. The two versions are not even close. The Swiss are used to all this, since they have three official languages. Each one has its own version, the words are quite similar in all three languages. This is not to say that every Swiss knows all three versions but at least nobody can claim that they can't sing their national anthem in their own language. Some anthems take on lives of their own. Look, for instance, at the Russian national anthem that we used to hear at hockey matches when the Russians , were playing. After the demise of the Soviet Union, a replacement was found but it has lasted only a short while, since President Putin has now declared there is nothing wrong with the Soviet melody. We are, therefore, going to hear it again but you can be sure that the words will have changed. No more Communist propaganda! When I was working in the Czech Republic, I noticed that the Czechs had managed to maintain their anthem in spite of Czechoslovakia's breaking up in the early 1990s. Incidentally, the first words of this anthem pose the question, "Where is my home'?" The Czechs might be excused for asking this since, while they have a long history, they did not have their own country until 1918. The neighbouring Poles could well ask the same question. Their country has been pushed all over the map of central Europe and at times simply disappeared. It was during One of the latter moments that their anthem was composed, not in what had been or might some agent I know told me of a phone call he took last year. "I want to complain about Air Canada" the caller told him. Join the queue the agent thought, but replied, "What's the problem, madam?" "Weight discrimination," she huffed. "I was flying from Toronto to California and the ticket agent put a tag on my luggage that says FAT. I know I'm a bit overweight, but I won't stand for that kind of ridicule." "Ah, where were you flying to in California, ma'am? "Fresno" replied the caller. The travel agent put her on hold, laughed until he cried, composed himself, picked up the phone and said, "FAT is the baggage code for Fresno, ma'am. I'm sure Air Canada meant...nothing personal." day be Poland, but in faraway Italy. I'm sure that is one for the record books. I have always been intrigued by the Germans' tenacity in hanging on to their national anthem. Well they might, for • the melody was written by the famous composer, Franz Josef Haydn, better known as the father of the symphony. The first verse started with the words "Germany over everybody in the world", which tied in nicely with the goals of the Nazi regime. After the end of the war, the first verse disappeared, the melody stayed and the third verse became the official words. "Unity, justice and freedom" seems to be an improvement on the former world domination theme. The third German-speaking country, Austria, obviously tried to prove that they were not as sombre as the Swiss nor as aggressive as the Germans. They came up with an anthem that could have been written by either Strauss or THE EDITOR, On the evening of April 10 my daughter's scooter was stolen from my front porch. This has been reported to the Wingham OPP but if returned to me, no charges would be laid. Returning it to my front porch would be fine. Thank You, Leanne Minielly. THE EDITOR, Mike Harris tells us our economy will motor right along no matter what it does in the U.S.A. Where have you been Mike'? We are very A tourist information office in Victoria. B.C., recorded the following queries: • How much do your totem poles grow every year? • Are there any dogsled rental outlets in Victoria? • I'm calling about this Kill-A-Whale thing. What do you do with them after you've killed them? (And, after being quoted a package tour price 'in Canadian funds') • How many U.S. dollars in a fund? I'd like to get smug and sanctimonious about the intelligence differential between savvy Canadians and gormless Americans but there's a story in my family about an uncle (relax, Aunt Eunice, I won't name him) who went with a busload of tourists on a tour of Runnymede in England. "And this," intoned the tour guide, is the spot where the barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta." My uncle pipes up "When did that happen?" "1215," answers the guide. My uncle looks at his watch and says, "Damn! Missed it by half an hour!" Lehar; my feelings are you could probably do a waltz while you are singing it. I might add that the Italians, seeing that Germany had made use of a Haydn melody, would have liked to have some music from their most famous composer, Verdi. However, that was not to be, and I have the suspicion that they told any composer intent on writing the national anthem that he could write any melody he wanted as long as it sounded like Verdi. In that regard he certainly succeeded. Given the number of anthems that there are, I could go on for quite a while, but I will start bringing this to a close by mentioning that some nationalities appear to want an anthem even before they gain total independence. I was pleasantly surprised to come across what is billed as the Welsh national anthem. It was composed in 1858, so has been around for a while. I was really taken with the melody. It is a gem and, it there are any readers of Welsh ancestry who knows its background, they might like to share it with me. In the meantime I am waiting for the French to follow the German example and tone down their anthem. It was written at the time of their famous revolution in 1789 and it certainly shows it. connected to Uncle Sam. If they slow down we will too. If you still don't see that Mike, I have two bridges for sale. Let me know if you are interested. Concerned Citizen. A recipe for living Some days, all you can do is shake your head and laugh. The weekend had been rough, a mixed stew of hard work, stress and mid-life aches and pains. CliMbing into bed wracked and weary on Sunday night I couldn't help but indulge in just a little self- pity. When, oh when, will life instead stir up a tasty bouillabaisse, smooth and easy to swallow? Monday dawns and with it I reclaim some stoicism, set to embark on a new day. It's not long however, before the little tests make' my journey not one of straight ahead with enthusiasm, but rather a wary step at a time. Oh, I know, buck up. Be thankful for what you have. But, you see, I am. I was just setting up the rest of this column. I'm happy to be here, happy for those beautiful moments, happy for each glorious thing that reminds me I'm alive and part of the human race. Which, of course, means dealing with all the little upsets we all face. A young acquaintance who has been finding the steps into adulthood and responsibility about as steady as a toddler's first ones, is becoming overwhelmed of late. With stresses seeming to heap themselves upon her, she recently asked me if this is what life is going to be like. My sorry response was "Probably." It was, I know, not exactly what she wanted to hear, but it was the only answer I could give. I recall being that age, the freedom and excitement of independence suddenly opening the door to a world through which you had only glimpsed. But the realities when you walk through are often scary. There are expectations and demands yOu didn't realize would -be placed on you. Sometimes money's low and the bills are high. The fun you anticipated with being on your own, has to take second place to responsibility. And you are daunted by the lightweight trivialities that suddenly seem to pile up to bury you every time you think you're getting out from under. ' As I tried to make her feel better, I'm afraid that my comments appeared rather trite. But with age comes, while I won't say wisdom, a certain understanding. All of the cliches, all of the advice have achieved a certain track record for success. I know it's not always easy to think hopefully when things are difficult, but life really does have a way of working out. Most small thunderclouds have a silver lining. I have discovered, though I admit I'm still not very good at it, the answer to a lot of life's little problems is to quit thinking. Usually, there is a solution to be found with a little use of the grey cells, but dwelling on an area of frustration solves nothing and causes plenty. Fretting over a child's bad marks isn't going to improve them. Stressing over where the money's going to come from to pay one of those 'surprises'- we're often hit with, isn't likely going to help. There really is only one thing that will. Again, at the risk of sounding trite, take every cliche you remember, recite them and have a little faith in them. You do get past these nasty moments and there are so many blessings in return. Kiss a baby, hug your kids. Lay down on the grass and stare at the blue, blue sky. Listen to a robin's song or a child's laughter. Look at your spouse and remember all the things that made you fall in love. None of this will pay the bills or make the pressures go away, but for awhilelf44.46,you remember what's important. It rnay not be bouillabaisse but it is a recipe for healthy living. Some info on national anthems Letters to the Editor Letters to the editor are a forum for public opinion and comment. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.