NewsGram with Sam Youmans

Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

Today I have another remarkable story for you about a book created out of the diaries and recordings left by a loved one. A story that tells the remarkable double life of an American woman named Jean Heringman Willacy. 

Sue Heringman –  I was going through her papers and found this incredible treasure trove of detailed diaries of her life in Afghanistan and in Pakistan and with those diaries there was also incredible photographs and there were drawings by Afghan refugee children and I think most priceless were cassette tapes that she made of recordings of when she was out and about in Afghanistan and also in the refugee camps and finding all of those things, I felt that it was really important to get them into a book and to get the book. 

That is her daughter Sue and yes, compiling all that material into a book is a great idea. Sometimes it’s easier said than done. The final nudge to get going on this project came from the last entry she found in her mothers diary. Here are her words read by an artificial voice actor. 

Quote read by voice actor – I have a lifetime of memories and experiences during my years in Afghanistan and would deeply love seeing something rewarding from those days.

Sue Heringman – So I really felt I owed it to Jean and to her adopted extended Afghan family to make every effort to transcribe all this diary material, which in the first draft ran to 600 pages, so you can imagine.

And that’s how it began. Sue, not unlike her mother, has led a life filled with international experiences. Born in Los Angeles, she attended High School in Arizona and college at the University of Iowa. She followed her mother to the UK, where attended college in London and that’s where she lives now. 

Sue Heringman – When my mother came to live in the UK, then I went to the University of London and following that I was in Spain working for the University of Southern California, so that’s me and I live in the UK now, not far from where my mother used to live, so it’s really nice.

If that’s a bit confusing don’t worry about it. My Goal was to show you that these women are not afraid to travel and when you have the heart of a wanderlust, and adventurer, then exciting things are going to happen.  

Sue Heringman – This was about 1967. She was traveling to the Hindu kush mountains and just arrived there and she fell in love with the country and also I have to say was an Englishman who was a fur trader in Kabul at the time and so that’s where she wanted to settle and make her home, so she lived in Afghanistan up until these first, the Soviet coup, which was in 1978, the Czar revolution, and she was one of the few foreign eyewitnesses to that military communist coup. She stayed on, yeah, afterwards for another year until 1979 when the Soviets then invaded Afghanistan, so there’s a lot of relevant material in the book.

You can say that again. Eye-witness accounts and photographs of the communist coup, Live recordings from the streets of Kabul, a first-hand experience of what it was like living in a Soviet puppet state. I would say that is some pretty interesting stuff. Let me backup for a second. In that last soundbite you heard her say “She was traveling to the Hindu kush mountains”. This mountain range straddles the borders between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India  and she just happened to be going there? 

Sue Heringman – Yeah, when she first went, when she first went, Kabul was a completely different place. It was considered to be the Paris of Central Asia and girls could wear mini skirts and women could work, even be judges, and so that happened up until the communist invasion, Soviet invasion, and then everything changed, of course, and that’s when my mother went to Pakistan

It was a different time. And, if you’re going to visit Pakistan you may as well drop in on the refugee camps and talk to some of the people living the life of a refugee in exile. 

Sue Heringman – I don’t know many people who would say, I dream of going to the camps in Pakistan, sheltering on the border with Afghanistan, and to help those people who have been fleeing for their lives, and that’s basically what she did. She wasn’t affiliated to anybody, any group, NGO, and she just went about it quietly in her own way, befriending people, sponsoring people, and doing the best that she could. 

For someone like me, who’s never ventured far from the good ole US of A, Jean’s story of courage and adventure is truly eye-opening, and if you’re thinking Jean was a young Wayfarer out sowing some youthful roots you would be gravely mistaken. 

Sue Heringman – Well, the amazing thing was her age, and she was 60 when she went into the camps, and she, when she first went to Afghanistan, she was 50, and so, yeah, not many women would do that, and particularly, she lived in some of the camps.

Did you get that? She lived in some of the camps and while she was there she interviewed women and lived out her dreams of travel and photography. 

Sue Heringman – My mother had over 3,000 slides. She had drawings by these Afghan refugee children of their wartime experiences. And my mother’s greatest regret was that she couldn’t go back to Afghanistan after the evasion.

This is just a snapshot of the experiences documented in her book and I hope I’m doing it justice. Sue Heringman’s mom was a pretty incredible person and if you’ll allow me one quick addition to her legacy I also want to point out that she once worked with Afghan women to make embroidered coats. I don’t know if you remember these Afghan coats but they were very popular in the late ’60’s. In the U.K one of them was called the ”Penny Lane” coat.

Sue Heringman – The hippies loved them, the embroidered Afghan coats, and the embroidery was what my mother was involved with, helping these widows, and she exported them and made sure that the proceeds went directly to the women.

Did early Beatle fans wear an Embroidered Afghan coat made by her mother and she other Afghan ladies while strolling down Abbey road, I really don’t know, maybe but I think you will enjoy getting to know Jean Heringman in a book that paints a portrait of some real people in a very different time. Well, different in some ways and very much the same in others. 

Sue Heringman – Jean makes us care deeply about the real people in the book. You’ve got Dr. Ghulam facing deportation from Canada. You’ve got Soraya in Germany trapped in a clash of cultures and red tape bureaucracy. And you have Habiba, a midwife, who is receiving death threats in the camps. So, Jean makes you care for these people and what happens to them. So, hopefully, that will help readers have increased awareness and empathy for not just their plight, but refugees worldwide. To be a refugee, Dr. Ghulam wrote, more than losing your country, more than losing your history and your culture, you lose the right to choose your way of life.

Before we wrap up here I wanted to share one more thing about Sue because publishing a book can seem like an impossible task for some people but it was kind of perfect for her. As a retired Spanish and English Teacher and translator she was always interested in writing and that is the skill that helps bring to life the amazing woman that until now we never knew. Here is Sue with a final takeaway for you.

Sue Heringman – Jean was able to overcome her own huge self-doubt. She always felt that she was too old to be able to make a difference. But that gave her the courage and determination to become the fierce foe she did when she was fighting the tyranny of bureaucracy or the staunch ally of all whom she befriended. And so, it’s important, I think, for us to take Jean’s inspirational example that no matter how limited one is in age or ability, there’s always some small thing that we can do to help whose world has just been turned upside down, even if it is just giving hope.

Care to take a trip back in time without leaving the country? Check out he Keeper of Families: Jean Heringman Willacy’s Afghan Diaries by Sue Heringman and for even more of the archives she uncovered you can check visit the University of Nebraska’s Chriss Library, they have the huge collection of Afghan material, secondary only to Afghanistan and its where you can find this book and all the rest of this amazing material where it can be studied and appreciated for years to come. And that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com. 

Sue Heringman was recently on the Books on Air podcast hosted by Suzanne Harris. 

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Welcome to this edition of Newsgram! 

[Train Sounds]

It’s the early 1960s. A passenger train is en route from Iowa to Chicago, carrying a young chemist named Bill. Bill’s destination? The headquarters of the Sanford Ink Company in Bellwood, Illinois, where he’s set to meet Keith Beal, the company’s head of research and development. Here’s Bill…

Wm. J. Green (Closer to Family) Home was Iowa. But I wanted our kids to know their parents, their grandparents, their grandparents and their cousins and so on so I went looking for a job in the Chicago area where we could be a little closer to the family.

Bill was and is a family man. He was heading to the big city with hopes of stability, but it turns out his contributions will resonate far beyond his own family. Ever heard of the Sharpie marker? 

Wm. J. Green (Sharpie 1) There was a lot of interest there. It kept growing and growing. And finally I was on a train between Albuquerque and Chicago.

We sat down for a meal with a group of people and somewhere in the middle of the conversation, I dropped my little comment about my work developing the Sharpie marker and it was that there was a lot of interest.

I’ll bet there was. Let’s properly introduce our guest: William J. Green, chemist at Sanford Ink Company and an instrumental figure in the Sharpie’s development. Here he is to finish his story. 

Wm. J. Green (Sharpie 2) But when lunch was over, I went back to my seat. And I’m sitting there and suddenly this young man walks up and looks at me and says, Excuse me, but I understand you’re the chemist that put together the Sharpie marker and I just wanted to meet you. And that woke me up. I said, Do you know what? This is a story that needs to be told. And not told just because it’s a success story in business, but there’s a lot of human interest stories that really puts it together.

Can you imagine being on that train, hearing Bill’s story firsthand, I’d want to know more too! So after realizing that there was a lot of interest in his work he decided to write it all down in a book titled “The Sanford Tales: And Other Stories, Both Tall and Short”. Just to clarify, Bill didn’t invent the Sharpie, but he played a crucial role in refining its formulation and popularizing it as the versatile Sharpie you know and love today. Here’s an excerpt from the book read by an A.I Robot…

Excerpt: No, the product was not my personal brainchild. There were several people who shared credit for this product. First and foremost Chuck Lofgren Sr., the president of Sanford Ink company when Sharpie was developed. Then there was Francis Gilbert, the executive vice president of the company, and the man who turned Lofgren’s dreams into marketable realities. There was also Walt DeGroft, the manager of new product development, and someone with a most unlikely background for the position he held. There was Ted Jensen who transformed prototypes into assembly lines. And then there was me, Bill Green, an ambitious young chemist fresh from the University of Iowa. 

Together we made it happen…

The Sharpie was developed by the team at Sanford back in 1964 originally as a permanent marker, Bill Green, was instrumental in improving the marker’s ink formula. His work helped make it more reliable and long-lasting on a variety of surfaces, characteristics that eventually turned it into the trusted marker we know today. Anyway this story is really more about the people and the culture at Sanford back in the 60’s and 70’s and of course Bill, a fascinating guy with plenty of options.

Wm. J. Green (The Job) I love to tell stories. OK, I’m going to give you another here. When I took this job with them, with this. Small private company, the company. Also, I took that job and then I got a phone call from General Electric. And they offered me a job as a chemist being part of the team that was going to develop the color television for General Electric. And I think I got to be absolutely crazy to turn that down, but I’m going to put my family first and I’m going to go to Chicago and work for this very small private company. And I’m looking back at it now, I’m talking to you about the work that I did there all over the world. And General Electric colored television tube is in the trash of history.

Hahaha, that’s one way to look at it. The Sharpie is here to stay. If you don’t have a Sharpie in your hand right now then you definitely know where to find one, whether you’re at home or at work. Bill’s journey captures an era in American history full of transformation. He joined the Sanford Ink Company in the early 1960s, right as America was on the brink of massive cultural, social, and technological change.

Wm. J. Green (Culture) When I walked into Sanford Inc. Company, I walked into something that was really amazing. There were blacks from the inner city and there were blacks from college educated. And there were also this group of Cubans. When Castro took over Cuba and these people escaped off the island literally at the risk of their lives. They gathered together in these flotillas and tried to get them to Miami. And President Kennedy had to do something with all these people in one place. And he asked companies all over the country that were willing to let him know. And he’d send them some people to join the workforce. So when I walked into Sanford Inc.Company, I walked into an ethnic mix that included these Cuban refugees. And it was really a cultural adventure for me to hear their stories and get to know them. And some of those stories are in my book and a couple of really good ones.

Bill grew up in all white neighborhood and attended an all white college so this was a real change. To his credit he embraced it and enjoyed the diversity. You see, in the early sixties this country was entering a decade of experimentation and bold ideas—it was a time when innovation and creativity were thriving in nearly every industry and looking back, his time at the Sanford Ink Company was a snapshot of Americana that needed to be recorded. 

Wm. J. Green (Civil Rights) There was a cultural and ethical ethnic mix that all came together under the supervision of some very wise and honest people. And it all came together. While we were doing this Dr. King was beginning his career promoting civil rights and it was already underway at Sanford Inc. Company. Looking back on now, I can see it and understand it. Back then, I just experienced it. But now I can look at my experiences and begin to understand them. And that was really a wonderful, wonderful experience to see everybody come together that way.

And at the end, produce something that’s now part of the broader history.

I think it would be a real treat to take a long train ride with Bill, hearing his stories first hand about that time in American history. He also has stories about working with Chuck Lofgren and Francis Gilbert, the founders of the Sanford Ink Company. Now Chuck Lofgren was the company president, but he say’s he wasn’t the type to stay hidden away in an office. He was closely connected with the workers and it was important to him that he understood what was happening on the ground floor. 

Wm. J. Green (Lofgren) Oh, absolutely. The fact that the president of the company would go walking through the factory and talk to an hourly employee was part of how he put together his products. We’re getting ready to go on the market with the factory line to set up and running. And he walked out into the factory. And when he walked by the line where this new product was being made, he overheard a comment by one of the workers on the assembly line. He stopped in his tracks, went back to the PA system and called an emergency meeting and he shut down the assembly line just based on the comment of one of the people on the assembly line. That whole product got a brand new beginning and it was an everyday thing, not just an occurrence, but it was an everyday thing. This is Chuck Lofgren.

What a great example of putting the product and the team first. Tough calls like these are never easy, but they tend to pay off in the long run. A little humility, openness, and respect go a long way in building a strong team. Bill truly cherished his time at Sanford, and you can hear it in his stories. Here’s another short clip from the book.

Excerpt 2: As I think back on that part of my life, I indeed take great pride in what was accomplished. The Sharpie has been produced and sold for many years now. It has provided many jobs right here in America. Many of my personal friends from those days spent their entire careers producing and selling Sharpies and are now enjoying retirement funded by Sharpie’s success.

If you’d like to dive deeper into his experiences, his book, The Sanford Tales: . He says as he wrote it, the memories felt frozen in time, just as vivid now as they were back then.

Wm. J. Green (Family) They’re frozen in my mind at the same age and time that they were. They’ll never change in my mind. And it was a fun experience to go back and say hello to them again. Laugh with them. We we just live together. We didn’t work together. We live together emotionally. Sanford was different from some of the other companies. It wasn’t uncommon for a married couple to both work in the same factory. There were a number of married couples that worked together there in the summertime when their orders were the biggest in the workforce. So taking vacations, they like to bring in the factory workers, kids that needed some money to go to college and we need some money to get on with their careers and so on. So I got to know not only the people I work with, but I got to know their families. It was really a unique experience. I don’t know how you would create it today. I don’t know how you would promote it. It was an experience that needs to be preserved and shared. And that’s what I tried to do.

The book features some fun diagrams from the patent office.

You’ll also find wonderful first had stories and cultural reflections along with a look at Bill’s life growing up in poverty and meeting a generous man named Richard 

 Wm. J. Green (Richard) He had a beautiful family of about eight children and they were all wiped out in one accident. And it literally shook the nation. And when he put me in business, the man’s name was Richard and that’s the name of the chapter of my book. Richard put me in business and he was putting me through college while his own children were all buried in a cemetery outside of town. And there’s something about this that somehow my poverty and his horrible experience come together to produce a product that’s now used and loved by people around the world. And there’s some sort of redemption message in there that I’m not going to try to explain to anybody. But it gives you something to think about.

Absolutely. He dedicates a full chapter to Richard. The Sanford Tales: And Other Stories, Both Tall and Short,  capturing the story of a man, a marker, and a well-preserved slice of American history.

Bill’s journey reminds us that even the most humble paths can leave lasting marks on the world. Thanks for joining us for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com.

Be sure and catch the full interview with William J. Green on the Books on Air podcast with Suzanne Harris. 

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Live Wise: A Guidebook to Facing Life and Reality’s Complexities and Messiness with the Wisdom and Love of God

Summary: Every journey requires a guide. This episode is based on the book “Live Wise” which offers guidance to life’s journey. It is rooted in biblical wisdom. “Live Wise is a guidebook to living with God’s wisdom and love, offering hope and purpose to those who choose to believe. It not only addresses the search for truth and love, but acknowledges that human-made explanations of life often lead to chaos, confusion, and despair. As directed by God, Live Wise is a Jesus sourced how-to guidebook for facing life and reality’s complexities and messiness with the singularly valuable wisdom and love of God only found in God’s explanation of life and reality: Jesus and the Bible.

Welcome to the edition of Newsgram!

What does it really mean to live wisely? Is it about making smart decisions, or is it something deeper? Today, we’ll explore how Scott Curtis Meischen sees it—through faith, wisdom, and the guidance of God. Scott is an interesting man who wears many hats including teacher, consultant, Minister and author. He just wrote a book titled Live Wise. A title that I found intriguing because the way I interpret those words, to “Live Wise” means to think first, to keep an open mind and to live your life guided by wisdom, intentionality, and alignment with your values and hopefully those values lead you to fulfillment, peace, and purpose. In the context of Scott’s book, the concept of Living Wise, is closely tied to living in accordance with God’s wisdom and the teachings of Christianity. Here he is to explain all that for himself.

Scott Curtis Meischen – The joy of a life well lived is part of what I mean by live wise. And God calls us to live wise. He invites us to live wise. So the book is about how God instructed me and I’ve always enjoyed helping people. So this book is a product of my liking to help people. I always was like when I was employed, I always had the summer interns, even if they were assigned to another manager.

Eventually they migrated over to me because I really enjoyed that process of taking a young person and helping them. So this idea is my faith in Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, and my love for caring, caring for people. 

The complete title of the book is Live Wise: A Guidebook to Facing Life’s Complexities with the Wisdom and Love of God and it was born out of a very stressful situation. It started with Scott being a single parent of three. 

Scott Curtis Meischen – I was working at a very competitive organization. The Federal Reserve, and I was an internal audit manager. So one of the challenges is you have to be right. So there’s a lot of pressure to come to the right conclusion. You’re asked a question, is this working right or not? And you have to set up to do all this testing. So under those conditions, my Christian faith matured. Stress in life will either make you better or bitter. But I’m a very strong believer, and I would not be sitting here without the help of God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and God the Father. So this was what I developed to live wise in my life under the most stressful conditions.

I love how he puts that: stress can make you bitter or better—what a great quote! And I would add that it can do both. So let’s get into the core of this book. It is designed to be a guide and there is quite a bit of information here so to help lead you through these sometimes complex ideas, Scott has included a glossary at the front of the book and in it he defines all the different terms as well as acronyms like FSN—Faith Support Network, and GARP—Generally Accepted Reasoning Principles. That way, we’re all on the same page as we dive into the concepts. 

Scott Curtis Meischen – One of the things I’ve learned in life is that if you and I are to communicate well, then we need to know what we mean by right, or we need to know what if you want a word that is highly malleable, fair. What’s fair? OK, if you got 50 people in the room, you’re going to have 75 definitions of fair. OK, so to try and help people with the idea, just the idea, I put the acronyms and glossary in the front.

The heart of Live Wise lies is Scott’s belief that faith can help us tackle life’s messiness with grace and purpose 

Scott Curtis Meischen – Just skim it, get a feel for it. And then the first part of the book is what is called, I term, the salvation journey. And then the sanctification journey and the glorification journey. And those are divisions of someone who comes to faith in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. It’s called salvation. And that’s a point in time event. I don’t know the specific day. I know the period of time when I came to faith. Some people actually know that you’ll meet a lot of people who actually know that day, like C.S. Lewis, the great Christian apologist. He knows the exact day and location.

I put together some of the key takeaways for you and those include to first, Stop, Think, Believe and then Live Wise: Scott’s central message is to encourage you to take a moment and reflect on faith and the role it plays in making wise decisions.

He talks about Faith as a Lifelong Journey: Live Wise is designed to guide readers through the process of faith, helping them face life’s messiness with wisdom grounded in Christian beliefs.

And then there is Trust and Commitment to Growth: Your Personal growth and gaining a deeper understanding of God’s love is an ongoing process. In fact he likens it to running a marathon.

Scott Curtis Meischen – Marathons are inherently difficult. Life is inherently difficult. But if you prepare, it’s actually both a challenge and a celebration. And you learn to enjoy the process of the run, even when it gets challenging. And you run your own race. You’re not trying to run the other guy, our girls race, you know, ladies race. You run your race. And that’s called pace. You run at your pace. And if you have to walk some walk, you know, but and that’s, that’s the same, the sanctification part of the journey. Once you come to faith, you have to realize that the world does not like Christian values. And so you’re going to run into some difficulties.

Yes the world is full of discrimination of all sorts. I like to think we are living in a more enlightened age. I mean there has been some progress when it comes to promoting inclusion, understanding, and respect for diverse cultures, religions, genders, and identities. But discrimination, intolerance, and polarization still persist. To find the light through it all Scott has put this guidebook together, He says his faith was crucial in navigating his life’s challenges and it inspired him to write this guide for others to help them on their journey. Remember those takeaways I mentioned earlier? 

Scott Curtis Meischen – Stop. Think. Believe. Live wise. Okay. And so the first thing I would say is in this flood of media. You can become numb. You can become overwhelmed by it. And so you just one of the ways we cope when we get overwhelmed is we tune out. You start just limiting what you’re paying attention to. And so what I’m asking, would it challenge or encourage or challenge? Even I use that word in a friendly way, just to stop and give God a chance. And with it with an attitude of let me think about it, approach God with not a skepticism. Just to seek understanding. So that’s the first step. And when you understand something, it doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with it.

So he says keep an open mind, give God a chance, read the Gospel of John and then pray. 

Scott Curtis Meischen – First to stop, then go with just a discovery, an attitude of discovery, read the Gospel of John in the message and then pray. Prayer is just talking to God. That’s what prayer is in its most fundamental way. And you’re praying, you’re talking to the person that God is both God that created you and loves you more than anyone. So God loves you the best, but you have to give God the opportunity to love you

He also says to get the most out of your time spent reading and praying to be sure and journal about it, write down all the things you feel and don’t hold back. If you have a dispute with God, write that down too. It’s important to be honest about how you feel.

Scott Curtis Mieschen – And then write that down here, and then go back, though, after you’ve prayed about it, and write what additional insights God will bring to your mind. And if you let him, he will.

And if you are so inclined, let us know how it all works out. 

And that brings us to the end of today’s episode of Newsgram. We’ve learned a lot from Scott today about what it means to ‘Live Wise’—facing life’s complexities with the wisdom and love of God.  What does living wise mean to you? Take time to reflect on your faith—whatever it may be—and see how it guides your decisions. 

If you want to explore more of Scott’s insights, pick up his book, Live Wise: A Guidebook to Facing Life’s Complexities with the Wisdom and Love of God. It’s available now,

Scott Curtis Meischen – You can go to ScottMeischen dot com. And that’s my author website.

And in case you are wondering how to spell that…

Scott Curtis Meischen –  It’s German by heritage. And so it’s M as in Michael, E, I, S, C, H, E, N. And it’s just pronounced like saying my shin, like on your leg. But you just say it quickly, my shin.

Until next time, remember: stop, think, believe, and live wise. And that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from webtalkradio.com.

Scott Curtis Meischen  was recently a guest on both the Talking books show with JT Crowley and Books on Air with Suzanne Harris. Tune in to hear more about his work and message.

Be sure and subscribe to the Newsgram audio podcast so you don’t miss a single author spotlight. 

Every journey requires a guide so author Scott Curtis Mieschen has put together a guide to navigating life’s journey with God’s wisdom and love. 

It’s called Live Wise: A Guidebook to Facing Life and Reality’s Complexities and Messiness with the Wisdom and Love of God

Rooted in biblical teachings, Live Wise will help you discover how faith can guide you through stress, confusion, and uncertainty. 

If you’re struggling with life’s complexities, find clarity, strength, and peace on your journey through life with Live Wise, Available now at Amazon.com 

The post Live Wise by Scott Curtis Meischen appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

Remember when you were a kid and someone asked you the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? Do you remember the answer? Was it a Security Guard at the bank or an Underwater welding specialist? No, of course not unless your parents did that job you probably didn’t know it existed. Most kids say they want to be a Police Officer or a Firefighter. Some say Doctor or even Astronaut. Lots of kids want to be Athletes and Actors and many say a Veterinarian because they love animals — and that’s where our story begins today.

Natasha Burrell – It’s always a bit worrying when you get those middle-of-the-night ones because you know it’s going to be serious.

That’s Natasha Burrell, a Veterinary Surgeon remembering the time she got one of those dreaded late night calls that an animal was in need of emergency surgery. This time it was a cat that had been hit by an Ambulance.

Natasha Burrell – So, it’s probably around 2010, this actually happened. It’s the only animal patient I’ve ever had arrive at the clinic in the middle of the night in a human ambulance with a paramedic. And it stuck in my head as the paramedics had treated him so well. He’d had oxygen.He was all wrapped up. He was getting the five-star paramedic treatment. And it also stuck in my mind as he was just a lovely cat. He was a real smoochy, friendly, cooperative patient. And even though we couldn’t find the owner, everyone at the clinic was so committed to giving this cat another chance. I mean, he had a pretty serious, serious injury. And I think also the fact that the paramedic took him home, that we know he had a wonderful life after everything he went through and just the chances of it happening the way it did was quite unusual.

This story is now the subject of her book St John the Ambulance Cat: Based on a true story and if you’re following the timeline you might be wondering why now? This happened nearly fifteen years ago. 

Natasha Burrell – I have three school-age children and my youngest daughter is eight. And I was asked to give a talk to her class about being a vet last year. And part of that, I decided to tell the story of the cat that we called St John. And the kids just really seemed to enjoy his story. They asked wonderful questions. And I kind of thought it would make a good book. Like, it’s quite an unusual story from the point of view of what happened to the cat. And yeah, just a happy ending as well. So, yeah.

Just to recap a bit its 2010 in Dunedin New Zealand, Dunedin is located way down on the South Island’s southeast coast. An ambulance is being dispatched to help a person in need when it accidentally hits a cat. 

Natasha Burrell – It was a bit more complicated than the story because obviously they had to get an ambulance quickly to the human patient. So another ambulance was diverted straight to the human patient. And then St John actually went back to the hospital, got transferred to another ambulance and came out to the vet clinic. But the paramedic that was driving the ambulance came into the clinic the next day and asked how he was. And because we couldn’t find an owner, she offered to pay for his treatment. And after he’d recovered enough she actually took him home and he lived with her for quite a few years. Apparently, I talked to the paramedic recently, apparently he still had a bit of a limp. He wasn’t over 100%, but she changed his name to Ollie.

Makes sense. St. John was the name of the Ambulance company and while the nurses originally named him that she worked for St. John so she decided to give a different name. 

When I first came across this story I thought it was unusual to make a children’s book out of a tragedy

Natasha Burrell – It was very hard to write a children’s book where you’re actually starting by running over a cat

I can imagine…but then when you see it you’ll understand. It’s a  true story with a happy ending and like I said in the beginning, it’s one of those professions that children find most interesting so this is a real life example, told from a young person’s perspective of course, of what that job might entail. 

Natasha Burrell  – I just wanted it to be a story that they could, a simple story that they could follow along and just say what stages go through with the treatment for an injury. And I just, I wanted to be realistic but still try and aim at that, a child’s level of understanding.

And she’s done a wonderful job. There’s nothing graphic in the book, plus it gets them talking and sharing experiences of their own.

Natasha Burrell – Yeah. I mean, I think for when I read to my daughter’s class, a lot of the kids started to tell me their own stories of their animals if they’d been to the beach and what had been wrong with them and I think it’s, I think grandparents would be the same, you know, you can relate to things that you’ve been through with your animals in the past and, you know.

And I don’t think you could ask for more than that, a heartwarming tale based on a true story about how one day a tragedy was turned into a triumph of love, teamwork, caring, compassion and companionship. If you’re explaining it to the kids Natasha has a better description.

Natasha Burrell – So I’d tell ‘em it’s about a cat’s veterinary tale, basically. His treatment through coming into the vet clinic till when he found a home and it’s sort of a glimpse into what a veterinary case may be like.

St John the Ambulance Cat: Based on a true story

by Natasha Burrell is available now at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. And that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from webtalkradio.com.

Be sure and listen to the interview with Natasha Burrell on the Books on Air podcast with Suzanne Harris. 

Natasha Burrell also appears on the Talking Books podcast with JT Crowley. Catch this episode on Apple Podcasts or on Youtube.

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Welcome to they edition of Newsgram!

According to a recent survey approximately 67% of American households have pets. Dogs are the most popular pet followed closely by cats and then of course there’s fish, birds and other small animals like Guinea Pigs. Our family has always had pets and if you are a pet owner too, then you know the emotional roller coaster these lovable creatures can lead you down. 

Having a pet is one of the most joyous things you can do for yourself and your family but losing them is, well…the opposite of that. 

One day, when our kids were young we decided that we were done with pets. The emotional toll of losing them was just too great but the kids were young and very insistent so we reluctantly agreed on a hand-fed cockatiel. Long life and easy to care for right? So Mr. Peepers joined our family and everyone loved him — and in case you’re wondering, his wings were clipped and he was not confined to a cage. Mr. Peepers was free to leave the cage whenever he chose and yes we took all the necessary precautions to make sure he was safe when flying about. But Mr. Peepers preferred to be in or near his cage anyway. From time to time we’d find him on top of the kitchen cabinets or some other place and I’d have to get out the ladder and bring him down. I’d put him on my shoulder like a pirate and he’d nibble on my ears then one day Mr. Peepers laid an egg. And, that’s the day we re-named him Mr’s Peepers.

Everyone loved holding Mrs. Peepers, especially my grandkids — yes that’s how long he was in our family—our young kids had kids of their own. 

Pam Henry Smith – Mack Lived to be about sixty

That’s Pam Henry Smith talking about her family’s pet, Mack the Amazon Parrot

Pam Henry Smith  – He brought us joy, frustration and amusement and knew kids would love to hear about it. 

So she put together a picture book that showcases some of the more outrageous exploits of this cherished family friend. 

Pam Henry Smith  – And I really got the inspiration to do it from my grandparents and my students at school.

Pam graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor of Education degree. She taught fourth grade for 32 years in White Hall, Arkansas.

Pam Henry Smith – Well, fourth and fifth and several other grades. And as I was writing books and teaching them how to write stories, I decided to write one with them. So this is the first one that I got published. So I do want to continue.

So Meet Mack was born and it tells the true story of an amazing Amazon parrot — this breed, when given the right amount of love, care and interaction can form a deep and lasting bond with certain individuals, and in her house that individual was Grammy. 

Pam Henry Smith – But, you know, Mac kept up with Grammy. It didn’t matter what she was doing, whether she was cooking, it would entertain her in the kitchen. If she was cleaning up, he was listening to what she was doing and watching over her. And I showed that in my book when she fell off the ladder one day. And I mean, Mac was in the other room and he yells out, Grammy, you okay, Grammy? I mean, this bird truly loved Grammie

In case you were wondering, Grammy’s fine. It’s fascinating how intelligent species like parrots and cockatiels are—they have an incredible emotional capacity. They recognize and respond to their favorite people, showing affection in different ways while seeking physical closeness. Their loyalty to those they trust is remarkable. And, much like a child, they have no filter, which can be a bit embarrassing at times.

Pam Henry Smith  –  I mean, I can remember one time we were sitting at the table and we had an aunt that came into town. And she was quite a character. And she never let anybody have time to talk. And all of a sudden, we were eating dessert. Everybody was quiet. And they were listening to Anne Elsie. And then Mac yells out, oh, shut up. He told her to shut up. We just about died. But she looked up and she said, I guess it’s about time I shut my mouth when the bird tells you to shut up.

Yes, that’s part of their charm isn’t it. They just say whatever they feel like saying. 

Pam Henry Smith – Well, my grandparents lived really close to a bus stop. The bus stop was on the corner. So Paula and I would always put the cage on the front screen and porch. And of course, nobody could see the bird. And everybody would walk down the street. Well, this one guy was walking down the street and Mac always talked. And he would say, hey boy, and that guy turned around. And of course, Mac turned around and said, hey boy. And the guy turned around again. He said, can’t you talk, boy? And by the time Mac said that, the guy ran. I mean, he was scared to death because he didn’t know he was talking to him. But it was always, always something that Mac was doing all the time.

And now, I think it’s time for you to “Meet Mac.” This heartwarming story, born in a fourth-grade creative writing class, shows how a mischievous family pet can create a lasting bond across generations.

Pam Henry Smith  – That’s what’s so special about this book. I mean, I told the stories to my grandkids when they were two and three. And then they always said, maybe you ought to do a book. And now I’ve done it. And they’re just really excited. But I just think, you know, this book will probably go on up to sixth grade level. And you can, as a teacher, I love to work with teachers on how to get kids enthused in writing. And, you know, teaching them what I did. It did work. We had pretty good literacy scores. And it was just exciting. But yes, it’s one of those books that you can put into a lesson if you’re a teacher. It’s one of those that you can read to the little ones. And second grade on up could read it. If they’re pretty good readers, the second grader could read it. And my grandson has read it to his little sister. And he’s going into the fifth grade so…

An Amazon parrot may not be the ideal pet for every family. These birds have long lifespans and can bite and show other challenging behaviors, as you’ll see in the book. It’s important to consider these factors carefully before deciding to bring one into your home. 

But books don’t bite and Meet Mac beautifully illustrates how a pet can forge a strong family bond, creating cherished memories that last a lifetime, while highlighting the vital role grandparents play in shaping their grandchildren’s lives.

As Mac brings both laughter and challenges, he intertwines love and understanding that will be treasured for years to come. This story goes beyond just a pet; it’s about the power of family, connection, and the unspoken lessons we pass down through generations. 

And that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com.

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Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

Today we are going to focus on the work of an author, curious about many of the things he’d been told about Jesus. It’s about an author striving to understand and clarify many of the things within the New Testament that seemed to contradict one another and he found that there are in fact no contradictions within the four texts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 

Peter Boaz Jones set out on a journey to discover the truth and he discovered that the so-called contradictions, actually complement each other rather than conflict and he discovered all of this and much more while combining those four gospels into one. 

Peter Boaz Jones – This particular formulation of the four Gospels into one complete whole, with the given explanations of the text in question, including a complete scripture graph, is an attempt to give the answers to the age-old problem of the natural synchronization of the successive events in the four Gospels without any of the so-called contradictions, thus producing an entirely new work for those who are seeking answers to some of the seemingly perplexed anomalous questions that people interested in this field have halted at. Consequently, and hopefully, therefore, it will give the subject the proper credence it had from its original conception when these miraculous events were first written down. Moreover, it will create one natural flowing Gospel in combining the four, but at the same time, not taking anything away from the importance of the individuality of each of the authors and their separate books

That is Peter reading a summary from the back of his book, The Gospel of the Four: A Unique Conflation of the Four Gospels into a Single Continuous Narrative, Explicated by the Author’s Commentary. I enjoy authors like Peter who are driven by their inner curiosity and have a healthy dose of skepticism. It drives them to find objective answers. 

Peter Boaz Jones – Yeah, well, my parents, you know, my stepfather, they were quite religious. And some of the things they said, I didn’t always agree with, and I started checking up on things then. I mean, I don’t want to knock one religion against another one, because they’ve all got the truth but I was just interested in some of the things they were saying.

One of the things he discovered is that Christianity stems from Judaism, a fact well known to some. And while Christianity eventually developed its own distinct beliefs and practices, such as the belief in the Trinity and salvation through Jesus, its roots are firmly embedded in the Jewish tradition.

Peter Boaz Jones – Understanding the Old Testament properly is paramount to understanding the new though, you know, one can understand the New Testament without the Old Testament in one way, but to get a complete picture. And it depends on one’s interest. If one is interested in expanding one’s knowledge, then, naturally, one has to acknowledge that Christianity came from Judaism. Of course, a lot of people wish they didn’t, you know. But, you know, that’s basically the truth, you know.

His book is a detailed work, written in a way that’s easy to follow, which makes it great for all readers, whether they are scholars or just curious Christians. Even if you don’t agree with all of his conclusions, the book will still help you to discover new truths. To put it very simply, it’s written for anyone looking for answers.

Peter Boaz Jones – Well, basically, for people who are interested in this subject, I feel that people who are interested in it are people who study. And in this sense, the book is a study aid. It’s a reference work to keep going back to, to keep checking. And that’s basically what I want people to do is to check on some of the things that some of the stories are going around about that have gone around years about Jesus’ miracles and the text. You know, a lot of even scholars say a lot of the texts contradict each other. When on closer examination, you find that they don’t. They only enhance each other. So that’s what I want the reader to understand that it’s miraculous. The Gospels put together, even by the authors themselves, is a miraculous thing that happened. And still now, one can grasp that through my book. And that’s really what I want people to take away from it.

The Gospel of the Four by Peter Boaz Jones is a unique and award winning book!  It won the 2023 Christian Book Award contest, and the 2023 New York Book Festival Award — so congrats on that. 

This unique, award winning work of non-fiction combines all four Gospels into one cohesive text, which makes it easy if you’re trying to grasp the true context of many of Jesus’ sayings and parables. 

 His approach makes it a great resource for students, scholars, or anyone curious about Jesus and Christianity. It’s available now at Amazon.com or wherever you like to buy books and we’ve put a link to some of them and the authors Facebook page in the show’s description; and that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com.

Peter Boaz Jones was recently interviewed on the Talking Books show on Youtube by JT Crowley. Here is the link. Subscribe to the Talking Books audio podcast on Apple. You can also hear him speaking with Suzanne Harris on the Books on Air Podcast. 

Author’s Facebook page: Author/Book Website: https://www.facebook.com/PeterBoazJones/

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Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

Today we have a hot topic and it’s more than a little bit controversial for a number of reasons. First, it features two men talking about women but don’t worry, this isn’t some barroom chat before a bachelor party. Instead, it’s an intelligent conversation centered around Barry Wren’s book Sex! (for females only)

Wren takes us on a journey through history, examining how our views on gender inequality were first formed and solidified in many cultures. His book also tackles a host of issues women have faced over the centuries—like sexual objectification, the value placed on young women, and male dominance. And yes, there are some statements in there that might make you bristle, like “Sexuality begins when the brain decides the body is ready” or “Female beauty lasts as long as she has ovarian eggs.” But before you get too fired up, remember the main goal: to shine a light on how we got here today by taking a peek into the past. So let’s have a look in the rearview mirror — and if we’re going to go back we might as well go all the way back to the beginning…

Barry Wren – The Garden of Eden that everybody hears about, that was the land which lay between the two major rivers running out of Turkey at that stage. And lots of people thought about it there. But in the myth that was developed, God planted plants and animals and fish and birds into that area there, and he then put Adam in there to look after the whole process. And Adam became very, very bored with what he was doing, and he wanted a companion. So God made a companion for him out of one of his ribs.

And her name was Eve. Did you hear him use the word Myth? I told you this was gonna be a bumpy ride. The story of Adam and Eve teaches us lots of important lessons like obedience to God, sin and sacrifice, good vs. evil, marriage and monogamy — to name a few and just to be clear I have no reason to believe that the story isn’t true but I think his point here is that the idea of women being subservient to men started here and we’ve taken it too literally, focused on only that point and distorted that element of the story over time to the detriment of women. 

Barry Wren – Unfortunately, people still think about Adam and Eve, and Eve was the evil woman because she ate from the Tree of Knowledge. We all would love to get that Tree of Knowledge ourselves, but she ate from that and was then discarded from the whole Garden of Eden. That went down, and a lot of people lost their lives because that particular type of mythology persisted. Male dominance and women being at fault all the time. In my book, I’ve mentioned several instances like that, but I think that mythology is one of the biggest problems we have, is to look at reality rather than religion and myths which have persisted in these areas. I get a little upset about it sometimes when I think of how people’s lives are affected by myths rather than by truth. 

Barry says gender inequality has deep roots in human history. It has been tied to cultural, religious, and legal systems for thousands of years. Religious texts from various traditions have put men in dominant positions.

Even today, despite making significant progress, the fundamental structures that support gender inequality remain intact. We’ve made some progress here in the states but women continue to face disparities in pay, representation, and rights worldwide and more interesting is the fact that not much has really changed. 

Barry Wren – My real reason for looking at this is to look at the problem which has not changed over those three to four thousand years. 

And he says a big part of that is simply due to the average Mans’ physical size. Tieing a person’s worth to their size seems kind of crazy but I guess it was a different time.

Barry Wren – Men are big and strong and dominant and were like that three or four thousand years ago. And women were small and rather passive. So they pushed the women around and said, you must do this or that. And the main reason that they had women in their society was to look after the men, to be really a servant to them. They were subjected to these people, but they also provided sexual opportunities for the men. And the men wanted to have mild infants born to follow them. So that started thousands of years ago and followed. And women were being taught that they had to follow those rather passive approaches. There’s very little difference even now in our present century. We find that a lot of men think that they’re stronger and better and should have a more dominant role in the household. And the end result is a lot of conflict. Sometimes women are beaten up. Sometimes women are actually killed by their partner because she’s not following what he wants. So life hasn’t really changed and all the problems are still there. I’m trying in the book to bring the thought that the discrepancy, the dissonance which occurs between men and women at present really has been exactly the same for the last four or five thousand years.

Research does show that men with lower levels of education and those that hold traditional views about gender roles, are the ones who have more negative attitudes toward women and those men are more likely to be abusive. Not in all cases. There are plenty of College educated wife beaters out there but he says sticking to outdated ideas about men being in charge, can increase the chances of abusive behavior. 

Barry Wren – The main reason that they had women in their society was to look after the men, to be really a servant to them. They were subjected to these people, but they also provided sexual opportunities for the men. And the men wanted to have mild infants born to follow them. So that started thousands of years ago and followed and women were being taught that they had to follow those rather passive approaches. 

Women will always be the ones that have babies. That’s just science but will pretty girls always be able to walk on water? I like to think that’s changing.

Barry Wren – You can look at the various stories that always have a young woman, a very attractive young woman, being very athletic and very attractive, and men fighting over her and having close contact with her. Occasionally, some of the men actually acquired one of those women and protected her until she became old and then dismissed her. So being young and attractive was the major thing which was happening in those years, and those women were worshipped. Men loved to have them. They were like a trophy that they had. Put them up on the pedestal for the period of time that they owned them.

Is that where we got the term “Trophy Wife”? — That’s another podcast entirely and since I’ve probably infuriated you enough with our look at history I won’t go into his thoughts on sex before the age of 18 because the past has changed there as well, largely due to the legal system. The book does go into a great deal of detail there emphasizing the need for more education. Anyway, we’re going to move on to Hormones and why beauty fades. 

Barry Wren – That’s what happens when a woman enters the menopause. What happens is that she’s born at birth with about 2 million eggs in her two ovaries. She uses an awful lot of those eggs every time she menstruates. Eventually she runs out of those eggs, usually about the age of 45 or even up to 50. And the production of the hormones, there’s at least six or seven different hormones, but estradiol is the most important one that stimulates the tissue that makes a young woman grow into the beautiful young woman that we love so much. When the eggs run out from the ovary, so does the production of the hormones. So those special cells and organs begin to fade and become old and worn out. They’re not there, they don’t even function.

And while that clinical explanation can sound a bit depressing there is a silver lining. Wanna keep that youthful glow well into the post-menopausal years? Here’s a tip.

Barry Wren – Women can maintain their hormonal or cellular activity by taking the right hormones and that’s why gynecological endocrinologists are very important for them to see. 

He says, pay a visit to an Endocrinologist, Gynecologists or even doctors who focus on anti-aging that offer HRT as part of their practice and have a discussion to see if there’s a treatment that works for you.

Barry Wren – Many of my female friends are taking hormonal therapy and they look just gorgeous. They’re marvellous. They’re in their 70s and 60s and some of them are even older than what they look marvellous, still on hormonal therapy. 

Barry is a doctor after all so his book,Sex! Is subtitled For Women Only because it’s part history, part Hormonal Therapy but 100% women. 

Barry Wren – I love women and I love to help them as much as I can. And I look back at the misuse by men of their power over women in those days. It’s changing and now women have so much power. Their sexuality is a powerful thing, as powerful as any man’s strength, muscular strength. But men still bash their women around, which is wrong.

He is not a fan of violence against women or trophy wives and he makes that clear. He’s also against women using their sexuality to make a living because while the right hormones can help prolong the process, beauty fades and a woman’s value should not be defined by her looks. 

Barry Wren – Women should not ever be a commodity. They should be revered and loved and enjoyed because they are an individual in their own right. The males don’t own them and they should never be using them as a commodity to gain more money, more power, more whatever it might be. 

And since this show is being produced on the eve of a major presidential election  here in America I would be remiss if I didn’t include this final point… 

Barry Wren – Right now we’ve got four or five major wars going on around the world. The people who instigated those wars are always the male and it’s the women that are now saying, stop this stupid war.

Just sayin’

The book is Sex! (For females only) by Barry Wren and it’s really for men and women or anyone who can appreciate a collection of stories and essays designed to reexamine and retell the events that led up to modern discussions about gender inequality. It’s available at Amazon and all the usual places online. 

Barry Wren (Selling) I understand that it’s selling to people around the world. And I’m hoping it sells a lot. I need the money.

And that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com. 

Check out Barry Wren on the Books on Air podcast with Suzanne Harris, or the Talking Books podcast with JT Crowley. 

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Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

In the course of doing the podcast I’ve been exposed to a number of different authors. If you’ve listened to more that one one these then you know how random the topics are. I like to say Newsgram is all about interesting people living their lives in interesting ways — and then writing a book about it. 

Some of authors  say writing their books was extremely easy, It just flowed out of them and for others it took many years but in the end it is a passion project and these projects are born from a deep dedication, they are the result of countless hours of commitment, meticulous attention to detail, and an unwavering love for their craft. The finished book is not just a product; it’s a testament to the author’s perseverance and the realization of their creative vision — it’s one of the things I enjoy most about this podcast and today we have an author passionate about Christianity and the need to pray for a better world. 

When the world around us gets dark and scary, many of us turn to prayer. Life can get overwhelming and when we feel the weight of the world crushing us, or when the path ahead is lost in shadows we need a place to turn especially when we lose strength and want to give up. 

Her Righteousness – I was hoping to impact the world with love. Mind you, the old world was built on prejudice, hate, and illusion.  I’m still hoping to impact the world with love so that we can wash away the inappropriateness of the old world, so that we can all step into kinship, unity, freedom, and love. And love one another. It’s possible.

That is Ekhosuehi Ibie and she likes to be called “Her Righteousness”, She is author of a prayer book entitled Spiritual Empowerment. She says while it is about trying to bring a message of love to the world, she first started writing prayers as a way to fend off personal attacks. 

Her Righteousness – They were wondering about my difference. They said I was different from everybody else, and they wanted to know why I was different. I had no control over this because I didn’t create myself. So while they were attacking me, I started writing prayers. The prayers were like a counterattack against their attack, if you like. 

And in  no time at all she had written quite a few prayers.

Her Righteousness – Gradually I realized I had a heap load of them, a heap load of prayers.

The full title of her book is Spiritual Empowerment: Using Your Authority as a Christiana book about empowering believers to  be good Christians.

Her Righteousness – God is in control. God has empowered me to pray for a new world, a new world order in which God’s reign, the holy reign, will come into being. 

So she did, back in 2016 

Her Righteousness – I was told, the Holy Spirit told me to re-publish the book. When I re-published it, I re-published it with a company in America and it was just under us. I don’t know if it was made public, but it was just there, quiet. The Holy Spirit advised me to re-publish it.

And now her newly released book works even harder to repair the breach between light and darkness. In it are prayers for all of life’s circumstances and it offers the promise of freedom.

Her Righteousness – This book applies to everybody. Anybody can read it and experience their freedom, their freedom from secrecy, freedom from satanic captivity, their entire freedom. It’s a book suitable for everybody, whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian. If you believe in freedom, you believe in freedom, you know that you want to be free, you are honest enough to know that there was something wrong in the old world. Then it’s a book that you want to read in order to step into the new reign. We are already in the holy reign and yes, God is in control. There are pockets of resistance to the holy reign, but they will die out by the grace of God.

She says hers is a book that will help you to find the strength to face down the darkness in your life and face it with the power of light.

Her Righteousness – I discovered that I have a prayer anointing, that God answers my prayers. And so this was an added impetus to encourage people to fight for their rights as Christians whenever they encounter any confrontations with darkness. Because as a Christian, you are scared of darkness. So we should not be afraid of them. They should be afraid of us. That’s what I’m trying to tell the average Christian.

Whether we face personal struggles or navigate through the chaos of a confusing world, prayer offers a connection to something greater, a source of hope and inner peace that helps us find our way through the darkest times. Her Righteousness says, fighting for your rights as a Christian is important and it’s also important to fight for a better world; one that is filled with less hate and more love.

Can a book of prayers can single-handedly bring about a global transformation, liberating us from ‘satanic captivity’ and secrecy — that might seem like wishful thinking but you have to start somewhere right? 

If you want to learn more about Her Righteousness and the book Spiritual Empowerment: Using Your Authority as a Christianwe’ve put a link to sites that sell the book in the shows description for you, and that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from webtalkradio.com. 

Tune into Her Righteousness on the Books on Air podcast with Suzanne Harris or watch the video with JT Crowley on Talking Books. 

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Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

Sam – I hope you are ready for adventure because today we are going deep into Australia to the magical town of Walgett where I will introduce you to Irene Holmes – a mystery writer:

Irene – Just like Uncle Sherlock. With a name like that I have to write murder mysteries right? 

Sam – Can you tell we’re in for a bit of fun today? Before we get to the Murder and mayhem let’s set the scene because I think it’s important to know where an artist finds inspiration so if you’ll indulge me it’s time for Sam’s Travelog!

If you’re a creative person like Irene, Walgett is basically paradise. It sits nestled at the intersection of the Barwon (Barwin) and Namoi (Namoi) Rivers and the view is spectacular. It is a very small town rich in culture and community. It’s in Northern New South Wales — which is about 400 miles from Sydney (642 Kilometers) in fact it’s an eight hour drive from Sydney, Canberra and Brisban — not to get to in fact it’s a place where four-wheeled drive vehicles are recommended bot not required. Once you get there you can enjoy a hot bath from a 2 million year old basin. Natural pressure sends the water to the surface through an artesian bore where it maintains a constant temperature  of 102-104 degrees. 

Are you starting to see it? Sounds pretty amazing right? 

Walgett’s most famous resident is the renowned Aboriginal country music legend Jimmy Little, who lived here in the 1950s and sadly passed away in 2012. If you were to visit Walgett you’d see the beautiful mural that bears his likeness painted on a water tower. You can also pay your respects if you’re a fan because he is buried there. Jimmy Little is a story unto itself so perhaps we’ll go there on another show but for now suffice it to say that there’s something in the water in Walgett that inspires creativity. 

Irene – Yeah, I did an arts degree, printmaking, art history, drawing. They were the core ones, core units. And then I did an elective, which was ceramics. And my husband at that time was also interested in ceramics. So we started our own little pottery in the back garden. And then with some other friends, I opened a gallery and sold our work through the gallery. And I loved it. I really did enjoy the creativity and the solace really. It’s quite a soothing thing to be doing. You don’t have any fingernails, mind you. They disappeared after about week one.

Sam –  Ceramics is not a good hobby for those who like to stay well manicured. In addition to being a wife and professional potter, Irene Holmes is also a mother a recruiter and a teacher. 

Irene – Well, being a teacher, you’re always a storyteller and a bit of a performer. And I could get kids engaged in stories. And I thought, well, I may as well write them down. So I was sitting and waiting for a friend one day. I was inside a little cafe and she was on her way to meet me. And I could see her coming up the street. But because of the reflections on the outside of the window, she couldn’t see me inside. And the way my creative, quirky, somewhat strange brain starts to work, I was sitting there and thinking, oh, I wonder what a criminal or a killer, how could they use that, see the other person but not be seen themselves. And so my little brain started to tick it all over. And that’s how this one started. That’s how this book started, really.

Sam – Interesting, feels a bit voyeuristic but that is the Genesis of “Reflections” her new mystery novel and like a polished window there are all kinds of reflections but none are more powerful than our own personal reflections and recollections. 

If you’re a fan of who-done-it’s I think you’ll like this one. Here is the description from her website — In this gripping narrative, deception, threats, and a relentless quest for truth intertwine with the ordinary rhythms of daily existence. Will justice ultimately prevail? 

Irene  – Okay, well, it is a murder mystery. Okay, that’s no big surprise there.

Sam –  Right but now we are going to leave Walgett Australia and go back in time to 1926 England where the story is set. 

Irene – I’ve set it in England 1926 ish, because England and Europe and the whole world really was just picking up the pieces after the First World War, horrific time. And everybody in the book, well, everybody in the world was affected by that in some way or another. But in 1926, people were trying to put their families back together and villages and towns and the economy and all of that.

It’s a quiet, more gentle time where good manners are expected. And that’s just a social norm. People valued their privacies. No one being pushed around by a little telephone in your back pocket kind of thing. So that’s why I chose where I chose. But there was also the influence of the Spanish flu raging through England. And that does have a little tiny link with Lady Gregson. Good old Matilda. She’s a good joke.

She’s okay. Conveniently dies early in the story, which is fine. And then the snowball effect happens after her death. And it’s a fat death in her house. She was an old lady. She was ill. So it was expected, not friendly, but expected that she was going to die. So there was no big deal about that, really. But everybody in the house, of course, is affected by that.

And people in the village, the way you drop a pebble in a pond and all those little wrinkles go out to the edge. Well, that was what her death did to the household and to the village. Those little ripples started to wander off to the edge of the villages and houses.

Sam –  So that’s where our story is set and why it’s set there. Let’s have a look at the cast of characters. 

Irene – So you get to meet her nephew that she’d never really met before, but she didn’t have any male heirs to hand down her estate. And that’s the way it works in the British or did at that time in the British system. You had to go to a male heir. He didn’t have one. So young James was sort of popped into the picture there. And he’s a nice young lad. Well, 30, and we learned about him and how he grows from a business, a young business partner in London and how he grows into the man of the manor kind of thing and how he deals with people.

We also meet some of the staff in the household, two housemaids in particular, Lily and Ruby. They’re quite young, like Lily’s about 18 thereabouts and Ruby’s a bit younger than that. Good old country girls from Yorkshire, not really been anywhere in the world. And we watched them grow into one of them, quite a strong, courageous young woman rather than a little boppy housemaid. And then we get to know Ruby’s a bit more strong and a bit more feisty than everyone saw her as being initially. 

Then we meet Mr. James’s intended Dorothy Bosworth. She’s not aristocratic, but just a tiny step down from there. But is she really as sweet and lovely as she presents herself? I love it. 

And of course, you meet the nurse because she’s been hired as a contract nurse to look after Lady Gregson, knowing what the end result was going to be. But she’s efficient. She’s effective. She’s very professional, but she has her own secrets that affect decisions she makes from her introduction through to the end of the book. 

Sam –  Now that you’ve been formally introduced to these intriguing characters, each with their own reflections, it’s time to crack open the book and find out if it really is a captivating read or not — and keep in mind it is a mystery so we can’t take you into anything that will spoil the story for you. 

Irene  – Okay, now this is the part sort of just leading into Lady Gregson’s funeral which is happening tomorrow and James has gone to the train station to pick up his mother, Maud. All right, as he says to her, why did you leave your arrival until now, the night before the funeral, on the very last train? Ah, well, for several reasons, dear. You see, people in our position should do their grieving in private, don’t you think? Not make a spectacle in front of the villagers and the whole county.

We must maintain our position. And besides, I needed to be sure that Winifred had everything in order before I left the house, you see, to be sure that nothing goes amiss while I’m away. Mother, you will only be gone for one week and Winifred’s been running the house for more than 30 years. I hardly think she needs any extra instructions. Also, mother, you don’t live in this county and you don’t have a position to maintain. Oh, only one week, dear. Hmm, well, perhaps. You never know in these situations, do you? She asked with a smug smile. Oh God, thought James. That does not bode well. I wonder if father really did die of a fever or if he just held his breath long enough until his brain popped just to escape from her. I wouldn’t be surprised.

I love it. Maud was settled in the back of the seat Now that she was settled in the back seat of the car with James, she leaned across and patted his hand in a conspiratorial, domineering manner, saying, Now, I don’t wish to be indelicate, dear, but now that your position has changed and you’re a man of property and wealth, you really do need to start thinking about marrying. A gentleman who owns significant estate really does need a wife.

James just stared at her mouth agape, incredulous. You don’t mean to sound indelicate. Do you think perhaps we might at least lay your own surviving cousin in the ground before you start taking over my household and my staff and my private life and reordering the whole county as well, I imagine. He was really angry and loathing his mother with each additional word. Of course, dear, she smiled again, completely ignoring his anger. There’ll be plenty of time for addressing all those things after the funeral. Next week will be enough time to start. Really, mother, you are too much. Quite horrid, actually.

Sam –  And there you have it, Reflections.

Irene Holmes  –  It’s not the standard formula of sex and violence, because a good story doesn’t need those things to make it a good story. It’s not the boy meets girl and everybody’s happy or the detective comes along and solves it all and takes it out of the hands of the characters. It’s the story where the characters are in charge of all the unveiling of information and putting things together. So I’d like the readers to think, well, that was a different way of writing a murder mystery. So, yeah, those kinds of things are what I’d like them to take away.

Sam –  A tale of mystery and human drama, intrigue and some moral ambiguity to keep things interesting. Will justice prevail? Find out for yourself by downloading your copy of Reflections by Irene Holmes. You can get it online at Amazon.com but why not go straight to the authors website. Ireneholmes.com, spelled the same way Sherlock does it, and that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com.

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Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

Today we’re going to be talking about attacks on women. Physical abuse is the most prevalent form of violence against women. I found a stat that said over 26% of women have experienced “intimate partner violence”, and most of that is physical or sexual abuse. I also found a stat that said Less than 40 per cent of the women who experience violence don’t seek help, which is a shame but I want to get to today’s guest so let’s start there and then we’ll explore the other — and there are many other — types of attacks and I think some of them will surprise you. 

According to Danny Goju, author of the book Roar of the Tigress (for Women Only), Most women are attacked because they either leave their guard open or are unaware of the potential dangers; and this allows the attacker to succeed so one way to protect yourself is by having some basic knowledge of self-defense. 

Danny Gee Goju – You see, in Martial Arts, I’m used to walking with confidence because I can fight and I’m used to not fearing anybody so I just thought what about those who can’t fight or have no way of defending themselves so what I’ve been teaching my students is yes, you can learn how to fight but the most important thing is spotting the sign before it happens so you don’t need to fight. 

That is Danny Gee Goju and he knows a thing or two about fighting and the confidence that comes from knowing how to do It.

Danny Gee Goju – I write songs as a hobby and then I’m actually a Martial Artist. I don’t know if you understand, I’m what they call a Grand Master. The highest level of Martial Arts, put it that way. 

A Grand Master is someone you don’t want to mess around with and it’s the combination of skills he just mentioned that intrigued me. Danny is an interesting guy. He is a very humble GrandMaster with a 10th Degree Black Belt and a 10th Degree Red Belt but he believes that he is only as good as the next workout.

I think most anyone who teaches self-defense would agree with him that spotting an attack before it happens is a crucial aspect of good self-defense.  Awareness and prevention strategies are effective defense techniques and that is kind of the point to this show because not all attacks are physical.

Danny Gee Goju  – You have to spot these signs before they happen and the way to stop it happening is to know the man before you get into any relationship with him. When you first meet a man, just study him. Does  he order you around? Does he say please, thank you, sorry? These little things become bigger things after five or ten years of marriage. Plus, he now has a ring on his finger so he feels he owns you but you knew he was a bully before you married him. 

Knowing what you’re dealing with is crucial because emotional, mental, sexual, and financial abuses are happening all the time. 

and he says that by understanding these different forms of abuse you can stop an attack long before it ever happens. 

Danny Gee Goju – Now people are finding new ways to hurt a woman and the reason they are doing that is a lot of men feel that, basically, that their balls are being cut off. Women are on the up. They’ve got nothing left. All that is left is their strength and as a woman you need to be aware that this threat is there.

Yes, some men are highly competitive and they can be made to feel emasculated. I’m not one of them but our society is full of people who feel like the world should be a certain way and when its not, it makes them uncomfortable and can bring out their dark side . Change is inevitable but accepting change is not.

Danny Gee Goju  – The Attacks on women, everybody seems to zoom in on the physical but what about emotional attacks, mental attacks, sexual attacks happening in the Homs which nobody talks about and another thing about financial attacks which is actually new because women are starting to make a lot of money and so now there are certain kinds of men that are targeting women for their money. Beating up a woman is dining out slowly. 

Yea, Financial abuse is also controlling a woman’s ability to make money, to use it as she sees fit and to maintain and control her own financial resources. Being financially literate pays dividends. 

Danny Gee Goju – Ha, for example you see a woman at the bar, a guy comes down, let me buy you a drink. Yea, no. I’d rather have the money. You have to keep that sense of humor. nNot get annoyed, you know get out. Leave me alone. You have to smooth your way out of it. 

Did you get all that? A man asks a woman if he can buy her a drink and she says, I’d rather have the money. He’s kidding but if you do it with a smile, a bit of well played sarcasm can go a long way to keeping your control. Here’s another example.

Danny Gee Goju – He takes you out for dinner and he’s forgotten his wallet in the house, I’ll pay next time.

And when next time comes around if he doesn’t pay you gotta let him go. 

Danny Gee Goju  – Even if he borrows a dollar from your purse without telling you, you can’t take my money out. Oh it’s only a dollar. No it’s not only a dollar you crossed that boundary into my world but women say nothing because it’s only a dollar but that dollar could become five dollars in the future it could be thousands and the next thing you know, why should I go to work when my wife is making money and a lot of men now are playing golf when the women are working.  Women have gone through hundreds of years of subjugation. They’ve finally gotten feminism to give them a bit of self respect with equal pay. Even with equal pay my view is that it shouldn’t be equal pay. Women should get more than men. Not because I like women or they deserve more. They should get more because men have to feel what it feels like to earn less. Just for a year or two every company should say that when a woman starts she gets more than the men in that sector, just for a year or two so that the men now feel like oh, this is what it feels like to get less and they have more empathy toward equal pay. 

Danny says many women today are not being treated with the respect they deserve and it’s because they are strong. Side note here — I just watched Titanic and it reminded me of a different time. The days of “Women and Children first”, does it feel like those days are gone? In his book Danny says there’s a reason for that and it’s because the modern woman is now seen as much more than just a child-bearer; she has become as competitive as the modern man. This shift in gender roles has caused women to lose some of the respect they deserve from men. 

I realize this is a highly debatable subject but that’s what makes it so interesting. One thing he suggests is that women stay strong and take pride in their femininity no matter what. He even wrote a song about it. 

Danny Gee Goju – Danny talks about the song he wrote and we hear a snippet to enforce the message. I wrote the song because with the books  If you hear the song, it’s to take pride in my femininity. That’s how I want every woman to be. It’s like having that song singing Long ago Now I’m me, you know. I’m proud of being a woman. I’m proud of who I am. Yes. I don’t like what you do if you don’t do this or if you do this. We’re over. You have to have that line. And that is, that’s what, if you remember, in the middle of the song is that leave me alone, I’m on my own. You can’t force me to go with you. You know, I’ve seen it. When a club closes in the night, somebody lets go out the door. I know I’m going to go with you. I didn’t come with you, why should I go with you? 

Communication also plays an important role. 

Danny Gee Goju  – Not all men about. But they all have been tailored to […]you because every woman is different. So what you would want in a man could be something different. But you have to let him know what you want. Don’t expect him to already know it. You know, I love you, but I don’t like the way you were drunk last night and tried to kiss me in public. You know, I didn’t like it, so please don’t do that again. You are nice. The next time, look, you’re doing it again. If it happens again we’re over. 

That’s the line in the sand and you have to stick to it. The book is Called Roar of the Tigress (For Women Only) and it’s all about prevention which is only possible if you are aware of what needs to be prevented in the first place. 

Danny Gee Goju – That’s why I say for women only. It’s for anybody, really, but I say for women only because you need to be aware.

If you can spot the signs that lead up to an attack you can take steps to avoid it and keep it from happening in the first place.  

Danny Gee Goju is a Martial Arts Grand Master. He is thethe Founder and Chief Instructor of African Goju andSouth American Goju and now author of the book Roar of the Tigress. To learn more about Danny I would encourage you to visit his website where you can see a video of him being run over by a truck! Seriously, it’s a stunt he calls the “Car on the stomach stunt”where he lays down and what looks like a Ford Bronco runs over him – definitely not something you wanna try at home. And that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com

Visit his website (https://africangoju.com/danny-gwira)

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