I've been to Norway for Christmas - Come Along to Learn About the Culture in "The Land of the Midnight Sun"

The Altafjord in Alta, Norway bathed in the Midnight Sun. The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the sun remains visible at the local midnight.

If you Were Me and Lived in Norway:

An Introduction to Learning About Other Cultures

By Carole P. Roman

I don't know about you, but I've traveled to more countries and learned much since I've been reading Carole Roman's cultural series... Since it the holiday season, I'm doing a little bit extra...just to celebrate and share the Christmas spirit with your children!

For instance, the first new thing I learned about was that Norway is known as The Land of the Midnight Sun! For parts of the year, the sun never sets and shines all day and all night. Now I did know that there are parts of the world where it is just the opposite--that the sun never shines for long periods of time. Me, I'd rather live in the land where the sun shined more! All the better to read, right?! LOL

Oslo is surrounded by green hills and mountains.
It has 343 lakes and two rivers.
~~~

If you lived in the capital city, Oslo, you might visit the center for Parliament...

Or maybe even visit and see an Opera!

And wouldn't it be wonderful to live so close to the water?!

If you are a boy, you might be called Gunnar, Magnus, or Bjorn. 

If you are a girl, your parents could have called you Birgitte, Anne, or Hellena

The kroner is the type of money used. Some have a small hole in the center! Can you figure out why this would have been done?

Now you kids might like to stay at the Kirkenes Snowhotel! But I'd rather not! LOL

From there you can see the aurora borealis... Remember, we've viewed them before, but here's a pic to help you remember. Check out the beautiful sky behind the hotel... But, wait, also look at the snow sculpture on the right! You'll be able to see closeups of a snow bear and a snow rabbit in the book!

Now here's something I'd like to do--go on a dogsled trip with huskies pulling our 

sled! Wow! I'd be the one in the blue all cuddled up, while you could also go skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing! I sure would like to go to Norway, wouldn't you?

Hey, it's time to go eat lunch... how about a smorbrod? And a vaffel with krem for desert?! Ja?

If you can't go during the Christmas holidays, then maybe look to May when they celebrate the signing of their constitution!

I don't know about you, but this was one of my favorites in this great introduction to the cultures of other countries! Check out at least one or two and share them with your children--let them decide! But I'll bet they enjoy them! Highly recommended...

GABixlerReviews

Spark by John Twelve Hawks - Ingenious! Imaginative! Excitingly Unique!

When I was in the clinic, Dr. Noland told me about a
logical problem created by a Greek philosopher named
Zeno that suggested that the buckshot would never hit
its target. The buckshot would take half the time to
get halfway there, but then it had to go halfway to the
next interval, and halfway after that, and so on. Since
there appeared to be an infinite number of these
smaller and smaller distances, the buckshot would
never arrive.
I thought about Zeno's paradox for several days until
Dr. Noland gave me a solution. A distance composed
of an infinite number of finite moments is not infinite.
If the distance between the shotgun barrel and Micky
Sicky's flesh was fifteen feet, it doesn't make a difference
how many times you divide it into fractions; it's still
fifteen feet. This was helpful to me at the clinic because
I realized that no matter how many times my thoughts
divided into a multitude of more thoughts, I could
still make a single choice and function in the world.
And this is what happened in the alleyway. The
buckshot burst through the paradox and hit my target
in his left leg.
~~~

I got out of the van but left the door open. The shotgun was on the driver's seat, the stock poking a few inches out of the rolled-up throw rug.
"Hey..."
Micky appeared at the end of the alleyway and began walkiing toward the van. Picking up the throw rug, I cradled it in my arms as if it was a wounded dog and approached him slowly.
As the target drew closer my right hand thrust itself into the center of the rug, grabbed the stock of the shotgun, and let its concealment fall away.
My legs took two quick steps and then--
My finger squeezed the trigger and then--
The shotgun fired and buckshot cut through the air.
 Micky Sicky fell backward, then screamed with pain and started rolling around on the dirt. I took a few steps forward and pointed the shotgun at his head. He had lost control of his bladder and I found the smell unpleasant.
"Be quiet," I said.
Micky's mouth opened and closed like a Chinatown carp just pulled from the water tank. But he stopped making noises.
"You killed a little white dog," I said.
"Fuckin' bastard! You just shot me!"
I cocked the second barrel. "You have three seconds to say one truthful statement. Did you kill a little white dog?"
"It was nothing," Micky whimpered. "Just a joke, bruv. I swear. I'm sorry."
"Repeat after me: Joey was loved by the angels in heaven."
"Fuckin' hell!"
"Say it. If you want to live."
"Joey...love...by angels."
"Good. Remember that. If I see you in this neighborhood again. I'll take a blowtorch and burn off you ears."
I extended the shotgun like a walking stick and shot Micky in the right leg. He was still screaming as I got in the van and drove away. Although I had disobeyed Miss Holquist, my actions had established two facts:
1. I would no longer be distracted and--
2. I knew that my weapon worked.

~~~

Spark

By John Twelve Hawks

I love unique! And the main character in Spark is one unique dude! He's an Assassin... That's not the unique part though, as we know...  Jacob Underwood is dead...or, rather, he thinks he's dead. He has been transformed as the result of a motorcycle accident, being transformed by losing a substantial part of his brain. As a result, he now has some characteristics that are considered anti-social. He doesn't like to be touched. His thinking process has significantly changed and he needs to have a basic set of rules given to him upon which he can function. He eats or drinks nothing but a liquid food replacement and carries a case around him when he 

travels. Most importantly Jacob has lost most of his emotions. He found a book on the Internet which showed what various emotions look like, so, if he's curious, he'll pull out pictures of faces to match up against an individual to determine what he might be feeling. Most of his

interactions involve the show of fear... As you may have also, I immediately thought of the main character of Scorpion, a program I really enjoy! 

At first, his doctors and then his employer assumed that he must be told exactly what to do, so when he has been given an assignment, he is given exactly what gun(s) will be used, where he will stay, etc., But what readers will watch is that he appears to be more aware and intelligent than recognized. He uses the computer and learns more about the person he has been assigned to kill. And when he gets to the location, he investigates and plans exactly how and what he will do. And then he does the job, quickly and efficiently and leaves...

I have a Spark that creates my thoughts.
The Spark is bright and pure and trans-
cendent, but it's held captive within a
Shell of flesh and bone.
The woman in the green shimmery dress
and all the other Human Units walking
around New York City feel emotions
because their Spark is attached to their
Shell.
But all my attachments have melted away.
Yes, I can breathe and swallow and fire
a handgun. In many ways, I resemble a
human being. But there is nothing inside
me. I'm filled with darkness.
~~~

Jacob has been diagnosed with Cotard's Syndrome, and recognizes that he has a Spark within him, but the rest of him is dead...               

I turned away from my target, walked five blocks east to Gravesend Park, and tossed the gun into a storm drain. Perhaps one day a city sewer worker might find this
artifact--rusty and covered with mud--but it would have no connection with my identity... Before my Transformation, I  lived like an ordinary Human Unit in an Upper East Side apartment with cooking pots and self-assembled teak-veneer  furniture. Nowadays I try to own only one object in each
category: a chair and a table, a bed and blanket, a cup and a spoon... After locking the entrance door, I removed all my  clothes and placed them in nylon bags. Everything worn that
evening would be washed or dry-cleaned at a laundry... Within twenty-four hours, all the invisible burned and unburned particles from the fired bullets would disappear. I took a shower, pulled on a sweatshirt and warm-up  pants, and  returned to the main room. rule #4 states that  I must supply my Shell with a minimum of two thousand calories a day, so I opened a bottle of a nutritional drink developed for the elderly  called ComPlete, pured it in the cup and mixd in a tablespoon of a coarse fiber supplement. i have a good memory, but don't like to re-experience the past. If thoughts are not controlled, then each remembered experience becomes an alternative reality. When I thought about shooting Peter Stetsko, my mind brought up different details--the sound of my shoes walking  across the street and the vision of the first bullet shattering the side window. But these memories didn't generate feelings of tegret or happiness...
~~~

The only real ongoing connections for Jacobs are his two Shadows, the latest versions of personal computers. Edward and Laura are speech-recognition programs connected to a computer with reactive intelligence. Jacob made Edward to discuss and talk with him something like an English Butler, while Laura has been more intimately designed...or perhaps I should say, more as a friend... Readers will learn much about that type of interaction with the computers, but the main advancement at that time is that everybody is watched by the EYE!

...so I decided to calm my agitation by visiting the pedestrian
walkway that runs across the Brooklyn Bridge. Two granite
and limestone towers hold a pair of massive cables that
display catenary curves--a three-dimensional display of a
hyperbolic cosine function. Attached to the curves is a
web of diagonal and vertical cables that hold up the bridge
platforms. When I stand at the center point and look
outward, it appears as if the sky is divided into clearly
marked sections. Randomness disappears and I'm able to
sort through my wayward thoughts and place them in
different boxes...

Every citizen on the bridge knew that the EYE system was
necessary for a safe and secure society. And there was a
specific reason for this new technology--the death and
violence caused by the Day of Rage...

I was a patient at the Ettinger Clinic on the Day or Rage.
The first news flash was about bombs exploding at Eton
Coillege...quickly followed by...an explosion at the Dalton
School... As the day went on, more reports came...

~~~

 And are now fully aware of everything being known...and also some humans have already been replaced with the latest artificial intelligence available for, especially, low-level positions... But that's not what has happened to Jacob... After being in the hospital and retrained, he was hired by a special services group for a major corporation. Miss Holquist is Jacob's boss, but most of their interaction is by email or text... Normally one job is completed and then he returns to his apartment, back to his normal life. Recently, however, she had an emergency request for him to take another job. Jacob reacts negatively to something out of the ordinary...

Normally, I would be given a few weeks
of free time before my next assignment.
Miss Holquist's unexpected request made
my Spark bounce around inside my Shell...

There is much going on in this novel, but I admit I was so fascinated with the main character that I paid extra attention to his characteristics... For instance, he would picture colors to help him understand an object or a human... The assassins are quickly handled and readers don't get the full impact of what has happened. Except when one of the other assassins, who is sadistic, has a job to handle... Be prepared...

It was interesting to see that Jacob had been assigned a different type of job, because his boss had noticed how good he was and felt he could do more than...just efficiently kill. So when an employee of the corporation disappeared, having stolen some important information, Jacob was given the assignment to find her...

Jacob was now required to think more on his own and he had to interact with people in a conversational/social situation. And then there came a time when he began to not understand what he was dealing with...things like black money, killing a neighbor's dog, which Jacob's felt was the highest order in the animal hierarchy with humans below that, of course... and then below them, the dead, where he was... There are many graphical illustrations inserted through the book which help readers understand the mind of Jacob as he saw himself within the world. But as he works on this latest job, he realizes that he's changing... All of a sudden, I perked up, anxious to see how far he had made from his automaton type of role...And that's when I started to have fun, watching Jacob, intuitively knowing what he would be doing as he began thinking for himself again... I loved it! If you enjoy unique, totally unexpected tales of the future and with regard to medical issues, do check this out!


GABixlerReviews

JOHN TWELVE HAWKS is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Traveler, The Dark River, and The Golden City.

This section of the site is for readers who are curious about my life and personal choices. I’ll try to answer some of the questions I’ve been asked during the last ten years.
I was born in the United States. I’m a father (The Dark River was dedicated to my children). I’m a Buddhist who has meditated for most of my life.
I’m not a recluse living in a mountain hideaway. I’m a fairly restless person with friends all over the world. Right now, I spend time in New York City, Berlin and rural Ireland.
Yes, it’s true: I’ve never owned a television. But I occasionally watch an entire season of one show on my computer.
Various bloggers have decided that I’m a famous person who is writing under another name. None of these theories are correct, and they are usually invented by people who have never read my books.
When The Golden City was published, I encouraged readers to “be me” for an evening. People all over the world organized “I am John Twelve Hawks” events and many of the videos are still up on YouTube.
Will I ever go public? Perhaps I might — if there was a reason for that decision. At this moment, I like my life the way it is.
Readers with specific questions can ask me via my verified Facebook page.
People interested in the political ideas expressed in my books, should take a look at wespeakforfreedom.com. Occasionally, I join online chats on this UK-based website..
Best,
John Hawks

Asylum City Spotlights Today's Headlines With People From Eritrea Seeking Asylum...

Gabriel stood there motionless for a few moments,
gripping the phone tightly in his hand. He'd heard
about calls like this. The Bedouins in Sinai set a
price for the passage to Israel, and then in the
middle of the desert they demanded more. If you
didn't pay you were tortured. People called their
family, their friends, anyone who could raise the
money. Meanwhile, they were held hostage...
~~~

Gabriel was standing at the bus stop, his drawing pad clutched to his chest. He'd asked Amir to let him off early. Time was running out. If he couldn't come up with twenty-five thousand shekels in a week, his little sister would die. Those people had no conscience. He knew that. 

"They beat me, Gabriel... help
me," Liddie begged.
"Where are you? Tell me where
you are," he shouted
frantically. More coughing.
"Liddie?"
"Gabriel?" The voice was male.
"Give me back my sister.
What are you doing to her?"
He was crying now, too.
"Listen up, you son-of-a-bitch.
If you want to see your sister
again, it'll cost you twenty-five
thousand shekels. You got one
week. Be in Levinsky by the
slides...You don't have the
money and we kill your sister,
understand?"
~~~

He had to find a way. He'd promised his mother before they left that he'd take care of Liddie. Now, every time he sat down to write her a letter, he felt too ashamed, too guilty, to tell her that his sister wasn't with him.

Where would he get the money? He lived with fifteen other Eritreans in an apartment near the old Tel Aviv bus station, five to a room. He and John shared a mattress. It had taken a long time before he could afford the luxury of a mattress and a roof over his head. Gabriel had heard about a man who went to the Israeli police when he got a call like this. His son was murdered. 

He had to talk to Michal and Itai. He had to tell them. They were good people, and smart, too. Maybe they could tell him what to do...He called Michal at home, but the line was busy. She was probably still there. She didn't arrive at the office before two o'clock on Sundays. He couldn't wait. He had to talk to her right now. She wouldn't get mad, she'd understand. She said he could get in touch with her at any hour of the day or night.

Gabriel got on the bus and found an empty seat. He didn't look the other passengers in the face. They didn't look at him, either. He'd already learned that Africans were invisible to Israelis. They could stand right next to you and not notice you. Just don't look them in the eye or make any trouble. They they noticed you and got scared. And only bad things ever happened when they were scared.

~~~

 

Asylum City

By Liad Shoham

Shoham, Israel's leading crime writer, provides a murder mystery within Tel Aviv, while using the very real setting of those presently there seeking asylum. There are clearly people who feel strongly one way or the other about those who have come to their country. It could be set in many other countries as well. Fortunately, there are always those who will look for the truth and, in this case, it is a young female police officer. 

Officer Anat Nachmias has been assigned to lead the murder investigation of a woman, Michal Poleg, an activist who volunteered at the Office of Migrant Aid. She is dedicated but brave as she fights for those who've come to the Office. And she's also foolish sometimes for making accusations openly and freely. When she is killed, there are a number who could have wanted her dead. But a young African man with whom she'd been working and helping was the one formally accused. He was seen leaving the young woman's apartment the day she was killed!

Political Map

It was easy to find photos to support this novel--those who have sought asylum in Tel Aviv have been there for years. The story surrounds those who have come from Eritrea, known to be a dangerous place... It is not easy to read a novel based upon reality, but Shoham has brought the magnitude of the reality down to a single family. Readers become intimately involved and better able to understand the fear and danger faced by those who find it necessary to escape their home land to save their lives.

Gabriel's mother had encouraged him to leave and take his younger sister to find a better place. But even that was dangerous, and on the way, Gabriel's sister was taken to be forced into becoming a sex slave. Of course Gabriel didn't know that...until he was notified that she would be freed if he paid 25 thousand shekels for her return. Gabriel had to get that money! That was all he could think of, but there was no way that he could personally provide that sum. He could not contact their mother--she wouldn't have it. And she didn't even know that Liddie was not still with Gabriel!

Gabriel had vowed to be strong, not to break down. Itai
had warned him that Liddie hadn't recovered from the
brutal treatment she'd been subjected to, but he hadn't
imagined it would be so hard to keep his vow. He barely
recognized his sister. Her face was bruised and she was
hunched over and walked with a limp. She seemed to have
aged ten years since he'd last seen her. The most upsetting
part was her constant coughing. She reminded him of
those people in the refugee camp in Sudan, the ones
everybody kept their distance from, the ones they knew
would be dead soon...
~~~

He ran to each of the people who had helped him, but none were home, so he decided to try to talk to Michal, even though he didn't think she could help financially. When he got there, Michal was already dead, but Gabriel tried to help, to make sure she was actually dead... By the time he was running out of the room, he was covered in blood. Finally, he got in touch with another friend and they decided he should not return to his apartment but should go live/hide in the Park. There was one problem, though, he had been tortured by the Bedouins and had a long scar on his face... It did not take long for the police to find him.

Anat was sitting at her desk trying to
decide on her next move. She was
debating with herself how to continue
the investigation without disobeying
David's direct order, when...
!!!

Fortunately, the head of the investigation was not only a good cop, but an empathetic one. She had already determined that the time of death was different from when Gabriel had been seen at the apartment. So she continued the investigation looking beyond the young man who was already being named the killer, including by her partner.

And then Gabriel confessed...

There are always issues in dealing with those who must seek asylum. Shoham has taken readers directly into Tel Aviv, allowing us to consider both sides, the reality of it without prejudice. Against that backdrop, he has placed wonderful characters who are trying to do important jobs, especially the police and those who've volunteered to help those seeking asylum. It's an important story! But the novel is actually a strangely unique crime mystery that has such a surprise ending that I hadn't even considered the option! You know what that means! Asylum City is a fantastic murder mystery that, once solved, serves to really share what the truth is for those seeking help in a strange new country...

Highly recommended! For further info, check out this interview...

http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-invisible-refugee-finds-a-home-in-liad-shohams-thrillers/

GABixlerReviews

Liad Shoham is Israel's leading crime writer and a practicing attorney with degrees from Jerusalem's Hebrew University and the London School of Economics. All his crime novels have been critically acclaimed bestsellers. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two children. www.Facebook.com/liad1971

Traveling to Mexico Via A Child's Introduction to Cultures - Visiting at Christmas!

This is a major series introducing children to the cultures of countries around the world... It's both education with full-color pictures and fun for children to meet the children from other lands! Traveling during December brings a festive time familiar to all of us, doesn't it? What do the children in Mexico do during this holiday season? Let's take a look at both Carole P. Roman's book telling us about living in Mexico, but also listen to and see children celebrating Christmas as well... 

If you were me and lived in Mexico

By Carole P. Roman

If you lived in Mexico, your home would be in the southern part of North America. You might live near the capital city. It is called Mexico City and is very old. There are many historic buildings like the Palacio de Bellas Arts, which is the Palace of Fine Arts.

Your name could be Alejandro, Santiago or Nicolas

 if you are a boy...

and Camila, Isabella, or Sofia if you are a girl...

Many of us already love Mexican food, but everybody would see that there will probably be differences too...so enjoy all the different types of food you can see fixes, even on the streets with Tamales, for example!  And there are traditional foods that are served at Christmas too! Such as mince pies... or what would be served at a party!

If I were visiting, I would love to see the Mayan Temple which looks like a pyramid. It is called Chichen Itza. It is very old. I wouldn't even attempt to climb the 365 steps but I know children would certainly want to try. Right?!

One of the things I especially like about this series is its continuity. Children will begin to look forward to seeing and learning about the same things...like the money that is used in the particular country and the food they eat... The colors are also consistent and together with maps allow the child to geographically identify just where the country is about which they are learning. Although children will encounter names or places with which they are unfamiliar, the comprehensive list of those new words and how to pronounce them is also provided in each book.

This is a delightful way to learn about children from other countries! Especially now at Christmas time!

GABixlerReviews