PEGGY'S COVE...

... is a Village about 43 km south/west of downtown Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada.
In 1811 the Province of Nova Scotia gave a land grant of  about 800 acres to six German families who settled there on the rocky shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

Peggy's Cove became a most picturesque settlement so that today Tourism runs a close second to Fisheries as its main industries.

Sacrilege ? Crime ?

Just as I thought that Pope Franciskus is a pretty reasonable man, he goes and says something which makes me wonder if my positively revised judgement was premature and hasty.
Just before  his way back to Rome,  Francis spoke to three women and two men, all of whom victims of sexual abuse by priests, educators and members of family.
This is what he is reported to have said:
"The sexual abuse of children, perpetrated by a priest is almost a sacrilege. And not only he is guilty, but also those who knew and covered up such misuse."
Almost a Sacrilege ?  ALMOST ???
He has to be joking !
A  Sacrilege is "the violation of a sacred object or person, or the showing of irreverence to sacred persons."
The putting ecclesiastical vestments to secular use was, not so long ago, considered a sacrilege.

Please allow me to compare those transgressions:

1.) A layperson enters a church and removes a crucifix, which he then breaks and scatters the pieces, or he may even open the tabernacle and misuse its contents. Or, heaven forbid, he may find the Priest's vestments and put them on, while he commits these acts.
These are sacrilegious acts.
They hurt no person, no one is traumatised and the damage, if any, can easily be repaired.

2.) A trusted Priest, of whom a child is told that he is a particularly good Person of God, who knows and communicates with God, to whom the child's parents show great respect and reverence, sexually abuses this child and as many other children as he can get his hands on.
Each of these victims will likely suffer for the rest of his/her life, will be traumatised, and will likely never be able to enter into healthy relationships. 
This Priest and the Bishop who knows about these acts are guilty of a most heinous crime.

To say, as Franciskus said, that this sexual misuse is ALMOST  as bad as the above described "sacrilege" surely shows a total lack of understanding of either or both of these transgressions.

Sexual abuse of children by anyone, particularly by Priests is not just ALMOST as bad as sacrilegious  misdeeds. It is immeasurably worse.
To classify it as ALMOST as bad is a trivialising of a serious crime, a trivialising which has been going on for as long as the crime itself. 

Franciskus' predecessor, Benedict XVI in fact, instructed his Bishops that such transgressions must not be reported to civilian authorities (Police) but must be dealt with internally,  by ecclesiastical bodies.
Such "must be dealt with" at best resulted in a transfer of the criminal Priest to another diocese, where he found another group of victims.

Pope Franciskus either does not understand the words "Sexual Abuse", "Sacrilege"  or "ALMOST"

How else does one explain this utterance ?


Bertstravels
is astonished,
to say the least.

A Whale of a Whale

We went Whale watching in the Bay of Fundy. In Digby, Nova Scotia, we chartered a boat and went out searching for a whale. One hour went by and then another half hour. I had chartered the boat for two hours, with the condition that I could prolong the duration of the charter.
The Captain assured me that we shall see a Whale, or Whales today, as he had never failed before and was not about to start now.
Just as he finished assuring us that we should not have come for nothing, Christin spied a dark shape in the distance. 
Carefully we worked our way closer. By law we could only come to within 30 meters of this animal. Then we discovered that it was not one lone whale, but she was, in fact, accompanied by a baby. 
In the weaving and bobbing waters of the Bay of Fundy I held my camera as steady as possible and clicked away to my hearts content.
To my great regret and chagrin I missed the Whale's "breach". 
The one you may see below, I stole from the Internet. All the others are mine, and mine alone.

The image below is taken from the Internet.

Unfortunately I,  just by the blink of an eye,  missed

"our" Whale's breaching.

Tides in the Bay of Fundy

Atlantic Canada's "Bay of Fundy" is the home of the world's highest tides.
For 270 kilometers the Bay stretches between the Canadian Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Each and every day 160 billion tons -- I counted them : - ) --  of seawater flow in and out of the Bay; In one tide cycle this is more than the combined flow of all the world's fresh water rivers.
The best way to appreciated this 50 feet ( about 18 meters ) differential in sea level is at a pier, where, at low tide, the boats rest on the bottom, while at high tide the float near the top edge of the pilings.
We were there and here are some of the pictures taken on a cloudy day:

The Atlantic Ocean is roaring in to the Bay of Fundy, between 

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia .

At Low Tide the fishing boats rest in the sand,

while at high tide they bob right at the top of the pier.

Bertstravels

does not like cold and windy days.

Pope Franciskus in the USA

Well, the Pope sure gave it to the Americans !

At least he said to the American Bishops, when he addressed them, that they must do everything in their power to prevent these sexual transgressions on children, perpetrated by some of his priests.

This really upset him. Even more than the horror treatment native Americans received from the Missionaries. Well, actually, this couldn't have been so bad after all.

In fact he promoted one of the worst culprits, Junipero Serra, to Sainthood.

Catholic apologists will tell you that „these transgressions happened a long time ago“ and the perpetrators were „children of their time“.

Was torture and persecution not a sin then ? Of course it was. Just read the teachings of Jesus. Well some of them, anyway.

Saint Junipero Serra must have known that what he did was sinful.

Did he confess these sins, or did he die without confession ?

If so, according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, he now roasts in Hell. Burning with fire and brimstone. For ever !!!

But wait a minute! How can a Saint roast in hell ? Or, how can a soul in Hell be promoted to Sainthood ?

Something is very strange here.

************************

If the Pope's statements, made so far in America, are a true expression of his opinions, then I disagree with him on almost nothing.

Some of the America haters, of which there are many, must be very disappointed.

They had hoped, in their stubborn refusal to look facts straight in the eye, that the Pope would chastise the American Government and the American people for all the real and imagined transgressions.

As German speaking people say: „The Pope will read the chapters of Leviticus to the Americans.“

Well, to the great chagrin of those who see America as the impersonation of all that is wrong with the world, here are a few excerpts of the Pope's address to the Congress of the USA:

Respecting the many American voluntary help organisations Pope Franciskus had this to say.

„I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day's work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and, one step at a time, to build a better life for their families. These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their actions and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in need.“

Then, speaking of ideas which ultimately helped in shaping the fundament of American society, the Pope said this:

„My visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many differences and limitations, were able by hard work and self-sacrifice – some at the cost of their lives – to build a better future. They shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people.

A people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. These men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality.

In honouring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.

I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

….Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion;

Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.

He then spoke of the refugee crisis and urged to remember the Golden Rule:

„Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.“ Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated.

He spoke out against capital punishment.

It may be of some interest to note that 19 of the 50 States have already abolished this antediluvian retribution of society.

And then he also said this:

„The fight against hunger and poverty must be fought constantly and on many fronts....

...It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth.....

...Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good.....

Pope Franciskus ended his remarks by saying:

A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to dream of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed.....

In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.

God bless America!

Up to now I have been more critical than laudatory in respect to Franciskus.

This speech, however, has caused me to think more positively of this man.

Bertstravels

urges all to read the entire text 

of the Pope's addresses to Congress

and to the United Nations

Franziskus & Winterkorn : Two shockers.

Some days, when you open the morning news paper, you can just shake your head in utter disbelief.

Today there are two such items:

Pope Franciskus, while on his visit to the USA, will sanctify one Junipero Serra, who, the Catholic Church says, deserves officially to become a Saint because he converted hundreds of thousands of natives to Christianity.

Descendants of the Amah-Mutsun people, and many others, will, however, tell you a tale which has little to do with Sainthood:

Juniper Serra, was borne in 1713 and became a Franciscan Friar.

The Church sent him to what is now California with the task of bringing the native population into the protective umbrella of „Mother Church“. In other words, to convert them by hook or by crook.

The Catholic Clergy, lead by Junipero, were accompanied by Spanish soldiers who did their bidding.

Junipero set about to establish 9 Missions along the coast line from San Diego northward to San Francisco.

A further 12 missions were built in accordance with Junipero's example, after his death in 1784.

These Missions contained not only places of worship, but also residential complexes, where the natives were forced to live, work and worship a God completely alien to them.

Any inmates who tried to flee were inevitably re-captured, severely and brutally punished and incarcerated for lengthy periods of time.

They were, says one of the descendants, Vincent Medina, Assistant Museum Director at the famed San Francisco Mission Dolores, enslaved in those Missions.

The Missionaries first lured the women and children, knowing that the men would follow them.

Once there, they were forcibly held and in short order „converted to Christianity“.

The Natives were forbidden to speak their own language, wear their own clothes, or follow their own practices. They were „Christianized and Hispanisized“ by bribery, promises and persuasion and when all failed by brute force.

I shudder to think of the sexual transgressions committed by sex-starved Priests and Soldiers of the Spanish Army.

And Friar Junipero Serra set the pace and gave the example.

Former Californian Bishop, Francis Quinn, 93, retired, caused quite a stir some years ago, when he, in the name of the Church, begged forgiveness for the treatment of the Native Population by the Missionaries of „The Church“.

Pope Franciskus, in Bolivia recently, begged forgiveness and said:

„I am telling you humbly and with deep regret that many serious sins have been committed on the Aborigines of your Country in the name of the Lord.“

In Bolivia he apologizes.

In North America he makes a Saint out of a Repressor and mentions not with one word the evil which was perpetrated by this man and his minions.

Well, this was the first „head shaker“ of this morning.

,The Second almost unbelievable happening, filling the papers of yesterday, today and will do so likely for many days to come:

The Icon of good old German technology, the world's largest producer of automobiles,

the very epitome of Honesty, Integrity, Reliability is caught with his pants down.

I mean down, right around his ankles.

Volkswagen has now admitted that maybe as many as eleven millions, (11,000,000, that's a lot of zeros) of cars were equipped with an electronic devise which, while the automobile was on the testing stand, emitted about 40 times less of the poisonous gases which it emits while in normal use.

This, folks, is not a small mistake, which just happened in one or two cases !

This is Fraud, spelled with capital „F“.

This is a deliberate effort to make your car cheaper, at the cost of the Health and ultimately the Life of uncounted people.

(Could we charge those responsible with „Criminal Negligence causing Death ?)

It was in the Kyoto Protocol that several Nations agreed to a reduction of emissions of CO²

based on the premise that man made CO² emissions are causing global warming and other Health related problems.

It is easy to sign such agreements, if you have every intention to circumvent it by fraudulent means.

The German paper, „Die Welt“ reports that the existence of the technical knowledge for such manipulations has been known to Berlin and Brussels for some time now.

(Please note that it is claimed that Governments were aware of the existence of the technology needed for such Motor-Manipulation, but not necessarily of the actual use of such devices.)

… and if you believe that, I can sell you a bridge in Brooklyn....

Bertstravels

is not shocked

Nature in the raw

Early morning fog

hangs low to the ground, 

giving the tall trees a ghostly appearance.

For a short while you may be flamboyantly crimson or golden !

My modest green, however, lasts all year long.

The dead tree

gives life

to fungi

Fall is just around the corner !

A fallen tree :

Moss bedecked

If this bird is not called a 

"Crimson Throated Hummingbird",

it should be.

Up North

During my recent stay in Canada, I, of course, visited my favourite spot in all the world: 
"Algonquin Park."
This time, I spent only two days there but this short sojourn awakened memories galore.
So,  I dug into my image file and present herewith, for your amusement these pictures, taken there.

"The Loon", upon her nest.

(the only time she spends on land )

One of the big ones: A Bull Moose

"Blue Heron" taking off.

Water Lilly

People, Cars, Computers

If People treated cars like they treat Computers:

Helpline: General Motors Helpline, how can I help you ?
Customer: I got in my car and closed the door and nothing  happened.                           
Helpline: Did you put the key into the ignition slot and turn it ?
Customer: What's an ignition ?
Helpline: It's a starter motor that draws current from your battery     and turns on the engine.
Customer: Ignition? Motor? Battery? Engine ? How come I have to know all these technical terms just to use my car ?


Helpline:   General Motors Helpline, how can I help you ?
Customer: My car ran fine for a week and now it won't go               anywhere.
Helpline:   Is the gas tank empty ? 
Customer: How should I know ?
Helpline:  There is a little gauge at the front panel with a moving needle and markings from 'E' to 'F'  Where is the needle pointing ?
Customer: It's pointing to 'E' . What does that mean ?
Helpline: It means you have to visit a gasolin vendor and purchase   some more gasolin. You can install it yourself or pay the                   vendor to install it for you.
Customer: What ? I paid thousands of Dollars for this car! Now     you tell me that I have to keep buying more                                    
components? I want a car that comes with everything                       built in.



Helpline: General Motors Helpline, how may I help you ?
Customer: I  just bought my first car, and I chose your car because it has automatic transmission, cruise control, power everything....
Helpline: thanks for purchasing our car. How may I help you ?
Customer: How do I work it ?
Helpline: Do you know how to drive ?
Customer: Do I know how to what ?
Helpline : Do you know how to drive ?
Customer: I am not a technical person. I just want your car to take me places.

The above, I think, applies only to persons my age.
Today's Youth seems to be borne computer savvy.

Bertstravels
also has grown beyond this.

INTERMISSION

THERE WILL BE A SHORT INTERMISSION IN THIS BLOG.
Tomorrow at 6PM I shall be flying back to Austria.
It has been a wonderful month. Full of meeting Family and Friends.
Meeting the boys, now men, of the W.U.S.C... what a joy that was.. and what a wonderful painting ( by Nat Capitanio ) of a black maned Lion they gave me. And what a fun party it was in the home of Bob Stevenato where we celebrated the 40th Anniversary of our visit to Austria. The party arranged by the Captain, Frank Vessio.
Visiting Stratford on Avon, Ontario and seeing (and hearing) Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carousel"
and the next day Shakespeare's "Hamlet"....  two tragic tales of Love and Death...
Strolling around the area of the CNE, shooting for a paper rose at the shooting gallery and taking a ride in the 'sky-ride'.
Andy's party at the "Yankee Lady" from where I took such lovely images of Toronto by day, in the evening and at night.
Bumming around Yonge Street during ther Buskers' Festival..
Visiting with friends, like Klaus and Ursula Jochimsen-Vogdt, Steve Aarons, John and Maureen Nolan.
John having just returned from a Safari in Africa...
Dinner with Peter and Shirley Renaud at the Old Country Inn in Unionville.
Two wonderful days in Algonquin Park, staying at the Arowhon Pines.
Visiting McMichaels Gallery with the old 'Group of Seven' and the 'New Group of Seven'.
The most important meetings were with Steven and Lianne and their respective mates and family.

In any event... all the above is displayed in this Blog. Go and look at it again....

Now, if the truth were known, I am looking forward to returning to Christin, who, together with my children, has become the most important person in my life. I love her deeply.

Bertstravels
is one lucky fellow.

Who shall it be ?

I do not normally mix in Politics.

I do not comment about Austrian Politics and I have not yet said anything in respect of Canadian Politics.

I am about to break this unwritten rule of mine and will make some comments about the positions taken by the Leaders of Canada's three major parties in respect of the international struggle against ISIS.

On the date of the anniversary of the attack against the World Trade Center in New York, all three gave a position statement.

There is surely no need to recite here a listing of the cruel and inhuman activities of the soldiers, acting under the black flag of ISIS. There is no need to explain in detail the reason of the refugee crisis threatening to overwhelm Europe.

It seems clear and beyond a shadow of doubt that this Organization is the biggest threat against peace in the Middle East and Europe and indirectly against peace in the world.

Mr. Stephen Harper, Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of Canada said this:

“Only a Conservative Government would continue Canada's role in the combat mission against ISIS.

As long as the most violent and barbaric people in the world commit acts of unspeakable slaughter, as long as they brag about them and broadcast them to the world and as long as they threaten to do the same things to Canada and Canadians, the conservative Government will make sure that we stay in the international coalition fighting against ISIS.”

Mr. Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada took this position:

Under a Liberal Government, Canada would withdraw from the bombing missions over Iraq and Syria and would shift towards a training mission and focus on humanitarian and refugee efforts in the region.

Mr. Toni Mulcair, Leader of the “New Democratic Party” stated that he would immediately withdraw from active participation in this struggle.

“We can stop the flow of arms and money and we can stop the flow of foreign fighters.”

Mr. Harper's position is quite clear: Canada has committed to contribute aircraft and support personnel and will live up to this commitment. Canada will continue to be a member of the international alliance to fight ISIS.

Mr. Trudeau would allow ISIS to carry on its international vandalism unchecked, but would help its victims. Under his leadership, Canada would not stop the mayhem and the killing, but would put bandages on the injured, and presumably assist in burying the dead.

Mr. Mulcair must be “Naivete personified”!

Under his leadership Canada would stop the flow of arms? How is he going to do this? Since Canada is not supplying arms to ISIS in the first place, he would have to stop other nations, like Russia, China, and Goodness knows who else from supplying this armament.

“We can stop the flow of Money “! Mr. Mulcair does not say how he would accomplish that either.

Since it is doubtful that ISIS has all of its deposits in Canada it would be a major accomplishment for Mr. Mulcair to “stop the flow of money.”

Further, Mr. Mulcair would stop the flow of foreign fighters: How is he going to stop the flow of radicalized young men and women to Join ISIS from many countries in Europe, (including Austria ) and from the USA ?

So, now let me take an unequivocal position:

Mr. Trudeau would stop fighting ISIS, but would train others to do so. He is appealing to the Mothers and Nurses since, under his Government, Canada would “focus on humanitarian issues”.... Now isn't that nice ?

In other statements, Mr. Trudeau championed an economy based on major deficit spending.

Given these strange opinions, (among many others) and, of lesser importance, his stilted delivery Mr. Trudeau and his Liberal Party would be totally unsuited to lead this country.

What about Mr. Mulcair ? The above is only one of several unrealizable positions he has taken. Mr. Mulcair appears to lack even the smallest degree of sophistication or intelligence necessary to lead a Country.

Moreover, his party is a Left Wing Party. We had the NDP in charge in Ontario, many years ago and what an unmitigated disaster that was.

Canada does not need a repeat performance of Left Wing Socialism.

With all his alleged flaws it seems that Canada is stuck. We have to give Mr. Harper a Minority Government, to keep in check some of his dictatorial acts.

Bertstravels

will vote for the Greens.

Prince Karim AGA KHAN

I'm driving North on the Don Valley Parkway (the DVP ) to my home, which is a quick rout from downtown Toronto to the Northern 'outpost', on Regatta Crescent, when all of  a sudden I catch in the corner of one eye a sign, indicating that the very next exit leads to the "Aga Khan Museum".
I change lane safely and leave the DVP. This, I must see,  because I know a little, a very little about the Aga Khan: 
He is the spiritual Leader of the 'Ismaelis', a numerically small branch of the Shia Muslim group.
The 'Aga Khan Foundation' has done many wonderful things, for instance, in Africa.
When in Nairobi I had a very bad attack of a kidney stone, and ended up in the hospital built, financed and operated by this foundation.

I also had a client, who became a friend, in Toronto, who was and is a member of the Ismaelis. Through him I met several others of the same faith and learned something about their religious belief.

I  therefore visited this Museum and, in the area where it is permitted, I took several photographs, some of which I would like to show here.

I can unequivocally recommend a visit to this museum.

Please, be aware that I am showing you here 

a tiny fraction 

of what there is to be seen in this Museum.

"Fountain"

a marble and sandstone mosaic.

Egypt, 16th century and later.

"Ivory Horn"

Sicily, 12th century, with mounts added

in England, 17th century

Oil Lamp Stand

Arab Spain, 9th - 10th centuries.

Bronze

Safavid Carpet

Iran, mid 16th century

woven wool, cotton and silk.

Portrait of a young princess

in court attire

Iran, early 18th century

oil on canvass

Portrait of a Master

of the Armory, in court attire.

Iran, early 18th century

Karim Khan Zand

amidst His close circle

Iran, probably 19th Century

Portrait of Fathali Shah Qajar

Tehran, Iran, early 19th century.

In Unionville

A lovely little village, grown large, about 45 minutes from home.
We never fail to visit the "Old Country Inn", boasting fine Austrian Kitchen.
Met Peter and Shirley, old friends and Africa connection, for a lovely dinner and chat about, what else, Photo-Safaris in Zimbabwe, Botswana, etc.

The Old Country Inn

Do you have to take them off ?

What about the Re-Payments ?

Another one of the several nice "Eateries" in Unionville.

I never fail to be amazed about the wonderful musicians 

you find and can listen to

sometimes in a bit "out of the way places" !

A simply marvelous vocalist.