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IN THIS ISSUE

• Gerrit de Leeuw writes about his family's life as refugees
• Judith English sends a story about the Purina diet
• Burke Dykes' story says you must be careful what you wish for
• Catherine Green forwards a sad tale of a lonely brain cell
• Marco de Muinck warns about new methods of ID theft
• Miriam Ockenden explains why dogs live such short lives
• Rafiki sends a story of difficulties with language
• Jack Peaker forwards some reflections on marriage
• The CBC is showing an award-winning film about reconciliation
• Some Tale Spinners are rejected by servers

Gerrit de Leeuw's refugee family is on the road again in his

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

I have no recollection of how my dad found the accommodation, but the next period we stayed with distant relatives whom I had never heard of before, who lived in Nunspeet. All I know is that they were related to my birth mother.

At this time, Nunspeet was a small tourist village surrounded by forest which contained many tourist cabins. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunspeet

It was located close to the 'Zuider Zee', which later on was surrounded by dikes and pumped dry to acquire more land for agriculture. There is a saying: 'God created the world; the Dutch created Holland.' A large part of the country is below sea level and is kept dry by surrounding dikes with sloughs running through it, which are connected to pumps which pump the natural seepage to higher running rivers for drainage. This is the reason windmills play such a large part in Dutch history. They provided the early pumping capacity to keep the 'polders' (land below sea level) dry. Due to the scarcity of living quarters after the war, the mills were converted to living quarters and are well maintained by a Monument Society and provide a major tourist attraction for the area.

The area is also the part of the country where my birth mother was born and raised. Two of her brothers lived in Kinderdijk. I spent many summer vacations with them. The area is a stronghold for the Dutch Christian Reformed Church, which is very religious, and I remember being forced to attend two- to three-hour church services twice on Sunday. I can still see myself sitting restlessly on the hard oak benches. It was something to be endured if we wanted the change of a summer vacation. Also the Bible readings after noon dinner were very long and boring for a child. Blessing prayers were said before every meal and thanks prayer after. My uncle was exceptionally good at including everyone he knew by name in his prayers. Times taken for the prayers were long enough to have a refreshing nap.

http://www.kinderdijk.nl/ (According to the website, in 1997 the mills of Kinderdijk were put on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.)

But I digress.

At this time we split with the family who had been our companions since leaving Arnhem. I have no idea were they went but believe that they stayed a little while in the same location after we left. The journey to Nunspeet, our next destination, was about 40 kilometers. I have no recollection of this journey. We shared cramped quarters with the family of whom I have no recollection. All I remember was that an aunt (the wife of one my birthmother's brothers) who was stricken with tuberculosis, and she was confined to a bed in a sunroom. We had very limited access to her because of TB being contagious. Nunspeet was a dryer wooded area, conducive to the healing of TB. This effort proved to be fruitless as she passed away during our stay.

As kids we were fairly happy there, mainly because there was no school. A neighbour family which lived across from us in Arnhem was also billeted in town. They had a daughter who was my age. I remember playing tag with her and others. In the excitement of play, she ran through the yard in which someone had left a sewer pit uncovered. She accidentally jumped into the middle of it! I can still see a vivid picture of my mom and oldest sister Audrie cleaning her up. Their faces reflected the job at hand very well! I had a similar gross experience in a different manner later on. Excuse me for the details, but it was part of my life which at the time I did not understand, nor why it happened.

My dad found some occasional work at a local butcher shop. This shop had a sausage kitchen with a large cooking kettle. These premises were utilized to cook central kitchen meals for transients who travelled on foot and/or bicycle (with and without tires) from the large eastern cities to the north farm country to beg for food. Residents from Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Amsterdam were starving and were making the 100-km trek any way they could. Nunspeet was a half-way point and people could get some food there. I don't know who provided the supplies.

I must say that we were fortunate never to have been starving. We often went to bed hungry, but had something to eat every day. Dad was an excellent scrounger. We never questioned where or how he got it.

Besides being bordered by forests, Nunspeet also is/was a farming area. I always was a bit of a scrawny kid, and it was for this reason that my dad took me along to the farms. While he stood at the gate, he would send me in to the farm with my empty milk bottle to ask for some milk. He figured that when they saw my scrawny appearance the people would feel sorry for me and give me some milk in my bottle. We often came home with two liters of milk. Not much among eight people, but it provided the most essential nutrition.

Again, I don't know how long we stayed at this location or why we left. Father found a place for us at the 'Paasheuvel', a building located in the forest area surrounding Nunspeet. At the time this was a youth hostel run by a Socialist Party in Holland and utilized to accommodate evacuees. I remember my dad coming home and telling us that he had arranged that we could occupy the second floor but had to take our meals in the communal dining area. It can not have been much for meals because dad came home from the butcher shop once with a galvanized pail filled with some sauerkraut mixture. I also remember him saying that this had to last to the end of the week. We must have been hungry, because he started dishing some out us. We asked for more; he complied, and the bucket was empty in no time. I presume that he did not have the heart to stop us. Any parent with children reading this will understand this action.

To be continued.

Judith English forwards this story about

THE PURINA DIET

I was in Wal-Mart buying a large bag of Purina for my dog and was in line to check out.

A woman behind me asked if I had a dog.... Duh!

I was feeling a bit crabby so on impulse, I told her no, I was starting The Purina Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awoke in an intensive care unit with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

Her eyes about bugged out of her head.

I went on and on with the bogus diet story and she was totally buying it. I told her that it was an easy, inexpensive diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets or purse with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The package said the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.

I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall guy behind her.

Horrified, she asked if something in the dog food had poisoned me and was that why I ended up in the hospital.

I said no ... I'd been sitting in the street licking my butt when a car hit me.

I thought the tall guy was going to have to be carried out the door.

Burke Dykes forwards the cautionary tale of

A MAN AND HIS OSTRICH

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders. The man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?"

"I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be $9.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "A hamburger, fries, and a coke."

The ostrich says, "I'll have the same." Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes routine until, the two enter again. "The usual?" asks the waitress.

"No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato, and salad," says the man.

"Same," says the ostrich.

Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, "That will be $32.62." Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table. The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change out of your pocket every time?"

"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there."

"That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would wish for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"

"That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.

The waitress asks, "But, sir, what's with the ostrich?"

The man sighs, pauses, and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick with a big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say."

Catherine Green sends the story of

THE LONELY BRAIN CELL

Once upon a time there was a female brain cell which, by mistake, happened to end up in a man's head.

She looked around nervously because it was all empty and quiet.

"Hello?" she cried, but there was no answer.

"Is there anyone here?" she cried a little louder, but still no answer.

Now the female brain cell started to feel alone and scared and yelled at the top of her voice, "HELLO! IS THERE ANYONE HERE?"

Then she heard a faint voice from far, far away...

"We're down here."

Marco de Muinck sends this warning about

IDENTITY THEFT

SCENE 1.

A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought I locked the locker." He dressed and just flipped open his wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.

A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of $ 1400! He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions.

Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen. "No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the ?wallet.

The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.

Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one!

SCENE 2.

A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card back. Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet. This time, though, he actually took a look at the card ?and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person. He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.

All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words - nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.

Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, assuming that it has to be theirs. For your own sake, develop the habit of checking your credit card each time it is returned to you after a transaction.

SCENE 3:

Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account. The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure. While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.

I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture. He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing.

He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.

Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit card, take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card. Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days.

When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them are still putting the whole number on there.

EDITOR'S NOTE: On the subject of identity theft, ScamBusters' weekly letter interviews the CEO of LifeLock, a company specializing in protecting consumers from the results of these thefts. He said, "The only way to prevent ID theft is by making the information useless to anyone but you. Whether you do this yourself or have LifeLock in place, you need to take the steps as soon as possible.

"Since January 2005, more than 110 million people have received letters stating their information had been lost or stolen. Just this year alone, more than 44 million have been affected by lost or stolen data. Make the information useless so you won't need to worry when a letter arrives for you."

Of course there is a cost for the service, but readers of ScamBusters are being offered a discount when they sign up. To subscribe to the free newsletter, visit: http://www.scambusters.org/

Miriam Ockenden explains

WHY DOGS DON'T LIVE AS LONG AS PEOPLE

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very much attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt that Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.

Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

- Author Unknown

Rafiki sends this story of an understandable mistake:

THE BACON TREE

Back in cowboy times, a westbound wagon train was lost and low on food. No other humans had been seen for days, and then the pioneers saw an old Jew sitting beneath a tree.

"Is there some place ahead where we can get food?"

"Vell, I tink so," the old man said, "but I wouldn't go up dat hill und down de udder side. Somevun tole me you'd run into a big bacon tree."

"A bacon tree?" asked the wagon train leader.

"Yah, a bacon tree. Vould I lie? Trust me. I vouldn't go dere."

The leader goes back and tells his people what the old Jew said.

"So why did he say not to go there?" a person asked. Other pioneers said, "Oh, you know those Jews - they have a thing about pork."

So the wagon train goes up the hill and down the other side. Suddenly, Indians attack them from everywhere and massacre all except the leader, who manages to escape and get back to the old Jew.

Near dead, the man shouts, "You fool! You sent us to our deaths! We followed your route, but there was no bacon tree, just hundreds of Indians who killed everyone but me."

The old man holds up his hand and says, "Vait a minute." He quickly picks up an English-Yiddish dictionary and begins thumbing through it.

"Oy, I made such ah big mishtake! It vuzn't a bacon tree...

"It vuz a ham bush."

Jack Peaker sends these reflections on

MARRIAGE

You have two choices in life: You can stay single and be miserable, or get married and wish you were dead.

At a cocktail party, one woman said to another, "Aren't you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?" "Yes, I am. I married the wrong man."

A lady inserted an ad in the classifieds: "Husband Wanted." Next day she received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."

When a woman steals your husband, there is no better revenge than to let her keep him.

A woman is incomplete until she is married; then she is finished.

A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?" Father replied, "I don't know son, I'm still paying."

A young son asked, "Is it true, Dad, that in some parts of Africa a man doesn't know his wife until he marries her?" Dad replied, "That happens in every country, son."

Then there was a woman who said, "I never knew what real happiness was until I got married, and by then, it was too late."

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.

If you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say - talk in your sleep.

Just think, if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults at all.

First guy says, "My wife's an angel!" Second guy remarks, "You're lucky, mine's still alive."

"A woman's prayer: Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom, to understand a man, to love and to forgive him, and for patience for his moods. Because Lord, if I pray for strength, I'll just beat him to death."

ENCOUNTER POINT

The CBC is showing a powerful, award-winning film that looks at an extraordinary group of Palestinians and Israelis, many of whom, in spite of having lost immediate family members to the conflict, have rejected revenge and violence for dialogue and reconciliation. It airs Sunday March on the Passionate Eye at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBC Newsworld.

"I've entered the snapdragon part of my life: part of me has snapped, and the rest is draggin'."