Wealtheow Her Telling of Beowulf

Wealtheow Her Telling of Beowulf by Ashley Crownover
Turner Publishing Company
www.turnerpublishing.com
Nashville, Tennessee

When you say the name Beowulf the first thing to come to mind is the creature Grendel and how the two had a great battle. It’s a story that has captured the imagination for generations. While it is a great story, for me anyways, it is hard to follow due to the style in is written in. Also, it is one sided and I believe there is always more than one side of the story. Ashley Crownover has captured another side of the story beautifully.
In Wealtheow Her Telling of Beowulf you get the back story of Heorot, the great mead hall in Denmark, where the battle took place. It’s not a story of warriors telling tales of conquest but of pain and joy. The emotions of a queen trying to save her people.
The story, written in modern English, flows easily and captures your attention. You feel like you are there in the mead hall itself, feeling the fears of the people, and wanting the monster Grendel destroyed. The joy as Beowulf comes to the rescue. All and all a very good read and highly recommend by a Beowulf fan for those who long to visit times of old.

Max M. Power
Written November 30, 2008

Four A.M.

Four A.M.

Growing up I kind of felt like a Gypsy, traveling back and forth across this vast country of ours. Like most of my family I was born in the beautiful state of California. When I was five I was taken to Texas, where I now live. I was taught the importance of family but at a great distance. While 95% of my family was still in California, we were all spread apart, living in other cities and opposite ends of the state.
One thing remanded the same, no matter where ANY of us were, we all longed for the affection of one person, my grandmother. She was the glue that kept our family together, or at the very least, kept us in line. We learned quickly, do NOT let this little lady fool you, after all dynamite comes in small packages and my grandmother was the ultimate firecracker.
My grandmother taught me that there is a huge difference between hearing and listening. Listening to her for five minutes, you knew she had a life time of stories to tell. The wonderful thing though, even in silence, she could speak volumes.
With everyone pawing for attention and we being half way across the country, my time was limited to short visits. A week, a month, a summer. It really did not matter; we always made the best of it. In 1989 the visit lasted a year, and when school started, I got four a.m.
It started with a summer visit, grandma taking my brother, my cousins, and myself to our huge family reunion at the largest park in Stockton, California. At the park we were allowed to go to the pool. Throughout the summer we went to the pool on our own, taking the city bus, but when grandma took us, there was no silence. Oh no, not my grandma, she taught us how to talk smack to the players.
The Stockton Ports was a minor league baseball team but they were OUR team and grandma said they needed OUR support. So to the game we went, buying a Coke and a hotdog or popcorn. It was un-American to go to a baseball game and NOT get a Coke and hotdog, a lesson I passed on to my own child.
Screaming at the other team, telling the ump he needed glasses, those were good times, and the ONLY time we were allowed to say things like that without getting our butts tanned.
Soon summer came to an end and it was time for school. Over ten people living under one roof, with three bedrooms and one shower, fighting for time was a big issue. I had to be out the door at six in the morning to catch the city bus to school. I took my showers in the morning before anyone else was awake. Four a.m. was my time to wake up.
With sleep in my eyes I stumbled into the shower with my school clothes, having to dress quickly in the bathroom. Wet towel in hand, I walked back to my room to put it into the hamper and grab my backpack. As I closed the door to the room I looked over to the kitchen to see the newspaper floating over the table, my grandmother hidden behind the pages.
Breakfast was sitting on the table waiting for me. Grandma made what she made and there was no complaining allowed. I could complain but it would result in getting slapped in the face, breakfast taken away, and having to wait until lunch for my next meal. Like I said, no complaining allowed.
I would sit down, good mornings were exchanged and I would begin to eat. No other words were spoken except an occasional, “Will you look at that…” “I can’t believe they did that…” or “Well, I’ll be…” Grandma never treated us like fragile children but more like young adults so she would read certain articles and ask my opinion.
We never had “conversations” per say but I learned a lot from grandma. At five a.m. the rest of the house would begin to wake up and I would have to clear my place from the table and finish getting ready for school back in my room. It was everyone else’s turn to spend the morning with grandma before she went to work. We all had to share this wonderful woman but at least I had her all to myself at four a.m.

Max M. Power

Written November 24, 2008

Paper or Plastic

No I'm not talking about your groceries. I'm talking about shopping. In this age of electronics, where almost everything can be done on a hand held device that fits in your pocket, more and more people are turning to the internet to get their entertainment. In fact I am writing this article on a hand held Palm Pilot PDA.
Things are more convenient online. Stores are going out of business while their website counterparts are thriving. People don't have to fight for parking, stand in long lines, or deal with rude people. Your purchase can be delivered to your address so you never have to leave the house. If you know where to look most times you can get what you want for cheaper than you can in the store.
Want to see a movie? Going to a movie can cost over $20 per person when you add in popcorn and a drink. That same movie can be downloaded for less than $3 depending on who you use. Makes you wonder how long DVDs will last at $15 to $20 a movie.
Books? Average paperback will not cost less than $8 while a hardback is closer to $22. An e-book can range from $0.50 to $7 depending on the book. Depending on the handheld device an e-readers can be a fairly cheap add on. A paper book can be bulky; especially if it’s a Stephen King novel, and is can not fit in most pockets.
Amozon.com has The Kindle, other websites offer E-Reader Machines, Palm has a downloadable program that can turn any Palm Pilot into an e-reader, and even cell phones can be turned into e-readers. The great thing about any e-reader is that depending on your memory size you can store anywhere from a hundred files or books on up into the thousands. No more looking for a dictionary, they can be downloaded too.
With this age of technology the question still stands, paper or plastic? While plastic may be more convenient nothing beat good old fashion rough paper. The sound of a newspaper rustling as you turn the pages. The smell of a brand new book as you open it for the first time and let the ink breath. The feel of a crisp new dollar bill between your finger tips.
The best thing about paper that outweighs plastic, no power needed to operate. If you live in an area where a strong story can knock out power for days or weeks at a time you know how wonderful paper can be. So what will it be, paper or plastic?

Written November 15, 2008

Book Review: Historic Photos of Houston

Historic Photos of Houston by Betty Trapp Chapman
Turner Publishing Company
www.turnerpublishing.com
Nashville, Tennessee

The energy capital of North America, a major oil town, and the fourth largest city in the United States, Houston, Texas is a town all its own. In recent history Houston was the host of few scandals. ENRON brought the national spot light to our town. Janet Jackson showed us the importance of making sure your wardrobe is in proper working order.
If a picture is worth a thousand words it is safe to call Historic Photos of Houston a large volume history book, but a history book unlike any other. Being a history buff myself, and a photographer I was drawn to the story this book has to offer. Looking through the pages one word continued to escape my lips more than any other, WOW!
Taking a drive through certain areas you can see there is more than oil in this town, there is history. A church, a department store, and a street clock, all over a hundred years old, can still be found in the downtown area. The largest park in the city was once a training ground for the Army in WWI. During the Great Depression Houston fared better than most in the country and continued to grow. The Democratic Convention of 1928 was the cause of a major boost in population. During WWII Houston did its part to support the war effort by building machine parts and ships.
Driving anywhere in Houston and you will see traffic, traffic, and yes, more traffic. From the moment Houston embraced automobiles in the 1910’s there has been traffic jams in the city. Our rail system is also something that has been around for over a hundred years, something I thought was only recent.
Historic Photos of Houston is a wonderful addition to any library, making learning about our city’s history fun and exciting.

Max M. Power
Written November 05, 2008