G. X. Chen’s Forget Me Not is a tragic love story, a vivid historical narrative and a novel I’m not likely to forget any time soon. It provides a valuable window into the Eastern world during a dark epoch in the not-so-distant past: a seemingly first-hand account of life in China during the tumultuous decade known as the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976). Chairman Mao Zedong, a godlike figure to Chinese communists, initiated the revolution as a means to eliminate political rivals and solidify his legacy; but his utopian visions resulted in mass chaos and ruin for China’s traditions, its economy, and many of its citizens. I must confess that my knowledge of Chinese history and culture is less than exemplary. My Americanized mind has absorbed an idea of China as a communist country devoid of many of the civil liberties I hold dear (though somewhat more open and democratic now than in the past); beyond those general notions, things are fuzzy. I am grateful to Chen’s book for filling in some of that blank space in my awareness. It certainly enhanced my appreciation for the relatively free and privileged life I lead, and for how lucky I am not to have experienced the grim alternate reality evoked in the pages of Forget Me Not: a reality of violent chaos, arbitrary cruelty and imprisonment, and basic lack of personal choice and freedom that many Chinese citizens alive at the time of the Cultural Revolution did not survive.Li Ling, the novel’s protagonist, is a boy living in Hong Kong with his grandparents at the outset of the revolution. Abruptly, he is forced to leave his beloved caretakers and the world he knows and start a new life with his parents—virtual strangers to him—in Shanghai, the city of his birth. There in elementary school he forges friendships destined to last a lifetime, with Big Head (a nickname that sticks) and Zhang Lily, the girl with whom he will fall in love. Unfortunately, the cultural maelstrom that fate has thrown their way is not a climate conducive to the tender dreams of young lovers. One day in June 1966, Li Ling visits the farmer’s market with Lily and Big Head where they witness a distressing scene: Continue reading →

Despite its proverbial status as a filler topic in conversation, weather events sparked a lot of commentary over the past couple years. Blizzards and canceled flights in the Northwest, massive nationwide droughts, and a few destructive storms filled headlines and grabbed people’s attention.

This month’s guest enrichment speaker, Dr. Inez Fung, discussed the difference between isolated dramatic events and overall trends in the planet’s climate during her presentation, and pointed out some mechanisms behind weather patterns. She is a Professor of Atmospheric Science in UC Berkeley’s Department of Earth and Planetary Science and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.

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Erik is an Artist and Illustrator currently hailing from Bremerton, Washington. He has lived all over the US but his primary upbringing was in the Mojave Desert just east of the San Bernardino Mountains.

Erik’s influences on his decidedly chosen style of Realism are the Southwest Region of the US and it’s diverse cultures and societies, Fantasy, Science Fiction and even some Horror. His personal artistic influences are just as diverse as his artistic subject matter. Those being Howard Terpning, Mark Rohrig, Morten Solberg, J.D. Hillberry, Drew Struzan, Keith Birdsong and Nick Runge just to name a few, of the ever growing list.

Erik brings 25 plus years of experience to his craft and renders primarily in Acrylic Paints and Colored Pencils. He loves painting Wildlife, Native American Portraits, Fantasy and is currently working on a series called Para-Pin Ups for the Paranormal Convention circuit.

You can see all of Erik’s work as well as purchase high quality Prints and Giclees at the following website:http://erikstittart.blogspot.com

You made my life unhappy to the extent that my happiness relied on another. I’ve spent more time and energy on your existence than was healthy. I went round and round in circles with the pain. You took from me what was mine. Or was it really? And, yet, you took away even more. My dignity. I felt violated in the way no person should suffer. My pain was unyielding, fatiguing, wearing my spirit down. Wearisome, I tried to forgive. The heart couldn’t forget the pain. My coping skills to manage you weren’t up to par. I tried. I ignored you. I didn’t acknowledge you.

But, there you were with a false happy smile and I felt betrayed.

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