Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2018-29

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IN THIS ISSUE

• In this Heroic Story, an American woman and French police work together
• Tom Telfer has attended another Rotary convention
• The editor is having problems with her computer
• Catherine Nesbitt forwards many reasons to eat more bananas
• Betty Audet sends some trivial facts
• Carol Dilworth recommends a good news publication

Deborah Burton of Florida writes about

THREE FRENCH GENDARMES

On February 4th, 2003, I received a phone call from a friend who lives in France. She was in the middle of a very messy divorce. That day her soon-to-be ex-husband had removed every penny from their bank accounts, including the account set up for her small business. My friend felt she couldn´t go on, told me she´d just taken 60 sleeping pills, and said she loved me.

I got nowhere talking to her, and knew I needed to get help, so I got off the phone. I was panicked. She´s an Internet friend, so her home address wasn´t at hand. I found her web page, but it was in French.

My husband asked, "Didn´t she just send a package?" I dug through the waste basket and found the wrapping paper.

I called the long distance operator, and said I must have the police in a small town in France for an emergency. There were two towns with that name, but by using the postal code, the French operator gave us the number for the police (gendarmes) in the right town. The US operator stayed on the phone with me until we reached the police.

The first gendarme I talked with spoke no English, and said no-one there spoke English. I had two years of French in high school and a year of Spanish in college, so you can imagine how much French and Spanish I don´t speak. I spoke my very bad French, throwing in Spanish in hopes something would make sense, then repeated the address and my friend´s name and address over and over.

My husband suggested finding a French-English dictionary on the Internet. That helped, but not much; it took forever to translate a word. If I was quiet for a few seconds trying to think of something to say, the first gendarme said, "Allo?" Then he put another officer with some English on the line, then a third gendarme who spoke a bit more came on the phone.

It was difficult to explain to him that I was calling from America. When the third gendarme finally understood that we were dealing with a potential suicide, I just about burst into tears. It seemed the phone conversation had taken forever.

Four gendarmes showed up at my friend´s house 25 minutes after she had called me, and took her to have her stomach pumped.

And now? She´s OK. She´s going on with her life and fighting the battles she has to fight. She´s alive, and I am so thankful for the operators and gendarmes who made this possible.

I know these three gendarmes must have been shaking their heads over the "crazy American," but they never hung up on me. They kept working to understand. I am so grateful to these three men who tried so hard to talk to me, and stayed on the line until they grasped the problem. Thank you all - for getting there in time.

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Tom Telfer writes about

ROTARY CONVENTIONS

Once again, we packed our bags and headed to Toronto for another Rotary Convention. Over the years we have attended conventions in Argentina, Australia, Thailand, Chicago, Atlanta, and Indianapolis.

As a member of the Rotarians on the Internet Fellowship, with 2000 members in 100 different countries, it is always fun to meet old friends in person. The House of Friendship is a bustling area with hundreds of booths, displaying all aspects of Rotary and many commercial shops.

The opening ceremony is always exciting as students parade in with flags from 200 countries.

During the week, we attended a barbecue with 4000. Also, 40 members from our district hosted 40 Rotarians from other countries on a dinner cruise of Toronto Harbour.

One evening, we joined friends from Argentina for dinner in the CN Tower. We had been entertained in their home in 2000. Now, it was time to go up to the clouds, on the roof of the CN Tower restaurant. I had planned this adventure for many years. Imagine the thrill of being 1168 feet above the sidewalk!

It was a hectic week, but a very rewarding experience.

Next year, the convention will be in Hamburg, Germany.

With a few days of down time, we are preparing to head to Vancouver on the Rocky Mountaineer train. Stay tuned!

FRUSTRATION

Ed. Note: This is not a picture of me, obviously, but it reflects my problems with my computer.

Catherine Nesbitt forwards this information on the value of

BANANAS

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose, combined with fibre. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world´s leading athletes.

But energy isn´t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND among people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood, and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so help in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit´s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school in England were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch, in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach, and with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking and tobacco use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain, and regulates your body´s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe it´s time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here: want a quick shine on your shoes? Take the inside of the banana skin and rub it directly on the shoe ... polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit!

Ed. Note: If you are looking for a reason to eat more bananas, if even half of these statements are true, they will justify your choice.

Betty Audet forwards these

TRIVIAL FACTS OF LIFE

The average chocolate bar has eight insects´ legs in it.

The average human eats eight spiders in their lifetime at night.

The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

A polar bear´s skin is black. Its fur is not white, but actually clear.

More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.

The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters of only one row of the keyboard.

If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

The word racecar and kayak are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left.

A snail can sleep for three years.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

Columbia University is the second largest landowner in New York City, after the Catholic Church.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

Ed. Note: As always, don´t accept anything you read online as being necessarily correct.

SUGGESTED SITES

Carol Dilworth directed me to The Week in Good News published by the New York Times. I for one need all the good news I can find in these perilous times. To sign up for this publication, click on

Evocative Designs is developing a line of environmentally-friendly materials made from mushrooms. If they can design something to replace plastic bags they will be heartily welcomed by citizens of cities that are banning them:

This German boy planted a million trees before he was 12 years old. Now 20, he is taking over a UN program to plant a trillion more:

From the Good News Network: Three young men save a blind man who fell onto the tracks in a Toronto subway station:

UBC students are designing prototypes vehicles aimed at offering those who live on the streets a better alternative to shopping carts when it comes to transporting their worldly goods:

In Canada, groups of incredible people are powering up their communities through food. To watch videos about Community Food Centres, click on

In this TED talk, Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu explore what smart devices know (and share) about you: