uring this period of “time out” in our lives, there has been ample opportunity to sit and think about things like marriage and life’s pursuits. On top of that, it's the month of June and, incredibly, we know several married couples who are celebrating their 50th anniversary within the next few months. All three of these partnerships have led to a great deal of musing about what makes a marriage suitable. The year I turned 30, my parents of-


A suitable marriage D


fered to hold a birthday party for me, but I declined. My Mother was surprised and asked why. I explained to her that, at 30, I needed to know if I could survive as a single for the years in front of me and wanted to put that to a test by spending a month on my own in London, England. I knew no one in that big city and needed to find a measure of self-reliance that I could depend on for the future. It was a glorious month spent in galleries, museums, concerts and at various wonderful theatre experiences. I walked and walked all over that great city and sampled its varied pleasures. When I returned, it was with the knowledge that I could face things on my own. That was a bolster- ing experience for me.


flame. Inside the card it read, “Bring a date ... if you can...” note the underlining of that last phrase. This was a challenge and after considering that she knew all my female friends I had to bring someone that she had never met.


Jim Pappas


Barbra and I had known one another at a distance, but she was in a committed relationship all that time. She had moved to Vancouver for modelling work and was in Winnipeg to support a friend for a few months. She dropped up to Eaton’s to say hello and I asked her to consider working for me while she was in town as she had considerable experience in retail. So, it was agreed, and she began work- ing on the fashion floor. The day after I received the dreaded invitation, I was walking across my departments. I looked up and saw her and a thought crossed my mind. She was tall, attractive and none of my friends knew her. She was not in-


Little did I know that fate had a hand in my destiny that would switch everything around. It was the time when so many of my dear friends were being married and I was asked to be a groom’s man for a few. One of these weddings happened very soon after my return and, of course, there were parties leading up to the wedding that required a date. I have always had wonderful female friends with whom I have shared lots of fun times. But this one invitation came bearing the signature of an old


terested in any relationship with me but would perhaps enjoy a night out. So, I floated the question and she agreed. As they say, the rest is history. Two weeks later, we were engaged, and we were getting married almost ninety days after that. There were many questions from people who didn’t know us about the suitability of our union and the speed of our courtship. Some gave us six weeks some six months and some, none at all, for survival. I have always been a very instinctual person and in my heart, I knew that this was right. Like all marriages, we had our period of adjustment, but we always enjoyed a mutual respect. Although points of view often differed, we could always negotiate a common ground. And no one ever made me laugh as much as she did. Sometimes her fractured lan-


guage would collapse me with laughter. Her innate abil- ity to tackle projects, from handyman projects to decora- tive art and the art of entertaining also astounded me. Over this period of “time out” we have had an inordi- nate amount of time together and it has only reinforced my excellent decision to propose marriage almost fifty years ago. It has reinforced many tenets of our marriage that we fought to preserve, even with raising our chil- dren. We both like time on our own, so we allow one another the space to go to a different part of our home and spend a few hours alone. To sit and talk has always been a hallmark in our marriage. Discussions are always lively and sometimes informative. We cook in tandem and sometimes alone, according to what the other is feeling that day. We do ‘facetime’ with our children and grandchildren and although we long to embrace them, it does satisfy us to see them. The greatest thing is that as two adults we are more compatible at this stage than ever. A suitable marriage may vary according to the ground rules in different partnerships. But the suitability factor is strong in each of our friends who are about to cel- ebrate their 50th. All of them still have that spark and they still revel in it. To see the care and love they show to one another shows that if you make a suitable marriage, it has long lasting comfort for both of you. My marriage has been more than suitable and this test


we are experiencing with a “time out” in our lives has more than proven that. As we celebrate our friends’ 50th from far away, I recognize that in them as well. When you have found a suitable marriage, you can face every- thing that is sent your way and succeed. We are indeed successful on all those levels. It has indeed been a “suit- able” marriage. Jim Pappas is heard weekly on ‘A Class Act’ on CJNU 93.7 FM


Scientists the world over now have the ability to design and produce hu- man beings with special options, much like buy- ing a new car. In all major countries


scientists have


successfully modified the genetic code (DNA) in various plants and animals. China claimed to be the first country to successful- ly modify the DNA in hu- mans when twin girls with some switched genes were born there. One switched gene, CCR5, may give these babies above average intelligence. Advancements in science have given biologists the ability to identify any gene and replace it with another gene. Do you wish to have a baby with blonde hair, dark hair, red hair, blue eyes, green eyes or brown eyes? Parents may soon be giving their doctors a wish list of what they want in their new baby. With the aid of bacteria, in a method


The beautiful science of one-ness V


ery soon you may be able to cus- tom order your next baby, any size, any shape, and any colour.


known as CRISPR (clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), scientists are able to cut out and replace genes in a baby’s DNA, resulting in changing that baby’s traits, such as their looks, intellect, and resis- tance to disease. Like a trained bloodhound, bac- teria are instructed to sniff out a certain gene, cut it out, and replace it with an- other gene.


Why is it possible to


Wayne Weedon Food for Thought


replace a blue-eyed gene from one person with a brown-eyed


gene from


someone else? It is be- cause all humans are re- lated, we all share the same DNA which can be traced


back to the earliest human-like animals, Homo erectus, whose fossils, discovered in East Africa, date back to 1.8 million years ago. All humans also share DNA from Homo heidelbergensis who lived in


Ethiopia, Zambia and South Af-


rica sometime between 500,000 and 600,000 years ago. Around 200,000 years ago, anatomically modern hu- mans, the first Homo sapiens, were liv-


ing in Ethiopia. We are all descended from these early Homo sapiens, some of whom migrated from Africa less than 100,000 years ago to colonise Eu- rope, and eventually colonise the whole world. A recent discovery shows that all humans also share gene flow with an- other early human-like creature, Nean- derthal man. Because all humans share genes of common ancestors, any two humans, regardless of race or colour, may mate and produce viable offspring. We are all one, all the same. As Charles Darwin pointed out, our differences are, in fact, mutations caused by our bodies trying to cope with a changing environ- ment. In nature, it is not the most intel- ligent, or the strongest, that survive; it is the most adaptable. These adaptations may result in changes in looks, including the colour of skin and hair. In fact, our genes are


continually


changing. Catching a virus, being vac- cinated, being exposed to chemicals, or smoking cigarettes, may cause our genes to change, giving our offspring a better, or sometimes a worse, chance of surviv- al. Occasionally, rather than protecting us, the altered gene may end up caus- ing an illness, such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, or any one of many


Current Events


Due to the recent pandemic, recent events have been closed, cancelled or rescheduled. Confirm details with event organizers.


Puzzles’ solutions


genetic diseases. With new technology, these mistakes may now be corrected by replacing the damaged genes with genes that do not cause illness. However, any gene, not only the damaged ones, may be swapped out for a gene of our choice. We may swap out genes to give humans a larger brain, a more athletic body, a tendency to not gain surplus weight, a different skin colour, or whatever trait one may wish for. All of this research finally proves that


the idea of different races of people is just a myth, we are basically all the same, having come from the same ancestors. Where will all this gene swapping lead


to? Will scientists, now that they have the know-how, try to produce a new super-baby? Time will tell. The way this science is quickly progressing, it may be in the very near future, a new “superior” race of people may be developed. What this new race will look like and act like depends on who will make choices as to what is a desirable trait, and what is not. For me, this is definitely food for thought. Wayne Weedon is an Indigenous Mani- toba writer of novels and short stories. To sample his wonderful work go to Wattpad. com.


18 whatsupwinnipeg.ca


June 2020


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20