John Buhler lives in Edmonton and completed a Bachelor of General Studies degree at Athabasca University. He is interested in history, religion, popular culture and medical science. John has contributed to the Voice since 2003, writing about books, movies, travel and issues of personal interest.
In The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story, Diane Ackerman presents us with the fascinating and true story of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, zookeepers at Warsaw’s zoo during the Second World War. Working from memoirs, interviews, and photographs, Ackerman develops an exquisitely detailed literary portrait of a Polish Christian family who put themselves at risk to… Read more »
Inferno: The Devastation of Hamburg, 1943, by Keith Lowe Keith Lowe’s Inferno: The Devastation of Hamburg, 1943, recounts in great detail Operation Gomorrah, the Allied bombing of Hamburg, Germany 65 years ago. Between July 24 and August 3, 1943, 10 thousand tons of high explosives and incendiaries rained down upon the people of Hamburg. Lowe… Read more »
Review: Devra Davis, The Secret History of the War on Cancer About a year ago, I participated in a phone survey concerning Canadian health issues. One question asked me to determine which should be the greater priority for the federal government: preventing heart disease or treating cancer? I asked the pollster why the prevention of… Read more »
Among the Dead Cities: The History and Moral Legacy of the WWII Bombing of Civilians in Germany and Japan, by A. C. Grayling A year ago, I was living in Hamburg, where everyday I passed by a sculpture depicting mangled and burned corpses scorched into a charred wasteland. It was a memorial that portrayed the… Read more »
It is popularly assumed that Marie Antoinette lived a life of extravagance while French peasants starved, and that for this she was beheaded, so a film retelling her story requires a new angle. Enter writer and director Sofia Coppola who provides us with a Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) reminiscent of an innocent Lady Diana Spencer… Read more »
In a short while, children will be celebrating an evening of pretend ghosts, ghouls, and witches. For children with peanut allergies, some of the candies in their Halloween treat bags may be a real danger. Armed with knowledge about peanut allergies, however, parents and neighbours who hand out Halloween treats do not need to go… Read more »
In our flat in Berlin, Angeles is trying on various blouses, sweaters, and jackets. With each combination, she asks me, “Do I look pregnant in this?” “Danger! Danger!” I tell myself. This is one of those questions that has no right answer. A little white lie would be pointless, as Angeles is eight months pregnant…. Read more »
For five months, the student apartment in Hamburg has been our home. I begin to think that I will actually miss the click-click of the high-heeled woman in the apartment above us, and the clink-clink of the liquor bottles collected by the cleaning staff every Monday as they remove the evidence of the weekend’s revelry… Read more »
Angeles and I are getting to know Hamburg very well. We are really enjoying our time here. The city has so much to offer and we are learning a little about the local history. For instance, in the Middle Ages, Hamburg was a walled city, surrounded by water. Although the walls are no longer standing,… Read more »
Hamburg is a city of about two million people, and everyday its buses, S-Bahns, and U-Bahns move hundreds of thousands of people with great efficiency. Yet, the transit system is not without problems. I first started to question the German reputation for timeliness after my experiences with the number 21 bus. The walk from our… Read more »