magazine / mj01
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May/June 2001 issue |
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Reverberations
Bearing it
"BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN, and yet believe.” I was reminded of this old
biblical passage when I read “Grizzlies in the mist” (CG Mar/Apr
2001). The article made it possible for those of us who will not see grizzly bears in person
to come to the same conclusions as those who were in the story. I was touched when the women
felt an urge to applaud and shed tears for the bears.
I was also moved by the degree to which the Tsimshian First Nation was given credit for
its role in the sanctuary and its inhabitants. It is appropriate and symbolic that the provincial
government, just prior to the release of this issue of the magazine, placed a three-year
ban on British Columbia’s grizzly bear hunt. It is so encouraging, constructive and
timely.
Rich Gralewski
Santa Barbara, California
Sign language
IN "SIGNS OF HOBOES" (CG Mar/Apr 2001),
I learned about a chapter in Canadian history too often relegated to the insignificant past.
I am pleased to see that Bart Campbell is keeping his grandfather’s experience alive
in his writing; his struggle should not be forgotten.
Jean-Paul Lapp-Szymanski,
Montréal
Seen ... and heard?
I ENJOYED THE ARTICLE “Night spirits” (CG Mar/Apr
2001), but one thing was not mentioned: what makes the crackling sound many of us who
have lived in the North can attest to? During four years in Cold Lake, Alta., where we saw
the aurora year-round, we could hear an electric crackling during the winter nights; central
Canadians would tell us we were nuts, but we’re pretty sure of what we heard. What makes
that sound?
Peter Scales,
Kingston, Ont.
Editor’s note:
Auroral sound is rare, and its origin is still a mystery to scientists. The crackling hiss
has been noted by observers since the 1800s, but the sounds have never been recorded.
One theory suggests the aurora simply creates a sensation inside the ear, but no sound
waves per se. Others believe the crackling may be from static electricity building up
in the atmosphere during an aurora or from radio waves that are propagated to the ground.
Radio waves may generate a sound by vibrating materials in rock and soil that expand
and contract when hit with electromagnetic radiation.
Correction: Ichthyosaurs were incorrectly referred to as dinosaurs in headlines
in the Mar/Apr 2001 issue.
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* Letters may be edited for length, accuracy and liability.
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