Wolfgang Hampel, Founder of Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Society, author of Betty MacDonald Biography, winner of first Betty MacDonald Memorial Award, interviewed Betty MacDonald's family and many famous authors and artists. Wolfgang Hampel's Betty MacDonald Biography and Betty MacDonald Interviews are very popular all over the world. Wolfgang Hampel is also famous for his satirical poems and stories.
Dear Betty MacDonald fan club, i am a huge fan of Betty's; I read "The Egg and I" when
I was a teenager and have always loved her books. I am glad you have
taken the time and made the effort to promote her memory through your
society, such a personality as Betty was should not be forgotten.
I'm
sure there are very many of her fans worldwide who like me, have many
questions and are very curious about what happened to her family in the
years after Betty's death. I did receive Wolfgang Hampel's books 'The Kettles' Million Dollar Egg', 'The Egg and Betty' and 'The Tragic End
of Robert Heskett' and found them very funny and so interesting.
I think
Betty was caught between a rock and a hard place at the trial. Writers
are allowed a certain "creative license" and she may have embellished
her characters a bit to make a good story, but of course she didn't want
to lose the case, either. So she claimed some of her story was
fictional. But I still believe she drew those characters from her life;
good writers write about what they know and experience and it is obvious
to me that her richly drawn characterizations of the Kettles and other
families while she lived on the chicken farm were true for the most
part. Even if parts of the story were fictionalized, I will always be
grateful to her for writing some of the funniest and most unforgettable
books I have ever read. She will always be my favorite humorist and I
only wish she could have lived longer so she could have given the world
more opportunities to enjoy her unique talent. Thank you for the second
installments of the story.
I'm so happy to gain more knowledge about
Betty's life and her experiences during the trial. Now I understand why
the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce said there were still some hard
feelings toward Betty by some of the people in the area. You would think
that after all this time, though, it really wouldn't matter anymore. I
guess some people can hold a grudge forever! I don't think Betty ever
intended to malign anyone. She wrote from her experiences, and if she
embellished a bit, that is her right as a creative artist. Her
characterizations were indeed devastating, weren't they? And so very
funny. A hundred years from now her books will still be uniquely
humorous. What a personality she was.
When my husband and I took the
trip to Port Townsend last summer in search of "The Egg and I Road" I
wondered why there was no marker. The letter from the nice gentleman who
lives on the old homestead in Chimacum partly answered that question. I
wondered why the descriptions of the mountains in "The Egg and I"
didn't match what I saw on Egg and I Road, and that question too was
answered by Betty's testimony in the trial.
I believe that Port Ludlow,
Chimacum and Port Townsend were exactly as she described them. She may
have had to stretch the truth a bit in the trial, but what else could
she have done. It's indeed ironic that the Kettles were forced to live
on EGG AND I Road. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM43RE_EGG_I_ROAD
Another funny anecdote to her story. I especially enjoyed Kimi's defense of Betty in her letter.
In this age of "political correctness" which I find very tiresome,
Kimi's letter was well thought out and well written. Betty was certainly
not a racist. In "The Plague and I" Betty stands up for black people,
and Kimi, who was Japanese, was her best friend. It was very different
60+ years ago but some people forget that. It is so nice that so many
people remember and care about Betty and try to keep her memory alive.
Thank you for all your good works in her behalf. I agree that there
should be more to commemorate Betty's life and her accomplishments, at
least some kind of marker or memorial. At least they did name the "Egg
and I Road" after her book.
I hope you can visit Washington state
someday and take the ferry over to Vashon Island. It really is a
beautiful, lushly green island with marvelous views in every direction. I
don't think Betty gets the recognition she deserves in this country
partly because of the unfortunate atmosphere of "political correctness"
(p.c.) that pervades the U.S.A. right now. Betty was critical of native
Americans (Indians) in her book and that is a "no no" in the minds of
many of the powers that be. They don't stop to consider that she was
writing from the perspective of over 50 years ago or give her credit for
her uniquely talented style and the marvelous, timeless humor of her
writing.
She really is one of America's best humorists and fortunately
many people all over the world do recognize this. I think her books will
be read and re-read through the ages. There are so many young people
that are becoming aware of her books now, and that really encourages
me...they will keep her memory going. I agree with you that "The Egg
& I" is one of the funniest books ever written. I remember laughing
so hard I was gasping for breath and almost fell off the couch the first
time I read it! I was about fourteen years old then. I have re-read it
many times and never tire of it, I believe it is timeless. Perhaps
you have heard of the town of Leavenworth? It is at the foothills of the
Cascades, and is a world famous Bavarian style village, very
picturesque. They have Autumn Fest, Maifest, and Christmas lighting
celebrations and people come from all over the world to visit. They have
many German craftsman living in the area, contributing their talents to
the many shops in town. They have dancers, complete with lederhosen and
full old-world Bavarian dress, performing in the open square during the
summertime celebrations. Wonderful food of every description; I love
their bratwurst and sauerkraut, bought from the street vendors. If you
are interested in learning more about the village, you can reach the
site at http://www.leavenworth.org/ It is well worth an online visit! Betty MacDonald February 1951 "I
have had letters from people all over the world - from England and from
Bavaria - telling me that the Kettles lived next door to them. I am
looking forward to reading more of your society's publications about
Betty and her life. She was such an unique personality, I will always
love her and her books, they have given me so much pleasure and laughter
over the years. It is so good to know she has fans worldwide!
Keep up the good work and stay in touch. Yours in Betty's memory,
Dutch refugee policy is
one of the toughest in Europe
Europe
Society
February 4, 2016
Accommodation for refugees at Ter Apel in Drenthe.The Netherlands has
one of the toughest refugee policies within Europe, the Volkskrant says
on Thursday, based on a report by the justice ministry’s research
department WODC.
Refugees are less likely to be given a residency permit in the
Netherlands than in Germany, Belgium or Sweden, the paper says. It is
the first time that differences in EU admittance procedures have been
investigated.
‘The fear that the Netherlands is more relaxed than other countries is
unfounded,’ researcher Arjen Leerkes told the paper.
Syria
The report shows that the Netherlands approved 70% of the refugee
applications made in the first nine months of last year, compared with a
EU average of 47%. In 2014, the figures were 67% to 45%.
But more refugees in the Netherlands come from countries where they are
likely to be granted asylum, the WODC said. Last year, 32% of the
refugees who came to Holland were from Syria, compared with 19% in the
EU as a whole. And 91% of them go on to become official refugees.
Corrected for country of origin, just 35% of refugee requests in the
Netherlands are honoured. Bulgaria is the most generous, with a 51%
acceptance rate and Greece the toughest. Athens recognises just 24% of
asylum seekers as refugees.
Junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff said in a reaction to the report
he would like to see harmonisation of EU refugee procedures.
Syria: Angela Merkel 'horrified' by suffering under Russian airstrikes
German chancellor deplores casualties as Russia-backed regime advances on Aleppo in what Turkey PM calls ‘inhumane attack’
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said she is “horrified” by the suffering caused by Russian bombing in Syria as pro-government forces backed by airstrikes came closer to encircling Aleppo. Opposition activists and state media on Monday said Syrian army
troops had taken the village of Kfeen, north of Aleppo, Syria’s largest
city, while rebel forces have also withdrawn under bombing from three
Kurdish villages. Tens of thousands of civilians fleeing the Russian-backed advance on
Aleppo remain stranded near the Turkish border, with no sign that the
authorities in Ankara will respond to mounting international pressure to
allow in more refugees.
“We have been, in the past few days, not just appalled but horrified
by what has been caused in the way of human suffering for tens of
thousands of people by bombing – bombing primarily from the Russian
side,” Merkel said after a meeting with Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet
Davutoğlu. She said the two countries would push at the United Nations
for all sides to stick to a resolution passed in December calling for a
halt to attacks on the civilian population.Merkel made clear that she considered Moscow’s current course of
action a violation of the UN resolution since it directly targeted
civilians. The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, also criticised
the attacks on Aleppo: “The dramatic pictures reaching us from the
Syrian-Turkish border show one thing: those who think they can force a
military solution to the conflict in Syrian are wrong”, he told Spiegel
Online.
“It may be possible to momentarily shift the balance of power. But
everyone should know that in the long run this doesn’t bring us any
closer to an end of the conflict. On the the contrary.” Prolonging the
military conflict only played into Isis’ hands, Steinmeier said. “This
can be in no one’s interest, including Russia’s”.Davutoğlu said nobody should expect Turkey
to shoulder the refugee crisis alone, and harshly criticised the
ongoing attack on Aleppo. “There are almost 30,000 Syrians waiting at
our border. […] The inhumane attack on Aleppo needs to stop as soon as
possible. “Aleppo is in effect under siege,” he said. “There is great pressure on Germany with regard to the refugees in Europe. Humanity is being tested in Syria, we have to face this test together.” State-run news agency Sana said army troops on Monday took control of
Kfeen “after wiping out the last group of terrorists there”.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV also reported Kfeen’s capture and aired live
footage from the village. Syrian rebels have also withdrawn from three villages threatened by
Russian airstrikes in the northern province of Aleppo that borders
Turkey, allowing Kurdish fighters to overrun them, a monitor said on
Monday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels abandoned the
villages of Aqlamiyah, Deir Jamal and Mareanar on Sunday at the
insistence of residents who feared their homes would be bombe
That enabled the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to move in
to seize the three villages in another setback for the rebels only days
after they lost three nearby towns to the Kurds.Aqlamiyah and Mareanar lie near the strategic Menagh military airbase, held by rebel groups since August 2013. Opposition factions north of Aleppo have been increasingly stuck
“between the pincers” of YPG forces on one side and pro-government
fighters on the other, a military source said. After some clashes between rebels and the YPG, residents pressured
rebels in some villages to hand over control to the Kurds so that
Russian warplanes would not target their homes, said Rami Abdel Rahman,
of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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Airstrikes
targeted villages between Aleppo and the border crossing of Bab
al-Salameh while convoys of aid supplies and ambulances entered from Turkey
– reinforcing the impression that the Turks plan to create a border
buffer zone that could in time become a safe haven for civilians. Bashar al-Assad’s government made clear, however, that it was in no
mood to contemplate a ceasefire – the focus of faltering US diplomatic
efforts with Russia. “Turkey has reached the end of its capacity to absorb [refugees],”
Numan Kurtulmuş, Turkey’s deputy prime minister, told CNN-Turk on
Sunday. “But in the end, these people have nowhere else to go. Either
they will die beneath the bombings and Turkey will … watch the massacre
like the rest of the world, or we will open our borders. “At the moment, we are admitting some, and are trying to keep others
there [in Syria] by providing them with every kind of humanitarian
support,” Kurtulmuş added. “We are not in a position to tell them not to
come. If we do, we would be abandoning them to their deaths.” The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, which is providing food
for 20,000 refugees, said on Monday it had set up a new camp with a
capacity of 10,000, in addition to eight it already operates near the
Bab al-Salameh crossing.
Betty MacDonald Fan Club, founded by Wolfgang Hampel, has members in 40 countries.
Wolfgang Hampel, author of Betty MacDonald biography interviewed Betty MacDonald's family and friends. His Interviews have been published on CD and DVD by Betty MacDonald Fan Club. If you are interested in the Betty MacDonald Biography or the Betty MacDonald Interviews send us a mail, please.
Several original Interviews with Betty MacDonald are available.
We are also organizing international Betty MacDonald Fan Club Events for example, Betty MacDonald Fan Club Eurovision Song Contest Meetings in Oslo and Düsseldorf, Royal Wedding Betty MacDonald Fan Club Event in Stockholm and Betty MacDonald Fan Club Fifa Worldcup Conferences in South Africa and Germany.
Betty MacDonald Fan Club Honour Members are Monica Sone, author of Nisei Daughter and described as Kimi in Betty MacDonald's The Plague and I, Betty MacDonald's nephew, artist and writer Darsie Beck, Betty MacDonald fans and beloved authors and artists Gwen Grant, Letizia Mancino, Perry Woodfin, Traci Tyne Hilton, Tatjana Geßler, music producer Bernd Kunze, musician Thomas Bödigheimer, translater Mary Holmes and Mr. Tigerli.
