Desert Drama

09-09-09

2009-09-09T14:04:00.001-07:00

These fotos were taken at Kilmainham Jail in Dublin on my short visit there last year. The plaque reflects the men killed by the English crown after the Easter proclamation.

Snapped this last foto in Golden Gate Park San Francisco. The staute had been located near Steinhart Aquarium but has been moved off the lawn. On a visit there as a youngster we were asked by a man to help him find the statue of Robert Emmet. Top three from Kilmainham Jail where Emmet and many other Irish patriots were executed.

If I were a sculptor

I would chisel out of marble

The likeness of a patriot

And carve on the pedestal

The Name Robert Emmet.

Independence Day in San Francisco

2009-07-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Spent 3 lovely weeks in the city by the bay -- called by the late journalist Herb Caen "Baghdad by the Bay." Really a nice cool respite from sizzling Arizona. It is a truly great place for walking, a bit hilly, compact and scenic and who would ever forget Bill Cosby's plea to St. Peter that "me and a Volkswagen drifted backward into the bay." "You go to Hell," was the reply. Note the $2.00 pints at Kennedy's Pub.

Taliesin West

2009-06-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

Frank Lloyd Wright, world renowned architect, tired of winters in Wisconsin and helped by his students, built his winter home and studio in the Sonoran Desert in the 1930's. They used rocks and sand from the site as building materials and took special care to reflect the local terrain in the structure's layout. Here are a few photos I took in May 2009.

San Diego

2009-03-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

Made a quick trip to San Diego in November and came home with some nice fotos. The occasion was youngest daughter's birthday and a fine time was had by all. There were Santa Ana winds blowing, those restless winds that have counterparts in the Pacific Northwest (Chinook) and the Scirocco in the Mediterranean. The Diablo winds fanned the flames of the 1991 Oakland Hills fire in Notrhern California.

40 Shades of Green

2008-10-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Tourism and the Celtic Tiger hi-tech and manufacturing notwithstanding, Ireland's wealth is agriculture. Saw the Kilkenny Mart with Seannie Dwyer, an impressive new market for livestock. And one can see everywhere the green fields that nurture Irish meat.
While in Ireland I endeavored to discover the countries of origin of goods for sale in shops and used in restaurants and hotels. I was not surprised by the dominance of Chinese goods as Ireland and China have had a long and productive business relationship. But in the cafeteria at the Kilkenny Mart, all the dishes and cups were from the Homer Laughlin China Company of West Virginia.

Knocktopher

2008-10-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

Kilmainham Jail

2008-10-11T03:16:00.000-07:00

"MacDonagh and MacBride
And Conolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born."

Kilmainham jail, killed irishmen jail. A wicked place.

Trinity College

2008-10-09T20:10:00.001-07:00

Trinity College was sunny and welcoming. The library with the Book of Kells was filled with shoppers and tourists. The campus also hosted construction crews. When on break, the Irish lads went to collect tea and snacks from the cafeteria. The eastern european workers chatted on the lawns.

Ireland 2008

2008-10-09T04:59:00.000-07:00

A visit to Ireland.

Narcissism

2008-09-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

With the political nominating conventions complete in the United States, the pundits and politicos can start to really confuse the voting public with rhetoric, inuendo and dishonesty. A real shame that the task of government to represent the people gets waylaid in favor of representing corporations and other obscene institutions.

I felt that the message of candidate John Edwards, addressing the obscenity of poverty, was especially timely. As he fell behind candidates Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama in the democratic race, I had hoped that at least his views on the plight of the working classes in this neo-colonial economy would linger and resonate.

Little did I know that his political decline may have been caused by his own daliances. He assumed personal responsibility for his weaknesses and blamed himself for pridefulness and narcissism. But his political fall took the issue of classism from the campaign and denied the workers of the world any representation in this political season. Now the candidates can continue to obfuscate over issues that are less important than poverty.

Narcissism replaces the issues of poverty in the political discourse. Not a very good trade.

Patch of Blue

2008-08-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

The sky closed up this evening leaving this little opening in the clouds. It may rain later. At the least we will get some wind and perhaps a lightening display.

Watched a program on KAET, the PBS channel here in Phoenix, called Saguaro: Sentinel of the Desert. Was not a recent production, from 1989, though one was able to interpret issues of climate change in the Sonoran Desert without the hysteria of "global warming."For instance the droopy arms of this giant were caused by a freeze sometime in the past.

The greatest threat to the Saguaro is loss of habitat. Grasses imported to feed cattle have encroached on native habitat and greatly increased the occurrence of wildfires. The Saguaro can be fatally damaged by fire.

Blue Sky Days

2008-08-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Saw a chinese movie called "Up the Yangtze." It dealt with the Three Gorges Dam in human terms. The family depicted had been relocated as the waters rose and would be moving again soon as their little plot of land and hut were inundated.

The father was ostracized during the cultural revolution -- his father had been an official with the nationalists -- so he had been denied any opportunity for education and had been only able to get coolie labor wages. So when they had been forced out of their home, they squatted on a hillside and raised chickens and grew their own food.

The daughter had just completed middle school and wanted to go on to high school and university, but both her parents convinced her instead to put off her schooling and get a job on a cruise boat on the river. Her wages would help her parents and two young siblings to survive.

The documentary also displays the pollution problems of China (and not just Beijing) -- on the river as waters rise and become filled with trash of all kinds and in the skies as the sun always has a murky orange tint.

The film's website has a request for donations to the Yu family. www.uptheyangtze.com

Evening Color

2008-08-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

International Forgiveness Day

2008-08-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

There was a call yesterday about a radio show on NPR, a program that we don't get in Mesa called Weekend America.

http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/08/02/prison/

The interesting segment dealt with forgiveness and healing. Today is International Forgiveness Day, and we do well to always remember the positive impact that letting go and forgiveness have on healing.

2008-08-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

A bit of color with the dawn this morning, August 1st. Yesterday the high temperature was about 112° and the low this morn began about 90°, whew. There have been 21 days with highs of 110 or above so far this season. Forecasts are for more of the same through the weekend. The clouds indicate a bit of moisture in the atmosphere, and that may bring rain by Monday or Tuesday of next week. This is my fifth summer in the Valley of the Sun.

2008-07-31T16:10:00.001-07:00

Monsoon Watch

2008-07-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

The dog days of summer dont agree much with Missy. She is semi-active early and late. When the urge rises to go outside it usually takes the form of a command performance. If cool, she will explore the neighborhood while the proper spot is determined and when not cool she hurries about her business and then quickly rushes back inside.

David Yetman says that the Seri speak of "the sound of summer heat." The forecast is for lows in the upper 80's and highs above 110° through the weekend.