catalina... late may 2010

Sometimes it's nice to go away for a long weekend and spending it with friends makes it a more pleasant experience... so, Catalina, here we come!

We took the express to the “island” on Friday and although it was semi-calm in the harbor, as soon as the boat hit the breakwater, most everyone headed outside to the deck... ah, the joys of motion sickness.

Oddly, coming back Sunday afternoon to the mainland, the ten foot swells didn’t seem to bother me nearly as much, although there were some passengers that looked a bit green around the gills, and since the waves were pretty strong, I maintained a dry spot under the awning near the front, saving my partially-read book from a potential drenching.

I must say, the view from the deck is lovely as you enter the harbor at Avalon. It reminds me of a picturesque scene from the Mediterranean; everything appears clean and bright.

The gulls hang out on the tops of fountains and lampposts and act as though the island is theirs... it is.

We climbed up to the top of the Wrigley Memorial and took a picture for posterity.

We then hiked back down.

All in all, it was a really nice weekend shared with good friends and some great wine.

dubious distinctions realized...

As of today, May 18, 2010, the number of Americans killed in the conflict in Afghanistan reached the first 1,000 mark and in Iraq, the figure was 4,381.

Amazingly, neither conflict has been declared a war, thus shielding the rest of us from having to take any responsibility for the death and destruction we have visited upon these countries.

Sound familiar? It should.

The only difference between Vietnam and the conflicts now occurring is the number of dead Americans. However, if we remain there as long and the draft once again becomes part of the vernacular, then perhaps we will reach that lofty number of 58,169.

Or even surpass it...

And for those interested; the number of dead Vietnamese during our incursion can only be calculated. Approximately 3 to 4 million Vietnamese from both sides [North/South] plus, in Cambodia and Laos, 1.5 to 2 million lives destroyed.

If we truly understood history, we would stop having these deja vu's.

In truth I don't think we can help ourselves... we’re destined to replay the script until we get it.

excuses, excuses, excuses...

OMG! Anyone listening to the vacuous excuses and finger pointing from last week's senate hearings would come away scratching their head... wondering just who is really at fault for the Deepwater Horizon explosion and disaster in the Gulf.

Early reports from BP and our government suggested approximately 5,000 gallons per day were leaking into the gulf. This figure was challenged by scientists who have theorized that nearly 10 times the initial figure are now spilling into the gulf. A staggering figure; one that would have enormous, catastrophic repercussions on the economy and the environment for a very long time.

And, quite possibly, the numbers of wildlife dying as a result of this spill will never be fully counted. Roger Helm with the US Fish and Wildlife Service remarked, “If birds are impacted by oil and they die there, they sink.” Manatees, dolphins and whales may succumb to oil many miles out at sea, leaving little evidence. Some oil-soaked turtles have washed ashore... Steve Murawski, chief science advisor of NOAA Fisheries Service, said 156 turtles have died, most of them a protected species; Kemp's Ridley turtles. But the sheer numbers of wildlife expected to succumb will probably never be known.

And to make a bad situation even worse, BP tossed approximately 200,000 gallons of  the chemical dispersant, Corexit 9500 into the gulf in an attempt to stem the damage caused by the spill. There is, however a problem as this chemical is detrimental to the environment and also extremely toxic to wildlife. Chemical dispersants such as Corexit also enhance oil's toxicity in the dispersion process.

So, to recount... from whichever place you stand, this is a monstrous environmental disaster.

BP failed to create a failsafe system for removing oil from a mile down... Transocean blamed the catastrophe on Haliburton, Haliburton blamed the problem on BP. And the dance played out for all who wished to watch. Bottom line, no one wants responsibility, no one wants to pay for the privilege of destroying a very sensitive environment.

But they'll take your money, won’t they!  

Meanwhile, the slick from the underwater gusher is so huge, it’s visible from space.

Oh, one more thing... to those buffoons who want to drill indiscriminately... please get a clue. This destruction of the gulf is only the tip of the iceberg if you proceed without forethought or planning. Or, perhaps this was really good planning... kill the environment... kill the wildlife... destroy civilization as we know it... but then, what?


Photo was shot on May 17, 2010 by MODIS instrument aboard NASA's TERRA satellite. NASA Goddard / Rob Gutro http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/20100517_spill.html

passing of a legend...

I'm sure there are those who will disagree with me, but what a woman.

I’m talking about Lena Mary Calhoun Horne, who passed away yesterday. Born June 30, 1917, she gained renown as an singer/actor/civil rights champion and then some.

At the age of 16, she began dancing at the world-famous Cotton Club in NYC, later singing with jazz legends such as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. During WWII, she refused to perform on a USO tour when German prisoners of war were seated in the front rows even as African-Americans were relegated to seats further back. Needless to say, she was cut from the tour, but continued to perform for troops, paying her own way. She embraced the civil rights movement in the 1960s, becoming an ardent supporter of Martin Luther King.

Style, class, grace... Lena Horne. Now she sings with the angels.

in your face...

Views from the spill.

I apologize for posting these today, but somehow it seemed appropriate, what with this being Mother’s Day and we generally refer to this planet as “Mother Earth.”

So, look at the destruction we have wrought, all in the name of greed.

oil spill photos/ AP

mother’s day...

To my mother and to all mothers, everywhere, Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day is the day set aside to celebrate all those responsible for... well... all of us.

Mothering Day, traced back to seventeenth century England (the fourth Sunday in Lent) was the day when strict rules regarding fasting and penance were set aside, and motherhood was celebrated.

In the United States, in 1872, Julia Ward Howe (author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic) suggested a day be set aside to celebrate motherhood and international peace. Then, in 1907, a woman named Anna Jarvis set up a national Mother’s “Work Day” to raise awareness of poor health conditions in the workplace. Jarvis asked legislators and businessmen to create a special day for mothers.

The idea finally took hold in 1914 when Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday in May be set aside as a tribute to the enormous contribution that mothers everywhere make.

And so, in honor of all mothers, once again, I/we salute and thank you!

drill, baby, drill...

It was the mantra heard ‘round the country, and around the world.

Now, if you really look at those who advocate for more drilling in sensitive areas, it’s mostly old white people who are close to the end of their lives. It’s easy to see why they think drilling in this country is appropriate. After all, they’ve been fed a steady diet of lies and tend to believe everything they’re told.

On the other hand, most everyone I hang with tends to view this information with a certain amount of skepticism. Quite possibly, it’s because we’ve seen what a lack of regulation does to the environment and to people’s lives.

But, I'm from Virginia, and am embarrassed by what I'm hearing from politicians in my neck of the woods. Rather than err on the side of caution, Governor Bob McDonnell insists on moving forward with plans for drilling off the Virginia coast. Now, the proverbial dust in the Gulf has not quite settled, but already he’s pressing the administration to allow exploratory drilling, even though estimates suggest there may (only) be enough oil to fuel the nation for about a week... and enough natural gas to heat the country for about a month.

Did I read that right?

Yes, I did!

No one will ever suggest that stupidity is in short supply when it comes to some of McDonnell’s hair-brained comments.

In addition to his push to allow more oil to pollute the environment (eventually this will be the case because anyone with brains understands there will be more accidents...), this is the guy who declared that April (2010) would be Confederate History Month in Virginia, forgetting why the American Civil War was fought in the first place... oh, yeah, that slave problem...

I gotta ask, what were those people thinking when they cast their ballot for this guy??

may 4, 1970

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Kent State massacre.

For those who were either A) not alive or B) living on some alien planet, this was the turning point of public opinion around the war in Vietnam. It is also a day that will live in infamy for those who believe the National Guard acted with malice when they destroyed four lives.

While some believe this shooting was justified, as students pelted the guard with rocks, it’s difficult to imagine how rocks equate with bullets. As it was, 29 of 77 guardsmen claimed to have fired their weapons, and a total of 67 bullets were expended.

As I look at the photo of Mary Ann Vecchio kneeling over the lifeless body of Jeffrey Miller, the shock and horror of that moment comes rushing back and I grieve for all of those who died that day.

photo/ John Filo  [a minor note re: the photograph. When originally published, the bar running into Vecchio’s head was airbrushed out.]

view of the station fire... then/now

Hard to believe that we’re coming up quickly on the first anniversary of the Station Fire that destroyed 160,577 acres in an area that included parts of Topanga, La Canada/Flintridge and Glendale.

The top photo was taken as a series from a vantage point in La Canada in August, 2009, The bottom photo was taken May 1, 2010 from the Hanson Dam area. As you can see, the burn area is still very evident.

may day...

May Day is traditionally the day set aside to celebrate International Workers’ Day.

Ironically, the May Day celebration began in this country in 1886, as more than 300,000 workers across the United States walked off their jobs to protest unsafe conditions in many factories and businesses.

Today, in Los Angeles, we are celebrating the positive impact immigration has had on the development within this country. We should celebrate that impact, it’s the influx of new blood that keeps this country healthy.

The flip side: it’s the angst that continually pits one group against another, forever dividing this country.

Yesterday I went to one of the local stores for lunch and overhead two elderly (white) men discussing SB1070 recently passed into law in Arizona. As I stood in front of the freezer, looking at the various items for sale, one remarked to the other that he supported the legislation because “all ‘those people’ are just thieves, liars, rapists, or worse...” As the other man nodded in agreement, I realized I needed to move away... but nearly commented that it was amazing how they could, with one negative brush stroke, paint so many.

Today, I went down to Los Angeles because there was a massive demonstration against SB1070 taking place.

The overwhelming number of American flags was heartening. It established (at least for me) that this is a country to be proud of and embrace, even if all living within the borders are unwilling to embrace that which they don’t know or understand.

I think all sides could take a lesson from this march to city hall and perhaps embrace the differences which mold the forever changing face in these united states.