Pigeon Point Lighthouse

An awesome picture! Courtesy of Pics and Random Stuff.

The Vigilante Gardner

This is a cool piece, in two parts. H/T to AMERICAblog.

Part 1



Part 2

Rainbows In L.A.!

Using my cell phone comes in handy, but it most certainly is not the real professional way, and does not do justice to what I actually SAW live! I can't believe it was in the 70's and it rained, and we got this beautiful rainbow! Below is a still shot. WOW, is all I can say!

Obama Administration Suspends Scientist Related To Polar Bear Problems In Arctic Region ... Hmmm

Aside from the fact that the Obama Administration is helping bring this nation to its knees, one really has to wonder how much money he is receiving for his re-election campaign from big oil interests, such that he has to resort to this:

It was seen as one of the most distressing effects of climate change ever recorded: polar bears dying of exhaustion after being stranded between melting patches of Arctic sea ice.

But now the government scientist who first warned of the threat to polar bears in a warming Arctic has been suspended and his work put under official investigation for possible scientific misconduct.

[snip]

Some question why (Charles) Monnett, employed by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, has been suspended at this moment. The Obama administration has been accused of hounding the scientist so it can open up the fragile region to drilling by Shell and other big oil companies.

Yeah, well those of us that have wised up to Mr. Obama's "change for the corporate world" can believe this.

Here We Go Again In Iceland

Iceland has closed its main international airport and cancelled domestic flights after its most active volcano, Grimsvotn, began erupting.

The United States Of BP

I have absolutely no ability to comprehend what is wrong with our government regarding the BP oil problem. At first, when the right wing nutjobs were calling it "Obama's Katrina," I was like, ok, here goes the noise machine again.

But the total failure of Obama and his gang to do ANYTHING is just mind boggling.

A fisherman who was hospitalized after becoming ill while cleaning up oil in the Gulf of Mexico has filed a temporary restraining order in federal court against oil company BP.

[snip]

In his affidavit, Wunstell described his experience at the hospital.

"At West Jefferson, there were tents set up outside the hospital, where I was stripped of my clothing, washed with water and several showers, before I was allowed into the hospital," Wunstell said. "When I asked for my clothing, I was told that BP had confiscated all of my clothing and it would not be returned."

And doesn't this sound eerily familiar to this?“

But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President [Bush], I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast — black and white, rich and poor, young and old — deserve far better from their national government.

-----

Increased national attention was on the Gulf Coast yesterday when President Obama made a visit to assess the oil spill response effort. An official in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, is reporting that BP “bused 400 cleanup workers into Grand Isle” — at a rate of $12 an hour — to be there when Obama arrived.

I could go on and on with the comparisons, but we've been hearing and seeing the incompetency of both BP's and our government's reaction to this oil problem for more than a month now.

I'll just close with this from PBS, which is a pictorial of the damage to the wildlife in the region.

It's enough to break your heart.

Oy, What A Game(s) I Saw Today!

Game two, the highest scoring post season game ever, and it started out as a blowout, with Arizona going 17-0 against Green Bay in the first quarter.

I thought it was going to be a repeat of Game one, which was definitely a full fledged blowout between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots - playing in the Pats' stadium. The very first play in that game was an 80 something yards kick-off return by the Ravens. New England (and the dreaded Tom Brady arggghhhhh) couldn't do anything right, and the Ravens won by a score of 33-14. I hate Tom Brady and so of course, was rooting for his teams' defeat.

Next came the Arizona vs. Green Bay game. As expected, all were picking Green Bay, and while I had a little emotion vested in game one (ever since New England took out my Chargers a few years back in the playoffs, and all I heard of was Brady, Brady, Brady - Kind of like "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha" from a famous Brady family television show), I sort of was pulling for Arizona, for no apparent reason whatsoever. And, like game one, it started out like a reverse blowout, with Arizona taking advantage of Rodgers' many mistakes and scoring. Arizona was up 24-10 by the end of the first half, and I knew that if Green Bay got its shit together, they stood a decent chance of winning the game. It was their mistakes and Arizona's ability to capitalize on them that made them ahead at the half. The third quarter kept them even with a 14 point spread, with each team scoring twice, but the third quarter was where it got dicey, and Green Bay scored three times to Arizona's one time, thereby leaving the game tied.

Arizona's defense won the game by capitalizing on another Rodgers fumble, which was picked up by Dansby, who ran it 17 yards into the end zone for the win. 51-45! Wow.

I'm exhausted. Two jam packed games and I had the whole day to kick back and just watch them (having run all my errands yesterday, but having to miss the two wild card games). Well, at least my Chargers will not have to see Cincinnati, and will instead, host the New York Jets next Saturday.

I did find the time to clean the kitchen, do the dishes, and make a meatloaf (laughing). They are rebuilding the apartment complex next door that burned last year, and have been tearing up the cement and land where the garages used to be. I think that is why I am experiencing an outbreak of tiny black ants in my kitchen and bathroom. They are weird in that they lack any of the ant-like abilities. It seems though there are many of them that come in batches, they are "dazed" like, not running fast, not going for the obvious, like the garbage, and just simply running around on the top of my white porcelain kitchen sink, or in the bath tub or in my bathroom sink. Although I did find one lone ant on my living room wall, and a few on the bathroom floor, mostly they appear to be coming out of the wall from somewhere, I think that is because both my bathroom and kitchen walls face where the digging up of the ground soil has been going on.

I just put on the hot water and wipe them off the sink and then put a little scouring powder along the entry ports, which tends to hold them back. I hope the ants find a new resting place, and stop trying to invade my house!

Definitely Bummed Didn't Have Video Camera Today

The winds were really out there today. This, I swear, happened.

Across the street, interspersed between the palm trees, are quite a few maple trees, with that traditional Canadian emblem, the maple leaf.

So, as I was leaving for work today, standing on the corner of La Brea and 6th St., heading south, the winds suddenly picked up dramatically, and like thousands of maple leaves were blown off the trees. They made a little crackling sound as they all hit the street, and they looked like large bugs hopping as they were blown east down 6th St. But, here is where things got weird, and again, I swear it happened.

At La Brea, the leaves all turned south! Yes, nothing went east, the leaves, hundreds upon hundreds of them, turned the fuck south and went down La Brea. I was like "what movie am I watching, and where is my damn video camera?"

First cold night of the year. Not cold enough to turn on heat, just cold enough to not have the air conditioner on, and a few windows open.

Wild Orchids!

Another great flower find walking up my block, this time, orchids! I am not an orchid expert, so I can't tell you what kind it is, but to see one growing outside of an apartment is amazing.

Alas, the plumeria tree that used to be on this block, was chopped down for some reason. After I took the pictures, someone took the flowers off the tree, and then a couple of weeks later, it was chopped down. Oh well.

The Global Warming Mug

I have no idea if this is an actual real item that one can purchase, but the advertisement is very funny ... and spot on.

Masanga, Marimbas And Assorted Music On An Afternoon Stroll

I took my grandson out for lunch at Johnny Rockets at the Farmer's Market area. After we finished, he wanted to walk through the marketplace to where the Grove is. It reminded me of a smaller version of Universal City Walk.

Up ahead, I heard some live marimba music, and we stumbled upon the group playing above. It is a band called Masanga, and they play Zimbabwean marimba music. They were good, and I actually purchased their CD.

Then Zaire and I cruised the rest of the walkway, where we encountered a light jazz trio, who were later accompanied by a vocalist.



They were a very relaxing band on a rather nice afternoon in Los Angeles. Zaire was into the water statues surrounding the area, and got himself totally wet.



Then he lay down on the grass to dry out.

We topped the afternoon off with Zorbeto's from Starbucks.

Ah, the life of leisure in Los Angeles.

Shake and Bake, er Quake

We shaked and quaked today. Nothing big for those of us that have been through the Sylmar quake in the early 1970's, the Whittier Narrows in 1987 and the Northridge shaker. Only a 5.4, which to me was nothing much to write home about.

But, what was very peculiar to me, was the fact that the management company of about 30 to 35 buildings in Koreatown here in Los Angeles, ordered their buildings evacuated! I was livid, and the last one to actually leave my building, only to see thousands upon thousands of people ON THE FUCKING SIDEWALKS AND STREETS in front of high rise office buildings!

Fortunately, I've contacted the Los Angeles Fire Prevention Bureau, and arranged for this particular management company to get a new training course in how to properly handle high rise buildings during/after an earthquake.

By the way, the local news indicated the only injuries in the local Los Angeles area (the epicenter was in Chino Hills, not in my area) were three individuals in the 3000 block of Wilshire Blvd. (my area) who were trampled by others that were "evacuating" their building.

Stupidity still amazes me.

The Lion Man

I just watched a fabulous PBS special called the "Lion Man." Truly, truly amazing. Check out the website of Dr. Craig.

2,000 Year Old Seed Germinates

A 2,000-year-old seed recovered from the ancient Jewish fortress of Masada near the Dead Sea has become the oldest seed in the world to have germinated successfully, scientists said yesterday.

The seed, which grew into a date palm plant, was one of three recovered during archaeological excavations in the early 1960s, but it was only planted two years ago as part of an experiment to see if it could germinate and grow after such a long time.

Kind of makes you think twice about the realities of a "Jurassic Park."