Le weekend

I have not been posting very much in the past few days, not gotten around to a decent acknowledgment of Mickey's kind honor. So, what have I been up to?

Friday, 4 July - lunch with my best friend and BBQ and fireworks at the brother-in-law's place
Saturday, 5 July - brunch with one friend then dinner and theatre with another
Sunday, 6 July - just got home a little while ago after preaching two services at St Thomas of Canterbury across the street from UNM. I used Canterbury's parking lot while attending my Russian classes on Tuesday evenings, so one might say I owed them.

Good visits and, as one might well imagine, lots of laughter while I was preaching. I could have used one more day to just do nothing. Amid all this I also got a haircut (very closely buzzed), made a Costco run, and picked up a hoe for the garden.

In 45 minutes I will be headed to the airport, hoping to sleep on the plane. I am restocked with some mysteries to read, more raw nuts and dried blueberries (yes, something in my primal genes goes back to the gathering stage of human society - I love nuts, berries, and seeds).

I have also not posted much political material of late. I am burned out on it for the moment and don't even feel like tracking what is happening. Probably from having watched it so closely for so long. I doubt this is permanent but am sharing this just so y'all know. With long work hours I just have not had the energy.

Someone asked me this morning about what happens to my life in Albuquerque. I responded that I no longer have much of a life anywhere. Not healthy, I know, and I am slated for a couple more months of this, it seems. I think I can manage that much but will very glad when I am "home for good." For perspective, one must consider that I have only worked 5 months out of the last 18. So for now we thank God for employment.

Hope you had a safe and happy Fourth.

Fight tyranny!
--the BB

The wretched US media

"Lap Dog Express" Photo via Daily Kos

We'll get back to princes when I run out of NOLA pix

Clang ,clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings as we started for Huntington Dell.



May New Orleans truly rise from the rubble. America should not lose all this.

I have, as I have noted before, tremendous respect and admiration for the people of New Orleans who claim this is as home and refuse to give up.
I know all the arguments for never settling below sea level, or in tornado zones, or flood plains, or along earthquake faults, etc.

I lived from 1991 to 2002 a mere 100 or so yards from the Hayward Fault in Northern California (and we spent a sizable chunk of money retro-fitting the house).

Frankly, I marvel at people living where winters are harsh or where soil is not fertile. But humans live where they live through the combined factors of chance, history, heritage, and fate, and somehow they make do. What seems beloved to one appears impossible or loathsome to another. Where I live now is not particularly prone to earthquakes or floods, certainly not hurricanes, though tornados are possible and small ones have hit the area. But it is high desert and I know, from six decades of living in California, that water is not an infinite resource.

I live here (Albuquerque - I'm home at the moment) because I love the place (New Mexico).


Here is yet another facade of the Whitney Bank.
This seems more suited for Central Europe or Central Asia, don't you think?
I love the carved stone.
Now that is some serious presence as one enters the building.

Even an ATM can be elegant in New Orleans. And this one is.



The world is impoverished when everything is reduced to functionality.
--the BB

Oh no, not more buildings!

Here are some more photos from my quick walk around the block after lunch yesterday. There is so much architectural detail within such a small area in the Central Business District of NOLA. For those who are really into design, detail, proportion, ornamentations, structure, texture, and color, this is a treat. And I am into all those things. I would guess that the political and spiritual and cultural aspects of this blog, as it advertises itself, are obvious. This romp through the architecture of New Orleans helps me uphold the aesthetic side of things.

And no, I simply cannot bring myself to spell aesthetic and its relatives without the "a" at the beginning. It is from the Greek aisthesis, after all.

Interesting juxtaposition of the rough-hewn white stone with the highly polished gray granite column. [Can you believe that the Blogger dictionary did not recognize "hewn"? What sort of illiterate dolts compile their dictionaries? While I'm sounding curmudgeonly, do we have major opportunity to use the word "dolt" more often? With a presidential election year we should find no shortage of exemplars.]

The texturing in the concavity is unusual.
How can you not love a neighborhood with arches like this? (Well, ignoring the humidity and heat and all, that is.)
I love this building. What a delicious terra cotta color. (Oh, the blog speller doesn't like terra cotta either. Sheesh.)

The Whitney Bank has great capitals on its square columns.
The Safe Deposit Vault section has these lovely curved bars that makes me think of the folds of hot candy being poured. (Yes, the BB has a notorious sweet tooth.)

There is a sense of barbaric splendor here, plus the trustworthy stolidity a bank hopes to convey. "Your money is safe with us."

I will refrain from comments about the financial industry in general at this point except to note that I read somewhere this morning (was it on AmericaBlog?) that there is talk of the Dow sinking to 10,000 again. I remember the days when folks were excited that it would finally reach 10,000 (but that was coming from below, not above).

Here we have a vacant lot amid the other buildings, a common sight in the CBD.
Another interesting combination of textures and design.

I like the sense of age in New Orleans. Though by New Mexican standards it is all rather modern.

--the BB

I have been honored

Deeply.

But I cannot respond tonight. When I get home, probably Friday morning.

Thank you, Mickey.
--the BB

What effing flute?

Last night as Jay and I were heading back to our apartments he said I was to be sure to remember the flute the next morning (today).

My brain begins a scan of the memory banks. Now, I must concede that the short-term memory buffers are extremely, as they say, volatile. I am trying to think of any moment when he and I have ever discussed any flute. Coming up blank.

Of course, it only took the time I spent typing the first word of the previous paragraph for the most seriously puzzled look to form on my face. I was driving, so he had the luxury of watching my reaction. Mind you, he was not yanking my chain. I was just totally flummoxed. My expression said it all: "What effing flute are you talking about?"

I was more polite, though. "What flute?" I queried. "You know, the one downtown," he respoonded, or something along those lines. My expression becomes more puzzled and a string of "What?" "What flute?" Perhaps there were overtones of "I don't know nothing about no flutes, bro!"

"The one you want to take a picture of," he finally says.

"Oh, the clarinet," says I.

We had talked about how impressed I was from day one with the clarinet painted in trompe l'oeil fashion on the side of one of the downtown Holiday Inns. I had been wanting to take pix of it from the beginning yet still had never done so.

Needless to say, Jay is not a connoisseur of wind instruments. We had a good laugh. Actually, we roared and enjoyed this confusion and my reactions and his reactions to my reactions most of the rest of the ride home.

And this morning we pulled over into a vacant parking lot and I took out the camera and shot photos of "the flute." There was also ribald male humor about saluting the flute.

Anyway, here it is.

The detail is truly amazing.
And that shadow is paint, of course.
And that is my photo anecdote for the day.

I took lots of other pix at lunch today but will save those for another post.

Tomorrow I (and most of my coworkers) fly home for the weekend. Woohoo! We are all quite keen about the prospect of seeing our own homes, being with our own loved ones, sleeping in our own beds, etc.

May you and all those you love have a glorious, patriotic, and safe Independence Day.
--the BB

Pray for our courts

They may be our final recourse against tyranny (since Congress is doing such a lousy job of it).

The CD Circuit Court of Appeals smacks down allegations by the Bush machine in a Guantánamo case, reaffirming that courts require evidence, not assertions. You can read about it in Smintheus' post here.
--the BB

Words of wisdom from Richard Rohr

This is part of a sentence from Richard Rohr's Radical Grace quoted by MikeF at his blog. The post merits a visit.
--the BB

Perhaps you were wondering...

... whether I had forgotten about torture, or FISA, or the Constitution, or princes? Not at all, but time and energy are severely limited, especially the latter. [In the category of good news, I have been getting a lot more sleep and am feeling almost human. If I get enough I may feel ursine again - even better! Private joke with my ex-honey.]

You can check out Emptywheel on the charging of Abd al Rahim al Nashiri for conspiring to attack the USS Cole. He is one of the Gitmo detainees who has been waterboarded. There seems to be evidence that he was involved in the suicide attack on the Cole and, if so, I would like to see him tried and convicted for the same. But can we ever pursue honorable legal mechanisms to deal with such a person if all we do is tainted with torture? And can the government afford for details of what has been done to him to come out in the public forum? You can bet they will try to minimize or squelch it.

It was a sad day when torture became an acceptable topic and an acceptable procedure and the Bush administration must be made to own and carry that stigma into history. We, the American People, must work to undo that legacy and fight to ensure that it is never repeated.

I've given up hope of educating Fox viewers about Jack Bauer being a fictional character operating immorally in unrealistic circumstances.
--the BB

An early evening adventure

My carpool buddy was chatting with his brother on the cell phone and I was sufficiently distracted to head down one path toward the apartment this evening after work instead of the one I intended. So I decided to shift over to the desired route via a street I had not traveled before.

This involved what I call a "New Orleans left turn" - turning right onto a divided street, proceeding for half a block, and using a turnaround (someone told me they are called "free zones" but we have not confirmed that) to make a U-turn and head in the direction one originally intended. All this because most intersections in this city have No Left Turn signs on them.

I assumed I would come to the desired parallel street.

Then I began to doubt.

We had driven a bit farther than I expected. Did we cross it on that overpass? (Yes.)

And so we found ourselves in a neighborhood hitherto unknown to either of us. We drove through lovely tree-lined streets with stately homes and others more modest but still quite nice. And we drove. And drove. We were lost, yet not really. Eventually we came back to the street we wanted, from the other side, and were back on track.

We had one of those unplanned mini-adventures and it was fun and interesting. Had I been the passenger instead of the driver, I would have been pleading for my buddy to stop so I could snap photos.

Because I always have my New Orleans street map in my briefcase and my briefcase with me, I don't worry about getting lost. Just don't ever put me in a strange city without a good map; my navigational anxiety can mount with lightning speed.

Even among these very nice homes - some of them mini-mansions, or not so mini - one could see the signs of damage and rebuilding. Nature is indifferent to our status in human society (though our status can ameliorate or exacerbate the consequences of nature's indifference).

It has been an emotionally difficult day (as the update below indicates) but it had a very nice surprise on the way home.
--the BB

For the injured

My co-worker Sandi just called. Her husband Lewis was in an accident today and is about to be transferred to Tulane Med Center. His eye has been damaged and they will be doing surgery first thing tomorrow morning. There is a chance he may lose it.

Lots of prayers for Lewis and Sandi, please. Thanks.

Strengthen your servant Lewis, O God, to do what he has to do and bear what he has to bear; that, accepting your healing gifts through the skill of surgeons and nurses, he may be restored to usefulness in your world with a thankful heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

With him we hold all those whose lives this day have suddenly been altered through sickness or injury.

Update:

I learned this morning that they were not able to save his eye.  Prayers continue for them both as they go through a difficult adjustment.

--the BB

Making the world safer for ... heroin? - UPDATED

Pentagon Report Anticipates Rising Violence in Afghanistan
Washington Post - 23 hours ago
By Josh White Violence in Afghanistan will continue to rise this year, as Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters have proved resilient and aggressive foes against coalition forces, according to a new Pentagon report issued to Congress yesterday.
Attacks in Afghanistan grow in number, complexity, report says Baltimore Sun
US says Taliban attacks may rise this year Reuters

Experts warn that Afghan heroin may flood Southeast Asia
New Straits Times - 2 hours ago
Top Indian and Pakistani narcotic officials today warned Southeast Asian governments of increasing African drug dealers exploiting Asian women to smuggle heroin and that the trend would worsen as Afghanistan is enjoying a bumper harvest of opium.
UN: Opium Trade Soars in Afghanistan Washington Post
UN warns of rebel-held drug surge BBC News

Imagine where things might now stand in Afghanistan if most of the US energy and attention had not been diverted into Iraq. Not that we could successfully occupy Afghanistan. No foreign power has done that throughout history, nor should we even consider that as a goal. But we might have done some longer-term damage to the Taliban. We might have captured bin Laden. We might have done some social rebuilding there that would allow the people to make a decent living doing something other than the easy and highly lucrative cultivation of opium poppies. We might have even learned to use diplomacy to work with the sundry warlords who still rule most of the country.

Might have. Two very sad words.

Update:

Smintheus discusses the Congressionally-required Pentagon reports at Daily Kos:

The security report indicates that the situation is deteriorating so badly that the Pentagon expects the Taliban to continue to grow in strength (it has "coalesced into a resilient insurgency"); expand its strongholds in the south and east while moving into the north and west; and "maintain or even increase the scope and pace of its terrorist attacks and bombings in 2008" (IED attacks were up 35% in 2007). June has seen 40 coalition soldiers killed in Afghanistan, a new high since the invasion. Even though we have only 32,000 troops deployed there, US deaths in Afghanistan in May outnumbered those in Iraq. It's fair to say that things are falling apart.

I highly recommend clicking the link and reading the summary. Disheartening, of course, but we need to know these things.

--the BB

Shamelessly stolen

And on the Lord's Day, too! And me a priest.

Via Margaret's blog, "Leave It Lay Where Jesus Flang It," we have Mina Mazzini, Italian pop singer, delivering a powerful version of "Nada te turbe" [from the bookmark of Santa Teresa de Jesus, aka Teresa de Ávila].



Nada te turbe
Nada te espante
Quien a Dios tiene nada le falta
Solo Dios basta
Todo se pasa
Dios no se muda
La paciencia todo lo alcanza

Let nothing disturb you,
nothing afright you.
Whom God possesses
in nothing is wanting.
Alone God suffices.
All things are passing.
God never ceases.
Patient endurance attains all things.

I love this conclusion to Margaret's current most recent post:

Earlier this week I stated that I was striving to get a good mantra deep into my soul --'let nothing disturb you' --and 'all shall be well' and let it be my method of being. Feh! Now I am ready to go radical... step outside the system.... go wild....

I'll let you know how it goes.

Margaret, thank you for commenting at Mimi's place so I and others might get to know you better.

¡Santa Teresa, ruega por nosotros!

--the BB

4113

Latest Coalition Fatalities

06/28/08
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties (3 of 3)
Cpl. Marcus W. Preudhomme, 23, of North Miami Beach, Fla...assigned to 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii...died June 26 while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province

06/28/08
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties (2 of 3)
Capt. Philip J. Dykeman, 38, of Brockport, N.Y...assigned to 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii...died June 26 while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province

06/28/08
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties (1 of 3)
Lt. Col. Max A. Galeai, 42, of Pago Pago, American Samoa...assigned to 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii...died June 26 while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province

06/28/08 en.apa.az:
Azerbaijani peacekeeper dies in Iraq
Azerbaijani peacekeeper serving in Iraq died. APA’s north bureau reports that 20-year-old Rafael Agayev, who was drafted from Khachmaz in December 2006, died in Iraq some days ago.

06/27/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 2)
Maj. Dwayne M. Kelley, 48, of Willingboro, N.J., who was assigned to the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion, Green Bay, Wis...died June 24 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from a bomb blast.

06/27/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 2)
Chief Warrant Officer Robert C. Hammett, 39, of Tucson, Ariz., who was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo...died June 24 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from a bomb blast.

06/27/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 3)
Pfc. James M. Yohn, 25, of Highspire, Pa...died June 25 in Mosul, Iraq, from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device on June 24. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment...

06/27/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 3)
Spc. Joel A. Taylor, 20, of Pinetown, N.C... died June 25 in Mosul, Iraq, from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device on June 24. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment...

06/27/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 3)
Sgt. Alejandro A. Dominguez, 24, of San Diego, Calif... died June 25 in Mosul, Iraq, from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device on June 24. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment...

06/27/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Pfc. Bryan M. Thomas, 22, of Lake Charles, La., died June 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Salman Pak, Iraq, when his patrol encountered small arms fire during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion...

06/27/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Joshua L. Plocica, 20, of Clarksville, Tenn., died June 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment...

Source: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count

Source: iCasualties.org/oef/

"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you."

This is the terrifying core of the mysterious and dreadful tale of the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac (or as Christians usually call it "the sacrifice of Isaac" though it did not quite get that far).

Intriguingly, it is also the first time the word "love" occurs in the Bible, underscoring the horror of the tale.

In offline correspondence today Jane R and I discussed this passage very briefly, as it is appointed for the Eucharist this weekend and she is preaching tomorrow. I commented that child sacrifice continues today and is sadly common and the chiefest means thereof is war (the second possibly being neglect - e.g., doing nothing about malnutrition and disease because we lack the political will to do so).

Moloch today is, as ever, the egos of old men. And perhaps, nowadays, oil and the evils aggregated around it.

May the souls of the departed rest in peace and rise in glory.

And Godde have mercy on us all.
--the BB

Billy Carleton Sykes - RIP

I just learned that Uncle Billy, aka Billy C. Sykes, had a massive stroke and died. He is my ex's uncle, and thus mine (you cannot un-adopt me).

The son of Otto C. and Katherine (Kate) P. Sykes, Billy was in "the cattle bidness" in Ballinger, Texas. Earlier in life he and Aunt Mary were raising cattle in the bleaker parts of SE New Mexico. A hard life. Good people.

Many a time we've heard how he flew "over the hump" in Burma during WWII. He was a First Lieutenant.

I was fortunate to visit their home during a family reunion some years ago. The Carnegie Library in Ballinger had just been restored through energetic efforts of the community spearheaded by Aunt Mary.

Billy helped me with an off-the-wall question I needed to resolve in writing my fiction.

I last saw him when we had a family reunion for my father-in-law Jack in August 2007. Aunt Mary and Uncle Billy came out from Ballinger and there were cousins from all over. Most of these folks I had not seen in about 16 years, though I have seen Billy and Mary a few times in between.

Unfortunately, when I was having troubles with my hard drive earlier this year I lost my photos of last August's party. A sadness.

As is the passing of Billy, a true exemplar of an earlier era.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
--the BB

Sabbath in spite of myself

I usually fall asleep so fast I barely get past the Lord's Prayer and remembering people before God when I am deep in snoresville.  Not so easy last night and I woke well before the alarm.  I was totally wiped out when I got up this morning.  Perhaps it was the intercessions of all those nurses, but I had the good sense to give the keys to a carpool buddy and stay home.  I crawled back into the rack and slept until 11 a.m.  I then arose and had a big plate of scrambled eggs with toast and orange juice (part of this complete breakfast!).

Because I have commitments to accomplish certain things, this means I will be working on Sunday instead.  As I commented in another thread elsewhere, I am sure Godde, who wants me to be healthy, understands.  Later this afternoon I am going to take a long walk in this neighborhood but first I have to let the daily thunderstorm do its thing.  I just heard a long, deep rumble and believe I can hear rain falling.

And that's the news from River Ridge.

--the BB

Working weekends

When in New Orleans I work Saturdays (8-10 hours).

On my next two weekends at home I will be preaching on Sunday.

When this gig is over I am planning on down time.

On a saner note, Belle and Maggie are going to work tomorrow. Brave daughters. Of course, they are on a mission of mercy, lifting spirits and spreading love among the work-weary.

Last Saturday they were princesses. This time around I am thinking of them as psychiatric nurses. I think they need little white caps (but that's just because I am old fashioned and still am uncomfortable with gaudy floral print blouses). Nice white uniforms with pins and little capes. That's the ticket.

[You guessed it: the girls are giggling at their silly old parental unit. Maggie just suggested a rectal thermometer and Belle is threatening to hold me down. Fortunately, dad is still bigger than they are.]


UPDATED to include illustrative graphic of a proper nurse, a minister of mercy

--the BB

A Sabbath day's journey

The title refers to the short distance one is allowed to walk on the Sabbath (enough, it is hoped, to get to the synagogue and back home). Tonight we are having another round of New Orleans photos that you can watch without leaving your chair. I leave it to learned rabbis to debate whether clicking and scrolling constitute "work" on the Sabbath. This blog takes no responsibility for your souls.

A closed restaurant. So much of New Orleans dining is not yet close to recovering, even though luxury commercial high rise buildings surround this spot and busy office workers and vacationing tourists are all nearby. Perhaps not yet enough of them. And beginning a business takes a lot of money, any kind of business. You have to be able not only to start up and open the doors but stay afloat as business builds - and that in the best of circumstances!

This is actually one of the hopeful views: a commercial high rise being renovated and restored. A small army of workers gather here every morning.

Looking into a courtyard. Moments before I snapped this picture the largest damned rat I've ever seen slithered across the courtyard. [Apologies to the sensitive types but a reporter's gotta tell it like it is.]

Here is a closer shot of the window framing from the prior post. If you really want to see the detail, click on the photo to enlarge (not because my photography merits enlargement but because detail is so fascinating... for some of us, anyway).

This has some nice detail too, even if the pic is a bit washed out.

I absolutely love the rhythms in this building. Nice proportions too.

A close-up at the restaurant. Whaddya think: should I treat myself some evening?

Here we have the Baronne Plaza Hotel, another historic building from the 1930s with its deco style. This is the one with the painted panels in its windows.

I include this because the biotech firm I worked for in Emeryville, California, was in old laboratories of Shell Oil, and we thus occupied "The Shell Building." This New Orleans edifice is now a place with luxury condos and corporate apartments. The retail portion of the building is not yet developed.

This is a fun building. The red granite portion of the facade juts out slightly at the bottom, so it all slants back as it rises. Very disorienting when we expect vertical surfaces of buildings to be plumb! I think it constitutes some really nice detail.

The next few photos are of the historic Charity Hospital of New Orleans. I especially wanted to include these because some years ago my ex's father worked here as a young doctor. When I was last in New Mexico and we were enjoying a Father's Day dinner, he inquired about it and I gave a rather blank look in response. I had not heard of it and wondered in what part of town it might be. The joke was on me when a quick check of Wikipedia (see the link above) provided the address.

"Oh," I responded, "I have been driving past it every night. It is just down the street from the Tulane Medical Center hospital cafeteria where I eat most of my lunches."

It is an immense facility, now empty. You can read about its history and fate at the link above.





This was a quick shot while waiting at a red light. No, I did not take photos while driving.

Here we have a courthouse, as all the bail bond sites in the neighborhood testify. Doesn't it just reek of solidity and civic power?

Actually, the central portion is rather nice with good columns. "The administration of justice is the foundation of liberty" reads the inscription. Hmm. I should rather like to see justice administered in this nation once again.

That is tonight's tour. We'll see what happens this Sunday. I may play vegetable again or I may go romping about.

Shabbat shalom!
--the BB