Today, more than 300 million people around the world celebrate Nowruz and hold festivals and ceremonies to glorify this invaluable historical tradition.

People in the Persian-speaking countries of Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan celebrate Nowruz along with some groups of people in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Iraq, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Albania, Macedonia and Georgia.

On February 23, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognized March 21st as the International Day of Nowruz and called for increased international attention to this ancient Persian tradition which is now encompassing the whole Middle East, Central Asia, Caucasus and Black Sea Basin.

The UN General Assembly "called on Member States that celebrate the festival to study its history and traditions with a view to disseminating that knowledge among the international community and organizing annual commemoration events."

Prior to the recognition of March 21st as the International Day of Nowruz, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had included this ancient Persian festival in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity upon the submission of a proposal by Iran and its neighboring countries to the organization.

Nowruz is a festival which is celebrated during 13 days. According to the Jalali Calendar which was devised and designed by Omar Khayyam, the renowned Iranian philosopher, polymath and mathematician, the first day of Nowruz is coincided with the moment of the transition of the year or the commencement of vernal equinox in which the sun is observed to be directly over the equator, and the north and south poles of the Earth lie along the solar terminator; sunlight is equally divided between the north and south hemispheres

The moment of the transition of the year has been symbolically and traditionally dear and cherished to the Iranian people. They believe that at this moment, the old year comes to an end and the New Year begins, so all of the improper habits, bad memories, animosities and enmities should disappear and be replaced by happiness, goodwill, friendship and benevolence.

A few hours prior to the beginning of the New Year, Iranians spread a table setting called Haft Seen. On this table setting, Iranians put seven items and materials whose names begin with the Persian letter "Seen" or the English "S" and represent a certain quality which is beloved by the people.

Some of the most popular items of Haft Seen table include "Samanu" which is a sweet pudding made from wheat germ and characterizes cheerfulness, rejuvenation and affluence, "Sib" or apple which symbolizes rebirth, health and well-being, "Sekkeh" or coins which represent wealth and richness, "Sonbol" or the fragrant hyacinth flower which announces the beginning of the new year and "Somaq" or sumac which stands for sunrise and power.

One of the most popular customs which is conventionally observed by the Iranians during the 13 days of Nowruz is family gatherings. Children of any age go to visit their parents and grandparents and get holiday gifts from them. The grandmothers and grandfathers retell ancient stories, tales and fables for the youngsters. Fathers and mothers bring dry nuts, sweetmeat, eggs and clothes for the newly-married couples.

The housewives and mothers usually grow wheat, barley or lentil sprouts in dishes and place them on the Haft Seen table. On the 13th day of Nowruz which is called Sizdah Bedar or the Day of Nature and is believed to be a day of blessing and bounty for the people, all of the families leave their homes, go out and camp in the groves or prairies and also throw their dishes of wheat, barely or lentil sprouts in the rivers so that the potential bad omen, immorality and evilness of the coming year disappear with the dish.

However, Iranians have rightfully mixed their ancient national traditions with religious symbols to make Nowruz an opportunity for moral and spiritual revitalization along with recreation and amusement.

Since the emergence of Islam in Iran, the people of Iran merged Nowruz with Islamic customs and used the opportunity of the New Year festivals to approach the Almighty God and enshrine their traditional religious beliefs. For the Muslim nation of Iran, Quran is the paramount component of the Haft Seen table which is put on the most elevated position of the table setting.

During the last moments of the old year in which all of the family members gather around the Haft Seen table and wait for the transition of the New Year, Iranians pray for the wellbeing of the patients, the improvement and progress of their country and propagation of goodwill and benevolence to all over the world.

Nowruz is a festival for peace and purity. You can find in it both enjoyment and spirituality. Terrestrial and divine beauties can be seen in Nowruz simultaneously. Nowruz is an opportunity for the enrichment of the self and integration and solidarity of those who celebrate it all around the world.

In Tipu Sultan's lineage, a child by the name of Inayat Khan was born in the year 1882 in a noble Indian family. Inayat Khan's mother was a descendent from the immediate family of Tipu Sultan. He was introduced to the Suhrawardiyya, Qadiriyya and Naqshbandi orders of Sufism but his primary initiation was into the Nizamiyya sub-branch of the Chishti Order. He was also indebted to the philosophical Vedanta/Shankara spirituality of Hinduism.

With his mentor's encouragement Inayat Khan, later to be known as Hazrat Inayat Khan, left India in 1910 to come to the West, travelling first as a touring musician and then as a teacher of Sufism, visiting three continents. Eventually he married Ora Ray Baker from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was later known as Pirani Ameena Begum. Ora Baker was the half-sister of American yogi and scholar, Pierre Bernard, her guardian at the time she met Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Inayat Khan had four children with Pirani Ameena Begum-two sons and two daughters-with the eldest being Noor-un-Nisa. Noor-un-Nisa, later known as Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, was born in the Kremlin in 1913 where her father was received as guest of the Czar Nicholas II. The Czar, his country troubled by internal unrest and looming war, was seeking spiritual solutions to the problems facing his regime. Therefore, the influential Gregory Rasputin invited Inayat Khan to visit Russia in order to share with the Emperor's family and court his Sufistic doctrines of peace and love.

In 1914, shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, the Khan family left Russia for London and lived in Bloomsbury, while Noor attended kindergarten at Notting Hill. In 1920, they settled in France, moving into a house in Suresnes near Paris, a gift from a supporter of the Sufi movement. After the death of her father in 1927, Noor had to take additional responsibility for her grief-stricken mother and her younger siblings. The young girl, variously described as calm, timid, astute, and pensive, studied child psychology at the Sorbonne and music at Paris conservatory under the famous Nadia Boulanger, composing for harp and piano. She started a career of writing poetry and children's stories and became a regular contributor to children's magazines and French radio. In 1939 her book, Twenty Jataka Tales, inspired by the Jātaka tales of Buddhist tradition, was published in London.

After the outbreak of World War II, when France was overrun by the Wehrmacht in 1940, the family fled from Paris to Bordeaux and from there by sea to London, landing in Falmouth, Cornwall in June 1940. Although Noor Inayat Khan was deeply influenced by the pacifist teachings of her father, she and her brother Vilayat Inayat Khan decided to help defeat Nazi tyranny. (Vilayat Inayat Khan later became head of the Sufi Order International.) So on November 19, 1940 she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), and as an Aircraftwoman 2nd Class, she was sent to be trained as a wireless operator. Later she was recruited to join F (France) Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and in early February 1943 she was posted to the Air Ministry, Directorate of Air Intelligence. During her training she adopted the name Nora Baker.

Her fluency in French and her competency in wireless operation--coupled with a shortage of experienced agents--made her a desirable candidate for service in Nazi-occupied France. On the night between 16/17 June 1943, cryptonymed 'Madeleine' and under the cover identity of Jeanne-Marie Regnier, Noor Inayat Khan was dropped behind enemy lines in occupied France.

Together with two other women SOE agents, Noor joined the Physician network led by Francis Suttill, code named Prosper. Over the next month and a half, all the other Physician network radio operators were arrested by the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). In spite of the danger, Noor rejected an offer to return to Britain and continued transmitting as the last essential link between London and Paris. Moving from place to place, she managed to escape capture while maintaining wireless communications with London. Finally, Noor Inayat Khan was betrayed to the Germans allegedly by a French Air Force pilot who worked as a double agent for the Nazis.

On or around 13 October 1943 Inayat Khan was arrested and interrogated at the SD Headquarters in Paris. Though SOE trainers had expressed doubts about Inayat Khan's gentle and innocent character, on her arrest she fought like a tigress. Thereafter, the SD officers were afraid of her and she was treated as an extremely dangerous prisoner. Hans Kieffer, the former head of Gestapo in Paris, testified after the war that she didn't give the Gestapo a single piece of information despite continuous grilling.

On 25 November 1943, Inayat Khan escaped from the SD Headquarters, along with two other SOE Agents but was captured in the immediate vicinity. There was an air raid alert as they escaped across the roof and regulations required a count of prisoners at such times. Their escape was discovered before they could get away. Consequently, Inayat Khan was taken to Germany on 27 November 1943 "for safe custody" and imprisoned at Pforzheim in solitary confinement, without any contact with the outside world and in complete secrecy.

She was classified as "highly dangerous" and shackled in chains most of the time. As the prison director testified after the war, Noor Inayat Khan remained uncooperative and continued to refuse to give any information on her work or her fellow operatives. On 11 September 1944 Noor Inayat Khan and three other SOE agents from Karlsruhe prison, Yolande Beekman, Eliane Plewman and Madeleine Damerment, were moved to the Dachau Concentration Camp.

It was a crisp Munich morning on September 13, 1944 when the four shackled women were led to the execution grounds. All were made to kneel. Friedrich Wilhelm Ruppert, the SS trooper in charge of executions, gave the orders to shoot. By eyewitness account, one by one the troopers shot Madeleine Damerment, Eliane Plewman, and Yolande Beekman.

Come the turn of the fourth prisoner, Wilhelm stopped the executioners. He stepped forward and hit the fourth prisoner with his gun butt. When she fell to the ground, he kicked her till she was reduced to a bloody mess. She was raised to her knees forcibly. Wilhelm then shot her in the back of her head thus bringing to an abrupt end the short life of Princess, spy, heroine, martyr Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, a great great granddaughter of Tipu Sultan, the last Muslim sovereign of South India. One died fighting British imperialism. The other died for Britain fighting Nazi imperialism. Her last word was "Liberté". She was 30 years old.

Noor Inayat Khan was posthumously awarded a British Mention in Dispatches and a French Croix de Guerre with Gold Star. Noor Inayat Khan was the third of three World War II FANY members to be awarded the George Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry not on the battle field.

So what do we do dear readers? Be happy that she lived or sad because she died? Or salute her cherished memory and move on with a mournful heart?

"I want to thank my friend, Senator Bill Frist, for joining us today. He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me."
Nashville, Tennessee, 27 May, 2004

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."
CBS News, Washington DC, 6 September, 2006

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''
Townsend, Tennessee, 21 February, 2001

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Saginaw, Michigan, 29 September, 2000

"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three - three or four books about him last year. Isn't that interesting?"
Speaking to reporter Kai Diekmann, Washington DC, 5 May, 2006

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."
Washington DC, 12 May, 2008

Admittedly, this is likely the most complex machine ever built by human beings.

First, the collider was shut down due to a transformer problem. However, that news was suppressed for almost a week.

While happening after the above, we first found out that the computers at the facility were hacked. Further, this was not outside attack. The hackers were allowed access to the site by posing as a security team. After gaining access to the facility, they were able to hack into the control software of the collider. Since a machine this complex also requires complex programming, this could have been (or could be) a significant event.

Now we find there are two other little problems. First, from the BBC, we learn that there is a magnet problem which may shut down operations for months. And we learn from al Jazeera, that a helium leak has cropped up.

The collider is credited with being the most complex machine ever built, and the energy generated to be as powerful as the sun, which may be why it was built almost 300 yards underground. As CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) notes:

Starting up a major new particle accelerator takes much more than flipping a switch. Thousands of individual elements have to work in harmony, timings have to be synchronized to under a billionth of a second, and beams finer than a human hair have to be brought into head-on collision.

Well, it seems like things are less than "harmonious" with the project.

On the brighter side, it seems like they are shutting down to address issues - even if they are being less than forthcoming about the problems that are arising.

Dragonfly on our deck

From Nature

Bird and dunes at Twin Rocks on the Oregon coast

From Nature

Sunset on the Oregon coast - Twin Rocks

From Nature

Hummingbird on the crocosmia in our backyard

From Nature

The hummingbird at rest

From Nature

Moon flower - not doctored or touched up - I swear

From Nature

The sky from our front yard

From Nature

Full moon

From Nature

Honey bee on a leek head in our garden

From Nature

Our dogs hoping they can come in and greet company

From Nature

This just makes my jaws ache. For our elected representatives, and in particular the Democrats, to vote for these things is not an issue of "fear." If they are willing to destroy our rights because they are "afraid," then one must assume that they actually believe that Constitutional abridgements are "necessary" for our security. Bull. A total surveillance society (in other words not the one we thought we were living in) is not safer, and it certainly does not have the wall of privacy that is needed for a free citizenry.

While I appreciate Harman stepping up and speaking about this, it is just pure cowardice that our elected representatives would throw away our Constitution because they were scared. Apparently, that was a fairly self-serving fear, because the "hyped" threats were to Congress. COWARDS and fools.

How many times can the administration lie, deceive, obscure, cherry pick, and "hype" before the Dems wake up? What ever happened to "Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me?"

Or how about the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007 that passed the House on September 25, 2007? That is the bill to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guard (their military) a terrorist organization. Excuse me? We want to declare a government's military as a terrorist organization? Seems to me that the U.S. is on very shaky ground there. What about the School of the Americas now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation? You remember SOA is the one that trains Latin American military and police in torture, supression of "insurgency" and other means of controlling an "unruly" population? Since this is part of our military, should it be considered a terrorist organization? Or what about the CIA? The U.S. has an fairly long list of "helping" certain factions to power, arming "insurgents" to overthrow their government, etc. In fact, the U.S. has been aiding "dissidents" inside Iran to take over that government. Sounds like any of those might make the U.S. ripe for claims that we are state sponsors of terrorism. In fact, we are even arming and training "insurgents" (or those formerly labeled "insurgents") in Iraq.

The list could go on and on, but I'll just add one more that sticks in my craw - the hyped indignation about MoveOn.org's add prior to the Petreaus report. What pray tell happened to free speech? Why are our elected representatives taking time to "condemn" free speech? Why did they not do the same for Max Cleland, John Kerry, or John McCain. Shall we really get into personal attacks and defamation of character? Yet a number of Democrats in both the House and the Senate somehow felt they need to spend time and breath on some sort of display of false patriotism.

I am tired of the cowardice of Congress. I am tired of Democrats supposedly taking a stand while too many seem to be voting right in lock step with the Republicans. I am tired of excuses that are totally off the point. They can all - Dems and Republicans - start representing us, or they can get the hell out of Washington. That same message needs to be sent loud and clear to the Presidential candidates. We (and by that I mean the almost 75% of citizens of the United States) do not want more of what we have seen and experienced for the last seven years.

Below, I have included the votes on the items mentioned in this article.

Who Voted How?

Link for Senate Roll Call Votes

Link for House Roll Call Votes

Yes. A slug. Apparently slugs have been dining on the peanut butter. I did not even know that they liked peanut butter. This one apparently made the mistake of not getting all the way inside before dining.

Overall, I am impressed with what Orbach brings to us in deepening our understanding of events in the Middle East, and particularly in Jordan. While sometimes reading a bit like a personal journal, some of his insights are excellent.

Orbach, a Jew, largely presented himself as a Muslim in his journeys through Jordan, Syria, Egypt and surrounds. What he brings to us, in part, is the view and life of the so-called "Arab Street." Unlike news reports, and government studies, one gets a feel for the lives and thoughts of the people. I believe this is a tremendously valuable contribution for Americans whose government has focused on this region as central to U.S. "interests." These are real people living their daily lives.

One of the things that he discusses about his visit to Turkey is the "duality" between the public and private lives of the people he interacted with. Turkey has a secular government (though this is under challenge at this time); however, it also has a high level of tourism which makes a more "cosmopolitan" environment. Religious edifices exist side by side with discos. Personal discussions of religion seem largely taboo (from Orbach's description). This is hauntingly familiar to what used to be the norm in the U.S. where polite conversation avoided religion, politics, and sex. However, in Turkey, this creates a more stark contrast between the public and private lives of the people.

Orbach grapples with tough issues from cultural issues, to regional conflicts, to perceptions of the United States. His discussion counters and refines some of the generalizations that make up the political rhetoric of neo-conservatives. For example, Orbach discusses "America haters" as follows:

... there are two different streams of anti-American thought that should not be lumped together into one generalization. A more nuanced approach reveals two generalizations instead: America haters and America policy critics.

America haters are the "Arab Basement" drifters of Osama bin Laden nihilists. ... They seek the overthrow of regional governments that they consider heretical...

American policy critics have a different agenda, and to a varying degree, a different source of displeasure than bin Laden nihilists or haters. Policy critics oppose the substance of American foreign policies rather than America's character as an immoral and aggressive power. For them, it is more the unjust nature of American policies that deserves criticism and not the actual act of "interfering" that is so loathed by America haters. (164)

One of the things that I appreciated in Orbach's work was the unexpected broader insight that stretched far beyond the body of the work while being pertinent to it. Such was the case with "duality" mentioned above, but another example came in the midst of a discussion of Palestine.

From the perspective of people and a people's history, existence and history do not depend upon official sovereignty and independence. To be sure, the actions of government institutions and the relationship between the ruler and the ruled are key parts of any history. They influence the quality of a people's life; however, they are not the exclusive components to a formula that determines a people's history.

The absence of functioning and sovereign government institutions that are internationally recognized do not prevent Palestine from existing as a fact on the ground, a place. ... If we were classifying these people by nationality, we'd call them by the nationality they've chosen as a people--Palestinian. So what of the official name of the land that they live on? Why do we insist that it be called the West Bank or Gaza? In the breathing world of humans, it is Palestine, the place of the Palestinian people. Official stationery, passports, and voting rights at the United Nations will not change the history of Palestinian life. It will add a new and positive change, but it will not make Palestine exist for the first time. Palestine is already a place with a history and a people. The passports and papers will make it a state. (199)

I highly recommend this work for those who want to get a feel for the lives, perspectives, and conditions of the people of the Middle East (and particularly of Jordan). I found the book thoughtful, but it also encouraged me to reflect on other issues from political to philosophical. While Orbach is not successful in stepping totally outside the American world view, it is useful for us all to follow his growth and change as his exposure and experience emerges. "Live from Jordan" is a journey for the reader as much as it was a journey for Benjamin Orbach.

Thursday was the final presentations of the Round Table, a group trip to Blenheim Castle, and a banquet. Friday I traveled all day. Got stuck in Newark, NJ., and spent a brief period in a hotel to catch an early flight back to Portland on Saturday. But first, Blenheim Castle.

I must say that the castle where Winston Churchill was born (apparently one of the most important things in its history) is stunning. Pictures inside the castle are not allowed so most of these are of the grounds.

Welcome to Blenheim Castle - this is the from gate.

For my week's efforts, I received a certificate from the Oxford Round Table Trustees.

Well the trip home was no less eventful than the week had been. As you may have heard, it rained in the UK. My flight was delayed, but we took off before the massive rain hit. However, that put us a bit late into Newark. Not terribly late, but because of a tremendously inefficient security and transfer system, I ended up spending the night - or part of it - in Newark.

Continental sent me to a hotel, but I was back at the airport at 3:45am. Yes, it was a very short night. The plane to Portland was packed to the rim, and I had a middle seat. Needless to say, it was not a comfortable trip. I was so very happy to be back home.

Thank you all for sharing this adventure with me.

I went to the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. For a fee of $5.00 you can risk your neck climbing up to the spire where you can take some exceptional pictures of the surrounding city. You should know going in that I am terrified of heights, but I steeled myself hoping to bring home and share an amazing sight. I will show you the pictures from the spire first, before I give you the hair raising details. I estimate the height of the spire at about 175-200 feet - I did not spend a lot of time looking down.

This is the Camera Library - which I spoke of in an earlier "adventure" report.

Here are a couple of neat carvings on the tower.

Now for the exciting piece. Here is the entry/exit to the stairs from the top of the tower.

If you think you are confused with this photo, try taking these stairs.

There is essentially an open column through which very narrow, steep stairs curve around. This picture is from the top looking down the stairs. The stairs themselves are about 24 inches across, and probably 6 inches deep at their widest part. The curve is so sharp and so steep, that you truly can only see 4 steps at a time.

Once you get past those stairs, you get to some wooden stairs. They too are steep and made me nervous on the way up. However, they looked like a snap after the tower steps.

This is an old picture that was by the wooden steps. There is no captioning, but Oxford still looks like this.

This is part of the ceiling which is outside the library

St. Mary's has some exceptional stained glass windows.

The Catholic version of prayer flags?

Nothing like some descriptive signs to make my day.

I couldn't tell if this was redundant or trying to tell me two different things.

This is a huge downed oak in a park that is a nurse log.

This is Longwall Road. I believe this is part of the original wall that surrounded Oxford - of course it has been repaired and renewed numerous times.

I came to the Holywell Cemetery. It was really sad in a number of ways.
Here was a pretty bird on a headstone.

A lot of the information on many of the markers is totally worn away. This one was the oldest I found that I could read - the date is 1612.

This touched me in a complex way.

This was sad. Very few of the grave markers were actually cleared. This is what most looked like.

An angel on a crypt.

Note the tracing of the vine that permanently etched itself into the stone.

The only Jewish headstone I saw.

In the wreath is "Poet"

This headstone had been fairly recently replaced.

A remarkable (and expensive) crypt.

Headstones used to repair the cemetery wall.

Singers and Musicians.

The Helliwell's; "beloved by all" - and employees of St. Cross College.

Beautiful work.

On the lighter side - and I was ready for it. I noticed pigeon after pigeon flying over head. They were lining up.

For what you might ask.

For the breadcrumbs. If you look closely, you will see I ended up taking a picture of myself as well - reflected in the glass. I didn't realize that until I actually saw the picture.

Hope you enjoyed the travelogue.

After lunch, I was to go on a museum tour. Unfortunately I laid down to take a nap and they left without me. When I got up, I decided to find a rare book dealer who was supposed to be in the area. I found the shop (Jericho Books) but it was closed. Of course, there was no "be back at," or the hours of operation. I'll check back tomorrow I guess. It is about 8 blocks from where I am staying. However, on the walk there were some interesting sights.

I thought this was quite a nice crest.

And this one made me smile.

The Brits are security conscious, and apparently have been so for a while. These little devices scream damage to cat burglars

Now perhaps you recall the earlier warning of automatically raising Bollards in the road. There are a number of interesting signs here, and this is another one.

Now, I have read about the hedgehog crossings, but the Humped Zebra is a breed with which I am unfamiliar. I looked down the street for any roaming free, or even penned, but didn't see them. Perhaps they travel primarily at dawn and dusk. I will certainly keep an eye out for them in my wanderings. I hope those blasted bollards don't get them.

Yesterday was the first day of the Round Table and it was very full. Really excellent presentations by everyone. Last night's presentations were lively and emotional, and elicited an equally emotional response from the audience. Some supporting and some angry. The usual academic reserve and politeness slipped a bit. One of the presenters, Leleua Loupe who teaches history at Rancho Santiago Canyon College presented with a doctroal candidate form U of Ca. - Accela Minerva Ojeda. There paper was discussing nativism and racism in the U.S. immigration issue. Dr. Loupe is also a spoken word artist and performed a piece she had specifically created for presentation in Oxford. Very powerful and very personal, and she was very brave to do this in this venue. My hat is off to her.

Part of my time yesterday was occupied with a walking tour of the colleges that make up Oxford University. We had an excellent guide who provided a lot of history along the way. I will share some of the pictures here.

First, and not on the tour but a building I had listed as an unidentified church earlier, is St. Anthony's College.

Here is the Oxford Union where most of the Round Table presentations and discussions are being held.

Inside the Union

Common across from Oxford Union.

From the walking tour....
The entrance to one of the colleges (there are 39 but we did not tour all of them). I believe this one is St. John's.

The first quadrangle at St. Johns - this one on the "accommodations" side. There are no dorms. Each apartment is on a "stair." which accesses in this case 4 accommodations. There are no connecting hallways which adds privacy and cuts down on noise.

A very old door.

The second quad (many colleges have only one). Note the numerous gargoyles, but a better picture of them later.

This is a close up. One of the very interesting things is that every gargoyle is uniques. Even when they are of the same creature or person they are in different poses and expressions. There are well over a hundred of them around the quads at St. John's.

This is one of the garden's at St. John's.

St. John's is one of the richest (historically and currently of the colleges). I guess that is not too surprising as St. John (the Baptist) is the patron saint of merchants. Go figure they would have money to burn. The family who started the college ended up owning most of north Oxford, and apparently the college still does.

Different college and another exceptional entryway.

Downtown Oxford - a ped only area. Note there is little "new" construction here.

Now 3 Protestants were burned in Oxford in 1555 and 1556 (when the Catholics held sway)

And the spot of the burning has been preserved.

About 4 blocks away, a memorial to them has been raised (I believe sometime in the 1800s)

Most of these I can't tease out what College they are, but the architecture is amazing.

This is a library - with underground tunnels to surrounding colleges. The funds were donated by a doctor to the Royal Family.

And above the door of the Sheldonian Theatre...

Music anyone?

Enjoy!

Just shortly before 12am, I was jolted out of bed by the ringing of the fire alarm. Throwing on some clothes and shoes and grabbing my passport and computer, I felt the handle of the door of my room. It wasn't hot and so I headed out down the back stairs. I arrive in the lobby to a growing number of guests milling around asking where the proprietor is. No one had seen the night man. Eventually he stepped out.

Apparently some of the rowdy students from Kazakhstan had set off the alarm - there was no fire. There were 30 of them at the hotel with one teacher. The night man and a guest set off to track down the teacher. I headed back to my room. Then followed roughly an hour and a half of shouting, stomping, and door slamming. The teacher trying to exert control I presume. Then about 2am, the alarm goes off again. After about 30 seconds, it shuts off. I lay abed twiddling my thumbs and tried to go back to sleep. Eventually I did, but got up at 6:30 - a short night indeed.

I skipped the "poor man's" breakfast portion of breakfast and ate toast, cheese, and peaches this morning. The went to my room to pack and clear out. Walking around outside for a bit, I looked at the sky which had quite strange clouds. It went to flat gray shortly thereafter.

I called St. Anne's, and they said to come on over. The hotel clerk called a taxi for me and off I went back up Banbury. I actually was not at that location during my walk as St. Anne's is on the opposite side of Banbury from my walkabout.

Here is the Lodge at St. Anne's - and the building where I am staying.

Shall we tour the room?

From the door ...

the bed ... and it is hard (the Brits seem to prefer "firm" beds - and no ice)

the desk ...

the view out the window

Moving around to the front of St. Anne's it is clear this is an older section of Oxford than where I was staying.

Here is the building where the laundry room lives - spent an hour there ironing all my clothes.

Here is a building containing some shops which is across the street.

And here is the same building from a different angle - impressive isn't it?

An old church is next to the laundry - not sure yet of its name.

Walking around St. Anne's there are some very nice older buildings. This one is directly across from my room. It has very interesting doors and door shields.

This is the view down the walkway between the "lodge" and the building across from me.

I took a much needed nap (after last night's excitement) and am getting ready to clean up for the reception that starts at 6:45. I have met a few of my fellow "Tableites" and they seem a fairly friendly group - at least the ones who show up early. I am sure I will have a better acquaintance with them after this evening. I am looking forward to dinner - my belly is growling.

The Round Table Starts
Well, it has finally begun. We had a reception and then dinner. I met maybe one quarter of the participants, and talked extensively with four of them. This looks to be interesting. There are folks from a wide array of disciplines. Who knows what tomorrow may hold?

After speaking via google talk with my partner and a friend, I made my way down to breakfast at the hotel. I must say that as unimpressive as my room is, that the dining room is quite nice.

Ah Breakfast
I went into the dining room thinking this would be a continental breakfast. There was juice, fruit, cheese, cereal, and some excellent hot pastries. I took some fruit, a pastry and some cheese and went to sit down. The woman who checked me in yesterday asked if I wanted a "poor mans" English breakfast. Feeling adventurous, I said "yes please."

A few minutes later, she brought me a huge plate of food (I wanted to take a picture of it but thought that would be seen as rude). It had a fried egg, two pieces of "bacon," a "sausage," some pork and beans and half a tomato. I "tucked into" breakfast, but what it looked like and what my taste buds were expecting did not agree. The bacon looked a bit like Canadian bacon, though cut long like U.S. bacon. It did not taste like either. The "sausage" looked like a small specialty sausage - not like a breakfast pork sausage, and it had virtually no seasonings - or seasonings I could not recognize. The pork and beans were similar to Van De Camps - but not particularly sweet. The tomato was a tomato, though the egg didn't taste like my eggs.

I was eating out of politeness and not particularly enjoying it. As I struggled with my taste buds, I thought that my brother-in-law Dennis would probably fall over for this breakfast. He is from England (Wales actually), and I imagine he deeply misses familiar tastes and meals as he lives in Portland now. Anyway, I felt quite guilty not liking a meal I thought he would love.

Right then, my hostess approached asking if I was in Room 25 and when I responded "yes" she handed me the phone. Guess who? Dennis of course. I told him what I was having for breakfast, and chatted, and then spoke with my sister in law Kathi. We chatted briefly as I ate my toast - which was excellent being homemade bread. I tried to make it look like I ate more of the breakfast than I had.

I went outside, and took the garden pictures posted earlier, and then decided to go for a walk. Actually, I wanted to rent a bike, but they wanted 15 pounds with a 100 pound deposit for the day, and that was too steep for my budget. Therefore I set out on foot.

I decided to take Marston Ferry Road as it looked like it ran into farming areas. Indeed, it did. Below is a cottage from the walking path that runs along Marston Ferry Road

The way the paths are laid out is interesting. There is the road for the cars. Then there is a hedge with a bike road, and a separated walking path/side walk. Then there are also paths leading off periodically into the fields which are sometimes labeled "footpaths." There is a distinct lack of signage everywhere. Many of the streets seem to have no signs. The paths almost never have signs. I guess you are supposed to know where you are and where you are going. I did not.

I thought I would take about an hour's walk. That turned into three and a half hours because I had no idea where I was. I will say, that I did not get too far off course, and only had to turn around a backtrack once.

One part of the foot path

An Oxford neighborhood - I have no idea what street as there were no street signs

I decided that rather than turn around and walk back up Marston Ferry, I would make a loop. I checked my "trusty" map and it showed a connection over to a major thoroughfare which crossed Banbury (the street the hotel is on). The connection was named "Back Lane" - not called that, named that. So I headed down "Back Lane" which is apparently part of the foot path system.

Back Lane

Here is a field off Back Lane

I assume this type of gate is to keep the cows in, but I never saw one cow.

Unfortunately, Back Lane just becomes a track:

So I cross over one of these foot bridges to try and find a more well traveled route.

And if I were in Eugene, we would call this a slough. I have no idea what they call it here.

This is where I went from confused to lost. A passerby seeing me pouring over my map stopped to help, and with more vague directions, sent me back the other way.

There are these huge fields - some groomed and some obviously farm - in the middle of what appears to be city. Most are not labeled so it is hard to figure out what you are looking at (or where you are). I am wishing the dogs were with me to run in these fields.

Like this one which is clearly "something"

And this one which is a farm (with dogs)

And these - which I believe are some form of British pheasant eating in a field.

And this old cottage which I thought had character.

Anyway, the new directions placed me in the back side of University Parks - though the sign for that was a forty minute walk away. I crossed back over River Cherwell and captured these pics.

Swans, ducks, and I believe a Coot.

The same swans...

A pretty good picture of one of the swans.
.

Hiking on, the most striking aspect of University Parks was the trees.

This one, and the close up following, was striking.

Some more nice trees ...

Finally I get to the University Parks map. Of course, there is no "X" saying "You are here."

I am at some entrance, but it is not clear which one. I figure I must cross the park to get back to Banbury Road, but I am somewhat intimidated by the following sign:

I have no idea what a "Bollard" is, but it sounds vaguely like the troll under the bridge.

I believe this may be a "Bollard," but I wouldn't bet lunch on it.

For my friends who drool over flowers, here are some pics of flower beds in University Parks.

And for those, who like me prefer trees ...

A huge oak - trunk about 6 feet.

Another grand tree.

And its neighbor


A brave bird - it came close enough and stayed still long enough for me to get a picture.

After asking directions three more times, I find my way out of University Parks to discover find I am actually at Oxford University. By this time I am too footsore to explore. However, there were some great architectural examples here.

Ultimately, I did find my way back to Banbury road. By then, I was about 2 miles above my hotel. I made it back without event, then slept for an hour.

After resting up, I went back out into the world to try to see the "backside" of the Oxford business district. I didn't really find it though I walked a ways. I did however find Portland Road and decided to check it out.

Here is an old church.

And a Rowan tree.

This is the typical architecture on Portland Road.

Returning to the hotel, I saw this sign which somehow I missed before. It is on a pole in front of the hotel.

Well enough of this for now. I am getting hungry and have decided to try the pub down the road. I get nervous eating out because I am clearly a foreigner. Those from England all eat left handed. They cut with their right hand and eat with the left (fork turned downwards). I have tried it several times, but my lack of comfort makes me look all that much sillier.

Collapse

These are from the plane. They are taken through the plane window. They were taken between 10 and 11 pm slightly west of Hudson Bay (Canada).

Here are some shots of the Galaxy Hotel where I am staying.

Garden Shots

Looking back towards the hotel

Statue in hotel garden

Interesting sitting place in the garden

The Coi Pond

The biggest Coi I have ever seen - must weigh over 10 pounds

The view out my window

As an aside, I just have to say something about airport security. It is a major process getting through. Off with the shoes and coats. Computers out of bags, other electronics up for grabs. All onto the belt. Step through the metal detector. Collect your 3 bins of gear. Hop on one foot putting on shoes while trying to corral coat, computer and carry-on. Those TSA workers must have to struggle to not break out laughing. Anyway - I went through that dance three times yesterday.

So I dutifully show up at Continental for my flight to Newark. I arrive at 12:15 at the gate and there are two passengers - unruly children in tow, occupying the two available agents. The plane was supposed to be boarding at 12:30. I get a sinking feeling as the ongoing mayhem happens at the desk as the minutes roll by. 12:30 comes and goes. 12:45 comes and goes. Finally I step up to the desk with the rumor spreading that the plane I am supposed to get on is delayed for mechanical problems. I look at the Continental clerk and say "I'm not making that flight to Gatwick am I?" "No" says she, "but you can stay over night in Newark and take another flight to Gatwick." I told her I would like another option. So she scans around the computer and comes up with an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle (leaving at 3:00) with a flight via British Airways to Heathrow leaving Seattle at 6:40. "I'll take it!" says I. Heaving a sigh of relief I wouldn't be spending the night in the Newark Airport, and that I would be reasonably on my itinerary. I double check that she calls for my checked baggage to be shifted to whoever, so it ends up at Heathrow when I do. Then it is off for a jaunt all the way to the other end of the airport to wait.

Alaska takes off on time, while I sit sweating and waiting. I am an almost non-smoker, but could have used one in the two hour wait for my new flight. However, the vision of going back through the 30 minute security line dissuades me.

The flight leaves almost on time with the lead flight attendant having delusions of being an entertainer. She sings instructions and information to us, to pop songs like "somewhere over the rainbow." I am not making this up.

I arrive in Seattle and head over to British Airways. It is not only all the way over on the other side of the airport, but you have to take the last leg on a subway. Off I go, up to the two floors from the subway to the terminal and trot around to BA. Nobody is home and I have no boarding pass. Back down the stairs to the subway. Back to the main terminal. Out of the secured area to the ticket counter. Get the boarding pass and instructions.

I figure "What the Hell, I have to go through security again, I am going to have a smoke." So I exit the terminal, but smoking is only allowed on the lower level. Of course there are no signs to direct the nicotine addicted on how to get there. Ultimately, I find it. I take the opportunity to make a quick call home to share my arrival information and get some moral support. I am exhausted already and I am not 200 miles away from home.

Back into the airport. Back through security. Down to the tunnel to catch the subway to the terminal. Back up the two stories to the terminal (with all this running around I can see why smoking may be a bad idea). Finally, we load up.

This is a big plane - a Boeing 777 - and I wonder at it leaving the ground empty much less with a couple a hundred of us on board. My seat is all the way at the back of the plane, in the center aisle, but at least I got an aisle seat. That is a blessing. We load up, lock up and ... wait. There is some kind of baggage problem (not mine) where someone's bags are onboard but they are not. We wait. We loaded at 6:00. The flight was supposed to leave at 6:40. We finally get off the ground at 7:20.

My back is screaming and there are 9.5 hours more before we are to touch down in London. I am in economy, and I decide you need to either be a gymnast or a contortionist to ride there. I wonder if maybe I am a gumby that I can't get out of my seat without crawling up the back and perching on the arm to squeeze out. There is an elderly gentleman ( at least in his late 80s with a cane) who makes the attempt to get out of his seat. I'll be damned if he isn't going through exactly the same contortions. The rows are so close together there is simply no way to exit them without going over the arm.

It is a bumpy flight and we are going the northern route - through Canada, the Northwest Territories, by Greenland and Iceland. Sitting in the middle of the plane, I can't see anything but the seat back in front of me and a crack of sky off to one side. There is a small window back by the lavatory, and I tick off the flight attendants by claiming the porthole as my own - I do share with others though.

Dinner, which was scheduled for 7:30 finally makes the rounds by 9:00. I guess that's a "Continental" dinner, but my stomach gave up a long time ago. Shortly thereafter, they dim the lights and close all the cabin windows. I search through the viewing possibilities on the little monitor residing on the back of the seat in front of me, but can't find anything more fascinating than the 3D graphic of where we are, followed by elevation, temperature, distance to destination, and time. I watch it for the entire trip. At 10:00 I get up to see what the terrain looks like. Mountains and lakes, and virtually no snow. We are somewhere way above Calgary, and it seems like there should be more snow on the ground than there is. The other discovery - it is still light. Not midday light but bright sunset light. We are far enough north that the sun doesn't set at this time of night. I am awed and honored by the site.

Likewise, when I check at 2am, we are moving into much brighter light, and by four, it is incredibly bright. Of course no one seems to know or care except me, and maybe the flight crew. They are irritated that I keep opening the shade to marvel at bright sunshine in the middle of the night.

As you can tell, I am not getting much sleep. Every time I have even gotten close, we either hit turbulence, or the baby that is about 8 rows up starts wailing like a cat with its tail caught under the rocking chair. Not to mention, my back hurts so bad that there is no way to get comfortable enough to sleep. I do doze off at one point for about 30 minutes. My aisle mates are long gone having taken Ambien hours ago. I close my eyes hoping to sleep. I open them after what seems like a long time to see the trusty readout on the seat-back in front of me shows that 3 minutes have passed, and that the air temperature outside the plane is -59 degrees (at a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet).

Finally we arrive at Heathrow. I go through the strip down again for customs and get interviewed by a customs official. I guess he approves my entrance into Britain and tells me I can pass. I wait with everyone else for my suitcase, and heave a sign when it comes round.

Now what? The directions I had gotten were to get to Oxford from Gatwick - not Heathrow. I try asking several people for directions and get sent here and there with luggage in tow. Several tell me to take the underground, but I know that can't be right. I figure out they are trying to give me directions for Oxford Circus rather than Oxford. One "courtesy clerk" points me in the direction of the "coach master" who I will recognize by his yellow vest. There are only about 30 people within my line of site who are wearing yellow vests. I approach one and ask him if he is a "coach master." He looks at me like I have lost my mind and points me back the way I have come.

Ultimately I get pointed in the right direction and wait for the bus. When the bus arrives and the driver steps down, I ask him if this is the bus for Oxford, England. He looks at me askance and say "Where else?" I tell the short version of my story and being directed to downtown London, and he takes pity on me. He sells me a ticket with a return, and tells me how to get back to Gatwick (versus Heathrow).

I get on the bus, and groan at having to sit for any longer, but sit I do. I am so glad I did not take the recommendation to rent a car. I never would have made it out of the airport.

As we go along, I am most struck by the fact that the vegetation looks so much like the home. I had expected something much different, but architecture aside, the fields and trees and bushes could be my home in Portland Oregon (in fact it is identical in many ways when I started walking around Oxford). I last for about 30 minutes before stalled traffic overcomes my ability to stay awake. I get my first sleep in almost 24 hours and wake up about an hour later on the outskirts of Oxford. I have no idea where I am, just that I am aiming for the Galaxy Hotel. I know I am getting off at Gloucester Green (which I ultimately learn is the bus station in Oxford). We finally get there after another 40 minutes tied up in traffic. I alight and hope I can find a taxi. I ask a couple of ticket agents who vaguely wave (I am getting used to this) and say "go that way."

Hauling luggage I "go that way" and see no taxis. In fact, I am in a pedestrian only area. Roaming in widening circles, I finally hear a car. I look around and it is a taxi! I trundle over and ask the driver if he has a fare and he says "No." I ask him if he can take me to the Galaxy Hotel on Banbury Road, and he loads my suitcase into the taxi. We arrive and I alight.

Entering the hotel I am thinking, "this doesn't look quite like what was advertised." (See their virtual tour>/a>) I am directed to take the lift to the second floor and the manager will meet me there. The place is a maze, fire doors everywhere with two steps up and two steps down. My $140 "suite" is a 10x10 room with a small bathroom. The bed, a side table, a phone stand and phone (no phone book and amazingly no Gideon Bible) are the basic accommodations. The bed is a mattress on a board, but at least I can stretch out and I'll settle for that. I already know there are virtually no other rooms in Oxford, so like it or not I am here.

Are you taking prescription medications? According to new research (again out of Britain), prescription medications may be contributing to the "obesity epidemic".

The research was done by Glasgow University and the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. They found:

Olanzapine and clozapine, drugs used for psychiatric conditions, resulted in the most weight gain - up to 22lbs in 52 weeks. Insulin for type 2 diabetes was found to increase weight by up to 13.2lbs, while some drugs for depression added up to 8lbs, and some for high blood pressure led to gains of up to 3lbs. A heart drug added 5lbs, while some treatments for epilepsy added more than 12lbs, and some bipolar drugs led to weight gains of around 8lbs.

It is not clear exactly how the drugs contribute to weight gain. Also on the list are beta-blockers. Researchers say that weight gain should be discussed with patients before prescribing medication.

On another front, fructose may be worse than glucose for your arteries. Apparently, fructose was associated with fatty deposits in the arteries of "overweight adults." It also seemed to elevate "bad" cholesterol.

Multinationals are aggressively pursuing a campaign to get nursing mothers to use infant formula rather than breast feed. The campaign is proving successful - even as doctors world wide are promoting breast feeding. According to a Christian Science Monitor article:

While the East Asian average for exclusive nursing is 35 percent for the first six months, that figure falls to 5 percent in Thailand, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Vietnam, the breast-feeding rate almost halved in four years, falling from 29 percent in 1998 to 15 percent in 2002.

U.S. companies are among the biggest players, and they are apparently targeting the most populous markets. Oh the hell with the immune system and developmental benefits (not to mention cost) of breast feeding.

There are indications that the companies are violating existing advertising rules> There is also the chronic issues of parents who are strapped for cash are thinning out formula with the also chronic results - infant ill health and death:

Struggling parents who opt for formula often dilute the product or substitute rice flour and other powders that lack essential nutrients, say health experts. In the Philippines, where bottle-feeding costs a minimum $43 a month, an estimated 16,000 infants under 5 die annually because of such practices, according to UNICEF. Campaigners point to Cambodia as a sign of what can go right. A national campaign there has raised breast-feeding rates at six months to 60 percent, up from 10 percent in 2000. Over the same period, child mortality fell by one-third, a huge gain that can only be explained by the switch to breast milk, says Karen Codling, a nutritionist for UNICEF.

What's a few (million) dead infants in the ever-present search for "profitable" markets?

I feel honored to become a member of CJO's team. Cyrano's has a long history in the radical media - starting as a print journal in 1982. They have continued that presence as a radical media review and voice on the internet.

Patrice Greanville is the founder and chief editor. His analyses offer depth and keen insight which are informed by his decades in the trenches. He has a deep and long commitment to animal "rights" which is included in his discussions of the role of speceism in US and global cultures.

Jason Miller, who we know well here at UTJ is also deeply involved with Cyrano's. He has recently incorporated his site Thomas Paine's Corner into the larger Cyrano's site which is now located at this link.

The selection of authors and articles at Cyrano's is a radical's cornucopia. I am honored to be included among such an illustrious and committed group of activists and thinkers.

Please take a moment to take a look at Cyrano's Journal Online if you are not familiar with it, and drop by Avenger if you are so inclined.

Those of you that I have come to know and consider now as friends, are a very special group. You care, you learn, you share, and you act. You truly do have the courage of your convictions. You are willing to change your lives and be role models and supporters of others on the path. You are willing to take unpopular positions and continue to fight for liberty, justice, and a better world. While I am sure that each of us has been called many names and labeled as unpatriotic (and worse), I know that you are patriots in the truest sense of the word. I honor your courage, your integrity, and your compassion.

While there has been a change of wind recently, I am not expecting huge shifts out of a Democrat controlled congress. I do believe there will be some gains. I hope that there are major changes of course. Realistically (or perhaps pessimistically) I don't expect the Dems to have the courage of their convictions. I would like nothing better than to be proven wrong on this.

Regardless, I will try my best to make Uncommon Thought worthy of your time and effort. I firmly believe that we still have a world to save, and in that effort the skills and loves and vision of each of you is critically important.

May 2007 truly be a New year.

Sincerely,
Rowan Wolf

We are going to need our wits and our hearts about us in 2006. Here are my predictions from the trends I see.

U.S. Politics
A believe that Samuel Alito will be confirmed to the Supremes. This will change a critical balance in a number of areas. It will bring an even more corporate orientation to the Court. Rights for corporations will increase, while rights of people will decrease. The court will largely support the push for increasing the scope of powers vested in the Executive Branch. Federal environmental policies and legislation will continue to erode.

I believe that the Democrats will not gain a majority in the House. They will gain some seats from the 2006 elections, but not a majority. Republicans who are beginning to question the scope of preemptive actions taken by Bush will be under threat.

The DeLay (and Abramoff) debacle will not net as many changes as we might hope. DeLay - like Gingritch before him - will continue to be a force even if convicted of the charges against him.

Nothing much will come of Plamegate.

World Politics
There will be increasing conflict and increasing racism. A firestorm is brewing globally with forces of extremism on all sides. From Indonesia to the Middle East to Europe to the U.S., fear will rule the day. White racism in relationship to the anti-Muslim sentiment will become more visible, and more reflected across the political spectrum. These fears will be utilized to further suppress populations.

The conflict between Iran and Israel and the U.S. is likely to escalate. It seems increasingly likely that either Israel or the U.S. will engage in some form of preemptive strike, or attempt at "regime change." The reasons given for this will be the military threat that Iran poses; however, this is part of a much larger game involving resources and strategic positioning of the China/Russia/Pakistan/Iran coalition.

China will continue to expand its reach and influence.

I believe that, unfortunately, the Israel and Palestine issue will erode ... again. It seems highly possible that Israel will flex its muscle militarily both in Palestine, but also with Iran.

Resources and Resource Wars
Open conflict may emerge out of the Russia-Ukraine situation. Gas is being used as a weapon to cover other conflicts. It seems that the Ukraine is likely to be a Russian "object lesson." for other former Soviet Block countries, and perhaps beyond that to U.S. allies (or regimes supported by the U.S.). Europe and NATO could become embroiled in the Russian-Ukraine scenario.

Oil prices will go up as OPEC seeks to scale back on production, and demand continues to increase. Ongoing discussions between Russia and OPEC will not curb the all out rush of Russia trying to move as much product as possible. Natural gas prices are likely to double again this year.

There will be other resource problems and conflicts. I see the two main resources that will substantively effect everyone, as clean water shortages, and scarcity of metals such as nickel and lead. The water issues will increasingly include the United States as poisons such as DDT will start ending their long percolation through the soil and into aquifers.

Climate
2006 will make 2005 look like a lamb. I believe we have passed a tipping point in global warming. The Gulf Stream will continue to heat, and the North Atlantic current will continue to slow. Ozone alerts will go up and melting permafrost will accelerate the damage being done. We may possibly make it through both the English and Latin alphabet on named tropical storms. Category 5 storms will increase.

The shift in when snow falls and when melts hit will exacerbate the water problems globally as snow pack is not maintained as a year round water reservoir.

Global Economics
The world is in a very fragile place in terms of economics. It will take very little to push it over the edge. Another spike in energy costs, a natural or man made disaster significantly impacting energy supply, production, or transportation could be economically catastrophic. Nations significantly slowing down, or stopping the financing of U.S. debt could topple the apple cart. A significant (thought not major) economic down turn in any major economy could domino.

Global Activism
2006 may be a year of amazing activism from the populace. People seem the crumbling around them, and the lack of effective government response. For a growing part of the global population, the anger at the lack of effective government response (and in many places outright suppression) will mobilize the masses to change. The questions will be who can win the war of ideas. If the global powers that be are effective in utilizing fear as a way of controlling populations and gaining support for policies, then the peoples' movement will suffer a setback. If the truth continues to spread, then governments may well have to transform under the pressure and disruption an aroused populace demands.

One thing that is very clear is that positive change is not going to occur without the voice and activism of the populace on both national and global levels. Expanding and maintaining a global network and awareness will prove a challenge - though not necessarily an insurmountable one.

Conclusion
I believe that 2006-2008 will be a turning point - for better or worse. We are going to have to make some hard choices, and drastic change awaits us no matter which way we go. How we approach and address the challenges of the planet, and the political and economic forces driving us, will determine how much of the population - and how much of the planet - will survive. There will be catastrophe; however that can also offer the opportunity for tremendous positive change. It is up to us - all of us - to craft a better way forward.

I found my first Norton book, "The Zero Stone" when I was about 12. I was "hooked" immediately. Hooked by Norton and hooked by science fiction. Norton's work was always a great story. She made her characters come alive, and the worlds she created, no matter how fantastic, were somehow always believable. But Norton offered me something else, as a misfit (in so many ways). Atypically for science fiction of that time, she had strong female characters. She had heroes and heroines and they were always well balanced people. Sometimes making stupid human mistakes, but always willing to learn from them. Her characters had an integrity that was a model for me. At the top of the list was loyalty - no matter what the cost to self.

Perhaps this sense of loyalty came from the "animals" she included in her stories. These creatures were always beyond "normal" and their intelligence generally matched (or exceeded) that of the humans they interacted with. I have always loved animals, and I believed (and still believe) that they have a special intelligence. The best characteristics of human and animal characters merged. Norton's work was full of partnership and fighting the good fight. They were also full of love.

Her worlds varied, and the keen insight into the challenges and possibilities of each. It is likely that it was these believable constructs, and the rules they followed, that drew me into sociology.

Her work supported me, and led me forward. It gave me a standard against which I measured myself. I had always hoped to meet her one day and tell her "thank you" for her contribution to my life and my character. Now she is gone, and that opportunity is lost for this lifetime.

Wikipedia has an excellent bibliography of her work. My favorite of all her work was the "Free Trader" series with Maelene the Moon Singer. For me, this series epitomized the best of Andre Norton. Her final book, published in April, after her death, is "Three for Scorpio." I haven't had the privilege of reading it yet.

Thank you Andre Norton for all you gave me.

Szokan talks about how the @ is referred to in different nations - now that's a novel thought. One I certainly haven't spent even a passing musing on.

One of the things she asks in the article is what does remind you of?

Well, I hadn't thought about that either, but apparently other places in the world have. Herodios.com has a detailed discussion of how various nations refer to this "common" symbol. They include pig's tail, strudel, ear, "rollmops" - pickled herrings rolled in a jar, "swinging monkey," etc.

Now what is interesting beyond this bit of cultural difference that came to me is "where did the @ sign come from and what does it mean?" The meaning I am most familiar with is as a unit of cost. For examble 3 pounds @ $2.00 a pound. Looking at the Symbols.com Dictionary (explained also at Herdios.com) is that @ is a financial and commerce symbol. Interestingly, in my old unabridged dictiony it also means an economic range where it is "to" rather than "at. For example, shoes $15 @ $40.

Using the @ sign as the universal email designator, is not universal in how it is referred to, and that it underwent a shift in meaning to get to its most common usage today. At (@) in the traditional sense means and meant "per" or a price per unit designation. In the other customary usage @ means "to," which is a price range designation.

So, when we use the @ sign in an email (rowan@uncommonthought.com) we are using it as a locational designation - even though that location is virtual rather than physical. Call me nuts, but I think that is a fascinating shift of symbol meaning, as well as the movement of a special use symbol into common use.

So who is to "blame" for starting this particular symbology transformation? According to Symbols.com Dictionary, it was the brain child of Ray Tomlinson. Tomlinson was an engineer at Bolt Beranek and Newma - the company that got the government contract for ARPANET which was the precursor of the internet. (As a side note, that was a military contract and the "backbone" of the internet runs through the Department of Defense, buth that is another story). Tomlinson needed a symbol that would not be part of anyone's name or a machine name. He selected the @ sign to separate the person's name from the machine (now an email provider's) name. It is perhaps just "luck" that the symbol also is referred to in most English-speaking nations as "at." But luck or not, it transformed both the usage of the symbol and its meaning.

The other interesting aspect is that language/nation difference in referring to the @ symbol as something other than "at" - or "to" - whatever else is going on. I assume that while @ was a standard symbol in English-speaking nations commercial and financial areas, that it was not a common "global" symbol even in the original symbolic meanings. OR, the what that "at" translates to is not the happy coincidence of double meaning that it is in English (and the same would be true of the "to" translation).

So we have a variety of very cultural things going on in this one little symbol. On one hand the transformation of meaning within a linguistic (and technological) group, and on the other an example of cultural diversity. That seems pretty unique and notable to me.

Here is the Link to Herodios site mentioned in the article

NY Times October 2, 2005, By: Nancy Szokan
Where It's At -- and Where It's Not

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

I'm talking on the phone to an Israeli writer who goes by the nickname Winkie, and I want to send him some information. "What's your e-mail?" I ask.

"Winkie M, Strudel, Yahoo dot com," he says.

"Strudel?" I said. "As in the pastry?" (I'm thinking: Maybe he has a little bakery on the side?) "You mean WinkieM, then s-t-r-u-d- . . . "

"No, no -- it's strudel , that little A sign," he says. "I think you call it 'at'?"

Of course. With a little imagination, I could see that a slice of strudel resembles the @ sign that separates user name from host in e-mail addresses. "Strudel!" I hoot. Winkie, agreeing that it's funny, later sends me a list of words that people in other countries have used for the @ symbol -- most of them a lot more entertaining (if less efficient) than our simple "at."

The list, it turns out, camefrom an online site, Herodios.com, and was based largely on research done in the early days of e-mail by linguist Karen Steffen Chung of National Taiwan University. Her lengthy collection of @-words, as well as some additions from Post foreign correspondents, shows that while many countries have simply adopted the word "at," or call the symbol something like "circle A" or "curled A," more imaginative descriptions still hold sway in many places.

In Russia, for instance, it seems that the most common word for the @ is sobaka ( dog) or sobachka ( doggie) -- apparently because a computer game popular when e-mail was first introduced involved chasing an @-shaped dog on the screen. (Don't laugh; Pac-Man was shaped like a pie with a missing slice.) So when Natasha gives her e-mail address to someone, it comes out sounding like she calls herself "Natasha, the dog." "Everybody's used to it," says Peter Finn, The Post's Moscow correspondent, "but there are still jokes -- people say 'Natasha, don't be so hard on yourself.' " Ah, those crazy Russians.

Try this: Look at the @. What does it remind you of? Apparently it reminds a lot of people around the world of a monkey with a long and curling tail; thus, their e-mail addresses might include variations of the word for monkey. That's majmunsko in Bulgarian, m alpa in Polish , majmun in Serbian and shenja e majmunit ("the monkey sign") in Albanian. Or they might call it an "ape's tail": aapstert in Afrikaans, apsvans in Swedish , apestaart in Dutch, Aff enschwanz among German-speaking Swiss. (Many Germans apparently used to say Klammeraffe , meaning "clinging monkey," or Schweinekringel , a pig's tail -- though these days it's usually just "at.") In Croatian, they call the sign "monkey," but they say the word in English. Go figure.

Does the sign make you think of a snail? That's what you might get in Korean ( dalphaengi) or Italian ( chiocciola) or sometimes Hebrew ( shablul, when they're not saying strudel). The French apparently flirted briefly with escargot. "Yes, it looks like a snail," noted one amused Korean. "But isn't it funny and ironic, since 'snail mail' is opposed to e-mail in English?"

Do you see the @ as a curled up cat? That's why it's sometimes kotek or "kitten" in Poland and miuku mauku in Finland, where cats say "miau. "

In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, it can be zavinac , or rolled-up pickled herring. In Sweden, when it's not a monkey's tail, it's a kanelbulle, or cinnamon bun. In Hungary, it's kukac, for worm or maggot.

Danes call it snabel, or elephant's trunk. In the tiny parts of France, Spain and Italy where a disappearing language called Occitan is still spoken, users call it alabast , which means "little hook." In Mandarin Chinese, it's xiao lao shu -- "little mouse" -- which must get confusing given the gizmo of the same name.

Now for the news, also known as the depressing part: As noted by Scott Herron, the compiler of the list at Herodios.com, some of these more colorful images appear to be fading, or are already gone. Many of Chung's correspondents note that their local e-mailers increasingly just say "at."

This might just be a result of the cultural hegemony of English. Or maybe, as e-mail has gone from exciting new technology to spam-filled work tool, it has ceased to inspire as much creativity. Instead you get the mundane Japanese atto maaku -- literally, the "at mark" -- and the Mongolian buurunhii dotorh aa -- "A in round circle."

More strudel, please.

Nancy Szokan, a Post editor, would love to tell people that her e-mail is szokann monkey sign washpost.com, but she doesn't live in Albania.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I stumbled across Cmaps. I am linked to a webring on Peak Oil with the Radical Noesis site and the webring is hosted by Flying Talking Donkey. Flying Talking Donkey is also a mind mapping afficianado, and has a link to a concept map on peak oil. I saw the map and immediately got excited. SO I followed a link on the map to IHMC Cmap Tools and downloaded the free software to create concept maps.

Over the years I have looked at one software program after another that purported to do mind or concept mapping. They have all been big busts in my opinion because they forced a linear process. But the Cmap program really does provide concept mapping ability. It also allows the linking of annotations, notes, and url links to concepts. That is a tremendous leap forward. The software allows collaborative mapping, but I am still working on the basics of how the program works. You can try that out at the Flying Talking Donkey map link above.

If you are interested in concept mapping I highly recommend IHMC Cmap. Wired News has a piece on it called Concept Maps Go to School.

Waypath is a contextual search engine, and the plugin uses this method to find related links. Unlike MoreLikeThisFrom Others (which searches trackback to your post), this would take the keywords (or title or something) and run a search somewhere like technorati or bloglines, and then return a results page of other articles on the same topic. The purpose is to give readers other paths to explore - what different perspectives are.

From Waypath.com. From Waypath:
* Waypath watches over 8 million blogs to bring you the freshest information available.
* Waypath breaks blogs into individual posts and analyzes each for subject matter
* Waypath uses revolutionary text-analysis software from Think Tank 23 to learn what each post is about.

Anyway, Waypath uses a contextual search engine, and they have a plugin for MT as well as other blog software. The output is somewhat customizable and can be formatted with css.

underscorebleach, has an excellent set of instruction and code to do a nice display of the Waypath output.

I have the Waypath output displayed on my Individual Archive page. Here's a link to what my output looks like - it is towards the bottom above the comments. If there is no matches from Waypath, I have it set up to print - "No Waypath matches."

There are a few things I learned in playing around with the plugin.
First, the plugin only runs once per entry and then creates static output. Waypath creates and archive folder in your archives directory and caches its matches there. If for some reason, you need to change the output, you must delete the Waypath archive folder (and sub-folders) and rebuild the template that the plugin is on. You can also just do that rebuild for a specific entry (or year) by deleting either the specific file of directory (respectively) that you need to refresh.

In discussing this with the folks at Waypath, the reason for the cache process is that their server can't handle the load of dynamic builds.

Waypath also has another interesting set of what they call projects. These are a variety of ways to run the contextual searches:
Posts by Link References
Related Weblog Posts by Full Post Text
Post by Keyword Matching

(I believe the Waypath plugin actually uses the Link Reference search, but I am not sure).

They also have some Cool Tools. There is a "related stuff" bookmarklet that searches at Amazon. One that I am using - and this is quite cool - is the Waypath It! bookmarklet. Put it on your browser tool bar and you can do a contextual blog search on any page you are browsing.

Kudos to the folks at Waypath (and the participating blog community) for a great set of tools and plugins. I have very little coding skill, and I could do the basics of customizing the plugin. With the excellent directions of underscorebleach, I was able to get the output to look like what I wanted. Martin at Waypath was really helpful in responding to my questions and for giving me the link to underscorebleach.

Which spin do you prefer?
Bush calls for halt to new settlements as Sharon warns of 'civil war' in Israel
Or
Bush Supports Plan by Sharon for a Withdrawal From Gaza
Or
Sharon rejects US settlements warning

You know when you hear this from the "Intelligence Czar" that we can expect lies and spin - Negroponte Vows 'Unvarnished Truth' as Intelligence Chief

You know that the economy is improving when you read ...
Trade Deficit Surged to Record $61 Billion in February
And
Fed Worried About U.S. Inflation Rising

Your identity is safe with us - LexisNexis Says Data Breach May Affect 310,000 People

It does help to have friends in high places - Halliburton Unit's Work in Iraq Is Called 'Poor'

Four years into making us safer Nuclear Plants Not Keeping Track of Waste

Is anybody really surprised that the World Bank and IMF report that global poverty targets 'may be missed'? Do you think that Wolfowitz will improve the situation?

Once again we are "winning" in Iraq - US plans retreat from Iraq as Pentagon claims progress.

Sorry folks, all I can muster today is sarcasm.

On top of everything else Andrea Dworkin died today. I did not always agree with her analyses, but she made me think and she was a passionate and tireless warrior in the fight against patriarchy. I will miss her insights and her passion.

Donald Rumsfeld who denies any had in the torture of detainees is being sued for abuse of prisoners.

That other great democratic leader - Putin - is establishing a youth group to stop 'orange revolution'

Does anybody really believe that the democratic uprising in Lebanon is independent of U.S. influence? Oh how simple to portray this as the "wildfires of democracy."

In a confidence boosting speech to defend our constitutional rights, Gonzales promises to outdo Ashcroft.

While he certainly has experience in the structuring of hegemonies, is Paul Wolfowitz really a good choice to head the World Bank?

Which way do you go? The NY Times reports "Speculators Seeing Gold in a Boom in the Prices for Homes", but on the down side the LA Times is saying the housing bubble is about to bust.

In yet another show of leadership by the United States, we became the last country in the world to ban the death penalty for children. The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that it is unconstitutional to sentence juveniles to the death penalty. The ruling saves the lives of 72 people currently waiting on death row. The ruling impacts 19 states who allow the execution of minor children (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Texas and Virginia.) The state most impacted is Texas where 29 juveniles are currently on death row.

In cogitating on the popularity of "reality TV" I noticed my response to it has some similarities to another form of "entertainment" - slapstick comedy. Slapstick seemed to fill the airwaves and be wildly popular when I was young. I hated it - still do. In thinking about it more, I realized that (for me anyway) there were some glaring commonalities between slapstick and reality television:

1) they are demeaning
2) a focus around causing physical and emotional pain
3) power and abuse
4) embarrassment
5) playing on the stupidity of others

I wondered then, and I wonder now, why such an approach would be so popular in the United States. There is a certain level of voyeurism at play - seeing parts of people's lives that is usually kept behind closed doors. There also seems to be a perverse pleasure in watching the struggles of others.

With reality TV, though there may be a very different phenomenon - five minutes of fame. The topic of the Jerry Springer Show came up in class one day, and I said something to the effect that I couldn't believe that folks would air the dingiest part of their lives on national television. The class response stunned me. Well over half of them said that they would do almost anything to get their "five minutes of fame."

I'd like to know what others think about this. Why are people so drawn to reality TV?

Lt. Gen. ("God Put Bush In Office") Boykin in charge of planning for the DoD's expanded intelligence role

The details of the plan remain secret and are evolving, but indications of its scope and significance have begun to emerge in recent weeks. One part of the overall proposal is being drafted by a team led by Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, a deputy under secretary of defense.

Among the ideas cited by Defense Department officials is the idea of "fighting for intelligence," or commencing combat operations chiefly to obtain intelligence.

Webb 'Double Gunshot Wounds' Explanation Defies Belief

How on earth can somebody have two different gunshot wounds and their cause of death still be passed off as suicide?

Cuba Erects Iraq Abuse Billboards Near US Mission

Two billboards with photos of hooded and bloodied inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, a swastika and the word "fascists" in bold red letters were erected across the street from the U.S. diplomatic mission, where the display of Christmas lights includes the number 75, in reference to 75 pro-democracy activists imprisoned for lengthy terms last year.

Saddam calls for Iraqi unity

Saddam Hussein has urged the Iraqi people from his prison cell to be united and cautioned them to be wary of elections scheduled for 30 January.