Tumbling Tumbleweeds

Today is just a little gusty, but it is enough to send the tumbleweeds tumbling around. Although many people think of the American West and deserted ghost towns when they envision tumbleweeds, what most don't know is that this scrubby plant is not indigenous to the Americas at all. The tumbleweed is the plant called the Russian Thistle, or more properly, Salsola. It was brought into North America from the Ukraine by immigrant farmers, where it found an environment where it could thrive.

There is a reason for the tumbling as well. Since a single plant can produce up to a quarter-million seeds, the tumbling in the wind across the prairie scatters seeds far and wide, insuring the next generation of tumbleweeds will soon appear. Rather than blowing across a dusty, deserted town in an old Western, around here they are often seen tumbling across the roads, and getting stuck under parked cars.

Tumbleweeds are also well known from the song Tumbling Tumbleweeds, written by Bob Nolan of the Sons of the Pioneers back in 1932. This song was originally called Tumbling Tumble Leaves, but was changed for the Gene Autry movie titled, appropriately enough, Tumbling Tumbleweeds. The new name stuck, and it has been sung by just about every cowboy singer from Roy Rogers to Marty Robbins.

Here are the lyrics. Enjoy!

I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long,
Tumbleweeds around me sing their lonely song.
Nights underneath the prairie moon,
I ride along and sing this tune.

See them tumbling down
Pledging their love to the ground
Lonely but free I'll be found
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.

Cares of the past are behind
Nowhere to go but I'll find
Just where the trail will wind
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.

I know when night has gone
That a new world's born at dawn.

I'll keep rolling along
Deep in my heart is a song
Here on the range I belong
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.

Springtime Along The Front Range

The pictures I took Sunday in Boulder of the street performers stand in contrast to today. With the temperatures below the freezing mark, and snow expected to accumulate to a foot deep, it is back to Winter.

Of course, snow here in March is expected. In fact, we will likely see at least one more snowfall in April. It was March of 2003 when we experienced the last big blizzard prior to the one last December.

Still, I am glad that this one will soon be gone, and we will enjoy more nice, Spring weather.

Reporting from the cell phone, this is Randy with another random ramble.

Blue Tooth, Bad Manners

My new cell phone has one of those fancy-schmancy Bluetooth earpieces. While it is a nice thing to have if you must talk while driving, it also can be a new source of cell phone rudeness when placed in the ear of someone without manners.

The first thing that is irritating about them is when someone says something, and you think they are talking to you. Or maybe they are delusional and talking to themselves. Then you see the Bluetooth sticking out of their ear.

Now while that is bad enough, I think I saw the ultimate in Bluetooth stupidity last weekend. My wife and I had dinner at Pappadeaux Cajun Kitchen, and across the aisle from us, a family comes in to eat. The father, mother, two little girls, and a boy all came in and were seated. That is not the stupid part. The part that I thought was both stupid and sad, is that the father sat there for the entire meal with a Bluetooth cell phone earpiece attached to his head for the entire meal. No, he didn't receive or make a single call, but even if he is an emergency room doctor, certainly could answer a call without having an earpiece permanently affixed. No, I guess he felt important with a piece of plastic stuck on his ear, but it made him look like an idiot.

I also have a real issue about people who suddenly ignore anyone they are with to get stuck on a cell call. Here's an idea . . . if you are having dinner with the family, turn the frickin' thing off. Voice mail will catch it. Usually, the call is just someone calling to chat. It can wait. It isn't that important. For those who truly MUST take emergency calls, only answer those. Cell phones have Caller ID. Let the rest go to the messaging service. And dammit, put that idiotic-looking earpiece away!

If any call coming in is more important than conversing with the people you are with, you probably should just stay home and take calls. You are not fit for human socialization. I can tell you this, if I were just dating someone, and she pulled this trick, it'd be the last date with her!

More Arched Suspension Bridges

As I drove toward Boulder today, I noticed several more arched suspension bridges like I wrote about several posts down the page. Since I was driving, there as no way to safely use the DSLR, but it was easy enough to use my camera phone to get this snapshot, hence the poorer than usual quality. Still, it beats no picture at all. One interesting feature of this bridge is its support cables are angled, rather than being vertical.

As I am posting this from the phone, that is also why this is a very short post. You cannot write the Great American Novel on a miniature keyboard.

More from Boulder

Boulder Theater Marquee

My last blog entry dealt with outdoor performers I saw on my trip to Boulder today. This post will have some of the other sites I enjoyed. As usual, click on any photo to load a larger version.

This first entry is one of a rapidly disappearing piece of Americana . . . the theater marquee. This one in good shape, as is the theater facade itself, seen in the photo below. I didn't go inside, so I have no idea how that part has fared, but hopefully it is being maintained.


Boulder Theater, Boulder, Colorado

As you can see in the photo below, some of the trees are beginning to bloom here in Colorado. This is a photo of the Boulder County Court House. It is a very attractive building situated along the Pearl Street Mall. Of course, if one is there as a defendant, I doubt the beauty of the architecture would be foremost on one's mind at the time.


Boulder County Court House

One block north of the mall is home to the next two buildings. The first is a very intricate and ornate bell tower at a church in downtown Boulder. The bell is too low in the tower to see much of it here, but you can see clearly the big metal wheel that is used to make the bell ring out. I particularly like the designs in the stone ornamentation that is near the top of each of the four cylindrical supports for the roof.


Bell Tower at Church in Boulder

The next thing that caught my eye is directly across from the bell tower. It is the Shambhala Meditation Center, a Buddhist facility established in 1974. The brilliant gold ornamentation on top really catches your eye as it reflects the bright Colorado sunshine. If you load the larger version, you will see two modes of common Boulder transportation parked in front; a bicycle and a motor scooter. These Boulder Buddhists are ecologically aware!


Shambhala Meditation Center of Boulder

I have just barely scratched the surface of things to see in this most liberal of Colorado cities. In a formerly "red" state that is rapidly turning "blue", Boulder is one of the deepest blue spots in the country. I know I will go back to investigate all that is there, as well as take more photos to share here.

Street Performers

Percussion Band in Boulder

This afternoon I took a drive up to Boulder, Colorado for a meeting that was being held at the Boulder Main Library. It is a beautiful day today, with scattered clouds across a clear blue sky, temperatures in the 60s, perfect weather for people to enjoy being outdoors. After my meeting, I heard some very eclectic-sounding percussion music, which intrigued me. I grabbed my camera from the car, and went in search of the enticing beat of the instruments I was hearing.

Crossing a footbridge over a creek, I found where the music was coming from. The percussion band in the photo above was making music for the enjoyment of all, and being enjoyed it was. Families, singles with dogs, college students, and many others were gathered around to hear the performance. One young man was doing a solo dance along the trail in front of the band.

After I got back in the car and was driving through town, I saw the Pearl Street Mall was very busy this Sunday afternoon, so I knew I had to jump out and take a stroll, camera in hand, of course! All along the mall, there were performances of various types, jugglers, fire eaters on unicycles, and of course musicians. The banjo man below was strumming, picking, and singing for the enjoyment, and tips, of passersby. He is also wearing on of the quintessential Boulder type of footwear...sandals.


Pearl Street Mall Banjo Man

The musicians were of all ages. The youngest performer I came across was this young man. I first noticed him near a magic act, and he was not being noticed by most. I then saw him later, as he had moved down the mall a bit, to where there was less competition. He really was quite good.


Young Virtuoso

Then there was the enthralling sound of the Australian didgeridoo, playing in harmony. The couple below, probably in their late 50s or early 60s, where making music on these hand-crafted instruments. They kept time by tapping the side of the instrument with a piece of wood, while playing the didgeridoo itself. Notice the woman's shoes. Like the banjo man's sandals, hers are also very representative of Boulder. I saw quite a few people wearing Crocs, and this woman was just one of many. They have to be some of the most ugly looking shoes made, but doggone if they aren't comfortable!


Didgeridoo for Two

What open air mall is complete without a balloon guy making animals for the kids. The gentleman below had created a colorful balloon headdress for himself, and the many hues added a nice splash of color to the vista. Here, a boy watches the craft of the balloon artist, anticipating what kind of animal he would end up with.


Balloon Guy

There is much more I saw in Boulder today, but I am glad that I didn't just rush back home, instead taking the time to walk along the Pearl Street Mall. After a winter of blizzards, it is great to see people getting out and enjoying the sunshine and fresh air!

As usual, you can click on the photos to see a larger version.

Truth, Justice, and the Environment

The news today seems vaguely familiar. A leader goes before a governing body and warns of a disaster facing the planet. Those who don't want to believe the warnings do everything from ignoring the warnings to deriding the messenger, calling him misguided and wrong.

Today it was former Senator Al Gore warning the United States Senate about the impending problem of global warming, imploring them to take action to protect the planet and its people. Why does this seem familiar? Two young men in the 1930s crafted a similar story. A leading scientist goes before the ruling Science Council to warn of an impending doom facing the world. The council fails to act, and ultimately, the entire population of the planet die, except for one.

The two young men who wrote this story were Joe Siegel and Gerome Shuster. The scientist in their story was named Jor-El. The sole survivor of the planet's destruction was Jor-El's son Kal-El, who was rocketed away from the doomed world by his father. As his home world of Krypton died, young Kal-El arrived on Earth, where he was adopted by a kindly farm couple who taught him right from wrong. He went on to stand for truth, justice, and the American way!

Superman is part of the American cultural mythos. Krypton was fictional, but Earth is not. I don't know if global warming is caused by the activities of humans, but until we do, we cannot go wrong by being cautious, taking care of our environment. Like Mr. Gore said, this is not a political issue, but a moral one.

Ultimately if we are responsible for climate change to the point of disaster, the earth will go on. However, there is no guarantee it will go on with us aboard. The planet could ultimately change to where other life, better adapted to the new environment, would supersede humanity.. Even in a milder change, melting polar ice caps could flood coastal cities, cause billions of economic loss, and drastically change life for our descendants.

Here's hoping the governments of earth are smarter than the Krypton Science Council. Our future, and that of future generations depend on it.

As an aside, click on Superman's "S" Shield to read an interesting web page about the evolution of this iconic symbol.

The Vernal Equinox & The Passing of Time

Well, it is just after midnight, a couple of minutes into a new day as we reckon time. Late yesterday was the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, the beginning of spring and one of two days when the sun appears to be directly over the equator, giving us equal periods of daylight and darkness.

I am ready for spring, given the blizzards of December and January. Still, we will probably get some more snow during the months of March and April, as is typical in Colorado. Yet most days during these months are very pleasant. This week we have even exceeded the 70 degree Fahrenheit mark.

Despite the calendar, Spring starts further south and moves northward during this time of year. In Tulsa, this is the time of year the redbud trees are blooming along the banks of the wide and lazy stretch of the Arkansas River that passes through the city. In Charlotte, the dogwoods blooming add a beauty to the city, and in Washington, DC, the cherry blossoms will add their white and pink hues to the landscape of some of our most cherished national icons and monuments. Here in northern Colorado, the trees are still devoid of leaves, grass has not turned green, and in general Spring is slower to arrive. Even so, it won't be long until the new season brings a rebirth to the Front Range, as well as new photo opportunities of the Centennial State in bloom.

Personal challenges and financial disasters over the last few years have given me some days of gloom; even so, I cannot yet give up on enjoying the things life has to enjoy. Given even a life extending to old age, we are afforded all too few equinoxes, solstices, and times with those we love. Distance and time rob us of so many opportunities. It seems that life has been set on warp speed and there are no brakes to slow things down.

I have a theory about that. It seems to me that the years appear to be shorter and shorter as time goes on. My idea is that our perception of our lives is a set psychological block of time. No matter how many actual years our memories hold, the totality never perceptually changes. As we gain more years behind us, each year is a smaller percentage of this total life perception. Thus the years seem much shorter. Remember as a child how the passing of a single year seemingly took forever? Well, at 5 years old, one year is 20% of our life! At 50 it is only 2%. Hence, the perceived compression of time.

I have no facts to base my theory upon, yet it makes perfect sense to me.

Make a promise to yourself. Enjoy the Springtime, enjoy life, and don't give or sell your entire existence to any company or endeavor. Life is finite and limited; thus each day is very precious. We should do our best to make the most of every moment. None of us know how many ticks of the clock we have left.

I am reminded of the poem by John Donne, For Whom The Bell Tolls:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

So Much Happening

Well, we are now four years into the so-called "War on Terror", a.k.a. the Halliburton Revenue Enhancement Initiative. Over 3200 dead American soldiers, along with deaths of the few allied troops, and tens of thousands uncounted Iraqi deaths later, and no resolution in sight. We are now deeply entrenched in a sectarian religious civil war, and a Commander-In-Chief who's only plan is stay the course. This invasion of Iraq has cost more lives than the 9/11 attacks and has lasted longer than World War II, yet there is no goal, no exit strategy and no indication any progress is being made at all toward whatever unstated goals the administration has in mind.

Closer to home, today marked the start of the Denver trial of former Qwest CEO, Joseph P. Nacchio. The government is seeking to take back over $100,000,000 that Nacchio took out of his stock options, all the while allegedly overstating the company's outlook. From a high of about $60 per share, the company was put on a path toward bankruptcy, and only narrowly escaped that fate after Joe's departure. It had to restate earnings for several of the Nacchio years, and the life savings of US West retirees and employees.

Joe, you once called the employees of US West, a company you bought out for Qwest, "clowns". Here's hoping when your expected eight-week trial is over, the clowns get the last laugh as you are hauled off to prison! This is one clown who won't be shedding any tears for you.

Hot Air Balloons

Night-time "Balloon Glow" in Colorado Springs

Hot air ballooning has experienced a revival of popularity over the last 40-to-50 years, and balloonists look for places with the right air currents and conditions for flight. Every year, balloon aficionados converge on Albuquerque, New Mexico for the world's biggest balloon fest. Along the way, they meet in a number of towns to hold smaller events.

I have been to two such balloon festivals, one in Tulsa, Oklahoma back in 1994, and another in the summer of 2006 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. One of the most visually appealing parts of the balloon festival is the night-time balloon glow. The balloons are not safe for night travel, but instead remain anchored to the ground and the owners crank up the flames simultaneously to light up their balloons.

Today, most hot air balloons are made of rip-stop nylon, and come in a variety of shapes, of course along with the traditional globular shape. They also often advertise their sponsors (see the photo below). Yet they can hot air balloons trace their history back to the Montgolfier brothers, who lived in France in the 18th Century. Joseph Michel Montgolfier and his brother, Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier accomplished the first human ascent in their globe airostatique, which carried a physician and an army officer aloft.

The photo above is from the balloon glow at last summer's Colorado Springs festival. Someday, I hope to get down to Albuquerque to see the big balloon festival there. That one has become such an attraction that it is featured on New Mexico's license plates.


Re/Max advertising balloon

Mad Mama Bison

Here is a picture I took just outside of Parker, Colorado last summer. There is a herd of American Bison, commonly called Buffaloes, at a ranch about half a mile from where I live. These noble beasts once roamed in great herds across the American West, but were nearly hunted to extinction by settlers out to fulfill Manifest Destiny. Luckily, they have made a comeback, and are now raised for their meat, which is lower in fat than beef, and quite tasty.

This is a shot I got where there were several adults and calves. This mama didn't like me getting that close to her young one, as you can see by her stance, and the dust she is kicking up. Needless to say, I took the photo and quickly got away from the area! Still, I think this is an interesting photo.

Garden of the Gods

Colorado is a very interesting state. Its geologic history has resulted in some very unique natural beauty. I have often thought about the first pioneers heading west across North America, with animals and wagons, crossing the Great Plains for hundreds of miles, when all of a sudden, the mighty Rocky Mountains loomed as an obstacle ahead.

The Great Plains was once the bottom of a great inland ocean, and the Front Range of the Rockies was the shoreline. This ancient geology provides spectacular and interesting things to see. One of these is the footprints of a dinosaur herd in the rocks near Morrison. Another is in the photograph above. This is the entrance to the Garden of the Gods, a city park for the City of Colorado Springs.

Garden of the Gods is a free park whose signature is the 300-million year old red sandstone rock formations. Every time I go there, I am in awe of the sight that nature has left from erosion and uplifting of land. In my photo above taken from the outdoor deck of the Visitor's Center, you can see the road leading into the park, with Pikes Peak, "America's Mountain" in the background. It was on the summit of Pikes Peak that Katherine Lee Bates was inspired to pen the lyrics to America, the Beautiful.

If you ever get to Colorado Springs, your trip is not complete unless you take the time to visit the Garden of the Gods.

Good News in Medical Legislation

There are a couple of very good items in the news today regarding legislation related to medical issues. I am very much opposed to politicians restricting people's access to needed medical treatments, but that is all too common.

Today, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is hoping to get a bill legalizing medical marijuana through the state legislature, after two very close votes failed to pass on a bill last week. Richardson, who is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, is risking political backlash, but believes in the issue to the extent he is willing to take the fallout. If the legislature can get this done, "The Land of Enchantment" would join states like Colorado and California in legalizing the drug for medicinal use. Given my last post about Angel Raich in San Francisco, the federal government can still negate the effect of the law, but it will make a statement. Progress will eventually be made on this front.

Speaking of progress, high praise goes out to Colorado's new Democratic governor, Bill Ritter, who signed into law a measure to require that rape victims be informed of Plan B contraception. This legislation was passed several times, and vetoed by former governor, Republican Bill Owens. Owens and Ritter are both Roman Catholics, but Owens cited beliefs based on his religion in his vetos. Ritter noted the bill has exemptions based on religion so that no person can be forced to go against his or her religious beliefs in this, but even Catholic healthcare institutions mus have someone who can relay the information to rape victims.

Plan B, unlike RU-386, does not induce abortion; but instead prevents either fertilization or implantation of reproductive cells. This is just another reason that religion has no place in government. People are free, and should be, to hold religious views. When they try to use our government to impose them on all of us, that crosses the line. I don't care whose god says so, eggs, sperm and zygotes do NOT have rights above that of a rape victim. If it was God's will that a child results from a rape, wouldn't that make God an accomplice to the crime? People really don't think their religious beliefs through to their logical conclusions. Forcing a girl or woman who has been raped to bear her attacker's child is victimizing her all over again. I am glad that Governor Ritter is progressive. Now, if only we can elect a progressive President maybe we can get somewhere.

Medical Marijuana

Let me start this entry by stating a fact of my life. I have never used any illegal drugs. I say this not to pat myself on the back, but because it plays into the subject of this post. Certainly, coming of age in the early 1970s meant I had opportunity to partake. I knew people who did. However I don't like putting substances into my body, plus I truly never had any desire to try them. So my opinion about what is going on with a San Francisco woman in the news is not based on my desire to use marijuana. If it were totally legal, it is still something that I would not choose to use for recreation.

The problem lies in the case of 41-year-old Angel Raich of San Francisco. She is suffering from multiple, life-threatening conditions, including scoliosis, a tumor in her brain, chronic nausea, among others. Raich lives in California, a state that has legalized the use of marijuana for legitimate medical reasons. Raich claims her use of marijuana is what is keeping her alive.

The problem is that two years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that regardless of state law, use of medical marijuana is illegal under federal law, and that users of the drug, along with their suppliers, can be prosecuted. Now, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected Raich's case based on the right to life argument; the idea that people have a right to use marijuana to save their lives when legal treatments have failed to help.

Raich says she will not let them kill her, and that she will continue to use marijuana to treat her condition. Who can blame her, short of the federal court system, that is. First of all, I see no benefit for the government to deny the legitimate use of a drug that helps people with dire health conditions. Many drugs are derived from plants, and just because it is commonly used as a recreational drug, doesn't mean that marijuana doesn't have legitimate medical uses. Marijuana is a drug with no known lethal dose, no evidence that it is physically addictive, and apparently has the capacity to alleviate much suffering. Putting aside the libertarian view that the government has no business regulating what people do with their own bodies for a moment, where is any compelling interest by the government to deny medicine to someone whose suffering it alleviates? I see none.

As I said, I am certainly no stoner, and have not once smoked marijuana, nor used any other illegal substance. Yet I am appalled at the repressed and puritanical attitudes displayed by our outdated laws about this matter. Sometimes I think I am living in a weird parallel universe where no one sees the obvious.

Conformity or Else!

You may not have heard the name Rich Cizik, but you probably have heard the name James Dobson. As Dobson's Colorado Springs-based "Focus on the Family" organization continues to push its right-wing, evangelical extremism into our government, it becomes less and less tolerant of divergent viewpoints, even within its core constituency. The most recent example is how Dobson has turned on Cizik, the career lobbyist for the Evangelical Association of America. Dobson led the charge to draft and gain signatures on a letter chastising Cizik.

What did Cizik do to be the recipient of "The Wrath of Dob"? Did he renounce his Christianity? No. Maybe he didn't focus on his family quite enough? Wrong again. Cizik's transgression was to be involved in environmentalism. He believes in taking care of the environment. For that, he is a persona non grata around the Focus campus.

You see, many modern Christian evangelicals believe that we are living in the last days; that Jesus is coming to rapture his own from the earth, prior to letting it enter the Great Tribulation, a time when the earth will be ruled by the anti-Christ. Then Jesus will return to set it all right and restore the earth under a 1000 year long theocracy where Christ establishes his government on earth.

This ridiculous fable has not only made enormous wealth for Tim LaHaye, co-author of the "Left Behind" books; it has caused many Christians to go against the climatic evidence, denying the compelling case for the reality of global warming. Rather than heed the words of their Savior to be good stewards over the earth, their motto seems to be, "Use it up, tear it up, because the end of the world is nigh anyway."

So when Cizik started speaking out for preservation of the environment, a true conservationist position, he is vilified by many of his fellow evangelicals. Dobson's heavy handed tactics show that many in the Christian community have no tolerance for differences of opinion in matters not of theological significance. This reveals the political nature of such so-called "ministries" such as Focus. They have much more to do with politics than with matters of theology & orthodoxy.

Unfortunately, in today's world the face of intolerance and bigotry comes packaged in the cloak of Christianity. As Sinclair Lewis once said, "When Fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." Indeed, it appears that his words could be prophetic.

Rocky Mountain High

Nearly ten years after the untimely death of seventies folk music icon John Denver, his hit song, Rocky Mountain High has been adopted as a co-state song. The Colorado legislature yesterday approved adding Denver’s famous tune, so now it officially joins Where The Columbines Grow, as a state song.

The change was not without controversy. Some legislators wanted to add a disclaimer that the song’s status in no way is an endorsement of drug use. For many years, some have claimed the song is a not so subtle endorsement of marijuana, because of the line, “Friends around the campfire, and everybody’s high”. Denver himself always claimed the song was about being high on the natural beauty of the state. Like any artistic work, I suppose the meaning can be in the eye (or ear) of the beholder. In any case, the proposed disclaimer was rejected.

The song itself has been a standard since its release, and has even been used in a advertising campaign by Coors Brewing Company, which touts its product being made from pure Rocky Mountain spring water. The part of the song I have always thought was creative was the contrasts in the first few lyrics; the actual impossibility of them if taken literally, but full of meaning if taken allegorically.

He was born in the summer of his twenty seventh year,
Going home to a place he’d never been before.

Oddly enough, one of Denver’s other hit songs became the unofficial anthem of another state, as well as giving it one of its promotional slogans. Take Me Home, Country Roads, starts out:

Almost Heaven, West Virginia.

John was right about one thing; even though they are separated by 1500 miles, Colorado and West Virginia are two states of immense natural beauty.

Strange Goin's On Down at the Waffle House

Calling Jeff Foxworthy! Here is some more material for your "You Might Be A Redneck" routine!

Just the good ol' boys,
Never meanin' no harm,
Beats all you've ever saw,
been in trouble with the law
since the day they was born.

The late Waylon Jennings sang the lines above in the theme song from The Dukes of Hazzard. Now it seems we have a real life, dumb redneck boy story coming from the state of Kentucky, and reported by the Associated Press.

If you're going to commit a theft of goods and services, you'd think you wouldn't do it in front of the local cops, nor over $100 worth of food at Waffle House!

In a really weird occurrence at the Waffle House in Richmond, Kentucky, four young men from Lexington ran up the tab, when luck would have it, two girls got into a fight. When an employee of the restaurant flagged down the cops, who entered the Waffle House, these four braniacs ran out the door to avoid paying the bill. They tried to run over police officers, which began a high-speed chase at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. The chase came to a sudden halt when the driver hit a pole. The four tried to run from the scene, but were apprehended.

Now it's bad enough that these guys committed these acts, and they are charged with numerous counts, including reckless endangerment, driving under the influence of alcohol, and other charges. It is also bizarre that this started with two girls getting into a fight. But what really puzzles police is how the four men ran up a bill of $100, when the most expensive items on the menu don't top the $10 mark!

More Downtown Denver

Late last month, I posted some pictures of public art I took in Downtown Denver. Today, I decided to upload a few more I took that day. The first one above is the Denver skyline near the main library, looking across Civic Center Park. The City-County Building (City Hall) is out of view to the left, and the Capitol building is out of view to the right. This photo looks north toward the heart of the city.

The tall brown building in the background to the left that has a white sign on it is the headquarters of Qwest Communications (Click the photo for a larger view). It is at 1801 California Street, and was once called Mountain Bell Center, then after the AT&T Divestiture in 1984, was the headquarters of US West, which was acquired by Qwest. I used to work in that building from 1997-2000. The top of the smoky grey building just in front of it was once called Anaconda Tower, then it became Qwest Tower when it housed the headquarters of Qwest before it merged with US West.

The tall building on the right with the rounded top is commonly referred to as the Cash Register Building. It has no cash register company inside, but if you were standing on the opposite side, it somewhat is shaped like the top of an old fashioned cash register (that would be a manual point-of-sale terminal for you younger readers!). The white, shorter building in the middle is home of The Denver Post.

The next photo is the south side of the main library building. This is a very unusual building, as it looks like several different styles and colors all attached together. This side of the library faces the Denver Art Museum complex.



The Denver Art Museum has some very distinctive buildings. The next two photos are part of the museum's downtown campus, known as the Civic Center Cultural Complex.



This really unusually shaped building is the Frederic C. Hamilton building of the Denver Art Museum. Look closely at its base, and you will see the whisk broom and dustpan sculpture I posted in a photo in my posting of February 24.



Remember our friend, the Big Blue Bear sculpture that peers into the Colorado Convention Center? The photo below was taken near him. He would be off to the left. The Convention Center complex is very large, and much of it is new. The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) has light rail tracks that go beneath part of the center. I like the architecture of this building a lot. It was part of a major expansion of the Center in recent hears.

Old Plymouth

I love old cars. Especially the cars from the 1940s through the 1960s. I guess that is one reason I would like to visit Cuba; all the old U.S. cars that are still running all over that island.

Here is one I happened upon a while back, sitting for sale in Franktown, Colorado. It is an old Plymouth Belvedere from the 1951 model year I think. This car was for sale, and didn't seem to be in bad condition, and could be beautifully restored.

I don't have either the resources or the know-how to undertake such a project, but can certainly appreciate this fine old car. With Plymouth having joined the ranks of nameplates such as Studebaker, Nash, Rambler, DeSoto, Hudson, and Oldsmobile in the dustbin of automotive history, this car is all the more appealing.

I hope it got a good home.

Speaking of old car names that have gone by the wayside, here is a photo from a building on Broadway in Denver that once housed Franklin Studebaker. It is now vacant, but still looks ready to contain a new car showroom. I can easily imagine it.

Impending Storm

One of the most fascinating sights to me is when the weather is undergoing a rapid change. A frontal system moves through, and the skies can go from light blue to dark gray in a matter of minutes. In this picture I took a few months ago, we see such a change. The upper left still has a bit of clear blue, but it was quickly being replaced by darkness, as storm clouds moved in from the west. The gnarly chaos of the bare branches adds to the chaos in the sky behind them.

Here in Colorado, our moisture can come from several directions. Pacific storms can blow in over the Rocky Mountains, but sometimes we get moisture coming up across Texas and Oklahoma into the state. When the winds drive such water-rich air into the mountains, we get upslope weather conditions. In the winter, this results in blizzards like we had in December and January of this year. When Pacific and Gulf air collide over the Centennial State, watch out baby . . . it's gonna be a storm!

Fair & Balanced? Hardly!

See the Faux News Channel's character assassination team in full force, as they repeat lies and inuendo about Senator Obama. What did we expect from BushCo's propaganda channel. They repeatedly label Obama's elementary school a "madrasa", and make an issue of his middle name being Hussein. So what, his dad was a Muslim. Do they think everyone named Hussein is Saddam? Do they forget America's late friend in the Middle East, King Hussein of Jordan. I guess anyone named Lee is evil because they share a name with Lee Harvey Oswald. Or perhaps anyone named Timothy is suspect, because of Timothy McVeigh.

Sex, Lies, and Newt

The hypocrisy of politicians is something to behold. The glee and zest with which the Republicans in Congress, along with their pit bull Ken Starr, pursued President Clinton, is matched only by their own deeds. One of the primary players who went after the President over his lying about an extramarital sexual relationship, now confesses his own affair during that period. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, now seeking the Presidency himself, has acknowledged his own affair during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

So lets see what we have here. Mark Foley was chasing young male congressional pages, Rudy Giuliani moves his mistress into Gracie Mansion, and Newt is getting some on the side; all the while speaking of moral bankruptcy in The White House. Now Rudy & Newt both want to be President.

Now, I think that monogamy is a convention we have from a societal tradition, as it tends to create stable families. Yet, biologically, it seems we are not wired for it. Given that statistics show a lifetime of monogamy is not lived by a majority of people; and the fact that power and sex seem to go together, it is not surprising that our politicians go outside their marriages at times. I would be quite surprised if they did not.

What is reprehensible is the way these people misused their offices to go after President Clinton for political purposes, all the while doing the same thing they criticized him for doing. This type of hypocrisy is not new. There is an old saying about people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. In the Christian bible, Jesus tells a man not to worry about the mote in his brother's eye, when he has a beam in his own.

What is even more amazing is how these neocons derided Hillary Clinton, even though she did what they supposedly stood for; she forgave her husband and kept her family together. Yet family values Newt asked wife number one for a divorce while she was recovering from cancer surgery, and then divorced wife number two to marry his mistress. Who better represents the conservative idea of so-called family values, Newt or Hillary.

These champions of family values are liars of the highest order. Some say confession is good for the soul, but even more than that, it appears to be very politically expedient. Any so-called conservative who supported the relentless pursuit and impeachment of Bill Clinton should take a long look at their values if they support either Gingrich or Giuliani.

All this aside, I don't vote for a President based upon his private sex life. I don't care about that, that is his or her own business. However, I find it sickening how these neocons played the high moral ground, all based upon lies. Just like the darling of the Christian Right, Ted Haggard, who preached against equal rights for gays, preaching that homosexuals are headed to hell; was conducting an ongoing relationship with a male prostitute in Denver; these guys don't practice what they preach. Despite their admirable leadership on many key issues, this "do as I say, not as I do" attitude make them unfit to occupy the Oval Office. They want one set of rules for themselves, another for the rest of us. They tell the sheeple whatever they want to hear to garner votes.

I don't condemn these men for their sexual liaisons, again that is their private business. I do condemn their gross hypocrisy. They owe Bill Clinton an apology.

Give A Better Way

The City of Denver has found a great use for some of its decommissioned parking meters. Thirty-six of them have been refurbished, given special graphic treatment, and redeployed around downtown as collection centers to help the homeless. Rather than handing cash to panhandlers who many times use the money to feed addictions, the money collected will go to services and programs that will actually help people. This gives people who want to help a way to insure their contributions will give real assistance.

A new survey has shown that there are over 16,200 homeless people in Colorado, many who cite medical conditions, job loss, and other economic hardship for the reason they have no shelter. It is a horrible situation to be in poverty, and it could happen to most any of us. Since we have no universal healthcare, job loss means loss of medical coverage as well, which only further kicks people when they are down.

The meters can each hold up to $60 in coins, and can do a world of good. Even $1.50 will buy a meal for a person in need. Some other statistics from the projects website, www.giveabetterway.org:

$625 - Provides a homeless family with food, shelter, clothing, employment
assistance, and case management for one month

$216 - Provides 10 days of transitional housing for an individual or
family who is homeless

$75 - Provides a night of shelter and support services for a victim of
domestic violence

$15 - Provides a meal for 10 homeless individuals

My kudos to those involved in this worthwhile project.

More Street Signs

Okay, still more about street signs. Are you getting bored with it? This is an example of how Houston has changed from the standard green signs to special signs for different parts of town. Each district is distinct from the others, and this example is from the Upper Kirby area, but actually on S. Shepherd.

This brings me to another thought. The block numbers on Houston's street signs are quite useful. This sign tells me the sign is in the 3500 block of S. Shepherd and the 2100 block of Colquitt. The number goes with the street name, and helps you know which direction to turn at the intersection to get to where you are going.

When I first moved to Colorado, Denver's signs were quite confusing. They do it just the opposite. The name of the cross street appears with the hundred block of the street you are currently driving on. Very odd, and after 13 years here, I still have trouble with it. It just is not very intuitive. There should be a standard, and I would vote for Houston's method to be adopted nationwide. Easy to use, and makes more sense, at least to me.

Back to the Past

In my previous post below, we took a look at a very futuristic, chrome circle street sign from Houston's Galleria area. So it is only fitting that we now take a trip back in time to another era in the Bayou City's developmental history.

In the 1960s, developer Frank Sharp was building his community of the future, Sharpstown. While the subdivision has been through a number of ups and downs over the years, it was at one time a very happening place. It was home to the long gone Sharpstown Drive-In Theatre, the still existing Sharpstown Center, one of America's early air-conditioned indoor shopping malls, and lots and lots of houses! Sharp had such sway that the routing of the Southwest Freeway was largely due to his lobbying to have the new limited-access highway act as an express route between Sharpstown and Downtown.

The street sign you see here is a concrete obelisk at the corner of Langdon Lane and Bintliff Drive. These street signs were all over Sharpstown at one time, but have one-by-one disappeared to the ravages of time until there are only a few left standing. Still, they are a part of my childhood memories. I don't know if these were common anywhere else, as Sharpstown is the only place I have ever seen them.

Now, let's all sing the Sharpstown Center advertising jingle from the 1960s! Remember it? Sure you do!

Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall,
Stroll in the air-conditioned mall.
With one stop to shop for all,
At Sharpstown Center!

Big, Shiny Signs

Street signs come in a variety of types. I will be posting more about them in a few posts to come. In any case, this is a good photo to see a very unique type of street sign. This photo was taken going eastbound on Westheimer approaching Sage Rd. in Uptown Houston, also known as the Galleria area.

That big, chrome-like circle suspended above the intersection is actually a street sign. To the best of my knowledge, these signs are unique to the Uptown Houston district, being deployed along Westheimer and Post Oak, and maybe a couple of other thoroughfares. If you click on the photo, you will get a much larger version. The one thing these signs don't have that standard signs do, is the block number. Still, they give a very striking and futuristic look to one of the busiest areas of town.

Not far from this location, just a few blocks to the southeast, is the Williams Tower, formerly Transco Tower. It is the tallest skyscraper outside of a central business district. It is a very interesting building, made of dark, reflective glass; and shaped like the classic art-deco design. On top is a rotating beacon that can be seen for many miles at night. While it was being built in the early 1980s, I worked across the freeway, and watched as it got taller and taller.

As an aside, take a look at the traffic lights. The backplates are elliptical, and have a convex shape to them. They are mounted on highly-polished chrome posts that match the street sign. You don't see that everyday either.

More street sign postings to come!

Is it a Bump or a Hump, Chump?

Being the road geek that I am, it is high time that I start a series of entries about roads. Specifically, this series of posts will be about road signs. I have always loved travel by automobile, and even as a small child, could navigate the highways by map. I also used to pass time by drawing street maps of non-existent cities (yeah, I was a weird kid I guess). Now I enjoy a somewhat similar passtime in the form of the computer city simulation, SimCity 4.

Anyway, here is the first picture we will talk about:



Now this looks like a typical suburban neighborhood, and it is definitely that. This is a street in my parents' subdivision. A quick glance will tell you that this is not a new street, as the sidewalk at the corner ends at the curb, rather than a ramp compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA. Also, the mature trees are an indicator that this neighborhood has been around for a few years. In fact, this subdivision was built in the mid-1970s.

Along this street, the city has installed a type of what traffic engineers call a traffic calming device. The one used here is usually known in the United States as a Speed Bump. Traffic calming is a way to divert or slow traffic in an area. Other traffic calming devices include the Traffic Circle (known in some places as a Roundabout), rumble strips, and curb extensions. Speed bumps are effective, but have a number of drawbacks, especially in that they can slow emergency response vehicles. Before one gets to a speed bump, there is typically a sign to warn about it, giving the driver the opportunity to slow down before hitting the bump.

Why is the sign above a bit of an anomaly? Let's take a closer look:

Notice, the sign says nothing about a "Speed Bump", but rather warns of "Road Humps". Now my readers from places like the United Kingdom and others may think, "So what"? That is the term that is used in many parts of the world. However, here in the United States, it usually isn't used.

It has always been a source of humor to me, as I think of "hump" as what a dog will do to your leg! I don't associate it with a road, so it just comes off as an odd way of wording it. Still, if one doesn't have the mental snap to figure it out, it will probably only take them one time hitting the "Road Hump" at full speed to get the idea!

Navy Pier

A while back, I traveled to one of America's great cities on business. Chicago, while not a place I would ever choose to live, is a terrific place to visit. It was unfortunate that I had very little free time during my stay.

One evening I was able to at least take in one sight. A colleague and I decided to have dinner at Navy Pier, which extends from a park out into Lake Michigan. We went out just a bit before it got dark, and walked out to the end of the pier. That is where I took the picture below of a lighthouse framed within the large anchor on display.



While enjoying some shrimp at Bubba Gump's, darkness set in, and that is when I took the pictures below. Here is the Ferris Wheel that is about halfway out on the pier.



I like this next one as well. It was taken from the south side of the pier looking back at the southern portion of the skyline. One thing I particularly like about this one is the reflections of the different colored lights in the water, probably caused by various bulb types, such as sodium or mercury.



Sometime I would like to go back to Chicago on a pleasure trip and enjoy more of the wonderful sights of this metropolis in the heart of North America.

Time & Culture

Technology changes culture. This is evident in many ways, but one comes to mind today; that being the advent of digital clocks.

First, many people no longer use terms like “a quarter till four”, or “half past”. Back when all clocks were analog, I don’t recall anyone saying something like “It’s seven fifty-five”. It was “Five minutes ‘til eight”. Once you got past the half-hour, you spoke in terms of time remaining until the next hour.

The second thing is our digital precision. People typically rounded off to the nearest 5 minutes or so. Now, it’s “1:52 PM”, where before, it would have been about “ten ‘til two”. We have all become more like Star Trek’s Mister Spock, since digital timekeeping has become commonplace.

The first digital clocks I remember coming into common usage were those alarm clock-radios that had digits on a Rolodex-like device that flipped down the next digit as each minute passed. Some of these still had a little analog wheel to scroll by seconds, but many were just the flip digits for hours and minutes. I think these came along in the early 1970s.

About that same time, or shortly thereafter, I also recall those LED (Light-Emitting Diode) watches that glowed bright red. The first one I saw was in the movies. I don’t know which movie it was, but it was a James Bond film, and one of Bond’s high-tech gadgets of the day was one of those LED watches. The problem with them was the fact that you had to push a button on the watch to see the time. The button caused a current to go through the LED, illuminating the display. If your other hand was busy, you couldn’t see what time it was. Coolness is not always easy! In this case, just like eating a Whopper, it took two hands to see what time it was. Now, the more practical LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technology has superseded LEDs for watches, although analog displays have made a resurgence in this market as well.

In God We Trust, But We Still Need To See His I.D.

Well, it's been a while since we have taken a look at the wacky world of religious nuttiness. For all their inane antics, the gullibility of the pious is an unending source of humor. Really, you just cannot make this stuff up. Still, a couple of stories in the news caught my eye this week.

First, from the town of Hobart, Indiana, Kevin Russell has gotten worldwide attention after his arrest for trying to cash a check. What's unusual about that? Well, the check was from God, and was made out in the amount of $50,000. The 21-year-old took the check to the Chase Bank in Hobart, and the signature of "King Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Servant" made the teller think something was amiss. Could it be that God had overdrawn his account? Maybe he has been passing bad checks all over town...heck, all over the universe!

Poor Kevin not only could not cash his check, for which we assume God still owes him; but he was arrested and is being held in jail with a $1000 bond. You know, maybe God could at least cover the cost of bailing him out!

Then from my hometown of Houston, Texas, we have a controversy surrounding a magical pizza pan. Guadelupe Rodriguez, a cafeteria worker at Pugh Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District, was washing a pizza pan after lunch. She noticed an appearance by the blessed Virgin Mary in a grease spot on the pan. Mary has an affinity for cheese, I suppose. She has been known to appear on grilled cheese sandwiches. Now the pan that once baked a tasty, cheesy pizza is her home; and pilgrims are coming to the holy pan by the hundreds, to receive healing from the Mother of Chrust.

After some controversy in which Guadelupe had to give the pan back to the school, an arrangement has been worked out where she can keep the pan. Holy Cheezus Chrust!