I wish I were...

Liam Clancy leads the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in "Carrickfergus."

Longing for the fog

That thing the fog does from William Couch on Vimeo.

It is the end of July, and all month we have lived with suffocating heat and humidity. From time to time, I long for the San Francisco fog.  I'd rather wear a sweater than swelter any day.

More baby animals from ZooBorns

My Tiger on the Road came home from China after a splendid time, but now she is away again, in Switzerland with her dads, while Blas is at a conference. I wish I could be there with them! Since I can't, I'm watching videos of mother animals with their young. The tigers here are at the Zurich Zoo.


I am absolutely enamored of the site ZooBorns which brings news of new babies in zoos around the world. Inevitably, the joy of their arrival is tinged with the sadness that they should be in zoos because their species are threatened in their natural habitat. It takes a lot for one of these babies to survive:

The gestation period for Indian rhino pregnancies is approximately 16 months. When born, calves normally weigh in the range of 75-100 pounds and will nurse throughout their first two years. They are normally able to stand just hours after being born. 

Arrival Cities, book by Douglas Saunders

From the YouTube description:
"Journalist and author Doug Saunders, talks to Allan Gregg about his new book "Arrival City", which examines the global trend of urban migration and argues that immigration will be critical to the success of economics in Canada and around the world."

One of the huge changes in human life in the last few hundred years is the shift from rural to urban life. This is occurring everywhere, sometimes at an enormously accelerated pace (as in China today).I'm eager to read this book.

Journalist Nick Davies of The Guardian: interview and podcast about his role in breaking the "phone-hacking" story in London.

Murdoch Empire "Pummeled" by Phone-Hacking Scandal Exposed by Guardian Journalist Nick Davies


Follow the link above to see a video of Amy Goodman from Democracy Now! interviewing Nick Davies, the journalist whose years of investigative reporting broke open the  "phone hacking" situation in London: he explains clearly the characters, the chronology, the motivations.  He (and reporters for the New York Times) pursued this story for years, in spite of major intimidation by the Murdoch empire. It really helps give the context for what is going on.
If you have an hour, it's even more fascinating to listen to this podcast of a round-table discussion, led by the Guardian's Media reporter, about the Murdoch hearings,  complete with eye-witness accounts of the hearings themselves, and the infamous pie incident.

To read some of the more than 74 articles Davies has published in this series, click here: The Guardian's profile of Nick Davie.

Or you can watch Jon Stewart:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Accountability in the U.K.
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Parody of Rupert Murdoch from Fry and Laurie: still relevant

Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie took on Rupert Murdoch as a target of satire on their show A Bit of Fry and Laurie. From Wikipedia:

"The show did not shy away from commenting on issues of the day. A sketch in the second series, in which a Conservative government minister is strangled while Stephen Fry screams at him "What are you doing to the television system? What are you doing to the country?", is an attack on the Broadcasting Act of 1990 and the perceived motivations of those who supported it. The pair would later attack what they saw as the Act's malign aftereffects in the sketch "It's A Soaraway Life", a parody of It's a Wonderful Life evoking a world in which Rupert Murdoch had not existed."

Your "whoa, dude, this is gnarly" for the day

Two guys suit up to ride their longboards down the Claremont Canyon road. I used to live not far from where this road ends at the Oakland/Berkeley border, and I know that road well; it's one of the few ways to get through the Oakland hills from the valley inland if you're going toward the Bay.
Back when I lived there (over 20 years ago now) I'd heard about people doing this ride at night (!) so as not to get caught (and I'll bet they weren't wearing helments!). They must have some seriously pro equipment to get that smooth a ride going that fast. Dang, I say, dang!

Summertime

Here in Minneapolis we are experiencing a record heat wave combined with unusually high dew points, levels that have made it necessary to issue a heat warning until Wed. I am thankful to have a window A/C unit and a fan to keep things livable in my place for my kitty.


My favorite version of the song "Summertime" by George Gershwin, from Porgy and Bess, sung by Billy Stewart in 1966.

Billy Stewart's songs were popular in the Bay Area when I was growing up,I remember slow-dancing to this song in high school.

Talent, kid has it.

"Kid in the guitar store" (Brandon McFarlane, from Perth, Scotland) a raw talent, oh my freakin' god.


inspired by the immortal Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers sing "Just Another Day"

Secular music called Sam, and his big hit "You Send Me"


And bringing it back around: "A Long Time Coming"

Buck, the movie

We saw the documentary movie "Buck" this weekend. If you can see it, you should. It's amazing. It's about one of the leading practitioners of "Natural Horsemanship" (as it has come to be called), which avoids punishment in favor of communication, or "firm and fair" communication.

Here's an interview with horseman Buck Brannaman and the filmmaker, Cindy Meehl.

At the end of the film, there is this song by Pearl Jam that gives me goosebumps:

Surprise in Shanghai

My daughter has been on the road in China with her Mandarin teacher, another parent chaperone, and 18 other students for the last three weeks. I've been recording their adventures on the blog Tigers on the Road for our families and friends, posting the pictures and reports sent back by Mr Yu using his iPad. In just a few days they will return with countless stories, pictures, souvenirs and life-changing memories.

A surprise was waiting in their hotel: Blas and a colleague were awarded a grant to do field work in Mongolia, so he had to travel to China for a week for the planning. He secretly arranged with Mr. Yu to surprise Miss R. by taking a room in the same hotel. Apparently there is film  of their reunion, which I hope to see on their return.

They have been able to spend a day together wandering the streets of Shanghai with a friend. Priceless!

Baby hippo at play in the water

Baby hippo at the San Diego Zoo, playing with his mom (via ZooBorns)

Chengdu report

From Mr. Yu (crossposted at Tigers on the Road)

We left Lijiang for Chengdu on a late afternoon flight. While we waited in the airport, a bunch of high school kids from the city of Chongqing became curious about our kids. They soon approached them to start a cordial conversation and of course a photo session. They even wrote down Mr. Yu's phone number with which they would contact our kids again once we get to Chongqing on July 4.
The flight took only 1 hour and 10 minutes. We were greeted by the local guide whose name is Lily. Half an hour later we checked into the Minhang Hotel which is located right in the busy business area of Chengdu where Chinese department stores, restaurants and fast-food eateries like McDonald, KFC, and Pizza Hut are plentiful. I think there are at least three McDonalds within 5 blocks of the hotel.
On June 30, we first visited the International Studies Office of Sichuan University which has a student enrollment of more than 70000. They have about 450 international students from over 40 countries including USA and Canada. The monthly expenses including tuition, room and board would be about $400.00. Next our students sat in a level 2 Chinese class held for some college students from New York. Some of our kids became very encouraged because they could understand much of the contents.

Then we were taken to meet with some Chinese airplane engineers who were studying English at the university. They were engaged in a heated discussion for about an hour until it was time for us to go for lunch. In the afternoon we visited the Jinsha Museam which helps pushing Chengdu's history back to 3000 years ago. Other than the new technology used in this museum, the tour was boring. Then we were taken to tour the replica of Old Town Chengdu called the Broad & Narrow Back Alleys which are like any other reconstructed old towns in China we have visited. For dinner we had the famous Sichuan Hot Pot.
Over the course of this night, some kids spent their accumulated energy (there had been much physical activity as of late) running around in the hallway. A gymnastics meet was believed to have been held in one of the guest rooms. Complaints from other innocent travelers were delivered to the hotel management. So a curfew had to be declared to request all kids be in their rooms by 10:45 each night.
On July 1, we visited Chengdu Panda Breeding Center in the morning. Our kids were excited to finally meet with cute pandas face to face. Four students spent 1000 yuan each to hold a baby panda when posing for pictures. The price used to be 100 yuan but since the 2008 earthquake destroyed another panda facility 100 miles away. Of course this charge is categorized as a donation so each of the paying kids received a certificate commending their goodwill and generosity.

For lunch we went to a Buddhist Temple to feast on a Buddhist vegetarian banquet. It was very delicious. In the afternoon we toured the Wuhou Shrine dedicated to the Chief Counsul to Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms Era. Around this temple there is another ancient street or a newly remodeled street in ancient styles called Jingling Avenue. It was said to be very crowded. In the evening we watched a live show featuring rapid face masks changing, acrobatics, dances, and other performances. They kids all enjoyed the show. This was evident in their elevated level of excitement when checking back into the hotel.
The weather in Chengdu has been nice. It was a bit humid occasionally. Other than that it has been tolerable.
The next two days will be free days. Some kids have made up their mind to sleep in late. They have been advised not to spend all their time and money in the western style eateries.

Dongba valley phtos