AND WE'LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET...

ONWARD

FROM THE KING'S OTHER SPEECH

     It was the end of 1939 as uncertainty and gloom cloaked England.  Chamberlain was Prime Minister and Hitler's madness loomed.  There was fear. It was a somber holiday period going into the new decade.

      King George VI included these words in his broadcast to the people.

     "I said to the man at the gate of the year-'give me light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.  That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way'...May that Almighty Hand guide and uphold us all." 

VIEW FROM A VILLAGE

     Friends had gathered north of the village, within sight of the castle, near the bay at their favorite Friday alfresco cafe. 

     "See you in the new year, someone said as they prepared to depart."

     One of the party, a wise lady said "It will just be another day."

Wherever your trail passes on your series of "another day,"

we wish you light and breeze.  May peace accompany you.  Enjoy the path.

'...And there's a hand my trusty friend!

And give us a hand o' thine!

And we'll take a right good-will

draught,

for auld lang syne.

REFLECTIONS

APPROACHING THE END OF THE YEAR

     Modern journalism seems to like using the end of the year to review the big events of the previous 52 weeks.  I always thought it was a bit silly and arbitrary, but it has become a tradition.  So in that spirit----

     I think what I am most amazed by is how rapidly personal communication has replaced or eclipsed what we used to call "mass communication."  Social networks and the technology at their core have changed not only how people "hang out" and communicate, but how they order their lives.  One facet of that is how they are informed.  What we see at the end of 2010 is of course still the early days of this migration of information to personal systems.  

     Perhaps the loudest evidence of this has been how the old backbone of the information stream, networks, major newspapers and such have embraced the micro bursts of information now available through any number of services.

     I grew up in a newsroom where the clatter of a teletype machine served as a reminder that I had the world at my finger tips.  Today my Twitter account, following news organizations and blogs, gives me a more varied menu and more rapidly.  This will continue to change how we live.

AND NOW HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW INFORMATION AND HISTORY CAN BE BUNDLED IN A WAY THAT SHOULD CHANGE EDUCATION---ENJOY

Link here to see how history affects us and how it could be taught

THE VILLAGE ECLECTIC

 A WEDNESDAY MIXED BAG

BLOWING EAST

     Gale winds blow the most recent storm toward the east, bringing fresh Pacific air. It reminds me I omitted politics in an earlier post about the value of fresh ideas and new waves.  Thomas Friedman notes an example of the all too rare politician with a sense of innovation and creativity-Kasim Reed, Mayor of Atlanta.  Reed has built the city surplus, put a check on runaway pension entitlements, improved infrastructure and recreation in blighted areas, put more police on duty and enjoys a 70% popularity rating.  He's managed Atlanta with a practical frugality and commitment to finding new ways to solve old problems.

     Other cities and towns with pending pension crunches would be advised to study Reed's success.  Even our little village of Cambria faces the problem.

ANOTHER STEWART ECHO

     In a previous post we hailed Jon Stewart for prompting a modicum of intelligence from  the GOP on the issue of the 9/11 Responders Health Care.  He is getting more serious and more widely read acknowledgement.

Read it here:

And that adds a nice quality to this-

If you look closely at the right bank, near the tree you will

see what I think is an Eagle.  Here is a blow up-

Sorry it is pixilated.  Let us know if you can make a more

certain identification.  I got the shot in an area where

Eagles have been previously sighted. But we also

have a number of Hawks in the area as well.

THIS IS THE FAR WEST

We've had 10 inches of rain since 7 December and more than 

14 inches this rainy season, so the old creek beds are

have come back to life.  Cattle are grazing on 

Western slopes and in the highland valleys.

Which brings us to REEL THOUGHTS

TRUE GRIT

This is a good film and it takes the Old West genre to a new level. That is to be expected when you consider the film making quality of the Coen brothers.  The film has the look and feel of the old west, so from the start it's got  grit. You can almost smell the body odor and taste the dirt.  Bridges scores again with another characterization that earns the label of Classic.  Damon's Texas ranger is brilliant.  He must have loved playing the role.

And as many others have said Hailee Steinfeld is just incredible and without her great work the other great performances would have meaningless.  Brolin and Pepper were also terrific in their smaller roles.  

BIRDS AND BEES

Really!  That white line on the far side of the wet land is a combination of Egrets and beehives.  The Egrets seemed to be tucking into the hill side to avoid the gale winds.

It is a picture of hunting.  The Egrets are feeding on creatures below them in the food chain.  And in a circular logic, I'll close with a thought continued from the comment about the need for fresh ideas. 

The Economic Policy Institute reports American companies created 1.4 million new jobs this year, overseas.  In the United States those companies created less than a million new jobs.  Hmmm, something about the food chain seems to rattle around in this statistic. 

UP AGAINST IT

     THE CONSTANT FLOW

    It provokes an endless fascination and probably always has.  It reminds us of power

and puts us in the context of forces larger than us.  It reminds me of something

Paul Krugman wrote recently.  Economic forces are playing out that are larger than

the United States. Others make similar notes.  We matter less.

     Are this nation's best days behind us?  How can a nation be a super power and 

be a laggard in employment, the intellectual simulation and growth of our youth, creative

expression and economic security?  They are incompatible.  

     National Security and the well being of citizens are kindred.  Leadership

demands the proof of capability. Creative entrepreneurs, the bright bulbs in the

information, computing and personal communication sectors as well as those in

intelligent transportation and energy, food and resource sciences offer the potential for a leadership the US could and should demonstrate. 

     Banking, finance and procurement have put us up against forces they unleashed and

are incapable of controlling.  The constancy of the surf works against even the

rock. And new ideas are a kind of wave.  The kind with power.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT

In case you missed this, from the Shanghai Expo.  Over the top indeed, but a fascinating

calling card.  

Your eyes will enjoy this. And what about those chairs?

     

    

WEATHERING WINTER

WE UNDERSTAND!
     
     Our last year in the mid west was "one of those winters!"  We ran out of places to put the snow.  One weekend we shoveled four to five times on both Saturday and Sunday and resolved, this is it!
     These photos of Calla Lillies are dedicated to those of you back east.  They began to bloom a couple of weeks ago and many people here on the Central Coast think of them as a nuisance.  Huh?!   
            

I think of these wild bloomers, they were not cultivated-they just show up, as the symbol of a free spirit.  Today at least I hope they may remind those of you suffering through winter's reach that spring will follow.  

     Early tinges of green are washing the foothills and highlands of the Santa Lucia range.

Cattle ranchers are pleased that stock can begin to graze again on these slopes.  Most of the cattle raised here are "free range" and we have begun to see herds moved to the western slopes, where they are "home on the range."

A REEL AFTERTHOUGHT

     Another great aspect of The Kings Speech was the sub text story-line of how the King to be came to understand "the common man" and the common man, in this case the Geoffrey Rush character Lionel, was unflappable in breaking down the royal pretense. It is a nicely crafted piece of the larger story arc and a story of genuine friendship.  

     And speaking of Royal Pretense--how's this as a pose for "How bad do you think I am?"

THE PICTURE AND A FILM NOTE

WHAT IS THAT PHOTO, IS IT CLIP ART?
     Some of you have asked about the large photo at the top of this blog page.  It is not clip art.  I took the photo at 5:57 AM, March 31 on the Sand Dunes in Death Valley.  The companion photo immediately above is a shot from when we began our long trek, before sun rise.  A chill prevailed over the desolate but beautifully silent landscape.  Our hiking boots on the sand gave up a small, grainy squish, the only sound to fill the vastness, until our breathing became a bit labored.  The dunes are massive. If you look closely at the "cover photo" you can see the tracks that betray our human presence in the pristine setting. Now you know. Thanks for asking.  It was a remarkable moment.

REEL THOUGHTS FROM A FILM FAN
     From time to time my love for cinema will find its way here by way of thoughts, I am reluctant to call them reviews.
     The Kings Speech is brilliant and deserving of the "buzz" it has generated. Lana said it is probably the best film she has ever seen.  It is on my all time favorite list.  Rush and Firth are extraordinary.  The acting skill, displayed by them is as good as it gets.  The story is powerful, emotional and stirring.  Dare I say, I suggest you make a point to see this great work by the actors and Director Tom Hooper. It is also a marvelous telling of history though I suspect friends of the Duke and Duchess (the abdicating King and his love) may quibble, but, go see it and join the conversation.

OPENING A LATE CHRISTMAS DOOR

By the time Christmas arrives on the Pacific Coast, the festivities have begun to fade in other time zones. The special day and mood moves across the land like light, spanning into the west. It is like a ribbon, decorating our memories with traditions, customs, food, drink, song, worship and images as it wraps this terrestrial sphere and for a moment suspends time.  


Again this year, another actor on another stage hosted a lame or frail child onto his shoulders so the lad could proclaim "God Bless us all!"  If it was not Tiny Tim, it may have been the dance of the Sugar Plum Ferries, or the cheer of Silver Bells or the bliss of Silent Night.  There is a bit of magic at work and we celebrate it in ways as diverse as we are.
Some where from my DNA is an image of a Manor Hall, swathed in festive green, with candle lit side boards full of food and sweets and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Let Nothing Ye dismay.  I also remember my mother, during a tough year, painting a mirror with a bonami snow scene and in a moment the world was perfect and all was right.


Thanks to those of you who have welcomed me to the world of blogging and to those who have said they will follow these Light Breezes.  Special appreciation to a long time friend and, it seems, a perpetual mentor.  You know him as Catalyst.  I know him as a fellow who must have spent time with the elves, especially the rebellious lot.


At our place, the festive day has begun to fade into the evening as rain soaks the cloud enshrouded Santa Lucia Mountains.  The fireplace glows and the Holiday music has now turned to jazz by Paul Desmond and another stocking stuffer, the vibrancy of Tito Puente.
Christmas 2010 begins its quiet journey to where it joins all those that have gone before to await an opening in a new year.  Charles Dicken's reminded us we should keep Christmas in our heart all year, and so we should, but we rarely do.  So Christmas will wait, to again remind us of the children we were, and could be.  Joy and Peace.

Into the Sunset and then Hopeful Wishes

I am sad to note that Fred Foy has passed away. He was the announcer for the Lone Ranger on both radio and TV.  His was the eloquent and stirring voice who said-"A firey horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty 'Hi Yo Sliver!  The Lone Ranger"


As a boy, I wanted to learn who was that man?  Not the masked man, but the man who evoked such excitement simply by the words he spoke and the manner he used.  I knew Fred Foy's name when I was a kid, and when I would hear the voice, sometimes in other situations, I recognized it.  I never met Fred, but I was a life long fan.  Now like great cowboys and heroes he has ridden into the sunset.  Thanks Fred, for all those great moments when you stirred my heart and saddled my imagination.


TRICKY WEBS-CRAFTY EXTRACTIONS
The California rainy season sends spiders into an earnest labor.  Here you can see the outcome of that endeavor.

Looking at these webs and traps, I can't help but think of the current session of the House and Senate.  What webs of intrigue and deal making we have just seen.


Fortunately some old fashioned bi-partisan common sense, or horse trading emerged.


Dick Lugar, a Republican from Indiana and John Kerry, the Democrat from Mass. were able to save the START treaty.  As Kerry said "we can move the world out of the dark shadows of Nuclear nightmare."










SCORE ONE FOR THE FUNNY MAN
Probably the biggest hero in the final week was Jon Stewart of the Daily Show.
Stewart's brilliant dissection of the GOP reluctance to vote for the 9/11 First Responders Health Care turned the tide. Take a look at how a comedian made more sense than any commentator or "expert."


Stewart drives it home! 

http://tv.gawker.com/5713220/jon-stewart-to-republicans-you-cant-exploit-911-anymore

AND THERE IS ALSO A SUNRISE IN THIS MOMENT
So much of the world has been pounded by severe and harsh weather that several inches of rain seems hardly worth mentioning.  In some of California there have been mud slides and localized flooding.  Our hearts go out to those who must manage a Christmas while
repairing from mud, flood and disruption.  Here on the Central Coast we will have a Green Christmas.  The mountains and foothill highlands have begun their display of Ireland green. This morning the sun broke orange and powerful, a reminder that in this season of light there is hope.  The shadows remain, the doubts of an unclear future and unresolved matters, but around the world in the next few days, tens of millions will for a moment at least, feel what generations have felt as they wait for the jolly old elf to open his pack.

                                                               
Maybe it would just so much easier, if Fred Foy could invoke that fiery horse with the speed of light to ride us all into a better place.  

It's About Time

Welcome. This was bound to happen.  This blog and you being here.


Friends, colleagues and readers have been on me to do this.  Too many years and instincts as a journalist, writer and producer to not try it, they say.  Maybe it will work.  If so it is because of you, a reader.


Readers, thinkers, the curious and a few others move in ways and on trails that connect.  Paths cross and then we continue on, often richer because of the experience.  And so as your journey brings you by here, we'll endeavor to make it worth while.  Let's hope then for a moment, one framed by the billions of bits and impulses of this cyber world, but a moment here, made luminous by life.


So it begins, a writing and a reading.  Cheers.