FACTS OF LIFE and STRAIGHT NEWS

twilight for the elders?

    They are the largest and among the oldest living things on  planet earth and after thousands of years they are in peril.

     A recent retreat to Sequoia National Park and the Sequoia National Forest produced a shocking bit of information.
     The keepers of these ancients say that because of global climate change they can no longer guarantee the health and well being of the giants.

    I am among those who are awed, inspired and spiritually moved by the magnificence of these ancients. They have stood silent witness to the history of this globe for millennia. 

     Now we are told that, for whatever reason(s) you may chose to ascribe as the cause(s), the climate change is doing what nothing else has, threatening these giant elders of life  on this blue marble.

     It seems we are of an age where we must endure and brave incalculable loss and violence to our own species and to our elders.

straight news

    All news organizations have spent more time dealing with Donald Trump's character than with his policies according to new data from the Pew Research organization.
     This is true for news operations with right or left leaning audiences and for those with a mixed audience.
      However the research on over 3000 stories found a wide variance in the "sources" used by the 24 news platforms that were studied. The important take away is that right leaning news organizations used fewer sources, fewer types of sources and less comparison in their reporting.
      Right leaning news organizations offered more positive and fewer negative evaluations of trump and the reporters "were less likely to challenge something the president said than those with audiences that were more balanced or were left leaning."

     It is telling that the lowest use of Trump or his administration as a source for reporting came from the right leaning administration. That combined with the fact right leaning news groups used fewer sources in reporting a story should be a warning to those who rely on them.

sad

    Californians are shell shocked and deeply saddened by the fires in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino. The devastation and loss of life is horrendous. To our friends in that part of the state, the best we can do for you now is send prayers and thoughts. Rebuilding efforts will prompt more response later.

      See you down the trail.

PERPETUITY and AN INNER MEASURE

Sequoia National Park

      Being in the presence of an ancient can do a lot to widen your view. Beholding a 2-3 thousand year old tree puts a perspective on human endeavors and foibles.

 Audubon Society Sweet Springs Nature Preserve Los Osos Ca.

    Even a less august eucalyptus grove displays endurance,  the contortions, changes and adjustments demanded of life. 

     Are humans any less subject?

 Sweet Springs Preserve

    And we are grateful for green spaces, preserves, national and state parks where that which is older is paid respect. And where we can rest, focus and gain clarity.

    Do you think we'd see a different behavior if House and Senate members did a nature centered retreat-a kind of outward bound recess? I like to think that a thread of decency would appear even in the contemptible Mitch McConnell.

    He's even more of a "gloomy Gus" these days, a weakened and failed leader who has presided over a colossal failure and collapse of majority politics. 

    It is good for all of us the mean spirited and punitive Republican Health Care plan seems to be dying. Surprising that a party that controls everything-White House, Senate, House and that has been shrilly condemning the Affordable Health Care Act for 6 years, can't govern, can't legislate and has no vision for America and can't do what they said they would do "on day 1." It is a disastrous administration and nations see us as weaker and unreliable.

    So maybe a couple of weeks of hiking and camping in Yosemite, or the Bridger Teton Wilderness or in Denali could do our Senators and Representatives a world of good, and us too.

    I wish we could get our bloated, sexual predator and lying tweeter in chief into the wilds. Oh boy, could you imagine? But that would probably result in a blown body part and would sadly end the camp out.

    Being in nature however clarifies an undeniable truth. Behind our politics, regardless of stripe or affiliation is an assumption about the power of human life and its durability. We move through our days owning an attitude of perpetuity. It ain't so!

    We are merely passing through. The best we can hope for is 7-9 decades. We are all amazed at how quickly it passes. 

    So why do we behave the way we do? We damage, scar, despoil, deplete our planet. And we brutalize, terrorize, destroy and kill, including each other. And for what ends?

     The health care plan is a case in point. Since all of us, even the most healthy, have limited days how can we be punitive or restrictive? 

      Providing health care to everyone is right. Arguing "there have always been the poor," or the fact that some can't afford coverage is "just the price of modern life" or "the way it is," is wrong.  Politics that enshrine those attitudes are mean and venal.

     Health care should not be a political doctrine, it is a matter of health, and if it is not a right, then it is our responsibility to each other. There is also the deep and complicated topic of the role of "profit" in the practice of health and healing. 

     I am one of those who believe our higher aspirations and greater good is to be just and merciful. Any thing else is delusional bull shit, the sort of which that leads humanity to our inhumane treatment of each other and our only planet.

     See you down the trail. 

    

    

    

THE WEEKENDER-AWESOME-PEACEFUL-AND THE DOG GOLDBERG

THE ELDERS OF THE PLANET

      As the news of floods, drought, wildfire and tropical storms fill the airwaves and internet I've been thinking about some of my favorite living things-the giant Sequoia trees only some 4 hours from here.
    From 1,200 to 1,800 years old I try to imagine the kind of changes that have swept over this planet since they first emerged as saplings.  I am filled with awe and reverence whenever I am in their presence, or in the presence of their cousins, the coast Redwoods.  That is why Big Sur and the
Sequoia national parks are so special to me.

TIME TO CHILL

   No matter where your journey has taken you this week, here are a couple of frames to help you find a road to peaceful relaxation.

THE WEEKENDER VIDEO

it may have you howling

   Find something to enjoy this weekend.  See you down the trail.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO LIVE & IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?

EARTH NEWS

     A service of this blog is the link, just to the right, to the Scientific American blog, an incredible source of real news and valued information.  Mainstream and social media are buzzing today with "news" that last year was the hottest on record.  Scientific American has been on, into and all over the facts for several months.  They posted earlier.  Do yourself a favor and keep an eye on their site.

       Now what are we going to do about the climate and the implications of continued change?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? 

      Have you followed the proposed changes at one of this planet's treasures, Yosemite National Park? 

      To help protect the wild nature of the Merced River and environs, the park plans to eliminate a 1920's skating rink, bike and river raft rental, while rerouting some roads, using more shuttle buses and constructing a pedestrian underpass to connect the lodge with the falls.  

      The plan has been years in developing.  Public comment is accepted until mid April.

     Visiting Yosemite, and nearby Sequoia National Park is a profound experience.

HEARST GRAZING

      A drive on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1)
is even more amusing when the Hearst zebra are grazing.

     Spotting zebra in a heard of cattle prompts tourists to brake suddenly.  Did I really see that?  Is that what I think it is?

     The Hearst Castle, built by Julia Morgan for William Randolph Hearst sits atop a mountain on the 80 thousand acre San Simeon-Piedras Blancas ranch.  It's an impressive stretch of California central coast.

Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons

    The zebra are a vestige of the old man's penchant for wild animals.  Thru the years, the heard has grown and often grazes along side the Hearst grass fed beef.

  Hearst zebras were the center of a shooting incident almost two years.

    A commercial talks about California cows being contented.  Must be true for California zebras too, don't you think?  Fewer predators than Africa and a great ocean view.

    See you down the trail.