Saturday, June 30, 2007

Because you can never have too many flags


AFP/Saul Loeb

Here's your president, making another of his endless photo-op appeareances on your dime. You'd think one flag would be enough of a prop for this louse, must have been an off day when they couldn't scare up a crowd of students or soldiers each waving a smaller flag to provide a proper backdrop.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Penquins visit Children's Hospital, Denver


Photo by Brian Brainerd, the Denver Post

This is my favorite picture I've seen in the Post lately, and they frequently have some very good photography. I really got a kick out of the look on that little girl's face. As adults we tend to lose the ability to be so awed and delighted at once. It's not impossible, but you have to appreciate living in the moment.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Poor little rich girl-link

Damien Dovarganes/AP

Over at James Wolcott's Blog Mr. Wolcott has a new post up that puts some well reasoned perspective on the outrage and clamor that has captivated the MSM for the last couple of days. He calls it "an orgy of hollow hysteria", noting that the event is kind of trivial compared to the ongoing and nonstop crises in the world at large; Iraq, global warming, Darfur, etc.
More than that, he points out that the scorn focused on Paris is meted out somewhat less than evenhandedly, " I think it's that they're young women perceived (rightly or wrongly) as bachelorette sluts. As such they get to be receptacles for moral disapproval in ways that young men don't".
The preface of Al Gore's new book The Assault on Reason goes on at length about the phenomena of the media's obsession with trivial maters surrounding celebrities and meaningless details about leaders and others in public life. For instance, the furor over John Edwards' $400 haircuts, if Edwards should become the Democratic nominee he'll most likely spend $400 million or more on his campaign, the haircuts are probably a bargain.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Photos from 6/3/07


Duckweed on the edge of the wetlands at Kountze Lake in Belmar Park.


I walked up on this snake near Bear Creek Reservoir, got this good shot of the head and upper body. I haven't been able to make any positive ID yet with the on-line field guides I've seen as yet. It doesn't look like any of the poisonous species I know of, but I stayed out of strike range anyway.



Here's a big ol' carp in Kountze Lake, about 3 feet long this one. The white spots floating in the water are the flossy seeds of the cottenwood trees, that stuff is flying in the air everywhere at this time of year, I think I have an allergy associated with it, I always seem to have a wicked summer cold whenever it shows up.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Tiananmen Square Massacre-1989-link

Jeff Widener took this photo of a Chinese man stopping a column of tanks. Hit the link for some astounding video at PBS' Front Line site. People all over eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union cite the courage of this one man as the inspiration that helped them change their world.