Totem Poles and Vancouver Skyline

Seems Like Old Times...

Make It Right

On a recent visit to New Orleans, I toured the 'Lower Ninth Ward' part of town where over 3,000 families were displaced in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. One of the worst natural disasters in the US, Katrina took a human toll of over 1,800.

I wanted to check out the status of the rebuilding efforts by Brad Pitt initiated 'Make It Right' foundation and met up with Robert Green Sr. a local resident and community organizer who lost 2 family members and his home. Mr. Green who now lives in an energy efficient house built by the foundation was kind enough to give me a tour of the area and explain the aftermath of Katrina and rebuilding efforts since then.

You can check out more on the Brad Pitt initiated green efforts in New Orleans since Katrina in this 2009 CNN video report: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-36880

Nature's Edifice

It is always a learning moment when you look up to the Redwoods

Brighten up with ...California Red Poppies

The Apotheosis of Washington

Happy 4th of July weekend to those in US. RoW: May the force be with the Djoker @Wimbledon. 

Capitol Hill is a must visit site in Washington, D.C. A visit to the Capitol is not complete without seeing the Apotheosis of Washington fresco by Constantino Brumidi. Here is some history behind this painting for the buffs.http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/murals/apotheosis-washington

Sun sets over the Crescent Cty

Sun sets over the Crescent Cty

Stop and Smell the Roses

Stop and Smell the Roses [sic]

From Greenland to Bangladesh

The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets together contain more than 99 percent of the freshwater ice on Earth. Greenland has been covered in ice for more than 18 million years. During the past 20 years, Greenland ice sheets have melted more than in any comparable period during the past 10,000 years. During the 2000s rate of Greenland ice melt is five times that of the 1990s. Melting in summer of 2012 was the most intense in recorded history of Greenland summers.

If the Greenland ice sheets melted completely, scientists estimate that sea level would rise about 20 feet. That would not be welcome news in Bangladesh.http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/04/29/bangladesh-and-sea-level-rise/

Serenity in the Dutch town of Volendam

More Questions Than Answers

Lepers await alms under a humorous yet emphatic theological statement.

Guardians of the Tomb

A tomb guard walks his 21 steps (symbolic of the the 21-gun salute) at the hourly change of the guard for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Silent Spectator

Mother's Day

On Mother's Day, a shout out for those who lend their motherhood to kids at orphanages across the world.

Bees: Taken for Granted?

When was the last time we thought of thanking a bee when eating a fruit? Simply put, bees keep the world's food supply alive and cost effective. 

Lately bee populations have been shrinking, suspected to be from use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Watch the "60 Minutes" video within this news article. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57578760/pesticide-blamed-for-declining-bee-population/

Shot this one in our own backyard where with the built in diversity and with no pesticides used, we get some good bee activity. 

Those wings flap at much more than the 1/8000 second speed that I had to shoot it at to freeze the face.

Is spirituality a human trait like religion is?

Intuitively many would agree that animal species are capable of spiritual experiences without religion. 

Spiritual experience among animals is a scientific researched fact: http://news.discovery.com/animals/animals-spiritual-brain.htm

So we could say religion is an expendable human invention unnecessary for spirituality?

Earth Day 2013

A free for all painting wall at the San Francisco Earth Day 2013 festival, where kids and imagination took over.

Since its start in 1970 when Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day as a way to force Earth friendly issues onto the US national agenda, Earth Day has grown to be a global opportunity in over 200 countries to educate, communicate, reflect and participate.

When kids connect the dots on the environmental footprint of their day to day actions they translate their imagination and curiosity in Earth friendly directions in innovative ways.

Like recently reported Ria Chhabra who showed a simple yet compelling way to prove the value of organic food. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/is-organic-better-ask-a-fruit-fly/?src=me&ref=general

 — in San Francisco, CA.

Bicycle Evolution...Amsterdam

~780,000 residents in Amsterdam own ~881,000 bicycles. Residents who get rid of their cars and turn in their parking permits are giving free public transportation passes. Residents are also incentivized with car-sharing coupon. By 2025, Amsterdam aims to cut 60% of its current CO2 emissions. American cities have finally taken notice .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=22XM8-YTC98#!— in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland.

Sequoias Tower Above the Clouds

The giant sequoias are nature's examples of real productivity and efficiency. They can be viewed as solar powered hydraulic fire resistant pumps that transmit about 500 gallons of water each day up their ~ 300+ feet trunks and efficiently reuse during warmer temperatures. Some of the oldest sequoias have done this for over 3,000 years - Sequoias were already 800 years alive when Christ was born. Humans are expendable for plant species. Hubris would lead us to believe vice versa.

Climate imbalances could result in insufficient groundwater to help these trees endure longer and warmer summers in the future.
“The system of nature, of which man is a part, tends to be self-balancing, self-adjusting, self-cleansing. Not so with technology."
 - Economist E. F. Schumacher

Lion's Share

A 2012 Duke University study funded by National Geographic found that only 32,000 lions remain in Africa, down from an estimated 100,000 in 1960. Lion population declines are an efficient indicator of deforestation which accounts for nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

A sunrise view of Saint Peter's Square and Rome from atop Basilica di San Pietro

Rome is in the news this month with the election of Pope Francis, and the Rome Marathon a few days later. Rome and the Vatican are a delight to walk through with a plethora of ancient attractions; and intriguing juxtaposition of travelers and peddlers, magnitude and solitude, faith and despair.

Fireworks at Darling Harbour, Sydney

Harbour Down Under

Took close to 1/2 a day - some long walking, and patient waiting to get a few with the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge together from this point. There was less than 1/2 hr of twilight left from the time the lights on the Bridge and Opera House were lit.

Natural Expressions

Roller coasters are good at bringing out expressions of anxiety, anticipation, fear or happiness. For a few moments, strangers unknowingly reveal themselves in unison.

Benediction at the Holy See

Off The Beaten Track

Friends Forever

Living Planet

Green Roof

Walking Out of the Shadows

Sunlit Crosslights

Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego