faulker020

From the YouTube notes: Man Filmed a Tree In The Woods For a Year and Captured Things Most People Will Never See Music - "Have You Ever," by Brandi Carlile (Cover By Angela Lupinacci) The video comes from a new project called ‘Forestbeat’, launched by photographers Bruno D’Amicis and Umberto Esposito. After the discovery of the ancient venerable beech forest within the territory of Italy’s National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, the team have sought to spread awareness of the area to the general public. -

starting out in life the world is full of wonder – some steps are guided ________________________________ Image: Young grasshopper on squash leaf Photo by Elaine Farley Kinnaird -

YIMBYism is the idea that cities need to build more housing in order to relieve upward pressure on rents. In Northern California, where I live, YIMBYs tend to get into fights with progressives about market-rate housing. YIMBYs don't want to build only market-rate housing, but they think market-rate housing has to be an important component. NorCal progressives, in contrast, tend to think that market-rate housing is bad - either they think it lures more high-earners into a city and pushes up rents ( induced demand ), or they object to private housing developers making profits, or market-rate housing just sounds like cities catering to the needs of richer residents instead of poorer ones. Instead, the progressives tend to support what they call "affordable housing" - either public housing, government-subsidized housing, or privately-subsidized housing mandated by inclusionary zoning . When defending market-rate housing, many YIMBYs appeal to the idea of supply and demand. If...

RSA Tower, 201 Monroe St., Montgomery, AL ( RSA photo ) My daughter, Elaine Farley Kinnaird is a recipient of a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. This coming Sunday, July 29, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm, she will be a part of the artists showcase exhibit. You will get to see the artists’ work and will hear each artist talk about their work. See details below.  (Photos from the art installation can be seen here .) 2018 FELLOWSHIP SHOWCASE EXHIBIT Montgomery, ALA – The Alabama State Council on the Arts is showcasing the work of six (6) Fellowship artists at the Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery in downtown Montgomery.  The gallery is located in the RSA Tower, 201 Monroe Street, first floor, suite 110. A reception is scheduled for Sunday, July 29, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. with artist talks happening between 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Artists featured in the exhibition: ·          Scott Fisk · ...

"Shores of Ogygia," by Alabama's own, Bobby Horton. It was written for the PBS film series from Ken Burns, The National Parks: America's Best Idea.  Bobby Horton first teamed up with Ken Burns for his groundbreaking documentary series, The Civil War . Horton was an expert on Civil War era songs and provided much of the soundtrack. -

This Week in History Where were you on July 20, 1969? That was the day when we realized the goal set forth by President John F. Kennedy “to put a man on the moon in this decade.” I know, some of you had not even been imagined yet, but if you're a boomer, you probably know where you were that night. It was on a Sunday, and in my hometown at the First Baptist of Dadeville,   Alabama, some petitioned the preacher, Rev. Murray Seay, to cancel the Sunday night service so we could all watch. He came to our Training Union class to announce that the first step on the moon had been delayed and we would have time for worship and the moon walk. Our family gathered around the black and white TV. The moment came at 9:56 p.m. Central Daylight Time.  We heard Neil Armstrong declare,  “ That's one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind. ”  We were all amazed that two guys were actually up there walking around on the moon. We watched along with Walter Cronkite, of course, a...

moon rising above the waters ~ spirits rest _______________________ Image: Evening at Miyajima Artist: Ito Yuhan (1882-1951) Medium; Woodblock print 

I first saw this edition of James Corden's Carpool Karaoke over at Dave Robison's blog,   On the Road with Dave . He calls it "the happiest 20 minutes on the internet." -

This is a  time for all good men and women to open their eyes and ears. It is time to awake from our slumber. We will find our nation’s hope where we have found it in the past, by looking to the values that we hold dear. We have often failed to live up to those values, or perhaps we have moved toward them haltingly, but we dare not abandon them. On Inauguration Day, 2017, I began a series of journalistic poetry that I called, “ Bearing Witness to the Times .” With that first poem, I spoke of how we can find hope. Today I still think that this is how we find our way back home. When Hope Is Set in Stone (Thoughts on inauguration day) Photo by  Martin Child / Robert Harding (Getty Images) We put our heroes in marble Thinking we give them honor When in fact We do it for ourselves. Having learned that we can so quickly Misplace our values Or set aside our highest ideals, We chisel from the stone – Or cast in bronze – Those images we admire. Thomas Jefferson Memorial (Wikipedia phot...

Ry Cooder, one of the best guitarists of our time has a new CD out. Here is the title track recorded live in the studio. -

I have a couple of new posts over at The Music of the Spheres . This is one I went searching for.  I heard this magnificent hymn sung in church recently and it stayed with me throughout the days ahead. "Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation," translated by John Mason Neale and set to the tune  WESTMINSTER ABBEY by composer Henry Purcell. I found this rendition on YouTube where it was sung at the Ecumenical Celebration at Westminster Abbey, September 17, 2010. -

ancient boundaries can make us comfortable with divine presence ________________________________ Image: The "floating" torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine , a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima) Artist: Tsuchiya Kōitsu (1870-1949) Medium: Japanese Woodblock Print Date: 1936 -

Now is a GREAT time to travel to Japan. The country has really opened up, thanks to Abenomics, a weak yen, and the impending 2020 Tokyo Olympics. New technology has also made it a lot easier to get around the country, and to find cool stuff. Japan is in the middle of a huge tourism boom, and who knows how long it'll last, so you might as well be part of it. Go see the world, take a trip to Japan! Anyway, for a long time, people have been asking me for tips about what to do when they go to Japan. So instead of re-writing a list of recommendations every time, I thought I'd write a blog post. So here it is: Noah Smith's Abbreviated Illustrated Guide to Travel in Japan. This list is HEAVILY weighted toward the " urban Japan experience ", rather than touristy/historical stuff like temples, shrines, etc. or outdoorsy stuff like skiing and hiking. I've found that Japanese cities are the most distinctive thing about the country, and that people who do the "wander...