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 ✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Friday, 12th of March 2010 at 08:45:45 PM Dearest Snowe-monster-
I appreciate what you and others are doing to help people regarding the closing of the seafood processing plant in Prospect Harbor. I have to ask, however, as a Republican and tied to their near ethically bankrupt views on businesses, isn’t interfering in free market rapacious capitalism against you party line? Don’t actions like this make you more of a Progressive? I would like to think so and I would be loathe to associate you with villains to our Constitution like Karl Rove and Cheney, but alas you continue to associate yourself with that party of irrational jingoists. The party of no-WMD and the largest income gap in nearly 200 years.
Anyhow, I think it might be time better spent attempting to reform business practices that let large commercial enterprises exists, gobble up small business, rape them and then close them leaving communities devastated.
If you were to take on true reform in this area – like 400% tax on companies “headquartered” overseas – then you might really show your true Progressive stripes.
Sincerely,
Nathan
✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Friday, 12th of March 2010 at 02:21:11 PM A little trinket of my travels augmented by a couple friendly additions can be found on the inside cover my my work portfolio – by Il Bisonte of course, now mass market crap here (and by that I mean Gucci, Prada, Fendi, LV, etc…). Also in there are my tickets to Petra and the Prado. All in an effort to make work more fun.
I was curious today and used Google to see what the current value of this collection is : 189.878315 U.S. dollars
I guess that is almost a ticket back to some of the closer spots I collected the money from, like Canada!
✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Wednesday, 10th of March 2010 at 04:42:21 PM
Josh took this photo of me waiting on the platform of the New Delhi Railway Station with all of our luggage as we learned that the train would be 5 hours late. I was warned this might happen and at this point in the vacation we were both more that used to things in India – which is to say trains do not run on time, they get there, but often hours late. I was told it is better to fly, but the train offers a place to sleep overnight, pretty good food, and a little adventure.
Josh @ Lunch Time on Sealdah Rajdhani Express. After over 15 hours together in this little rail car, we were giggling at just about anything. Eating, napping, reading, music, and watching the landscape killed the time. A great way to go – once.
My Name Is Khan was a controversy while we were in India. My understanding is that SRK, the main character in the movie, is Indian and a Muslim. He owns a cricket team and commented on how Pakistani players were not allowed or asked – not certain – to be on the Indian teams. A right wing party wanted to boycott his movie over this comment. It was advertised very heavily all over India.
Victoria Memorial Hall in the heart of Kolkta. It sits in the middle of a large garden and contains interesting exhibits on the history of Bengal, West Bengal and the formation of Bangladesh. I also learn that the first non-European Nobel Laureate came from West Bengal.
Esplanade Mansion in Kolkata. All I have been able to figure out is that it was built in 1910 by Martin and Co and josh says it is Art Nouveau (and he knows his architecture). It would also seem that it was built by a Jewish family of Syrian descent.
The Lion Capital of Ashoka on the side of the Writers Building in Kolkata. I started to become obsessed with this national symbol of India. It is both historically interesting and pretty.
Royal Insurance Building in the heart of Kolkata. This scene in many ways sums up what Kolkata looks like. You have a beautiful old building that is also interesting in its decay with people selling color items on the sidewalk and driving by is an old cab.
Just another random street fire. People seem to cook, warm and dispose of trash this way right in the middle of busy streets.
A panoramic view of a central part of Kolkata attempting to give you a feal for how it is there. Kolkata turned out to be a favorite of both of us. I am not sure either of us knew, but it is charming in so many ways and people tended to leave us alone. That allowed for more relaxing wandering around. I even haggled a few things in the market and bough a coupe books.
Sorry Josh, but this is the only proof we ate real India kati rolls. After wandering through the New Market, which was behind our hotel, we took a friend’s advice and gave them a try.
In the final hours of an amazing trip to India for both work and to celebrate one year with Josh we deiced to sit by the pool, think about how it was 50 degrees colder back home, and relax before the long trek home.
To browse the entire set of photographs from this trip starting with the photos of Kolkata please see my SmugMug album.
✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Wednesday, 10th of March 2010 at 04:11:36 PM
Nathan not really awake on the train. We got up early again to catch a train. This one was a two person sleeper with no food. As you can see it is pretty roomy. We had a nice wake up ride.
This is one of the corner towers of the Jahangiri Mahal in the Agra Fort. We decided that after a couple rough experiences and the short period we had in Agra, we hired a guide and driver. This was against both our better judgments because this kind of nose-ring-lead-me-around-so-I-don’t-have-to-think tour is not our style. The tour started here, in the full album you can see photo of Mr Bubble’s as Josh named him.
Nathan and Josh pose for a photo inside the Jahangiri Mahal at the Agra Fort. Notice the intricate sandstone carvings, particularly the top of the doorway above us.
Musamman Burj is where overlooks the Taj Mahal where Shah Jahan spent the last seven years of his life placed under house arrest by his son Aurangzeb. This is part of the Agra Fort complex, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site
These are the symmetrical gardens in front of the Khas Mahal or marble palace. A note Mr. Bubbles explained to us is that this used to be the ball room, assembly area, and used for other large gatherings. To cover this spot from sun or rain there are rings on the all the surrounding buildings about two stories up allowing a canopy to be strung.
My favorite architectural flourish in India are these carved screens or Jaali. Here is Josh standing in front of a lovely example from the Agra Fort. We are standing either in or right at the start of the Musamman Burj. It is hard to explain just how amazing the detailed marble work is in this part of the fort. It is a good warm up to what we saw later at the Taj Mahal.
Part of our tour was lunch at a high end hotel. In our case this turned out to be the ITC Mughal. It was a lovely place with great food, but the best feature by far was this huge chandelier and bright red couches dead center in the middle of the lobby. In this shot i am mimicking a Josh standard pose and I think it worked. I am not sure I will travel back to see the Taj Mahal when I return to India as there are so many other things to see, but if I do I want to stay here.
I think to avoid the issue in Slumdog Millionaire, you no longer have to remove your shoes and instead can opt for these booties that protect the marble of the monument.
Ok, so here we are at the Taj Mahal. This is a shot upward towards the top of the entrance at the front of the monument. All of the calligraphy and decorative work is all marble inlay. This is where they carve a groove in the stone and then lay in smaller cut stones to make a pattern. The base marble is translucent which causes some of the light that enters the stone to make it appear as if it were glowing. The result of all this workmanship is one of the most beautiful and spectacular things I have ever seen. It is truly marvelous and made the trip completely worth it all at once.
Detailed view of some of the marble and semiprecious stone inlay.
A photograph take to show how complete covered the monument is with marble inlay. Take a moment to scan the photograph and see that it is covered from floor to roof!
A final photo of the Taj Mahal that day which took a while to snap because of how crowded it was. This photo capped a wonderful day of tourism and a dream come true. The Taj Mahal is simply radiant. The marble it semitransparent which has the effect of making it seem to glow in the sunlight. This along with the blue back drop of the sky makes it appear almost fake – it is simply that stunning.
To browse the entire set of photographs from this trip starting with the photos of Agra please see my SmugMug album.
✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Wednesday, 10th of March 2010 at 02:52:36 PM
If I recall this moment, I had been looking out the window at the people sleeping in the mud, the outdoor pit toilets, and the general state of how people live. I started to tear up at one point. It can be overwhelming how people live – the squalor and poverty.
I wanted a photo of India’s ‘high speed rail’. I made some kind of mental error thinking that this train would be more like the Ave in Spain or the ICE in Germany. Oh no! It is express and fast by Indian standards, which means less than 60 MPH at the top speed. Please do yourself a favor and only take express trains and book first class.
Another photo that seems to capture what India is always like – people everywhere at high densities. I often found myself wondering where they think they will put more people as there isnt a lot of room for the ones already there!
We walked up on this cow eating a potted plant that it has knocked over. What you cannot see in this photo is that there are two of them, both nearly eaten. A lady came out of the store a moment later yelling at the cow for knocking over her plants.
This is the front view of the Palace of Winds or Hawa Mahal – the more traditional and recognized view.
This it my favorite photo I took in India. It is one of the gates to The Pink City in Jaipur. The beautiful architecture, a motor rickshaw, Hindu idol, Muslims, goats, birds, all capture what many street scenes were like. The lighting was great to avoid the colors washing out in the bring sun. Ah, looking at this makes me miss India!
This is in the heart of the City Palace. The building is called Diwan-I-Khas and was a private audience hall of the Maharajas. My favorite part is the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Another UNESCO site, the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is an astronomical observatory. Here I am explaining something very complicated to Josh. Actually, I think I was giving him the finger because I was sick of him asking me to pose for photos. But he is a good guy so he just kept on asking and ignoring me.
A close up detail of some of the marble and inlay at the Amber Fort. This is a common theme in architecture from Jaipur and Agra. The details are stunning when you see it at scale.
Looking through one of the external facing archways you can see the ramparts and fortification that around the fort. These walls with there watchtowers run the length of every ridge around the fort. The fort is made out of red sandstone and is ornately decorated. This includes one room that is covered with thousands of tiny mirrors. A photo of that room didnt come out very well because of the lighting.
Interior shot of one of the many small sections of the fort. I am not certain this particular part has a name, but it was in the upper most section looking down onto the central audience and ball room. This scene caught my eye because of the various colors of the stone and the birds atop of the domes.
Josh doing his best Brenda Dickson’s Welcome To My Home impression. If you spend a little time with him you will see he can get this cross between Brenda Dickson and Vanna White.
This Jal Mahal is right outside Jaipur. Built of red sandstone and recently renovated it is a typical example of the Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture. Our cab driver didn’t seem to want to stop here and let us out. It was as if he didn’t think this was worth seeing. Shortly after this he tried to take us to a gift shop in this back alley which caused Josh and I to promptly reprimand him and demand he take us where we wanted to go. This is a common issue in India – it will happen to you.
A shot of one of the central halls of the Albert Hall Museum. The collection left me puzzled as to the thought behind it, but the building itself was spectacular and worth the entrance fee, which is higher for non-Indians and this is true everywhere. Each room at Albert Hall was a treasure with intricate carvings along the doors, painted walls, murals, marble, jaalis, and other ornamentation. It is a bit out of the way but worth a visit.
To browse the entire set of photographs from this trip starting with the photos of Jaipur please see my SmugMug album.
✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Tuesday, 9th of March 2010 at 12:05:57 AM
Josh and I started out our tour of Delhi by getting a cab to The Red Fort where we wandered around and acclimated ourselves to Delhi.
A quick walk across the street landed us in the front of Jama Masjid one of the largest Mosques in Asia. The area the mosque was pretty filthy and was a very stark reminder of India’s developing status. I felt slightly afraid was we wandered through these old paths turned streets. The poverty but lack of direct theft was striking. My face here isn’t exactly happy because the smell at this spot was intense. We were not let inside. There was a very unfriendly man banging on a sign reminding people that non-Muslims are pretty much not welcome. So much for outreach and understanding.
A view of the back of Naqqar Khana from Diwan-i-Aam – where the King’s throne is.
Josh standing in front of Humayun’s Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has an interesting history which includes being nearly abandoned and having people living in it.
Jaali in the interior of Humayun’s Tomb. It was late in the day with the sun lowering in the sky. This presented some great opportunities for watching the light change through the screens.
The India Gate the site of the Indian Army’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier taken near sunset. The remarkable memory from walking around this park is how clean it is and how dirty the air was. You could not see the seat of government up the street through all the smog and haze.
When you arrive at the train station you have to fight your way through the local people trying to give you a ride or sell you something. Once you enter the station look for the desk that serves tourists. It is a lot more helpful and ordered than the open ticket booths. Then when you have a ticket, I would buy one online before you go from cleartrip.com, you go to the platform where your train is and look for these reservation listings. They tell you where to sit. There are only a few first class cars and that makes it easier. A good tip is to book your tickets together. That will make sure you are seated next to each other.
Please notice if you will the No Spitting sign. This sign along with the ones that tell people to obey traffic laws are money wasted on signage.
Having survived the craziness of the New Delhi train station at 5am, nearly being scammed, figuring out the booking system, and boarding the train I was ready to relax. Wow what an experience!
To browse the entire set of photographs from this trip starting with the photos of Delhi please see my SmugMug album.
✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Friday, 5th of March 2010 at 04:46:05 PM Reading along in the NYTimes today about these closures in Arizona – a state where no people should live anyway. It would seems people are up in arms that their rest stops are closed due to budget cuts.
Two things came to mind
- Pee in the woods/side of the road/sand dunes/cactus patches
- If you want the spending priorities of your state to change, then get involved.
Then I read along, which I should have known would only boil my blood:
“I honestly think they are setting us up because they want to do a tax increase,” Ms. Roberts said. “I think by shutting down things people want, they will give us one.”
Ok little miss sunshine, I don’t know about your tax burden, but the USA has the largest population of freeloads in the world. We all want to pay nothing for everything. Moreover, the solution isn’t privatization, the solution is that we have to start with being less obsessed with creating free roads everywhere, extending our infrastructure into the boonies, and having people live there that do not carry the burden of said infrastructure.
You shouldn’t live 2 hours by car from anything you normally have to go to, gas taxes in your state should be raised to a point that your roads are covered and appropriate legislation to keep your politicians from taking it to line their own pockets, interests or otherwise.
Your state got into a fisical mess, like mine, because of promising too much, the electorate being a bunch of cry babies, and some nation sense of entitlement: I want it now and I dont want to pay for it.
I would love to see the roads torn up, not paid for, and everyone switch to use fees. This is why I tend to be a Libertarian and why I think the tunnels near me should be 50$ if that is what it takes to properly maintain them, lower the tax burden and properly fund transit alternatives.
But I am back to where I started, you have no g-d given right to a toilet and you have no g-d given right to live 2 hours in the middle of nowhere.
✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Wednesday, 3rd of March 2010 at 10:57:54 PM aquaDRAMA was suffering from a lot of algae growth as a result of overfeeding I would imagine. That always seems to be the case, how to balance the needs of the hungry fish with the closed system.
This post if an take of KISS and how much work a tank can be.
When I returned from India a couple weeks ago this algae was really out of control. What I have been doing since then is doing a 10% water change every-other-day. After 4 changes the algae was all but gone. I say all but gone because you don’t want a clean tank, just a tank in balance.
✡ Nathan wrote this entry on Wednesday, 3rd of March 2010 at 12:05:13 PM After a three decade artistic love affair with Louise Nevelson, I finally own one! Not exactly one of her MoMA grade sculptures but an cool silver print she made in the later years of her career. It was hand made by the artist and signed. I purchased it on vacation with my mom in Rockland this past summer.
A new prized piece to accompany my hand made metal tree of life, marble bowls and other signed pieces. One thing I am most proud of is each one has a story behind it. This one is remote kindred life with someone who had a similar tale – a Jew growing up in Maine, feeling like an outsider, but not exactly, and always wanting to reach beyond. I learned of her first in Maine Studies, which where we learn the country song, our state bird, mineral, famous authors, and generally learn civic pride for things like being the free state that entered as part of the Missouri Compromise or how we broke off from Massachusetts because they are awful drivers (just kidding!).
I still haven’t sorted out my photo mess for my blog so I’ll just post one here:
 ✡ Ellie wrote this entry on Friday, 26th of February 2010 at 03:25:14 PM Dad, have to make this quick…power goes on and off! We are also surrounded by flood water. This has been an unbelievable 24 hours. 60-70 miles an hour winds and things blowing everywhere and hitting the house. Don’t worry I protected everyone. G_Mom made us go out in the wind and rain to use the bathroom. So Slobbie and I talked and we agreed that if I refused to go what she could do? Well let me tell you what she did. She pulled me outside, her hand slipped and OOOOPS, G_Mom was on her a__ on the wet sidewalk. We all laughed to hard that we could not wait to pee on the grass.
Anyway, after some ice storm years ago, I guess G-Mom stocks up on everything. So we have “futures” in toilet paper, enough soup for some “Russian Army’ that may be coming and batteries that we could sell on the corner. The car has gas incase we have to stay in the car to keep warm and the best is that she tuned the heat up to 71 degrees and we were dying from the heat. She does this incase we loose power so it takes longer for it to get cold! I expect to loose half of my coast before she turned it down. She is also angry at digital TV because her TV does not work any more and she has not bought a new little portable TV. She is waiting for a sale, “in this economy”.
I was allowed to sleep in the bed all night because Cart was shaking and upset…not that I was pleased wit the situation! Anyway I am confused, because G_Mom showed me Times Square on the TV this morning and it is snowing where you are. It rained here and it 47…Dad something is very wrong. I thought it was February and you sent me to Maine for a winter vacation! Take care and stay warm.
Love, Ellie
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