* Still a month away but the sense that another summer is rushing past is undeniable. Perhaps it is the re-opening of schools that makes us feel that way....a change in routine, especially for parents with school-going kids. For the first week, or for a few days at least, there is awareness of something different, a yearning for things to stay as they were and then we adjust to the new routine.Pajaro Dunes, where every August a group of us gathers for a week, was very pleasant. The sun came up every day; it was warm -- unusual. The sky was affected by smoke from the Lockheed fire raging in the Bonny Doon area about 30 miles away. That didn't prevent us from enjoying long walks on the beach or from going out for runs; good food, wine, and conversation. You don't want it to end but, of course, it does.Building sand castle, Pajaro Dunes, California©MusafirWatching shooting stars (Perseid Meteor showers), Pajaro Dunes, California ©MusafirCartwheeling, Pajaro Dunes, California©MusafirWalkers, Pajaro Dunes, California©MusafirRunners, Pajaro Dunes, California©MusafirHorseback rider, Pajaro Dunes, California©MusafirSunset over the Pacific, Pajaro Dunes, California©MusafirThis world--call it an imagecaught in a mirror--real it is not,not unreal either---From Twentyfour Tanka by Minamoto No Sanetomo (1192-1219)Translated by Hiraoki Sato and Burton Watson, The Country of Eight Islands* Comments Anonymous — 2009-08-27 Hello Musafir. It brings a smile to my face to see that you are still blogging. I remember following your blog a long time ago. I remember in particular, a post in which you talked about going for a jog and seeing a man that you really did not know personally, but he blurted out to you that his father had died. I remember thinking how much sadness and pain that man must have felt to share that with you. Well, I now know that pain as my wife recently passed away. Just like that man, I feel the need to express it. We both used to read your blog because of the sense of peace and level headedness we both got from it. Keep up the good works. musafir — 2009-08-27 First, my sympathies for your loss. I can imagine how hard it is to be without your wife with whom you shared your life. Many thanks for your comments. I moved away from the town where I used to live, and no longer see the man who spoke to me about the death of his father. But I think of him on some days when I run. Stay well.

*Books and Films in the Summer of 2009"Turning and turning, these summer days, to my regret--think of it, half the year is already gone."---Fujiwara No Teika (1163-1241) Translated by Hiroaki Sato and Burton WatsonOf course, the late Christopher's Isherwood's "novel The World in the Evening is the source, inspiration, if you will, for the title of this post. Isherwood lived in pre-war Germany for some years and no doubt adapted the name of the newspaper Die Welt Am Abend published by German Communists. A fitting title for Isherwood's book, not as well known as some of his other works. Who can forget Sally Bowles in Goodbye to Berlin which I read long before I came across The World in the Evening. Now that I am in the evening of my life the name struck a chord. Books are such good companions. Some notable books and films:The Other by David GutersonGirl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg LarssonThe Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg LarssonAn Anthology of Japanese Poetry "From the Country of Eight Islands", Hiroaki Sato and Burton WatsonMovies: Broken EmbracesNora Ephron's - Julie & JuliaInteresting story, David Guterson's The Other. I liked it but I have a feeling that many readers would not care for the wealthy young man who decided to live in seclusion in a cave....and died there.Found a review of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in The Guardian (UK) , decided to check it out from the library and got hooked. A friend to whom I recommended the book felt the same way. In Lisbeth Salander, the quirky investigator, Larsson has created a fascinating character. Now there is a sequel -- The Girl Who Played With Fire. It is in demand; it would take a month or so before my name comes up in the library's waiting list. Unfortunately, Stieg Larsson died in 2004 at the age of 50.Reading An Anthology of Japanese Poems. It is a treasure trove.Yet to see the movies named above. Nora Ephron's film is in local theaters. Hope to catch it when I return from the coast. I am sure that Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces is not going to disappoint. Together, Almodovar and Penelope Cruz have made great films, and this one has received rave reviews in Europe.Off to Pajaro Dunes on Tuesday for a week at the beach house that my friend JHL rents every summer. The sun could be absent most of the time but that never prevents us from enjoying ourselves. Long walks on the beach; conversations about politics, food, wine, books, work, families, with the magnificent Pacific only about 50 yards away. One can spend hours just looking out of the window. Plan to run a few times during my stay. As they say "slow as molasses"....that's how I feel on some days when I run. Age catching up. But I always return from a run feeling better than I did when I started out.Enjoy the waning days of summer, doing whatever that gives you pleasure."The years and months, reluctantly parted with at any other time,are cast away in ablutions this summer evening."---Fujiwara No Teika, translated by Hiroaki Sato and Burton Watson

* Unethical firms: iKitchen.com * homebrands.com * metromarket.com Duped by iKitchen.com in the summer of 2008 when a Perfex Pepper Mill purchased from iKitchen.com turned out to be defective. Like many others who have had bad experience dealing with this on-line firm, telephone calls and e-mail messages remained unanswered until I received notification that my complaint failed to meet the time limit of 15 days. My first message was sent within a week of receiving the defective product! Out of curiosity, recently I searched for complaints about this firm and found many. Most of the complaints were about debiting the credit card and then not fulfilling the order. Before doing business with any of the above-named firms, see the well-researched post by musicom67 in ResellerRatings.com on November 13, 2008 Also check the web site http://www.my3cents.com/productReview.cgi?company=IKitchen.com Odd that the people involved in running the firm(s) have escaped attention of the NY District Attorney's office. Perhaps considered a small fry, unethical entities like iKitchen.com are not worth the time and efforts required to shut them down. iKitchen.com and associated companies are aberrations. Majority of the companies that offer products and services on the Internet are reliable.

*Kailash Kher * Delhi 2 DublinIt was a fun afternoon at Stern Grove on Sunday (August 2nd) when the Indian musician Kailash Kher and his group entertained a capacity crowd. Kher's Bollywood version of Sufi music is a far cry from the late maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan but tunes were catchy. The audience loved it and there was good vibration -- a lot of dancing, clapping, and swaying to the music. The weather was just right. We took a picnic lunch and a bottle of red which added to the pleasure.The Delhi to Dublin quintet performed before Kailash Kher appeared on stage, and did a great job of warming up the crowd. This group of fusion musicians from Vancouver, BC, lived up to the reputation.Delhi 2 Dublin at Stern Grove©MusafirDelhi 2 Dublin©MusafirKailash Kher doing his thing at Stern Grove©MusafirA few members from the audience participating on stage©Musafir"Music is the universal language"©MusafirMusic.....it can lift your spirits, help you cope with the daily grind. It can make you tap your heels or get up and dance. It can also make you sad because a certain song can revive memories of a person or place that meant something special.

*A Hike to the Top of Upper Yosemite Falls This one is not for those with knee problem. Most of the 2.7 miles trail is built of rocks of different shapes and sizes, hard on the knees both while climbing and descending. Ankles,too, are subject to risk. A twisted ankle halfway up could mean a lot of problems and turn out to be expensive.Is it worth going up? Yes, especially if you like a challenging hike and great views. If you go, be sure to carry enough drinking water and some food. None available at the top.A friend invited me to join him on a trip to Yosemite and follow the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail all the way to the top. We did it on Saturday, July 25th.It took us 4 hours to go up and 3 hours to come down to the valley. Many hikers do it in less time. We started later than we had planned. Earlier start would have allowed us to avoid the mid-day heat. The trail is up and back, not a loop. But for backpackers there are options to continue on to El Capitan and other points from the top of Upper Yosemite Falls.Great trip except for the crowd. The valley was full of people and cars. The shuttle service is excellent but many visitors drive around and cause traffic congestion looking for parking space at popular sites. It happens every summer. A total restriction on driving inside the valley would be the only solution to this.Half Dome at sunset from Lower Pines Campground©MusafirView of the top of the falls from the starting point©MusafirA deer wondering about dumb two-legged creatures©MusafirThe rocky switchback trail©Sarbajit Ghosal Looking down on the lush, green meadow©Sarbajit Ghosal Tree line - Nearing the top©Sarbajit Ghosal End of the trail -We made itSG cooling off at a rock pool about 150 yards from the edge©Musafir Ready to begin descending©Musafir View of Clouds Rest from the trail©Musafir Nature's garden alogside the trail near treeline©Sarbajit Ghosal Water from the upper falls at the point where the lower part begins©Sarbajit Ghosal

* Debbie Purdy * Dr. Anne Turner * Craig Ewert * Daniel James * Sir Robert and Lady DownesSlowly, yes, but supporters of Right-to-Die movement in Britain are making progress in their efforts to gain recognition of an individual's decision to end his or her life.Report in the Guardian, Thursday 30 July 2009:Britian's highest court issued a historic judgment today that could finally remove the fear of prosecution from people who travel abroad to support relatives seeking an assisted suicide.In a unanimous ruling, the law lords ordered the director of public prosecutions to immediately draw up a policy that would spell out when prosecutions would and would not be pursued.The ruling was strongly in favour of Debbie Purdy, 46, who has multiple sclerosis and who has been fighting to protect her husband should he accompany her to a clinic in Switzerland that specialises in euthanasia. She had argued that the law was unclear and uncertainty surrounding the issue breached her human rights.Other notable cases of British citizens who elected euthanasia:Hannah JonesDr. Anne TurnerCraig EwertDaniel JamesSir Edward Downes and Lady DownesHere in America we, who believe in a "A good life and a good death", are a long way from gaining our objective. The state of Oregon was the first to pass a Death with Dignity Act in 1994. The law survived the Bush Administration's efforts to nullify it. To their credit, the voters of Washington State passed Initiative 1000 (modeled on the Oregon Law) in 2008. But in California attempts to pass a similar initiative were defeated -- twice -- due to huge sums of money spent by religious organizations and other vested interest groups. Terminally ill patients generate a lot of revenue for hospital and medical professionals. The blitz of negative advertisements worked. They painted a scenario of terminally ill people being taken off life support en masse based on decisions by those who stood to gain from their death. Lost in the noise were those who did not believe in death being in God's hand and who wanted to have the choice not to be kept alive on life support.The battle is not over. Some day, all terminally ill people suffering pain and indignity of being kept alive against their wish will win the right to die.But until then, if you believe in it and don't want to end your life hooked up to tubes, sign Advance Directive to Physician (Living Will) to protect yourself from the Bible thumpers and profiteers. Also, make your position known to your family and friends.You will not need an attorney; just two witnesses. The form is available from various sources. The World Wide Web contains a vast list of organizations that provide information about this. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is one of them.Do not lose control over this very important decision.Recommended reading:How We Die : Reflections on Life's Final Chapter by Sherwin B. Nuland,MD, Vintage PaperbackOn Death and Dying by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, The MacMillan Co.Final Exit by Derek Humphrey, Dell PublishingEuthanasia and the Right to Die edited by A.B. Dowling, Peter Owen, London Comments Stanley A Terman, PhD, MD — 2009-07-30 The alternative, which is already legal: refuse food and fluid, which can be comfortable and peaceful. See: "The BEST WAY to Say Goodbye: A Legal Peaceful Choice at the End of Life" (2007), and "Peaceful Transitions: An Ironclad Strategy to Die When and How YOU Want" (2009). For a Living Will to accomplish this, especially in Advanced Dementia, see www.MyWayCards.com. musafir — 2009-07-31 Thank you for your comments. The thought that occurs is how many terminally ill people can "refuse food and fluid". And what about being fed intravenously?

* Guns and AmericansWhat is it about guns that has a visceral appeal to so many Americans? Some proponents of gun control -- not gun ban -- joke about guns being a penis substitute but that cannot be true. The number of gun rights advocates is too large to make it stick. They cannot all be suffering from small penises. Of course, when it comes to sex, size is not that important but then you are treading on others who think size matters. We are a nation full of people who think bigger is better.Now our politicians are in the process of crafting a measure that ".....would give people the right to carry concealed weapons across state lines as long as they obey the concealed gun laws of the state they are visiting." Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota sneaked this in as an amendment to a $680 billion defense spending bill. It is expected to pass because many Democratic senators are afraid of antagonizing the NRA. Even President Obama treads softly on gun control issues.Back in May, 105 Democrats joined 174 Republicans in tacking on an amendment to a bill to impose restrictions on credit card companies. That measure allows visitors to carry loaded guns in National Parks. The president signed it without any comment.Americans love guns, and our country also takes the top spot for gun related violence and deaths. Our lax rules about owning and selling guns are now contributing to the carnage in Mexico. Assault weapons from U.S. side of the border are being procured in large quantities by Mexican narco traffickers to kill and terrorize their enemies. And so it goes.See: Mexico Violence And The US As The Gun SourceA lethal export to MexicoAddendum July 22. 2009 The Thune Amendment defeated (NY Times).

* Joan Baez * Pete Seeger Listening to Joan Baez at Stern Grove this afternoon brought back memories of the late sixties when activists against the Vietnam war were gaining momentum. She was a prominent figure in energizing the anti-war movement. Among her repertoire today was a song that was popular in those days -- "We shall overcome". The first time I heard it was when Pete Seeger made an appearance in Kolkata in 1967 or thereabout. He invited the audience to join him in what he called a "Hootenanny". And we did. Joan Baez at Stern Grove © Musafir Swaying to music © Musafir Happiness is a laughing child © Musafir It felt good to see people of all ages, races, colors enjoying the music, the sunshine, food and wine under the Eucalptus trees. Young couples hugging, mothers swaying to the beat, holding their children. Tomorrow it will be back to work for those who have jobs. They are fortunate, but even for them there is nagging concern about the future. Are their jobs secure? In America there is no such thing as job security. But tomorrow is another day. Today they were out there enjoying themselves. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan In some respects, 36 years after the end of the Vietnam war things have not changed much. We were conned into another unjust war, this time against Iraq. Sporadic incidents of internecine violence continue in Iraq as Shias and Sunnis kill each other. But it is news from the war in Afghanistan that now gets more coverage. We installed a puppet, Hamid Karzai, a corrupt and ineffective man to run Afghanistan. Bin Laden is reported to be hiding in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are reports about a natural gas pipeline (TAP or TAPI) from Turkmenistan to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan being the primary motive for our involvement in Afghanistan. Could be true. Oil was certainly a factor in the Iraq war although it appears that we are not going to be in control of Iraq's oil. Still, a friendly government in Iraq would be good for the multi-national oil companies. Major powers and oil companies have done a lot of dirty things together. That,too, is not going to change.

*A Walk in the WoodsJuly 4th came and went. Did not watch fireworks but took part in a traditional hike with friends. Picnic in the woods had all the trimmings including luscious watermelon. The pictures below were taken at Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.Variable Checkerspots feeding,I© MusafirVariable Checkerspots feeding, II© MusafirHikers on Harkins Ridge Trail, Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve© Musafir"In watermelon sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar. I'll tell you about it because I am here and you are distant."Wherever you are, we must do the best we can. It is so far to travel, and we have nothing here to travel, except watermelon sugar. I hope this works out."--Richard Brautigan, In Watermelon SugarSummer of Discontent ?For some, it is a bleak summer. The economic recovery seems to have stalled; number of unemployed Americans keeps creeping up; filing of bankruptcies remain high as do foreclosures. It is going to take a long time before the picture brightens.As military operations by our armed forces slow down in Iraq, the tempo is rising in Afghanistan. Six American soldiers died there on July 6th. Are we done with Iraq? Why have we built, and are going to maintain, the largest U.S. Embassy in the world in Baghdad? It is reported to occupy the size of four football fields! Of course, Iraqi oil has not paid and will not pay for the cost of the war as boasted by the neocons when they began the war on lies.In the meantime, the politicians are going through their usual antics. Republicans scrambling around to grasp something, anything, to get out of the hole they dug for themselves. And they are still mouthing platitudes about family values. Talk about thick hides.

*Traveling in the Bedroom * Governor Mark SanfordDuring a recent bike ride on Canãda Road, saw some Clarkias in bloom. Buckeyes are turning brown. Other wild flowers have done their thing and disappeared.Man and machines on northern end of Canãda Road© MusafirStill does not feel like summer. Day-time temperature unusually cool. But summer is here. And there are sure to be some days when we'll long for a cool breeze. In the meantime, make the most of it. Before you know it the schools will re-open; summer will be over.Clarkias (Farewell to Spring) Blooming © MusafirBack to Alain De BottonIn my previous post about Remembrance of Things Past I had mentioned Alain De Botton's "How Proust Can Change Your Life". In his delightful book "The Art of Travel", De Botton wrote about Xavier De Maistre and his Journey Around My Bedroom.In "The Art of Travel", photograph of De Botton's bedroom shows bookshelves and part of a bed that looks larger than my own. I decided to do some traveling in my bedroom. Not bad at all.My bedroom© MusafirLooking west© MusafirLooking east© MusafirGovernor Mark Sanford - Another Republican who "Sinned"Bad days for the champions of family values. The governor's former Chief of Staff Tom Davis: "That Governor 'Realized He Sinned' (ABC's Good Morning America)Ah, the sinners. They keep coming out of the woodworks and putting on a sickening dog and pony show, often with their wives at their sides. Republicans have become quite adept at playing the remorseful sinner, and their supporters readily forgive them. While Eliot Spitzer did not talk about sin, he followed the rest of the Republican playbook. Admittedly, Governor Sanford did not exactly follow the mea culpa routine of others who have gone through it before him. But being a member of God's Own Party, the governor 's hands are tied. While not as rabid as some other party leaders, Mark Sanford strongly supported impeachment of Bill Clinton. His position on issues such as same sex marriage and adoption rights for gays leaves no doubt that he,too, subscribes to the family values claptrap adopted by his party. He will follow the same road and seek absolution. He has no choice.The Brits have a pithy description for such people: Wankers. Pitiful wankers.