* Another of our Favorite Goons Facing Loss of Power The popular uprising against Hosni Mubarak of Egypt gaining momentum by the hour. Reports on the Internet indicate that time is running out for him. The Israelis are worried, and they certainly have their ears on the ground. Mubarak's Egypt was their ally, propped up by American aid. The Israelis fear that the stage is past when their friend Omar Suleiman, former chief of intelligence and recently named by Mubarak as vice president, would have a meaningful role. Mubarak's son, Gamal, is not going to be the successor. As Bob Dylan's song goes "The times they are a changing". And America is between the proverbial "a rock and a hard place", quietly trying to extricate itself. AlJazeerah It's incredible, really. The president of the United States can't bring himself to talk about democracy in the Middle East. He can dance around it, use euphemisms, throw out words like "freedom" and "tolerance" and "non-violent" and especially "reform," but he can't say the one word that really matters: democracy.ElBaradei could have a role. If hard-liner Islamists don't dominate the government after Mubarak relinquishes power then Egypt would be a better country for its people. Justine, first volume of the Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell, contains a translation of The City by C.P. Cavafy. The center of the protest against Mubarak is,of course, Cairo. But in Alexandria,too, thousands have gathered to demand end of Mubarak's rule. The City You tell yourself I'll be gone To some other land, some other sea, to a city lovelier far than this Could ever have been or hoped to be-- Where every step now tightens the noose: A heart in a body buried and out of use; How long, how long must I be here Confined among these dreary purlieus Of the common mind? Wherever now I look Black ruins of my life rise into view. So many years have I been here Spending and squandering and nothing gained. There's no new land, my friend, no New sea; for the city will follow you, In the same streets you'll wander endlessly, The same mental suburbs slip from youth to age, In the same house go white at last-- The city is a cage. No other places, always this Your earthly landfall, and no ship exists. C.P. Cavafy --translated by Lawrence Durrell Comments Unknown — 2011-02-10 Hi, I stumbled on to your comment about Sanyal Brothers in Jamshedpur. This really brings back so much memories. Regal, Natraj, Karim I was a frequent visitor to Jamshedpur in the 70s...I grew up in Rourkela just 100 miles away. Is Sanyal Bros still there ? Do you still visit Jamshedpur ? I'd love to get in touch. Unknown — 2011-02-10 Great luck ! musafir — 2011-02-10 A pleasure to find your comments. I know Rourkela -- never lived there but visited friends. But that was decades ago. The last time I was in Jamshedpur was 1984. There are some former residents of Jamshedpur who live in the San Francisco Bay area. According to them, Sanyal Bros is still there. Good, if true. Let us hope that books and book stores will survive in this age of high tech. Thanks for visiting. musafir — 2011-02-10 This comment has been removed by the author.

* Saints and the Vatican * Empower the Witch Doctors According to a report in the New York Times, Pope Benedict XVI has initiated steps to beatify his predecessor, the late John Paul II. VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI moved his beloved predecessor one step closer to sainthood on Friday, confirming a miracle by John Paul II and setting May 1, the first Sunday after Easter, as the date of his beatification. The designation means he is considered “blessed” and can be publicly venerated. Sainthood would follow after the confirmation of one more miracle. *Benedict said Friday in a decree that a French nun had been miraculously cured of Parkinson’s disease thanks to John Paul’s intercession. John Paul himself had Parkinson’s. In a statement, Benedict said that a Vatican-appointed committee of cardinals, bishops, doctors and theologians had determined that the recovery of Sister Marie Pierre Simon from Parkinson’s was “miraculous” and “scientifically inexplicable.” Strange. Mumbo jumbo by the head of the Catholic Church in a gold-embroidered robe is OK.....accepted. But by a half-naked black guy prancing around is frowned upon. Bloody unfair. Empower the witch doctors. “All the tales of miracles, with which the Old and New Testament are filled, are fit only for impostors to preach and fools to believe” --Thomas Paine (English born American Writer)

* Haven for Dirty Money turns against Wikileaks Duh! The Swiss, after years of providing shelter to ill-gotten wealth of corrupt politicians, warlords, and drug cartels, have joined the gang against Julian Assange of Wikileaks. One can see the hands of the United States and other nations, whose dirty secrets were exposed by Wikileaks, in Switzerland's decision...an example of shameful duplicity. Times of India GENEVA: Bank officials are looking at shutting down an account opened by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Switzerland, media reports said Sunday. * © Steve Bell 2010, guardian.co.uk guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 21 December 2010 08.00 GMT "Still" alive.

* Charles G. O'Connor Last day of 2010. It was yesterday morning when the message arrived announcing death of an old friend. It was not unexpected. He was almost 94. Nevertheless, I was saddened by the news. Death of someone close to us reminds us of our own mortality. More than that, it makes us think of others who are suffering from sickness and age-related problems. It is not often that a good life ends in a good death. I went out for a long walk in the forest. Phleger Estate was cold; the trails were muddy, churned up in places by horseback riders. A few of them rode past. The creek alongside Miramontes Trail was flowing full and strong. I headed west on Miramontes and thought of the late Charlie O'Connor, master mariner. The years when I worked under him in Kolkata, India, and later of his visits when I had the pleasure of showing him parts of California that I love. Took him to Yosemite National Park and to Lake Tahoe. Did what tourists do in the Monterey Bay area -- the 17-Mile Drive; John Steinbeck's old haunts; drove on Highway 1 to the Central Coast. Stopped to admire Bixby Bridge at Big Sur; took one of the tours at Hearst Castle at San Simeon. And, of course, we walked the streets of San Francisco. Charlie never learned to drive but once he accompanied his brother-in-law on a road trip to the west coast. I remembered that I picked him up at the Burlingame Country Club where they were staying as guests of the Giannini family (founders of the original Bank of America) and brought him home for a few days. Then I heard voices of children. A group of 8-10 year olds, with two adults, were behind me, chattering happily. I struck up a conversation with one of the supervising adults. He happened to be a resident of San Carlos but originally from Scotland. Said that the trails at Phleger Estate were good for training for the Dipsea footrace. Told him that I had run the Dipsea and the Double Dipsea. Now there is a Quad Dipsea race! We talked about Lake District in the north of England where I had done some long-distance walking. We came to the junction of Raymundo and Mount Redondo Trails. They went up Raymundo, and I took Mount Redondo. Soon, I could no longer see or hear the kids. I missed them. The walk made me feel better, lighter.*In memory of Capt. Charles G. O'Connor "And time remembered is grief forgotten, And frosts are slain and flowers begotten, And in green underwood and cover Blossom by blossom the spring begins." ~ Algernon Charles Swinburne

* The Rush to Stop Exposure of Secrets and Lies It would be naive to expect that the leaks would stop malfeasance by government authorities. But perhaps those in power who had been glibly lying for years and taking advantage of ignorance of the general public about what goes on behind the scenes would be somewhat restrained in their plotting. Maybe not. To be in a position to abuse power is heady, addictive; hard to give up. We can only hope. Henry Potter in Guardian, UK:The world has changed, not simply because governments find they are just as vulnerable to the acquisition, copying and distribution of huge amounts of data as the music, publishing and film businesses were, but because we are unlikely to return to the happy ignorance of the past. Knowing Saudi Arabia has urged the bombing of Iran, that Shell maintains an iron grip on the government of Nigeria, that Pfizer hired investigators to disrupt investigations into drugs trials on children, also in Nigeria, that the Pakistan intelligence service, the ISI, is swinging both ways on the Taliban, that China launched a cyber attack on Google, that North Korean has provided nuclear scientists to Burma, that Russia is a virtual mafia state in which security services and gangsters are joined at the hip – and knowing all this in some detail – means we are far more likely to treat the accounts of events we are given in the future with much greater scepticism.Now wheels are churning at full speed to punish Julian Assange of WikiLeaks. The rape charge is full of holes. Major powers, led by America, are out to stop WikiLeaks from releasing additional data. Chances are that they will succeed, at least to some degree. That would be a shame. Senator Diane Feinstein (D), California, and Senator Joseph Lieberman, Independent-Democrat, Connecticut, both took strong positions against WikiLeaks. These two senators' exist to protect interests of Isreal. It would have been surprising if they did not support persecution of Julian Assange.

* The Elusive Chanterelles Cannot be lack of rains; we got enough. Perhaps the unusually cold temperature that prevailed in the past three weeks inhibited the emergence of wild mushrooms. In the areas where I do my foraging, the pickings have been meager. During my walks in the woods I have found oyster mushrooms, a few shaggy manes (delicious), but not a single chanterelle. Last season was bountiful. The first chanterelles appeared before Thanksgiving and they continued to be available in February. Shaggy Manes need to be cooked as soon as possible. They don't keep. David Arora, in his comprehensive book Mushrooms DeMystified wrote: "Well, it is not a bad idea to melt the butter before picking the shaggy manes." Shaggy Manes © David Arora - Mushrooms DeMystified Oyster Mushrooms ©Musafir Big Laughing Jim (Gymnopilus spectabilis) ©Musafir ©Musafir The underside of a Gymnopilus spectabsilis©Musafir Unedible. The clusters of Big Laughing Jims look good. But stay away from eating them. Toxic, hallucinogenic. Skyline Ridge on a December afternoon Easily accessible, located 1 mile south of Page Mill/Alpine Road and Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35), Skyline Ridge is another preserve of the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD). Good hiking trails, not too strenuous. And there are a few picnic tables in a grove of trees overlooking Horseshoe Lake. Robins on a Pine Tree©MusafirRing-necked ducks in Horseshoe Lake, Skyline Ridge ©Musafir A bench for weary feet©Musafir The plaque on the bench ©Musafir Deer grazing at Skyline Ridge©Musafir

* The Great Yielder On November 4, 2008, at Grant Park, IL, the president-elect said: "But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you." The crowd roared. We, who watched the stirring scene on television, felt the high hope and elation. Now, nearing two years after his inauguration, the elation has evaporated. It did not take long for the alarm signals to appear when the president began to court the conservatives and gave ground on every issue that he once spoke of supporting. And he did so without putting up much of a fight. The Republicans smelled blood on the water and mounted vicious attacks on his agenda. The president still gives great speeches but he turned out to be a hollow man. A friend said that the president was afraid of confronting alpha white males. The final straw was his surrender on the Bush tax cuts. His agreement to extend them for two years is a joke. The way things are going, he will cease to be meaningful by that time. Does that mean that we, left of center Democrats, would rather see a Republican as president? NO. That would be worse; much worse.

*BRRR.....Cold and Frosty But blue sky and plenty of sunshine. An hour or so of mingling outside in the backyard is part of the Thanksgiving gathering at a friend's house in Palo Alto that I go to. A wet day would not have allowed that. Reading San Francisco Chronicle's Jon Carroll is a ritual I enjoy on Thanksgiving morning. It feels good. This year he wrote about gratitude and the small things that add up to mean something. "Gratitude is the antidote. It is a specific against a variety of diseases, from something as vague as the discontents of civilization to something as specific as personal grief - but gratitude is the antidote. Thanksgiving is the holiday of gratitude, and I am always willing to celebrate it.We are told frequently that "it is what it is." That's a tautology, of course, and an increasingly grating cliche, but it gained prominence because it's a real reminder of a real thing: What happened happened. You can't change the past. All we have is today. See you in the future! But regret is real. Sorrow and pain and loss - all real. I sometimes think of civilization or society as a kind of floor, a patchy, rickety floor in constant need of repair. Below the floor is the chasm. Some people know that chasm well - those who have to scrabble to exist in war zones, those who have tried to cope after hurricanes or earthquakes, those who have lost multiple family members simultaneously. For them, the daily comforts of society are of little use. The network of routine, the solace of art, hope for the future - none of it seems real. Only the chasm seems real. The chasm is only metaphorical, of course, but sometimes we live our lives entirely within metaphors. Our choice of metaphors is just a matter of taste. There's no right answer on this quiz, kids. But still we have to get through the day. And, I am convinced, the route through the day is gratitude. Because there is always something to be grateful for, and that something is not in the chasm, floats above the chasm, denies the importance of the chasm. You choose: sunsets, apples, bedrooms in the morning, Bruce Springsteen, a child's second birthday, the smile on the face of a passing stranger, rivers, mountaintops, cathedrals, Shakespeare, Tina Fey, the curve of a thigh, the curve of a road, the nation of Switzerland, Carl Hiaasen, grass, orange, Bola Sete, jumbo shrimp, Pascal's Theorem, Ockham's razor, clean restrooms, potable water, penguins, French kissing or peanuts. Can you feel the floor beneath your feet get sturdier? Can you see the holes being patched? For a moment, the bounty of the world overwhelmed you, and you were grateful to be alive at this moment. See? Antidote. So today, if we are at all lucky, we will gather with family and/or friends and eat food and talk of shared alliances and shared memories. Many Thanksgivings are family gatherings, and family gatherings are often fraught. My suggestion is: Embrace the fraught. You'd miss the fraught if it weren't there." Scenes from Thanksgivings Past 2007 2009

* Rating Agencies - Sleaziness of Corporate Giants The unholy alliance between large financial institutions, rating agencies, elected officials, and regulatory agencies revealed in fascinating details by Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera in All The Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis The title alludes to a line in “The Tempest” (“Hell is empty, and all the devils are here”), and fiends surely abound: subprime sleaze kings; bonus-happy Wall Street plutocrats; and, of course, Alan Greenspan, the fallen maestro of the Federal Reserve, whose see-no-evil free-­market ideology made a virtue of unchecked financial recklessness. The authors were interviewed 18th by Paul Solomon in PBS Newshour on November 18th. Excerpts: JOE NOCERA: The astonishing thing about the run-up to the crisis is that this situation was happening all over the country. Lots of people on the ground could see it. And, yet, no one in government, whether it was the Fed, whether it was the regulators, whether it was Congress, was willing to do anything about it. And -- and not only that. In some cases, like the bank regulators, they actively pushed back and stopped anybody trying to stop this kind of lending. PAUL SOLMAN: Is Wall Street any worse than it ever was? BETHANY MCLEAN: Yes, I think it's worse. Wall Street, by the very sleaziness and impenetrability of its practices, set up its own run on the bank, because, when push came to shove, there was no transparency. And, even though in -- you can argue that this was a run on the bank, it was a run on the bank created by the way Wall Street did business. So, in the end, they only have themselves to blame. The Financial Reform Act signed into law by President Obama in June 2010 does very little to restrain the rating agencies from continuing with the sleazy practices. Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty. --Edward Gibbon

*Thanksgiving * The Political Scene * Wilderness Just over a week away from Thanksgiving, a post by Scott F. Aikin and Robert B. Talisse in 3quarksdaily caught my attention. Unlike Halloween, Thanksgiving is a holiday of human significance. Though it is occasioned by the mythology of Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians, the point of Thanksgiving is not that of rehearsing or commemorating that original event. In this respect, Thanksgiving differs crucially from other holidays. The Thanksgiving gathering is not a means to some other end, such as memorializing the signing of a document (July 4th), observing an ancient liberation (Passover), celebrating the birth of a god (Christmas), or honoring the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers in war (Veterans Day). The point of Thanksgiving is rather to gather with loved ones, to reaffirm social bonds, to enjoy company, and to appreciate the goods one has. To be sure, the Thanksgiving celebration is focused on a meal, typically involving large portions of turkey and cranberries. Still, the details of the meal are ultimately incidental. The aim of the Thanksgiving gathering is not to eat, but to be a gathering. The coming of people together is the point-- and the whole point-- of Thanksgiving. Yes, an unequivocal "Yes". Return of the Darksiders They are back. The Bible thumping hypocrites have returned with a bang to take care of their friends in Wall Street and elsewhere. To be fair, the last two years have proven that Democratic legislators,too, are in the pockets of lobbyists. It is a matter of degree. Venality is common among politicians of all parties. They are creatures of the system. Still, the fact that Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina failed to win means that Republicans have yet to dominate California. Certainly reason to rejoice in an otherwise bleak political landscape. WildernessBy this time last year, wild mushrooms were emerging everywhere -- the good and the bad (unedible) kinds. So far, I have not come across any worth picking. We need rain. There is forecast for rain during the weekend (November 20th/21st). If we get some heavy rains then chanterelles might begin to appear in December. In the meantime, walks through the woods are always enjoyable. And we are fortunate to have access to many preserves with miles of trails. Deer grazing at Montebello © MusafirDownhill rider on Canyon Trail, Montebello© MusafirMadrone tree at Wunderlich Park, Woodside© MusafirGorgeous Red Maple near Arstradero Preserve© MusafirContrail over eastern sky at sunrise, Nov 16, 2010© Musafir The Strong Western Trails Where Wind Blows Through Empty Limbs Of Trees Have Tall Tales---From http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/429464-Haiku-In-The-Wilderness