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*Cold and wet. We were wondering if we were going to get enough rain to avoid drought in the summer months. The rains came......and how! Friday, the 4th, was a howler. It rained and it rained.San Francisco Chronicle"This was the worst," National Weather Service forecaster Will Pi said of Friday's deluge, which dropped nearly 8 inches of rain on the wettest locations, dumped at least 2 inches on many Bay Area cities and brought 100-mph winds to the most exposed peaks."It had better be the worst."There will be showers Saturday and Sunday, Pi said, and another storm is expected to roll through the Bay Area on Tuesday. None of it will compare to Friday's storm, Pi said, which knocked out power to 1.3 million Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers in Northern California.The current forecast is for rain and showers the next five days. Bad news for commuters who will have to go back to work on Monday. On the positive side, the streams will be running in force and reservoirs will be full. Walks through the woods will mean negotiating muddy patches, fallen branches of trees, and even mud slides. Two years back part of the Los Trancos Trail in Foothills Park (Palo Alto) got blocked by mud. But dry or muddy, walking on trails is always a pleasant experience.Presidential Election CampaignIowa sent shockwaves through the campaigns of both parties. It was not Obama's victory but third place for Hillary Clinton that surprised many. Personally, I was happy that John Edwards came out second although I doubt that it would take him anywhere. For one thing, he is running out of money.Those who wrote about Mike Huckabee's growing numbers in Iowa were right. Republican contenders are now taking their gloves off. New Hampshire will be down and dirty. Last chance for John McCain to reclaim lost ground.Not only Huckabee, the ordained Baptist minister, all Republican candidates will mention God. For them it is de rigeur. And all of them will talk about their qualifications to defend us from evil terrorists. Some people will believe them.Back in the 70's, a collection of British cartoonist Mel Calman's sketches was published under the title "My God, A look at the day-to-day difficulties of being God". Here is one that I like.© Mel CalmanBach and BrubeckFor me Sunday mornings mean music. Bach, of course, and some jazz. Dave Brubeck's Take Five can make it easy to forget the politicians and their empty promises. I have the classic LP issued by Atlantic in 1972 -- The Dave Brubeck Quartet "Last Set at Newport" with Gerry Mulligan, baritone sax, Alan Dawson, drums, Jack Six, bass.

*A Heartwarming Movie and A Classic on VideoThe celebrations are over. Those who are not sleeping off last nights excesses -- the almost enforced gaieties -- it is time to take stock. For most of us it would be just another year. Nothing wrong with finding pleasure in things that we routinely do. For some there will be momentous events -- falling in or out of love, births, weddings, career changes, and....yes, losses. All very normal as we go through life.Now the New Year reviving old Desires,The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires,Where the White Hand of Moses on the BoughPuts out, and Jesus from the Ground suspires.---Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Translated by Edward Fitzgerald)Juno (2007)This film by Jason Reitman was an unexpected pleasure. Ellen Page as Juno MacGuff put in a stellar performance. She might not succeed in bagging the Oscar but she will be remembered. Don't miss it.Three Days of the Condor (1975)Sydney Pollack's film was prescient. That was what I thought while I was watching it on video. Released in 1975, the film brings to life rogue elements in the CIA and their nefarious activities about oil,Middle East and Venezuela.Think of Bush's war and news stories that have appeared over the last five years. Does not take much of an imagination to picture the neocons dreaming about oil and domination of the Middle East, and the opportunity that fell into their laps when fanatic Islamic jihadis struck us on 9/11. While the country was in shock the neocons ran with it and turned war games into reality. And the CIA helped them do it.The film was based on James Grady's "Six Days of the Condor". I read the book after watching the film in the 70's. The film script was a vast improvement over the original novel. Robert Redford perfectly fitted the role of Joseph Turner, a low-level CIA analyst who accidentally became the prey of killers let loose by his employers. Faye Dunaway looked toothy and sexy, and the great Max von Sydow very believable as a hired assassin.

*The Rains Came and Chanterelles EmergedWalks through the forests always give me pleasure. The four seasons have their own distinct characteristics, the trees and the landscape go through changes that make them interesting. The woods smell different. Looking down on the valley from up high on Skyline one cannot but feel good about living here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization that deserves our praise for protecting lands from developers is Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District. Without it the hills would be full of pink, pseudo-Mediterranean palaces.MROSDThe Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's purpose is to purchase, permanently protect, and restore lands forming a regional open space greenbelt, preserve unspoiled wilderness, wildlife habitat, watershed, viewshed, and fragile ecosystems, and provide opportunities for low-intensity recreation and environmental education.For foragers of wild mushrooms the late fall and winter months can be rewarding. Last year I came across the first chanterelles in mid-November. This year, there was hardly any rain in November; the ground remained dry and hard. Chanterelles were not to be found. Then in December the rains came; rain followed by sunny days. Christmas Day was unusually bright and clear. JHL and I enjoyed our traditional walk in the afternoon.© Musafir© MusafirA few days back Arani Sinha and I went walking in the woods and found chanterelles -- enough to share with friends. The conditions are ideal and there will be more for us to gather in the next two months. We treat the grounds with respect; we don't sell. *Ancient MusicWinter is icummen in,Lhude sing Goddamm.Raineth drop and staineth slop,And how the wind doth ramm!Sing: Goddamm.Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,An ague hath my ham.Freezeth river, turneth liver,Damn you, sing: Goddamm.Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm,So 'gainst the winter's balm.Sing goddamm, damm, sing Goddamm.Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM. -- Ezra Pound (1885-1972)

*Is the assassination of Benazir Bhutto going to be another cash cow for the GOP ?G.W. Bush and the neocons grabbed the tragedy of 9/11 and sold the nation a bill of goods. Think of the price we have paid....and will continue to pay for letting them run amuck. Our politicians did not have a hand in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto but they lost no time in trying to capitalize on it. Every GOP presidential contender is trying to convince voters that he is the best qualified to protect us from evil terrorists.Are the voters going to fall for their spiels ? We are 11 months away from the election. The caucuses are about to begin. The shrillness will escalate; misleading advertisements and dirty tricks (a hallmark of Republicans) will emerge. A numbness will set in among voters trying to decide who is fit to lead our country.Protecting America from terrorists is just one part of the big picture. Before allowing the gas bags to succeed in cowing us into unquestioning acceptance of their claims pause to consider how they exploited our vulnerability after 9/11. Comments Paul Mitchell — 2008-01-04 Well, that last comment didn't post like I wanted, so here it is again. Everyone keeps saying that Bhutto was to be the savior of Pakistan, am I the only person in the whole world that got the heebie-jeebies from her and her family? Does it mean anything that she was run out of the country for curruption and that her husband had her brother killed and served almost eight years in prison for drug trafficing? I do not think these folks were good people, but I guess Pakistan takes the lesser of two evils approach. Much like the US has to now. Paul Mitchell — 2008-01-04 And by "curruption," I meant "corruption."

*The headlines screamed "Benazir Bhutto assassinated". Yes, they shocked us but didn't surprise us. In Pakistan (Pure Land) such atrocities are almost expected to happen.The BBC's initial report states that she was killed after speaking at a political rally in Rawalpindi, and that as many as 15 others also died. Benazir Bhutto, who had served twice before as prime minister of Pakistan before being ousted in 1996, was fully aware of the risks she took in returning to her native land to have a role in Pakistani politics. Did she have time to think about it before she died? If she did she would have perhaps said mekhtub, "It was written".In our world today what happens in other countries affect us. The instability in Pakistan is cause for serious concern. As an example of just one facet of the situation, the financial markets reacted negatively and oil prices went up.*Benazir Bhutto - Key events in her life. The Guardian UK

Child with a Dove ©Pablo Picasso, 1901, War and Peace Series

* "Pride & Prejudice" RevisitedAfter watching a few new releases full of violent, gory scenes it was a pleasure to sit back and enjoy Pride & Prejudice on DVD....the 1995 BBC miniseries with Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth as Darcy. Ms Austen's famed novel portrayed the lives and customs of upper class British landowners. Of course, some intrigues and backstabbing took place among them but not to a degree to cast a lasting shadow over the romance that developed between Lizzie Bennett and the smoldering Fitzwilliam Darcy. They followed manners and codes in social interactions that are no longer observed.Witty dialogue, great rural scenes of England, costumes of 19th century, and excellent acting by all major characters."It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride & prejudice (First published January 1813)It was a different world. * The Kite Runner * Afghanistan * PakistanI found Khaled Hosseini's second novel A Thousand Splendid Suns more impressive than the acclaimed Kite Runner, recently released on screen. After a good beginning, The Kite Runner -- novel and the film both -- left me disappointed. The end seemed to be too easy, unreal.Never visited Afghanistan but I spent some days in Karachi during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan when the city was full of Afghan refugees living in pitiful conditions. General Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq was the president after acquiring power in 1977 in a coup against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto....the late father of Benazir Bhutto. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged after a rigged trial.It was the holy month of Ramadan. The waiter at the restaurant in Karachi Hilton refused to serve me lunch until I produced my passport to prove that I was not a Muslim. No wonder. It was during President Zia's rule that the atrocious Hudood Ordinance (Shari'a law) was introduced in Pakistan. Are the Pakistani Muslims who supported such laws any better than the Taliban in Afghanistan ? In 2006, General Musharraf, the current president, pushed for and succeeded in revising/replacing the Hudood by the Women's Protection Bill.No Country for Old MenLot of violence. Somewhat like a modern western film. Worth watching though. Great acting by Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem.American GangsterBased on real-life characters, the film failed to leave a mark. Three weeks after watching the movie all I remember is that Denzel Washington and Russell Crow acted in it.

* WWJD ? And The Ginger ManAs the presidential election campaigns heat up, the contenders are showing their flexibility and readiness to to be all things to all people. They want to win our hearts and minds and they stand ready to do anything, say anything.Where the GOP candidates are concerned, God is an important card in their play book. Makes sense. George Bush's victories were to a large degree based on support from conservative Christian voters. The Christian right voters have lost some power but far from being a spent force. Looking at the stable of contenders one wonders -- would Jesus endorse any of them.Enough about politicians. J.P. Donleavy's ribald classic The Ginger Man is a good one to take your mind off from the bloviating hypocrites."Mary Maloney's beautiful arseIs a sweet apple of sinGive me Mary's beautiful arseAnd a full bottle of gin."--The Ginger Man, J.P. Donleavy

*November was unusually dry, and in the first-half of December there were only a few showers. Now, three days before winter solstice, the rains have arrived. It is a wet morning in the San Francisco Bay area, and a lot more rain expected in the next few days. Temp. in the low 50's F (13 deg. C). According to the extended forecast, Christmas Day could be dry....cloudy but dry. A wet Christmas would prevent us from the traditional hike in the afternoon that JHL and I enjoy.We can forget the dire warnings about droughts in the summer months. Skiers are happy. Abundant snow packs in the sierras mean they can enjoy their holiday trips. Hardy lots, the skiers are not daunted by road and weather conditions.Good news also for us foragers who walk through the woods looking for wild mushrooms. Perhaps it is not too late for the chanterelles to emerge.The rains we get here, however, are a far cry from rains in some other parts of the world.Rainy afternoon, Sunnyvale, California © Musafir, Canon Powershot S3Monsoon rain and Rickshaw Puller, Kolkata, IndiaPhoto credit: www.liberaassociazioneilpopolo.it/Picture of a very wet day in Northumberland Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, UKRainy Day © Ian BrittonNot even a hat--And cold rain falling on me?Tut-tut! Think of that!--Basho (translated by Harold Henderson)Come, come thou bleak December wind,And blow the dry leaves from the tree!-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1772-1834, Fragment 3

*Odds and EndsAfter residing for 13 years in the heart of Silicon Valley I'll soon pull up stakes and head for San Mateo, 25 miles to the north.Such decisions are not easy to make and I went through the usual pros and cons. But whether I made the right decision will only become known after the move. Right now I feel positive. The area is scenic; quiet; and the hilly terrain will be challenging when I go out for runs. Temperature there is a few degrees cooler than in the South Bay; foggy mornings are frequent.When I was thinking about the forthcoming move, the title of a book -- To the North -- that I read years ago came to my mind. Believe it was by Robert Graves and the locale was France. However, I am not sure that I got the title right because a search through the Internet drew a blank. The book could, of course, be out of print but still there would be a record of it. It does not appear among the author's works. Strange. I e-mailed a bookstore in Cambridge, UK, that deals with publications old and new, especially by British writers.That brings me to a vexing issue. The search engines are absolutely amazing when you think of the information that they make available . A few strokes of the keyboard are all that is needed. But the results provide much more than what one is looking for. For instance, "To the North" on google did not bring up the book by Robert Graves (perhaps it does not exist....my memory played me false) but displayed hundreds of items with the word "north" in them. The search brought up "To the North" by Elizabeth Bowen but did not stop there -- listed below are just a few of the items that google threw up at me:Bird to the NorthMusings on public space from a Project for Public Spaces staff member.northbird.blogspot.com/ - 45k - Cached - Similar pages - Note thisWelcome to the North Pole!NorthPole.net recent announcements · Santa's Christmas Greeting · Mrs. Claus' Message · Rudolph's Message · Glitter the Elf's Update ...northpole.net/ - 5k - Cached - Similar pages - Note thisWelcome to The-North-PoleEmail Santa, Christmas Carols, Christmas, christmas recepies, christmas around the world.www.the-north-pole.com/ - 16k - Cached - Similar pages - Note thisSanta Claus and Christmas at the NorthpoleEnjoy Christmas with Santa Claus at the North pole, an award-winning Christmas web site. Send a letter to Santa Clause or a Christmas card to a friend.www.northpole.com/ - 12k - Cached - Similar pages - Note thisThe Overture to the North Koreans - New York TimesThe Overture to the North Koreans. E-Mail · Print; Save. Article Tools Sponsored By. Published: December 14, 2007. To the Editor:. Skip to next paragraph ...www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/opinion/l14korea.html - Similar pages - Note thisNorth American Union to Replace the USA? - HUMAN EVENTSPresident Bush intends to abrogate US sovereignty to the North American Union, a new economic and political entity which the President is quietly forming, ...www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=14965 - 41k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this *Hucksters, Christmas, and the North Koreans! Give me a break. Perhaps Lorem Ipsum Books of Cambridge,UK, would come up with what I was looking for. Or I'll have to forget about "To the North" by Robert Graves. Comments Anonymous — 2007-12-16 Musafir, I wonder if the book you mean is Graves's WATCH THE NORTH WIND RISE (1949. published in the UK as SEVEN DAYS IN NEW CRETE). To quote from Amazon, it tells of a poet who imagines the world a thousand years from now. Clocks, money and machinery have disappeared. Magicians are important and so are rituals, handicrafts and love. Everyone worships a Mother Goddess. And as in the Middle Ages, life is local and personal. Villages war against each other in dramatic fashion - but only on Tuesdays, and no one gets hurt. Graves's future world, as explored by a young poet from our time, has history, reality and stunning inner logic. "WATCH THE NORTH WIND RISE is a book so rich in style and plot, so profoundly mythic and at the same time so lightly comic, that there is simply no way to communicate its full flavor." - Washington Post. Patrick musafir — 2007-12-16 Thank you, Notarius But no, "Watch the North Wind Rise" was not the the book I read. "To the North" was fiction but almost like a memoir of the author's stay in a certain part of France. After my research I'm not even sure if I have the title right. Did I dream it up? Memory plays strange tricks, especially when gets to my age.