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*Obama Presidency * Keith Richards * Bestsellers * Autumn Rains - The Forager "To dream of one government ending doesn't mean you'll want the one that comes in its place." ---Nathan Englander, The Ministry of Special CasesObama and the DemocratsIn politics, there are always surprises. But 11 days before mid-term elections it is obvious that Democrats are going to lose the House. Outcome about the Senate is not that certain but Democrats are on shaky ground. About a year ago on November 9, 2009, a post under the title On the Road to 2010 read: The President can continue his policy of appeasement and take a chance on support from enough middle-of-the road voters to carry the Democrats in 2010. A rebound in the economy and improvement in the unemployment numbers would help him and could make a difference. Right now,however, things don't look rosy.Democrats have no one to blame but themselves. President Obama lost sight of the forest for the trees. By concentrating his energy and efforts in consensus building and failing to fight back against Republican campaign to demonize Democrats, and the rising strength of "tea party" followers and their backers, he let the dark siders gain momentum until it became too late. What a disappointment. Elated by the results of 2008 election, I remember arguing with a friend (a transplanted American in Britain) who expressed misgivings about Obama and the Democrats. But it didn't take long to see how the wind was blowing and that my friend was right. There was a sense of letdown for those who were energized by his stated positions. He forgot about his "base", not that the base would have been enough to save him from what portends to become an one-term presidency. And some of the Democratic legislators turned out to be not much different than the venal Republicans, in the pockets of lobbyists. Money rules; corruption at high levels is an undeniable fact. Keith Richards An article by Janet Maslin in the New York Times brought back memories of the first time I heard the song Good Golly Miss Molly, sure like to ball Recorded in 1958, it was at a party in Calcutta in the early sixties that I heard the 45 rpm disc played on a turntable. It was noisy, smoky, and there was dancing. Music to let yourself go and we did. Books -- Bestsellers and Others Recently finished reading the highly acclaimed Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and cannot remember the names of the central characters! Perhaps my age and dying brain cells. Now into "The Ice Princess", the mystery by Swedish author by Camilla Läckberg. A page turner. Some books grip you in the very first pages and it is one of them. Autumn Rains Foggy morning © Musafir Rain clouds© Musafir Rain swept street © Musafir Rain drops on window pane© Musafir Drizzly afternoon. Rain in the forecast for the next few days. The 2009/10 season was bountiful for foragers in the San Francisco Peninsula. Yesterday, during a run through the CSM Campus I saw that some death caps (Amanita phalloids) were already emerging. A few heavy showers will hasten the growth of good, edible mushrooms. Something to look forward to.Dry cheerful cricket chirping, keeps the autumn gay ... contemptuous of frost --Basho

* Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew An article about Lee Kuan Yew, the grand old man of Singapore, in the New York Times reminded me of the mid-1980's when I visited Singapore many times and came to admire what Lee Kuan Yew achieved even though there was a feeling of "Big Brother" keeping a watchful eye over the inhabitants of Singapore. “So, when is the last leaf falling?” asked Lee Kuan Yew, the man who made Singapore in his own stern and unsentimental image, nearing his 87th birthday and contemplating age, infirmity and loss.“I can feel the gradual decline of energy and vitality,” said Mr. Lee, whose “Singapore model” of economic growth and tight social control made him one of the most influential political figures of Asia. “And I mean generally, every year, when you know you are not on the same level as last year. But that’s life.” How true. I feel it every time I go out for a run. The pace is getting slower and slower; the inescapable feeling that one day it will come to an end. The March of Time Seamus Heaney, in "Human Chain", his new book of poems, wrote: "Derek Hill's saying, The last time he sat at our table, He could no longer bear to watch The sun going down And asking please to be put With his back to the window." And William Shakespeare: "Thou hast nor youth nor age, But, as it were, an after-dinner's sleep, Dreaming on both; ........." --- Measure for Measure, Act 3, Scene I My favorite: A star looks down at me And says: "Here I and youStand,each in our degree: What do you mean to do--Mean to do?" I say: "For all I know Wait,and let Time go by Till my change come."--"Just so,"The star says: "So mean I-- So mean I." ---Thomas Hardy "Waiting Both" The Business of Shipping Ocean transportation -- the most economical way of moving large volumes of cargo from one country to another -- continues its role in international trade. The industry embraced modernization by adopting cargo containers in the late 1960's. Then more functions were computerized and the interaction between shippers and carriers slowly ceased to be an important part of the business I knew and enjoyed being a part of for many years. My career began in Calcutta, India, and ended in the San Francisco Bay Area. In those days offices of steamship lines and freight brokers were located in or around California Street, San Francisco. No longer so. Nowadays, modern communication systems have made it possible to run a steamship company far away from ports of call. A few employees handle operations and sales instead of large offices bustling with staff. Popular among steamship company employees, Tadich Grill is still there, but Paolis on Commercial Street and Doro's on Jackson Square are gone. Ties were mandatory at Don Dianda's Doro's. Historical Merchants Exchange Building, which was home of Commercial Club -- another gathering place for the shipping fraternity -- changed ownership in 1995 and went through extensive renovation. The staid World Trade Club, located in the Ferry Building, served mediocre food but offered a great view of the Bay. It declared bankruptcy in 2006. The late Herb Caen wrote in one of his columns: "San Francisco has the charms of Sydney, the style of London, and the rascality of Paris." A great city. On a clear day it offers breathtaking views. Sailboats with spinnakers © Musafir Golden Gate Bridge - Looking south from Vista Point© Musafir It was while working for a Danish shipping company in San Francisco that I heard of JHM who was talked about as "Our Man in Bangkok". As the country manager of the company in Thailand for almost a decade, JHM was legendary. Years later, employed with a different company I met JHM in Singapore when he came to pick me up from the airport on my first trip to that city. Subsequently, he moved to California and we worked together for a few years. A tall, courtly man, JHM followed some old world customs. For one thing, he always put his jacket on before meeting a visitor. He returned to Copenhagen in 2006. A recent message from him read: "I am still under chemotherapy treatment and not doing too well - scheduled for another 3 sessions from now until mid-november when hope for better results!" And so it goes.

* Waning Days of August Summer's parting kick -- the heat wave, when it finally came, was not pleasant. For a few days, the heat was oppressive; the usual cool breeze noticeably absent during the evenings. Now the sense that the onset of autumn is creeping up is inescapable. Days are getting shorter. Labor Day is around the corner; schools have re-opened. Two from The New Yorker A piercing blue sky, gentle ocean breeze, low humidity, clean air. But what Seamus Heaney has called "the ache of summer" is increasingly palpable. Darkness will clamp down earlier and more suddenly this evening--one moment a rich, haunting Maxfield Parrish blue, the next pitch-black and night. Hard to face, but wouldn't you know, summer is ending and it is time for memories...Night is falling. There is a chill in the air. Winter will come. And go. Philip Hamburger © The New Yorker End of Summer Just an uncommon lull in the trafficso you hear some guy in an apron, sleeves rolled up,with his brusque sweep brusque sweep of the sidewalk,and the slap shut of a too thin rental van,and I told him no a gust has snatched from a conversationand brought to you, loud. It would be so differentif any of these were missing is the feelingyou always have on the first day of autumn,no, the first day you think of autumn, when somehowthe sun singling out high windows,a waiter settling a billow of white clothwith glasses and silver, and the sparrowsshattering to nowhere are the Summerwaving that here is where it turnsand will no longer be walking with you,traveller, who now leave all of this behind,carrying only what it has made of you.Already the crowds seem darker and more hurriedand the slang grows stranger and stranger,and you do not understand what you love,yet here, rounding a corner in mild sunset,is the world again, wide-eyed as a childholding up a toy even you can fix. How light your stepdown the narrowing avenue to the cross streets,October, small November, barely legible December. --James Richardson © The New Yorker Pajaro Dunes The annual gathering on the coast took place in mid-August. As usual, it was not always sunny at Pajaro Dunes.One day, the sun never came up but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. Kids and surf,I ©Musafir Kids and surf, II ©Musafir Walkers ©Musafir Runners ©Musafir Sunset over the Pacific ©Musafir

*Upper Yosemite Valley At 9926 ft, Clouds Rest, northeast of Half Dome is a great hike. The popular route (apprx.7.2 miles) is from Sunrise Trail near Tenaya lake. It is an out and back trail, round trip 14.4 miles. It can be ascended from the back by hiking from the valley floor which lengthens the distance to 9.4 miles each way. And there are other routes for more hardy souls. Sarbajit Ghosal and I had ascended Half Dome twice by hiking the trail from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. On Saturday, August 7th, we drove to Sunrise Trail near Tenaya Lake and ascended Clouds Rest. Parts of the trail are strenuous but the ascent can be done by all reasonably fit hikers. It was a beautiful morning -- sunny and not too cold when we began around 9:00 AM. The first 1.5 miles of the trail are relatively flat and green and then the rocky part begins with another short stretch of greenery before the Sunrise Junction. There were many hikers, including backpackers who were heading for Yosemite Valley or to other areas of John Muir Trail. Clouds Rest from trailhead to the summit National Geographic TOPO!® Clouds Rest viewed from Upper Yosemite Falls Trail (July 2009) © Musafir SG at the beginning of the trail ©Musafir Wild Flowers ©Musafir More wild flowers ©Musafir SG on the trail before the rocky part began ©Musafir Beginning of the rocky switchback part of the trail © Sarbajit Ghosal A tranquil lake before the Sunrise Trail Junction ©Musafir Sunrise Trail Junction, 2.5 miles before the summit ©Musafir Another rocky area beyond Sunrise Jcn © Sarbajit Ghosal Looking down on Tenaya Lake ©Musafir Hikers nearing the Summit ©Musafir Tired but happy climbers ©Musafir With SG on top of Clouds Rest ©Musafir Unusual view of the northeast side of Half Dome ©Musafir View from top of Clouds Rest, I ©Musafir View from top of Clouds Rest,II ©Musafir You got to climb your mountain Everybody's got to cross their own mountain If you climb your mountain Walk on to the other side Walk on to the other side Walk on through to the other side Climb your mountain, walk on through to the other side -- Sung a few times by Sara Fulcher with Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders in 1973. Origin of the song unknown - Source: http://www.whitegum.com/introjs.htm?/songfile/GOCLIMBA.HTM Comments Mesothelioma — 2010-08-20 Love the pictures. I've always wanted to go mountain climbing.

* Chinese Eateries * Streets with New Names*Anglo-Indians It does not take much to take one back memory lane to scenes, smells and sounds of years past. In my case, many years past; it was 1969 when I left Kolkata for the west coast of the United States. Recently, a friend forwarded a link about Kolkata's China Town and it included video clip of the evocative documentary, Legend of Fat Mama, made by Rafeeq Ellias in 2005 for the BBC. The trams at the very beginning of the video made me think of my weekday trips from Park Circus to the office on Old Courthouse Street. The city fathers of Kolkata ran amok with name changes. For some of us Old Calcuttans it is hard to visualize once-familiar streets with their new names. So, this post contains names as I knew them. Must confess though that, opposed to America's senseless war in Vietnam, it gave me a vicarious sense of pleasure when Harrington Street, where the U.S. Consulate was located, became Ho-Chi-Minh Sarani. A few examples of my former stomping grounds, new names in italics. Old Court House Street - Hemanta Basu Sarani Camac Street - Abanindranath Thakur Sarani Lindsay Street - Neli Sengupta Sarani Free School Street - Mirza Ghalib Street For some odd reason, unless the web site is incorrect, Park Street and Bentinck Street were spared. Although I and my colleagues regularly went to various Chinese eateries in and around the old China Town, to my regret I did not have the pleasure of meeting Fat Mama and enjoying her food. In the video, one of the characters talks about Fat Mama and her plates of noodle that sold for 4 annas. That is a clue that Fat Mama plied her business before the conversion to metric currency in 1956, and before my 10-year residency in Kolkata began. One place we used to go for lunch near the office was nameless (there was no signage) but we called it Hole in the Wall. It was almost that. From Old Court House Street, we walked down Waterloo Street and shortly before Bentinck Street made a left turn into a narrow lane. Hole in the Wall was in the second building on the right. The front door was never locked; it lead to a small courtyard and living quarters of a Chinese family. There were a few tables and chairs. We took our seats and ordered food from the lady of the house, usually chicken or pork fried rice or chow mein. Watched her cook at the stove. Between the chores she operated a sewing machine and made garments. The price per plate was Rs.2.50! Simple but tasty fare. Then at the other end of the spectrum was the venerable Chung Wah, now reported to be under management of a Bengali family and with singers to entertain diners in the evening! The now defunct Waldorf on Park Street served Chinese food in elegant surroundings. Somewhat down the scale was Jimmy's Kitchen near the crossing of Lower Circular Road and Theater Road. Searching the web for Isaiah's Bar on Free School Street I found myself in Abhijit Gupta's Memory Lane. It didn't mention whether Isaiah's Bar where sailors, and others, went in search of ladies of the night, was still in existence but it was a pleasure to find that Kalman Cold Storage was. Remembered the delicious sausages and cold cuts. In those days calories and cholesterol were not matters of concern. Nearby, Smiley's on Ripon Street was a dingy place that served a decent plate of rice and Goanese pork vindaloo. Walking down Elliot Road and Royd Street on Sundays and holidays one could smell aroma of coconut rice and ball curry wafting downwind from apartments occupied by Anglo-Indians. That,too, is history. The Anglo-Indians left in droves for Australia and Canada. My Anglo-Indian friends still cook and enjoy coconut rice, ball curry, Country Captain, Mulligatawny, jhal frazee, and vindaloo but most of them now live in single family homes in the suburbs of Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and Toronto. * "The past, with its pleasures, its rewards, its foolishness, its punishments, is there for each of us forever, and it should be." ----Lillian Hellman Comments Anonymous — 2010-07-30 Hi Musafir: It was wonderful reading your article on Calcutta. I am also away from Calcutta since 1975. But still today I feel very connected to Calcutta----often refer as my city. Please respond to my E-mail:akundu1000@aol.com for more conversation on the topic. Thanks, Achin Kundu

* Music for Lamenting...and for Rejoicing Watching the superb documentary about Glenn Gould made in 2005 by Bruno Monsaingeon took me back to beginning of my inexplicable love for the music of Bach. It was almost accidental, my discovery of Bach. Don't have a musical background. I grew up in India listening to film music, now known as Bollywood music. I gave up on Bollywood decades ago and have no clue about current hits. As far as western music went, I was familiar with the crooners -- enjoyed listening to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra,and Nat King Cole. Later, the sound of jazz began to appeal; I became familiar with the music of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. But western classical music was not a part of my world. It was in the 70's when commuting on the freeway from Silicon Valley to my job in downtown San Francisco and playing with the dial on the car radio that I found myself in KDFC, and a new world opened up. I found Bach. The late pianist Glenn Gould is inseparable from Bach. There are many pianists who have recorded Bach, some of the artists are great. Yet, there is something about Glenn Gould's interpretation of Bach that makes him stand apart -- to some listeners, if not to all. I have CDs of Bach's music performed by Andras Schiff, Yo Yo Ma, Martha Argerich, Helmuth Rilling, Emma Kirkby, Murray Perahia, Nigel Kennedy, as well as interpretations by jazz artists -- Blues on Bach by The Modern Jazz Quartet, and Play Bach, the French trio led by by Jacques Loussier. They are all good but, for me, Glenn Gould is No.1 Glenn Gould was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1932 and died in that city in 1982. The audio link, Contrapunctus V, track 5 of the Art of the Fugue from Wikipedia merits special mention. It was the only organ recording made by Glenn Gould. See copyright information Currently, listening to A State of Wonder, complete Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gould recorded in 1955 and in 1981. © Sony Classics/Amazon.com Acknowledgments: MySpace In Music - Blues in H (B), Modern Jazz QuartetMySpace in Music - Fugue No.5 in Re Majeur Jacques Loussier MP3 clips available for purchase

* Small Things Fireworks displays and picnics are over. The long, July 4th weekend came and went. And it was warm. We have not had many such days this summer. For me, like most septuagenarians, the number of friends from the past is shrinking. Didn't have many of them to count on in the first place. But there are friends that one thinks of because memories of the days and events associated with them are pleasant. So, when a 92-year old friend, who made a habit of keeping in touch for decades stopped communicating it was cause for concern......he had not acknowledged two letters and photographs that I mailed. He lived alone in New Jersey. I thought of calling him but kept putting it off because I dreaded the thought that no one might pick up the phone or, worse still, a recorded message from the telephone company that the "number is no longer in service". One day, last week I took the plunge and called. What a pleasure it was when Charlie answered the phone. Not as strong but it was the same, deep voice I knew. Said he was in hospital for kidney infection and feels weaker. Charlie never married. I brought him upto date with news of my children and grand children. Talked about the weather here in San Francisco Bay area and in New Jersey; the shenanigans of politicians, and the dismal outlook for our country. A voracious reader, Charlie is always surrounded by books (non-fiction) and reads The New York Times. He can no longer go down and cross the street to buy the newspaper but someone delivers it to him. When we ended the conversation I thought of Kolkata in 1969 when I first met Charlie. The monsoon rains that brought all public transport to a halt. A bad time for me and my colleagues. Often, a driver of one of the office cars was instructed by Charlie to take us home. Kolkata - Rickshaw puller on a waterlogged street Source: http://www.corriere.it/Media/Foto/2003/10_Ottobre/07/calcutta.jpg Then there were days when he ordered kathi rolls from Nizam. The office smelled of spicy chicken kababs, grilled over flame on skewers, and onions. Rolled in greasy parathas, they were a treat. Time marches on. American Export Lines, the steamship company that Charlie and I worked for no longer exists. The business of shipping has changed, many functions performed by people have become automated, impersonal. In those days the ships carried crates of tea, rolls of jute, bales of hide and human hair, from Kolkata to the United States. Now ships carry cargo containers and until one looks at the shipping manifest the contents remain unknown. Progress....in a way, yes. Being put on hold by a recorded voice and then listening to canned music and required to go though pushing buttons on the key pad is also progress according to the corporations that subject us to shoddy service. And so it goes.

* Religious Extremism and Islam There they go again. The Islamic state of Pakistan's latest action to prevent "blasphemy"! ISLAMABAD – Pakistan will start monitoring seven major websites, including Google, Yahoo and Amazon, for sacrilegious content, while blocking 17 other, lesser-known sites it deems offensive to Muslims, an official said Friday. "....deems offensive to Muslims". My Iraqi friend would say Ya Habibi. The hypocrisy of the Muslims is staggering. Are they blind or deaf, or both. No wonder Pakistan lags behind as the world marches on. The west, with all its ills, does not suffer from fear about perceived insult to religious beliefs. For the Pakistani Government, such policies could just be diversionary tactics for a populace plagued by lack of basic needs.

* First day of Summer It does not feel like it. That is a common refrain this summer. There were wintry days.....more of them than usual in spring. Rain, too. Now, summer is here but in the San Francisco Peninsula the temperature is unusually low. The breeze picks up in the evening and the fog comes rolling in from the Pacific west of us. But there would be days when the temperature will climb over 90° (approx. 32 degrees C) and we will yearn for relief. The cool days lengthened the display of wild flowers. There are still some to be found but on a recent hike in the foothills I came across Clarkias (Farewell to Spring). The meadows have lost their lush greenness. And a woman walking with a child warned us to be watchful about rattle snakes. Said that she came across one. Summer is here. Elegant Clarkias, Ewing Hill, Black Mountain Trail, Los Altos, CA.©Musafir California Indian Pink, Black Mountain Trail, Los Altos, CA©Musafir Blue Bedder Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus). Black Mountain Trail, Los Altos, CA.©Musafir Yellow Mariposa Lily, Wunderlich Park, Woodside, CA.©Musafir Giant Puffball Mushroom ©Musafir I don't forage for mushrooms in warm weather. Came across some giant puffballs at Pulgas Ridge in April. Good eating. A summer haiku from brooksbookshaiku.com at the beach . . . a crab's sideways walk on the hot sand--Matt O.

*Marine Cpl. Jacob Leicht Statistically, Cpl. Jacob Leicht of College Station, TX, was the 1000th American soldier to die in the Afghan war. Cpl. Leicht (24) died on May 27, 2010. He was born on the 4th of July. But statistics don't tell the whole story....what the loss means to his family and friends. President Obama declared that he would "..............withdraw combat forces from Iraq by August 2010 and all remaining troops by December 2011." Let us see if he will stick to the target. Based on his record, we could expect a statement announcing a change, especially now with reports about discovery of vast reserves of lithium in Afghanistan. Think of huge profits by those who are in a position to exploit it. Heading for the ninth year, the war in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001. As plans for the summer offensive against Taliban strongholds accelerate there would be more casualties. The end, however, is not in sight. And there are questions as to whether we are 'winning' the war or whether it is 'winnable'. Another war in which our money is enriching corrupt bureaucrats, including our one-time favorite Hamid Karzai, U.S. corporations producing weapons, and contractors hired to aid war efforts. The poppy trade continues unabated. See Cost of War.com - National Priorities Project Bob Herbert in NY Times: Our government leaders keep mouthing platitudes about objectives that are not achievable, which is a form of deception that should be unacceptable in a free society. In announcing, during a speech at West Point in December, that 30,000 additional troops would be sent to Afghanistan, President Obama said: “As your commander in chief, I owe you a mission that is clearly defined and worthy of your service.” That clearly defined mission never materialized. Comments Anonymous — 2010-08-25 This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.