Hero with a thousand faces

This evening, the multi-talented and well-respected American journalist, Bill Moyers, will officially retire from the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and his weekly program, "The Bill Moyers Journal."   Although he expects to return with special projects in the future, the departure of Moyers from regular programming will leave a major vacuum in American broadcasting.

Moyers is a living legend.  He is truly compassionate and thoughtful, a humanist who sincerely believes that human beings have more in common than not.  He is a journalist who checks his facts thoroughly, who does not hesitate to tell the truth even when that truth goes against the so-called conventional wisdom, and who always tries to inform  - rather than to inflame passions in a tawdry attempt to increase ratings.  In the vast wasteland that passes for US broadcast journalism, where it takes a Jon-Stewart-type of entertainment show to ask the questions and make the points that all serious journalists should have been asking and making all along ... and most definitely since 9-11, Moyers will be greatly missed.  He has not simply been a bright spot, but a beacon.

Moyers began working in public service early in his career.  He served as a Deputy Director of the Peace Corps from 1962-63 during the administration of President John F. Kennedy.  I personally have a soft spot for anyone, whatever their political affiliation, who served the Peace Corps, my first post-undergraduate employer, in any capacity.

There are many others who have the honor to know Moyers personally, who are able to write with more understanding and description about his life, his work, his motivations and his own personal heroes.  But he is truly one of mine.

In the late 80s, he broadcast a PBS series called "The Power of Myth," in collaboration with American mythologist, Joseph Campbell.  The series explored Campbell's ideas concerning mythological, religious, and psychological archetypes and exposed them to a wide audience.  It captured the imagination of millions of viewers and is a staple of PBS television membership drives even now.

Campbell's most influential work was "The Hero with a Thousand Faces."  It introduced the concept of the hero's journey and began to popularize the very idea of comparative mythology, that is, the study of the human impulse to create stories and images.  Though the stories may be clothed in the motifs of a particular time and place, they draw on universal, eternal themes.  Moyers has drawn on these concepts in his reporting time and time again.  He also understands the past as prologue.  So long as we do not know or refuse to learn about the past, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

I wish Mr. Moyers and his family all the best in his retirement.  But I selfishly hope that he will not be absent from the airwaves for long.

Gallimaufry 3

The bronze statue of the late great screen legend Charlie Chaplin that one sees along the lakeside in beautiful Vevey has "lost" its cane - yet again.  It appears that this misadventure has occurred two or three times before.  The city will replace it once again, according to the Director of Public Spaces for Vevey, who appears resigned to the fact that the city's most famous former resident has an undeniable attraction for souvenir hunters.

*****

Police in la Suisse romande (French-speaking Switzerland) are beginning to confiscate caches of "soft air" (aka "airsoft") guns.   Until December 2008, these replicas of lethal firearms were unregulated and the guns were treated as toys.

Under the 2008 revision of Swiss law, such guns are classified as "weapons," and may not be sold to individuals under 18, persons with criminal convictions, or nationals from certain countries.  Those who import them must have licenses to do so.  Private individuals may import up to three and that license to do so expires within six months.  Commercial sales are legal so long as the sale is not prohibited under any of the above restrictions.  If sales are between private parties, there must be a written contract between both parties and both parties are required to keep the contract for ten years.  It is illegal to carry such weapons in a public place.  There is even a Swiss Airsoft Federation that provides more information about legal use of these weapons.

There was an article in today's paper reporting how these guns concern local police authorities.  Four such weapons, which were being used by four adolescents playing at "Rambo" in a school yard, were confiscated by police and will ultimately be destroyed.  Sixty-two guns were confiscated in Geneva  in 2009.  While the police acknowledge that the majority of those were being used as toys by young people, they are concerned that police might mistake them for true firearms and open fire with their own.  They are also concerned that persons may use them to commit real crimes.  The replicas are so realistic that some have indeed done so, especially in France.  Out of 3,500 reported crimes there, 2,000 were committed with "soft air" guns.  In Switzerland, there is not yet enough data to understand the impact.  But the article notes that the psychological trauma for victims of crime is the same, whether the weapon is real or not.

This article attracted my attention because I am all too aware of the situation in my own country, where it seems that any restrictions on gun ownership and carrying guns in public places are found to be unreasonable by a disproportionately powerful minority.  That is simply insane.  I grew up among hunters and lived in areas that could be considered rural, even remote.  Most hunters I knew then - and now - were extremely conscious of how to use, store and maintain firearms responsibly.  They did so, carefully, reasonably, wisely and, most of all, safely.  Unfortunately, it is hard for them to understand that not everyone is like them, that there are people who simply "must" have semi-automatic weapons - the more, the better - and in urban areas.  That is not safe; it is not wise; and it has led the US to have one of the highest rates of gun violence globally.  Many of these people actually use those weapons on their fellow citizens.  When I read about or see these recent rallies on TV where people in the US are actually packing firearms, I wonder whether they have totally lost their minds.  I am not alone.

It is also ironic.  The Second Amendment to the US Constitution was written at a time when each state had its militia and each male citizen was expected to be part of that militia.  It made sense to keep and bear arms in one's home at the time.  Circumstances and the need for firearms in the home have changed significantly since then.  In Switzerland, universal conscription is still the practice and all able-bodied male citizens must keep fully-automatic firearms at home in case of a call-up.  Further, all able-bodied male citizens between 20 and 34 must perform military service.  While they are enrolled in the military, they must keep their government-issued firearms in their homes.  Swiss citizens are able to purchase surplus military weapons but they must be licensed and shooting is a popular sport here, with target practice often required on weekends.  Unlicensed persons may not own or carry weapons and all owners are legally responsible for third party access and usage.  Ironically, even with all the guns around here, Switzerland has been found by at least one study to be one of the safest countries where firearms are generally accessible.

Right entails responsibility.  It's as simple as that.  If one has a right, but does not exercise it responsibly, one should not be surprised if that right is reasonably restricted in the public interest.  I fear too often that people get so focused on the "right" that the "responsibility" is lost altogether.  When that happens, we all lose but some, tragically, lose everything.  Saddest of all is that we cannot even seem to have a dialogue about this issue without some literally frothing at the mouth or screaming obscenities.  Frankly, I like living in a country where police are concerned about "soft air" weapons, where they try to inform rather than simply to punish - even though it is true that confiscated weapons are destroyed - and where they are concerned about the safety and well-being of all.  

*****

Chaplin liked it here too!

Spring is in the air

In this final week of April, I am at long last beginning to believe that Spring is truly here. Not only have the temperatures been warm enough to read and work outside on my terrace-balcony, but the flowering trees have burst or begun bursting into blossom everywhere. Other deciduous trees are leafing out and I am rapidly losing my lake view to their greenery. It seems that these seasonal changes are taking place somewhat later this year - or else I simply don't remember what happened a year ago as well as I'd like to think that I do. Hmmm ...

Earlier this month, I stopped by this vineyard.  Other than looking very well tended, it doesn't look as if anything could possibly grow there.

Here's how the same vineyard looked yesterday. Those tiny shoots of green will become vines with luscious grapes. In a year or two, we'll be enjoying the wine.

This morning, I stopped by the little park across the road to see what progress is being made with the little snackbar.  It will open in May.  And May begins this weekend!

The park itself looks gloriously green, even if it is still empty this early in the morning and this early in the season.

In a week or two, it will be rare to see the beach at the park as deserted as it is now.  Of course, the lake water is still a bit icy.

Further down, near the boat landing, the other snackbar may be shuttered up.  But the tables set up outside let us know that it will be open for business a little later this morning.  It actually opened for the season a few weeks back.

While the village still slumbers, the seasons move along inexorably.  And beautifully.
 

Visit to the City

Last week, I went into Geneva to visit a friend and former colleague from my days in the World of Work.  It had been some time since I'd seen her - and her life has changed substantially in the interim.  She is now the proud mother of a bouncing baby boy.  Yes, another Prince entered the world in December 2009.  The little one is now a four-month-old, who appears, at least from our first meeting, to be totally content and at peace with the world.

We set the fountain in the Place du Molard as our meeting place.

The Place du Molard is a traditional meeting area in Geneva's Left Bank, full of cafes and restaurants.  The day was overcast, with some of the overcast likely containing some ash residue from the volcanic eruption in Iceland.  And because the trees hadn't yet leafed out, it didn't quite have the same "ambiance" or crowds as it will later on.

The Place du Molard is next to the most glitzy, ritzy shopping areas in the city.  Right across the street from the fountain, one begins the climb into Geneva's "Old Town."

The new Little Prince enjoyed the fresh air, but apparently did not find our conversation too scintillating.

I really LOVE being a Grandmom - even if it's only for an afternoon.  The real grandmoms actually live in the Czech Republic, although they both have been to visit.  After all, anyone who can resist something as sweet as this has to have a heart of stone.  And they most certainly do not have hearts of stone.

It was fun to visit, to reconnect with a dear friend, and to see the pride of New Proud Mom B, her joy in her special Little Prince, and the hope for the future these little ones represent.

Millennium man and his women

Among my reading favorites, I love well-written, well-plotted mystery novels.   Many of my favorite mystery authors are women, from classic doyennes of the genre such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, with their various sleuths, to the wit and flair of Josephine Tey, whose early to mid-20th-century novels were regrettably too few - every one a stand-alone classic - to more modern writers such as Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth George and Minette Walters, where character and psychological studies, together with treatments of contemporary social issues, are interwoven so seamlessly that one hardly notices.  They are an integral part of the suspense.  While there are many authors whose latest novels I literally rush to read, it is more often those who have been writing for some time and whose work I already know to some extent.  When I do find a new author whose work resonates with me, it is sheer and utter joy.

This happened to me last summer.  I was browsing through the mystery fiction book section at a Maryland Borders bookstore when a helpful salesclerk asked whether I was looking for anything in particular.  I wasn't, but was willing to listen to what she had to say ... and I am so happy that I did.  She told me that, if I hadn't already read the work of Stieg Larsson, I should.  She proceeded to direct me to a copy of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and then informed me of the very regrettable fact that Larsson had died in 2004, so that his fiction work is necessarily limited.

In fact, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is the first novel of three referred to as "The Millennium Trilogy."   The "Millennium" referred to has nothing to do with the ten-century benchmark and everything to do with "Millennium," a fictional magazine with in-depth stories covering various social, political and economic topics.

I don't know what parallel universe I had been living in because I had totally missed the fact that Larsson's book sales had earned him the rank of second-best-selling author in international markets for 2008.  One reason perhaps is because it was only in 2009 that his works, originally written in Swedish, were published in English.  The titles in Swedish are also quite different from their English iterations.  I have read the first two novels already and am impatiently awaiting the third.  It will be distributed in the US this summer.  Film versions of all three novels have been released in Sweden.  "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" has been released in the UK, to critical acclaim.  It has also been released in the US, but with English subtitles.  It appears that a US version will eventually be made.  But I can't help thinking that the details in Larsson's book are so intrinsically Swedish that films set in the US will have difficulty creating anywhere near the same effect.

Larsson's own life story is quite similar to that of his primary male character, Mikael Blomqvist, an investigative journalist.  In fact, it was Larsson's career as a crusading investigative journalist that made him personally the target of numerous death threats, to the extent that his sudden death in 2004 caused suspicion that a death threat had actually been successful.  One sad effect of these threats was that he did not marry his partner, Eva Gabrielsson, who had collaborated with him for 32 years.  Because he died without leaving a valid will, his estate, including all rights to royalties, reverted under Swedish law to his father and brother, his only surviving family members.  Many have found this to be quite unfair in the circumstances, particularly because Larsson had not had much direct contact with either family member for years and Eva had co-written the novels in many ways.  Eva would have been completely left in the cold except that she holds the manuscript to the fourth "Millennium" novel, which gives her some leverage.  She describes the situation in her own words here and here.

"The Girl" referred to in the titles is an amazing new type of heroine named Lisbeth Salander.  Salander, as she is most often referred to, sets an international standard for strong women, although she herself has been shamefully brutalized.  According to Blomqvist, Salander is the "most moral person" that he knows.  To others, she might appear "amoral," even frightening, especially in her punk appearance.  But Salander certainly has a strict ethical code, lives by it fiercely, and has little to no tolerance for the hypocrisy and abuse that are rampant in the institutions surrounding her.  In many ways, she creates her own reality.

Larsson is someone whose work I admire.  We lost him too soon.  Thankfully, his writing will live on forever.

Searching for truth

One of the many, many reasons to be happy that the ash cloud from Iceland's volcano has dissipated enough to allow air traffic to resume is that the Global Investigative Journalism Conference, scheduled from 22-25 April 2010 in Geneva, has thus been able to hold its sixth meeting here.  There had been serious concerns as to whether some of the true lions of the genre, who were scheduled to be on the program, would be able to get here at all.  Fortunately, all is well and the Conference is going without a hitch.

Last evening's keynote speaker, for example, was one of my personal heroes, none other than US investigative journalist, Seymour ("Sy") Hersh.   Hersh is a Pulitzer Prize winner who has published several books and is a regular contributer to The New Yorker magazine, particularly for military and security matters.

One reason that Hersh is a hero to me - and to many others - is that he reports the facts about his chosen subjects as thoroughly as he is able to, no matter how unpopular those facts may be, no matter how those facts may fly in the face of "conventional wisdom," and no matter who threatens to destroy him for reporting them.  Occasionally he has not selected his sources well, particularly with respect to investigative reporting dealing with private lives of public officials.  But, for the most part and especially in recent years, the facts reported by Hersh, no matter how many, how "official" or how high-level the denials, are "spot on."  That Richard Perle, for example, one of those who most scurrilously and without shame led the charge for the US's invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, illegal by recognized international legal norms, would call Hersh "the closest thing American journalism has to a terrorist," should be considered a badge of honor, in my opinion.

Speaking last night, Hersh stated his belief that we could lose 70 percent of the top editors of all the networks and journals in the United States - and journalism would be all the better for it - because the people that get promoted to those posts are the most cautious, .  He described some defining moments in his career, how difficult it was to get his story about the My Lai massacre published, and his optimism about the role of the internet in improving investigative journalism.  Among other things, he described his ongoing relations with retired senior military officers who continue to be some of his best sources.  He believes that the world, however, is even more frightening now simply because no one is sure who is calling the shots.  Some Presidential advisors seem more taken with themselves than with providing the kind of advice that they should.  While I wish that I could have been present in person, it was not to be.  Excerpts and highlights from Hersh's visit can be found here. 

One of the most famous questions in history is that of Pontius Pilate when he asked, "What is truth?"  According to the story, Pilate literally washed his hands of it.  He found no guilt in the person before him.  Because it was obvious that the howling mob wanted a verdict of guilty, Pilate simply let them have what they wanted.  Even now, "truth" still has no single definition upon which a clear majority can agree, particularly when one describes "truth" further as being subjective, relative, objective, or absolute.  Whatever any single person may know or believe is limited by that person's knowledge, life experiences, culture and intellectual curiosity.

Investigative journalists clearly are not sources of absolute truth.  They have their own biases and points of view even when they sincerely try to be as objective as possible in reporting the facts.  But they are courageous when they report stories that need to be brought to the public consciousness, when they report facts that are being hidden, denied or factually misrepresented, and when they do not skew those facts to make individuals or institutions look better - or worse - than the facts themselves warrant.  They are especially courageous when they do this at personal or professional risk, as is much too often the case.  They are very unpopular among those who feel threatened by truth, who try to demean or otherwise discredit them, as the very nasty Mr. Perle did.  I, for one, thank them all.  Heartily.  By attempting to inform us, these investigative journalists often work "outside the box" to perform an unparalleled and altogether necessary public service.

This is more important now than it has ever been, especially when the major US news networks deliberately parade before us too many public figures whose acquaintance with facts is minimal if that, who pride themselves on that minimal acquaintance, who merely repeat the false mantras they hear from equally misinformed others or from those with a particular religious or political agenda, and who seem unable to see how profoundly illogical and mean-spirited they appear.

Visions of "the Real"

Neighboring city Nyon (about 5-10 minutes along the lake road) has just finished hosting the 2010 Visions du Réel - Nyon International Documentary Film Festival.  "Réel" in French means "real" or "reality."  The Festival was held from 15-21 April and was very well attended.  Its name also represents a bilingual double-entendre when one considers that "reel" in English is what used to be the standard for film before the digital era effectively rendered metal spools redundant.   

The Festival program always includes meetings and dialogue to discuss every form of cinéma du réel, which includes experimental films, essays, diaries, family films, major reports, historical inquiries, and epic or fragmentary stories.  As described here, the Festival attempts to be a crossroads, presenting opportunities for new discoveries, encounters and discussions.  Working in French, German and English, it acts an axis which provides a link between French and German-speaking cultures especially.  Its objective is to show the world as it is perceived - to break away from the mainstream.  To do so, it "offers a diversity of committed and inspired points of view while making it possible to correlate experiences, reflections and aspirations."

While several prizes were awarded to films in various categories, the Grand Prix Visions du Réel, in an amount of CHF 20,000, was awarded to Danish filmmaker, Michael Madsen for his film, "Into Eternity," dealing with problems associated with a facility for storing nuclear waste in Finland.

English-language reviews of several films shown at the Festival can be found here.   The Prix du jury du public was awarded to "Salaam Isfahan," a film giving voice to individuals living in Isfahan, Iran, allowing them to express their hopes and aspirations, letting the humanity that we share in common shine through.  A review can be found here.

One of the films opening the Festival was "Aisheen (Still Alive in Gaza)," showing life in Gaza after the January 2009 Israeli offensive there.  This film received a brief mention in Variety in February 2010 and a standing ovation from the live audience in Nyon last week, especially because there were a few surprises along with the showing, as narrated in the review here.  A trailer can be found here.    

The variety of documentaries and points of view represented at this Festival is not only impressive but hopeful.  Large parts of the global community are being mobilized in a positive manner to recognize issues and problems and to present and discuss them in an articulate and thorough manner, without censorship.  With too many mainstream media outlets and brain-dead politicians or "talking heads" with draconian agendas articulating points of view on the airwaves, often without factual basis or logic and often to the extent of literally dehumanizing other human beings, it is welcome to see other fora and competent individuals receiving due recognition.  These fora inform, do not preach, identify problems, pose thoughtful questions and get people to think about what common positive steps should be taken to make meaningful changes.  Well done, Nyon! 

Under the volcano

Planes are in the skies here once again.  The poignant situations for thousands of stranded travelers are beginning - just barely - to lumber slowly toward resolution.  The logjams are beginning to become unstuck.  The airlines have racked up nearly USD two billion in losses.  To date, however, there appear not to have been human casualties, at least not directly resulting from the volcano, although it is still spewing ash.  There are also still major concerns that neighbor Katla could erupt, as indeed has been the case each time after Eyjafjallajökull has erupted.  They're saying that Katla has the potential to be much more disruptive than its sister volcano.

While the ash cloud that arrived here Saturday morning obscured the view of the surrounding mountains and even of the lake for a while, it remained at high elevations and never manifested as anything tangibly physical.  It was nothing like my previous experience with Mount St. Helens.  But photos and videos of Iceland, and even of parts of Scotland and northern England, with passing vehicles causing gray ash to rise in clouds or to drift like dingy snow certainly reminded me of the week that we spent under the volcano.

The photos also showed some of Iceland's livestock.  As one who has always been fascinated by horses, I was moved to learn something about the history of Icelandic horses, also referred to as ponies because of their small stature.  These sturdy animals were first brought to Iceland by Scandinavian settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries.   They are known for their sure-footedness and their ability to cross rough terrain.  They also are known as a "five-gaited" breed.  In addition to having gaits such as the walk, trot and canter/gallop, they perform a four-beat ambling gait known as the tölt.  It is a comfortable and ground-covering accelerated walk comparable to the running walk of the Tennessee Walking Horse.  The fifth gait is the flugskeið or "flying pace," used in pacing races.  While the breed is recognized by organizations in at least 19 different nations, once a horse leaves Iceland, it is never allowed to return.  This may seem extreme but it helps to ensure that diseases affecting the horses remain practically non-existent in Iceland itself.

These gallant little horses have borne the eruption of this most recent volcano, as they have borne earlier eruptions, with forebearance and steadfastness.  They had little choice in the matter, to be sure.  Indeed, in the 1780s, the breed was nearly rendered extinct by a volcano!  But seeing these little animals, together with the other animals and humans who must endure proximity to disaster on a daily basis, is somewhat reassuring.  So far, they have survived.  Long may that survival continue!  

Easter memories 2010

O frabjous joy!  I received word yesterday that photos of Prince Tyger's Easter festivities had been posted.  Of course, I had to rush to the site and scroll through.  It was clear that the Tyger wasn't quite sure what all the fuss was about.  But he certainly enjoyed it.  He learned, for example, that if one hunts for plastic eggs on the ground - and why on earth would anyone in his right mind want to do that in the first place? - one might just find goldfish crackers inside.  And Prince Tyger, like most little ones of my acquaintance, is very, very fond of goldfish crackers.  So he entered into the spirit of the hunt with gusto, to say the least, especially when there were also little girls to chase around giant plastic bunnies.

Having Proud Papa Big T there to point things out (and to give instruction on how to behave towards little girls) was also helpful.

Prince Tyger also liked some new items that magically showed up in his house on Easter morning.  I don't believe that he'll have any trouble blowing out his birthday candles this year, at least not if this is any indication.

Prince Tyger just took it for granted that he should be among the favored few who were able to participate in the Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn on Easter Monday.  OK, so he didn't get to have a photo op with this guy or his family ...

but he still had great fun and so did everyone else.  Here he is with Big T and Momma H, enjoying events from his Papa-created vantage point, just before the real action began.

I've already reported about his egg rolling technique - which wasn't really a rolling technique but more of a tossing style.  And he's also learned about delegating tasks to his "minions."  Big T was the officially designated basket carrier.

To finish things up on this very satisfactory day, he checked out some cherry blossoms with Proud Papa.  Then he went happily home to a well-deserved nap.  And so did his parents!

 

Airs above the ground

With all the flurry and ado (or rather, the problematic lack of ado) in and about the air above us these days, it is a nice change to focus on events closer to the ground.  From Thursday to yesterday, Geneva hosted the 2010 World Cup of show jumping.  Top riders from around the globe and their magnificent steeds were featured in a grueling competition.  Fortunately, all had arrived before the flight ban throughout Europe was imposed.  At least some are still among the many hapless individuals who are stranded here now.

The winner of this year's competition was the German rider, Marcus Ehning.  Swiss rider Pius Schwizer came in second and another German rider, perennial top finisher Ludger Beerbaum, took third.  [Correction:  Schwizer and Beerbaum were co-second place finalists.]  Of course, none of them could have done as well as they did had it not been for their mounts - Plot Blue, Carlina and Gotha respectively.  Ehning was especially happy because he now joins the select group of riders who have  a World Cup final three times: Hugo Simon of Austria; Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil; and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Ludger's American-born sister-in-law who is now a German national.

I watched the events on television this year.  Because I love to watch this beautiful sport - especially to see the horses and to watch how well the horses and riders work together - I have attended the World Cup Final in person during other years.  The event is usually held in Geneva in December.  Receiving tickets for it has been one of my favorite birthday presents.   While I love the whole atmosphere of the Final, the exhibits on display, people-watching in general, and the ability to stroll around and see the horses warming up, it is also very satisfying to watch it on television because the coverage here is excellent.

There is controversy about this event this year because one of the favorites, American McLain Ward, an Olympic Gold Medal team winner, and Sapphire, his best horse, were disqualified before Sunday's final, allegedly because of hypersensitivity in one of Sapphire's forelegs.  Apparently a condition such as this can be and is sometimes caused deliberately so that a horse will pay special attention to ensuring that its forefeet will clear the jumps.  The results of various blood and urine tests should provide more definitive information.  While I hope that that this allegation is not true, it is a shame that there are people in horse-related sports who administer drugs or otherwise mistreat these beautiful and steadfast animals in any way so as to even raise a suspicion.  It's even worse for those who have done nothing but who are suspected of doing so.  I hope that Mr. Ward's name will be cleared and that the hypersensitivity, if it exists, was due to one of many other potential causes.  Even more, I hope that Sapphire is well.

My favorite of the World Cup final competitions that I personally attended was that in 2000, when Rodrigo Pessoa won his third victory on the legendary French stallion, Baloubet du Rouet.  It was poetry in motion.  All Pessoa had to do with the wondrous Baloubet was to hang on, or at least that was the way that it seemed.  I have never seen anything like it.  It was magic.  Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum's Shutterfly is another dream horse.  But Baloubet du Rouet, even at the ripe old age of 21, is literally fantastic.

Suspended animation

If one does not have to travel by air over the next few days or if one does not work for or own shares in an airline company, one could possibly be forgiven for finding some glimmers of a silver lining in the shutdown of airports all over western Europe right now.  That is, if one leaves aside the general chaos of people trying to get to wherever they want or need to go by alternate means of transportation, or does not think too long or hard about those unfortunate staff members working at ticketing or travel information counters or telephone hotlines who certainly should be earning the equivalent of "combat pay" right now, or if one does not think ahead about the general economic disruption caused by the failure of air cargo traffic to move expeditiously (rotting/ruined produce or raw materials, missed shipping/receipt deadlines, etc.).

While it is reasonable to anticipate that a volcano in a tiny country located far to the north might have adverse effects on lives and economies here in Europe as we are, relatively speaking, close by, it is literally amazing to realize that the adverse effects here are not only affecting people and economies around the globe, but are affecting them almost as directly and chaotically as they are affecting us.  It reminds us all of how interconnected we all are, no matter how physically far apart we are or how differently we may think.  What is more immediately beneficial is that those who live near major airports have realized how blessed and golden this unexpected silence is.  Fortunately, I do not live under one of Cointrin's major flightpaths.

There are many reports that this event has been the most disruptive to air traffic since 9-11.  That tragic and awful event was much more terrible to my mind because it was deliberately caused by men and either negligently (the "best" case) or deliberately (the worst) "allowed" to happen.  What has worsened that tragedy beyond bearability for all since was that it was subsequently used as an excuse to roll back US Constitutional guarantees and civil liberties in a manner unprecedented since the Alien and Sedition Acts in order to conduct a so-called "War on Terror."   It also was used to stampede a traumatized nation into two unnecessary wars, at least one of which is illegal by any acceptable norm.  The thing with this volcanic eruption is that it is a force of nature.  There is nothing deliberate about it.  It simply is.  Politicians with an agenda cannot drum up support for a "War on Volcanoes" or a "War on Earthquakes."  To be sure, given the low intelligence levels exhibited by some of the loudest political figures who are given the most attention in the US media, that is likely not for want of trying.

Like so many others, I remember all too well the aftermath of 9-11.  While neither HWMBO and I lost close friends or family members in the tragic events that occurred that day, we know many who did.   Too many. That senseless tragedy haunts our nation now and always will.  But what we also remember is the airline shutdown, particularly flights to the United States, from Europe.  Big T, #1 Son, was scheduled to marry #1 Daughter-in-Law H in Washington, DC on 22 September 2001.  We, of course, had planned to attend.  The couple were torn as to whether they should postpone the wedding or not.  They finally decided to go ahead with it, given all the planning involved and the difficulty with finding alternatively convenient schedules.  We were among those who encouraged them to do so.  Right up until the day of our departure for Washington on 20 September, we were not sure whether our flight would be cancelled or not.  In fact, it was not cancelled and we were able to attend the wedding without incident.  It was also fortunate that all members of the wedding party from various parts of the US and our family members from Montana and elsewhere who had planned to attend were able to rebook flights into Baltimore or Dulles airports, given that the most convenient Washington airport had been closed.  It is difficult to believe that this event occurred nearly nine years ago.  The little ones who were so proudly part of the wedding party are now teenagers!

There are recent reports that the flight bans may be reviewed.  KLM, Lufthansa, and Air France, among others, have conducted test flights, apparently with no adverse consequences to their jet engines.  British Airways plans to conduct its own test flight tomorrow.  Swiss authorities have decided that Swiss airspace will not reopen before 14:00 Monday.  But if more companies decide to put planes into the air and the ash flows do not worsen, travel disruptions should dissipate.  In the meantime, life goes on.

Waiting for ash

It didn't attract too much mention two days ago.   There were a few news reports about a volcano erupting in Iceland and how some people were being evacuated from the immediate area, which wasn't too well populated.  There had already been an earlier eruption there, on 21 March, and life had continued as usual.  There also didn't seem to be major concern about human casualties, such as happened with the earthquakes in Haiti, in Chile, and most recently in China so far this year.  But I should have been paying more attention.

The name "Eyjafjallajökull" doesn't exactly trip off the tongue.  It isn't as easy to say as "Mount St. Helens," for instance.  But if the news reports are correct, Eyjafjallajökull is another volcano that will literally bring fallout into my own life.   Swiss channels are now reporting that, beginning at midnight tonight through Saturday morning, Swiss airspace will be closed.  Right now they're saying until 07:00; that could possibly go until later.  Major airports have been closed and are continuing to close throughout western Europe since yesterday.  Air traffic in Geneva was affected yesterday, but that was due to airports being closed elsewhere rather than here, specifically in London, Paris, Germany and the Scandinavian countries.

So far, the major concerns with this disaster are economic rather than humanitarian.  The airlines stand to lose millions of euros each day during the shutdowns.  Related business and tourist traffic is also being affected.  The ash cloud continues to drift this way and is expected to arrive in the Jura around midnight tonight.  Because the ash is remaining primarily at high altitudes, it is considered a very real danger to jet aircraft engines.  If it descends, the silicone particles in its composition could pose serious problems for human beings, especially for those who already have respiratory difficulties.  WHO has recommended that everyone stay inside and at home. 

I will never forget 18 May 1980, the day that Mount St. Helens erupted.   That was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States.  Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed.  The ash cloud that the early morning eruption created drifted far to the east for hundreds of miles, reaching Missoula, Montana, where I was living at the time, by mid-afternoon.

For nearly a week, it was like living in a nuclear winter.  Some described it as a gray lunar landscape.  They are using similar language to describe the area near this recent event.  Then, schools and business were closed.  Only those services considered "essential," such as hospital and emergency services, grocery stores, and pharmacies, were open.  People were requested not to drive, except in emergencies, to stay inside as much as possible, and to wear masks or scarves on their faces if they did have to go outside.   Towards the end of the week, we were also asked to hose down roofs and vehicles so that the ash would be absorbed either into the earth or into the city sewer system.

At first, my sons thought it was a great lark - not to have to go to school.  But by Wednesday, they were literally "climbing the walls" and school never looked so good.  I couldn't go to work either so we were all cooped up together.  That was almost more difficult than the volcano itself!  But it was during that week at home that I received the telephone call that would literally change my life.   It began the very long and winding road that ultimately led me to HWMBO and to where I am now.  I had no answering machine at the time.  And it was before the public had access to widespread and immediate electronic communication.  Had I not been closeted at home for that week, who knows how my life would ultimately have played out.

In the summer of 2008, HWMBO and I visited the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument together.   It was very meaningful to me to be there with him.  It was also literally amazing to see what destruction Nature accomplished then and what its healing power has accomplished since.

Scientists are saying that the current volcanic eruption in Iceland could last anywhere from days to years.  There is also concern that because this volcano is erupting through a glacier, there could be major rises in water levels in coastal areas.  While we have little choice but to bow to and accept forces of nature, we can only hope that the destruction there can be contained and that humanitarian costs, at least, will be minimal.

More from Morges

As it turned out, it was a good thing that I visited Morges yesterday while we had the sun.  We were supposed to have sun today, but didn't.  Rain is expected again tonight.  So I have memories of yesterday to post today.  At least, they help to remind me of how beautiful the weather can be.

I spent some time yesterday meandering along the lake front while I was visiting the town.  There are some nice apartment buildings along the shore.

As might be expected, there were several ducks swimming nearby.  But I was quite surprised to see a pair of redheaded ducks among them.  So far as I can remember, it's the first time that I've seen them here.  I'm not sure whether they are redheads or canvasbacks, or another species entirely.  This one seems to have features of both.  Redheads and canvasbacks are native to North America and are, at least in the case of redheads, "rare vagrants" to Western Europe.  Rare vagrants or not, they are here now.  I hope they have residence permits.

I wasn't the only passerby enjoying the view.

There were flowers, including tulips, everywhere, not simply in Independence Park where the major Tulip Festival is held.

The boats at their moorings appear ready to set sail.  And the small boats in the distance are part of an afternoon sailing class.

This little sidewalk cafe was well occupied.

I can hardly dare to believe it.  But apart from a few stutters and halts, Spring is finally here!