The West Bank

I was pleased to discover recently that I can once again access magazines online from the Albuquerque Library through my old Kindle Fire tablet.  Even though the long-outdated tablet is slow and cumbersome it is still a nice way to read (at no cost) the two magazines that I follow, The New Yorker, and the New York Review of Books.

This last issue of the NY Review has some particularly good book reviews and articles, including an extraordinary account of the the atrocities currently taking place in the West Bank against the Palestinian population by right-wing Israeli settlers with the full cooperation of the Israeli Defense Forces.

An 'Unlawful Presence' is by David Shulman, an Israeli human rights activist who works on the ground to try to combat the endless, horrific persecution of the rural Palestinian people.  He also, in this article, describes how it is that so many of his fellow citizens have become numb to the facts of the genocidal assault in both Gaza and the West Bank. He mentions in regard to that skewed perception of reality that it is attributable in part to the dereliction of the Israeli news sources, with the sole exception of the Haaretz newspaper; how that paper's willingness to persevere in the country's climate of right-wing terror is another story that needs telling.

wheels

 I went by the Wheels Museum this morning; it is housed in one of the Rail Yards buildings.  There are a bunch of nicely restored vehicles, but the place is kind of a jumbled mess.  There is no shortage of pleasant docents who pay close attention to every visitor.  I'm told they are looking for a bigger location on the site where the exhibits could be better sorted out.

Trouble in Old Town

 Several shops in Old Town have been seriously vandalized.  

Security cameras have been installed and the APD has promised to step up patrols in the area.  That will likely cut down on some of the vandalism and burglaries.  Mostly, though, those measures along with locking up a few more miscreants will just move the problem to some other neighborhood.

The old car guys who display their creations on Friday mornings are unfazed by the crime wave.  Their assets are on wheels and they are taken home at noon.

Day 4 - Moving Along

Overall I thought the Democrats did a pretty good job of getting their act together on short notice. Now they'll have just a couple months to cope with the fact that Trump has been campaigning ever since he lost to Biden.

Of the last night's presentations the gun violence segment was moving and effective.

A lot of New Mexicans may be disappointed with a muddled opportunity for the country to hear about Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's time in the Biden administration.  As was the case with Governor Lujan Grisham, Haaland was given a cheerleader role to fulfill which seemed to make her uncomfortable. Perhaps she will have a place in a Harris administration, or maybe she'll just go back home and run for Governor of New Mexico.

A bigger disappointment was the treatment of the concerns of the Uncommitted. It was not unexpected in a way because Biden is still the President, and Harris is still a part of that Administration; she is not in a position to break with the Biden policy right now.  However, Harris as the Party's nominee is ultimately in charge of what happens in the Convention.  So, the conclusion is inescapable that she backed the decision to deny any kind of on-stage presence of a Palestinian-American to make a case for the people of Gaza.

Also, I'm curious about what others thought of the Gretchen Whitmer presentation. My immediate reaction was that it was a bit too slick, and without much substance for someone who is politically ambitious.  She has shown some courage and skill as Governor.  Probably not a good idea to judge her prospects by one speech.

Day 3, Almost There

 Tell me why the Democrats have kept trotting out Bill Clinton for each of these events.  He had nothing useful to say, but he droned on.

Oprah talked too long as well, but she had the crowd with her.

Midway through the night, Hakim Jeffries and Stevie Wonder briefly made it all seem worthwhile.

Pete Buttigieg was given a chance to tell his own story.  One wonders where he goes next.

Walz was corny, as scripted, but he kept his comments mercifully short.

Day 2 Impressions

 Bernie, Bernie, Bernie.  He gave his standard stump speech we have all heard.  That's ok because the truth does not change, and Bernie is the only one who will stand up and tell it.  He clearly laid out the targets of change needs and pointed to the real solutions. He challenged everyone - Harris included - to respond to the slaughter in Gaza.  

Michelle Obama was spectacular, a superstar.  Barack gave a display of his usual and excellent oratorical skills, but delivered nothing new or challenging.  It was a reminder of how much fun it was to have a combination of intelligence and style in the White House. (Vinson Cunningham's take on the Obamas' performances is worth a read: The Obamas’ Rousingly Pragmatic Call to Action at the D.N.C.)

For New Mexicans the presentation by NM Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, was a disappointment.  She was given a cheerleader role which she is totally incapable of delivering.  She is smart and tough and capable of much more that was shown that night.  She has had a falling out with her own party at home, so hopefully she will get a job in the Harris administration that fits her skill set.

Following Lujan Grisham was Angela Alsobrooks, a candidate for the Senate from Maryland.  She gave a terrific presentation and is someone to watch whether she wins this time around or not.

And what of Buttigieg and Haaland?  They are both highly competent and articulate Cabinet members and should be given a chance to speak about their areas of expertise.

Day One

 The New Republic highlighted the main take-away from the Convention's first night: Women Stole the Show on Night One of the Democratic Convention.

Kamala, AOC and Hillary got big applause.

Biden's wife and daughter made excellent presentations.

I didn't have the stamina left to listen to Biden when they finally got around to him.  He seemed in good form, but he looked constantly angry.

The media carefully avoided showing anything of the thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors outside.

The Convention

 My expectation for the Democratic Party Convention is that there will be a lot of balloons and confetti.  Beyond that, I'll be surprised if there are any really new policy initiatives.  Harris will mostly be careful not to step on any toes, the foremost of those being the American Israel Public Affairs Committee(AIPAC) which has already deployed millions of dollars against progressive Democrats supporting Palestinians facing Israel's genocidal war in Gaza. At the same time Kamala will need to signal some willingness to push for a ceasefire as soon as possible. A lot will depend on the numbers of pro-Palestinian delegates and demonstrators who show up and how the protestors are handled by the Convention's security and Chicago police forces.

Joe Biden could have taken action to avoid Harris' dilemma over Gaza by demanding an immediate ceasefire.  He did not do that and it is unlikely that he will make that part of his convention message, or even that he will push effectivly on Israel for a movement toward peace during his remaining months in office.

The pro-Palestinian demonstrators, of course, have their own dilemma to confront as Trump's pro-Israeli record has been even more radical in some ways than Biden's decades-long unconditional support of Israel and the resultant disaster.

Rainforest Ghosts

 My little Amazon diorama has reappeared on my desk.  The big fishbowl I found in Las Cruces sat there empty for a long time.  I liked the vessel's clarity and shape.  Then, recently, I saw a small fern I liked and soon afterward a miniature African Violet. I made a quick trip into the Sandia foothills for some moss; that and a bit of potting soil brought the terrarium back to life.

 Last night's PBS news included an interview with a Norwegian human rights investigator about the currently dreadful state of life in the Northwest Amazon where the tropical forest is being destroyed by timber harvesters, oil exploitation and agricultural clear cutting.  Drug cartels reign there now over vast areas with little effective resistance offered by national government forces.

Such a contrast to the time I was there when Colombia's perpetual violence was at a low level. At that point rubber harvesting had receded in importance, and the wisdom of indigenous tradition allowed the region's peoples to regain some degree of dignity and independence. 

A Happy Accident

 

My first step in editing scanned pictures in PhotoShop 12 is usually to click on (Image/Adjustments/Shadows and Highlights).  Recently, I clicked instead by accident on the next item below, HDR Toning.  The result was a one click adjustment of tonalities in the b&w image I happened to be working on, and it looked as good as anything I get from a sometimes lengthy bout with the the Shadows and Highlights adjustment.

I was curious how the HDR Toning adjustment would handle color, so I did a quick digital shot with my Canon Powershot of my always helpful model.  As with the b&w image, the instant HDR Toning result with the color shot was an adjustment of tonality that I thought very good, and the color had none of the garish over-saturation that plagues so many of he HDR images I see online.  There is a menu of adjustments in the HDR Toning feature, but I'm perfectly happy with the defaults.  If I need to make any additional adjustments I would likely use the standard Shadow/Highlights or Contrast features of the program.

I don't suppose any of this would be news to PhotoShop users who are actually proficient with the program, but it will be a time saver for me.

Old Town Color