Portland Oregon Area

I'm leaving for the airport in about an hour. We had time yesterday to take a quick car ride up the Columbia River and around Mount Hood then back to Portland. The top picture is the approach to Mount Hood from the North after climbing out of the gorge. The mountain is totally unexpected. It is all alone. It must have been an impressive volcano when erupting.
There are so many waterfalls along the Oregon side of the Columbia. This is a smaller one, Bridal Veil. You have to hike along a winding hill to reach it. The trail circles around, crosses a bridge and then you see it. It's really worth seeing.

Some day I hope to have time to come back and hike some of the trails. There is so much more to see.

New War and Peace

I have read the reviews of the new translation of War and Peace by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. I was planning to get around to reading it eventually. So, before leaving on a long airplane flight this past Tuesday I was browsing in a bookstore at the the airport and there it was. I couldn't resist the compulsion to get it.

This is a heavy book! It may not be the best for a flight. It is certainly great reading. I read War and Peace years ago. Now that I am older I am finding it even more interesting. The part where Prince Andrei says goodbye to his gruff old father, Prince Nilolai, certainly rings true. They don't say much, yet they understand each other completely. With the passing of my own father last year I very much get what Tolstoy was saying. I am looking forward to the adventure of this book.

New map stretching tool

Here is a link to a new mixed map of the Michaux State Forest around Mont Alto. This is a cool application that lets you stretch a map over the Yahoo imagery. It is also pretty easy to use. You upload the map image and identify two points on the map and imagery.

Mystery Flowers

In late August these mystery flowers appeared behind our house. This was an area near a lawn that had been under tree cover for many years. . It was then exposed to the sun after a white pine was destroyed by wind last fall and our landlord cleard out a few other trees. It looks like an amyrillis of some kind? It only lasted a few day before withering away. With luck, they will be back next year!

Vandalism

Someone committed this vandalism on my truck last weekend. There is nothing more cowardly than senseless destruction like this. There is a spree of vandalism going on in this part of Shippensburg. I hope it ends soon!

Come study at the Conakry Airport

This Washington Post article describes hundreds of students of all ages flocking to the Conakry Airport in Guinea to study under its fluorescent lamps. Guinea follows a French-style education system, based on high stakes exams. So, students really have to succeed to advance. Also, with the lack of textbooks and other educational resources, students become really good note takers. They also have to learn how to memorize well, skills we are losing in the United States.

When I visited Guinea last December, the airport is one of the most striking features. It is hot, dusty, and noisy. Conakry is located on a long peninsula. The airport is at the base of the peninsula. The city has grown right up to the edge of the airport. There is a blackened mosque right outside the airport terminal. I thought, at first, that it had been destroyed or burned. But I learned later that it had never been completed.

Ironically, Guinea should have more than enough electricity for everyone. the Fouta Djalon highlands have a lot of water and good locations for hydroelectric dams. The mineral wealth in Guinea, if used properly, would buy enough electric power. I worked at the C.E.E.D. (Center for Environmental Education and Development) in Kinkan, right next door to a working dam. One of the advantages to using this school for workshops is that it always has electricity. My overwhelming impression of Guineans, of all ages, is that with just a few more resources and opportunities, they can compete with and excel anywhere in the world.

Faith Based Action Figures Coming to a Walmart near you

Today Walmart announced that it will start selling a line of faith-based action figures in stores where they sell many bibles and other religious items. The toys are produced by a company called One2believe. Our local paper said that the Carlisle store is one of the chosen.

I guess if people want these toys, and the sell, than why not? I am always amazed that "Christians" or "fundamental Christians" want to create their own parallel society. It's a doomed effort. They will always be struggling with how much of the dominant society do they want to include in their parallel one.

There was a story in the Washington Post this morning about whole series of fantasy books to replace Harry Potter. It's great if the stories are well written. If the children feel they are just propaganda, then they won't succeed.