Flying

Earlier tonight I met with my book group. We read a book by Charlotte and Harriet Childress called Clueless at the Top. It's about different aspects of hierarchy in our socio-cultural system, and how people at the top of hierarchies have a tendency to take for granted the experiences of people who are lower in hierarchies. It is an interesting and relevant book, for example, in one chapter the authors discuss how judging and ranking can be socially harmful behaviors. I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in cultural studies, and/or making the world a better place.

Right now I am at the Seatac airport waiting to board a flight to go to Minneapolis. It's about midnight, so I definitely won't get a view like this!

BNSF Montana Train Passing

I rode the train from Washington State to Minnesota. Here's a sight from the train trip. This was in Montana, East of Glacier National Park. A BNSF locomotive passed the coach car where I was sitting. I turned my camera on the high-speed automatic shutter setting and here's what turned out.

Also try viewing here, this is probably a better way than the below slideshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rwhitlock/5293169585/in/set-72157625676718862/lightbox/#/

Rocky Mountain Sunrise

I am in Minnesota now. I rode the train from Olympia to Seattle, and then to Minneapolis/St. Paul. The above photo is of the rising sunlight reflecting on clouds over the rocky mountains somwhere in Idaho or Western Montana. I love all the color in the sky.

There is a lot of snow here in East Central Minnesota. Streets are narrower and the snow piles are high, it's regularly 3 to 5 feet high in between roads and sidewalks. I saw one mountain of snow that must have been 40 or 50 feet high. Lots of snow. That's for sure.

Well, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever other festivity you might partake in around this time of year. Namaste, world peace, may all beings be happy.

Great Sky

view larger
Tuesday 29 June 2010, Wyoming—There is little, if any, of the American landscape that has been left untouched by industrialization. Utility poles, mining operations, electrical generating facilities, roadways, settlements, smoke from industry: these aspects can be witnessed almost everywhere across the entire landscape.

p.s. Please come to the Cascadia Freedom Caravan Olympia report-back on the US Social Forum this Sunday the 29th, 7pm at Fertile Ground Guesthouse. more information: http://olyblog.net/cascadia-freedom-caravan-report-back-us-social-forum

In Detroit!

At the ice cream shop in Ann Arbor

We made it. We're in Detroit!

Last night there was an eerie sight of a helicopter flying quickly across the hazy midnight sky with a very bright search light pointed at the ground.

I wonder if I will see Robocop.


more updates here: Cascadia Freedom Caravan in Detroit Michigan

B Media Collective

And I have more photos on my flickr site, which are linked through the above photo.

Cascadia Freedom Caravan Day 5 Update

We are heading for Detroit, ETA is for this evening.



This is a photo from North Dakota.

It's Day 5. Last night we stayed in a really nice church in Milwaukee. The Central United Methodist Church. I was grateful for the hospitality after 4 long days on the road; I had some delicious food and needed rest.

We also did a presentation at the church, and I was really impressed by the skills of my fellow caraveners, whom I think are all brilliant human beings.

We had a panel that included geographical representation of people going to the US Social Form in Detroit, from Portland, Seattle, and Milwaukee. Then we had people talk about issues. We watched a video that members of the B Media Collective produced. It's a six minute video about an open pit copper mine that we visited in Butte MT.

I showed some photos, Danny Kelley and others did musical performances.

Members of the audience asked a few intelligent questions after the presentation, so it seemed successful.

We just passed through Chicago. It's hot and muggy.

The bus got cleaned this morning, so we are rolling in style.

Rick is driving like a champion.

I am looking forward to getting to Detroit after a stop in Ann Arbor to pick up some boxes from Rising Tide.

Day Four CFC from PNW to Detroit

On day three of the Cascadia Freedom Caravan from the PNW (Pacific Northwest {Oregon and Washington}) we traveled from South central Montana to Fargo North Dakota, and Moorehead Minnesota.

It was a sunny and warm day of travel through a beautiful landscape.

Today, day four, we are driving for Milwaukee Wisconsin.

As I write this we are approaching St. Cloud, MN and about 80 miles from the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The clouds are accumulating, and the agricultural fields are very green. It smells wet, and it seems like there is a possibility for rain.

People are tired, right now most of the people on the bus are asleep, I think there are only about 7 of us still awake.

Last night as we drove through the darkness on our way to Fargo, I could hear 7 different conversations taking place simultaneously amongst the 25 passengers on the bus. It was pretty amazing. There have been some amazing, interesting and important conversations that have occurred on the trip.

So far, I have had a lot of conversations about culture, society, economics, politics, the environment, spirituality, values, and other topics that are of interest to me.

Right now we are listening to Amy Goodman speak on Democracy Now! The segment is an interview about BP's human-made undersea petroleum volcano in the Gulf of Mexico.

I am learning a lot about 'merica (i.e. America.) And so far, I still believe that another world is possible. A world of altruism, where success is based on the common welfare of all people. A world where people demonstrate caring attitudes and behaviors for each other, for all people, realizing that we are all part of one interconnected web of life. A world where people do not hurt each other, and earnestly seek to gain understanding and awareness of how our system is harmful... A world of respect, of love and truth, of peace and harmony.

Joy in the struggle!

And Peace.

Cheers,
Berd

Beautiful Nature

Last night we stayed at a campground in a beautiful National Forest North of Yellowstone National Park.

On the Road!

Hey Everyone, on the road, blogging from the bus via mobile internet connection!

a couple reports:


link to story: Day 1: Portland, OR – Missoula, MO from bmedia collective

and a report from olyblog: Cascadia Freedom Caravan Day Two Update

Trip to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, April 2009

This is one of the amazing views from the Getty Museum in Los Angeles (see large: Getty Center Garden Cafe and Valley Panorama

Here's a slide show with about 100 or so photos from April 2009 during a visit to the Getty Museum:

The Getty Museum

Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad by Woody Guthrie

Going where the river runs with wine oh loard, and I ain't gonna be treated this 'ere way!



Lyrics: http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Going_Down_The_Road.htm

Sunset with Clouds

Bermuda, view larger: Dramatic Bermuda Sunset on the Ocean with Clouds

Bohemian Grove

While travelling recently in California, I had the opportunity to stop by the Bohemian Grove. It's a place I have long been curious about. It was an uninvited visit, so I wasn't able to enter the private property of the Grove. But just seeing the entrance was quite an experience in itself.

The Bohemian Club hosts an annual summertime encampment at the Grove. It's an event where a couple thousand or so of some of the world's most powerful men gather to supposedly, and among other things, banish their cares about the world. This banishment of care is exemplified in the encampment yearly initiation ceremony, which is descriptively titled the "Cremation of Care." In the ceremony, the effigy of a young child named "Dull Care" is sacrificed and cremated upon an altar.

Here are some photos from the entrance, and more of my thoughts about the "cremation of care."



Caring is a virtue. To care ought NOT to be thought of as onerous or burdensome.

We are all of one human family.

We are, each of us, complete, within and of, our own selves.

That's truth.

There is also truth in power. But it is not a full or complete truth. The full truth, a holistic truth, takes into account the effects of our actions on others. When another, or others, are hurt by my activities (or even perhaps lack thereof,) whether the activities be personal, recreational, professional and/or business, then a balance has been broken - a harmony disrupted. We are all one human family, and no one is left undamaged when we hurt one another. No one is left unscathed. Not the aggressor (or oppressor), nor, certainly, the target (of oppression - or any type of hurt.)

Human beings are to be respected. Not exploited. Not commodified. Not treated as a market for the peddling of wares. Human beings are sacred, and very worthy of being cared for.

Humans are here on Earth to be stewards, gardners, protectors - guiding perhaps, and improving, and beautifying - but not ruling. I believe that humans are not meant to rule over each other, nor to rule over the Earth.

Here's a link to an article by Alex Shoumatoff published in the May 2009 Vanity Fair magazine: www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2009/05/bohemian-grove200905

More information about the Bohemian Grove from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Grove

More photos:


Bohemian Grove "Timber Harvest" Paperwork


Bohemian Grove County Line


Entrance to Bohemian Grove

Photos from Trip to Bermuda

I posted a lot of photos (over 400) from my recent Bermuda visit. Check them out: www.flickr.com/photos/rwhitlock/sets/72157606370057712/

Back from Travels

Hey, I am back from major travels. I went to Minnesota and Wisconsin, and then to Bermuda. It was a good two weeks. Lots of stories to share - I don't know where to start!, and I took a lot of photographs.

Anyway, I am back in Olympia and gearing up to restart! I do feel refreshed from the travels, though I am certainly tired out and looking forward to getting more energy as I get back into a routine. On my list of things to do is finding employment and cleaning my room and getting going with an exercise routine again. I am looking forward to plugging back in to Olympia!

I pulled some garlic out of the front lawn garden at my girlfriend's house. check it out:

It looks a lot better now that Ana cleaned it up, I haven't photographed the clean bulbs yet though.

I am looking forward to posting more photos, and possibly more stories, from the travels! Stay tuned.

Queen's Entrance

Me and Ana standing in front of the Queen's Entrance to the British Columbia legislative buildings:

Victoria B.C. and Olympic Peninsula Travels

I spent last weekend traveling to Victoria B.C. and the Olympic Peninsula with Ana. Here are some photos from the trip:

link to set

Life and Death

An old tree has died and fallen, it's decay will provide nutrients for other trees to live and grow. It will also provide habitat for a host of other organisms.

Photos from June Road Trip

The set of photos from a road trip I took this past June to CA and OR is ready for viewing. Here's a link http://www.flickr.com/photos/rwhitlock/sets/72157600676235927/.

Here's a sample from the Summit of Half Dome:

From Yosemite

Here's a photograph from Yosemite. I will be posting more pictures from my road trip in the next few days or so. Here's a link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rwhitlock/sets/72157600676235927/,
and a sample: