Blend Into The Environment

On Amtrak to Hollywood. Images shot by my son from a moving locomotive in Santa Barbara in the evening. Cadence has a good eye and a natural inclination for capturing aesthetic.

Appeal To All Audiences To Boycott Chinese Goods

I was born in New Delhi, India during the 1970s in a country that has a vibrant culture and rich intellectual spirit. Recently, India and China have locked horns in an alleged dispute about land that China says belongs to it. The region is in the desolate part of the Himalayan mountains and the land where China wants to build a road is actually property of a sovereign nation–Bhutan, who has asked India to help protect their territory since they do not have a standing army. The last time China pulled a similar stunt was in Tibet, when they rolled in and took over an independent country known for spiritual traditions and immediately killed half the civilian population of monks and intellectuals. India is not going to let that happen again. As a true blooded Indian-Canadian-American, I have decided to boycott anything made in China. In 2017, China is run by a fascist regime of 70 men who have no regard for the truth. News is banned in the communist nation and the populace is brainwashed into believing the lies that the state sponsored communist regime considers to be in their best interest. Obviously, intellectual property is not valued highly and companies such as Google are banned for the freedoms they espouse, and majority of China's people work as slaves in sweat factories and have absolutely no rights. Recent threats of altercation between North Korea and USA have also made me wonder, who but China would have helped North Korea to develop nuclear weapons. Having a puppet Government in North Korea helps keep the heat off the unethical fascist government in China. Dhao Oh Lao Mo China. If you want to steal land, you are going to have to fight and die for it. 

Proud To Be A Democrat

I am trying to be optimistic about America's ability to rise to this cultural moment, but it is hard to overlook the historical fact that its impulse to fight Nazis kicked in about three years after the rest of the world had been hard at it, and only after being attacked by an Asian country. I do not see how America can find its identity, much less avoid chaos, unless a massive citizens' resistance develops which is opposed to exploitation and impersonality on the one hand, and to jack-booted radicalism on the other. It would not be a new movement, but simply the will of the people as a genuine society strong enough to contain and dissolve all mobs. It would be based on a conception of freedom as the social expression of tolerance and on the understanding that violence and lying cannot produce anything except more violence and more lies. Social movements may not be conservative or radical in their direction, but both at once. On the Venn diagram of shortsightedness and stupidity, there is a 90% overlap between people who voted for Trump and people who right now are googling, "how to survive a nuclear war."

Liquid Eternity

The charm of a single summer day on the water is something impossible to express, never to be forgotten. A place where heaven and earth take such luminosity. There is something vital, holy, pantheistic and reverential. The mind asks if what the eye beholds is not divine indeed, the infinite breath, the great blue soul of the unknown. Caressingly, the infinite blue grows upon you: in time and space you begin to dream with open eyes–to drift into delicious oblivion–to forget the past, present, the substantial–to comprehend nothing but the existence of that infinite blue into which you wish to melt utterly away forever.

 

Ready About: Captain Your Own Fate

In with the elements–sun, wind, rain and the waves. The wind blows in sea monster gusts and the agile boat responds then suddenly the large waves come through on port or starboard splashing you wet. Sailing's nuances–are the physics of wind and water, the web of sail lines, cleats, knots and yacht club etiquette may spell intimidation for the beginner, but sailing is a sport that captures your imagination. Sailing is the story of man against nature. The idea of sailing a boat with two people through areas where no one goes is very appealing to people who have the adventure spirit. Sailing is a lot like playing squash with the wind in water. To move the boat your sails must be 15 to 45 degrees perpendicular to the headwind. As wind changes direction, the sailor must adapt strategy to the conditions for reaching destination. A hundred years ago wind was the primary way to travel the world–for sea merchants and explorers alike to travel and trade with countries. Today, as I learn sailing I am amazed how fast you can move the boat by letting physics and instinct be your guide. On the water, there are times when you are completely relaxed and times when you have to use physical strength to maneuver sails. It is time well spent, an extraordinary way to  bond with family and an exciting way to get away from land.   

Aphrodite: A Day Of Glorious Celebration

The aquatic festival is a divine celebration jammed packed with fun at our summer home on the East Coast. Summoning our clique for the summer festivities on the water for our tribal gathering. The long days of summer are so gorgeous and serene we barely notice the heat.