Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Berkshire Carousel

www.berkshirecarousel.com
I have been thinking lately that I don’t get out much these days, and today was an experience that brought that home to me. Since I was a child, I always liked the carousel at the fairs and carnivals. I was afraid of the horses… they were a little too high, so I often rode in one of the chariots…very safe. I remember always being anxious about getting off in the right place so I wouldn’t get lost. I remember waving to my mother and father as I made the circle. they were always so encouraging, even in this little event. It was sort of like leaving home for 3-5 minutes and coming home again. the world was smaller than I thought, and safer, and the supportive people were always there, not far away.
Several years ago, I visited the old carousel at Caroga Lake. It was closed, but I could peer inside, and even walk into it a bit. It seemed sad to see such an important part of life on the verge of extinction. And a year or so after that, I visited the Sandwich heritage museum, where a working carousel allowed me to step back in time, ride the circle of life on a “pony”, wave to my wife as she patiently and supportively admired her knight, bravely going off into the world and safely returning.
This photo is from the Sandwich Heritage Museum


But today, I was out and about. We visited the Berkshire Mall in Lanesboro, MA., and there was a real workshop called the Berkshire Carousel. I thought they might be selling the “ponies”, but on more careful observation, they were building them, actually carving them from chunks of basswood. A team of volunteers led by two master carvers were putting together, carving, sanding, finishing, and painting these beautiful, glossy horses for a carousel which is to be built in the city of Pittsfield. There will be chariots for the smaller people, the handicapped, and the timid. They will teach you how to carve. There is an effort underway to design the carousel with artwork from the Berkshires.


The above photo is a carved and assembled “pony” ready to be primed at the Berkshire Carousel workshop at the mall. The photo is from the  Berkshire Carousel website.

And as I read the brochure, I realized how little I have been out lately. The project has been going on for about five years, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012. It would have been fun to be involved in this project, but I look forward to the ride when it is completed, another trip around the world, and safely home. I love it.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Stand your ground?

With great trepidation, I wander into this sad case, fearing most of all to stir the pot which needs no more stirring. I have been following the case of Trayvon Martin and his death at the hands of George Zimmerman. I looked up the Florida Law which has become known as the stand your ground law. It deals with the justifiable use of force.

911 tapes clearly indicate that Zimmerman was told not to pursue Trayvon, He did anyway. Trayvon was shot, and the police made the decision to allow Zimmerman to walk based on the law as they saw the situation.

Zimmerman apparently had a scuffle with the young man Trayvon.

I think a case could be made that Trayvon was standing his ground, and was shot doing so. He was walking through the neighborhood, talking on a cell phone to his girlfriend. It was  decided by Zimmerman that he was suspicious, didn’t fit into the neighborhood. Trayvon was pursued. He realized that someone was coming after him. He could have run, but instead turned to question the person who was after him, and a scuffle ensued. He died, standing his ground, armed with a box of skittles and a phone.

Zimmerman, the man with the gun, the man in pursuit, the man who was told to back off, was the aggressor in this case. I believe the investigation will show this, and justice will be done.

The stand your ground law is redundant. The right to self defense has been upheld by the supreme court on numerous occasions. The wrinkle in the state law allows the police to adjudicate the case immediately, as if the slaying of a person is a traffic ticket. Killers walk free under this law with no trial by jury. The trial is a protection for the victim and the accused. There is nothing like a jury of peers declaring you innocent, if you really are, and thus allowing you to live with your self the rest of your life. Casey Anthony for instance!

Here is the Florida law as given in Wikipedia. I think the only person in the Trayvon Martin case who acted legally under this law is Trayvon Martin.

2011 Florida Statutes CHAPTER 776 JUSTIFIABLE USE OF FORCE[18]

776.012 Use of force in defense of person.—A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if:

(1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony; or
(2) Under those circumstances permitted pursuant to s. 776.013.

776.013 Home protection; use of deadly force; presumption of fear of death or great bodily harm.

(1) A person is presumed to have held a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another when using defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another if:

(a) The person against whom the defensive force was used was in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or had unlawfully and forcibly entered, a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle, or if that person had removed or was attempting to remove another against that person’s will from the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle; and
(b) The person who uses defensive force knew or had reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act was occurring or had occurred.

(2) The presumption set forth in subsection (1) does not apply if:

(a) The person against whom the defensive force is used has the right to be in or is a lawful resident of the dwelling, residence, or vehicle, such as an owner, lessee, or titleholder, and there is not an injunction for protection from domestic violence or a written pretrial supervision order of no contact against that person; or
(b) The person or persons sought to be removed is a child or grandchild, or is otherwise in the lawful custody or under the lawful guardianship of, the person against whom the defensive force is used; or
(c) The person who uses defensive force is engaged in an unlawful activity or is using the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle to further an unlawful activity; or
(d) The person against whom the defensive force is used is a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(14), who enters or attempts to enter a dwelling, residence, or vehicle in the performance of his or her official duties and the officer identified himself or herself in accordance with any applicable law or the person using force knew or reasonably should have known that the person entering or attempting to enter was a law enforcement officer.

(3) A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

(4) A person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to enter a person’s dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle is presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or violence.

(5) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Dwelling” means a building or conveyance of any kind, including any attached porch, whether the building or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night.
(b) “Residence” means a dwelling in which a person resides either temporarily or permanently or is visiting as an invited guest.
(c) “Vehicle” means a conveyance of any kind, whether or not motorized, which is designed to transport people or property.

776.032 Immunity from criminal prosecution and civil action for justifiable use of force.

(1) A person who uses force as permitted in s. 776.012, s. 776.013, or s. 776.031 is justified in using such force and is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the person against whom force was used is a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(14), who was acting in the performance of his or her official duties and the officer identified himself or herself in accordance with any applicable law or the person using force knew or reasonably should have known that the person was a law enforcement officer. As used in this subsection, the term “criminal prosecution” includes arresting, detaining in custody, and charging or prosecuting the defendant.

(2) A law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use of force as described in subsection (1), but the agency may not arrest the person for using force unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force that was used was unlawful.

(3) The court shall award reasonable attorney’s fees, court costs, compensation for loss of income, and all expenses incurred by the defendant in defense of any civil action brought by a plaintiff if the court finds that the defendant is immune from prosecution as provided in subsection (1).

776.041 Use of force by aggressor. —The justification described in the preceding sections of this chapter is not available to a person who:

(1) Is attempting to commit, committing, or escaping after the commission of, a forcible felony; or

(2) Initially provokes the use of force against himself or herself, unless:

(a) Such force is so great that the person reasonably believes that he or she is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that he or she has exhausted every reasonable means to escape such danger other than the use of force which is likely to cause death or great bodily harm to the assailant; or
(b) In good faith, the person withdraws from physical contact with the assailant and indicates clearly to the assailant that he or she desires to withdraw and terminate the use of force, but the assailant continues or resumes the use of force.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Encounter with Millay


What a beautiful day it was today! At about 1:00 I was free for a while. I chose to walk the back road instead of route 22. Walk means to climb 400 feet up a two mile stretch. It gets your heart beating, but when you arrive at the Millay estate and colony, you see more hills behind you where you have trekked than before you. Yes, it’s pretty high up. Only Harvey Mountain is above.
On the estate, there was a man on a 24 foot ladder pruning spruce trees with a chain saw, dressed in a bright red shirt and overalls, making loud noise with that saw, but not really disturbing the peace. On another tree, closer to the dirt road where I was walking, a woodpecker, dressed almost the same, drummed on a tall cherry tree, doing his pruning. Robins rustled through the wood along the side of the road. For me, it was perfect. I see why Edna St. Vincent Millay loved her home at Steepletop, and why she was inspired to create such beautiful poetry.
A little past the estate, there was a trail called the “Poetry Trail.” I had passed this on my first five mile journey a couple of weeks ago, but did not take the time to travel it. Today was different, a little warmer, great sun, and time. I headed in. The four feet wide path was a carpet of moss for about three quarters of a mile, soft underfoot, framed with fallen leaves. The canopy above was barren branches of huge deciduous trees (maple, oak, cherry). I would imagine that in the summer, there is little sunlight along this trail, and it would be cool and inviting. I liked the sunlight of the second day of spring, the lack of bugs, the crisp breeze.
There were about 10-12 markers on the trail that had snippets of Millay’s poetry, and that is impressive. There were quotes from her early works. But one struck me- “Elegy before Death” which I present here:
There will be rose and rhododendron
  When you are dead and under ground;
Still will be heard from white syringas
  Heavy with bees, a sunny sound.

Still will the tamaracks be raining
  After the rain has ceased, and still
Will there be robins in the stubble,
  Brown sheep upon the warm green hill.

Spring will not fail nor autumn falter;
  Nothing will know that you are gone,
Saving alone some sullen plough-land
  None but yourself set foot upon;

Saving the may-weed and the pig-weed
  Nothing will know that you are dead, ---
These, and perhaps a useless wagon
  Standing beside some tumbled shed.

Oh, there will pass with your great passing
  Little of beauty not your own, ---
Only the light from common water,
  Only the grace from simple stone!

I like this poem. I never paid much attention to it before. Maybe I am getting old. But it is so true. Life goes on; beauty continues; the seasons change; and people continue to enjoy all of it, except for my beauty. Whoa!
It was a great walk. Perhaps the most intriguing part of it was the walk through the woods back to route 22. My friend Bob told me it was a short distance from the end of the trail to the highway. It was an uphill climb to go back, so I launched into the forest with Millay’s poetry on my mind. There was no trail, just woods. After about 30 steps, I realized that I could wander for a long time, and really be lost. I looked around. The poetry trail was no where in sight. I studied the landscape and saw a yellow stripe off in the near distance, and headed towards it. And a truck thundered past, and I knew I was near civilization, and about 2 miles from my house, a great beautiful, relaxing, inspiring 5 mile loop.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Towers, Telegraph and AT&T

I guess I don’t get out much. The late winter landscape is especially naked this year due to lack of snow. You can see through the forests, normally covered with green or snow, huge towers placed by various wireless providers. Not that many really, since there is no wireless phone connections where I live. I think I live in the 2% area not covered by AT&T or Verizon. There is a tall tower on the mountain top behind our house that is for emergency communications. It is 300 feet high with flashing lights to warn aircraft. It is in my sight, but no phone for me, but great emergency response.

What about these towers? Why don’t people want them in their back yard or nearby mountain, although everyone seems to want the service? I think I know the answer. AT&T, a venerable old corporation in America, was originally formed from American Telegraph and Bell Telephone, and became American Telegraph and Telephone.

Telegraph is old style communication. It used the Morse code as its alphabet to signal across America, originally from hill top to hill top with flags to designate each letter or a single word. Sight distance was important, just as it is today in modern wireless communication. Then, an improvement came about which allowed communication over wires using a series of dots and dashes. The first communication in this way was in the 1840s, announcing the nomination of Henry Clay as the presidential candidate for the Whig party. This went from near Baltimore to Washington, D.C. Soon, there were telegraph lines all over the place, strung like spaghetti along railroad tracks and highways, with thousands of poles supporting the wires. The telegraph gave way quickly to the telephone. The legacy of the telegraph industry, AT&T, can be seen along the tracks in many American cities. Those thousands of poles still stand in utter disrepair as a testimony to this by gone age. Not a pretty sight; actually pretty ugly.

So what will be AT&T’s legacy in our wireless age? The towers that there are not enough of to do the job will probably multiply across the mountain tops and hills until we get beyond 100% coverage, soon to give way to a new technology not requiring towers. And how many will we continue to see in the bleak winter landscape?

(I pick on AT&T here because they actually have Telegraph as part of their name, but Verizon, Motorola, and others present the same problem, and no one will want to provide service in my area after this.)

Friday, March 16, 2012

St. Patrick, revisited

(This is a revision of a post from a few years ago.)


"Hibernia's champion saint all hail, this day your, glory sounds;
The offspring of your ardent zeal, this day your praise shall sound.
Great and glorious St. Patrick, pray for thy dear country.
Great and glorious St. Patrick, hearken to the prayers of your children."

We sang this with such gusto as we celebrated his day as children at St. Patrick's School in Troy. The Saint's likeness was and still is portrayed in stained glass above the altar of the church, and a larger than life sized statue graced the hall way at the entrance to the school auditorium.

Why did we really celebrate? St. Patrick was a hero for the many children of Ireland, and the millions who had come to America. We held him in high esteem as the greatest person ever from our heritage, a personal symbol of power, faith, and resurrection for a poor and down- trodden people.

Proudly, we embraced him and we celebrated his legendary accomplishments, and hoped for continued miracles in our day. I don't think we have been disappointed, but he (we) still has a lot of work to do.


And this is the first year that the songs will not be sung in St. Patrick's. The church was closed last June. It still was the place of worship for many, old and young. But the needs of the large suburban areas overcame the exigencies of the Catholic Church's presence in the inner city, and the parish was closed along with the others in the city. We are left with memories, a heritage, and the songs will be sung in places far and wide because of the universal presence of our favorite St. Patrick. 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Score one for the little guy!


How do you get one sheet of plywood to your home without your trusty van or pick-up? Who do you call to get it there in a timely fashion? What if there is no one available to make a run for you to get it? Suppose you don’t want to rent a truck from Home Depot or Lowes.
Several years ago, we opened an account at one of the local lumber yards. We were putting on a new porch and we were able  to get a discount and delivery on the $4000.00  or so worth of supplies. Not only that, but we didn’t even have to go to the place for any thing. It was all done by phone with knowledgeable associates who estimated our needs and arranged delivery for everything, from rafters to sheetrock, nails and screws to sliding glass doors. It all came when we wanted it. If there were leftovers, they were picked up, and credit was received. Over the years, this arrangement has been quite handy; forty bags of cement, huge metal roofing pieces; gallons of white shellac, and more.
Occasionally over the years, I would venture into Home Depot, but it is such a hassle. The stores are too big. Probably these stores are easily a couple of city blocks with long aisles and rows.You have to do all the loading, carting, paying by yourself, and then get it home. And if you order too much, you either store it or return it on your own time. Usually, that is a 60 mile round trip.
At the local store, you don't have to walk through blocks of merchandise. You don't even see the lumber unless you want to. Some of it stored in sheds around the premises or in warehouses nearby. All you do is walk up to the counter, tell the clerk what you are doing, and "Voila!" you are on your way to a completed project. If it is a small item in the store like a shower drain, the clerk will get it for you, and bring it to the counter. If you think it is not quite right, then  she will usher you to the rack where similar items are located, and you can choose what you want (usually the same thing brought to the counter originally.)
The other day, I needed a paper towel holder. There are two hardware stores in town, neither very busy. I immediately spy a clerk whom I have known for years. “What can I do for you?” “I need a paper towel rack.” “The end of aisle 18 on the right.” “Thank you!” Aisle 18 is 10 feet long; I am about 20 feet into the store. The paper towel rack is there; I pick one out, pay cash to the same clerk, and I go to my car which is less  than 10 feet from the front door. All done in less than 3 minutes! These little hardware stores are so easy, and the prices are not that different from the big box stores.
Now, as for that single sheet of plywood;I called my lumber yard at 3:30 p.m. and placed my order for a single sheet of sanded, half inch plywood. I knew full well that it would not come until the next day. Probably it would be dropped off by a huge truck making a  sizeable delivery somewhere else, and I would get to my project later in the day. No! that’s not what happened. Rather, at 7:30 a.m, a little flatbed truck with a single sheet of plywood backed into my driveway, and I was awake to greet the driver, who in turn put the plywood where I wanted it. I and all day to get to the project. So score one for the little guy who takes care of people. Score one for the little guy who has a manageable store. Score one for the guys who answer the phones and help you out. And score one for us who have been spared the hassle of going to the big stores, wasting time and energy, thinking we are saving something in that drudgerous process.

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Winners all

Western Kentucky has made it to the big dance of the NCAA tournament this year with a record of 15 wins and 18 losses. I would venture to say that they have the worst record in the tournament, and will be one of the first teams to go home. They will have been a winner, regardless of the outcome, after all, since they made it that far with such a lousy record. It capped off a pretty dismal season, yet the memory of playing in the tournament will be so memorable… they won.

Winning can be defined in many ways. We like to define our own wins, whether they be on a field, gym, or other arena. I am thinking here of politics. Tuesday was “super” Tuesday for the republican candidates. All four of them declared victory: Newt, because he won his home state of Georgia; Mitt, because he swept New England, and almost lost, but didn’t, Ohio; Rick, because he almost had more votes in Ohio than Romney, and therefore he won there and in a few other states; and Ron Paul, that champion of democracy declared victory for his principles and democracy. All winners; all in it for the long haul. It is so good to be able to define your win, no matter what else happens.

One contestant was kicked off American Idol tonight. Did he lose? No! He was in the top 13 and survived until  tonight. He won, disappointed that it ended now, but someday the world will hear his recorded voice again and he will make a lot of money; a big winner.

And the rest of us, winners all. The victory today for me: a long walk along the highway, and I am still alive despite a hundred 18 wheelers that tried to knock me off. I am a winner.

So it helps to define what winning is in your own eyes, adjust to it; enjoy the ride or walk, and be a winner.