Racism Is Still the National Curse: Exhibit No. 1, Donald Trump

Please excuse the use of the N----- word. But this is the keystone to the historical problems of our Nation. And it still is.

A meme popped up illustrating the point. (This is where the racial epithet apology applies):

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

My favorite portrait of Tolkien by Lord Snowdon

My portrait inspired by Tolkien's. Sadly neither photo is in Wales, but Lord Snowdon's title is from Wales.
It is in Avebury, Wiltshire. I ought to get points for that.

There's a lot you can check out on your own regarding J.R.R. Tolkien's interest in the Welsh Language and Celtic legend. I have always loved his maps. And I was recently struck in reviewing my maps of the South Wales Mountains, home of my ancestors, when I came across what appeared to be a portion of Tolkien's map off the edge of the Shire.

Trump Bites Off More Than He Can Chew

In spite of the Constitutional provisions of Freedom of Religion, no Establishment, and No Religious Test (for the Pharisaical Hypocrites out there). See Art. VI of the U.S. Constitution as reference. Hillary Clinton seems to be consistently Methodist, maybe of a Welsh* strain, throughout her life. Your can check out this article from The Atlantic.

And another article of interest from the the British Guardian, is one that Trump should take as a warning. His bullying bluster is going to come up against a man of real integrity, morality, and American principle, President Barack Obama. Mark my words. Trump is a man of poor moral character as most LDS or Mormon voters have figured out, some following the lead of Romney, others of us having long figured it out on our own.

Summer Solstice Strawberry Moon, Lilacs, and the Invisible Gnome

I admit that I "pinked" it up a bit for the Strawberry moon. While the edges seem fuzzy, what detail otherwise!!

It didn't go exactly as idealized. The moon trajectory did shine its light on the newly planted lilacs but I couldn't wait for it as it was waaaaay past my bedtime. Hence, the flash. And it's not that easy planting in the late eventide even on a Solstice because, unlike Alaska, it does get dark. The sister of the now triplets purchased rather inexpensively at Smith's Marketplace, AKA the store formerly known as Fred Meyers, is thriving and if these Oregon delights thrived in this heat at Fred's in the tiny, black plastic containers, they should transplant very well without too much shock.

And the tags. I only noticed this morning that the lilacs came from Mount Angel, Oregon. Could there be a better place name! ("No," is my answer). I got another "Firmament" and a "President Poincaré" harkening back to the days of the Great War. If you are President of France I'm sure it would be no greater honor to have a flower named for you, pinkish even. (Well, after a wine or some food dish--with sauce). And trying to find out more about President Poincaré, I came across this about Syringas (lilacs in generis):

Land of my Fathers: Holy Land

Very touched reading Isaiah passages in Second Nephi last night. 

For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

And the people shall take them and bring them to their place; yea, from far unto the ends of the earth; and they shall return to their lands of promise. And the house of Israel shall possess them, and the land of the Lord shall be for servants and handmaids; and they shall take them captives unto whom they were captives; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee rest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve. (2 Nephi 24:1-3, cf., Isaiah 14).

Now, I'm well aware that original context is Babylonian captivity and even because of that some scholars say that Isaiah may not have even written it or whatever. That doesn't really matter to me because it spoke something else in my own context to me. Or the Spirit "likened it unto" me. Or something like that.

Camera Test No. 1

Well, I've taken a few pics. And I am nothing more than an amateur still on "Auto" features. I figure I will be taking more photos of places and scenery in Wales, so I would work on that a bit.

I'm using a moderately priced Canon Power Shot SX530 HS. Nothing at all real fancy, but I think it's about the right level for me.

First, let me show the amazing zoom feature:

Centerville (Deuel Creek) Canyon from the side of my house. About a mile away as the eagle flies.
(oh, yes. There are eagles up there!)

There is an American Flag that someone maintains up there on the rock outcropping on the left side of the canyon opening. It is right above the place the Scouts call "Mahogany Grove" (no actual mahoganies). And it is the tightest point of the canyon.

So I zoom in on the flag and get a shot like this:

The Star-Spangled Banner still waves.

Donald Trump Is Not a Racist

So says he. In fact, he says he's the "least racist person."

And to prove it he added that one of his best friends is Black. He means Boxing Impresario, Don King.

Hillary Owns the Tweets!

Ya gotta admit, these are pretty good!

A Scout Is Kind, and Friendly

With less reluctance and more patience developed over the years, I accompanied my wife to the Great Salt Lake Council business meeting and dinner. As we entered the familiar yet slightly upgraded Camp Tracy Lodge (I think it's now Layton Lodge for the donors), I suggested that we go sit by the one Scout that we saw because I get tired of adult Scouters when the program is supposed to be about the boys (and girls).

It was not a shocking surprise, just the typical thing one experiences with my wife, that the Eagle Scout who is the youth representative on the Council Board was one of her former Science students. Yeah. That's how our life goes. Either we get more than our share of favorable coincidences, or the universe is simply unfolding as it should.

My wife getting the updates on her former student's ongoing successful life.

Lincoln Spinning in His Grave

Time for some more memes I found on the interwebs:

The Opposite of Buyer's Remorse

That's the feeling you get when you realize that your party's Presidential candidate isn't nearly as bad as you thought she might be initially.

The Republicans are having the more traditional buyer's regret with the unsurprising realization that they are poised to nominate the vilest bully and self-centered ignoramus the body politic has ever seen - and we've had some doozies!

Most recently, Newt Gingrich, Newt! of all people! has been chiding the inevitable nominee Trump on his blatant racist whine about the judge who is hearing the case on the Trump University fraud. You can read about it in the Washington Post, here. The only thing the newt and the donald seem to have in common these days is the number of wives they cheated on before they married the next one.

The Unified Field Theory of Disney Pixar's "Cars" and the Welsh Indians

Gallup, New Mexico isn't really all that bad on a full stomach of genuine chile rellenos and sopaipillas. Here for work as I have been many times, I find my flights of fancy off to speculate on something I think is pretty solid along with things not quite so.

I am still convinced that the scenery between here and Grants, NM, was the inspiration for the modified Southwestern imagery of Disney Pixar's Cars. I mean, just look at the bluffs west of Gallup!

Note the Red Bluffs in Cars.

Red Bluffs at Gallup