Airborne

About 5,000 feet over the path of a tornado near Highland, Ark.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Jan. 12, 1911(?)-Feb. 5, 2008

I learned this morning that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement, died earlier this week in the Netherlands.

Here's a photo I shot in August, 1971, on a TM teacher training course on the campus of Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif.

I'll add to this after I've had time to process the information.

Yesterday

Yesterday was sort of a slow day on the dreaded 1-10 p.m. shift.

The woman at the left is Rose Ong'oa, a doctoral student in the ASU Heritage Studies Program. She's holding a piece of kanga folk art from Zanzibar where women, in the "enlightened" tradition of Islam, are to be seen (sorta) and not heard.

So, to express themselves, they wear clothes and carry objects that are decorated with messages in Swahili. This market basket says, “Come closer my love and let’s eat together. I can’t do it alone.”

Her collection of textiles and other kanga-related objects is on exhibit this month at the ASU Museum.

The museum also has a pretty good display of objects from America's wars. Naturally, I was drawn to the section dealing with the Third Reich, since I collect stuff related to that regime. The only glitch I could find was that a Kriegsmarine (navy) dagger is mounted backwards so that you can't see the front of the eagle/wreath/swastika on the pommel.

Because the blade only fits into the brass scabbard one way, it would be a bit of a hassle to flip the whole display of blade, scabbard and hangers.

And it may be that the dagger was mounted that way because the obverse of the pommel is damaged.

My other contribution was this photo of Craighead County Election Coordinator Sharon Albert checking the numbered seals on boxes of paper ballots from Tuesday's primary.

On assignment

At the ASU Museum.

Fat Tuesday at the retirement home

One of my favorite Super Bowl commercials

Political commentary

Feels like spring here

I suppose I'll change my tune when the steaming heat of summer arrives or when we get flattened by a tornado or frozen in an ice storm, but I sure am liking the weather here in Arkansas.

The temperature got up to 73 here yesterday and I was able to go for a motorcycle ride in just a t-shirt under me BMW AirFlow summer jacket.

It was 66 when we got up this morning, making it possible for me to sit in shirtsleeves on the screened back porch, reading the paper, sipping coffee and watching the dogs run around our fenced backyard. In contrast, it was 22 degrees colder this morning in Thorntown.

Heading off to work soon by way of the Brookland Fire Station where I'll cast my Super Tuesday ballot for John McCain in the Republican primary. Mike Huckabee will doubtless carry Arkansas, since it's his home state, but I gotta vote my conscience.

Aussie pup

Went to a big-ass Superbowl party tonight with a silent auction and watched a woman buy this Aussie pup for about $300.

Arkansas Sportshow

 

Who needs NASCAR?

Low-speed thrills.

At the Sportshow

Furniture to get lost in while wearing your camo.

Stylin'

$25! What the hell. Made of a heavier gauge of the same stuff as my Frog Toggs motorcycle rainsuit.

At the Sportshow

Camo duds for half-price! What a great chance to Arkansasize my wardrobe!

Sound the Deguello

In case we needed a reminder about who has the moral high ground:

BAGHDAD - Remote-controlled explosives strapped to two mentally handicapped women detonated in a coordinated attack on pet bazaars Friday, police and Iraqi officials said, killing at least 73 people in the deadliest day since the U.S. sent 30,000 extra troops to the capital this spring.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the use of mentally retarded women as suicide bombers proves al-Qaida is “the most brutal and bankrupt of movements” and will strengthen Iraqi resolve to reject terrorism.

Arkansas fashion statement

Seen this afternoon at the Arkansas Sportshow: camo crocs.

Sometimes it's easy

I left home about 12:30 p.m. yesterday with the assignment to shoot some weather-related photos. I got about 50 yards before I saw this scene. It's four columns color at the top of this morning's front page.

One of those little mysteries

Did you ever notice how many people have trouble pronouncing "sausage?"

I guess it had to happen

So much for me being able to brag to Indiana friends that I haven't seen the first snowflake here in Arkansas.

The wolf is at the door

Starting next academic year, the Arkansas State University Indians will morph into wolves.

Forced by political correctness to abandon their Native American identity, ASU officials appointed a committee to come up with a new mascot name.

They had it down to two choices yesterday morning - Red Wolves or some kind of train. The red wolf connection is easy to get since that variety of wolves once roamed this part of the country. The train thing is a bit more abstract. This is a rail center where cotton, rice and other stuff passes through by rail. The railroad lines cut across the south side of the ASU campus and have long been a source of frustration for people in a hurry to get somewhere  on or off campus. Yeah, I know it's hard to imagine drivers around here being in any kind of a hurry, but I guess they think they are. Also, there is apparently a tradition of locomotive engineers waving to students - more likely leering at coeds - as they rumble past.

The majority of the committee thought it would be a lot easier to cheer for wolves than for a train and after some  discussion, they voted unanimously to forward to the university president their recommendation for a wolf mascot. Not a red wolf, mind you, just a wolf.

So it could be a rabid wolf or a gay wolf or a mangy wolf or a werewolf or maybe even Wolf Blitzer. Who knows?