http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog Thoughts on Photography and California... and other "Random" Ruminations Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:36:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Often called "The Legion of Honor" by Bay Area residents, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor is a fine art museum of San Francisco, located in Lincoln Park, with views over the Golden Gate Bridge. The building is a three-quarters scale imitation (not an exact replica) of the Palais ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/545 I have to thank the TV series "Criminal Minds" tonight for this Mark Twain quote, which fits in well with the Cheshire Cat's observation: "Let us consider that we are all partially insane. It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles; it will make clear and simple ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/544 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today kicked off his climate change summit in Beverly Hills, which has attracted more than 800 attendees, including government officials from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Attendees at the two-day summit came from 19 other countries and 17 states ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/543 Three quick news items from different aspects of California life tonight... 1) Actor Christopher Lloyd, of "Back to the Future" and "Taxi" fame, was one of those who lost homes in the Tea Fire in Montecito, in the hills above Santa Barbara. Lloyd's $11 million home was destroyed, and he discussed ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/542 I uploaded 73 photos from Fort Funston to the San Francisco, Outdoor Recreation (hang gliding and radio-controlled gliders), and Flowers albums on the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™. I added photos to the blog entry for the Fort Funston shoot. I will add Fort Funston shots to the Portfolio over the next few ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/541 Winds drove wildfires through Southern California again today, which forced the evacuation of thousands of people and destroyed hundreds of homes. Wind gusts of up to 80 mph (128.7 kph) combined with unseasonably high temperatures and low humidities to create dangerous conditions for fire ignition and for firefighting. The Tea ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/540 Nearly 150 homes have been destroyed and 1500 acres burned by a a brush fire that burned out of control in Santa Barbara County. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County today as rescue workers and firefighters fought the "Tea Fire," named after the suspected ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/539 At 10 A.M. Pacific Time this morning, Californians practiced for "The Big One" in an earthquake drill based on the scenario of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas Fault in southern California, beginning at the Salton Sea and spreading north nearly 200 miles. According to the U.S. Geological ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/538 I was quite honored this evening to accept an "Honorable Mention" certificate and ribbon for a photograph that I submitted to the Livermore Art Association "Bank on It" art show at the US Bank in Livermore, California. I had submitted two photos, and the award was given for the photo ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/537 Today Wired.com, the Internet branch of Wired magazine cut its staff by 10%. An unknown number of staff outside of editorial were also laid off. Current Media, a cable network co-founded by Al Gore, laid off 60, with 30 new positions created, in its San Francisco and Los Angeles offices. Also, ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/536 The Apple iPhone 3G was the top phone in sales for the third quarter and displaced the Motorola Razr, according to the market research group NPD. RIM Blackberry was #3; LG Rumor was #4, and LG enV2 was #5. In it's FQ4, Apple reported selling 6.9 million iPhones, more than during ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/535 Today, I photographed a couple of locations on the coast, including the Point Montara Light, a lighthouse in Montara, California, a community on Highway 1 that is about 25 miles south of San Francisco. The Light Station is also the location of a hostel. The Point Montara Light is just ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/534 The 2008 fire season will end on Monday at 8 A.M. in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and the western sides of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, as announced by Cal Fire's Santa Clara unit. When a fire season ends, seasonal firefighters are released, and Cal Fire aerial resources are ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/533 In October, nonfarm employment fell by 240,000 (or unemployment ROSE by 240,000 people, whichever you prefer) and the national unemployment rate rose from 6.1% to 6.5%, as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor today. Unemployment has risen by 1.2 million in the first 10 months of 2008 and over ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/532 (Note added November 16, 2008: The Art Show has been E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D to December 4! Thank you, US Bank!) The Livermore Art Association (LAA) is sponsoring the "Bank on It" Art Show (FREE, open to the public) at the US Bank, 2125 Second Street, Livermore, CA 94550 from today through December 4. ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/531 Michael Crichton, who wrote the best-sellers "Jurassic Park," "The Andromeda Strain," "Sphere," and "Rising Sun" died of cancer in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 4. He was 66 years old. Crichton directed several other films, including "Westworld" (1973), "Coma" (1978), "Looker" (1981), and "Runaway" (1984). Crichton was a medical doctor ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/530 Since this is an historic Presidential election, for several reasons, I did not think that I should let it go by without a few pseudorandom comments, which are about all that I can muster right now. :-) 1) California is not a "battleground state." For that reason, we did not get ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/529 Neil Young, legendary rocker and Bay Area resident, showed off the 1959 Mark IV Lincoln Continental that he has spent over $100,000 (USD) to "green." Young is also a car collector and hopes to win the $10 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize by getting the equivalent of 100 miles/gallon. ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/528 Fort Funston defended the San Francisco Bay Area for a long time. We paid a short visit to the fort a few years ago - just long enough to see some of the fortifications and to learn that Nike Ajax missiles had once been stored under the site of the ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/527 A storm is bringing heavy rain to the San Francisco Bay Area, with about an inch of rain over most areas. In some areas of the North Bay, three inches have already fallen. Temperatures remain mild with highs in the mid-60s F and overnight lows in the mid-50s F. Areas ... http://cheshirecatphoto.com/pages/blog/archives/525