text:
Example sentences for "look"
lons; lontano; lood; looed; loof; looka; lookd; looke; looked; lookee
We look with interest for news of this unique formation.
Look at this caravan about to cross the Desert.
Durin the past season, overskirts and p-an-ears have been looped up, makin the fair secks look as if she was gettin her garments in trim to leep over some frog-pond.
A look at this recalls past ages; the palmy days of Rome.
We should look for original and piquant views of everything and everybody.
Guy never mentions her now, and is getting to look and act quite like himself.
Some word which sounded very much like "thunderation" escaped his lips, but he said no more, for he saw in the sleeping woman's face a look he never mistook.
I cannot think so when I remember that look on his face as he told me about it and swore to me solemnly that up to the very last he fully expected relief from England, where he thought he had a fortune.
Her face was crimson as if with shame, and she dared not look at Tom until his silence startled her.
I bless her for it, and am glad she said it, but she must not look at me when I'm dead.
The blow stunned him too completely for him to recover quite his old hopeful, happy manner, and there is a look of age in his face which pains me to see.
Every day after that little Daisy played "make b'lieve Miss McDolly" was there, said McDolly being represented by a bundle of shawls tied up to look like a figure and seated in a chair.
You do look lovely and sing so sweet; I know there's nothing nicer in heaven," said a little piece of deformity to her one day as it lay dying in her arms.
Then she stole a glance at his face and met an expression which prompted her to go on recklessly: "Don't look so incredulous, Tom.
He came in alone, with such an awful look on his white face as made me cry out with alarm.
Daisy, of course, stands for his model, and her hair does not look as if it had been combed in a month, and yet Zillah spends hours over it.
She looked deliberately around upon different objects in the room, and then fixed upon me a look of the tenderest affection.
Bedros, however, whom he left behind to look after the infant church, was soon expelled.
That ordinance is to be observed in remembrance of Christ, but the people of the Oriental Churches are taught to look upon it as a renewal of his death.
The other midshipmen began to look and to feel strange.
Dave shot another swift look into his chum's face before he said: "Danny boy, your case is a light one.
Really, I'm growing sick for a good look at the old home town.
Midshipman Darrin, a curious look in his eyes.
On the contrary," retorted Dave, "you can look for us to push Creighton all over the field.
Just how often discipline officers were accustomed to look in through the night, Dave Darrin did not know from his own knowledge.
Not by look or sign could he convey any intimation that he was doing anything but pay the strictest heed to duty.
On the latter's face was a look as black as a thundercloud.
But first he paused, for a brief instant, shooting at the midshipmen a look that was full of pity for them.
Yes, sir," nodded Dan Dalzell, a queer look crossing his face.
If you can, look toward the steps of Bancroft.
Let's look them up, then, if you don't mind.
And look out, on the right, for Darrin and Dalzell!
I can picture, right now, the look of amazement on his Army face!
But I'd like to get a closer look at Dan's latest.
The six midshipmen found many an envious look shot in their direction.
Many of our home friends will doubtless wonder why I have sacrificed my professional prospects at a time when they first began to look cheering, in order to share the hardships and perils of a soldier's life.
Well," said Glazier, "do we look like them?
An old farm, surrounded by stone fences that look like ramparts, constitutes the camp.
But as we cannot look for absolute perfection in anything pertaining to earth, it may be stated that this animal was no exception to the universal rule.
When I again roam through these forests, and look on this lake, source of the Great River, I will look on you.
These Georgia boys will be long remembered, and may look for the utmost kindness and consideration from us if the chances of war ever reverse our situations.
The response to this call was much more general than the most sanguine had any reason to look for.
I do not look for a general exchange before winter, though I hope and pray that it may take place to-morrow.
Well, well, go in and get off your dirty shoes, you look as if you had been wading into the pond, and remember to be home in good time another day.
I then bathed my face and washed my hands, to look a little more respectable should I ere long make my appearance among the crew.
I very naturally wandered down to the docks to have a look at the "Emu" before she sailed, and to inspect any other vessels that might take my fancy.
You know the ABC, maybe, of seamanship; but, look here, just tell us the names of some of the ropes and spars of this ship.
I therefore kept a sharp look out whilst I was on deck during the night, though I had an uncomfortable feeling that I might possibly be smothered in my sleep, or that Mark might be treated in the same way.
I shoved my head through them, and could now look down on the wild and raging waters with which I was surrounded.
I climbed to the higher part of the rock, and had a look at the land, which I judged was ten or twelve miles off at least.
Remember that the next time you write home, I intend to have a look at your letter.
I had a dim recollection of seeing Aunt Deb come into the room to look for me, but as I didn't speak, she left the room supposing that I had gone out of the house to take another walk.
Mark gave a sharp look in my face, and said-- "Yes, that I should.
Mark told me this, for Julius Caesar himself never came to have a look at me.
Look here,' says he, 'is this the way it works?
They's some gents here that wants to look you over.
He interrupted himself long enough to look up into the muzzle of Larsen's gun.
The others forgot to look for the results of Lowrie's shot.
Look here," he said gaily, "why should we be worryin'?
Don't look like you had much use for this here outfit," he said to the sheriff.
Sir," he said to Riley in a rapid, trembling voice, "you look to me like an honest man.
Mr. Jury," he said, "look at this prisoner we got.
He dared not look at her, and he was glad when the fire lost some of its brightness.
Ain't a good idea any way you look at it.
Look through 'em and see if I got Quade's money.
Because Sinclair'll be dead before he has a chance to look a jury in the face.
Look here,' he says, 'why don't you dance with one girl instead of hogging them all?
Keep your chin high and look a man in the face, will you?
They ain't any doubt that the prisoner is guilty, and they ain't any doubt that John Gaspar is no good, anyway you look at him.
Nay look you Sir, and then follow a troope of other rich and labour'd conceipts, oh the end shall be admirable!
That he may look bi-fronted, as he speaks.
Ah, old Cole, now look about: you are catcht.
Bang~ verwies mich auf folgende Stelle in Look About You in ~Hazl.
Look here," interrupted the Court Glover, severely, "you really must not use such disgraceful language.
They look so respectable," explained the Dodo, "and give one such an air.
They all crowded round to look at the pictures, and presently the Dodo exclaimed, excitedly-- "Hullo!
They make me look so respectable," whispered the Dodo.
I'm sure I'm quick and accurate; and as for my respectability, look at my gloves!
Dick, who thought that it would look grand for him to have heard of Æsop's fables.
Let me look at it," said the Sage, holding out his hand for the paper.
The lad started for Cincinnati to look up his heritage.
And just as Marjorie was about to reply a dark shadow passing overhead caused all of the children to look up.
With a last wistful look in the direction of the village, Jose turned the oxen from the main road into the rough wooded lane which led to his father's home.
I would like best to go up to the hill-top, where we can look off and see Guimaraes and the old ruined Roman city, Citania.
Oh, it was good to be free, good to be in the shade of the trees, to look off over the hills and dream of the cities and the people beyond!
But every now and then, out on the main road, he turned to look back toward the village, shading his eyes with his hand.
Antonio, thumping him gently on the shoulders, had drawn back to look into his face.
A look of pride shone in the father's eyes as he spoke.
When Malfada hung the bag from her round wrist and held it forth to look at it, Antonio burst into a hearty laugh and said: "That is just the way I imagined that Malfada would dangle the little bag from her wrist.
But when he saw the teasing look in Antonio's eyes, he laughed and said: "It is good to have spring come after winter, so I think it is good to change from going to school to not going.
They are very slender, and look like a couple of needles; but, though they are only eight and a quarter feet in diameter on the ground, they have spiral staircases reaching to the top.
Now, if you look beyond Fort William, you will see the race-course.
The little stalls, which were the stores, made the thoroughfares look like bazaars.
It did not look much like it when the ship began to roll quite violently.
I think I have had enough of this thing," said Mr. Woolridge, with a look of disgust on his face.
Lord Tremlyn had left his party to look at what was to be seen by themselves, and came forward to the pilot-house.
As you look at it you observe that it has the same structure as some of the grasses, the same joints and cells.
They look clumsy, but they have to bear up the enormous weight of the hill of rock, and many of them have crumbled away.
The captain was evidently vexed and annoyed at the failure of his prediction, though squalls were liable to occur in any locality; but the present rough weather had begun to look like a gale which might continue for several days.
The first thing Louis did was to look at a thermometer he discovered on a post.
I see that some of you look at me as though I had used a strange word.
The remains of his mosque were visited, the columns of which look like enlarged jewellery, elaborately worked into fantastic forms.
On his way he could not help giving an inquiring look at the manner in which the substitute for Bargate performed his duty.
As soon as the governor left Manila, the auditor had plenty to look after, because a squadron of 20 caracoas and other vessels from Mindanao entered the islands as far as the Island of Luzon and its coasts, making captures.
Another flash of lightning made them all cower--all but Ruth Fielding, who had crept forward to look over Mrs. Steele's shoulder.
Bye and bye they began to look down into the valleys from the steeps the horses climbed.
But they loved every acre of the farm, and the city man's money did not look good enough to them.
Sadie Raby, eyeing Tom and Bobbins with much disfavor, "I thought that a bunch of big fellers like them could look after half a dozen little mites.
Ruth herself was a bright, brown-haired girl who, without possessing many pretensions to real beauty of feature, still was quite good to look at and proved particularly charming when one grew to know her well.
He doesn't look as though he ever got wearied," returned Helen.
Look like I'd been monkeying with the buzz-saw--eh?
Bobbins drove as before, but there were two men with the party to do the work and look after the horses, and Mrs. Steele herself was present to have an oversight of the young folk.
Well, you can go look for 'em with the goats," snapped Sadie, starting off.
But it will--if you don't look out," laughed Ruth.
He's come clean over this road to look for me.
A boy and a girl never could look more alike than Tom and Helen Cameron.
She's always had plenty of maids and the like to look out for them.
Their host, who was the nicest kind of a man in every other way, seemed determined to look upon Caslon as his enemy; and Mr. Steele was ready to do anything he could to oust the old couple from their home.
The serious look on Mr. Caslon's face was enough for all those waiting at Sunrise Farm to realize that the absent children were actually lost.
After this they went to look at Grettir's horse, and found that he had not been meddled with, so the yeoman thought that everything was going on well, Grettir stayed another night, and still the thrall did not come about them.
After their morning meal on Christmas day they went out to look for the shepherd.
Thorhall missed two of his horses, and went to look for them in person, from which it may be seen that he was no proud man.
After these promises and injunctions the phantoms left, and Mrs. Claughton went to the door to look at the clock.
Orleans had learned all he wanted to know, he bade the child look in the water and tell him who was at Madame de Nancre's and what they were all doing.
All Christmas eve Glam did not return, and in the morning men went to look for him.
After these modern cases of disturbances, we may look at a few old, or even ancient examples.
There was some talk among them of going to look for him, but no search was made on account of the storm and the darkness.
He was very old, and did not want to go away either, for he saw that everything his master had would go to wreck and ruin, if there was no one to look after it.
She gave a call to her sister to look also.
Thorhall thought that things were looking brighter, but when he went to look to Grettir's horse he found the out-house broken up, the horse dragged outside, and every bone in it broken.
She tried hard to mate me with the wanton, for it was not her method to look into the future to see if a better mother for my progeny awaited me.
Will I look into your eyes on the morrow and find them, like hers, clear?
I had awakened her slumbering soul with my first look into the sphinx wonder of her eyes.
Hester does not peer down at the scales to see if she is getting full value, yet she does look to her dignity, and, being poor, will not account herself rich.
Her head was raised, and in the indistinctness I caught that sweet look of hers which besought me, and which I answered without knowing to what question.
As I look upon it now, everything fits well and all will run smoothly I am sure.
A smile from her blinded me, a gentle word or caressing look and I went faint and dizzy, and I was content to lurk in some corner and gaze upon her secretly with all my soul.
The curtain is rung down on an illusion, but it rises again on another, this time, as before, with the look of the absolute Good and True upon it.
And in our lives there is nothing fairer and more joyful to look back upon than those same little pigtails and pinafores.
And a thought leaped out in answer to her look which would have smote her had it spoken.
But I have become too much spoilt by mere length of living to be able to remember back and recognise what young eyes mean when they look like that.
The mood crept on me the moment we grew aware that evening had come, and we stopped a little in front of the arch to observe the night-look of the foot-hills.
He turned at the touch of an arm at his shoulder to meet the smile and the look and the quick breath of her who had sent herself his Eve.
I did not look at my watch every other minute.
So when she prattled with abandon of all you both meant to be and do, her form erect before me, her hands eloquent with excitement, her voice pleading for the right to her very conscious self-esteem, I asked her to look still further.
But ever, as they worked away, And would not look around, They watched the little ones that played Before them on the ground.
Yes, but look in the fire, my child, At the strange cities there, so bright and so wild!
You can look within at the merry company.
The figures convey the idea of motion, while eager expectancy finds expression in look and gesture.
We look down on roof gardens, into patios, along the white, narrow calles, into the plazas, and across the housetops to the fertile land beyond the Roman walls.
Indeed, your majesty,' said the Alcalde, 'I can let you look him in the face when he hangs on the gallows.
For the present we must take a look back into the dim and remote period when the Phoenicians came to wrest the soil of Southern Spain from the race of mingled Celtic and Iberian blood.
There is an unshaven look about many of the middle-class men.
Chancing to look out into the street, she saw Clotilde's mother and her betrothed sister stepping up to the house.
She had up the whole angry pride of the man in arms, and could discern that she had struck the wound in his history; but he was terrible to look at, so she made the charge supportable by saying: 'You have stolen my child from me!
She could not get the word or even the look to encounter his close and warm imperiousness; and, hesitating, she noticed where they were together alone.
Consider me as the one fixed light in your world, and look to me.
Does she look as grimmish as she does in the photograph?
She had positively humbled him so far as with a single word to relieve him; for he had seen bristling chapters in her look at the photograph.
It was in that direction, accordingly, that we must look out for trouble.
The Sarhad-dar overheard him, repeated what the Hazara had said, and asked me to go and look at the body, which had now been brought in.
Look at those tins and tell me what's inside!
I advised them that on such matters they should look for decision to the Sherif of Mecca as their spiritual head, and that he was entirely on the British side.
The old villain must have indulged in one short look to realise, once again, that he had been foiled in his attempt at a surprise; for I knew, by current rumour, that he stood in deadly terror of what the guns could do.
He was most eager to find them, and would look on it as an act of grace if I would permit him to go.
Our force was halted, and, riding forward myself, I dismounted and took a good look at the enemy's position.
So, with this object in view, messages were sent telling him to look to himself, for we were coming, not only to fight him, but to lift all his herds.
Meantime his golden face around He bares to all the garden ground, And sheds a warm and glittering look Among the ivy's inmost nook.
Those who look through them behold many strange and beautiful sights.
Does not the maple leaf look as if it had fingers, too?
Now, if we look on another side of the ball, we shall see no ponds, but something very dreary.
The men, women, and children all wear gowns that look like dresses.
We look again, and we see a great body of water.
But when you look up through the air, you see that it is of a blue color.
And children coming home from school Look in at the open door; They love to see the flaming forge, And hear the bellows roar, And catch the burning sparks that fly Like chaff from a threshing floor.
Far reach its plains, its hills are high, Its mountains look up to the sky.
Look at one more side of this ball as it turns around.
These leaves look like the apple leaves," you say.
The rabbits gave him a friendly look as they went leaping by.
So wonderful were her drawings for a little child that the neighbors often came into the tiny room to look at the pictures on the walls.
The very next day the farmer came into the fields to look at his wheat.
But by and by, if nobody comes to feed him, he will look around for something to eat.
Professor Fish laughed shortly, a mere bark of sour mirth, and turned to look through the rain-splashed window of the cab.
That great man never failed to look the part.
Where the road passed the end of the village a few people turned to look after them with slow curiosity.
The prospect of a night without shelter did not greatly disturb her; she was already conscious that when she came to look back on it, it would take a high rank among her experiences.
Carrick gave him a look in which contempt, fury, and a certainly involuntary liking were strangely at war.
You look very tired," she said, quietly, in her level, pleasant voice.
He gave her a look of inquiry; she returned it with a clear, high gaze, and he went at once.
He gave Mills back a look as purposeful as his own.
The painter's room was still unlocked and unoccupied as he descended the stairs; he entered it for another look at the picture.
I'll look at that wound of yours when I've seen to the door.
He saw the Burdock into dry dock and strolled down each day to look at her.
Carrick, behind the chair, saw that his head drooped, and came round to look at him.
Mills did not look round, and the steady remorseless barrel still sailed to and fro across the faces of the men in the hut.
But there would ha' been if I hadn't took a look round while you were spinnin' your yarn to the Old Man," said Slade.
Good thing you've got me to look after you," he went on.
When you found poor Hollingworth's youngster so badly hurt, didn't you sit there and look after him at momentary risk of your life until he died, poor little chap?
The smaller of the two men had, at any rate, a totally different look to any other native she had ever seen.
He often stand, look at it for long time.
Came back also that parting in the solitudes of a grim wilderness, that pressure of the hands, that last long look into the eyes.
Jimmie is getting some sport," she said to herself, standing up to look in the direction of the double report.
It's a poor time you've chosen to look at it in, Miss Commerell," remarked Hollingworth.
Of course, it would look as though he himself had inspired it.
It would seem to the people that to destroy the whole as well as the sick was an act of sheer wanton tyranny, but they must not look at it in that light.
And so you know their language and have to look after them?
He noted the look of fear on the face of the trooper, and that of desperate resolve in the keen eyes of the American.
Some of the hurts they had received were ugly to look at, having been inflicted with the long-handled Persian spade, the foot-flanges of which make it a dangerous weapon.
The Caspian fish is a genuine salmon of the same habits as the marine species known in Europe, with the one sad exception that it will not look at nor touch fly or bait in any form or shape, and therefore gives no sport for the rod.
But in these times of grain speculation in Persia, the people have learnt to look in 'wheat corners' for the real cause of dear bread, and in consequence the bread riots have become more formidable, as was proved lately at Tabriz.
He showed the same alertness of step, brightness of look and manner, and smartness of dress, which distinguished him then.
The late Shah was quick to show the merry look of appreciation when something amusing was said.
Formerly insecurity and want of confidence confined cultivation and stock-breeding to the barest limits, but it is evident now that the inhabitants can look to enjoy the fruits of their labour, and they are extending their fields of exertion.
The descent of such a man is deemed of little consequence in the minds of a people who look to personification of power as the right to rule.
Persian servants regard their fixed pay as but a retaining fee, and look for their real wages in perquisites.
I would not look up until that was done; he tried in vain to push me a little away and gaze into my face.
Before he could stop her she had sprung from her seat and without another word or look was gliding away among the trees toward her father's house.
His face was flushed, the gray eyes had lost the cold, pitiless look which they had shown when Brune had seen them over the pistol barrel; they had softened wonderfully.
A passing comrade paused beside him long enough to fire, appraised the poor devil's disability with a look and moved sullenly on, inserting a cartridge in his weapon.
We shuddered to look at his fearful flights.
The colonel ground his heel into the earth and turned to look again at the enemy's guns.
His attire was faultless, his bearing easy and graceful, the look which he turned upon me open, free, and devoid of any suggestion of rudeness.
The Hill thought it high time to look after a person whom its most honored citizen had felt it his duty to rebuke at a considerable personal sacrifice.
Thence to the structure that was a dwelling and is a factory the distance is not so great; it is, in fact, an agreeable walk, judging from the man's eager and cheerful look as he takes it.
This recalled him to himself; the absent look passed away from his face.
The tense muscles of its lips, which had uncovered the teeth in a horrible grin, relaxed; the sharp, clean-cut profile took on a look of profound peace and rest.
You look as young as Johnnie this minute.
To be shore the cow died, but he got the medicine down her when it didn't look as if human hands could do it--that's the kind of doctor he is.
He's--" A curious, furtive look went over her round face.
Uncle Pros is out in the mountains, and I'm going to look for him.
Well, you go ask Pap to look in the green chist and send me the spotted caliker poke that he'll find under the big bun'le.
Inheritor of large holdings in Eastern cotton-mill stock, he had returned from abroad on the death of his father, to look into this source of his very ample income.
In a thing like this, you don't know who to look to.
You look a heap prettier, and act and speak a heap prettier than you used to up in the mountains," she told the tall girl.
Look at this other--she has the spine of my dreams.
Buckheath drew a little closer, set his shoulder against the fence and tried to look unconcerned.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "look" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
Some related collocations, pairs and triplets of words:
look again; look around; look for; look forward; look out; look sharp; look through; looke vpon; looked for; looked full; looked hard; looked quite; looking animal; looking around; looking away; looking face; looking for; looking gentleman; looking girl; looking more; looking much; looking out; looking steadily; looking very; looking woman; looking young


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Front Page Health Money Politics U.S.WND EXCLUSIVE
Order that gun makers do impossible en route to Supremes
State requirement for 'microstamping' viewed as 1 step toward ban
By WND Staff
Several organizations that advocate for the Second Amendment are taking to the U.S. Supreme Court a strategy by the state of California to impose literally impossible demands on gun makers to eventually eliminate their ability to market to customers in the state.
Officials with the Second Amendment Foundation and Calguns Foundation have submitted a petition to the court to review their challenge to the state's "Unsafe Handgun Act," which purports to crack down on cheap "Saturday Night Special" weapons that could be unsafe.
Instead, what it does is create insurmountable obstacles for even the most reputable manufacturers, the challenge charges.
The UHA is part of California's penal code "that violates the Second Amendment by banning handguns of the kind in common use for traditional lawful purposes," the organizations announced on Friday.
The groups were joined by individuals Ivan Pena, Dona Croston, Roy Vargas and Brett Thomas, and they are represented by attorneys Donald Kilmer of California and Alan Gura of Virginia.
"Our challenge of the California Unsafe Handgun Act, if the high court accepts it for review, could be a critical wake-up call to lower federal courts that continue to employ what they call an 'interest-balancing approach' to deciding gun control cases because that strategy is forbidden by the 2008 Heller decision," noted SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb. "It is time to bring a halt to what is essentially a revolt by the lower courts against the landmark Heller opinion, and the Pena case could provide that vehicle."
California's law generally prohibits making, importing, or selling handguns "that do not meet the state's extremely restrictive design requirements," the groups explained.
"The result, as the plaintiffs contend in their petition for high court review, is that the state is gradually achieving a handgun ban because they cannot meet the impossible requirements, which include microstamping. That technology is not offered by any handgun manufacturer because it cannot be practically implemented, the petition notes," they said.
"The landmark Heller ruling cannot become just a footnote in history," Gottlieb observed, "but that appears to be the ultimate goal if such laws as California's are allowed to stand. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court, with the benefit of fresh perspectives from two recently seated associate justices, agrees that it is time to once again visit the Second Amendment and further restore its rightful place as a cornerstone of the Bill of Rights."
The Heller case was decided by the Supreme Court several years ago. It came out of the District of Columbia and found that the Second Amendment actually does protect an individual's right to "keep and bear arms."
The ruling left states with the power to impose some restrictions on handgun ownership and possession, but they cannot ban it.
A followup decision in a second case, the McDonald case, found that the Second Amendment-protected right was incorporated by the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment against the states.
WND columnist Jeff Knox earlier had described the fight as it was ramping up in California.
He explained the state's aggressive moves against "poorly made" handguns: "Back in 2000, California legislators instituted a system supposedly intended to protect the state's citizens from cheap, poorly made, unreliable handguns. This was in addition to their laws restricting so-called 'assault weapons' and 'high-capacity' magazines. The rationale was that these types of handguns were disproportionately being used in crime and therefore needed to be banned. Like the ongoing arguments about 'assault weapons,'" the challenge with restricting 'junk guns' and 'Saturday night specials,' as they liked to call them – aside from the fact that such laws have no impact on criminals – lies in effectively defining exactly what's being banned. In this case, rather than identifying specific makes, models, composition and features, the legislature went the opposite route, creating a roster of approved, 'safe' handguns and banning as 'unsafe' any handgun that is not listed on the roster."
He said, "For a gun to be included on the roster, it must be submitted to a panel of 'experts' who test and evaluate it in accordance with a long, convoluted list of criteria. Gun companies are charged for this 'service' and must pay thousands of dollars for evaluation of each model and variation they wish to sell in the state. Even cosmetic features such as a gun's color and finish are included in this requirement, resulting in idiotic conclusions that a particular model with a black finish might be approved as 'safe,' but the exact same make, model and caliber of gun from the same manufacturer but sporting a silver or dark gray finish would be designated as 'unsafe' and illegal for sale because the manufacturer didn't pay to have that variation evaluated."
Shortly after came the demand for microstamping, he said.
"That's a process whereby identification marks laser engraved into a gun's firing pin, bolt face, or chamber are transferred to the shell casing during the firing process. They decreed that this provision would only go into effect after at least two companies were offering the technology without patent or licensing issues and the state's attorney general determined that Microstamping was reasonably practicable," he said.
However, "There are no major handgun manufacturers currently including Microstamping in their handguns – none. Furthermore, Ruger, Glock and Smith & Wesson have all declared that they have no intention of including Microstamping technology in any of their current or future guns," he noted.
And he pointed out, "As has always proven to be the case, gun control laws in California are having no effect on their disproportionately high crime rates – representing 68 percent of all 'gun murders' in the nation – but are seriously impacting the ability of honest citizens to acquire the firearms of their choice."
It's just one of many fights involving California's anti-gun agenda.
Just recently, the state was found to be denying permission to buy guns to people who had convictions in other states that had been set aside, or expunged.
The state also is involved in cases involving gun store signs, gun registration, waiting periods, vagueness in its gun laws, bans on weapons of a certain size, handguns, assault weapons and more.
WND Staff
WND news editors compile reports for our readers.
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Trump warns Biden on Ukraine: 'Then come the nukes'
Biden: 'Non-stop' immigration will make whites 'absolute minority'
Luxury fashion ad campaign sparks huge backlash after it features LGBT couples rather than clothing

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Bustling, buzzing and bright… Welcome to the electric capital of Japan!
A former imperial capital, Tokyo is now distinguished by its skyscrapers, high tech stores and the speedy lifestyle of its inhabitants. But don't be fooled, there's something for everyone here. In the world's largest city, with the clatter of video games and an increasingly dense population, an ever present sense of modernity is coupled with the taste of authenticity and easy living.
€1237 School price €1201 WEP price!
€2297 School price €2182 WEP price!
€3357 School price €3189 WEP price!
GenkiJacs Tokyo language school is located in a calm and serene neighbourhood in the heart of the most bustling city in Japan (and perhaps, in the world).
GenkiJacs overlooks the famous Hanazono Shrine and students pass through its traditional gates to enter the school building.
The language school is a just few minutes from the largest railway station in the world, Shinjuku.
Discover the biggest city in the world; it is fascinating!
Choose the "culture" option for an in-depth look at Japanese traditional or pop culture.
Mingle with students from around the world at the language school!
The language school is ideally located in the heart of this surreal metropolis. Shinjuku railway station, the gateway to noteworthy city sights, is just a short walk away.
As you let the city sink in - from the Akihabara high technologies district, Buddhist and Shinto temples, the Imperial Palace and traditional Japanese parks to Pachinko gamers and a vibrant food scene - you will soon understand why Tokyo dazzles even the most sceptical onlooker. Yolking ultramodernity and tradition, the city is simply spectacular.


text:
Six encounter cases in Manipur not genuine: Panel to SC
New Delhi, April 4, 2013, Agencies
A Supreme Court-appointed committee probing six cases of alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur informed the court on Thursday that these were not genuine encounters and the victims, including a 12-year-old boy, did not have any criminal records.
A bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai perused the committee's report which said none of the six cases qualify as encounters and they are fake.
The committee, comprising of former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, ex-CEC J.M. Lyngdoh and a senior police officer, has said in its report that the probe showed that none of the victims had any criminal records.
The bench said the report makes it clear that the guidelines on encounters laid down by the apex court in the Naga People's Movement case was not followed.
Appropriate directions will be passed on the basis of the panel's report on April 9, it said.
The Supreme Court on January 4, had decided to appoint the committee to hold an inquiry into the alleged fake encounter killings in Manipur.
The panel was set up to probe six cases of alleged extra- judicial killings in the Northeast State where a magisterial inquiry had raised questions on genuineness of the encounters.
The apex court had appointed the panel on a PIL filed by an association of the families of the alleged victims, seeking setting up of a special investigation team and direct inquiry into around 1,528 such cases.
The association had alleged in its plea that over 2,000 odd extra-judicial killings have taken place in the State, but no one has been held guilty till date.
It had alleged that innocent people with no criminal records have been killed by security forces and no proper investigation has been done in such cases.
The apex court while deciding to form the panel had said, "Magisterial inquiry does not inspire confidence as it is not satisfactory and none, including the Army personnel, appeared before it."
It had, however, turned down the plea for SIT probe and also refused to go into the legality of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act which grants special powers to the security personnel in disturbed areas.
On July 4, 2012, the apex court had agreed to hear a similar plea for probe into alleged extra-judicial killings by BSF in the border area of West Bengal.
In that case, petitioner Bangla Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, a Kolkata-based NGO, had alleged that there are more than 200 cases where BSF personnel indulged in extra-judicial killings and torture in the border area and those cases were never probed by the state police.
The NGO had alleged that instead of registering FIRs against the BSF personnel, these were registered against the deceased and the cases were closed on that basis.
Ardent Atmosphere Prevails In Manipur Over Probe Into Extrajudicial Killings #AFSPA (kractivist.wordpress.com)
#India- I am Irom Sharmila #AFSPA #Vaw (kractivist.wordpress.com)
Gujarat Vidyapith not living up to Gandhiji's 'legacy': Online petition seeks broad support
#India- Immunity given to security forces must be abolished #Vaw #AFSPA #Rape
The coast isn't clear- Clash of Cultures #Mangalore #Moralpolicing #VAW
#India - SC stays Bhullar's execution #goodnews
Supreme Court green signal to inquiry panel for Manipur killings #goodnews #justice (4)
Resist the silent emergency! Call for Action on June 26th 2012 (1)
Manipur encounter deaths show pattern of carelessness, says Supreme Court #AFSPA (4)
Extrajudicial killings: SC issues notice to Centre, Manipur government (1)
#India- SC asks Manipur to respond 'Extra-judicial killings' (4)
Advocacy, Announcements, Health Care, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law
Extrajudicial killing, Kolkata, Manipur, N. Santosh Hegde, New Delhi, Supreme Court, United States Supreme Court, West Bengal


text:
Honesty is telling the truth to others, whereas INTEGRITY is telling the truth to yourself!
No one will question your Integrity, if your INTEGRITY is not questionable!
Speak with honesty, think with sincerity and act with INTEGRITY!
INTEGRITY is the moral courage to make my actions consistent with my knowledge of Right and Wrong!
Better is a poor man who walks in his INTEGRITY than a rich man who is crooked in his ways!
Nothing is last sacred but the INTEGRITY of your own mind!
INTEGRITY will not make you a Leader, but without INTEGRITY you will never be one!
INTEGRITY is an expensive gift, do not expect it from cheap people!
INTEGRITY without knowledge is weak, knowledge without INTEGRITY is dangerous!
Wisdom is knowing the right path to take, INTEGRITY is walking that path!
INTEGRITY is doing the right thing when nobody is watching!
INTEGRITY is the willingness to live by our beliefs and standards!
What is Corruption?
Proposals for Combatting Corruption
Members of the Board
Affiliated Bodies
netinfo2022-01-28T11:01:04+02:00
Cyprus Integrity Forum
The Cyprus Integrity Forum (CIF) was initiated in 2010, registered in the year 2011, and is today the leading institution in Cyprus for the fight against corruption and promotion of transparency. It is an independent, non-governmental, non-politically partisan, and non-profit organisation. CIF collaborates with various organisations in Cyprus, Europe, and the USA. We effectively raise public awareness in all layers of society for combating corruption in our everyday lives. We aim to enhance the content and quality of public and corporate governance in all forms of business and ensure that the State and all Governmental Bodies act and behave in a manner that promotes transparency and ethics in all respects.
CIF has already delivered substantial work to the Cypriot society by being the only organisation in Cyprus that has sensitised the public about corruption. Our initiatives support legal and regulatory reforms at the national level by promoting practical tools for individuals, organisations, and companies who want to fight corruption by being an external expert against corruption in Cyprus and raising transparency regarding specific events and situations.
CIF serves as the primary source of information for both the government and the broader public on corruption and reform issues in Cyprus.
CIF works with the Cypriot government and other organisations to reduce government officials' discretion, build and strengthen institutions (institutional framework) to facilitate reform in areas where there is corruption, and promote good governance in key policy areas.
Our mission is to strengthen society by increasing public perception regarding the impact of corruption and encouraging citizens to participate in the fight against corruption and improve public and private governance in Cyprus by promoting transparency, integrity, and accountability.
The Members of the Board of Directors after their election sign and adopt the Code of Conduct.
We want to live in a place where the government, politics, businesses, society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption.
The members of the Board of Directors after their election sign and adopt the Code of Ethics.
The action of the CIF is essentially defined by the strategic objectives set out below:
Limiting the growth and impact of corruption, and where possible, eliminating the phenomenon
Develop and implement actions, studies, and research in Cyprus to increase awareness / understanding of the need for ethical behaviour
Implement all types of actions to prevent, discourage and combat illegal practices and all forms of corruption
Submit proposals to public authorities, physical and legal entities for all matters relating to all aspects of corruption and propose ways to combat corruption
Raise the awareness of politicians, technocrats, administrators and decision-making individuals, independent government officials, the media, and the general public on all aspects of the phenomenon of corruption
Mobilise professional, social, economic, and political circles to strengthen ethical behaviour
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If you're an athlete competing at the high school, college or even professional level, you know that the off season is anything but. The months after your regular season ends are your opportunity to improve your performance by increasing your strength, power and agility. You also know that the best way to accomplish this is with a well-thought-out workout plan.
Below, we've compiled a list of spring conditioning exercises, as well as the supplements we recommend to support your efforts.
These spring conditioning exercises are meant to help you increase your explosive strength and power, which will make you a faster runner and higher jumper.
Box Jumps (3 sets of 6 reps) – Stand facing a 24- or 36-inch box. Using the momentum of your arms to propel you upwards, dip your knees and explode up onto the box, landing with both feet together and your knees soft. Lock out your hips on top to stick the landing.
Double-Contact Vertical Jumps – Jump as high as possible two times in each ladder space. Do not pause in between jumps. Upon landing, immediately jump as high as you can for the next jump. Step into the next space and continue the double jumps until you've reached the end of the ladder.
Skater Jumps (2 sets) – Develop your ability to explode laterally. Stand on your left leg with your hips and knees slightly bent. Extend your left hip, knee and ankle to jump forward and to the right at a 45-degree angle. Aim for maximum height and distance. Land on the ball of your right foot with your hips and knees slightly bent to absorb the impact. Immediately jump off your right leg in the opposite direction. Continue bounding in this pattern for about 65 feet.
Burpees with a BOSU ball (3 sets of 10 reps) – Hold a BOSU ball in front of you with the flat side facing you. Get into a squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Drop down into a pushup position with the round part of the BOSU ball on the floor. Bring your knees up to your chest like you are performing a double-leg mountain climber. Explode up, jumping into the air with the BOSU ball above your head. Land softly on the ground and immediately transition into your next rep.
Best BCAA™ – Ditch the Gatorade. BCAAs are essential for any athlete. Protect your hard-earned muscle, build lean muscle and support recovery.
Best Creatine™ – Increase your muscle strength and power to improve your performance in any position.
Best Protein™ – This blend of the top three choices of proteins will help you build muscle and speed up your recovery. Take it after your workouts to restore the nutrients you've lost.
Best Pre Workout™ – Provides just the right amount of energy and helps support focus and performance. Plus, it contains the electrolytes your body needs to maintain proper hydration levels, which can help improve your endurance.
Whey HD™ – Keep your body fueled with a premium, high-quality source of protein and amino acids. This multi-purpose protein can be used as a meal replacement throughout the day when you're in school or on the go.
Do not try and do everything listed here all at once. Instead, work one or two of the exercises and lifts into your regular routine once a week. Take your supplements as directed. Combined, this spring conditioning regimen will have you more than ready for the regular season.


text:
Q: Most efficient way to iterate over async method to produce an array If you have an async method that produces a value, what is the most efficient way to iterate over that method to produce an array of values?
protocol ImageFetching {
    var title: String { get }
    func fetch(from url: URL) async throws -> UIImage
    func fetch(from urls: [URL]) async throws -> [UIImage]
}

This class produces an array by using a TaskGroup that iterates over the urls and calls its single-value method fetch(from:) -> UIImage.
class ImageService: ImageFetching {

    enum Error: Swift.Error {
        case badData
    }

    var title: String { String(describing: Self.self) }

    func fetch(from url: URL) async throws -> UIImage {
        let session = URLSession(configuration: .default)
        let data = try await session.data(from: url).0
        guard let image = UIImage(data: data) else { throw Error.badData }
        return image
    }

    func fetch(from urls: [URL]) async throws -> [UIImage] {
        return try await withThrowingTaskGroup(of: UIImage.self) { group in
            for url in urls {
                group.addTask {
                    try await self.fetch(from: url)
                }
            }

            var items: [UIImage] = []
            for try await item in group {
                items.append(item)
            }
            return items
        }
    }
}

This class does not call the single-value method. Instead, it invokes URLSession.data(from:) and UIImage(data:) manually. Oddly, this is less efficient than the ImageService implementation above.
class ImageServiceUnrolled: ImageService {

    override func fetch(from urls: [URL]) async throws -> [UIImage] {
        let session = URLSession(configuration: .default)
        return try await withThrowingTaskGroup(of: UIImage.self) { group in
            for url in urls {
                group.addTask {
                    let data = try await session.data(from: url).0
                    guard let image = UIImage(data: data) else { throw Error.badData }
                    return image
                }
            }

            var items: [UIImage] = []
            for try await item in group {
                items.append(item)
            }
            return items
        }
    }
}

This class uses an AsyncStream with the unfolding initializer. This is the least efficient approach.
class ImageServiceAsyncStreamUnfolding: ImageService {

    override func fetch(from urls: [URL]) async throws -> [UIImage] {
        var it = urls.makeIterator()
        return try await AsyncStream(unfolding: {
            it.next()
        })
        .map { url -> UIImage in
            try await self.fetch(from: url)
        }
        .reduce(into: [], { partialResult, image in
            partialResult.append(image)
        })
    }
}

This class uses an AsyncStream with the continuation initializer. It is slightly more efficient than the implementation above.
class ImageServiceAsyncStreamContinue: ImageService {

    override func fetch(from urls: [URL]) async throws -> [UIImage] {
        return try await AsyncStream.init { continuation in
            Task.detached {
                for url in urls {
                    continuation.yield(url)
                }
                continuation.finish()
            }
        }
        .map { url -> UIImage in
            try await self.fetch(from: url)
        }
        .reduce(into: [], { partialResult, image in
            partialResult.append(image)
        })
    }
}

I'm curious why the first implementation is the most efficient, especially why it is more efficient that the second implementation. As for the AsyncStream implementations, they seem to be very inefficient.
Is using TaskGroup the best way to tackle this?
Here are the times (in milliseconds) that I'm observing when downloading 10 images from the web on each iteration.
Elapsed [ImageService]: 12.93
Elapsed [ImageService]: 13.00
Elapsed [ImageService]: 16.74
Elapsed [ImageServiceUnrolled]: 16.41
Elapsed [ImageServiceUnrolled]: 19.06
Elapsed [ImageServiceUnrolled]: 17.88
Elapsed [ImageServiceAsyncStreamUnfolding]: 28.76
Elapsed [ImageServiceAsyncStreamUnfolding]: 55.86
Elapsed [ImageServiceAsyncStreamUnfolding]: 28.47
Elapsed [ImageServiceAsyncStreamContinue]: 29.55
Elapsed [ImageServiceAsyncStreamContinue]: 28.53
Elapsed [ImageServiceAsyncStreamContinue]: 27.05

A: Unfortunately, I can't benchmark the result because You didn't provide the sample project. But you can try this extension:
extension Sequence {

    func concurrentMap<T>(
        _ transform: @escaping (Element) async throws -> T
    ) async throws -> [T] {
        let tasks = map { element in
            Task { try await transform(element) }
        }

        return try await tasks.asyncMap { task in
            try await task.value
        }
    }
}

And use it like:
func fetch(from urls: [URL]) async throws -> [UIImage] {
    try await urls.concurrentMap(fetch)
}

The only notes I have here are:

*

*Remember that async task may result in the result in a different order

*You may NOT need to download all images and consider using a lazy load approach instead

*Network-based tasks are NOT isolated to just one thing to benchmark! it would be best if you considered testing it in an isolated environment where there are no other parameters like speed, latency,

 Some studies show that some manual dispatchs are more efficient than Swift's current implementation of the async/await. But Swift is under enhancement every day and someday, it may change under the hood. Choose your approach wisely

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Listings / Fine Art / Works on Paper / Landscape
Offered by: L' Antiquaire & The Connoisseur, Inc.
36 East 73rd Street New York City, NY 10021 , United States Call Seller 212.517.9176
Mountain Landscapes
Creator: Johann Christoph Dietzsch
Mountain landscape with travelers beside a river
Mountain landscape with travelers beside a river with a bridge
One of Johann Israel Dietzch's seven children, Johann Jakob painted and engraved still lifes and landscapes in the style of his father. Noticeably influenced by the Dutch masters, a series of six still lifes with dead game painted in tempera on parchment, are now in the Städtischen Kupferstichsammlung in Nuremberg. He is best known, however, for his small-scale battle scenes, both on land and sea, which were also invariably painted in tempera on parchment. It was especially in the richly detailed marine battle paintings, a notable group of which bears striking similarities to this pair of temperas and remains in the Hammer collection in Stockholm that Johann Jakob excelled within his competitive family.
This finely executed pair of temperas exhibits all of the hallmarks of Dietzch's style, namely the depiction of travelers and peasants on roads in mountainous landscapesand the distinctive handling of foliage and sky (see H. Ludwig, Nürnberger naturgeschichtliche Malerlei im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert, Marburg am der Lahn, 1998, p. 112 and 260-1, no. 54). InDietach's known work, landscapes were often presented in pairs, and motifs were sometimes repeated in imaginative ways (see T. Kaufmann, Central European Drawings 1680-1800: A Selection from American Collections, Princeton, 1989, p.242). For example, the non-specific mountains in the distance set a tone that is both foreboding and whimsical at the same time.
Documentation: Ample Provenance
Notes: In Dietzsch's known work, landscapes were often presented in pairs, and motifs were sometimes repeated in imaginative ways (see T. Kaufmann, Central European Drawings, 1680-1800: A Selection from American Collections, Princeton, 1989, p. 242)
Origin: Germany
Materials: Tempera on parchment laid on board; ruled border in brown tempera
Creation Date: 1710-1768
Styles / Movements: Realism, Other
W. 9 in; H. 6.87 in;
W. 22.86 cm; H. 17.45 cm;
The gallery deals in European works of art, antiques and paintings from antiquity to the end of the eighteenth century. Under Mrs. Fioratti's direction, the gallery has continued to supply works of art to museums across America and Europe. She has designed interiors in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. Mrs. Fioratti has worked on architectural restorations, and restored a 10th century village near Siena.
More Listings from L' Antiquaire & The Connoisseur, Inc. View all 224 listings
Cherry Wood (bois de Sainte Lucie) Casket with Bronze Hardware
Signed Design for a Façade, possibly for the Festa della Chinea of 1766
A Ceramic Plate with Painted Floral Decoration
Patinated Bronze Vase
River Landscape with Peasants
An Orange Blossom with a Beetle, a Butterfly and a Fly
A Mosaic Floor Section with a Greek Key Design and Inscription
Pair of Italian Baroque Bronze Pricket Sticks
A Large Lobed Roman Earthenware Bowl with Grotesque Decorations
Architectural Fantasies with Figures
A Portrait of a Young Woman in a Ruffled Collar
Walnut Cabinet with Original Gilding, Paint, Ebony, Marble and Bronze
A standing woman seen from behind
The galley of Calai and Zeti


text:
Q: Play framework ClassNotFoundException with 'play run' but works fine with 'play start' I am running into some class path issues when I try to run the command 'play run', but when I use 'play start' everything works like a charm.
Some background:
I am trying to create a Kafka Producer using Avro Serialization as a Play application.
I am passing the properties to the Kafka Producer using TypeSafe config library. A few of the properties are about the serializer class, key serializer class, partitioner class.
Folder structure
Base
- Controller
  - KafkaProducer
- Util
  - Serializer
    - class A
    - class B
package structure for the classes is com.abc.xyz.KafkaProducer, com.abc.qwer.classA etc.
I have verified that the respective classes are generated in the target folder.
I launch the application using 'play run'. When the producer tries to load the corresponding classes it throws a ClassNotFoundException.
! Internal server error, for (POST) [/publish/topic1] ->

java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError: null
    at Routes$$anonfun$routes$1$$anonfun$applyOrElse$2$$anonfun$apply$4.apply(routes_routing.scala:61) ~[na:na]
    at Routes$$anonfun$routes$1$$anonfun$applyOrElse$2$$anonfun$apply$4.apply(routes_routing.scala:61) ~[na:na]
    at play.core.Router$HandlerInvoker$$anon$6.call(Router.scala:170) ~[play_2.10-2.2.4.jar:2.2.4]
    at play.core.Router$Routes$class.invokeHandler(Router.scala:375) ~[play_2.10-2.2.4.jar:2.2.4]
    at Routes$.invokeHandler(routes_routing.scala:15) ~[na:na]
    at Routes$$anonfun$routes$1$$anonfun$applyOrElse$2.apply(routes_routing.scala:61) ~[na:na]
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.abc.qwer.classA
    at java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(URLClassLoader.java:202) ~[na:1.6.0_65]
    at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) ~[na:1.6.0_65]
    at java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(URLClassLoader.java:190) ~[na:1.6.0_65]
    at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:306) ~[na:1.6.0_65]
    at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:247) ~[na:1.6.0_65]
    at java.lang.Class.forName0(Native Method) ~[na:1.6.0_65]
[error] application - Error while rendering default error page
scala.MatchError: java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError (of class java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError)
    at play.api.GlobalSettings$class.onError(GlobalSettings.scala:131) ~[play_2.10-2.2.4.jar:2.2.4]
    at play.api.DefaultGlobal$.onError(GlobalSettings.scala:189) [play_2.10-2.2.4.jar:2.2.4]
    at play.core.server.Server$class.logExceptionAndGetResult$1(Server.scala:73) [play_2.10-2.2.4.jar:2.2.4]
    at play.core.server.Server$$anonfun$getHandlerFor$4.apply(Server.scala:83) [play_2.10-2.2.4.jar:2.2.4]
    at play.core.server.Server$$anonfun$getHandlerFor$4.apply(Server.scala:81) [play_2.10-2.2.4.jar:2.2.4]
    at scala.util.Either$RightProjection.flatMap(Either.scala:523) [scala-library.jar:na]

When I use the 'play start'. Everything works fine.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.


With a fly rod in "Karoo"
Posted by Soren Rygaard on Mon June 13, 2016 in Fly fishing.
This is an article written by one of our Danish visitors on his experience whilst fishing with Alan as a guide. It's interesting to get a foreigner's view on the things we (almost) take for granted.
What does one do when invited by ones hunting "happy" family over Easter to the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa? I could of course have started my hunting career, but instead, I packed a suitcase full of flies, reels and fly rods, from 2 – 10 weight.
While the family were sighting in their rifles on the first day, I took to the small Naudes River in a wooded valley, with fishing guide Alan Hobson. It was a few km walk from the car to the stream. Some days earlier there had been heavy rain, so the water was brown and a bit unclear.
Upstream nymphing was the best method of fishing. The fishing was primarily in some deep pools, which was interrupted by a small waterfall and ironstone. On the way up the river, I landed several small rainbow trout. I still had to get used to the help of the fishing guide, who insisted on tying both leaders and flies on for me, and to net the relatively small trout, which of course had to be photographed. I am usually expected to serve my wife and children in the same way, so I accepted that it was probably just my turn to experience a little luxury!
We ended up at the Waterfall pool, where the stream is fed by a 90m waterfall that drops down between a gorge of red sandstone cliffs. Certainly one of the most charismatic pools I have fished in my lifetime. Lunch was taken with a view to the great scenery. In between we saw the black eagle, with a wingspan of 1 ½ m, patrolling the surrounding mountains, and we heard baboons scream. After lunch we tested the pool. Alan warned me that the fish would be right against the tail of pool. I accurately presented my nymph at the edge of the pool and began to retrieve the fly a little faster than the speed of the water.
A good fish took the fly on the first cast. The fish gave a good fight with long runs and several jumps before the fish was landed in Alan's net. An incredibly beautiful and well-conditioned rainbow of about 50cm. The fish had the finest red flanks and a golden belly – a fish which will be in memory. After a few photos the fish was released, which is fair, since Alan stocked the small trout in the pool. The fish are carried into the valley in 20 litre buckets.
After a short break I resumed fishing in the pool from scratch. After a dozen or so throws, there was another rainbow that took my nymph which my fishing guide himself had stocked. We estimated it a few centimetres shorter than the first, but it was also released. It would certainly have been possible to catch more rainbows in the pool, which had not yet been fished through, but satisfied with the day's experiences we packed up and walked out of the valley.
Karoo is the name of South Africa's high altitude semi desert characterised by veldt, cacti and thorn trees. Despite the dry climate, the Karoo is full of wildlife, where you often see different monkeys, wildebeest, zebra, springboks, impala, kudu and several other antelope. Also rich in birds, including eagles, falcons, geese, ibis and the country's national bird – the blue crane. But how can you fly fish in a semi-desert? The secret lies in the fact that there are four types of eco systems in this part of South Africa. In addition to the Karoo, there are lowlands (300 – 400 meters above sea level) with savannah, where the trees are larger. There is Grassveld on top of the mountains (1500 above sea level), in which as a consequence of greater precipitation there are lush grass meadows and trees of up to 10m. Just the opposite of the Scandinavian world! Furthermore, there are forests in some of the valleys and it is here that the fish tale began.
Fishing in the area occurs most in ponds and lakes and some streams. Generally these are located on private property, so not accessible to the public. I had previously contacted the local fishing guide Alan Hobson, who has access to a variety of waters, and he can also arrange for you to pay rod fees if you want to fish on your own. Along with his wife Annabelle, he operates the Angler and Antelope in the town of Somerset East – a bed and breakfast, where the former Catholic Church has been transformed into a dining room and whisky bar. In addition, the church has probably the world's smallest "fly shop" located in the old confessional! I now have a small collection of blessed flies!
In addition to being a skilled fishing guide, Alan has a huge knowledge of the area's flora and fauna, so while fishing one will hear about animal tracks, insects, spiders, butterflies, plants etc., which provides an extended dimension that will not be obtained by fishing on your own. Guided fishing is inclusive of fishing tackle, waders, etc., if you don't bring your own gear, which, however, I would recommend.
Alan manages and stocks the waters in Somerset East. As in Patagonia and New Zealand, trout are stocked and do not occur naturally. The first trout were introduced to South Africa by the British in 1867, so there are rich traditions of fly fishing in the country. As trout do not spawn in dams and most streams, they must be stocked and catch and release is encouraged. Stocking is mostly done with rainbow trout as they are more heat tolerant than brown trout. They are stocked as fingerlings, and grown out to beautiful healthy fish. In the waters of Somerset East, they are very fast growing reaching sizes of more than 45cm in just 3 years. Every now and then big trout are caught up to 6kg. The good growth is due to the freshwater crabs, similar to our domestic shore crab. Trout eat small crabs. In addition, there are various mayflies, caddis flies, mosquitoes, etc. and dragonfly nymphs and damselfly nymphs in the water are also important food items. In Africa there are the coolest insects.
My dream is to experience fly fishing during a termite / flying ant hatch.
The family's younger children also had to be entertained, and we took turns between hunting and fishing trips. We stayed at the Danish owned Malpepo farm and the farm swimming pool helped with keeping the kids occupied. One day we did a walk in the bush and another afternoon we drove to Glen Avon Farm, where fishing is easily accessible in a few dams previously used for the milling operation. We elected to pay rod fees for the bottom dam where there were many small bass so the young people caught their first fish on fly. They were also invited to the local farmer's sheep shearing, so it was a very eventful day. The small bass came home and we found that they had crabs in the stomach. The Danish Copper darling can now be said to be a crab imitation and bass fly. We ate bass which is an experience at the level of a perch.
Along for the ride was my niece Anna, 17 years old. Anna had no hunting ambitions, but wanted to try fly fishing, so she was apprenticed as "Trout Bum". We paid rod fees for a number of smaller dams on the mountain where we had to drive up a steep mountain road in very poor condition. When we almost reached the dams we realised that we had a puncture. Lesson 1 was how to change the spare wheel, which was like a large moped wheel. Since we had already passed the worst part of the mountain road, we chose to continue up to the 5 dams which we would be fishing. There were three dams created on a small stream which was completely dry. There were dams to collect rainwater for the cattle and sheep. We trudged up to the top pond, where there are trout.
The first hour passed with a little instruction in casting and fishing technique (lesson 2), while we saw a few rises. We tried both nymphs and dry flies without success. When I saw the remains of crabs on the banks, I tied on a "bugger fly" with bold red rubber legs on the tippet. On the first cast I caught a small trout right next to the bank. Anna now had a similar woolly bugger on her line and with a little help she caught her first trout on fly (lesson 3). We got several takes and another small trout before we stopped at noon, when we went down the mountain on the small spare wheel. The day was over. I decided to have a few casts in the bottom dam. I saw a small shoal of bass which willingly followed the fly, but without any bites. This occurred several times. Then I tried to let the fly fall right down to the bottom and lifted it again, like a fleeing crab. It worked! In fifteen minutes I had another bass, so it was a little reluctantly that we packed up and drove down to the town of Somerset East to fix the tyre.
A few days later we were on tour with Alan Hobson again. It started with Anna and also my oldest son Valdemar, 15 years. Valdemar had shot his allocation of both Impala and Blue Wildebeest, so now had time to fish. Today we drove further up the mountain. This dam used to be a water reservoir, and is fed cold water from several springs. We saw some crab shells lying along the bank – remnants of an otter meal. In one place a bush pig had dug a hole for a refreshing mud bath. I told Alan to use his energy to help the young people and that I could easily cope by myself. While we rigged rods, we saw fish rising along the reed edge. I considered both a crab-like fly and a nymph, but chose to put a small dry caddisfly at the tip. When the first fish took I was too slow and missed the take, but I found the timing and caught a series of beautiful and strong rainbows primarily in the range of 35 – 45 cm. The young people also caught fish. Lunch was excellent grilled Karoo lamb and other meat. After lunch we fished again, and we caught a few more good fish. We brought home a handful of fish – mainly caught by the youngsters, which was served as a delicious starter on the farm the next night.
On the last fishing day we tried something different. We went on a trip with Alan to a large dam north of the town of Cradock. My wife and other son Kristian also came along for the ride. The dam is fed by water pumped through a tunnel from the Vaal River, which is located about 1500 km away. The lake and tunnel is a prestigious project built under the former apartheid regime, in order to supply water to white farmers in the south of the country. With the water came more species of fish that were not previously in this part of South Africa. One of these is the catfish (Sharp toothed Barbel), which was our goal. The fish can grow up to 40 kg, so out came the heavy equipment. The water in the dam was very clear with a reddish colour and the possibility of sight fishing, where the catfish feed in the reeds. The flies must be thrown hard on the surface, as catfish pick up the sounds and vibrations. In order to lure and attract additional attention from the weak sighted eyes, we added a popper head to the leader about one meter above the streamer flies. As with many other things fishing, we should have been there the day before. Overnight, the water level in the dam had risen to 2 feet above normal, so the catfish were not in the shallow water. We saw some eyes which were on the surface further out, and once there was a fish that cruised leisurely in the reeds just between Valdemar and I. On the way home we tried small stream where we fished in a pool at a railway bridge. The target was yellow fish, although it was not really seasonal and the water was green with algae. Yellow fish is a strong indigenous African fish, which is similar to a gold-coloured carp and is most often caught on dry flies and nymphs. My son Kristian had a few bumps on a small nymph, but otherwise nothing happened. Thus, without fish on land, but it was almost worse for our fishing guide than for us fishermen.
Easter 2015 was a memorable experience for the whole family in South Africa, where my mother (to be lucky!) had invited the husbands, daughters-in-law and grandchildren on the holiday of a lifetime. The trip went to Malpepo Safari, which is a Danish-owned farm near the town of Somerset East about 200 km north of the port city of Port Elizabeth. The farm operates hunting tourism of mainly antelope. South Africa is an exciting holiday destination. South Africa has, inter alia, a number of national parks, which are obvious excursion destinations, and when not hunting, the animals are easy to see and experience at close quarters. The country has many good accommodation and good restaurants. The exchange rate of the South African Rand is currently low so is a cheap option for the Danish visitor. It is also recommended that you hire a 4-WD as the roads in the country are extremely rigorous. South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere and travel can be organised when Denmark is cold and dark. If trout fishing is your target, avoid the hottest summer months – December to February. There are many fishing opportunities in South Africa. In the southern provinces – West and East Cape and in Kwa Zulu Natal and in the small kingdom of Lesotho (enclave to South Africa) there is good trout fishing with many options. In the northern parts of the country there are yellow fish and catfish in the Orange-Vaal river system and in Limpopo. Sterkfontein dam has world class fishing for yellow fish. There are many places for bass fishing as well as fishing for queen fish, lady fish, etc. and fishing off shore for tuna, marlin etc. The new South Africa was created in 1993 when the country put the apartheid regime behind it, and the people elected Nelson Mandela as the republic's first president. South Africa is multi-cultural and many languages are spoken. In the area around Somerset East, in addition to English, Xhosa (original Black Africans) and Afrikaans (a language originating from the Dutch Settlers) are spoken. You often hear about high crime in South Africa, but on our trip we experienced no unpleasant things and we felt confident in the streets, though by Danish standards you meet many poor people, primarily in the cities.
The South African fishing guide Alan Hobson is a skilled and creative fly tier, and has developed a number of flies for local conditions in South Africa. The flies will certainly be able to be used for Nordic trout in rivers in lakes.


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The pond, the bog, and the waterfalls
Kieran Egan
The idea was that the soil I dug out for the pond would become the raised garden. And the height of the raised garden would be determined by the amount of soil dug out. There were two problems that quickly became apparent, and a few thousand others that emerged as the project went forward. The first problem was that the good top-soil&endash;&endash;compounded from millennia of flesh, fur and feces, as T. S. Eliot so nicely put it, and millennia of trees and underbrush in this rainforest climate&endash;&endash;that I was digging out and throwing inside the first bit of the wall of the to-be raised garden was then followed by the red-gold sandy soil, then the deeper gray clay, both of which went on top of the good soil. Ideally I should be able to lift the whole lot out in one scoop and deposit it right way up for the garden, with the good soil on top.
I began to try to remedy the problem by tossing the good top-soil to the left and the clay to the right, with the idea that I would somehow get the good soil on top of the clay when I started moving it around for the garden. I'm not sure how I imagined I was going to slide the clay under the topsoil on the left. But somehow, once I dug the soil out and deposited it on what was to be the raised garden, it seemed to expand in some mysterious way. After a while I had a decent sized hole in the ground but an indecent amount of soil on the garden. "Raised" began to look like a joke; sky-garden seemed more appropriate. Any waterfall from this height would probably stun the fish. I would clearly have to get someone in to cart off most of the clay. But the last mini-mountain was all clay, and my plan to deposit the good soil to the left began to seem silly as I was covering the whole area five or six feet deep. I could have made the pond smaller of course, but I had a responsibility to the fish, to give them a decent chunk of real estate to do their fishy things in.
This was one of the activities in which reading a book or two about digging out ponds might have helped. Having found some in the library, I saw that they all begin with the sensible suggestion that one should first plan precisely the area of the pond, marking it with a hose or something equally flexible that one can lay on the unsuspecting ground. I had just begun digging in what seemed roughly the middle of the proposed pond and then enlarged it into a shape that seemed pleasing. The books also recommend that one lay out two large tarpaulins. Onto the first, one tosses the good topsoil, which one excavates completely first, then when digging out the clay, one tosses that onto the other tarpaulin.
Stones are perhaps the first necessity for a Japanese garden, but the second is water. We can so easily project our emotions into the movements of water. It can rage and lie silent, can be rippled by small or strong winds, can seem leaden and sluggish or light and joyful. A body of water offers endlessly varying mirrors of the world above it. Still water can reflect the moon and then can dissolve it when a fish jumps or a stone is thrown, and then compact it whole again from the flickering strip across moving ripples on the surface. It doubles the green of plants, and mysteriously increases light while casting a darkened reflection of the world above. As it moves, it creates a kind of music ideally tuned to the human soul, whether the movement is its lapping against rocks or its running over stones and falling into a pond.
The vague image that was guiding my digging was of quite a largish pond&emdash;given the space I had to work in. I imagined a low stone wall around its rim, and a stream with perhaps three garden-size waterfalls, that need pose no threat to Niagara, dribbling through the raised garden among evergreen plants. But even as I dug I knew that realizing this ideal would involve a nefarious and shameful case of dendricide.
The problem was the birch tree that grew from the condominium garden, a corner of which backed onto ours. The birch forked in two at about head-height, one fork leaning entirely over where the pond was to go. Its trunk had also burst through the old fence put up when the condominium was built, making it impossible for me to extend my new Japanese-style fence. This birch was a dirty old tree, oozing gallons of heavy, sticky sap in the spring, flinging down bits of twigs through the year, and depositing its considerable wealth of undistinguished leaves in the fall. There was no point putting in a pond while this loomed over the area it was to occupy. I had the legal right to take out the fork that rose a few feet and then took a semi-corkscrew twist over the fence to trespass in my garden. Removing that whole fork, though, seemed likely to kill the tree, so I assumed I should try to negotiate with the condominium people to take out the whole thing. I was prepared to pay for it if necessary, but hoped I might do a deal whereby they would pay half. The only possible ground for them feeling any obligation at all was the fact that the trunk was breaking down their own fence.
A little warily, I went round one afternoon and knocked on the door of Mr. O'Reardon, the chair of the tenants' council of the condominium. He, a little warily, began to amass his negotiating arguments as soon as he heard my request. His opening gambit was to tell me regretfully that they had already spent their budget for landscaping for the year. (This was May.) But he would come and see the problem. On the way we established that we had been born not far from each other in Ireland, and things were looking decidedly better by the time we reached the offending birch. He peered over the fence, and immediately agreed that he was witnessing an unforgivable trespass by the birch tree. And something must be done. He would put my request to the tenants' committee, and would be back in touch with me.
The digging went well for a while, apart from the alarming expansion of the soil once it came above ground. Digging feels like fulfillment of one of our evolutionary inheritances, and such fulfillments are always pleasurable. Digging deeper and deeper, I worried that I might be unable to stop at a sensible depth. Most of the books suggested that a couple of feet would be enough, but I was approaching three and still going happily. Perhaps it's the Irish genes, but I do greatly enjoy digging, moving earth around. It is such clean stuff, miraculously fertile, and with a strange ability to make itself at home wherever one throws it; within days it looks as though it had been there since the beginning of time. Those endorphins kicking in, perhaps.
Endorphins reminds me of a recent visit to Hong Kong, during which a colleague talked eloquently to our Chinese host about the effects of endorphins in the learning brain, making often hard learning its own reward by the pleasure the released endorphins delivered. Our host listened attentively for some time, and then diffidently asked, "Ah, about the dolphins...?" This was followed by my Welsh colleague discussing the importance of eloquence as a much neglected aim of education these days. Again out host listened intelligently and politely, after a while asking only, "Ah, about the elephants...?"
Sorry. A couple of the books said that the deeper the pond, the less likely it was that it would become murky with algae, and also that the fish would have a happier time, especially in the winter.
Childhood stories lay down expectations the adult mind can't entirely escape, and each chink against a stone for a millisecond sparked images of pirates' casks, whose doubloons and strings of pearls might just about pay for this extravagance. Then I hit the rock. I had hit many rocks, of course, and kept digging around this one to lever it out with the spade. But it soon announced its boulder dimensions.
I dug and dug, and couldn't find a limit to it. Also it seemed to be lodged in hard gray clay that resisted the tip of the shovel, releasing reluctantly an egg-cupful at a time. Soon I was approaching five feet down around the stone. I had been thinking I was in Treasure Island, but it was turning out to be Moby Dick.
I gave up digging around Moby Rock after an hour or so, and after a couple of hours on other days. A number of people looked at it&endash;&endash;the electrician whom I had asked what I would need to do to get the tea-house and pond pump ready for his ministrations, the gardener who came to look at a tree that was diseased, suspiciously after his pruning of it, and various friends. I announced that I thought I would put soil back around the boulder and lay the liner over it. No, no! They were unanimous that it must come out. Think how magnificent the stone would look on the garden! And then they would wave and go away. All giving more or less fanciful suggestions for how I could get it out. Mattock and spade, and sore back and knees, finally released the rock from the long embrace of the clay. How long had it been there, held in that clay embrace? The last Ice Age&emdash;twelve thousand years? I must ask an expert.
And here's grandson Joshua, giving it a cautious examination. His examination, at least, didn't lead to suggestions about what I should do with it. He found the really interesting part was jumping off the edge and being caught by his father of grandfather, and then being hoisted onto the lip of the pond to leap in again&emdash;a habit we'll have to break him of before the water goes in.
Moby Rock began to become an obsession. How was I to get it out? I tried levering it with two-by-fours, but they cracked before it gave the slightest hint it might consider moving even an inch. When persuaded by a long metal bar to move an inch, it then settled back as soon as the bar was removed. Should I build a pulley over the excavation and hoist it out? One neighbor suggested I needed a Come-along. And indeed I did.
A Come-along is basically a couple of metal cables with a lever in the middle. You attach one cable to a tree, the other to the object you want to move, and, as you pull and release the lever, the tree and object are pulled closer together. In the expectation that the tree won't move, the rock should be pulled out of the pond towards the tree. And damn me if that isn't just what happened.
Mind you this didn't happen as quickly and easily as that. My friend Geoff came over with an enormous car-jack, which looked like the original. He assured me that it was a good thirty years old and in its time had raised cars out of ditches (which cars, it emerged from the dramatic telling, Geoff had earlier driven into the ditches). This is the same eloquent Welshman whose academic discourses in Hong Kong, mentioned above, had raise inquiries about dolphins and elephants. Here comes Moby Rock:
We attached the cables around the rock and around the tree and I began to lever slowly. It wasn't easy pushing and pulling the lever, but it wasn't very difficult either. With the first small pull, Moby Rock irritatedly shrugged itself a little, and with the second it reluctantly began to shift, and after a few more it was scraping itself out of its clay bed and rising onto the floor of the excavation. Geoff was behind it with the jack, taking pressure off the straining cables, though they seemed to me astonishingly able for the job.
As I levered, it began to saunter across the bottom of the pond-to-be and hardly slowed to climb up the three-foot wall of the pond towards the lawn. Now that it was in its stride, perhaps it might wander into the street, or kitchen! To see this monster scraping up the side of the pond as a result of my simple pulling and pushing was well nigh incredible. No wonder people make a fuss about the invention of the lever. Was it Galileo or Newton, or one of those people who knew a lot about how things moved, who said that with a good lever and fulcrum he could move the earth. I know what he meant.
And then it came out, scoring a chunk of earth from the lip of the pond, as it looked over the lawn and inspected us. A pale chunk of granite. We dragged it a few feet further towards the raised garden, and let it rest. It seemed like a troll, stuck for thousands of years, finally taking a slow arthritic crawl and climb, and now needing a few centuries to rest and catch its breath.
We had a beer.
How long, I wondered, would it rest here? Another twelve thousand years seemed excessively optimistic. When we sell or die, the house will come down, a new one will appear, whose owner may not want a Japanese garden at the back, and away Moby Rock would be swept&emdash;perhaps back into the drained pond where it might feel more at home. When the neighbor's house was crunched and carried away, the new owners wanted a new garden. A guy with a back-hoe came in&emdash;a veritable Mozart of back-hoers&emdash;and he set about flattening everything. At one point he hit a huge rock, bigger than Moby. He dealt with it in minutes; dragging it clear on the surface, then extending the back-hoe feet and settling them firmly in place, he scooped out a capacious hole beside the rock, raised the bucket beside it, and tapped it gently into the hole. He filled in the hole, covering the rock, and leveled the soil all around in minutes. No doubt these rocks are weary and irritated at being disturbed at this hectic modern pace every century or so. So Moby Rock might be pushed around before it has a chance to sprout a decent coat of lichen or moss. I should help it along with a pasting of yogurt.
(Go to Part II of The Pond, the Bog, and the Waterfalls. If you can't stanbd the suspense, this is what it led up to:
Go to Part II
Return to Japanese Garden Introductory Page


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text:
Hopped, not hip.
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2004
Rainy rainy day here in the ATL, an election day (one runoff race), a day where Sam and I (accompanied by brother James) walked to our library (our polling place) in a light rain and returned in a really, really substantial downpour. The last third of our walk was what I think Sammy would call a marcha forcada, a forced walk through flooded streets and cracked Virginia-Highland sidewalks, slapped by drooping damp treebranches as we slipped on once-beautiful autumn leaves and water, water everywhere.
But we're all safe and dry and warm now and our civic duty was done (later, the butchers at Whole Foods seemed amazed that there was an election today: "who's it for? A judge? Judge Judy?")…and I'm winding down our Tuesday, thinking about the mixed media on my Mac screen.
I've been watching a DVD set of SCTV–the first season of their hilarious 'network 90' broadcasts from the late 1970s. These folks have always inspired and entertained me in a way that Saturday Night Live never quite could, and their special breed of daring included isolating themselves in Edmonton, Alberta with very little budget–and in that fine "hey let's put on a show" tradition I enjoyed at TBS, they did. They used television to parody and tell truths about television, and they did it at a time when (let me tell you) television was hard.
Also flowing through my G5 (going through the multiple steps necessary to grab a streaming RealAudio file and turn it into a playable MP3 file–oh, don't ask) are several episodes of Pop Vultures, a program for Public Radio produced nominally by Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Productions, but really it's a buncha music fans in their twenties sitting 'round talking–apparently in bulk, and then through the miracle of some inspired editing, it becomes a fresh, original set of conversations about music and our emotional attachments and didactic conclusions about same. It's conducted by a Drew Barrymoreish young writer named Kate Sullivan, and once they've trimmed most of the "you know"s and "like"s out of it and muffled some of the "sh(mmf)t"s and "f(mmuh)ck"s, it's really quite listenable.
The feeling I get overhearing excited chat about the Black Stripes and OutKast and what the hell breakbeats are reminds me of the pangs I sagged from when my fellow WGDR disk jockeys would talk music and it was clear that I just wasn't in their league.
But I knew crappy music way better than they did. And see where that got me!
So I'm adrift between the old masters of SCTV and the young Vultures of Pop, and the rain might be picking up again outside.
Time to say goodnight.
North with the wind.
Sunday, November 7th, 2004
We pulled out of Milwaukee this morning headed for Sammy's parents' cottage in the Upper Peninsula, the second part of this, our third major car trip this autumn. Sammy's doing the math as we head out of Escanaba, comfortable that we'll arrive in time to be of some help to her parents. "Ooh, what's that?" she asks, pointing off to the right…oh. It's a mosquito. A big, four-foot, very detailed mosquito sculpture mounted on what looked like a shipping container, there without comment or notice on the side of the road. That tells you one of the things the U.P. folk like to joke about, when they aren't cracking wise about accents or snowmobiles or, of course, the weather.
The weather has, indeed, been terrific so far, and although there are some grey clouds hovering over Lake Michigan, we're in the sunshine and we have been, albeit with a cool, stiff wind, most of this trip.
The mission of our first leg—stopping in Milwaukee, was the birthday celebration—okay, the fiftieth birthday celebration, of our good friend Deb, who comments here occasionally and much more frequently (and interestingly) over at nancynall.com. We had a great time, socializing, visiting, and eating Thai food—not quite the indigenous cuisine of a south Milwaukee suburb.
We had a little time on Saturday to take a tour of Milwaukee's last national mass-market brewery (although since Miller is now owned by a South Africa conglomerate, Milwaukee folks are a little less boosterish about the one-time 'champagne of bottled beers.') It was interesting to me because it remains a tour of an actual working place that makes something, as opposed to those companies that now that offer fake assembly lines or mini-theme parks to tourists, along with the obligatory gift shop. (That might have been a trend pioneered by the Universal Studios tour, which surprised me in the 1970s by how little it was, in fact, a tour of Universal Studios.)
We also wandered around the Milwaukee Art Museum, which is this great modernist thing, a bright white sailing ship with unfolding wings, perched on the shores of Lake Michigan (where, by the way, it is cooler.) The art museum gives the downtown of Milwaukee a connection to the lakefront that, on a sunny day at least, is quite pleasant.
The other thing we're having a chance to do on this trip is to commiserate with friends about the outcome of the Presidential election, which, to say the least, didn't go our way. At Deb's party, one newspaper reporter talked about the excruciating assignment of covering a Kerry would-be victory rally that started out awash in hope and ended in pain…and I suppose that would be the story for either side in a contest this polarized, nasty, and portentious. Kerry's unification concession was inspiring, but the ill health of the chief justice and the tenor of George W's press conference (his first in about three centuries, I think) leads me to believe that his wild spending spree of political capital will be painful for us to finance, and not just in monetary terms.
As I type, we're rolling around the Big Bay de Noc (Lake Michigan by any other name) and the greying skies are now setting impossibly white snow flurries adrift across the hood of our car! Yes, we've gone from a warmish morning to a snowy but still—barely—sunshiny afternoon.
And one last change as we pull into Manistique, Michigan…it's sleet that's skittering across the road, as some last shafts of light come in from the west. Sammy looks north, away from the lake, and says "ten miles that way and it's probably nice."
We've arrived in the Upper Peninsula in November. What did we expect?
Report from Columbus, Ohio.
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2004
Michael Smith (Leslie and Christopher's friend) checks in from the battleground that is also my home town:
I got up this morning at 5:30 a.m. to make sure I made it to my polling location by the time they opened at 6:30 a.m. I arrived at the Sherwood Middle School at 6:15 a.m. and the line was already from the front doors to the front side-walk (probably 100 feet or so) where it made a 90 degree turn and continued almost the entire length of the school. I would estimate there were at least 200 people waiting ahead of me, prior to the polls opening. By the time the front doors opened, the line extended at least another 100 feet past the school. Just tremendous turn-out.
The crowd was very mixed, just like our neighborhood with a large turn-out of African-Americans.There was only the minor chit-chat about the length of the line and how in past years it was never like this. No one really talked issues or candidates, no activism at all really. There was a group of three in front of me, probably pretty much the average late 50's Bush supporters. The one woman had the most God-awful "Re-elect the First Family" photo button on her jacket. The photo made President Bush and Laura look like bobbleheads—not a terribly inaccurate photo I guess.
The line had a small laugh when a school bus full of middle-schoolers drove buy and the children began chanting "Kerry, Kerry!" to those waiting in line to get into the building. Of course, Button Lady didn't appreciate this very much and opinioned to her fellow Bush supporters that "unfortunately children have brains and mouths too!".
I dare say they exhibited far better use of both than this trio.Once the polls actually opened things went rather smoothly. There was a fair amount of confusion due to the set-up of the sign-in tables and arrangement of the actual voting machines. I am certain none of the confusion would have occurred had there been the typical small voter turn-out. Due to the large number, it quickly resulted in large disorganized lines getting intermixed with people being very uncertain as to where they should be. However, within 15 minutes people began assisting each other – offering tips on what line to go to, etc. Typical Ohio, we tend to be friendly here I guess.
I did not see a single "campaigner" outside the 100 foot line. I also did not see a single member of either party there to challenge voters—an issue that has gotten a lot of press here in Columbus and nation-wide. In fact, on the way home from work at 5:00 on the local call in radio station not one person reported having an issue voting other than lengthy waits in line—some up to 3 hours.
For myself, I was done and out in about an 1 3/4 hours from the time I arrived.
Interestingly enough, on the way back to my car I was asked by two separate groups of African-American middle school children who I voted for. I was really pre-occupied about beating traffic to get to a job that I was already late for and really didn't want to respond to what were most likely smart-mouth little punk kids. Wouldn't you know, both groups of kids gave little cheers after I gruffly responded "Kerry"! After the second group did that in the space of 15 seconds, I just stopped dead in my tracks and began laughing out loud—I still don't know why but it was just so encouraging to see these kids so aware!
Back here in Atlanta, my father had to go to the polling place three times before he was able to get into a line he could endure. An amazing day so far…let's see how it plays out as the sun goes down here on the East Coast.
A line grows in Virginia-Highland.
On an overcast but warm Tuesday morning, we strolled from the house toward the library, noticing more folks than usual on the streets—families with strollers, iPodded and cellphoned twentysomethings, and a sizeable crowd from the soup kitchen/homeless ministry around the corner on Ponce.
It's election day, of course.
We vote at our local library, and are used to short-to-nonexistent lines, and we figured that voting at 9:30 or so would get us past the initial rush of folks who have actual jobs. That may have been the case, but we were greeted with a very long line that grew much longer by the time we left.
The line was convivial, and we made it through in 20 minutes or so, and our local pollworkers did absolutely everything they could to facilitate getting us in and getting us out. Once inside, of course, we had to face those annoying Diebold voting machines (I kept thinking 'wouldn't antialiased type make this a lot easier on folks?') but Sam and I had both done our homework and it took seconds to poke the screen a couple of dozen times.
I'm proudly wearing my sticker. I feel empowered. Of course, in the greater scheme, I'm holding my breath. And the first stop sign we came to walking away from the polling place reminded us that change is possible.
All posts from November, 2004: