The Daily Grackle

Suspension of Posting

2009-02-20T00:56:00.004-07:00

The Grackle has migrated with the changing season.

A new perch has been found here.

Watchers

2009-02-06T01:30:00.003-07:00

In the Red Light Zone...

Big Brother is ticketing you...

A Moment; Eternity

2009-01-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Time, towering at Daniels & Fisher, now, the moment of existence, the moment of creation, eternity.

Energy and Information generate the matrix of existence.

Something within a photon tells it how to be a photon.

Something within an electron tells it how to be an electron and how to act when the photon is absorbed by my camera's image sensor.

This innate element of information is more important than any other aspect of existence. Without that informative element, that internal directive nature, there is no photon, no electron, no image sensor, no D&F Tower, no background of twilight and cloud.

And none to see it.

The Concrete Jumble...

2009-01-28T20:25:00.005-07:00

...during the dry season at Skyline Park...

The Rally Palestinian on the 24th

2009-01-27T19:21:00.006-07:00

The 24th, a Saturday, brought skies that were a hazy gray

with mountains nowhere to be seen.

Seeking web development, and some resume enhancement,

to the Pyramid of Knowledge did I go.

Playing down among the trees, which are now devoid of leaves
a squirrel enlarged his girth a little more.

Emerging from the shelves of tomes, I looked upon the Golden Dome

of the Temple of Temporal Power

And beheld, on sidewalk down below, a line

of protestors for Palestine,

such as I have seen before.

The shutter button I did press, and within a short time did assess

faces from a time weeks past.

Such as the stern-faced man with camera video in hand

shooting me shooting him.

And in sweater silv'ry-gray, no doubt to match her kaffieh,

the Venezuelan Venus of before.

Now The Cat in the Hat would be proud to have

a fez like that!

Oh, the signs...

Let he who has an eye to see

Discern falsehood from verity.

There are some who believe, I know

Or on this sidewalk they wouldn't show

With flags of Palestine, and USA,

and Iran, a nation of Islamic way,

and Bolivia, with President Marxista,

and Venezuela; is she Chavista?

Now, as this flag came down the pole

the call to Muslim prayer did roll
Aaah, the coinciding ritual!

Upon the grass did Muslims pray and bow

In their manner so traditional

Before protesting yet some more

with chanting in the leftist style.

"Palestinian Chant 2009-01-24, the movie"

Up by the Civil War Memorial a Microphone was set

but no one came to use it

And when I asked no one could tell me

who was even supposed to be there.

And so the protest fizzled

and they wandered all away,

will they be back another day?

Had they been driven off

by Vikings?

A Sterling Starling

2009-01-25T07:11:00.001-07:00

Magnificently attired.

Kestrel's Perch

2009-01-15T23:53:00.000-07:00

A rare sighting of an American Kestrel.

Changing Times Squared

2009-01-15T04:11:00.004-07:00

Face-Off at the Capitol

2009-01-12T11:26:00.076-07:00

The Face-Off
under the golden dome of the Temple of Temporal Power

On the Eastern side of the street, on the Capitol grounds,

preachers

and politicians

urged support for Israel in the battle with Islamists.

"Tom Tancredo, the Movie"

Prayers were offered.

Inspirational patriotic song

"Israeli Anthem, the Movie"

and a musician of tradition with his sho'nuff Shofar

were followed by celebratory dance.

"Happy Dancing, the Movie"

Caped Superheros showed up.
To the East, the friendly long-eared Israeli Spaniel,

and to the West,
(notice how neatly I segue to War Memorial Park)
the beautiful long-haired Venezuelan Venus
and Secret Identity Man.

Real heros kept things going peacefully,
the police and event organizers on both sides of the street.

Chavistas...
Somehow, Islam and Communism have developed a sort of rapport.

Signs...
A lady in pink, holding a quote from Lincoln,
faces a street called Lincoln.

There is no singing, but there is chanting.

"Palestinian Chanting, the Movie"

A reminder for the Congressman,
who once reputedly made comment about certain structures and cities.

Compassion.
Does it exist without righteousness and/or truth?
It is a wonderful concept.

The sidewalk was filled for the whole block
with the pro-Palestine (or anti-Israel) demonstrators.

"Palestinians on Lincoln, the Movie"

War is hell, it is said.
And it is an evil we must yet endure for a while.
May it soon end forever,
And the sons of Abraham live together in peace.
Pray for this peace.

Update 2009-01-14 2:11 PM

Other pictures of this event can be found here and here and here and here.

Conjunction In The Evening Sky

2008-12-06T22:11:00.004-07:00

The Moon, Venus and Jupiter at sunset.

Pointing To Heaven

2008-12-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

Truth and Beauty

Once Upon A Time Long Ago...

2008-11-16T20:11:00.001-07:00

When the Moon and Mars were in hailing distance high in the sky...

Harvey

2008-11-15T21:21:00.001-07:00

A dear departed friend.

Soup Line Crow

2008-11-15T21:12:00.002-07:00

But not supine...

Clean Air

2008-11-15T20:49:00.002-07:00

When the cool breeze blows the brown cloud away.

Reddening

2008-10-21T09:25:00.002-06:00

Illusions Of Planar Existence

2008-10-18T10:49:00.002-06:00

Crossing a field of blue, a three-dimensional reality...

On The Step

2008-10-16T18:29:00.002-06:00

But not stepped on...

The Educator Man

2008-10-15T19:30:00.004-06:00

Once upon a time, in a little bar downtown, long ago,
Our little barmaid Suzy (always such a cutie)
Served up the beer and the hospitality.
At the bar beside me, sipping up his suds
Sat an educated man, an educator man was he,
A professional professor from the university.
In the course of conversation a topic did arise
Which brought to mind a matter solemn,
My eyes had found in newsprint column.
In quotation now I spoke the author's name,
And Professional Professor blurted profanity,
“Thomas Sowell's just Reagan's nigger!!” shouted he.

And thus the conversation ended.
No ideas were discussed.
No ideas were permitted.
Which were in disagreement.
With political correctness.
Of the educated man.
The educator man.
Consummate.
Collegiate.
Liberal.
Who really knows.
Nothing.
Of Truth.

But who easily outdrank me 3 to 1.

Night Church

2008-10-15T10:52:00.006-06:00

Changing Times

2008-10-11T02:11:00.000-06:00

The Sleepy Bee

2008-10-09T13:26:00.000-06:00

The State Of The State

2008-09-07T19:59:00.000-06:00

Distortions of truth at the Temple of Temporal Power.

A Damselfly Not In Distress

2008-09-05T19:26:00.003-06:00

A Spreadwing Damselfly, possibly a Lyre-tipped.

She stopped by for a photo-op.

Eye of the Sparrow

2008-07-24T10:10:00.004-06:00

Watching. And calling. Am I too close to something?

GrackleSnack

2008-06-05T00:43:00.000-06:00

The early grackle gets the worm, and a big juicy one at that.

They're baaaack...

2008-06-01T10:20:00.001-06:00

The House Finches, that is.

The Sparrow

2008-05-22T13:00:00.000-06:00

They never sit still. This one, however, did briefly pose for me.

16th Street surrealism

2008-05-18T07:11:00.000-06:00

Cedar Waxwing passage

2008-05-16T06:44:00.000-06:00

They stopped by several weeks ago on their annual migration, and graciously allowed me a few shots.

RTD's rubbish display bins

2008-05-14T09:39:00.002-06:00

Excellent craftsmanship is evident in the trash display cases installed at RTD light rail stations.

Whose idea was this? Does someone get paid to clean the glass inside and out?

Perhaps RTD will sell advertising space in the transparent panels...

Little White Butterflies

2008-05-12T15:45:00.000-06:00

Not to be confused with Little Green Footballs.

These are very difficult to shoot, moving out of the frame before I can get a focus lock. They seem to never stop flying.

On the fence

2008-05-11T20:07:00.005-06:00

Grackle, finch and robin

Fence-sitters all three

Just like me

Architectural reflections

2008-05-11T10:29:00.000-06:00

Early Sunday morning, a clear sky, no traffic...
Structures mirroring one another.

By the road

2008-05-10T19:03:00.001-06:00

Green and flighty things

2008-05-09T13:47:00.001-06:00

Morning on 16th

2008-05-06T14:00:00.000-06:00

Concrete to the sky

2008-05-05T19:03:00.002-06:00

Eight years passing

2008-05-04T21:58:00.004-06:00

The morning's journey of remembrance passes by the blossoms at Auraria.

Freshness in the cool garden, where the hand of the Divine paints in favorite colors.

The watcher at the corner, while playing in the sun, spoke softly,

"It is a good day to be free..."

Update 2008-05-05 12:11 PM The deliberately cryptic text posted yesterday, which contained references to real people and events of significance to the author, has been modified. It was such a beautiful day, after all.

Mayday snow

2008-05-01T11:07:00.000-06:00

Overcast morning

2008-04-29T16:33:00.001-06:00

Apartment hunting

2008-04-27T13:20:00.000-06:00

White-breasted nuthatch seeking a room with a view.

A brief stroll on the Highline...

2008-04-25T13:37:00.000-06:00

It's a cool sunny morning.

The buds are opening on the trees by the canal.

This beautiful little fellow nearly escaped notice. He was sitting in the leaf litter soaking up the rays. His kind are usually hard to see.

420 '08 Denver as recent history

2008-04-25T07:41:00.005-06:00

On April 20, about a thousand people came to Civic Center Park in a peaceful gathering to see and participate in the marijuana legalization movement. The weather was sunny and warm, a beautiful day for political protests and friendly socializing.

It was a day for family and friends.
Children played in the afternoon sun.

The term 420 has come to be associated with the movement for re-legalization of marijuana and with marijuana itself. Some say it's derived from a tradition established when a group of students would gather to light up at 4:20 PM.
"Politicians lie!"
This man is saying that a DA mis-represented the consequences of a change in the law. Who'd have guessed? Legal advice was also proffered for anyone stopped and searched by law enforcement officers. Voter registration and voting was encouraged and petitions were circulated.

Some musicians provided more entertainment.
And if rap music and speeches weren't enough, some people dressed up for the occasion.

Candidates for best-dressed?

He in casual suit and tie and she in body paint and cutoff jeans.

Several information tables were set up.
Most seemed to promote the medical use of marijuana.
The folks at the Cannabis Therapeutics booth insisted that I take a full picture of their stand.

People brought their four-legged friends...

both large...

and small.

Some people even brought their horses.

Of course, police were there.

I saw only two detentions while I was there.
This man is led away peacefully by a group of officers while the police videographer records the event.

There seemed to be more police than non-police with cameras.

This guy and your humble potographer were the only prominently camera-bearering non-uniformed citizens present.

Ambulances stood at the ready, just in case, parked on the southwest corner of the park. Their services were not required during my stay at the event.

Alignment with the political left is evidenced by the "Obama '08" sign on the table in the lower left of this image. This seems to me to be a limiting factor in the success of the movement, a more broad-based approach is more likely to appeal to the more conservative and libertarian among us. After all, no less a conservative icon than William F. Buckley Jr. advocated legalization.

The Eye of the Duck

2008-04-24T12:47:00.001-06:00

What does he see, there on the banks of Cherry Creek?

And what sights greeted him on the flight in?

Courthouse Cordon Blue

2008-04-23T09:18:00.001-06:00

Only Blue Ribbon Justice should be found behind the golden doors.

Update 4/24/08 12:06 PM Yesterday I failed to notice the blue ribbon also present on the Capitol building.

Perhaps it is a proud proclamation of blue-state status by the current administrations of state and city, in preparation for the upcoming political convention.

Moonlight over the Pyramid of Knowledge

2008-04-22T14:34:00.000-06:00

Light from heaven, to ease the way through the forest of night.