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Book: Shantung Compound / Langdon Gilkey
In 1943 Japanese troops rounded up all the foreigners near Peking, China, and shipped them to this abandoned, looted church compound. The two thousand internees were made largely responsible for governing themselves while confined there until the end of the war. As I read this account of the difficulties they encountered I was amazed at…
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Movie: Charlotte Gray
Feeling tired but a little restless after a day of climbing, we settle down to watch this World War II movie about a Scottish woman who goes into German-occupied France to assist the resistance. It’s a good story, highlighting how a person’s ideals and emotions can be changed by war. The cinematography is gorgeous throughout.…
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Kern Slab
Here’s Clare after pulling hard through the crux of the brutally parallel finger crack, Initiation. After putting a toprope on it, I can’t crank through it. Barry and Ann both give it an unsuccessful whack as well. It seems made for Clare though, who sinks her fingers in and cranks away. We cheer her on,…
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Wagon Wheel
We went out to Wagon Wheel for a walk today, and because we didn’t bring our climbing stuff we actually walked! It was a blissful day with air like cool silk. We did a four-mile loop around our usual bouldering area, scouting out nice rocks and climbing a couple of the hills to the northeast.…
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Movie: The Lady from Shanghai
As soon as the film started Ann and I both wondered out loud: did the soundtracks of movies made in the late 1940’s all sound the same to people back then, or are we anthropomorphizing? The film gets right down to business shooting Rita Hayworth in soft light, and that’s about all it ever does.…
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Small Site Changes
I’m now running WordPress 1.0. I was enticed mostly by the improvements to categories. There are now descriptions for the categories, and a post can be filed under more than one category. As usual, please comment if anything is broken or simply offensive to your person.
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Wagon Wheel
Ann and I have been cooped up in the house too much, being sick. So we go out to wagon wheel today, in beautiful weather, for a little gentle walking. And we bring the crashpad and shoes just in case. Well, we park at the Little Loaf and start right off doing a bunch of…
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First Virus of the Year, Part 2
My turn now! I didn’t feel too bad this morning, so I went to work even though my throat was getting sore. I know how people love it when you come to work sick. Everybody loves a live virus. So I caught a clue and came home again. I’m still hoping for a lighter case…
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Sake Hog
I picked up this new word from a motorcycle license plate on my way to work this morning. I’ve heard the term rice rocket, but this is my first encounter with sake hog.
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Book: The Future of Life / Edward O. Wilson
Edward O. Wilson, an eminent biologist and conservationist, presents a projection based on current data of what may be in store for humans and all life on the planet in the next century. Thankfully Wilson doesn’t use dire predictions of planetary doom to further his agenda, which opens the book to critical as well as…