Just a quick note. Veteran talk-radio broadcaster and former ABC colleague Michael Jackson begins a new chapter in his long and illustrious broadcasting career this week. Beginning on Monday 29 October, he will be returning to the Los Angeles radio airwaves on KGIL 1260AM. His broadcast will run Monday through Friday, between 9:00am and 11:00am. I encourage everyone in Southern California to tune in. I wish I was back in L.A. just to be able to tune in myself. Hopefully, he'll start podcasting his shows in the future.
Michael was kind enough to send me a brief email over the weekend, as he and his producer Lyle both prepare for Monday morning's inaugural broadcast. I wish the two of them great success. Break a leg, you two.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Bonfires of the Vanities
A random flash fills the night sky and a muffled rapid-fire popping sound finds it's way toward us from a nearby farmer's field. Are we in Baghdad? No, but the night-time sights and sounds of the Lancashire countryside remind me that we must be approaching that very special time of year again.
Next week, on the evening of November 5th, revellers throughout the United Kingdom will be celebrating Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night as it is commonly known. It commemorates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot, in which a group of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, allegedly attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the evening of 5 November 1605 with the intent of killing the Protestant King James I of England. The conspirators were later arrested, tortured, and executed.
As has been the custom during the past few centuries, fireworks are lobbed into the air and community bonfires are ignited, often fueled by an accumulated collection of surplus wood and contributed items that otherwise would have been destined for the local refuse pit. Sadly, some communities still burn effigies of the Pope and other clerics, in a fervor of anti-catholicism that still darkens the souls of a few that remain unenlightened. Fortunately, they are in the minority.
Prospective photo opportunities beckon, as we will be venturing out with the trusty camera in hand to witness and capture Britain's closest version to the Fourth of July.
Next week, on the evening of November 5th, revellers throughout the United Kingdom will be celebrating Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night as it is commonly known. It commemorates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot, in which a group of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, allegedly attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the evening of 5 November 1605 with the intent of killing the Protestant King James I of England. The conspirators were later arrested, tortured, and executed.
As has been the custom during the past few centuries, fireworks are lobbed into the air and community bonfires are ignited, often fueled by an accumulated collection of surplus wood and contributed items that otherwise would have been destined for the local refuse pit. Sadly, some communities still burn effigies of the Pope and other clerics, in a fervor of anti-catholicism that still darkens the souls of a few that remain unenlightened. Fortunately, they are in the minority.
Prospective photo opportunities beckon, as we will be venturing out with the trusty camera in hand to witness and capture Britain's closest version to the Fourth of July.
Monday, October 15, 2007
A Visit Down South of Titanic Proportions
Sarah and I ventured south to the English coastal region of Hampshire last weekend. This is the land of thatched roof cottages, the breed of hog that bears the area's name, and that mythical kingdom known as Camelot. We had gone there to meet up with some friends from Los Angeles who were spending a couple of days in London, before boarding a Eurostar train destined for Brussels.
We had the pleasure of playing tour guide to Maria and Chris as we drove them around the Salisbury Plain, showing them sites both picturesque and historic in nature. The ancient Druid rock formations of Stonehenge, the grand cathedral in the market town of Winchester, plus King Arthur's alleged roundtable (which is on permanent display in Winchester's Guild Hall), were but a few of the stops on our weekend itinerary that were dutifully captured with my camera.
My better-half and I also made a special journey of our own; one that I have been wanting to do for many years. After registerring into our B&B, the two of us drove to the bustling seaport town of Southampton, with our final destination being the Gate 4 entrance to Ocean Dock. On the tenth day of April, in the year of 1912, a very grand ship bearing the name of Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage from this very dock. A small monument has been erected here in memory of the officers, crew, and passengers who lost their lives five days later. South Western House, the hotel where many of the ship's First Class passengers spent the night prior to the following day's voyage, still stands proudly across the street from the pier; its many windows gazing out across the River Test toward the English Channel and the sea.
Chaucer wrote of pilgrims from this very land, journeying to the cathedral town of Canterbury. A pilgrimage of an entirely different sort was successfully accomplished by this photographer, and it was definitely worth the wait.
We had the pleasure of playing tour guide to Maria and Chris as we drove them around the Salisbury Plain, showing them sites both picturesque and historic in nature. The ancient Druid rock formations of Stonehenge, the grand cathedral in the market town of Winchester, plus King Arthur's alleged roundtable (which is on permanent display in Winchester's Guild Hall), were but a few of the stops on our weekend itinerary that were dutifully captured with my camera.
My better-half and I also made a special journey of our own; one that I have been wanting to do for many years. After registerring into our B&B, the two of us drove to the bustling seaport town of Southampton, with our final destination being the Gate 4 entrance to Ocean Dock. On the tenth day of April, in the year of 1912, a very grand ship bearing the name of Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage from this very dock. A small monument has been erected here in memory of the officers, crew, and passengers who lost their lives five days later. South Western House, the hotel where many of the ship's First Class passengers spent the night prior to the following day's voyage, still stands proudly across the street from the pier; its many windows gazing out across the River Test toward the English Channel and the sea.
Chaucer wrote of pilgrims from this very land, journeying to the cathedral town of Canterbury. A pilgrimage of an entirely different sort was successfully accomplished by this photographer, and it was definitely worth the wait.
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