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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by floatingbridge on October 23, 2011, at 16:02:42
We were driving, my son and I. He was wearing a star wars head piece (he pretends he is a female padewan), and he asked me 'if all wrongs will be righted in time.'. Emphasis on in time. Yes, I answered, given enough time.
He recalled his examples. The revolutionary war we won because we were right; the north won the civil war because they were right; the slaves gained freedom because they were right.
Seven really is a fabulous age.
He's been picked on in school. Not horribly. Tongues being stuck out behind the teachers' back at him. He is not given
to stealth. He'll tell you to your face rather then whisper, so this behavior infuriates him. I could see the deeper questions he was working on.
Posted by sigismund on October 23, 2011, at 17:42:17
In reply to The question, posted by floatingbridge on October 23, 2011, at 16:02:42
I am inclined to think that the good guys always loose.
It's a wonderful question he asked and it would really make me think, and make me worry about doing the question justice, and not doing violence to his sensibilities.
I loved the conversations with my kids at the early ages. We'd talk and talk. They sensed I enjoyed it perhaps.
My son and I were so chatty that on one occasion while sitting at the table we actually started a conversation about the tomato sauce bottle label because we had run out of other subjects.
This is the time to enjoy it. I missed it so much when it was over.
Posted by sigismund on October 23, 2011, at 19:36:06
In reply to The question, posted by floatingbridge on October 23, 2011, at 16:02:42
WWII is another.
They're a bit thin on the ground after that.
Posted by floatingbridge on October 23, 2011, at 19:55:48
In reply to Re: The question, posted by sigismund on October 23, 2011, at 19:36:06
Yeah. He doesn't know about WWII. Nor the bomb.
I just supported his process. He could be right if the view is long enough.
I also didn't mention the colonists and the northern native Americans.
Posted by sigismund on October 24, 2011, at 5:20:17
In reply to Re: The question » sigismund, posted by floatingbridge on October 23, 2011, at 19:55:48
I've just been to La Alhambra, the bit that is hard to get into.
The bad guys won there too, I suspect.
Certainly if the architecture of the Nasrid Palaces is any guide. The most impressive architecture I have seen outside of Japan and that old European stuff in Prague. No desire to overawe like Versailles, Winter Palace and totalitarian architecture later. A lot of this sort of thing, but on a smaller scale than you might expect.
http://www.redbubble.com/people/malbraman/art/5018190-the-nasrid-palaces-at-the-alhambra-spain
Posted by floatingbridge on October 24, 2011, at 12:45:26
In reply to Re: The question, posted by sigismund on October 24, 2011, at 5:20:17
That's really lovely.
Did you happen to see this area and the bridge?
http://www.redbubble.com/people/malbraman/art/5018263-tajo-de-ronda-andaluci-spain
I'm not sure where it is in relation to La Alhambra.
The light and color must be fantastic. Is it their dry season?
Posted by sigismund on October 24, 2011, at 15:00:42
In reply to Re: The question » sigismund, posted by floatingbridge on October 24, 2011, at 12:45:26
Not that in particular, but that is very much what Granada looks like. It's old, the streets are narrow, and there is the colour of the stone that was in the photo you posted.
I have admired the architecture in these cities....Kathmandu (in 1978 before the development and the cars), Prague, Granada and Hanoi.
I was in a restaurant/tapas bar the other day and this Australian couple sits down and it goes like this.
'I'll have a cervesa largo'
'I might have vino tinto'
and then she said something encouraging like
'It'll be right' or
'Are you OK?'
and then there was quiet for a bit
And then he said to me
'Do you mind, Sir, if we look at your English language menu?'
I was graciousness itself.
'Of course you can.'That was a first for me, being sirred like that.
Posted by sigismund on October 24, 2011, at 15:02:24
In reply to Re: The question » sigismund, posted by floatingbridge on October 24, 2011, at 12:45:26
First few days of light rain.
Apparently it hadn't rained for 6 months.
It looked dry like Australia.
Nothing growing under the olive trees. Just bare.
Posted by floatingbridge on October 25, 2011, at 12:47:18
In reply to Re: The question, posted by sigismund on October 24, 2011, at 15:02:24
> First few days of light rain.
>
> Apparently it hadn't rained for 6 months.
>
> It looked dry like Australia.
>
> Nothing growing under the olive trees. Just bare.Sounds lovely. Is Portugal as dry and warm? There are various native oaks here that thrive in our version of this
climate. Golden hills and oaks dotting them, what looks like nothing growing underneath until close up, then a myriad number tiny low growing things. The wind picks up a light, fragrant heat.We have invasive eucalyptus here that absolutely nothing grows under--that makes them invasive. They were imported in a thoughtless moment for lumber, but the wood was found unworkable. They are tinder in the wildfires with their high oil
content. Their resiliency amazes me because after a scarring fire, they resprout almost instantly.There is growing concern here about weather changes. Farmers register this first and most plaintively. Our special crops such as grapes need long dry seasons. This year was our second to be marred by rain. Light rain, but enough to
effect the crops. Cold, too.I hope you are managing to enjoy a little Spanish wine. And I
imagine the food is delicious.Yes about gabapentin and feet. That is becoming apparent here, too. I need to move off it. I imagine you could reserve it only for flying. But then, that is what you did. A drink does not work as well?
Posted by sigismund on October 29, 2011, at 22:04:53
In reply to Re: The question » sigismund, posted by floatingbridge on October 25, 2011, at 12:47:18
I have never been to Portugal, but I will go back to Granada. Spain is the country in Europe in which I am most comfortable. Partly the landscape reminding me of Australia, partly the people. Lots of Eucalypts in Spain too. They can be scary in fires because the oil vapourises and can ignite ahead of the firefront leading to extremely rapid fire movement. There were terrible fires in Victoria a couple of years ago now and hundreds died and whole towns were completely burnt, even though there was considerable distance between the town and the forest.
Posted by floatingbridge on October 30, 2011, at 10:42:17
In reply to Re: The question » floatingbridge, posted by sigismund on October 29, 2011, at 22:04:53
Well this explains to me why a fire jumped the freeway a few years ago. It was treed by eucalyptus on both side.
Hundreds died? How did that happen? I imagine they were not able to evacuate. This is because of flash fires? I don't think we have anything like that here.
I thought eucalyptus were indigenous to Australia. Were they imported to Spain?
(Sorry, too many questions.)
Posted by sigismund on October 30, 2011, at 16:02:11
In reply to Re: The question » sigismund, posted by floatingbridge on October 30, 2011, at 10:42:17
Eucalyptus oil has a flash point of only 49C. When it was hot and windy around Melbourne that year the temperature would have been near that. Add a fire front with oncoming winds and you can imagine the front leaping ahead by 100 metres a time. Marysville was this town surrounded in the distance by hills with eucalypts. These hills weren't close but the whole town burnt to the ground.
It's really silly to plant exotic trees anyway. Though if I lived in that kind of country I don't know what would be the best preventive. Where I live is a rainforest area. When it was cut down for dairy farming 100 years ago, they had a lot of difficulty getting it to burn.
This is the end of the thread.
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