Norm Benson

Weekend Postcard: San Francisco Bay at sunset

This is a panorama of the San Francisco Bay area at sunset. The Bay bridge and Yerba Buena (aka Goat) Island are on the left and the Golden Gate bridge is on the right. Angel island, the Ellis Island of the West, is located in the right side of the photo (behind the chimney).

Weekend Postcard: Carquinez Strait

This weekend’s postcard is from Benicia, California’s third capital (1853-1854). This Super Bowl Sunday is warm and sunny in California. The rest of the country may be seeing snow, ice, and winter. It’s 75F as I post this. Last Sunday poured rain. This Sunday pours sunshine. Ah, California. The picture was taken from the northContinue reading “Weekend Postcard: Carquinez Strait”

Run for your lives! It’s lunchtime at Dr. Strangefood’s

One evening, during the drearily sodden summer of 1816, Lord Byron and his friends read Fantasmagoriana, (a French translation of a German book of ghost stories—they were intellectuals after all) in his Villa Diodati in Switzerland (they were rich intellectuals). Afterward, Byron suggested they all write a horror story. Everyone did except Mary, the wifeContinue reading “Run for your lives! It’s lunchtime at Dr. Strangefood’s”

Sunday funny

I wrote recently that Mick Hume over at Spiked-online had a thoughtful post on the “shocking” revelations that a British undercover cop, Police Constable (PC) Mark Kennedy has gone native and offered to give evidence for the defense. Now Josh at Cartoons by Josh has added humor. He worries “it might not play on theContinue reading “Sunday funny”

Weekend Postcard: In a meadow at Boggs Mountain

I snapped this picture several summers ago. I like the lighting and the lush feeling. Who could believe so many variations of green could exist in nature?

Self-sufficiency = poverty

In a recent letter to our local paper, a fellow wrote in that we should buy American products: “Americans all want to make top dollar for their labor but insist on buying the cheapest goods that they can find often made by countries with very low wages and lax environmental protections…We should always try toContinue reading “Self-sufficiency = poverty”

Driving Missed Daily: London to Edinburgh by electric car

According to the BBC, it “took 4 days, some serious thermal underwear, and copious amounts of waiting” to make the journey from London to Edinburgh (405 miles) by electric car (Mini adventure: how far can electric car go?). Such a trip should take seven to eight hours when driving a car powered by gas. ChristoperContinue reading “Driving Missed Daily: London to Edinburgh by electric car”

Undercover cop goes native

Mick Hume over at Spiked-online has a thoughtful post on the “shocking” revelations that a British undercover cop, Police Constable (PC) Mark Kennedy has gone native and offered to give evidence for the defense. Which aspect are we supposed to be most shocked by? The fact that the police are so paranoid they have spentContinue reading “Undercover cop goes native”

Can anything go right this year?

Haiti still reels from its earthquake from one year ago, Darfur and Somalia fester, the Korean peninsula appears to be close to war, unemployment near 10% has become endemic. Problems, crises, tragedies. Can 2011 be anything but a repeat of 2010? Over at the Rational Optimist Blog, Matt Ridley reminds us of the accomplishments ofContinue reading “Can anything go right this year?”

Predictions from 40 years ago

Take a look at this Life magazine article from January 30, 1970. How many of the environmental predictions came close? Apologies for any typos…it’s hard to see the screen with my gas mask on. I believed the first prediction, “In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution.” CanContinue reading “Predictions from 40 years ago”