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October 7, 2012 - Tokyo, Japan. People attending an international festival in Tokyo to celebrate international cooperation. The World Bank partnered in the 2012 Global Festa event in advance of the 2012 Annual Meetings. People answer a World Bank's question that was posted online as part of an international campaign - "What Will It Take?".. to improve lives, to create jobs, to end poverty. Photo: Simone D. McCourtie / World Bank
The Fagaima Road also turns into a river whenever there's a heavy rain.
A FLOOD OF VERSES...
IMMIGRATION
Nature has its own form of
immigration, where you
can't cross the border
unless your credentials
are in order. This can
cause delays, the heart's
own red tape.
Future generations are
contingent upon this
decision! Got the engine,
got the fuel, but there's
nothing like making the
journey only to learn
your passport needs
renewal. Damn you,
Immigration! Try again.
Nonetheless, your fair
country is the land of
opportunity to me, a
place my customs can
continue, contribute.
You're not convinced
yet, but I'm certain
you'll never regret
permitting me entry.
MONSTER PSYCHOLOGY
Frankenstein has the mind of a
killer, and as for fashion sense,
pure disorder – one look at him
and you know, here comes a
non-conformist. Frankenstein
has the heart of a farmer, all
hard work and no nonsense.
Frankenstein has conflicting
impulses. It would be less
complicated if he hated you,
then when you run he’d just
say la de dah, but oh woe to
anyone Frankenstein actually
likes and tries to follow after.
He moves slow but won’t stop,
obsessing on the answer he
thinks you hold – balance for
his sharply divided soul. Lo,
he comes! Stumbles into your
kitchen - inconsiderate, not
very articulate, inconvenient –
saying listen, I know you’re
not obligated to accommodate
me, but at least I’m good at
poetry so…uh… here’s a poem
I would really appreciate
exchanging for a cure.
VOLCANO
Volcano still for now, but still
a volcano. Surface has turned
hard, impenetrable, but below
something still churns, burning
inside. This restlessness will
someday shake your foundation
when the volcano can’t contain
its own hot ash any longer,
and shoots fire at the sky, as if
screaming, “I am here – how
could you leave me like this?
SONG
I wish I could speak like a song,
not confronting the problem
head-on, just by telling a story
that may have nothing to do
with reality as we know it.
Songs enter the reality of
feelings, intangible qualities
that bring sorrow or joy.
Guilt, blame, recrimination –
these wouldn’t be in my
words, but might be there in
the feeling the song conveys.
Or from a limitless choice of
feelings, it could be my
favorite – the sweet peace
when problems resolve and
all is well for everyone. While
that may not be true outside
the song, better somewhere
than nowhere.
WATER
Water won’t stop for you –
you can only dive in and
go with it if you desire.
Hold water and soon it’s
not itself anymore – the
pure needs to move to
bring life. Water will
drown you if you don’t
know how to flow with it.
Water can clean you,
heal – we’re baptized in
water, not fire. Water is
that part of us that comes
and goes, warm or cold,
just going with the flow,
just seeing to the needs
of its partner the earth.
SUPER-VILLAINS
I don’t play the villain very well –
no reason, no evil vision. I’d only
hurt by omission, not knowing.
But if I were a super-villain, a
challenger of Batman, nemesis
of Superman, I wouldn’t be
The Joker or The Penguin, I’d
be The Teacher, with a mystical
ability to bore to death my
enemies no matter what I say.
Or else I’d be The Preacher,
with a supernatural power to
render anyone who comes
in contact with me so utterly
guilty they fall on their knees
begging forgiveness. Or better
yet, The President, preying on
everyone’s loyalty to home and
family till they do whatever I
tell them unquestioningly.
Heroes quietly resist becoming
corrupted by their own power,
but others holding authority
without moral values find the
easy slide to the Dark Side
too tempting to avoid.
TOAST
My moods fly all over the place
like kamikaze insects, controls
set for my candle, in thrall to
their conviction its burning tip
will bring truth and purity, not
death or injury. They’re piling
up in the wax. Sacrifice in vain?
Perhaps not, if in the last flash
before turning to toast these
brave but misguided pilots
catch a glimpse of why we aim
for the sun. One with fire, life
itself blazing, even if it changes
them to toast, a trail of crumbs
other naïve seekers can follow.
My moods rise from their ashes
like new planets forming.
MR. RAIN
Too much –intense – more than
we can handle – rain brings life
but too much brings disruption.
Is there some point you’re trying
to make, Mr. Rain? Tired of us
dissing your bud the sun? Or just
concerned for the hydration of
this place? Gentle rains can be
sensual, but this intensity speaks
of angrier intent, like someone
doesn’t take you seriously so
you’re gonna show ‘em. As for
collateral damage, too bad, this
whole island can wash away
for all you care. Tell you what –
let me know who displeased
you and I’ll do the job just as
a favor, then you can turn off
this tap that’s flooding your
friends with your enemies. If
this entreaty leaves you angry
still, consider instead your
utility bill, Mr. Rain.
SYMBOLS
Given his natural accent, this
singer’s attempt to mimic the
vocal mannerisms of Stevie
Wonder resulted in the words
“ribbon In the sky” sounding
more like “lizard in the sky.”
Careful how you bend the
vowels and mangle the
consonants, especially if
you’re born in a village,
not some inner city. I had
visions of a giant lizard
soaring in the clouds,
signifying love immortal
with a regal wave of its little
front leg. How grateful I was
the gesture didn’t originate
from its little back leg, given
what that typically portends.
But anyway, this momentary
re-visioning of Stevie’s lyric
at least filled the day’s quota
for something completely
different. As far as symbols
go, who’s to say it’s any less
appropriate than chocolate?
PIECES
Of course people used to ride
dinosaurs - everybody knows
that. It was on that show, The
Flintstones. When they went
extinct because some aliens
with poor vision were shooting
at Uranus but hit us instead,
we switched from dinosaurs
to horses. Then when all the
horses became Muslims due
to global warming, we had to
invent the car. But you know,
Henry Ford was a secret
Muslim, just like Obama. He
knew we'd have to buy our
gas from Allah Oil. Now they
keep trying to bomb our solar
cars to save their economy,
but their religion won't let
them wear glasses so they
keep leaving bombs in the
wrong place or forget they're
wearing them till they go off.
All these little historical pieces
fit together just fine once you
suspend your common sense.
GOODBYES
Saying goodbye to someone who’s
dying, it’s like you’re trying to rush
them along or something. No, this
is supposed to be a tribute, a thank
you for the part you played in my
life. Good, bad or indifferent, all is
forgiven and some things we'll
always celebrate.. By all indication,
this visit with my Dad will be my last.
Some stupid part of me thinks that
if I don’t go, this will somehow alter
the inevitable. I know better, even
if my feelings don’t. Some people,
you just want to be there for them,
even knowing it won’t make much
difference. My showing my face
at this time of important transition
hopefully won’t hasten it. He’s had
some issues with me, and I with him,
but they all seem insignificant now.
And when I say goodbye, it will be
like all our other goodbyes, not
farewell forever, more like, ok,
gotta go, but catch you next time.
CONFLICT
Conflict inside someone else, I just
happened to give it a face without
trying - without trying - I don't let
myself into these things just for fun.
It's not fun, and you know your idea
far better than the person your idea
is about . I just happened to give it
a face, but behind that mask I never
asked to wear there's more going
on than you want to see because
I just happened to give a face to a
conflict inside yourself. No fun to
contemplate your own conflict - far
easier to just insist the source is
external and looks a lot like me.
And it just goes around in circles,
in a predictable cycle like the moon.
GUARANTEE
I would like a guarantee, signed
in blood, a sense of commitment
besides just mine. But guess what -
I'm on my own till harvest time
looks guaranteed, then they all
want to be concerned. How did
it get this way? Is it any different
for anyone else? If you gather
around you everyone with the
same assumptions, fall into line,
is some agreed-upon outcome
really guaranteed? Or is it all
just going through the motions,
hoping that our familiar songs
and dances will guarantee our
once and future prosperity,
same as the Aztecs once were
certain that the change of the
seasons was only guaranteed
by them feeding a hungry sun?
UNPRODUCTIVE
Bright sunny days and rainy,
cold nights - it's like I never
left home. I have unlimited
mileage and knowledge of
the Big Island highways, so
I'm re-visiting while I'm
visiting. I like not having
to worry about deadlines
or headlines or anything
but keeping an eye on the
oncoming cars. This isn't
the most productive use
of my time, but I've earned
the privilege of being
unproductive. It's calming,
I have time to reflect, no
one is relying on me for
anything as far as I know.
Holidays will pass and I'll
have to be productive
again, and remember you
have to keep going at all
costs just to earn the
temporary right to stop.
PORPOISES
My father remembers very clearly
how the Air Force transferred him
from Tokyo to Guam in the months
after World War Two. He recalls
how Japanese in the city streets
would collect cigarette butts and
carefully fashion a desperate puff,
then sleep in concrete pilings, or
sleep in doorways. I like it better
when he tells of how as a boy he
took ships from Hawaii home to
Samoa for school vacations. On
clear days, he'd crawl out on the
stern and see porpoises riding
on the waves the ship made, like
they were surfing. Yet for all my
patient explaining, he still can't
recall the Lee Auditorium, even
though he drove by it every day
since it was built. Some memories
live far longer than others. He
might leave soon, and when he
does, I hope in his thoughts he's
not with the Japanese, broken,
but with the porpoises, finding
bliss in something as simple as
just staying on a wave.
SELL
Can I sell you on an idea? No,
I won't even try, it's Christmas
time when giving is legitimate,
or rather, more legitimate than
the rest of the time, when
giving often looks like selling
in disguise. Everything here is
still free, anything valuable
perhaps disguised as worthless,
no obvious profit to be made
from trying to bottle what you
find or recycle what you feel.
It cannot be anything other
than what it is - a little gift, as
valuable or worthless as it
seems upon first impression,
or maybe much later when
the idea has had time to take
root and appears as something
very different when blooming
than it did when just trying to
hang on and not blow away in
the wind as a flake would.
DULL
You can't drink, smoke, inject
or snort something good. None
of these make things right or
make things gone, they only
make things dull. Ironic how
so many need to fully dull
themselves to how wrong
things really feel, yet refer
to it as feeling good.This is
not to say I won't get every
bit as dull as everyone else
if nothing else is happening,
or even enjoy it like any
other intentional stupidity.
all the while knowing that
to buy into the synthetic
happiness the dullness tries
to sell me in place of the real
thing would be a big mistake.
GIFTS
Some gifts don't come in pretty
paper, like the gift of freedom,
being free to come or go, free
to answer or to question, free
from the shackles of external
stimuli, free in the heart and
mind to roam or settle down,
free to see yourself as either
old or perpetually new, or both.
The real gifts may or may not
be under the tree, and some
are meant to be enjoyed and
soon forgotten while others
will require every second of
your attention or else they'll
turn around and bite. The gift
of freedom is like the gift of
a tiger on a short leash.
MARGINALIZED
Most of us are marginalized
in some way or other, but the
trick is to not identify with that
intangible status imposed from
who knows where by God only
knows who. Marginalized -
consigned to the margins, by
comparison with those who
supposedly have an advantage.
Advantage is like gasoline -
it doesn't mean anything
without the right vehicle. You
are the vehicle, marginalized
or otherwise, and remember
what happened with the
tortoise and the hare - those
who take their advantage for
granted become like Humpty
Dumpty, unprepared for the
going getting bumpy because
they've never had to survive
on life's margins.
CARPENTRY
If you want to get closer to the
truth, you can always sharpen
your carpentry skills. You'll
gain an appreciation of proper
structure, well put together,
balanced, true - the fruits of
your labor will either stand up
or collapse. How much closer
to the truth could you ask for?
Remember how a humble
carpenter of Nazareth once
applied his principles of
symmetry to his people's
most sacred oratory to
lovingly construct a way
of living and believing that
even today is still standing.
ALWAYS OPEN
I came to the Big Island
hoping for a sense of
closure. Well, I didn't
get it. What I got instead
is the realization that for
some people the heart
is like 7-11 or Jack In The
Box, always open,even
if you never stop by,
always there for you
just in case you need
something, even in the
dead of the stormy night.
FLAWED PERFECTION
GI Joe is a man with one part
missing, and Barbie is lacking
something in her anatomy too.
This is intentional - these are
dolls after all, incomplete by
design. Those missing parts
aren’t meant to be played with,
but if you do anyway, let it never
be said you got the idea from
the dolls. You can imagine GI
Joe as protector, and Barbie as
companion to someone worthy
(a protector, for instance), but
they lack the design for a union
of their energies, a blending of
their qualities to be anything
but theoretical. Perpetuating
life is not their business, thus
they become natural targets
for abuse when admiration is
no longer entertaining. Dolls
can take anything and never
seem to hurt, but once you
break them out of frustration,
they lose that perfection you
once found comfort in, even
if it was a flawed perfection.
GOSSIP
The gutter grabs the conversation
soon enough. It started out very
politely, just how you doing, then
devolved quickly into I know what
you’re doing and who you’re doing
it with. (No you don't.) All part of our
daily bread-baking I guess, this
morning’s morality review, what’s
hot, what’s going down in our little
Garden of Eden, some vicarious
stimulation on the back of someone
else’s reputation, but in the end
it’s just a trail of crumbs that still
hasn’t led anyone out of their
imaginary gingerbread forest
back to some big rock candy
mountain of wisdom. Why can’t
you just mind your own business?
PASSING THOUGHT #732
I don’t remember what we
even disagreed about. Do
you? It must just happen
spontaneously.
HEAVY FUEL
Emotional nuclear waste,
still active but of no known
practical use, potentially
explosive if not handled
properly. Sealed up tight
in the bottom of the sea
till it burns out or leaks
out. Created by us, then
quickly beyond control.
Safety requires its very
existence be denied. It's
a scandal anything this
powerful resists being
channeled positively.
SURFACE INDIFFERENCE
Long ago I chose to let it
weigh on me, thinking it
would make me strong at
carrying that kind of load.
Lo and behold, it feels no
less heavy now than it did
to begin with. Letting it
weigh on me just became
a habit taxing my peace of
mind. Attitudes that come
so easily convince us we
can program ourselves like
machines, as if mechanical
is more advantageous than
flexible. Think circulation.
It may be human to cling
to what’s precious, but to
hold on too hard is to risk
crushing what we should
instead seek to nurture.
WORLD GO ‘ROUND
Wherever we happen to be at,
we all make the world go ‘round
with our joys and sorrows, with
our triumphs and failures, with
our mistakes and when we’re
right and we know it. I will not
lie – I’m tired of problems, but
it’s been in facing problems
that I discovered so much that
I would otherwise never have
bothered to find out, so who’s
to say, really, what’s a blessing
or a curse. I stay on my path
with no idea of what’s going to
happen next. They say that God
watches over fools and drunks.
I know I’m not a drunk, but as
far as being a fool, well, it just
depends on who you ask.
HOME
You carry home around with
you, so in those moments it
feels like you’ll never return
there’s still a history where
you began if not where you
ended. Ah yes, history, how
things got this way. Choices
and results. No changing it,
except in how you relate.
Home made me who I am,
and as much as I may try to
shake it off like a maverick
trying to lose a saddle, at
my core will always be my
home, come what may.
MINEFIELD
Minefield of ego is a curse
from deepest hell, distortion
of good intentions, bent out
of shape by self-glorification.
Comparison is the weapon
often known to backfire,
then the minefield of ego
falls prey to its own traps,
blows itself apart. Woe the
aftermath – ego emerges,
bloody but unbroken, uglier
than ever. Ego rules over an
empty field of rubble. Can’t
really recall any reason for
the battle, but self-satisfied
simply to have won.
EXORCISM
This music chases away demons.
One listen and the buggers don’t
have a chance. They hear it and
they’re headed for the pavement.
Screaming, off they flee, wringing
their ears. Still the music lingers
in them, eating at their evil like
a cancer we can finally be happy
with. See them writhe, moan,
agonize, paralyze. Finally they’re
neutralized, free souls again. Big
Boss Demon fears this music, so
that’s why he’s always tried to
own it, slow it down, stow it, but
once it really gets going, even he
can’t control it. This music chases
away demons. I just wonder what
keeps bringing them back.
BIG CHICKENS
So many big chickens wandering
in and out of my poem. Giant
chickens, too fat to fly. Bashful
chickens, clucking fowl reflections
between the lines. Unfulfilled
chickens, withholding eggs as a
point of negotiation, threatening
to ruffle feathers unless treated
fairly, plotting to crow 24-7 so
dusk becomes confused with
dawn and whatever sleep we
can steal is filled with dreams
of secret ingredients and deep
fryers. Oppressed big chickens,
never fairly represented on the
collective menu, know full well
we’ll just laugh at them, but
when their civil disobedience
renders the nation’s breakfasts
one continual catastrophe, who
will have the last chuckle then?
SECURITY
Security – we’re all friends if not
family under the same security
blanket. Security bestows status,
sets us apart from the average.
Security comes at the cost of
silence when the most secure
dip fingers in the public till for
private reasons. Security divides
the spoils. As goes my security,
so goes the well-being of our
country. An equation even a
baby could follow. Well follow
this, all you political paunukus –
bending over for security and
expecting us to do the same -
security is an illusion, like fancy
clothes give an impression you
somehow look special when
stripped to your well-stretched
skin. Drums of corruption, sirens
of hypocrisy sometimes get so
loud that even the deaf and the
blind sense vampires nearby,
attracted by the scent of the
defenseless – an easy feed.
VACUUM HEART
Not to sound redundant, but Vacuum
Heart really sucks. Mechanism for
joy removal patrols the room. Goes
right for the dirt every time. Down
to earth suddenly means covered
in it. Why can't Vacuum Heart
partner with someone just as
obsessed with cleanliness? The
sight of me apparently makes
Vacuum Heart's hoses clog up,
motor overheat, plug exit the
well socket. Ok, I get it, I deserve
to be chased away with a broom.
Left to Vacuum Heart, antiseptic
splendor would prevail, all and
sundry spotless as a hospital,
no dirty corners of the mind left
unswept. For filth never sleeps,
it waits patiently for opportunity
to dominate. To sidestep that
soily fate we rely on Vacuum
Heart, superhero of spiritual
housecleaning.
DIG ME OUT
Aluminum cans will preserve
soda and beer till the caveman
renaissance. Enclosed unto itself,
protected from time like the
mummies, a soda or beer can
may not outlast eternity but will
easily outlive you and me. Life
is short compared to unopened
soda and beer. We have no time
for what doesn’t suit our taste
when more appealing options
compete for our attention on
the shelves of our existence.
Exaltation of convenience, just
use it, lose it, and on to the
next one. You take it in, into
your body’s confidence, more
a part of you than your dearest
friend, but only until the drill
of mutual usury completes its
exchange, then what remains
makes its less illustrious exit.
Possibly as a punishment for
awareness like this, I remain
unopened on the shelf, passed
over in favor of more current
designs. Do soda and beer
change their flavor over time?
Cavemen or future apes may
dig me out of the rubble one
day, mysterious remnant of a
strange long gone age. That’s
if someone doesn’t dig me out
of the bargain bin first.
WISHES
My wishes – so intense – it must
mean I’m not dead – that’s good
to know. I hold no one under any
obligation to grant me one single
wish or even the time of day, but
still I whisper my wishes to the sky,
the wind, the rain, passing cars,
dogs prolonging their species in
the street, just any old thing. But
never people, who’d use that
knowledge as leverage. No one
asks me my wishes – I appreciate
that discretion or that disinterest.
And so I wouldn’t splash across
the page the exact nature of my
wishes. This isn’t a bulletin board.
Cutting through a jungle of ideas,
the vines of abstraction, I wish I
could find expression for a wish
you were wishing too.
DISCLAIMER II (III?)
My poetry is probably not
the best way to get to know
me, if you want my opinion.
I have a pretty good filter,
but this Is what emerges
when it’s switched to off
mode. I take an energy
that might make some
turn to a bottle, a needle
or a gun, and I try to do
something different with it.
Don’t ask me how this
energy came to be – too
long a story. Poetry is what
I do with feelings to keep
from being eaten by them.
Enter at your own risk. If
you see something you
recognize clearly, then all
this blood on the pages
hasn’t been in vain.
LEGEND
Have I the heart to tell the
story yet again? This disaster
repeats itself predictably, like
the city clock. Likewise, if I
repeat the tale enough, it
passes into legend, a lesson
for anyone who’ll go down
the same path. I’ll change
the names in case it makes
you feel you’re under attack.
Once upon a time someone’s
faith was badly misplaced.
From there, tell the legend
yourself, your personal take
on faith and faithlessness.
Legends can be reinvented –
it’s fairer that way. Have I
the heart to render a story
so personal in anonymity’s
cloaked terms? Just another
old tale no one takes very
seriously till suddenly it’s
about them.
DON QUIXOTE
The Windmill Man, the walking
metaphor, aiming his lance at
the windmills and still missing –
God forbid he should connect,
that would be a catastrophe.
Windmill standing in for whole
other glory. Defined – assigned
to a corner of your mind – a
place in the natural order. I’d
go for the opposite. Already
starting to rebel, test the limits,
formulate an escape. Catch me.
Let me go. Be my windmill and
you needn’t worry I’ll never
return. Keep me dreaming the
impossible dream – simply
remain impossible.
BIG SHIP
I wanna be a barnacle – attach
myself to a Big Ship and travel
economy. See the world and
not even join the Navy. Calm
or rough seas, it doesn’t matter –
you just keep me hanging on.
But please, Big Ship, don’t sail
the Hudson River, it’s polluted
and barnacles don’t have the
benefit of protection. We might
catch an infection from those
sick New York waters, turn
unhappy campers on your
hull, disgruntled eco-tourists
poisoned en masse. A 9-11 for
crustaceans and our Big Ship
could care less, just scrape us
all off casually as shaving. Ok,
so maybe I don’t wanna be a
barnacle after all. Big Ship,
floating diva - Titanic-sized
ego, why not try a blind date
with an iceberg.
MIRRORS
If you want me to greet you as a
friend, you have to greet me as
a friend. We’re mirrors – we see
ourselves in each other – the open
warmth or closed defensiveness,
the easy exchange or difficult
minimum civility, unquestioning
embrace or involuntary revulsion.
So many ways it can go. We have
no indicator of which way is up
except each other. Like any
mirror, the image reflected may
not always be a true picture, but
don’t we all look a bit different
depending on which side of
ourselves someone chooses
to focus on or to overlook.
GAIN
Careful in that period of gain,
It makes me grateful, but also
uncomfortable, apprehensive
that the scale will swing back
the other way with a period
of loss. That’s the nature of
the scale. But for now, enjoy
a period of gain, when you
feel like it isn’t just pointless
toil after all, when you feel
like your luck has returned
from a long journey, when
you can dare to believe you
actually deserve it. So this is
how it feels – I’d forgotten.
Like the first fine clothes that
really fit. I could get used to
this. There I go again – I know
better than to get used to this.
AVOIDANCE
Were I allowed to levy a two cent
tax on every hint my critics lob
at me like grenades to a foxhole
that my love of travel betrays an
elaborate avoidance of settling
down, I could retire and travel
for life. Since I’m so well-versed
at avoidance, I avoid the subject,
avoid my critics, and carry on
traveling. Avoidance is their
term, not mine. I prefer terms
like adventure, discovery, and
revelation. The world is not yet
done revealing itself to me –
nor to them – they’ve settled
down prematurely. Besides, if
settling down is all it’s cracked
up to be, and I’m truly Mr. Bad
Example, why are they even
watching me? I’m supposed
to be miserable and they’re
supposed to be happy.
BULLDOZER
Bulldozer, like a sumo wrestler
you push, push, push me out
of the circle, out of the picture,
out of history. Make certain
I stay on the margins of the
existence you’re comfortable
with. Bulldozer, like a giant
pecking chicken you dig, dig,
dig away at the foundation
of any relation between us.
Anything once assumed is
now assumed meaningless.
Bulldozer, you’ve flattened
any reason to feel. Efficiency
empty of humanity is nothing
but machinery. Bulldozer, like
Jack the Ripper you prefer to
see yourself as simply clearing
a path of the detritus blocking
progress. If it’s in your tracks,
it’s asking for it.
PIE
Shame on you ungrateful relations,
all scrambling for your slice of the
pie. The estate tastes the same no
matter who serves it – at least for
the moment. This is a perfectly
reasonable pie – it’s you disputing
your portions. Hey, I warmed the
oven. Hey, I cleaned the kitchen.
Hey, I took out the garbage. Hey,
I went to the market. Hey, I wiped
the plates. Hey, I just ate off the
plates, but I gave him the recipe
and he baked it for me. You’ve
all got such a compelling story.
It takes a committee to raise a
pastry. Can one little pie cause
such controversy? May its fruit
be less bitter than the dispute.
No Thanksgiving pumpkin nor
sweet apple tarted was left out
to cool by our dearly departed.
ARK
The endless rains have rent our
Flag Day asunder. I say it’s God’s
commentary on the Fono pay
raise. Think you’ve got money
to waste? Maybe I’ll just ruin
you Flag Day entertainment
Sense of entitlement brought
the tsunami – how soon you
forget. Everyone build their
own fautasi – you’ll all need a
modern day ark to sail the few
remaining clean hearts away
from this South Seas Sodom
to somewhere kinder where
there is no Fono, no matai,
no faalavelave, no bingo -
your most enduring values
can start again from scratch.
IRRIGATION
Sun took a vacation and we
won’t be complaining about
the heat for awhile. Enough
water now to wash all our
cars. Scenery greener than
green, plants drunk on
moisture – careful you don’t
overdo a good thing. Does
anyone or anything still
need irrigation? Nature
is upping her thoroughness,
getting to the cases that
complain they’re left out.
No one goes thirsty on my
watch – you’re all my babies
and I’ll make sure you’re
healthy. Everyone needs a
friend like her, but how do
you say politely, Mother
Nature, enough is enough?
CORE
Childhood seemed so much less
complicated – lines so clearly
drawn, and besides, who expects
kids to be responsible anyway?
Questions answered simply.
Now, as time goes on, it’s more
a matter of answers I don’t have.
Mysteries overtake conventional
wisdom. We’re forced to relate
outside our frame of reference –
it can get overwhelming. But as
complex as it seems, existence
at its core is absurdly simple.
We’re all just here for awhile -
seeing, feeling, reflecting, and
evolving if we let ourselves.
Facing the mysteries the way
people always have, sometimes
coming in on a wing and a prayer.
Always returning to a core, while
at the same time trying to get the
most out of what’s beyond it.
FAIRFAX
Fairfax, one less paramedic tramp
threatens to compromise your
firefighters. Fight fire with fire –
crucify her online. It’s called slut
shaming – It takes on a life of its
own so no wonder now it’s taken
a life. She may or may not have
the dirty hands they imagine, so
you have to wonder why they’d
even bother paying attention.
Pornographic minds will conjure
X-rated situations, and jealousy
ferments venom in the envious.
We call fundamentalist Muslims
barbaric for stoning to death
adulterous women, but In the
USA we stone those we don’t
like with words. Why use sticks
and stones when words alone
can put a paramedic slut in her
place? If that place just happens
to be a grave, don’t blame us.
Moral superiority needs cruelty,
even barbarity, or else it’s only
theoretical, only as powerful
as a schoolyard bully secretly
scared of his own vulnerability.
(Note: The above was triggered by a story that made the
national news, but not in a very big way. If you're curious,
search on the words "fairfax slut shaming," and that should get you to the story.)
SWFEC Special Guest Chat: Shawnlei Breeding – Manager, Audubon Florida EagleWatch Program, April 11, 2019 8pm
Essec09 (Admin): SWFEC would like to extend a very warm welcome to Audubon Florida EagleWatch Program Manager, Shawnlei Breeding. We are very excited to have her join us this evening. Many of our SWFEC viewers provided questions earlier for Shawnlei. She will try to answer as many as time allows. The first part of the session will address the questions that were already submitted.
Essec09 (Admin): Welcome to SWFEC Shawnlei!
GinnyLWI (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei , we are all so looking forward to this special chat this evening.
MsSmith57 (Admin): Good evening and a huge SWFEC welcome to you Shawnlei
purpleagle (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei! We are so excited to have you here with us this evening for our special chat session!
RobertoD (Admin): Welcome, and thank you Shawnlei We are all excited to have you here!
icecream247 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei. So happy you were able to join us this evening.
Sue_Lyons (Admin): Hello Shawnlei, thank you so much for spending time with us tonight! We are looking forward to learning from you
samour17 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei and looking forward to this evening.
Shelli22 (Admin): Hi Shawnlei...I'm stoked to hear what you have to share with us!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the warm welcome! And thank you to the Pritchetts for inviting me! I’m honored to get to spend some time with you to answer your questions and chat about eagles! I was asked to briefly share a bit about myself. I received a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma and had always dreamed of working with animals but fell into an administrative job for a number of years before switching gears to pursue that dream. I worked for a few years as a vet tech and then was hired as a Zookeeper at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, FL. Then I accepted a position with Disney’s Animal Kingdom where I was a Bird Keeper in their Avian Research Center for 12 years.
During that time I went back to school to get a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Central Florida. That experienced opened doors which lead me to my current position with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. I’ve always loved Audubon and was so excited to get to work with them! So now that you now a bit about me, let's get started!
HOeagletfan1: thank you Shawnlei for joshing us and sharing your Eagle wisdom with us !
LCampbell75: Good Evening Shawlei...So nice to have you to chat with us tonight!!! Thanks for coming!!
Deen622: Good evening Mods and Shawnlei!
MagEagle9: I couldn't be more blessed to 'work' with this lady! Welcome my friend!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you!
SueUMc: Good evening Shawnlei- much appreciation!
cats3eagles: Thank you for being here with us tonight Shawnlei!
Janet1: Good evening Shawlei. So nice to have you here tonight
Peggy180: Good evening, Shawnee, thank you for joining us tonight!
Carrie Brooks: GE what a treat!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Here's our first question.... Peggy Main asks: Shawnlei, thank you for your time with us! What has been the most challenging part of your job(s)?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great question, Peggy. Everyone brings their own unique strengths to their role, so I suspect the answer might be different if you asked my predecessors. But for me, the most challenging part of the role has probably been the people side of things. People who love eagles are REALLY passionate about them. And it’s not uncommon in the world of conservation for there to be many different (and strongly held opinions) on how to accomplish our goals, or what our focus should be. I’m a peacemaker at heart, so I had to quickly learn that I can’t please everyone. I receive mean emails and get yelled at on a fairly regular basis and have had to learn not to take it personally, which is hard. I try to remind myself of the passion that is behind the emotion. I've definitely learned and grown so much! And the challenges have made me a better person. And leader.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Next up. Lauren Roberts asks: Hi Shawnlei and SWFL mods! I am an Eagle Watch volunteer and would just like to make a comment. Anyone that is thinking of volunteering, please do so! Your observations and reporting can help with studies and give insight to all the people, like Shawnlei, that are able to reach out to all organizations to help these amazing creatures! If you're already watching nests, why not let your observations be known! You might just see something that all eagles can benefit from!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you for all you do as a volunteer! EagleWatch started 26 years ago with the goal of protecting nesting eagles in Florida We started in 3 counties with 22 volunteers and are now in 40+ counties with over 300 volunteers! Lauren makes a great point about the importance of the nest data we collect. This information is useful for showing general trends in the population. For example, EagleWatch data will show if the number of chicks surviving to fledge at the nests we watch is starting to decline. Then can delve further into the data to determine possible causes of that decline (disturbance, nest location, habitat, water quality).
vlpritchett (Moderator): Hey Shawnlei, This is Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. So excited to see what viewers are asking and your thoughts on Bald Eagles in our state o FL!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks, Ginnie!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Babs Liberty asks: Could you explain the process of when someone in the Eagle Watch program sees a problem at or in a nest including the process of what happens after that as far as who is contacted & how they determine the rehab facility the eaglet goes to? Is it always Audubon or others? SWFEC could you post that great link about the program in the chat maybe at the end for the next two days? Thanks!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Babs! EagleWatch volunteers are trained to respond to a variety of potential problems at a nest, from human disturbance to injured eagles. For nest disturbances by humans, volunteers are asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Hotline Alert: 888-404-3922. FWC is the law enforcement in our state for the federal laws protecting eagles and will send out an officer to determine if the law is being violated. Anyone can call this number if they have a concern about something happening near an active nest. FWC may also be contacted if you encounter an injured eagle. My office is at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey and we work closely with many licensed raptor rehab facilities around the state. These organizations will often contact me when they recover an injured eagle. If it is a young eagle, I share our nest information to help them find a home for the young one if it can’t go back to its own nest. Some of the rehabbers we work with may not have a license to hold an eagle for treatment so will transfer it to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey or another facility in their area that is licensed to rehab an eagle. Thankfully we have a broad network of caring rehabilitation facilities across the state! To learn more about EagleWatch, visit: cbop.audubon.org/conservation/about-eaglewatch-program.Yo... find information about EagleWatch as well as opportunities to support the amazing work that they do at the Raptor Trauma Clinic, which treats over 700 injured birds of prey each year. About 70-80 of those patients are Bald eagles
SBAudubon (Moderator): Mohammed Abul Magd asks: This year I have noticed an increased violence against protected birds. Vultures and eagles shot by arrows and guns. In your point of view, why is that? And what measures do we need to implement in order to stop this?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Mohammed! At times it certainly feels like there has been an increase in violent acts against protected birds, but our intake data at the Center for Birds of Prey indicates no significant increase in these types of events. Looking back at 10 years of our intake records, only 1% of the patients had been shot. I suspect we are hearing about them more because of the prevalence of social media and the rapidity with which these types of stories are passed along. But it’s a good reminder for people that Bald eagles and other protected birds still face challenges and need our help.
SBAudubon (Moderator): DaveinMissouri asks: SBAudubon, would you be able to have any influence on asking manufacturers of lead bullets and fishing tackle to not use lead bullets for hunting. For fishing use alternative weights, not lead, and don't discard line or weights in the water. Maybe more warnings to hunters and fishermen on the products and better education when receiving a hunting or fishing license. Thank you for being here and for any help on this subject!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great suggestion, Dave. These are both difficult battles to fight. I think it will take everyone raising their voice together and sharing the numbers of birds affected---and the stories behind those numbers of the birds that have been affected by lead poisoning or hung up in fishing line. Whenever I get a chance to speak somewhere I always touch on ways we can help raptors and I raise both of these points-stop using lead bullets and don’t cut the line. If a few people are reached and then share it in their realm of influence, perhaps we can change it at the grass roots level. Sort of like the societal pressure for restaurants to stop using straws. These are definitely topics of concern for our state and the federal wildlife agencies.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat asks: Of the EagleWatch eaglets/fledglings, what diseases/health issues/injuries/or necropsy results are most commonly seen? Part 2. Have any EagleWatch fledglings that have come into care had lead exposures show up in the blood work done while in care?
SBAudubon (Moderator): I like your user name! Androcat.
As I mentioned, my office is at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland. Most of the eaglets we receive in our Raptor Trauma Clinic have fallen out of their nest for whatever reason. Surprisingly, they don’t often break any bones in the fall like you would expect. Generally after a round of meds to treat any internal parasites and some fluids and good food to fatten them up, they can be released. Other issues we’ll see with eaglets are Avian Pox, which is spread by mosquitos and causes wart-like lesions on the dry skin around their eyes, beak and feet. Sometimes the pox lesion will grow so large it will cover an eye or their nares. It’s treatable but can internalize and be fatal. But we’ve also seen cases of an eaglet in a nest with a bad case of pox and he got over it on his own. A couple of years ago, we got permission from US Fish and Wildlife to use a high-reach lift to rescue an eaglet from a nest that had a treble fishing lure with one hook caught in his beak and the other hook caught in his foot. He was basically hog-tied and was unable to eat. Thankfully the EagleWatch volunteers noticed something was wrong and we were able to rescue him and treat his wounds. He was released back at his nest a few weeks later. In general, the leading cause of injury for adult raptors we see in our Clinic is impact related issues, usually from car strikes. We also see a number of eagles who get secondary poisoning from consuming euthanized animals that aren’t properly buried at a landfill. This can be fatal if they aren’t rescued in time. But thankfully with just a couple of days of fluids to flush their system, they are usually as good as new! We do see lead toxicity in some of the birds.We are fortunate to have our own machine to test for lead levels, thanks to the generosity of some of our corporate donors. It allows us to quickly determine if they have lead in their system so we can start the treatment early. They usually recover from it with treatment. We usually see lead issues in birds that come from more rural areas where they may scavenge on a carcass that has been shot with lead bullets.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Donna LaFleur asks: Was that were BOB was?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Yes! Bob was a famous patient at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey for about a year. Because of his injuries, he was no longer able to fly so was not releasable to the wild. We all wished we could’ve kept him at the Center but we just didn’t have room. So a lengthy search was made for the perfect forever home for Bob. (Bob was an adult Bald eagle) While we searched, Bob lived in our 100ft flight barn where he hung out with all of the other eagles that came through on their way to being released back into the wild. Including Peace, the young eagle from the American Eagle Foundation NE Florida Eagle Cam.
Bob now lives at the Ecotarium in Worcester, MA. We all miss him but are so happy for him to have a great home.
SBAudubon (Moderator): mdofmich asks: Any studies being done on three adult eagle nests?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Aren’t those fascinating? Several cases of three adult eagle nests have been documented but I’m not aware of any published studies on them. Often when you see something unusual like that in breeding behavior, it’s an adaptation to a limitation—not enough females for males or vice versa. And perhaps its enough of a challenge in those areas to provide enough food for the young that they tolerate a helper. But that’s my own speculation. One thing I’ve learned is to never say “birds never do that” or “birds always do that”. Because they will always surprise you! It’s one of the many reasons I love working with them.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat: Q#1. Of the EagleWatch nests, are there any banded nesting adults, and if so, were the numbers of the bands able to be read to determine any history of the banded eagle parent? Part 2 of this question: If any EagleWatch fledglings have been banded in care, have there been any band sightings or returns (interested in where it migrated to or returned to, or what happened).
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat is back with another great question! The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey has a banding permit and we do band every Bald eagle we treat before release with a silver federal band. That band has a 9 digit unique code but unfortunately is almost impossible to read enough of the code to positively ID the bird. But having said that, we do have a number of nests monitored by EagleWatch that have banded adults. One nest in Lake County has a banded adult that we suspect is one we know. The breeding male had been rescued on the ground near this nest a few years before and then was banded and released. After that, a banded adult showed up at the nest the next season. We haven’t been able to confirm it’s him, but it makes sense that it probably is him. His patient number was 007. Like James Bond. The nest is in a neighborhood on the lake and all of the residents keep a close eye on that family. They love 007!
Two years we started an auxiliary banding program with the juvenile eagles we treat and release. In addition to the silver federal band, young eagles get a colored band on their other leg with an easy-to-read code in large white letters and numbers. Many of these banded juveniles are seen near their release location for the next few days but then take off on their migration. It can take up to 8 years on average for the first band resighting but we’ve been fortunate to receive a couple of reports of our banded youngsters being seen. Last July we got a report from West Virginia for one of our fledglings who had been released a month earlier in Lake county. That was our first report of one of a band outside of Florida! I think everyone heard me scream from excitement a mile away! This fall I got a photo from an EagleWatch volunteer in Pinellas County of one our bird who was banded two years ago and released in Orange County. That was encouraging to see that he had survived his first two years. So keep your eyes out for our birds! They either have a black band with two white numbers over a white A, or a green band with a white K over two white numbers.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Judy Shepherd asks: What is it like to be holding or standing right next to a bald eagle? I'm assuming you have based on the photo.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Judy! It’s as amazing as you probably can imagine. I am fortunate to get to handle our eagle ambassadors at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. They are so large and majestic. It’s really cool to be that close to them. Handling them is not without its challenges, though. They are 8-10 lbs, so I had to start lifting weights to carry them. And they are still wild animals, and like any wild animal, they can be dangerous. I’ve learned to read their moods and respect their power and capabilities. But I try to never take it for granted that I have this privilege. Insider tip: their call is really loud when it’s right in your ear. And they have bad breath.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Valerie Seyforth Clayton asks: Where do we think Florida Eagles go when they fledge? Where do we think our adult adults go when they are out of the area? (June, July, Aug)
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Valerie! Valerie is one of our dedicated EagleWatch volunteers in the Florida panhandle!
OrchrdHs asked as similar question: What is the longest distance a banded bald eagle has been recorded as traveling seasonally from/to Florida?
So I thought I would address them together. In 1998 USFWS to put a satellite tracking device on a pre-fledgling in a nest in Polk county. When she fledged, she flew all the way north to Canada and spent the summer there, returning to Florida for the winter (where she traveled around the Central Florida region, going as far south as Lake Okeechobee and visiting both coasts). She made this migration for the next 3 years until the transmitter fell off. In 2014 she was badly injured in a territory fight in Deltona and was rescued and transferred to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Unfortunately, she had to have part of her right wing amputated so she is a permanent resident at our Center—at the ripe young age of 21! Her name is Tallulah. Last year I received a photo of a banded eagle from an Orlando resident. The eagle also had the remnants of a satellite tracking pack on her back. I was able to track down the researcher who banded the bird. He said she was banded as an adult in Maine in 2015 and the tracking data indicated she spent her winters in Orlando and returned to Maine in the spring (their breeding season). Her pack has stopped transmitting the previous year. So it appears that FL eagles mostly migrate up the Atlantic flyway as far as Canada
SBAudubon (Moderator): Peggy180 asks: How does the hormone ghrelin make birds feel they have to migrate? What happens if a bird does not have enough to eat and is not full. Will that stop them from migrating?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Peggy 180! That’s an interesting question. Migration is such a complex behavior, influenced by many factors that are still not well understood. And different bird species have different migratory patterns. In Piping plovers, the female leaves before the young have fledged, leaving the male behind to finish raising the young. When the young make their first flight south, they don’t follow their dad or even stick together. They take off seemingly not knowing where they are going. So for some, migration seems very instinctual while for other birds it is more of a societal cue—they learn the route from older birds by following them.
Body condition is certainly an important factor when a bird prepares to migrate. That’s why fattening up on their wintering grounds is so important. And why I always encourage parents of young children to teach their kids not to chase birds on the beach. Many of these birds are exhausted after migrating or are resting and preparing to start the trip. Using up energy and fat stores to run or fly away from being chased by humans puts them at risk of not being fit enough to survive the journey. But from what I’ve read, it sounds like ghrelin plays a role in signaling to some birds when they are fat enough to start that journey. But for truly migratory species, I think there are other important signals the birds receives that would drive it to start the migratory journey even if it’s not full. Sadly, not all birds survive their migration. Birds with insufficient fat stores may not make it back or if they do, they may be in too poor of a condition to defend a nest and raise a family. I’ve done shorebird surveys in February and have seen numbers of weak or deceased seabirds on the beach who didn’t make it. It’s heart-breaking to witness but reminds me how fragile life is and what a tough life it is out there for many birds.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Judy Jirasek asks: Why do some states like Florida have so many eagles and some states don't have many? I live in Central Texas and we don't have eagles here. There are so many lakes and rivers throughout the state so I don't understand why Texas doesn't have many.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Judy from Texas! I’ve asked that question about tarantulas in Florida. Our climate is a lot like many of the Central American countries where you find tarantulas in great numbers. But we don’t have any in Florida. Why not? But that’s a question for another time. From a strict biology standpoint, the size of a population in an area is the result of the carrying capacity of its historic range, along with the birth and death and rate of immigration and emigration. That’s a long sentence to say if there aren’t a lot of eagles in Texas, it may simply be that historically there never were many there and the birth and death rate of those who live there is roughly equal so that the population is static. It could also be something related to climate or food source, two important factors in determining where species breed. Florida has one of the largest Bald eagle populations in the lower 48 states and biologists often wonder what our carrying capacity may be. i.e. will we reach a point where there is not enough nesting or foraging sites to sustain the population. When that happens, you will often see the range of a species start to spread as the adventurous birds strike out to stake their claim on the edge of the historic range. Over time, if they are successful, the range will continue to creep outwards.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Selena Elizondo-Cepeda asks: What states have best Eagle Nest results?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great question, Selena. Florida’s population is doing well. Last season, for the nests that EagleWatch monitors, they fledged 1.3 chicks per nesting attempt. Nests that were successful fledged 1.65 young per nest. I don’t have great statistics for other states to compare with but have read that some states are seeing a decline in the number of nests that are hatching and fledgling two young. They speculated that this may be due to reaching its carrying capacity for that area. In Florida, the majority of the nests we monitor still produce 2 young, and each year ~10% of our nests hatch and fledge 3 young. That’s a testament to the large prey base here, that eagles can catch enough food to successfully raise three voracious eagles.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Annie Keeley asks: When Juvies leave the Northern States for winter do they return and fly together?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Research studies indicate that Bald eagles don’t migrate together. They may share common stopover spots for foraging and refueling as they travel, but ultimately they make the journey alone.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Carl Berube asks: Are there any current studies or research taking place on migration of young/sub-adult eagles on the east coast? And are there documented cases of a sub-adult eagle returning permanently to the nest area they hatched at?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Carl, a study published in 2008 using satellite tracking indicated that sub-adults migrate up the Atlantic Flyway as far as Canada. Their routes varied somewhat going north and returning south during the first year or two, but as they aged, they showed more fidelity to a set route, indicating they were gaining experience in migrating as they aged. A study in 2014 based on banding data indicates that Bald eagles in general tend to disperse from 40-90 miles from where they were born to breed, with females dispersing greater distances than males (which is a typical life strategy for many species of bird to promote genetic diversity). However, one of our EagleWatch volunteers reported a banded adult at a newly documented nest in Martin County a year ago. When I reported the band to the researcher, I learned that the male was banded as a chick in a nest in Polk County in 2000. Our report was the first time he’d been seen since then! So 18 years later he had traveled 118 miles SE from where he hatched to breed.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Jackie Brown asks: Do you believe the parents and their off springs would recognize each other- if the kids came back into the area after leaving for a period of time?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Eagles seem to have a way or recognizing others. Mates indicate some level of recognition in that they mate for life and return to each other each season. They will often tolerate juvenile birds who visit their nest, even if not their own young. Last season we have several nests that we monitored that had an extra fledgling show up and join the family for a few days and the parents took them in. The parents were OK with it although the young in the nest seemed annoyed. We use this to our advantage in the rehab community so that we are able to rehome young eagles into foster nests if they can’t go back to their own nest or family for some reason. Our Clinic supervisor likes to joke that the adults either can’t count or don’t care.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Linda L. Reid asks: Are there statistics on the percentage of juvies who make it to 5 years old! I heard it is low and that is sad!!! Looking forward to the chat session! And JudyJirasek: What is the lastest statistics for a young Eagle surviving to adulthood and how do you know?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Linda and Judy! You all had similar questions so thought I would address them together. The most dangerous time for a young Bald eagle is the first year. Recent studies using satellite tracking in several states indicate survival rates of 60-75% that first year. If birds survive that first year, their mortality rate drops to 10-15%into adulthood. We know these statistics thanks to bird banding.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Daunelle Danish asks: If a bald eagle pair abandon a nest will another bald eagle pair most likely move into that nest?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Daunelle! Another EagleWatch volunteer! Having a breeding territory is incredibly valuable to a nesting pair, so much so that they will defend it to their death. So it would be unusual for a pair to abandon a territory. What is more likely is that they may be ejected for the territory by another pair that takes their nest, or a mate dies and the survivor finds another mate in the area. Sometimes you’ll have a nest that hasn’t been active in several years that is suddenly active again. Is it the same pair or a new one? It’s hard to say with any certainty unless the eagles are banded.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Isabelle Brunelle asks: How does the eagle know/determine the sex of another eagle for "bonding" purposes?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Eagles are dimorphic, meaning the females are substantially larger than the males, so those physical cues would play a big role. Behavioral clues likely also play a role. Females are much more dominant and aggressive. I would imagine there a number of nuances that the human eye doesn’t notice that eagles pick up on that signal whether the other bird is male or female.
SBAudubon (Moderator): NHDalGal asks: Are altercations between eagles, when fighting for territory or a nest, usually female vs.female or male vs. male? If yes, is this because males may not prevail in a fight with a female because females are larger than males?
SBAudubon (Moderator): That’s a great question, and one that I hadn’t really thought about before! I know that both adults defend the nest and will fight but I have not read anything in the literature that says males only fight males and females only fight females. It would make sense if that is true for the reason you mentioned, the size difference. Anecdotally, with eagles we see that come into the Center as the result of a territory fight, it does seem that they are from same-sex fights. If anyone’s heard of females fighting males, let me know!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Pamela Dorman Wright asks: Hi, Shawnlei and mods! Since eagles have moved from "endangered" to "protected" status, is there a designated point at which they will no longer fall under the "protected" parameters? Thanks and I hope your chat will be available for later viewing!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Pamela, Thanks for the question. As you know, eagles were once on the brink of extinction but made an incredible come-back when laws were put in place to protect them. Their numbers have increased enough that they were removed from the federal list of Threatened and Endangered species just over 10 years ago. But Bald eagles are still protected by a federal law known as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act has recently loosened some of their permitting processes based on data that indicates the population is doing well. The permits issued are directly related to the size and health of the populations. These permits allow for "take" of eagles or their nests. So if anything, I think the authorities may allow more take permits in the future if the population continues to do well and grow. The data that EagleWatch collects is used to help track the status of the population in Florida and is shared with both state and federal authorities. Because of America’s affinity for our national bird, I suspect eagles will always be protected in some measure.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Bonnie Rinehart asks: I always wonder how do they get water when young?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Good question! As with most raptors, they majority of the moisture they need from the food they consume as chicks in the nest. But as adults you will sometimes see them getting a drink from a pond, but if anything, they are usually bathing. They like to keep it clean!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Daunelle Danish asks: Hi Shawnlei, question: is there such thing of infertility in young bald eagles and if yes, do they hatch with that condition or could it be caused by injury, or both?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Infertility can affect birds of any age. Sometimes it is a genetic defect they are born with and sometimes it develops later in life due to injury or other health issues. As with most animals, birds enter a period of senescence in their later years where they are no longer reproductive.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Christine Napoline Lonabaugh asks: Do we know how old Harriet is? How long can she breed?
SBAudubon (Moderator): The wonderful moderators helped me with these questions. Here is what they said: The adults are not banded,so there is no way of knowing their exact age. Based on local viewers who have watched Harriet over the years, Harriet is at least 20 years of age. She has been seen at this nest since 2006. If she is the same female that nested across the street she could be in her mid 20s - this is taking into consideration that eagles mature and usually begin breeding at around five years of age.
Regarding how long they can breed, if they are healthy, I would imagine that like most birds, they can breed for much of their adult life. They are a long-lived species, living into their late 30’s/early 40’s in the wild.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Babs Liberty asks: Are the Eagle Watch training programs online or at specific locations. If online, can one sign up for the training but not actually join the program (for educational purposes)? Is there a cost? How many sessions are there? Is the training a one-time event or at different times during the year. I will try to think of more questions.
SBAudubon (Moderator): EagleWatch volunteer trainings are held in the fall and are mostly in-person at 8-10 locations around the state. I also held several online web trainings for the first time last year to reach those who live in areas that I don’t make it to for trainings. The trainings are focused on what we do, protocols, etiquette, etc. You are certainly welcome to sign up to attend. There is no cost to attend and no requirement that you continue on to volunteer. If you’re interested in being notified of the training dates and locations, email me at eaglewatch@audubon.org to be added to our email list.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you so much for your time and for the great questions.
beju: Did Bob go to a zoo, there as some talk last year it could be a possibility
SBAudubon (Moderator): Yes! Bob went to the Ecotarium in Massachusetts. It's a zoological and educational facility.
MagEagle9: Would you explain what 'take' means in the permitting process?
PamW2017: Shawnlei - Can you explain what a "take" permit is?
Opalillie Colligan: Hi. What does it mean to "take" of eagles or their nests?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks, yes
"Take" is the term used when a permit is issued to remove a nest (which is illegal without a permit, even if the nest is not being used). The other type of take permit covers work near a nest that may cause the nest to fail or may cause loss of life for an adult or the young
MelodyCS: Are internal parasites common? And if not treated, is it life threatening?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Internal parasites seem to be fairly common. At a low level they are not a concern. But if the bird is weakened or the load gets too high, it could potentially be fatal.
WPBEgal: Do you only monitor nests or do you take information on frequent eagle sightings in an area?
SBAudubon (Moderator): We only collect nest data. Ebird is a great resource for posting your eagle sightings
samour17 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei. I am curious if the possible banding of all eaglets has been discussed for future studies similar to those being done at the Catalina Islands for their reintroduction program.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Currently our permit only allows us to band young eagles that come to our clinic for treatment. So we don’t actively climb up to the nest and band young in the nest like come research projects do. The color of the band we put on the eaglet is based on what type of nest they came from: green bands for eaglets from nests in trees and black bands for eaglets from nests on artificial structures (cell towers, power line transmission towers, platforms). The goal of our study is to determine if the type of nest they hatched in influences their nest choice at maturity. Because it takes juveniles 5 years to reach sexual maturity, this is a long term study, so I suspect we’ll focus on these methods for the foreseeable future. Great question!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you again for having me! I hope you will consider visiting the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey the next time you are in the Central Florida area! You may visit our website for more information: cbop.audubon.org/visit-us. And don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or ever need help with an injured eagle or eagle nest issue. I can be reached via email at 407-644-0190 or eaglewatch@audubon.org.
Essec09 (Admin): I want to thank you for sharing your evening with us Shawnlei. It was so informative and I really enjoyed it. We will be posting this session on SWFEC’s Flickr account by this weekend so that everyone will be able to read it. Thank you again! It was so nice “meeting you”. And thank you to the Pritchetts for setting this session up!
icecream247 (Admin): thank you Shawnlei, Very informative.
MtGal30: TY Shawnlei, Ginnie, Modsquad,Pritchett's n Peepers. I learned so much more about BE's tonight. Thoughtful questions were featured with some surprising answers!
DaveinMissouri: Thank you so much Shawnlei for taking time to be here tonight, it was very interesting seeing your answers to the questions being asked! Please come back when you can!
Sue_Lyons (Admin): Shawnlei thank you so much, this has been enlightening and educational - we so appreciate your time tonight!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Good night everyone!
Joanne Campbell: Thank you!
WPBEgal: Thank you Shawnlei!
Jackie Brown: Welcome Shawnie and thank you for coming to SWFE chat tonight.
MsSmith57 (Admin): Thank you Shawnlei, so much great information, Good night.
Megster: Thank you for joining this most special group of Admins and chatters Shawnllei
BckEE: Hello, Shawnlei! Welcome, and thank you!
Babs628: Thanks, Shawnlei, for joining this great chat with us tonight. Looking forward to all of the educational information you will be sharing with us tonight.
Gail Siebler: SB Audubon. Welcome to the SW world. I know you will enjoy it here. Such nice folks to share your info and ideas with.
vlpritchett (Moderator): Thank you Shawnlei and everyone for joining us tonight!
Sharon Davis: Nice to have you with us tonight shawnlei it's hard to pronounce really don't have any questions I'll just read
Valerie Seyforth Clayton: Hi Shawnlei this is Valerie. Thank you for all you do. I monitor 9 nests in the Panhandle for Eagle watch.My love of eagles began with E9. Thank you Shawnlei for all you do. Thank you to Dick Pritchett for the cam. Love my H and M15
HOeagletfan1: Night all and thanks Shawnlei SEDs
EJsbe: Thank you Shawnlei!
MelodyCS: A big thank you
Elaine Herbert: Welcome, Shawnlei! we are excited to have you with us!
Daunelle Danish: Thank you Shawnlei
Deen622: Thank you Shawnlei so much valuable information learned alot!
Susan Kiser: Thank you so very much for all of this very informative info Shawnlei! I am copying/pasting it to OpenOffice right now and I can't wait to read it later!
Ilene Horwitz: Thank you for so much information, Shawnlei, the hour flew by!
dadsjazz (Admin): Thanks so much for all the very valuable information!
monieagl11: Thank You Shawnlei so much was so informative
Essec09 (Admin): There are a few questions that Shawnlei wasn't able to get to. We will forward them to her by email and post the answers if she is able to answer them. Thank you all for joining us this evening. Was a wonderful, informative session.
purpleagle (Admin): Thank you Shawnlei for sharing your evening with us. I'm sure that you were able to answer many of our viewers questions !
E9Lover2: Thank you Shawnie for all the amazing knowledge you shared with us tonight. Hope you will visit with us again maybe next session?
RobertoD (Admin): Shawnlei, thank you very much for all of the information about migration! It’s my favorite subject Especially for mentioning Piping Plovers, and how you encourage parents with children to not chase after birds on the beach. I work and live on a barrier island off the SC coast and we do see Plovers migrating through each year. They stop here to refuel on the eggs of Horseshoe Crabs. Our problem here is dogs off of leashes which is difficult to control. I manage to get photos each year of banded Piping Plovers and am always fascinated by the data that I get back when I report the sightings. Thank you so much for being here tonight!
MelodyCS: I'm still giggling at, eagles have bad breath lol
LNBirdLady: Hello everyone. Thank you for all your information tonight. FYI, I visited Bob at the Ecotarium last summer. He had a new young female eagle joining him who was named Dianne after the author of the book Eagle One who raised eaglets in MA.
Peggy180: Thank you so much, Shawnlei. That information was absolutely fascinating!
SoarFreeE9: Thank you Shawnlei!!
beju: Thank you so very muchShawnlei
Macky Miller: I am a firm believer that protecting our precious wildlife has to start with the young. Our moderators have sessions with the schools. Have schools been receptive to your coming in and talking to the students? Have you been able to get younger children involved? I suspect they would, in turn, go back home and bring their parents into the picture. Hope I'm not off the wall with my thinking. I thank you for being here tonight.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Macky! So true. Children are the future! And we do get many opportunities through the Center for Birds of Prey to go into schools and talk about the importance of eagles and other raptors and how we can help protect them. One of our EagleWatch volunteers is a grade school technology teacher and she uses the SW FL Eagle cam in her classroom. It’s really heartwarming to hear her stories.
jsheptwo: Shawnlei, thank you SO much....this has just been fascinating and so much wonderful information. I found the point about eagles scavaging on euthanized animals not buried deeply enough somewhat disturbing. Would that possibly be as a result of farmers leaving their euthanized animals out?
SBAudubon (Moderator): You make a good point. I had assumed that farmers were required to property dispose of euthanized animals. If not, that could certainly be one of the causes. But in most cases when we’ve received an eagle that has signs of secondary barbiturate poisoning (the chemical used to euthanize animals), they are found at a landfill or within half a mile of a landfill. Landfills are supposed to properly bury euthanized animals they receive. So when we identify a landfill that is a repeat offender, we work with them and the Florida Dept of Environmental Protection to help them address the issue.
Janet1: Thank you Shawnlei for all the information have a good night
JudyJirasek: Very informative thank you very much
Shannon Jemison Price: Thank you, Shawnlei! What a wonderful session tonight. Thank you for all you do and for your time tonight.
hootie-hoo: Shawnlei, Thank you for sharing your evening with us! DaveM great question about lead awareness!
katbate: Great, informative session. Thank you so much
Androcat: Thank you Shawnlei! Favorite chat session ever! Thank you Pritchett family for yet another gift!
PamW2017: Shawnlie - Many thanks for answering our questions! Very informative, and hope you can come back some time.
Carol Guarco Myers: Thank you all for coordinating. What a great hour! Time flies!
trusteagles: Thank you so much, Shawnlei. As Essec said, it was a pleasure to meet you. I learned so much tonight. Thank you,Ginnie, for making this happen.
NHDalGal: Wow! This was an awesome addition to our chat. I hope we can do things like this again. Thank you to Shawnlei and the Pritchetts for making this available to us.
TinEar: I think the operative word tonight was "take" which startled several people apparently. I also though it meant to hunt/kill/harvest and was a bit alarmed at first until getting Shawnlei's explanation.
Pat Kwap Kemble: Thank you Shawnlei for teaching us so much about eagles.
OrchrdHs: Super interesting and reminds us that there is still so much to learn about these magnificent birds. Adding notes to my eagle journal and now I have more ideas for research and then can share with others who are interested in BEs. Thanks so much!
Tom Sawyer: Thank you to Shawnlei for all the great information! I would like to see an answer to Sams last question myself? That was an interesting and very relevant question regarding banding considerations.
Beverly Morden Hall: Shawnlie thank you so much. I can't wait to read it all GAIN. iT IS FACINATING
lucybird: Thanks all for this special chat. It was so very informative. What a treat Thank you Ginni P for putting this together WOW.
Eagletoe06: Many thanks to Ginnie Pritchett & Shawnlei! Very informative & great statistics! Always learning!
Lauren Roberts: Thank you to the Pritchetts for having Shawnlei join us tonight. And thank you, Shawnlei. She is the BEST! I'm having computer issues and was afraid I would miss it. SO back to work on that for me. Thank you Mods for getting that all set up for us! SEDs all!
scurtis123: Thank you to our hosts and speaker, and other eagle fans here!
TinEar: Shawnlie certainly opened the door for those interested to further their eagle education with the free training classes held around the state of FL. Here's your opportunity.
Jackie Brown: Thanks Eagle Squad for having our guess Shawnlei with is tonight. Thanks Pritchett family for providing us the opportunity to always learn about our eagle family.
Babs628: That was very enjoyable, educational and thought-provoking. Definitely a copy & paste to keep for reference. Thank you, Shawnlei & the SWFEC & Pritchett family for arranging this great Q & A.
AndrewNH26: Thank you Shawnlie << Notice the 3 Eagles in oct on cam 2 nodding yes to eveything you shared Lol
TaraTrac: Please thank Shawnlei for this informative and inspiring talk! The timing couldn't be better because I'm signing up for an introductory class and nest viewing by our East Bay Regional Park Dist. citizen Raptor Research program, with a focus on bald eagles. Thanks Essec, SueL, Roberto, Sam for hosting her. And GE viewers.....great talk, huh?
Nancy Phillips: Thanks Pritchett's and all involved in this chat, Shawnlie was so interesting and I learned a lot more about our great Eagles, great chat!
MagEagle9: Thank you Ginnie for the great idea of this chat with Shawnlei and thank you Essec and awesome mods for making it happen! I get to work with her thru EagleWatch and the days I volunteer at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. I was blessed to spend the morning with her at 2 eagle releases! That is what it is all about-getting them back home! I hope to meet you the next time you visit our amazing center Ginnie! If any of you are ever near central Florida it is well worth the visit!
floridafox: Hi all question: Why is it unlawful to pick up an eagle feather from the ground it doesn’t seem to affect any natural events in an Eagles life ty
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi floridafox! You are referring to the federal law that protects eagles and all of their body parts so that it is illegal to own an eagle feather or any body part without a federal permit. I didn’t realize until I came to this position that even deceased eagles found on the road, or wherever they may be found, must be properly disposed of. FWC often brings deceased eagles to our Clinic for processing. We have to report the death to US Fish and Wildlife and they direct us as to what to do with the body—either send it to a lab for necropsy to determine if the cause of death was something illegal or to the eagle repository where the remains are made available to American Indians for use in their religious ceremonies. So it’s quite a process. I suspect the law is as strict as it is because allowing the collection of eagle feathers could be a slippery slope—was the feather found on the ground or did someone shoot the eagle to get the feather and then hide the remains? Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous people out there and as is often the case, our laws are shaped to prevent the worst.
LCampbell75: Those were great questions...I learned a lot... thanks for doing this...and why do you guys name the eagles and we at SWEFC don't??
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks! Are you referring to my story about Bob and Peace? We don’t actually name our eagle patients at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Peace was named by the folks at the NE FL Eagle Cam, which is operated by the American Eagle Foundation, and they do name their eagles. When Peace came to our clinic for treatment, all of their camera followers began watching the live feed from our flight barn and they are the ones who gave the name Bob to the adult eagle who “fostered” Peace. We refer to our patients by their patient number. Although we do go on to name any non-releasable raptors who become permanent residents at our facility. At that point, they become family.
STOP ANTI-ASIAN RACISM & CHINA BASHING RALLY at Chinatown Archway at 7th and H Street, NW, Washington DC on Saturday afternoon, 27 March 2021 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Follow 27 March 2021 ANSWER Coalition Stop Anti-Asian Violence! Stop China-Bashing! DC Rally at www.facebook.com/events/446046030011490/
Learn more about the 27 March 2021 ANSWER Coalition National Day of Action Against Anti-Asian Hate & China Bashing at www.answercoalition.org/stop_anti_asian_racism_now_end_wh...
Elvert Barnes PROTEST PHOTOGRAPHY 2021 at elvertbarnes.com/protests2021
Elvert Barnes Saturday afternoon, 27 March 2021 SPRINGTIME IN WASHINGTON DC docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/27March2021
1. Anything?! Damn boi! asked by A Civilian
A: yes, anything
2. what would you do for a klondike bar? asked by =BROHAMSANWICH=
A: amost anything
3. what number is the earth? true or false? asked by Socialist brick (I am the Box man JR)
A: 24; true
4. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? asked by marineraider Semper Fidelis
A: all of the wood
5. Favorite of all your mods? asked by whatman59
A: a tie between my intervention, RPK, and mk14
6. How many stomachaches does a cow have? asked by lego blackops
A: one?
7. What if a drunk bear was backwards on a gocart coming towards you going 10 knots because he adjusted the sails to face the wind? What if a turtle got ran over by a truck which caused the bear to spin out of control and loose altitude and crash land his plane? asked by HighonBricks
A: then the bear would be dead.
8. have you always lived in Florida? asked by Zachary117
A: yes, i was born and raised in florida, and i have lived in the same house my entier life
9. who would win in a fight Hawkeye, Katniss or Legolas? Honest answer please. asked by soulspiritstudios
A: hawkeye because i have never seen lotr, and i just think he could easily beat katniss
10. How old are you? asked by [Night Fox]
A: i am 14 turning 15 in march
11. where in FL do you live, cuz i live in FL :P asked by legocreator216
A: i live in Palm City, all the way on the east coast, about even with lake Okeechobee
12. what is the music you like? asked by clone camo1
A: i like country music and 50's rock
well guys, that concludes my first q and a, i may do another in the future if you want. i hope you got to know a little more about me, even though some of these questions didnt make sense :P
Once Sir Joseph of Baeth learnt of Lenfald's separation, he feared that Djorn and Roger were in danger on their way to Garheim. This fear was realized when he received a note stating that the traveling duo had in fact been captured at the Lenfald-Loreos border and were being held for ransom at the old Garhim embassy; roughly ten miles north along the western coast. At this same time Joseph had received an order to go fishing in Lenfald in order to spy on the province. Figuring this was a perfect time to do so, he proceeded to hire a crew, pack his wares and fishing rods, and load up the Rogue Spur for the rescue of Roger and Djorn.....
Several weeks had passed since their departure from Dalmunatha. It took time for Joseph to sail far enough south in order to steer clear of the Magic Isles and plot a very careful course through the Sea of Despair to reach the safer coasts of the Western side of Roawia. Upon arrival to the cliffs that held the old Garhim embassy, its banners changed to the colors of Lenfald, Joseph told his crew to prepare to be boarded with weapons at the ready- if they had previously kicked the Garhims out of the embassy, who knows what they would do to them as Loreesis.
Surprisingly enough however, Sir Joseph and his crew were met with open arms as they docked to the old embassy with dock hands helping to immediately unload the sea-wary contents of their journey. Djorn and Roger were waiting along the lookout just above the docks holding on to two beautiful women each with giant grins on their faces. Standing next to them was a Lenfel knight with a light grey beard and swept back hair, wearing black lapels, noting him as a higher lord. He yelled out, "What ho Sir Joseph! How thee fare on this fine day?! Did thy winds give you quick course to mighty Lenfald?!"
Not sure if this was a ruse or sincere question Joseph knew to keep his tongue witty and his sword close for this encounter. He called back to the lord,
"Greetings noble Lenfel! The winds were sure in helping us get 'ere at the best pace it could!" He began to walk up the stairs to talk to the noble more clearly, "I dont think we have had the pleasure of acquaintance, I am Sir Joseph of Baeth, merchant and knight of Loreos. I was requested to come rescue my two colleagues here, who seem to have both made themselves rather comfortable. I feel I have brought more than enough gold and treasure to negotiate with for their immediate release. Exactly who do I have the pleasure of doing business with my lord?"
At this, the "captured" duo had begun laughing while the noble wrapped an arm around the confused Joseph and gave out a hearty laugh too. Gathering himself, the high lord finally spoke to Joseph, "Nay Sir Joseph! Yer friends aren't our prisoners! Why they have been great fun in our little castle! That note was written just to scare ye to get yer booty out here sooner! Twas a big misunderstanding that has happened since the separation of Lenfald from the nations of Roawia. Thou first think we kicked out the Garhims from their embassy, tis a false accusation- all the occupants left when Garheim was in most dire trouble with the Queen's soldiers. We took up residence because we didnt want them damn filthy Dragon soldiers to find and take root in this abandoned outpost.."
He turned and gestured to Roger and Djorn, "And the capturing of these two twas a complete accident, I had not yet returned from the council meeting so when word of our separation began to incorrectly spread- the local militias deemed it best to start building a wall and patrolling the Lorseesi-Lenfel border which is where your companions were taken. Our most sincere apologies for this mistake, we do not request any form of ransom and if you'd like you can set up a booth in the courtyard and sell thy wares! Stay awhile and let thy crew rest from your long journey! Im sure many 'ere would love to buy some gems and trinkets! AH I almost forgot the pleasantries, I am Lord Jon of House Dragmar.'
Surprised at this revelation and indeed tired from his journey here, Joseph was still suspicious of this Lord Jon and those Lenfels around him. He decided it would be best to accept the invitation and let the crew rest for a few days so he could dig a bit deeper into the mystery that Lenfald had become... He accepted the high lord's apology and invitation to set up shop and rest for a couple days. He finished by giving a sly grin and asking a single question, "So Lord Jon, I have heard that Lenfald's western shores are home to some of the best fishing the realm has ever seen! I just so happen to have my fishing rods with me, would you be up for a spot of fishing tomorrow?"
The old Lenfel replied, "Well of course we have the world's best fishing! I will take you up on that offer Sir Joseph! Tomorrow at mid morning we shall fish!"
.......
It was summertime in Roawia and like the other nations, Lenfald's denizens were enjoying this time of peace. This gave the old embassy a very festive feel. Merchants were selling their wares, people were milling about and talking, children were laughing; jesters juggled and told jokes, the men were having fun practicing their archery and sword skills. Roger had met a cute baker so while he managed Joseph's booth, he allowed her to sell bread to hungry customers. Djorn was off of his shift so he resumed courting the fair ladies he had previously been seen with.
The Garhims had set up a rather good system of agriculture here so many were tending and harvesting the varieties of produce and food that was growing around the castle though the guard presence was quite large for such a small outpost...Joseph noticed this.
Just a few meters down from the dock that held the Rogue Spur was a wooden outlook that jutted out over the cliffs, a perfect spot for fishing. It was here that Lord Jon and Sir Joseph had cast out their lines and began to wait for something to bite.
"Ahhh... a lovely day ain't it Lord Jon?" Asked Joseph. Slipping the objective of spying to Roger and Djorn late in the night, he knew that the information the three could collect would be valuable to his Areani allies. Joseph had also given the Lord some of his strongest Loreesi ale at breakfast to loosen him up before their little fishing excursion.
"Yes, tis a great day after all Sir Joseph! Nothing quite like men of stature relishing in the simple enjoyments of the commoners."
Looking away, Joseph rolled his eyes and nodded. "Aye milord, tis always a surreal experience. Tell thee, what dost thou think of Lenfald's separation from the Roawia?"
"Not much to be honest with ya lad. Everyone be a little tenser with being afraid of how the other nations will react, but we will all get along in the end Im sure. I will tell ya what Joseph, I dont give much trust to them Loreesi or Garhim diplomats and politicians. Tis the tried and true men of Roawia, those who work its land and seas that I trust the most. Men like you lad... I will tell you this though my new friend, something you'd like to hear but cannot tell anyone..."
He leaned in close to Joseph, so close Joseph could smell the Loreesi ale on the high lord's breath.
"I heard something remarkable has happened that gives reason for the sudden movements of Lenfald's ships-- the reason why there wasn't a vessel stationed here upon your arrival. There are trusted rumors that us Lenfel's have discovered something." He pointed out to the sea, "Something out there...-"
His sentence was cut off by Joseph being startled by the sudden jerking of his fishing line. "AHA! I believe I caught me a fish!" He yelled as he pulled up a medium sized fish.
Broke from his drunken trance, Lord Jon exclaimed, "Oi! That is a fine lookin fish me boy! Let us cook it up and get more of that fancy ale of yours!"
__________________________
First off, sorry for the rather long story! But it is needed for the continuation of Sir Joseph of Baeth's story which will probably be shorter in upcoming installments.
(Also, apologies for the kind of crappy pics- my actual camera isnt working and my light box didnt fit this size MOC so a lot of photoshop was used in the first pic so sorry about that.)
Secondly, Wow! This was a big entry to both the Loreos Local Challenge LCXXII and the second Journeyman task of the Merchants guild!
This was originally apart of a display last year for a local Lego event here in the Northern Colorado area but I never got around to posting it as life got in the way and I wasn't sure how to incorporate this into my character's story at the time. The base had been sitting around while the original castle was taken down to build something for my next Merchants Guild task.
It was really my first attempt at building an actual castle for once and since it was intended for a display- I wanted an open area for easy viewing while keeping the castle modular so that is why it doesnt really have a keep or anything. But after my quick redux I think it turned out quite well!
If you've made it this far thanks so much for viewing! It's good to be actively building again and there is still quite a bit in store! :)
on our walk back to grand central last night after the band of horses show at carnegie hall, we passed the open bay of fire engine company 65, a.k.a. the "midtown mob." the fireman at the gate saw us taking pictures, and said we could come in and shoot the rig. the guy was so friendly, i couldn't not ask to shoot his portrait. "me? you wanna take a picture of me?" "hellsyeah!" i said. so he came out and positioned himself in front of the truck, all proud-like and smiling. but just as i went to click the shutter, an alarm sounded; he jumped off the fender, ran to the booth, and answered the call. more men appeared out of nowhere from behind the rig, getting ready to respond. we quickly got out of their way with shouts of "thank you," "good luck," and "be safe."
later when i looked in the camera, this is what i found.
it's my favorite shot of the night.
Sin Edición . Ne Ŝanĝita . Not Edited
Ciudad de México, México
Q&A: Knowing which way to follow, even is not clear
Stapled to a 16th Ave. telephone pole.
New Yorkers in general and aspiring professionals in particular are linked umbilically to the telephone. The day the phone circuits went out in lower Manhattan thanks to a fire in one of the switching centers downtown, and there was no telephone service for a week, two actors and a nightclub comic killed themselves out of desperation.
Every would-be actor, dancer, singer, comedian, window or set dresser, flower arranger or street peddler has a service. "Call my service," they'll tell , "This is my service number." An answering service is something they just can't do without. Con Edison may shut off the gas; they may not have enough dimes for the clothes dryer in the laundromat; they may not have tasted real food since the last time they went home to mother, but they have a service.
Tony of course had told Joy to "call my service," and had given her a telephone number. The grungy single-room-occupancy hotel where he was sacking out had something that once functioned as a switchboard, and an ancient and decrepit unshaven relic who had once furnished a doorman-cum-desk ...
Yes, it was the Yellow-orange Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria var. formosa)... the GUESS WHAT from two days before .....
A slightly poisonous Fungus or mushroom (or would you all call it toadstool then?) ... so not to use for pizza ... lol .... nor for mushroom dinners ....
Besides you want some physical problems ....or visions or deliriums ... it was used as halluzinogen in former times....
But beautiful it is ... one of the most beautiful mushrooms i know, seems to have jumped directly out of the fairy-tale universes .....
Sorry, the photographic quality is not the best. I have some wonderful pictures, taken with my macro lens, but somehow i cant upload them to flickr , as i am not at home and surfing only on a stick .....
So this image taken by the i-phone must do it for now ....
Wish you all great and tasty lunch - and dinner - meals ..... maybe mushrooms,, too , but not from this species ..... LOL
At 21:47 GMT, the equinox happened, and so from then on, light is destined to win over darkness. Which meant, of course, that the day before then was the shortest "day", or amount of daylight.
This is the end of the year, the build up and excitement before Christmas, and at the same time, looking back at the year, and what has happened in the previous 50 or so weeks. So, a time of mixed emotions, good and bad, happy and sad.
But I was on vacation, or not going to work.
I am not up to date, but I did all the tasks I was supposed to do, threw a few electronic grenades over the walls, and was now happy not to think of that shit for two whole weeks.
For Jools, however, there was half a day to do, and then her employers paid for all those employed at the factory to go to a fancy place in Folkestone for lunch, drinks at the bar and a bottle of wine between four folks.
It was, in short, a time for celebration. Something I realise has not happened in my job since I left operational quality, to be happy and give thanks to those we work with. And be recognised for the good job we do.
So, I was to take Jools to work, and have the car for the day.
Jools was conscious that my plan for the day involved driving to the far west of Kent, so realised I needed an early start, and not dropping her off in Hythe at seven.
We left after coffee just after six, driving through Dover and Folkestone on the main road and motorway before turning over the downs into Hythe. I dropped her off in the town, so she could get some walking in. She always didn't walk, as waves of showers swept over the town, and me as I drove back home for breakfast and do all the chores before leaving on a mini-churchcrawl.
So, back home for breakfast, more coffee, wash up, do the bird feeders and with postcodes, set out for points in the extreme west. Now, Kent is not a big county, not say, Texas big, but it takes some time to get to some parts of the west of the county. Main roads run mainly from London to the coast, so going cross-country or cross-county would take time.
At first it was as per normal up the A20 then onto the motorway to Ashford then to Maidstone until the junction before the M26 starts. One of the reasons for going later was to avoid rush hours in and around Maidstone, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
As it was, after turning down the A road, things were fine until I got to Mereworth, but from there the road began to twist and turn until it lead me into Tonbridge. Once upon a time, this was a sleepy village or small town. The the railways came and it became a major junction. The road to Penshurt took me though the one way system, then down the wide High Street, over the river Medway and up the hill the other side.
Two more turns took me to my target, through what were once called stockbroker mansions, then down a hill, with the village laid out before me just visible through the trees.
The village was built around the outskirts of Penshurst Place, home to the Sidney family since Tudor times. Just about everything is named the Leicester something, the village having its own Leicester Square, though with no cinemas, and all timber framed houses and painfully picturesque.
The church lays behind the houses, the tower in golden sandstone topped with four spirelets.
I parked the car, and armed with two cameras, several lenses and a photographer's eye, walked to the church.
The reason for coming was I can only remember a little about my previous visit, but the Leicester name thing triggered in my head the thought the memorials and tombs might be worth a revisit.
So there I was.
Gilbert Scott was very busy here, so there is little of anything prior to the 19th century, but the memorials are there. Including one which features the heads of the children of Robert Sidney (d1702) in a cloud. Including the eldest son who died, apparently, so young he wasn't named, and is recorded as being the first born.
This is in the Sidney Chapel where the great and good are buried and remembered, it has a colourful roof, or roof beams, and heraldic shields. It has a 15th century font, which, sadly, has been brightly painted so is gaudy in the extreme.
I go around getting my shots, leave a fiver for the church. Go back to the car and program Speldhurst into the sat nav.
Its just a ten minute drive, but there is no place to park anywhere near the church. I could see from my slow drive-by the porch doors closed, and I convinced myself they were locked and not worth checking out.
I went on to Groombridge, where there is a small chapel with fabulous glass. I had been here before too, but wanted to redo my shots.
It was by now pouring with rain, and as dark as twilight, I missed the church on first pass, went to the mini-roundabout only to discover that it and the other church in the village were in Sussex. I turned round, the church looked dark and was almost certainly locked. I told myself.
I didn't stop here either, so instead of going to the final village church, I went straigh to Tunbridge Wells where there was another church to revisit.
I drove into the town, over the man road and to the car park with no waiting in traffic, how odd, I thought.
It was hard to find a parking space, but high up in the parking house there were finally spaced. I parked near the stairs down, grabbed my cameras and went down.
I guess I could have parked nearer the church, but once done it would be easier to leave the town as the road back home went past the exit.
I ambled down the hill leading to the station, over the bridge and down the narrow streets, all lined with shops. I think its fair to say that it is a richer town than Dover because on one street there were three stores offering beposke designer kitchens.
The church is across the road from the Georgian square known at The Pantiles, but it was the church I was here to visit.
I go in, and there is a service underway. I decide to sit at the back and observe.
And pray.
I did not take communion, though. The only one there who didn't.
About eight elderly parishioners did, though.
I was here to photograph the ceiling, and then the other details I failed to record when we were last here over a decade ago.
I was quizzed strongly by a warden as to why I was doing this. I had no answer other than I enjoyed it, and for me that is enough.
After getting my shots, I leave and begin the slog back up to the car, but on the way keeping my promise to a young man selling the Big Issue that I would come back and buy a copy. I did better than that in that I gave him a fiver and didn't take a copy.
He nearly burst into tears. I said, there is kindness in the world, and some of us do keep our promises.
By the time I got to the car park, it was raining hard again. I had two and a half hours to get to Folkestone to pick up Jools after her meal.
Traffic into Tunbridge Wells from this was was crazy, miles and miles of queues, so I was more than happy going the other way.
I get back to the M20, cruise down to Ashford, stopping at Stop 24 services for a coffee and something to eat. I had 90 minutes to kill, so eat, drink and scroll Twitter as I had posted yet more stuff that morning. In other news: nothing changed, sadly.
At quarter past four I went to pick up Jools, stopping outside the restaurant. When she got in she declared she had been drinking piña coladas. Just two, but she was bubby and jabbering away all the way home.
With Jools having eaten out, and with snacks I had, no dinner was needed, so when suppertime came round, we dined on cheese and crackers, followed by a large slice of Christmas cake.
She was now done for Christmas too.
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A large sandstone church of nave, aisles, chancel and chapels that was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1864. It stands in an excellent position set back from the street in a large well-kept churchyard. The tower is of three stages with four pinnacles strangely set well back from the corners. Inside it is obvious that there have been many rebuildings and repairs, leaving a general character of the Victorian period. The good chancel screen is by Bodley and Garner and dates from 1897. Whilst it is well carved the florid design is more suited to a West Country church than to the Garden of England. The fifteenth-century font has been painted in bold colours in a way that can never have been imagined when it was new! Nearby is the Becket window designed by Lawrence Lee in 1970. It is quite unlike any other window in Kent and has an emphasis on heraldry - the figure of Becket and three knights are almost lost in the patchwork effect. Under the tower is the famous Albigensian Cross, a portion of thirteenth-century coffin lid with the effigy of a woman at prayer. The south chapel, which belongs to Penshurst Place, was rebuilt by Rebecca in 1820 and has a lovely painted ceiling. It contains some fine monuments including Sir Stephen de Pencester, a damaged thirteenth-century knight. Nearby is the large standing monument to the 4th Earl of Leicester (d. 1704) designed by William Stanton. It is a large urn flanked by two angels, above which are the heads of the earls children's floating in the clouds!
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Penshurst
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PENSHURST.
THE next parish eastward from Chidingstone is Penhurst, called in the Textus Roffenfis, Pennesherst. It takes its name from the old British word Pen, the height or top of any thing, and byrst, a wood. (fn. 1) It is called in some antient records, Pen cestre, and more vulgarly, Penchester, from some sortified camp or fortress antiently situated here.
There is a district in this parish, called Hallborough, which is within the lowy of Tunbridge, the manerial rights of which belong to Thomas Streatfeild, esq. and there is another part of it, comprehending the estate of Chafford, which is within the jurisdiction of the duchy court of Lancaster.
THIS PARISH lies in the Weald, about four miles Southward from the foot of the sand hills, and the same distance from Tunbridge town, and the high London road from Sevenoke. The face of the country is much the same as in those parishes last described, as is the soil, for the most part a stiff clay, being well adapted to the large growth of timber for which this parish is remarkable; one of these trees, as an instance of it, having been cut down here, about twenty years ago, in the park, called, from its spreading branches, Broad Oak, had twenty-one ton, or eight hundred and forty feet of timber in it. The parish is watered by the river Eden, which runs through the centre of it, and here taking a circular course, and having separated into two smaller streams, joins the river Medway, which flows by the southern part of the park towards Tunbridge. At a small distance northward stands the noble mansion of Penshurst-place, at the south west corner of the park, which, till within these few years, was of much larger extent, the further part of it, called North, alias Lyghe, and South parks, having been alienated from it, on the grounds of the latter of which the late Mr. Alnutt built his seat of that name, from whence the ground rises northward towards the parish of Lyghe. Close to the north west corner of Penshurst-park is the seat of Redleaf, and at the south west corner of it, very near to the Place, is the village of Penshurst, with the church and parsonage. At a small distance, on the other side the river, southward, is Ford-place, and here the country becomes more low, and being watered by the several streams, becomes wet, the roads miry and bad, and the grounds much covered with coppice wood; whence, about a mile southward from the river, is New House, and the boroughs of Frendings and Kingsborough; half a mile southward from which is the river Medway; and on the further side of it the estate of Chafford, a little beyond which it joins the parish of Ashurst, at Stone cross. In a deep hole, in the Medway, near the lower end of Penshurst-park, called Tapner's-hole, there arises a spring, which produces a visible and strong ebullition on the surface of the river; and above Well-place, which is a farm house, near the south-east corner of the park, there is a fine spring, called Kidder's-well, which, having been chemically analized, is found to be a stronger chalybeate than those called Tunbridge-wells; there is a stone bason for the spring to rise in, and run to waste, which was placed here by one of the earls of Leicester many years ago. This parish, as well as the neighbouring ones, abounds with iron ore, and most of the springs in them are more or less chalybeate. In the losty beeches, near the keeper's lodge, in Penshurst-park, is a noted beronry; which, since the destruction of that in lord Dacre's park, at Aveley, in Effex, is, I believe, the only one in this part of England. A fair is held here on July I, for pedlary, &c.
The GREATEST PART of this parish is within the jurisdiction of the honour of Otford, a subordinate limb to which is the MANOR of PENSHURST HALIMOTE, alias OTFORD WEALD, extending likewise over parts of the adjoining parishes of Chidingstone, Hever, and Cowden. As a limb of that of honour, it was formerly part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, and was held for a long time in lease of the archbishops, by the successive owners of Penhurst manor, till the death of the duke of Buckingham, in the 13th year of king Henry VIII. in the 29th year of which reign, Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, exchanging Otford with the crown, this, as an appendage, passed with it, and it remained in the hands of the crown till the death of king Charles I. 1648; after which the powers then in being, having seised on the royal estates, passed an ordinance to vest them in trustees, to be sold, to supply the necessities of the state; when, on a survey made of this manor, in 1650, it appeared that the quit-rents due to the lord, from the freeholders in free socage tenure, were 16l. 18s. 3½d. and that they paid a heriot of the best living thing, or in want thereof, 3s. 4d. in money. That there were copyholders holding of it, within this parish, by rent and fine certain; that there was a common fine due from the township or borough of Halebury, and a like from the township of Penshurst, a like from the townships or boroughts of Chidingstone, Standford, and Cowden; and that there was a court baron and a court leet. The total rents, profits, &c. of all which amounted to 23l. and upwards. (fn. 2) After this the manor was sold by the state to colonel Robert Gibbon, with whom it remained till the restoration of king Charles II. when the possession and inheritance of it returned to the crown, where it remains, as well as the honour of Otford, at this time, his grace the duke of Dorset being high steward of both; but the see farm rents of it, with those of other manors belonging to the above mentioned honour, were alienated from the crown in king Charles II.'s reign, and afterwards became the property of Sir James Dashwood, bart. in whose family they still continue.
SOON AFTER the reign of William the Conqueror Penshurst was become the residence of a family, who took their name from it, and were possessed of the manor then called the manor of Peneshurste; and it appears by a deed in the Registrum Roffense, that Sir John Belemeyns, canon of St. Paul, London, was in possession of this manor, as uncle and trustee, in the latter part of king Henry III.'s reign, to Stephen de Peneshurste or Penchester, who possessed it in the beginning of the reign of king Edward I. He had been knighted, and made constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports by Henry III. in which posts he continued after the accession of king Edward I. (fn. 3) He died without issue male, and was buried in the south chancel of this church, under an altar tomb, on which lay his figure in armour, reclining on a cushion. He left Margery, his second wife, surviving, who held this manor at her death, in the 2d year of king Edward II. and two daughters and coheirs; Joane, married to Henry de Cobham of Rundale, second son of John de Cobham, of Cobham, in this county, by his first wife, daughter of Warine Fitz Benedict; (fn. 4) and Alice to John de Columbers, as appears by an inquisition, taken in the 3d year of king Edward II. His arms, being Sable, a bend or, a label of three points argent, still remain on the roof of the cloisters of Canterbury cathedral. Alice, above mentioned, had this manor, with that of Lyghe adjoining, assigned to her for her proportion of their inheritance; soon after which these manors were conveyed to Sir John de Pulteney, son of Adam de Pulteney of Misterton, in Leicestershire, by Maud his wife. In the 15th year of that reign he had licence to embattle his mansion houses of Penshurst, Chenle in Cambridgeshire, and in London. (fn. 5) In the 11th year of king Edward III. Thomas, son of Sir John de Columbers of Somersetshire, released to him all his right to this manor and the advowson of the chapel of Penshurst; (fn. 6) and the year following Stephen de Columbers, clerk, brother of Sir Philip, released to him likewise all his right in that manor and Yenesfeld, (fn. 7) and that same year he obtained a grant for free warren within his demesne lands within the former. He was a person greatly esteemed by that king, in whose reign he was four times lord mayor of London, and is noticed by our historians for his piety, wisdom, large possessions, and magnificent housekeeping. In his life time he performed several acts of public charity and munificence; and among others he founded a college in the church of St. Laurence, since from him named Poultney, in London. He built the church of Little Allhallows, in Thamesstreet, and the Carmelites church, and the gate to their monastery, in Coventry; and a chapel or chantry in St. Paul's, London. Besides which, by his will, he left many charitable legacies, and directed to be buried in the church of St. Laurence above mentioned. He bore for his arms, Argent a fess dancette gules, in chief three leopards heads sable.
By the inquisition taken after his death, it appears, that he died in the 23d year of that reign, being then possessed of this manor, with the advowson of the chapel, Lyghe, South-park, and Orbiston woods, with lands in Lyghe and Tappenash, and others in this county. He left Margaret his wife surviving, who married, secondly, Sir Nicholas Lovaine; and he, in her right, became possessed of a life estate in this manor and the others above mentioned, in which they seem afterwards jointly to have had the see; for Sir William Pulteney, her son, in his life time, vested his interest in these manors and estates in trustees, and died without issue in the 40th year of the same reign, when Robert de Pulteney was found to be his kinsman and next heir, who was ancestor to the late earl of Bath. The trustees afterwards, in the 48th year of it, conveyed them, together with all the other estates of which Sir John Pulteney died possessed, to Sir Nicholas Lovaine and Margaret his wife, and their heirs for ever. Sir Nicholas Lovaine above mentioned was a descendant of the noble family of Lovaine, a younger branch of the duke of Lorraine. Godfrey de Lovaine, having that surname from the place of his birth, possessed lands in England in right of his mother, grand daughter of king Stephen, of whose descendants this Nicholas was a younger branch. He bore for his arms, Gules, a fess argent between fourteen billets or; which arms were quartered by Bourchier earl of Bath, and Devereux earl of Essex. (fn. 8) He died possessed of this manor, leaving one son, Nicholas, who having married Margaret, eldest daughter of John de Vere, earl of Oxford, widow of Henry lord Beaumont, died without issue, and a daughter Margaret, who at length became her brother's heir.
Margaret, the widow of Nicholas the son, on his death, possessed this manor for her life, and was afterwards re-married to Sir John Devereux, who in her right held it. He was descended from a family which had their surname from Eureux, a town of note in Normandy, and there were several generations of them in England before they were peers of this realm, the first of them summoned to parliament being this Sir John Devereux, who being bred a soldier, was much employed in the wars both of king Edward III. and king Richard II. and had many important trusts conferred on him. In the 11th year of the latter reign, being then a knight banneret, he was made constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports. In the 16th year of that reign, he had licence to fortify and embattle his mansion house at Penshurst, the year after which he died, leaving Margaret his wife, surviving, who had an assignation of this manor as part of her dower. She died possessed of it, with Yensfield, and other lands, about the 10th year of king Henry IV. and was succeeded in them by Margaret, sister and heir of her husband, Nicholas Lovaine, who was twice married, first to Rich. Chamberlayn, esq. of Sherburn, in Oxfordshire; and secondly to Sir Philip St. Clere, of Aldham, St. Clere, in Ightham. (fn. 9) Both of these, in right of their wife, seem to have possessed this manor, which descended to John St. Clere, son of the latter, who conveyed it by sale to John duke of Bedford, third son of king Henry IV. by Mary his wife, daughter and coheir of Humphry de Bohun, earl of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton.
The duke of Bedford was the great support and glory of this kingdom in the beginning of the reign of his infant nephew, king Henry VI. his courage was unequalled, and was followed by such rapid success in his wars in France, where he was regent, and commanded the English army in person, that he struck the greatest terror into his enemies. The victories he acquired so humbled the French, that he crowned king Henry VI. at Paris, in which city he died greatly lamented, in the 14th year of that reign, (fn. 10) and was buried in the cathedral church of Roan. He was twice married, but left issue by neither of his wives. He died possessed of the manors of Penshurst, Havenden-court, and Yensfield, as was then found by inquisition; in which he was succeeded by his next brother, Humphry duke of Gloucester, fourth son of king Henry IV. by Mary his wife, daughter and coheir of Humphry de Bohun, earl of Hereford, &c. who in the 4th year of king Henry V. had had the offices of constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports, granted to him for the term of his life; and in the 1st year of king Henry VI. was, by parliament, made protector of England, during the king's minority; and the same year he was constituted chamberlain of England, at the coronation of that prince was appointed high steward of England.
The duke was, for his virtuous endowments, surnamed the Good, and for his justice was esteemed the father of his country, notwithstanding which, after he had, under king Henry VI. his nephew, governed this kingdom twenty-five years, with great applause, he was, by the means of Margaret of Aujou, his nephew's queen, who envied his power, arrested at the parliament held at St. Edmundsbury, by John lord Beaumont, then high constable of England, accompanied by the duke of Buckingham and others; and the night following, being the last of February, anno 25 king Henry VI. he was found dead in his bed, it being the general opinion that he was strangled; though his body was shewn to the lords and commons, with an account of his having died of an apoplexy or imposthume; after which he was buried in the abbey of St. Alban, near the shrine of that proto-martyr, and a stately monument was erected to his memory.
This duke married two wives; first Jaqueline, daughter and heir of William duke of Bavaria, to whom belonged the earldoms of Holand, Zeland, and Henault, and many other rich seignories in the Netherlands; after which he used these titles, Humphrey, by the grace of God, son, brother, and uncle to kings; duke of Gloucester; earl of Henault, Holand, Zeland, and Pembroke; lord of Friesland; great chamberlain of the kingdom of England; and protector and defender of the kingdom and church of England. But she having already been married to John duke of Brabant, and a suit of divorce being still depending between them, and the Pope having pronounced her marriage with the duke of Brabant lawful, the duke of Gloucester resigned his right to her, and forthwith, after this, married Eleanor Cobham, daughter of Reginald, lord Cobham of Sterborough, who had formerly been his concubine. A few years before the duke's death she was accused of witchcrast, and of conspiring the king's death; for which she was condemned to solemn pennance in London, for three several days, and afterwards committed to perpetual imprisonment in the isle of Man. He built the divinity schools at Oxford, and laid the foundation of that famous library over them, since increased by Sir Thomas Bodley, enriching it with a choice collection of manuscripts out of France and Italy. He bore for his arms, Quarterly, France and England, a berdure argent. (fn. 11)
By the inquisition, taken after his death, it appears, that he died possessed of the manors of Penshurst, Havenden-court, and Yensfield, in this county, and that dying, without issue, king Henry VI. was his cousin and next heir.
¶The manor of Penshurst thus coming into the hands of the crown, was granted that year to Humphrey Stafford, who, in consideration of his near alliance in blood to king Henry VI. being the son of Edmund earl of Stafford, by Anne, eldest daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester, sixth and youngest son of king Edward III. Mary, the other daughter and coheir, having married Henry of Bullingbroke, afterwards king Henry IV. and grandfather of king Henry VI. (fn. 12) as well as for his eminent services to his country, had been, in the 23d year of that reign, created duke of Buckingham. He was afterwards slain in the battle of Northampton, sighting valiantly there on the king's part. By the inquisition, taken after his death, it appears that he died in the 38th year of that reign possessed of this manor of Penshurst, among others in this county and elsewhere; which afterwards descended down to his great grandson, Edward duke of Buckingham, but in the 13th year of Henry VIII. this duke being accused of conspiring the king's death, he was brought to his trial, and being found guilty, was beheaded on Tower-hill that year. In the par liament begun April 15, next year, this duke, though there passed an act for his attainder, yet there was one likewise for the restitution in blood of Henry his eldest son, but not to his honors or lands, so that this manor, among his other estates, became forseited to the crown, after which the king seems to have kept it in his own hands, for in his 36th year, he purchased different parcels of land to enlarge his park here, among which was Well-place, and one hundred and seventy acres of land, belonging to it, then the estate of John and William Fry, all which he inclosed within the pale of it, though the purchase of the latter was not completed till the 1st year of king Edward VI. (fn. 13) who seems to have granted the park of Penshurst to John, earl of Warwick, for that earl, in the 4th year of that reign, granted this park to that king again in exchange for other premises. In which year the king granted the manor of Penshurst, with its members and appurtenances, late parcel of the possessions of the duke of Buckingham, to Sir Ralph Fane, to hold in capite by knight's service, being the grandson of Henry Vane, alias Fane, of Hilsden Tunbridge, esq. but in the 6th year of that reign, having zealously espoused the interests of the duke of Somersee, he was accused of being an accomplice with him, and being found guilty, was hanged on Tower-hill that year.
PENSHURST is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester, and being a peculiar of the archbishop of Canterbury, is as such within the deanry of Shoreham.
The church, which is a large handsome building, is dedicated to St. John Baptist. It consists of three isles, a cross isle, and three chancels, having a tower steeple at the west end.
Among other monuments and inscriptions in this church are the following:—In the middle isle, a grave-stone, with the figure of a man and his two wives, now torn off, but the inscription remains in black letter, for Watur Draynowtt, and Johanna and Anne his wives, obt. 1507; beneath are the figures of four boys and three girls, at top, arms, two lions passant, impaling or, on a chief, two lions heads erased; a memorial for Oliver Combridge, and Elizabeth his wife, obt. 1698. In the chancel, memorials on brass for Bulman and Paire; within the rails of the altar a gravestone for William Egerton, LL. D. grandon of John, earl of Bridgwater, rector of Penshurst and Allhallows, Lombard-street, chancellor and prebendary of Hereford, and prebendary of Can terbury, he left two daughters and one son, by Anne, daughter of Sir Francis Head, obt. Feb. 26, 1737; on the south side of the altar, a memorial in brass for John Bust, God's painful minister in this place for twenty-one years; on the north side a mural monument for Gilbert Spencer, esq. of Redleafe-house, obt. 1709, arms, Spencer, an escutcheon of pretence for Combridge; underneath is another stone, with a brass plate, and inscription for William Darkenol, parson of this parish, obt. July 12, 1596; on grave-stones are these shields in brass, the figures and inscriptions on which are lost, parted per fess, in chief two lions passant guardant in base, two wolves heads erased; on another, the same arms, impaling a chevron between three padlocks; another, a lion rampant, charged on the shoulder with an annulet, and another, three lions passant impaling parted per chevron, the rest defaced. In the south chancel, on a stone, the figures of a man and woman in brass, and inscription in black letter, for Pawle Yden, gent. and Agnes his wife, son of Thomas Yden, esq. obt. 1564, beneath is the figure of a girl, arms, four shields at the corner of the stone, the first, Yden, a fess between three helmets; two others, with inscriptions on brass for infant children of the Sidney family; a small grave-stone, on which is a cross gradated in brass, and inscription in black letter, for Thomas Bullayen, son of Sir Thomas Bullayen; here was lately a monument for lady Mary . . . . . . eldest daughter of the famous John, duke of Northumberland, and sister to Ambrose, earl of Warwick, Robert, earl of Leicester, and Catharine, countess of Huntingdon, wife of the right hon. Sir Henry Sidney, knight of the garter, &c. at the west end of the chancel, a mural monument for Sir William Coventry, youngest son of Thomas, lord Coventry, he died at Tunbridge-wells, 1686; on the south side a fine old monument of stone, under which is an altar tomb, and on the wall above it a brass plate, with inscription in black letter, for Sir William Sidney, knightbanneret, chamberlain and steward to king Edward VI. and the first of the name, lord of the manor, of Penshurst, obt. 1553; on the front are these names, Sir William Dormer, and Mary Sidney, Sir William Fitzwilliam, Sir James Haninngton, Anne Sidney, and Lucy Sidney; on the south side a handsome monument, with the arms and quarterings of the Sidney family, and inscription for lord Philip Sidney, fifth earl of Leicester, &c. obt. 1705, and was succeeded by John, his brother and heir; for John, sixth earl of Leicester, cosin and heir of Henry Sidney, earl of Romney, &c. obt. 1737, his heirs Mary and Elizabeth Sidney, daughters and heirs of his brother the hon. Thomas Sidney, third surviving son of Robert, earl of Leicester, became his joint heirs, for Josceline, seventh earl of Leicester, youngest brother and heir male of earl John, died s. p. in 1743, with whom the title of earl of Leicester expired; the aforesaid Mary and Elizabeth, his nieces, being his heirs, of whom the former married Sir Brownlow Sherard, bart. and Elizabeth, William Perry, esq. on the monument is an account of the several personages of this noble family, their descent, marriages and issue, too long by far to insert here; on the north side is a fine monument for several of the infant children of this family, and beneath is an urn and inscriptions for Frances Sidney, fourth daughter, obt. 1692, æt. 6; for Robert Sidney, earl of Leicester, &c. fourth earl of this family, who married lady Elizabeth Egerton, by whom he had fifteen children, of whom nine died young, whose figures, as cherubims, are placed above, obt. 1702; Robert, the eldest son, obt. 1680, æt. 6; Elizabeth, countess of Leicester, obt. 1709, and buried here in the same vault with her lord. In the same chancel is a very antient figure in stone of a knight in armour, being for Sir Stephen de Penchester, lord warden and constable of Dover-castle in the reign of king Edward I. It was formerly laid on an altar tomb in the chancel, but is now placed erect against the door on the south side, with these words painted on the wall above it, SIR STEPHEN DE PENCHESTER. In the fourth window of the north isle, are these arms, very antient, within the garter argent a fess gules in chief, three roundels of the second, being those of Sir John Devereux, K. G. lord warden and constable, and steward of the king's house in king Richard II's reign; near the former was another coat, nothing of which now remains but the garter. In the same windows are the arms of Sidney; in the second window is this crest, a griffin rampant or. In the east window of the great chancel are the arms of England. In the east window of the south chancel are the arms of the Sidney family, with all the quarterings; there were also, though now destroyed, the arms of Sir Thomas Ratcliff, earl of Sussex, and lady Frances Sidney.
This church was of the antient patronage of the see of Canterbury, and continued so till the 3d year of queen Elizabeth, when Matthew, archbishop of Canterbury, granted it to that queen in exchange for the parsonage of Earde, alias Crayford; and though in the queen's letters patent dated that year, confirming this exchange, there is no value expressed, yet in a roll in the queen's office, it is there set down, the tenth deducted, at the clear yearly value of 32l. 1s. 9d. (fn. 24)
¶Soon after which the queen granted the church of Penshurst to Sir Henry Sidney, whose descendants, earls of Leicester, afterwards possessed it; from whom it passed, in like manner as Penshurst manor and place, to William Perry, esq. who died possessed of it in 1757, leaving Elizabeth his wife surviving, who continued proprietor of the advowson of this church at the time of her death in 1783; she by her last will devised it to trustees for the use of her eldest grandson, John Shelley, esq who has since taken the name of Sidney, and is the present owner of it.
In the 15th year of king Edward I. this church was valued at thirty marcs. By virtue of the commission of enquiry into the value of ecclesiastical livings, taken in 1650, issuing out of chancery, it was returned that the tithes belonging to the parsonage of Penshurst were one hundred and ten pounds per annum, and the parsonage house and glebe lands about fifty pounds per annum, the earl of Leicester being patron, and master Mawdell, minister, who received the profits for his salary. (fn. 25)
The annual value of it is now esteemed to be four hundred pounds and upwards. The rectory of Penshurst is valued in the king's books at 30l. 6s. 0½d. and the yearly tenths at 3l. 0s. 7½d. (fn. 26)
John Acton, rector of this parish, in 1429, granted a lease for ninety-nine years, of a parcel of his glebe land, lying in Berecroft, opposite the gate of the rectory, containing one acre one rood and twelve perches, to Thomas Berkley, clerk, Richard Hammond, and Richard Crundewell, of Penshurst, for the purpose of building on, at the yearly rent of two shillings, and upon deaths and alienations, one shilling to be paid for an heriot, which lease was confirmed by the archbishop and by the dean and chapter of Canterbury. (fn. 27)
a woman leans in a near perpetual stoop, making sure this area of the Boudhanath temple was pristine. no small task, given the dust, winds, and thousands of pilgrims and tourists that circumnavigate the structure every day. she was not paid to do this. it was not her job, but her calling.
EXIF: 85mm, f/4.5, 1/1250 sec, ISO 100, hand held, no flash, raw.
Answer to yesterdays macro mystery. A squeezy-pig stress toy! They seem to accumulate on my desk, probably because with me they are well treated. They never get squashed or drawn on or thrown. Its like a squeezy-pig sanctuary ;) See alternative photo <a href = "http://www.pbase.com/suzy_walker/image/100080133/">here</a>
Chichester Marina, Birdham, West Sussex.
"Final Answer" (MMSI: 235017169)
_MX65252p
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It has been a week of goodness. Besides being nice enough to wander around Renegade Handmade with me, Adam and Emily of Moesewco were nice enough to give me the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.
Happy!
These are some cool crafty people. I love Adam's embroidery style, and Emily makes some awesome hats - she just made one for Stephen Fry!
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Shot the top left photo the night before, matches the white motorcycle...SkullCandy helmet says ANSWER.....like the URL, link above. Motorcycles placed perfect for the kiosk too. Orange marker in place. Yellow Sling shot [like blog] too.
Tenuous Link: Mud > slinger > sling shot [bottom right]
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