Brief amendment to blog entry below

I should perhaps mention, also, that counterterrorism is a legitimate rationale for the use of force. Although I do think, and Just War does go into some detail about this, that civilian casaulties should be avoided and it is important to always take the moral high ground. That said, there are a few topics archived on my myspace blog that I thought were interesting, and I will probably post one of those blog entries here in the near future.

Plains of Rural Texas

The Texas Hill Country, a swath of about 15 rural counties just west of Austin and San Antonio, has not changed much in the last 10 years. In the heart of the region is Enchanted Rock State Park, where cattle roam.

Photo: Mark Graham for The New York Times



Along Route 16 between Kerrville and Medina, Tex.

Photo: Mark Graham for The New York Times



A foggy sunrise on Lake L.B.J. near Marble Falls, Tex.

Photo: Mark Graham for The New York Times

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Happy Mother's Day

Eustress, or epiphany of forgotten ideals

I could have named this entry “the times, they are a-changin’”, after the classic Bob Dylan song. Certainly this was the - somewhat nostalgic - impression I got after a discussion I had with my sister about life in New York. But it is the experiences, filled, as they are, with fond memories of a life that was alternately marked with grandiose dreams and uncompromising hardships, which made life in New York so indelibly meaningful. And although I do not see myself living in New York again for any extended period of time, those experiences I have had still continue to color the life I live today and my hopes for the future in ways that are not readily apparent. For example, my three favorite magazines all have the name “New York” in them. Also, I recall, as a student at a university coincidently with the words “New York” in its name, occasionally browsing journal articles on political theory in the computer lab – a seemingly idle way to spend one’s time, but possibly prescient given my current interest in ethics? Actually I believe those periods of unbridled hope are what’s important; they are the reason I remember New York so fondly, in spite of all the not so good things; and those times, and others like them, are why I am grateful for all I have been blessed with in life.

Picturesque, Avant Gardens

Jardin des Hesperides, 2006
This installation in Montreal has paths of stark white seashells winding through local green algae and vetiver grasses dotted with wild irises. A saffron-coloured lantern looms oversized and weightless in a reflective pond.

Cao Perrot Studio



Glass Bubble, 2006
Monika Gora formed this glass bubble overlooking the Malmo harbour in Sweden. Inside, the climate allows tree ferns, camellias, citrus and magnolias to grow.

Monika Gora



Le Havre, 2005
Designer Claude Cormier organized this basic palette of five colors across thousands of strands of thin Christmas balls.

Claude Cormier



Oak Savanna Vineyard, 2004
This pond is bounded by two fifteen foot high curving walls, with an added decked platform, which provides a diving point, a space for family gatherings, dinner for two and fund-raising events for a party for 300!

Ron Lutsko



Heiner Metzger Platz, Neu Ulm, 2005
An in innocation typical of designer Herbert Dreiseitl, the sheets of water give the illusion of liquid curtains

Herbert Dreiseitl



Tokyo, Japan, 1998
At the Kohjimachi-kaikan hotel, Shunmyo Masuno's tranquil planting and gentle waterfall evoke the serenity of an outdoor garden.

Shunmyo Masuno

Copyright © 2008 Time Inc. All rights reserved.

In the time of Trees

Poland
"Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life."
- Hermann Hesse, Wandering



Borneo
"The best friend of earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources on the earth."
- Frank Lloyd Wright



Morocco
"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
- Nelson Henderson



Germany
"The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson



Scotland
"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel."
- Aldo Leopold



Argentina
"It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit."
- Robert Louis Stevenson



Mexico
"Except during the nine months before he draws his first breath, no man manages his affairs as well as a tree does."
- George Bernard Shaw



China
"If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees."
- Khalil Gibran

Photographs by Stuart Franklin / Magnum

Copyright © 2008 Time Inc. All rights reserved.

A retreat for Dr King

Photo: Stephen Morton for The New York Times



Photo: Stephen Morton for The New York Times



Photo: Stephen Morton for The New York Times

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company