Three weeks after Memorial Day, here are my impressions and some photos of what turned out to be a rare combination of gorgeous weather, uncrowded monuments, and surprise appearances by President Bush in his motorcade and by 600 servicemen and women freshly returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I arrived at the Federal Center SW Metro Station at 10am intending to quickly tour the U.S. Botanic Garden, Library of Congress, and Supreme Court building, and then sprint five blocks to see the Memorial Day Parade which was starting at noon. While heading to the Botanic Garden, I was passed by a convoy carrying troops to the parade, which reinforced my desire to hurry so I could watch it from the beginning and see the jet flyover.

Did I mention that it was hot? Ninety degrees but with a deceptively cooling breeze that made you forget you were frying inside. In my rush to get to started in the morning, I’d forgotten to bring bottled water and a hat. Actually, I remembered both as I was driving away but – because I’m half hispanic and tan quickly and partly because I grew up in the scorching Los Angeles summers – decided they wouldn’t be needed. A mistake I paid for later.

As I approached the Botanic Garden’s Conservatory, I could see the ceiling fans turning lazily and the term “greenhouse effect” came to mind. I had no desire to swelter in a muggy super-sized terrarium so I gave it a miss. Definitely better to visit it in the Fall. I did get some pics of the Bartholdi Park grounds across the street from the Conservatory, however. The Bartholdi Fountain (designed by the same chap who sculpted the Statue of Liberty) was one of the first monuments in the city of Washington to be brightly illuminated at night.

The next stop was the Library of Congress, which was closed. So I took pics of the gilded (23 1/2 carat gold leaf) Torch of Learning and the Neptune Fountain on the west front of the library as I moved on to the Supreme Court building.

The court building was closed too, but that turned out to be a lucky break. The ornate bronze doors at the west entrance which depict historic scenes in the development of the law are recessed into the walls when the court is open, which makes it difficult to get photos.

Sixteen marble columns support the portico and on the architrave above is incised, “Equal Justice Under Law. I’m a sucker for marble columns (my favorite building is the Parthenon) so I took lots of pics.

On my way out, I noticed a few protesters setting up at the foot of the steps. They were pro-life (anti-abortion?) activists who had taped their mouths shut with red strips of tape upon which the word “LIFE” was written. (While they stood mutely facing the main entrance waiting for the media to notice them, at least one was listening to an iPod.)

As I was snapping pictures of them, one lad obligingly raised his arms, assuming a dramatic pose of renunciation. Totally staged shot, he must have thought I worked for the mainstream media.

Walking away, I saw the protest organizer (his mouth wasn’t taped shut) being interviewed by a local TV reporter, so I guess the taped-mouth-to-get-attention ploy worked as planned. Personally, I wish all protesters used the same strategy…it would make for a much quieter world.

A lot more time had passed than expected and drums were rumbling in the distance as I got to the Capitol. I had maybe 15 minutes to get to the parade or I’d miss the flyover.

Command decision: I would pass on the parade and head to the Washington Monument after seeing the Capitol Building. On my way, I’d swing by the parade route and see what I could. It was disappointing because I’d miss seeing the troops welcomed home.

The Capitol was under construction as were most of the attractions I’d hoped to visit (The Mall, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, grounds around The White House, and the Supreme Court building all had construction barriers erected).

Took a bunch of photos and was heading toward The Mall when I noticed soldiers and sailors forming up a block away. I sauntered over and sure enough, it was the troops from Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom staging for their part in the parade!

I hung around taking photos of them as they waited for their cue to join the parade. Since the press wasn’t there to publicize the event, I took more than a hundred pics thinking that someone who couldn’t get to the parade might view the images on flickr and see a loved one in the ranks.

After the parade, I hustled down The Mall (stopping to buy bottles of Gatorade and water) to the Washington Monument, The White House and Lincoln Memorial.

If you look closely at the pics of The White House, you’ll notice a bunch of SUVs lined up in front. I figured President Bush was going traveling but didn’t have time to wait for him to leave. Minutes later as I was waiting to cross the street to the Lincoln Memorial, the president’s motorcade came barreling down the street so fast I just managed to snap a couple shots.

Thence to the Vietnam War, Korean War, and World War II Veterans Memorials.

The Vietnam Memorial was thronged with people reading the names inscribed on the black panels, leaving mementos, and having pencil rubbings made.

At the Korean War Memorial, two buglers played “Taps.” The first trumpeter rendered it flawlessly, the second player was so overcome with emotion that he barely finished the bugle call. It was a beautifully solemn ceremony.

I also visited the World War I memorial, which – tucked in behind trees as it is and being much smaller than the ornate WWII memorial – must be the loneliest monument on The Mall.

It was getting late in the day so I headed back up The Mall to the Smithsonian Metro Station. On the way, I started feeling lightheaded and had to sit down for a while. I’m pretty sure it was incipient sunstroke from not drinking enough and walking around bareheaded all day.

It was a perfect way to spend Memorial Day, but I regret not getting to Arlington Cemetery. Next year for sure.

 

Tags: blog | weblog | memorial day | patriotism | armed_forces

 

This Memorial Day, remember the brave Americans who have given their lives for freedom and bear in mind these words from the World War II Memorial: “Americans came to liberate, not to conquer, to restore freedom and to end tyranny.”

I’ll be commemorating Memorial Day by visiting Arlington National Cemetery, the Marine Corps Memorial (aka the Iwo Jima Memorial), the WWII, Korean, and Vietnam War Veterans Memorials in Washington DC.

I plan to tour the the Capitol and U.S. Botanic Garden first, then head across the Mall to the Washington Monument. From there it’s the Thomas Jefferson, FDR, Korean War Veterans, Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans, and National WWII Memorials (about four hours walking time).

Time permitting, I’ll cross the Memorial Bridge and visit Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Only problem with this itinerary is it doesn’t leave time to see the National Memorial Day Parade which starts at noon. However it turns out, I’ll be taking my camera along and will post the photos.

Hope the weather cooperates (supposed to be 90 and sunny).

 

Tags: blog | weblog | memorial day | patriotism | armed_forces

 

A new pyramid has been found in the City of the Gods

Archaeologists working at Teotihuacan, a long-abandoned settlement about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Mexico City, have discovered a huge, 1,500-year-old pyramid in Mexico City, according to this National Geographic article:

“All of us who are working at Teotihuacan are extremely interested [in this discovery],” said Ian Robertson, an anthropologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

“It’s kind of rare to get to look at what Teotihuacanos were doing outside [their] capital city.”

The pyramid on the outskirts of Mexico City measures about 500 feet (152 meters) on each side and stands 60 feet (18 meters) tall. It was discovered beneath a site used today for a popular reenactment of the Crucifixion of Christ during Christianity’s Holy Week, the week before Easter, according to news reports.

The pyramid was carved out on a hillside around A.D. 500 and abandoned around A.D. 800. The Teotihuacan culture collapsed at about the same time.

Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun “the new wonder of the world"?

Halfway around the world, Amateur archaeologist Semir Osmanagic recently announced that he has uncovered another huge pyramid, this time in Visoko, Bosnia!

If Semir is correct, it would be the first pyramid discovered in Europe.

Yesterday, Osmanagic said he and his team unearthed large, cut stone slabs on a side of the hill that form the outer surface of an ancient pyramid.

Archaeologists and other experts began digging at Visoko last week to unearth a step pyramid covered beneath the 2,120-foot hill known as Visocica.

“These are the first uncovered walls of the pyramid,” Semir Osmanagic, a Bosnian archaeologist said of the stone slabs.

“We can see the surface is perfectly flat. This is the crucial material proof that we are talking pyramids,” he said.

Osmanagic estimates that the structure may have been 722 feet high, possibly a third taller than Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza.

The huge stonework discovered Wednesday appeared to be cut in cubes and polished.

“It is so obvious that the top of the blocks, the surface is man-made,” Osmanagic said.

Earlier research on the hill found that it has 45-degree slopes pointing toward the cardinal points and a flat top. Under layers of dirt, a paved entrance plateau, entrances to tunnels and large stone blocks were discoved.

Satellite photographs and thermal imaging also revealed two other, smaller pyramid-shaped hills in the Visoko Valley.

[Source: Associated Press article via ChinaView

News in Science has more on the story:

On the outskirts of the town, Visocica Hill, which Osmanagic refers to as the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun, stands some 220 metres high, with a square base of more than 400 by 400 metres.

Osmanagic says he sees astonishing similarities between the structures and Mexican pyramids dating back to about 200 AD, which also come in pairs, one believed to represent the Sun and the other the Moon.

The excavation work, led by a recently established foundation of local archaeologists and volunteers, will last for 200 days.

The first results would be known in three weeks, Osmanagic says.

The director of the Visoko Historic Heritage museum, Senad Hodovic, says he is no sceptic.

“The pyramids are obviously the work of man. But we need proper and serious analysis to show who built them and when.”

Hodovic says he has spent years urging authorities to support archaeological research on the plateau of the hill, which is recorded in historic annals as the site of a medieval Bosnian town.

He says the shape and monumental size of the structures is not typical for Bosnian constructions of the Middle Ages.

Visoko, a small town that has been slowly dying from economic decline since Bosnia’s 1992-95 war, is hoping what has been dubbed the “the new wonder of the world” will offer it a brighter future.

Pyramid-mania seems to have caught everyone.

Local souvenir shops selling oriental style coffee pots and plates now offer slippers, ceramic coin-boxes, t-shirts and brandy with pyramid logos.

 

Tags: architecture | pyramids | news | science | blog | weblog | teotihuacan | archaeology | life

 

From an article at Local6.com

As part of the plan to put robot explorers – and, later, people – on the moon, NASA will crash a spacecraft into the lunar surface in 2008. The explosion should be visible from Earth.

A team announced Monday that an additional mission, known as LCrOSS, has been added to the first planned flight of the long-term lunar project, which will send the Lunar Reconnaisannce Orbiter on a mapping project.

NASA said that the LRO launch vehicle had extra space, so proposals were sought for an extra mission. LCrOSS was chosen from 19 submissions.

In that project, the SUV-sized upper stage that will take the equipment from Earth orbit to the moon will then crash into a crater near the moon’s south pole. A follow-on craft will then be able to analyze the material as it flies through the debris.

Mission managers said they would look for water, water vapor and hydrogen, among other elements and minerals.

The crash should create a 17-foot-deep crater and a plume of debris that reaches more than 30 miles high.

Amateur astronomers should be able to watch the material rise, officials said.

The knowledge from the lunar project is expected to pave the way to a manned flight to Mars someday

Tags: blog | weblog | odd news | LCrOSS | nasa | space travel | science | space

 

President Bush has been busy this week. Besides reaching agreement with India on an historic nuclear energy pact, he also announced that India is the first nation to accept a U.S. invitation to participate in new clean coal project.

From the DOE press release:

President George W. Bush announced today that India will become the first country to participate on the government steering committee for the U.S. Department of Energy’s FutureGen project – an initiative to build and operate the world’s first coal-based power plant that removes and sequesters carbon dioxide (CO2) while it produces electricity and hydrogen. As a partner, the Indian government will contribute $10 million to the FutureGen Initiative and Indian companies will also be invited to participate in the private sector segment.

“We welcome India in to our effort to build the first zero-emissions coal power plant,” Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said. “The success of the FutureGen Initiative will lead to the effective and environmentally clean use of coal to power economies around the globe.”

FutureGen will use coal – a low-cost, abundant, and geographically diverse energy resource – to globally supply clean energy. The FutureGen Initiative is a 10-year effort announced by President Bush in 2003 to integrate advanced coal gasification technology, hydrogen from coal, power generation, carbon dioxide capture, and geologic storage.
…
FutureGen is scheduled to begin operations around 2012 and will be the first plant in the world to produce both electricity and commercial-grade hydrogen from coal simultaneously. Virtually every aspect of the 275 megawatt prototype plant will be based on cutting-edge technology. Technologies planned for testing at the prototype plant could ultimately lead to power plants that are fuel-flexible and capable of multi-product output. Eventually, the technologies could provide electric power generation with no emissions, including carbon dioxide, at a market competitive cost. FutureGen will emit virtually no airborne pollutants; no wastewater will be discharged; solid wastes will be converted to commercially valuable, environmentally benign products and carbon gases will be captured before they escape into the atmosphere.

So when President Bush said “Our nation is on the threshold of some new energy technologies that I think will startle the American people” last week in Michigan, FutureGen and this new CO2 oil recovery technology must have been what he was talking about.

 

Tags: blog | weblog | energy | politics | oil | energy policy | bush | news

 

From the Associated Press comes news that archaeologists have uncovered the first untouched tomb in the Valley of the Kings since the discovery of King Tutankhamun in 1922.

Through a partially opened underground door, Egyptian authorities gave a peek Friday into the first tomb uncovered in the Valley of the Kings since King Tut’s in 1922. U.S. archaeologists said they discovered the tomb by accident while working on a nearby site.

Still unknown is whose mummies are in the five wooden sarcophagi with painted funeral masks, surrounded by alabaster jars inside the undecorated single-chamber tomb.

The tomb, believed to be some 3,000 years old and dating to the 18th Dynasty, does not appear to be that of a pharaoh. But it could be for members of a royal court, said Edwin Brock, co-director of the University of Memphis in Tennessee that discovered the site.
…
Archaeologists have not entered the tomb, having only opened part of its nearly 5-foot-high entrance door last week. But they have peered inside the single chamber to see the sarcophagi, believed to contain mummies surrounded by around 20 pharaonic jars.
…
The discovery has broken the long-held belief that nothing is left to dig up in the Valley of the Kings, the desert region near the southern city of Luxor used as a burial ground for pharaohs, queens and nobles in the 1500-1000 B.C. New Kingdom.

The 18th Dynasty lasted from around 1500-1300 B.C. and included the famed King Tut.

Read the whole article.

 

Tags: archaeology | news | blog | weblog | egyptology | discoveries | mummies | science | history