Photographing Arlington's Parks

Stairway to the Sunset

This week, I began a mission to photograph all of the nature parks in Arlington, Virginia over a period of a year. The plan, in addition to getting a lot of exercise, is to use the photographs to create merchandise and raise money for the upkeep of the county's parks. I expect to take between 5,000 and 10,000 photographs, as there are over 1,110 acres of parkland in Arlington. Pictured here is a trail in Potomac Overlook Park at sunset.

Khmu Culture

Khmu culture is traditionally passed down by the recital of stories around evening fires. The story-telling sessions involve the sharing of silver pipes (originally opium, but now predominately tobacco). Some Khmu are heavily tattooed for both decorative and religeous reasons. In Laos, Khmu are reputed for practicing magic, and some families still engage in the casting of spells and telling of fortunes. According to the animistic practices of the Khmu, reverence is offered to the house spirit Rroi gang. Villagers believe that a Khmu house, village, and its surroundings are integrated with the spirits of the land, and so houses and villages are considered holy or ritualized spaces. Typically, entire Khmu villages are enclosed in fences with three or four gates which separate the Khmu from their graineries and barns. Altars are placed outside the perimeter to ward off fires and storms. In the past, each Khmu family was believed to be under the protection of a totem such as a boar or an eagle who had originally helped an ancestor and would continue to protect the family. Traditional Khmu homes had two rooms, one for unmarried girls and one for the rest of the family. Roofs of houses covered with wooden tiles or thatch. Khmu cemeteries are traditionally divided into four sections; one for natural deaths, one for accidental deaths, one for children, and one for those who died away from home. The Khmu do not generally believe in rebirth. Traditional Khmu animism puts emphasis on the concept of taboo, as villagers believe that violations of taboo result in vengance of spirits. Forbidden activities include touching the altars or the amulets representing the house's spirit, birth ceremonies for children born feet-first, and entering a house without permission.

Sexual Harassment at # 35 in Pop Punk

Weekends With Dan's song "Sexual Harassment" is up to # 35 on Soundclick's Pop Punk chart, and is now the 5th song (out of 6) on Weekends With Dan's "Big Sexy Single" to chart. The band's first release "Anna Rexia" climbed to # 2 on the Pop Punk chart and reached # 6 on the broader Alternative genre chart. The acoustic "no meds remix" of "Anna Rexia" reached a maximum chart position of # 72. An earlier version of "Anna Rexia" also charted on GarageBand.com and MP3Charts.com in 2005. The "Ballad of Raggedy Andy" maxed out at # 42 on the Pop Punk chart, while "Ooh-ah (Wrinkles & Dimples)" made it to # 95. "Moon Over Miami" is the only song on the CD that has not yet charted.

Super Bowl Predictions

For this coming Sunday, the Giants have a 33% chance of beating Green Bay. Patriots should beat the Chargers with a predicted score of about 35 to 21. (Note that in the regular season week 2, Green Bay beat the Giants 35 to 13 and the Patriots beat the Chargers 38 to 14.)

Super Bowl odds:
---------------------
Green Bay 38%
Patriots 37%
Giants 13%
Chargers 12%

Origin of the Tai Peoples

Comparative linguistic research seems to indicate that the Tai people were a proto Tai-Kadai speaking culture of southern China, and that they, like the Malay-Polynesians, may have originally been of Austronesian descent. Prior to inhabiting mainland China, the Tai are suspected to have migrated from a homeland on the island of Taiwan where they spoke a dialect of Proto-Austronesian or one of its descendant languages. After the arrival of Sino-Tibetan speaking ethnic groups from mainland China to the island of Taiwan, the Tai would have then migrated into mainland China, perhaps along the Pearl River, where their language greatly changed in character from the other Austonesian languages under influence of Sino-Tibetan and Hmong-Mien language infusion. The coming of the Han Chinese to this region of southern China may have prompted the Tai to migrate in mass once again, this time southward over the mountains of southern China into Southeast Asia via the mountains of Burma and Laos to the north of Thailand. It is believed that the Tai ethnic groups began migrating southward from China and into Southeast Asia during the first millennium A.D. While this theory of the origin of the Tai is currently the leading theory, there is insufficient archaeological evidence to prove or disprove the proposition at this time, and the linguistic evidence alone is not conclusive. However, in further support of the theory, it is believed that the O1 Y-DNA haplogroup is associated with both the Austronesian people and the Tai.

Chao Phraya Watershed

The expanse of the Chao Phraya River and its tributaries, i.e. the Chao Phraya river system, together with the land upon which falling rain drains into these bodies of water, form the Chao Phraya watershed. The Chao Phraya watershed is the largest watershed in Thailand, covering approximately 35% of the nation's land, and draining an area of 157,924 km². The watershed is divided into the following basins:

*Pa Sak Basin
*Sakae Krang Basin
*Greater Nan Basin (comprising the Nan Basin and the Yom Basin, and usually divided as such in drainage analyses)
*Greater Ping Basin (comprising the Ping Basin and the Wang Basin, and usually divided as such in drainage analyses)
*Tha Chin Basin (the basin of the Chao Phraya's most significant distributary)
*Chao Phraya Basin (the land drained by the Chao Phraya River itself, and not by its major tributaries)

The mountainous natural boundary of the watershed forms a divide, which has, to some degree, historically isolated Thailand from other Southeast Asian civilizations. In fact, in northern Thailand, the divide roughly corresponds to a long section of the political border of present-day Thailand. Southern portions of the divide's boundary correspond less to the nation's political border, because isolation in this area was prevented by the ease of transportation along the lowlands surrounding the Gulf of Thailand, allowing a unified Thai civilization to extend beoynd the watershed without issue.

2007 Flooding in Phitsanulok, Thailand

Deforestation and urban development along the river banks in the region, combined with seasonal downpours in the Phetchabun Mountains have led to severe flooding in recent years within the province. Flooding in the province in 2007 was described by the Bangkok post as the worst floods in 40 years. On October 4, 2007, 100 rescue workers and 100 soldiers were dispatched to assist stranded residents in tambon Chompu and tambon Ban Mung, where water levels rose more than a meter. On that same day, Phitsanulok Governor Somboon Sripattanawat declared the Noen Maprang District a disaster zone. On October 6, 2007, Pongsagorn Kaenmanee, age 9 was among the first to drown in the flood waters. By October 8, 2007, the floods had killed at least three people in the Wang Thong District, and that district, in addition to Noen Maprang, was declared a disaster zone. On October 8, 2007, Deputy Prime Minister and Social Development and Human Security minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham visited the Phitsanulok Province to assess and address the flooding issues in the province. On October 10, 2007, the Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation sent boats out to deliver food and water supplies to residents of Bang Krathum District, which was cut off by floods. On October 12, 2007, the flooding took the life of a fifth villager in the province, who drowned after being swept away while he was rowing his boat to cast a fishing net. On October 14, 2007, flood water pressure sent inflows through the Mueang Phitsanulok Municipality's sewage system, flooding three communities. On October 15, 2007, the Royal Irrigation Department announced plans to construct six dams on the Wang Thong River as an attempt to solve the problem of seasonal flooding. On October 16, 2007 Thung Salaeng Luang National Park was temporarily closed for fear that tourists may become trapped in its caves by flood waters (This was prompted by an incident in Surat Thani's Khao Sok National Park where a group of cave exploring tourists drowned). A meeting of senior officials is scheduled for October 31, 2007 to discuss the progress of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the dam proposal. At least one of the dams will be in Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, but officials ensure that it will not be built in a wildlife sanctuary area. Flooding in the region is a recurring problem in Phitsanulok Province this time of year. In 2006, for example, between August 20 and December 13, over 22,000 people in 70 villages within Phitsanulok were affected by flooding, and over 1800 acres of farmland and 194 roads within the province were submerged by flood waters.

Jaras Makes ODP

Congratulations to my son Jaras who was accepted into the Olympic Development Soccer Program.

Weekends With Dan on iTunes

Weekends With Dan tracks are now available on iTunes.

Conversational Old English

Wes thu hal. Here's a stab at conversational Old English. These are conversations related to asking for directions and dating/dining. The conversations don't necessarily take place in the Old English time period, as they often refer to streets with names (cognates of the names of the streets in my home town in Virginia) and even to the ficticious "Beowulf Restaurant." I don't think there were restaurants back then, so I went with the cognate for "food-hall." Diacriticals are omitted and the compound letter ae is denoted with the two letters a and e. I also used "th" instead of the thorn, to avoid text conversion issues. The content of these conversations is based on the Pimsleur language method.

Forgief me. Eart thu Engle?
Gea. Ic eom Engle. And thu?
Ic eom American.
Ac thu understandest Englisce.
Ae, ic understande hwon, ac ne forwel god.
Na, Ic þence thu forwel god sprecest.
Ic thancie the.

Forgief me.
Gea?
Hwaer is Heahlond Stret?
Heahlond Stret is thaer ofer.
And Willahelmessunu Stret?
Her is Willahelmessunu Stret.
And hu gaeth hit?
Me for? Forwel god. Ic thancie the. Far wel.
Far wel.

Wes thu hal, Hilda.
Wes thu hal, Aelfred. Hu gaeth hit?
God. Ic thancie the. Ac, ic wille hwa etan. Thu eac?
Na. Ic wille huru hwa drincan. (Meaning: No, I'd just like something to
drink.)
Hwaer? Willahelmessunu Stretan on?
Gea, god.

Forgief me, Hilda.
Gea?
Hwaenne wilt thu hwa etan? Nu?
Na, ne nu. Aefter. Ac, ic wille hwa drincan nu.
Hwaer? Me bi? (meaning: Where? At my place?)
Gea, georne.

Hilda, wilt thu etan nu?
Ic thancie the, Aelfred. Ne nu. Ac, ic wille hwa drincan.
Gea, god. Hwaet wilt thu drincan?
Ic wille win drincan. Na, na. Ic drinke beor.
Ic eac. Ic wille eac beor drincan.
(speaking to the waiter) Forgief me. Twa beor, ic bidde. Hu? Etan? Na,
ne nu. Aefter.

Wes thu hal, Hilda. Hu gaeth hit?
Hit gaeth god, Aelfred. Ic thancie the.
Saege, Hilda. Hwaet wilt thu don nu? (Meaning: Tell me, Hilda. What
would you like to do now?)
Ic? Ic wille hwa drincan. And thu?
Ic wille hwa etan nu. Wilt thu me mid etan?
Gea, ac hwaer? Thaet Fodahealaernan Beowulf aet?
Hwaer is þaet fodahealaern Beowulf?
Heahlond Stretan on.
Ae, gea. Ic cnawe hwaer hit is.
And ic wille eac beor drincan.
Gea, god. Ic eac.

Comments and corrections?

Far wel,
Kevin

Home Via the Breadbasket

Not much to say. Kansas is flat. Saw lots of farms. We'll be back home in Virginia in a few days.

Atop Mount Evans

My friend Sam Hansuld took me to the top of Mount Evans in Colorado. The weather was beginning to get stormy, but the view from the top made the trip worth it.

Should Have Made a Left Turn at Albaquerque

Stopped in Albaquerque today. Wish I had alotted more time to stay here. The city has a nice old town with all kinds of shops and restaurants. We witnessed an outdoor wedding at the mission.

Idaho to the Grand Canyon in one day

Perhaps setting a new land speed record, we made it from Idaho to the north rim of the Grand Canyon in one day. I hadn't been here since 2000, when I visited the south rim. The ride in from the Kaibab Forest on the north side of the canyon was definitely more scenic, and there's a new lodge with shops and a nice restaurant. I definitely recommend the north rim over the south. Coming in through Utah was also worthwhile, as there were a number of national parks with all kinds of western landforms.

The Top of America

Greetings from the continental divide.

Rob Fowler Wedding

We made it to Minnesota with two days to spare before Rob Fowler's wedding. In the meantime, we stayed with Thidawan's Hmong friend from Thailand, Supamat Vang and her family.

Stopped to Fix a Flat Tire in Chicago

We just drove from Pittsburgh to Chicago on a donut. Most of the trip was through the night, except for Indiana and Illinois. Stopped at the Wizard of Oz Museum in Indiana in the morning and went up the Sears Tower while a mechanic put on a new tire. Just a minor setback. We're already in Wisconsin, and we should be in Minneapolis by tomorrow, on schedule.

Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin

Unfortunately, I missed the peak bloom of the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin this year, as well as the festival events over the weekend due to other plans, but I headed out around sunrise this morning to see what was left of them anyway. Most of the petals were already scattered about the ground and floating in the Potomac, but there were still a handful of trees that were still in full bloom.

Despite the wind, it was nice to get out for some early morning fresh air and exercise. The advantage of going early in the morning on a weekday is that there's not so much of a crowd of tourists blocking the view and making a lot of noise. Also, there's plenty of parking that time of day right along the basin.

Super Pollo in Arlington, Virginia

Super Pollo is located on the 600 block of N. Randolph St. across from the Ballston Common parking garage. It is not visible from any main road. If you have never eaten at a Peruvian chicken restaurant, you are missing out on a unique taste. While the atmosphere is nothing to write home about, this is by far the best tasting pollo restaurant that I have been able to find in the DC area. The spices used to season the chicken are perfect, and the chicken is good quality and cooked rotisserie style. Along with the best tasting chicken, the Super Pollo also has the best selection of sides, including yucca. I highly recommend the coleslaw, as well. I don't ordinarily like my colesslaw runny, but this dripping slop-style coleslaw is absolutely delicious. Be sure to try an Inca Cola, which tastes similar to the pink variety of Fanta.

Self Portrait

Self portrait in the sand. Greetings from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Making Moonshine in the Ozarks

Today, we stopped to visit my Uncle Michael in Arkansas (after visiting a real Ozark still). We packed him in the car and drove him up to Branson, Missouri, where everything was closed except for the family amusement park. Rode the bumper boats and go-carts while Uncle Michael played some shoot-em-up video games.

Anna Rexia Awarded Track of the Day

Weekends With Dan's song "Anna Rexia" was awarded "Track of the Day" on GarageBand.com.

A critic in Toledo, Ohio writes:

Whoah, wait, this doesn't suck like the rest of them...
Ok, I'm not a fan of guitar lead music, but this guitar player is good. His leads fit perfect and do the job; LEAD, not show off. Now, the criticism is that this is really a country song with a halftime beat and an electric guitar instead of a lap guitar. This song is hilarious once you figure out what it is that redneck is saying :) By the end of this song, I love Anna-Rexia. This rocks simply because it takes guts to play it.

In addition to the "Track of the Day" selection, the song also recently received the following awards:

*Best Male Vocals in Punk
*Best Guitars in Punk
*Best Lyrics in Punk
*Best Melody in Punk
*Most Original in Punk

Introducing Weekends With Dan

My new band "Weekends With Dan" began recording the "Big Sexy Single" at Big Blue Meenie studio in Jersey City today. The tracks "Anna Rexia" and "Sexual Harassment" are being recorded over the next few days, with a tentative mix date next week. At least three more songs will follow next month. The lineup features me, under the alias "Big Sexy" on guitars, "Dan Damage" on vocals, Jeff McManus of Pist.on (Atlantic Records) on drums and Jim Frint on bass. The genre of the project is somewhere between pop and punk. The sound quality is expected to be superior to all of my prior recorded music projects, as artists such as INXS, Pet Shop Boys, Jodeci, Guy and Queen Latifah, Helmet and Rage Against the Machine have all recorded or mixed albums in this studio. Tim Gilles who works regularly with Island and Virgin Records will be mixing some of the tracks.

Carter Caves State Resort Park

Today, I took my family horseback riding at Carter Caves State Resort Park, located in Carter County, Kentucky, along Tygarts Creek. While the ride was relaxing, they gave me the biggest, oldest, slowest horse, and I tore my pants trying to get my legs around it.
Me (top), my wife Thidawan (center) and our son Jaras (bottom)

Clarendon Cup

My son Jaras competes in the Clarendon Cup bike race.

Rutgers Law School Graduation

Today, I received my law degree from Rutgers University.

Malaria

I wasn't so out of shape as I thought. I just caught malaria. Staying at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. Parents flew in from the USA today and wife flew back from Thailand. Doctor told them I have a 50% chance of living. Feeling good, albiet delerious, in Kenya. Will report back shortly.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

It was a beautiful morning in Tanzania, and a great day to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I started out early by catching a taxi to the base of the legendary mountain. When I arrived at the entrance to the park, the taxi driver and I walked up to the guides' booth and negotiated a price. Unfortunately, I only had one day to get back to Kenya, and I was informed that climbing all the way to the top and back would take at a minimum three days, even for the most enduring of hikers. Nonetheless, I purchased a ticket and hired a guide to at least take me on a tour through the rainforest level of the mountain.

It was a very nice hike, and I learned a lot about the mountain's rainforest habitat. As a sidenote, I had never seen so many ants crawling around in one place. I think that if you stood in one place without walking for just a few minutes, you would easily have ants crawling up your pant legs!

There is much talk about foresting the area to support the development of the nation's industries, but I hope the park remains wild and natural for at least a few more generations to see. Already, through the trees, you can hear an occasional chainsaw grinding away.

At one point, I had a great view from the side of the mountain down to the countryside below. The landscape was mostly unoccupied, with scattered farms here and there. I couldn't help but think what incredible real estate those farmers have. But, I'm sure they price for it. No doubt, they're on the fringe of poverty and strugling to make a living with their crops. I wonder if they appreciate that they have one of the world's greates natural wonders outside their door.

I felt a little nauseous by the time I had come back to the base of the mountain and I was glad to be done with the walking. I guess I need to be in better shape before I try another high altitute adventure.

Fishing Near Lamu

Captain Kevin catches the big one. Kenya (except for Nairobi proper) is a fun place to be. Saw the Indian Ocean for the first time today.

Bujagali Falls

Enjoying myself on the Nile River in Uganda. Staying at a camp with hosts from the U.K. Their potato salad is incredible. Pictured in photo is fellow law student Meena Ra.