Riverside Park

This evening I took my wife to watch the sunset at Riverside Park, along the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia.



This is a great place for sunset photography.

El Yunque National Forest

Today I visited El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rain forest in the United States. I began at the park's visitor center, "El Portal Tropical Forest Center," which was a modern building with several exhibits, great views, and clean restrooms. I was also able to obtain a map of the park's roads and trails.



El Portal Tropical Forest Center

Heading south into the forest by car, the next stop was La Coca Falls, which are visible from the park road.



Cascada La Coca

Headed further south, I took a short hike up Yokahu Tower, a scenic lookout just off the park road. Yokahu Tower offers views of the forest, the mountains and the ocean.



Views from Yokahu Tower

My last order of business in the park was a hike to La Mina Falls, one of the park's major attractions. The hike to the falls was a long, steady downhill slope. Along the way were several rain shelters and picnic pavilions. The trail along La Mina River was extremely crowded. Once I reached the falls, I joined a large number of tourists in swimming in the falls' natural pool. The water was refreshing, and allowed me to cool down before making the long walk back up the trail.

Proto-Chibchan Numerals

Reconstruction of an Ancient Central American Numeric System
Data from modern and recently extinct languages in the Chibchan language family is analyzed in an attempt to unravel the counting system used by the Proto-Chibchan people living in Costa Rica and Panama around the year 3000 BC.

Background
Proto-Chibchan is a hypothetical language, believed to have been spoken by Native Americans near present-day Costa Rica and Panama around the year 3000 BC. The Proto-Chibchan speakers were primarily agriculturists, who also engaged in pottery and boat-making.[1] Today, the Chibchan languages make up a language family indigenous to the Isthmo-Columbian area, which extends from eastern Honduras to northern Columbia and includes populations of these countries as well as Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.[2]

Methods
Based on available data on the numerals used by contemporary Native American peoples speaking descendant languages of Proto-Chibchan,[3][4][5] I have used comparative techniques to deduce a rough approximation of the original Proto-Chibchan numeral system that can be traced down to modern Native American languages (many of which have expanded or modified the system significantly).

The following tree represents the normally assumed structure of the Chibchan language family,[1][2] with the specific languages compared in this article in bold:

Chibchan A
+Talamancan branch
++Teribe
++Viceitic branch
+++Bribri
+++Cabécar
+Borũca
+Waimí branch
++Ngäbere
++Bocotá
++Buglere
Chibchan B
+Pech
+Votic Branch
++Rama
++Maléku
+Dorasque branch
++Dorasque
++Chánguena
+Eastern Chibchan
++Kuna
++Colombian subgroup
+++Northern Colombian group
++++Chimila
++++Arwako group
+++++Kogui
+++++Southern and Eastern Arhuacan
++++++Ijca
++++++Guamaca-Atanque
+++++++Guamaca
+++++++Kankuamo
+++Southern Colombian group
++++Barí
++++Cundicocuyese
+++++Tunebo
++++++Central Tunebo
++++++Tunebo de Margua
++++++Tunebo de Manare
++++++Sínsiga
+++++Muisca-Duit
++++++Chibcha
++++++Duit

Aside from Chánguena, for which I was unable to obtain data other than the expression for the numeral 1, all known nodes of the Chibchan language tree are represented.

The First Five Numerals
Significant evidence from the daughter languages remains to reconstruct the Proto-Chibchan expressions for the numerals 2, 3, and 4, as well as two possibly related expressions for the numeral 5 in Proto-Chibchan A and Proto-Chibchan B. Diversity among the expressions for the numeral representing 1 among modern languages likely reflect subsequent innovations replacing the expression used at the time of Chibchan unity, thereby making it rather difficult (if not impossible) to reconstruct a Proto-Chibchan expression for 1 based on the data reviewed. A discussion of the various expressions used to represent numerals 6 through 10 is undertaken separately from the results demonstrated in this section, as the etymologies are somewhat more complex, and since the higher numerals raise some interesting issues better discussed separately.

The following table demonstrates my reconstructions for the Proto-Chibchan numerals:

1. undetermined
2. *búk(ə)
3. *maya
4. *paká(i)
5. undetermined (PCA: *chiká, PCB: *əchí)

Due to the limited data reviewed, and the inconsistencies of sources relied upon, many of which employ different orthographic systems to display their data, this reconstruction is admittedly a very rough approximation with a rather large margin of error. As more accurate input data become available, I hope to have opportunity re-evaluate my reconstructions.

The following sections demonstrate the intermediate results upon which I arrived at these reconstructions, i.e. intermediate reconstructions at each node of the Chibchan language tree.

Chibchan A
Linguists classify genetically classify the present-day (and recently extinct) Chibchan languages into two categories, A and B respectively, representing a linguistic split early in the Chibchan time line. Variants of these proto-numerals have persisted throughout both branches. The modern descendant languages of Chibchan A include those of the Waimí and Talamancan branches, as well as the Borũca language. Each is discussed separately below.

Waimí
The three Waimí languages investigated have very similar numerals for the numbers 1 through 5, enabling the following Proto-Wiamí reconstructions:

1. *ité (Ngäbere: di, Bocotá: de, Buglere: ite)
2. *búke (Ngäbere: bu, Bocotá: boke, Buglere: boke)
3. *mai (Ngäbere: mɔ, Bocotá: bai, Buglere: mai)
4. *bagá (Ngäbere: bɡɔ, Bocotá: baga, Buglere: baga)
5. *tiga (Ngäbere: riɡɛ, Bocotá: tiga, Buglere: tiga)

Talamancan
The Talamancan branch consists of the Viceitic languages and Teribe. I have reconstructed Proto-Viceitic as follows:

1. *ekra (Bribri: ek, Cabécar: ecra)
2. *buk (Bribri: bök, Cabécar: bur)
3. *mañá (Bribri: mañá, Cabécar: mañór)
4. *tkal (Bribri: tkël, Cabécar: tkil)
5. *skel (Bribri: skel, Cabécar: skel)

The forms in the Teribe language are as follows:

1. kra-rá
2. púg-da
3. myá-re
4. pkégn-de
5. shkégn-de

Combining Proto-Viceitic and Teribe results in the following Proto-Talamancan expressions:

1. *ekra
2. *buk
3. *mayá
4. *p'ka
5. *s'ke

Borũca
The following are the forms of the numerals in Borũca:

1. e'tsé
2. bú'k
3. mang
4. ba'kang
5. xi'kang

Chibchan A Results
Without using data from Chibchan B languages, the following reconstructions seem likely:

1. undetermined (Proto-Waimí: *ité, Proto-Talamancan: *ekra, Borũca: e'tsé)
2. *buk (Proto-Waimí: *búke, Proto-Talamancan: *buk, Borũca: bú'k)
3. *mayá (Proto-Waimí: *mai, Proto-Talamancan: *mayá, Borũca: mang)
4. *paká (Proto-Waimí: *bagá, Proto-Talamancan: *p'ka, Borũca: ba'kang)
5. *chiká (Proto-Waimí: *tiga, Proto-Talamancan: *s'ke, Borũca: xi'kang)

Chibchan B
The modern descendant languages of Chibchan B include those of the Votic, Dorasque and Eastern Chibchan branches, as well as the Pech language. Each is discussed separately below.

Votic
From the languages of Rama and Maléku, a unified set of Proto-Votic numerals can not be easily determined. However, the two languages appear to have some possible cognages with other branches of Chibchan B, upon which I made a few very weak reconstructions:

1. undetermined (Rama: saiming, Maléku: dooka)
2. *puk (Rama: púksak, Maléku: pángi)
3. *pan (Rama: pansak, Maléku: poóse)
4. *pakái (Rama: kungkungbi,Maléku: pakái)
5. undetermined (Rama: kʷikistar, Maléku: otini)

I also suggest the possibility that somehow the numbers two and three could have been reversed at some point.

Dorasque
With regard to the extinct language of Chánguena, I was only able to locate an expression for the numeral 1, i.e. "umai."

The numerals of the Dorasque language are as follows:

1. kue
2. mo
3. mas
4. paka
5. male

Pech
The Pech expressions for the numerals are as follows:

1. as
2. pok
3. mai
4. caa
5. aúnqui

Eastern Chibchan
The best documented Chibchan A data comes from the Eastern Chibchan or "Kuna-Colombian" language family. Due to the large number of languages compared, a series of trees demonstrating the numeral reconstructions at each node is perhaps the easiest way to demonstrate the results.

1. Proto-Eastern Chibchan: undetermined
Kuna: kwena
Proto-Colombian: undetermined
Proto-Northern Colombian: undetermined
Chimila: ti-tásu (ti is a prefix)
Proto-Arwako: undetermined
Kogui: éizua
Proto-Southern and Eastern Arhuacan: undetermined
Ijca: in'gwi
Proto-Guamaca-Atanque: *ishgua
Guamaca: ishgua
Kankuamo: ijkua
Proto-Southern Colombian group: undetermined
Barí: intok
Proto-Cundicocuyese: undetermined
Proto-Tunebo: undetermined
Central Tunebo: xesté
Tunebo de Margua: istan
Tunebo de Manare: ikti
Sínsiga: ikti
Proto-Muisca-Duit: *ata
Chibcha: ata
Duit: atia

2. Proto-Eastern Chibchan: *bókə
Kuna: po
Proto-Colombian: *bók(gw)a
Proto-Northern Colombian: *mógwa
Chimila: ti-múxuna (ti is a prefix)
Proto-Arwako: *mógwa
Kogui: mozhua
Proto-Southern and Eastern Arhuacan: *móga
Ijca: móuga
Proto-Guamaca-Atanque: *móga
Guamaca: móa
Kankuamo: moga
Proto-Southern Colombian group: *boka
Barí: insami (not a cognate)
Proto-Cundicocuyese: *bóka
Proto-Tunebo: *bukai
Central Tunebo: bukai
Tunebo de Margua: bukoï
Tunebo de Manare: bukai
Sínsiga: bukkai
Proto-Muisca-Duit: *bocha
Chibcha: boza
Duit: bocha

3. Proto-Eastern Chibchan: *máiə
Kuna: pa
Proto-Colombian: *mái(gw)a
Proto-Northern Colombian: *máigwa
Chimila: ti-máxana (ti is a prefix)
Proto-Arwako: *máigwa
Kogui: maigua
Proto-Southern and Eastern Arhuacan: *mái(gw)a
Ijca: máikeni
Proto-Guamaca-Atanque: *mái(gw)a
Guamaca: máigua
Kankuamo: ména
Proto-Southern Colombian group: *mái'a
Barí: tẽtahko (not a cognate)
Proto-Cundicocuyese: *mái'a
Proto-Tunebo: *mai
Central Tunebo: bay
Tunebo de Margua: maï
Tunebo de Manare: bai
Sínsiga: bai
Proto-Muisca-Duit: *mái'a
Chibcha: mica
Duit: meia

4. Proto-Eastern Chibchan: *məkaí
Kuna: pakke
Proto-Colombian: *makaí(gwa)
Proto-Northern Colombian: *makaígwa
Chimila: mbrí nyé (compound form, not a cognate)
Proto-Arwako: *makaígwa
Kogui: mukaiwa
Proto-Southern and Eastern Arhuacan: *makégwa
Ijca: ma'kéiwa
Proto-Guamaca-Atanque: *makégwa
Guamaca: makégua
Kankuamo: makéua
Proto-Southern Colombian group: *makái
Barí: ahduĩshkidã intok wa (not a cognate)
Proto-Cundicocuyese: *makái
Proto-Tunebo: *makái
Central Tunebo: bakaí
Tunebo de Margua: makaï
Tunebo de Manare: bagkai
Sínsiga: bakkai
Proto-Muisca-Duit: *muyhy'a
Chibcha: muyhyca
Duit: undetermined

5. Proto-Eastern Chibchan: *əchí
Kuna: attale
Proto-Colombian: *əchí(gwa)
Proto-Northern Colombian: *achígwa
Chimila: ti-ta (ti is a prefix)
Proto-Arwako: *achígwa
Kogui: juchiwu
Proto-Southern and Eastern Arhuacan: *achígwa
Ijca: aséwa
Proto-Guamaca-Atanque: *achígwa
Guamaca: achígua
Kankuamo: achíua
Proto-Southern Colombian group: *edzí
Barí: kobá (not a cognate)
Proto-Cundicocuyese: *edzí
Proto-Tunebo: *edzí
Central Tunebo: ezei
Tunebo de Margua: etsi
Tunebo de Manare: etsi
Sínsiga: edzí
Proto-Muisca-Duit: *hyz'a
Chibcha: hyzca
Duit: undetermined

Chibchan B Results
Without using data from Chibchan A languages, the following reconstructions seem likely:

1. undetermined (numerous forms in daughter languages, none bearing striking resemblance to any of the forms in other high-level branches)
2. *búkə (Proto-Votic: *puk, Dorasque: mo, Pech: pok, Proto-Eastern Chibchan: *bókə)
3. *máiə (Proto-Votic: *pan, Dorasque: mas, Pech: mai, Proto-Eastern Chibchan: *máiə)
4. *pəkái (Proto-Votic: *pakái, Dorasque: paka, Pech: caa, Proto-Eastern Chibchan: *makái)
5. *əchí (Maléku: otini, Proto-Eastern Chibchan: *əchí)

Comparison of Chibchan A and Chibchan B Results
The resemblance between the reconstructed numerals in the two branches is striking, and suggest the following reconstructions of the first five Proto-Chibchan numerals:

1. undetermined
2. *búk(ə) (from Proto-Chibchan A *buk and Proto-Chibchan B *búkə)
3. *maya (from Proto-Chibchan A *mayá and Proto-Chibchan B *máiə)
4. *paká(i) (from Proto-Chibchan A *paká and Proto-Chibchan B *pəkái)
5. undetermined (although there is likely some relation between the two expressions, I feel that there is too little data to determine whether the roots of Proto-Chibchan A *chiká and Proto-Chibchan B *əchí are cognate)

The only Chibchan language that does not use cognate forms of the reconstructions above is Barí, which appears to have adopted a different numeric system entirely. Perhaps worthy of note is the fact that Barí is one of only two Chibchan languages that is reportedly tonal.[6]

Six Through Ten
Most of the living and recently extinct Chibchan languages have forms for the numerals 6 through 10 that appear distinct from the numerals 1 through 5. Of the languages for which I was able to obtain data beyond the numeral 5, only Cabécar and Rama have numeric systems where the expression for the numeral 6 is merely a compound word with components indicating 5+1. In both languages, 7 is indicated by 5+2, 8 by 5+3, etc. Cabécar has a distinct expression for the numeral 10, whereas Rama expresses 10 as 5+5.

The fact that Cabécar and Rama stop at 5 and repeat tend to show that Proto-Chibchan probably only had distinct expressions for the numerals 1 through 5, whereas higher quantities were expressed using compound forms, if at all. Furthermore, since Cabécar is a Chibchan A language and Rama is a Chibchan B language, it is likely that the innovation of using distinct expressions for higher numerals occurred after the two sub-famlies became divergent.

That being said, a number of languages in both Chibchan A and Chibchan B appear to have distinct expressions for numerals 6 through 10, some of which have cognates on both the A and B side of the family. One possible scenerio explaining this seemingly paradoxical situation is that one or more extended numeric systems innovated in the daughter Chibchan languages was borrowed by other Chibchan languages, perhaps as a result of trade. Another possible scenario is that some of the daughter languages on both the A and B sides of the family borrowed expressions for numerals 6 through 10 from a common source. A third but in my opinion more remote possibility is a scenario where Proto-Chibchan had a numeric system with distinct expressions for the numbers 6 through 10, but for some reason or another, Cabécar and Rama lost these expressions perhaps after a long period where they were not often used.

Tunebo de Margua is an interesting language, and perhaps provides some clues. It uses expressions for the numerals 6, 7 and 8 that are cognate to those of other Chibchan languages, while 9 and 10 are represented by expressions meaning 8+1 and 8+2 respectively. All of the other modern Tunebo languages I have reviewed use a system that continues to 10 without the use of compounds.

Relationships Among Non-Compound Expressions for Six Through Ten
Excluding compound forms, all of the examined Chibchan expressions for the numeral 6 appear to have cognate roots with one-another:

6.
Ngäbere: ti
Buglere: dereke
Borũca: texén
Bribri: terl
Teribe: tér-de
Pech: séra
Kuna: nerkwd
Chibcha: taá
all Tunebo languages: terai
Guamaca: tainnúa
Ijca: chíngua
Kogui: taij-uña

Nicholas Ostler has proposed a Proto-Chibchan *ted-ua based on these forms.[7] For reasons stated above, I question whether such a reconstruction could be properly labeled Proto-Chibchan, considering the possibility that Proto-Chibchan did not have a non-compound expression for 6.

Moving on to expressions for 7, there is similar widespread simiilarity in expressions, spanning Chibchan A and B:

7.
Ngäbere: kɯɡɯ
Buglere: ɡuke
Borũca: kugtán
Bribri: cugl
Teribe: kógu-de
Kuna: kukle
Chibcha: cuhupqua
Central Tunebo: kukué
Tunebo de Margua: kuki
Tunebo de Manare: kukuni
Sinsiga: kukuí
Guamaca: kúgua
Kogui: kúgua

Exceptions which are clearly not cognate are Pech "tavuá" which may be a derivative related to "óva" (8), and Icja "shkába," also potentially a derivative related to "abéba" (8).

As we reach 8, the uniformity begins to erode. To represent the data, I grouped the expressions that are seemingly related, and indicated either and A or B to denote which side of the Chibchan family each expression falls on:

8.
Pech (B): óva
Central Tunebo (B): abé
Tunebo de Margua (B): avi
Tunebo de Manare (B): abi
Sinsiga (B): aví
Guamaca (B): ámbigua
Icja (B): abéba
Kogui (B): abi-kua

Ngäbere (A): kwɔ
Teribe (A): kwógu-de

Buglere (A): pa
Bribri (A): pagle

Chibcha (B): suhuza

Chimila (B): komá-na

Note that none of the groups span both Chibchan A and B, unless one or more of the groups can be combined. Such opportunity for combination is not apparent to me given the data.

The expressions for 9 are equally fragmented, although there is at least one group that spans Chibchan A and B:

9.
Ngäbere (A): ɤɡɔ
Buglere (A): inka
Guamaca (B): ihkágua
Icja (B): ihkágua
Kogui (B): kóga

Pech (B): tax (difficult to discern whether this expression belongs to the group)
Central Tunebo (B): estare
Tunebo de Manare (B): ettari
Sinsiga (B): stari

Teribe (A): shkówu-de

Bribri (A): sunito

Chibcha (B): aca

As expected, the expressions for 10 are across the board, as were those for 1 and 5. These numeric positions are particularly succeptable to replacement and innovation, as in addition to representing numerals, they may also express the ideas (such as the body parts upon which they were counted, for example). Forms that are not obvious compounds are listed only:

10.
Buglere (A): taboko
Bribri (A): d'bob
Cabécar (A): dobob
Teribe (A): dwówu-de

Pech (B): úca
Central Tunebo (B): ukafe
Tunebo de Manare (B): uteasi
Sinsiga (B): ukkasi
Guamaca (B): ugua
Kogui (B): uúga

Ngäbere (A): ni hɔdɔ

Maléku (B): paunka

Kuna (B): ampeki

Chibcha (B): ubchihica (probably a compound form of "hyzca" (5))

Chimila (B): che

Apparent cognate expressions for the numeral 10 do not span Chibchan A and B.


Irregularity in Kuna Compound Expressions for Eight and Nine
The numerals of the Kuna language deserve special attention, because the Kuna expressions for the numerals 8 and 9 have inexplicable compound forms:

1. kwena (unknown origin)
2. po (descendant of Proto-Chibchan *búk(ə))
3. pa (descendant of Proto-Chibchan *maya)
4. pakke (descendant of Proto-Chibchan *paká(i))
5. attale (unknown origin)
6. nerkwd (root is cognate to most common Chibchan form)
7. kukle (cognate to most common Chibchan form)
8. paapakka (lit. 3+4)
9. pakkepakka (lit. 4+4)
10. ampeki (unknown origin)

Paapakka for 8 appears to be a combination of pa + pakke (indicating 3 plus 4). Likewise, pakkepakka for 9 appears to be a combination of pakke + pakke (indicating 4 plus 4). As we all know, 3 plus 4 is 7 rather than 8, and 4 plus 4 is 8 rather than 9. I can not explain this apparent inconsistency.

Irregulary in Chimila Compound Forms
Chimila numerals also deserve attention, because they seem to belong to two classes, one of the classes consisting largely of unusual compound forms:

1. ti-tásu
2. ti-múxuna
3. ti-máxana
4. mbrí nyé
5. ti-ta
6. ráta mbrí nyé
7. ráta nyé
8. komá-na
9. ráta nyé
10. che

With the exception of the expression for 1, those numerals beginning with the prefix ti all appear to be cognate to Proto-Chibchan B. (Remember that the Proto-Chibchan B expression for 1 could not be determined.) However, the non-prefixed numerals for 4, 6, 7 and 9 appear to be compounds not based upon any of the Chibchan B forms. Furthermore, the expressions for 7 and 9 appear to be the same, unless the orthography used in the source from which these expressions were obtained did not catch a perhaps minute distinction. Of note, Chimila is a tonal language.[6]

Peer Review
As a general disclaimer to this article, I do not claim to have any formal linguistic training. I've read a few books on comparative linguistics, and seen a number of examples in practice. Furthermore, my methods and resources are assuredly not up to the standard of other linguists who have the luxury of a more complete lexicon of these languages and proper training. However, I have not found a thorough analysis of the Proto-Chibchan numerals anywhere else thusfar, so I set out to make this preliminary attempt to undertake the analysis.

Accordingly, I would love to have some review of my results by those in the field. Any and all comments, corrections, suggestions, additions, and even outright disagreements are absolutely welcome and encouraged by anyone with knowledge on this subject.

On a related note, I would like to give special thanks to Lloyd Anderson of Ecological Linguistics, who provided an extremely detailed critique of this article's first draft, based upon which I made numerous major edits, many of which resulted in what I feel are more accurate reconstructions. Mr. Anderson also provided a list of potential resources containing more data and insight (as well as a considerable amount of his own insight), which I intend to pursue prior to a planned second overhaul of this article.

References
1. American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Campbell, Lyle. 1997.
2. Wikipedia: Chibchan Languages
3. Numeral Systems of the World's Languages. Comrie, Bernard. 2008.
4. Native Languages of the Americas: Preserving and promoting American Indian languages
5. Numbers from 1 to 10 in Over 5000 Languages. Rosenfelder, Mark.
6. Evidence and Counter-Evidence. Lubotsky, Alexander.
7. U'wa, a dialect of Muisca. Ostler, Nicholas.

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.