I spent the Fourth of July evening watching the Southwest Michigan Devil Ray’s beat up on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Fireworks followed the game, a decent show except that the finale came during the middle. Don’t exactly know what happened, maybe someone lit the wrong fuse. Actually, the best fireworks came in the bottom of the fourth or fifth, when the Devil Rays got five runs. I tried to spend the rest of the day being lazy, but it didn’t work. I did spend a fair amount of time snoozing and reading in my hammock. Currently reading Taylor Branch’s Parting the Waters: America and the King Years, 1954-1963. Just reading this book is giving my arms a workout; it must weigh 6 pounds. It’s a fascinating read. But I got to feeling guilty just lying around and reading, so I ended up cleaning out the garage until it was time for us to leave for the ball park.
What a Fourth, to have the Space Shuttle launch and North Korea launching all their rockets. It’s easy to laugh at North Korea’s failures, but it’s no laughing matter as the risk it poses. I’m still upset with Bush over his “Axis of Evil” comments. It seems as if we’re watching a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sooner or later the Koreans will get the missile right and the idea of such technology in such unstable hands is frightening.
China this past week announced their railroad from Golmud to Lhasa (Tibet) is now open. The “Sky Train” is quite a feat, as engineers had to design the train to withstand altitude problems (the tracks reach 16,500 feet above sea level) and issues of permafrost. The railcars are built by Canada’s Bombardier (a bit of the global economy at work) and much of the tracks through the permafrost were built on trestles. It’s now a two day and two nights run from Beijing to Lhasa. A part of me wants to ride it, yet I can also see how the railroad will destroy the culture in Tibet as more foreigners (including the Chinese) flood the country. Still, it’s amazing. I wonder if Paul Theroux plans to travel to China and ride this train.
Enough for now, maybe I’ll try to get another memory story posted by the weekend.
I have always been fascinated by Tibet and its' people, who I find beautiful of face and feature. So I would love to ride that train!
ReplyDeleteFireworks, not fair, I'm jealous :( We can't even buy them here!
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard about that train, my first thought was of you. My second thought was that I would love to ride that train.
ReplyDeleteThe way I look at it, the battle to preserve Tibet has already been lost long ago when the plan to build the train was approved, assuming of course that the train will be it's downfall. You might as well see it before the predictions become reality.
I bet that would be a wonderful train ride for sightseeing. Some day???
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