By Hook or By Crook: Skullduggery and Disenfranchisement in Arizona

Dear Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett:

It is my understanding that you intend to allow 1200 people to disenfranchise all the other voters in the state of Arizona by refusing to place President Barack Obama's name on the ballot. As a registered voter in Arizona, I am outraged and appalled at the complete effrontery of:

A. Disrespecting the office of the President of the United States of America by refusing to allow a sitting president to run on Arizona's ballot.

B. Disrespecting the voters of the state of Arizona by refusing them the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice.

C. Patronizing the voters of the state of Arizona by implying, through your refusal to allow a sitting president to run for office, that they do not have enough sense to know who they should trust with the most important office in the United States.

I feel sorry for someone so craven that they cannot go toe to toe with their foes in a legitimate and fair election, but instead must stoop to every dirty trick they can envision in order to advance their own personal agenda. Shame on you!

My vote counts just as much as any other person's vote in this state, and I want Barack Obama's name on the ballot. If he is not allowed to run, whoever wins the election will always know that his victory is hollow, based on lies and half-truths. Such a presidency is doomed to failure. Whoever runs for President of the United States in Arizona needs to win in a true, fair and honest election, not through trickery and skullduggery, and definitely not through placing a higher value on the opinions of 1200 voters than on all others.

Sincerely,

Jane M. Smith,
registered voter in the state of Arizona.

Annular Solar Eclispe May 20 2012

I took these photos at 6:15 PM Arizona time, while wearing a pair of 99-percent UV-reduction welder's glasses and a hat to block the sun from my eyes. I love the effect of the rays over the back wall of the yard. The palm tree in the background is about a full block away and stands about three stories tall. I'll take more photos around 6:30 PM. The apparent change in the sun's position from north of the palm to south of it was me taking photos from multiple angles, not any genuine movement of the sun itself. I think that pink-orange arc might be an optical illusion.

Sunset, 6:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset B, 6:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset C, 6:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset D, 6:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset E, 6:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset F, 6:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset G, 6:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset H, 6:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

I took this next batch of photos at 6:30 PM AZ time, two houses over for the first two, and about half a block north of the house for the other six. I had to move because the sun dropped too far below the horizon to see it over the roof of the houses behind ours. It makes a beautiful scene over the neighbor's Cereus peruvianus.

Sunset A, 6:30 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset B, 6:30 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset C, 6:30 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset D, 6:30 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset E, 6:30 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset F, 6:30 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset G, 6:30 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset H, 6:30 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

I took this last set of photos between 6:50PM and 7:15PM AZ time. The sun kept dropping below the horizon faster than I could walk to keep up with it, so I never did get a shot of the eclipse itself. There was a bite out of the upper left arc of the sun by 7:15, and the sunset was a bright neon orange to bright neon pink.

Sunset A, 6:50 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

 

Sunset B, 6:50 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset C, 7:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Sunset D, 7:15 PM AZT May 20, 2012 by Jack V. Sage

Artists and Writers: Create Your Space

Artists and writers both need a workspace that inspires creativity. I share a workspace that faces a big picture window, so it has plenty of natural light during the day. I use a shop light at night, since our floor lamp has seen better days.The laptop sits on a Lifetime folding show table made of molded plastic, and I have a big red core ball for a chair. I have a one-drawer side table at the left end of my shop table, and a corner-style computer desk holds most of our art supplies. The floor lamp sits at the right end of the corner desk, and we have a two-drawer, single-shelf night stand to the right of the floor lamp, holding our acrylic paints, paper and assorted boxes that we pull apart, fold and store until we need them.

A metal display shelf turned on its short side leans against the east wall of the house, providing a place to hang spare eyeglasses, a Valentine's Day rose, tweezers, nail clippers and a few jewelry tools. All the paintbrushes, sponge brushes and clay tools sit in bottles, jars and cocoa containers, waiting for the next project. To the left of the shelf you see an "ideas in progress" area, with notes about ideas that spring up in the middle of other projects. To the left of the picture window you see a mini gallery of finished paintings and a second motivational/idea area.

Clutter piles up over time, which blocks creative flow. Dust makes things feel stale, and balls of paper, cardboard and other assorted bits and pieces build negativity. Once all that trash gets bagged and hauled out, the room has a fresh, vibrant feeling.

View from my work station. Photo 1 by Jack V. Sage, May 2012

View from my work station. Photo 2 by Jack V. Sage, May 2012

"On the Hunt" Acrylic Wash by Jack V. Sage, Photo 1, May 6, 2012

"On the Hunt" Acrylic Wash by Jack V. Sage, Photo 2, May 6, 2012