Feb 20 2025 - The King of Congestion

 

Donald Trump declared himself KING recently - in relation to ordering New York to stop its congestion fee system.  It doesn't seem possible to have two kings in the congestion world.  And that is not even considering Elon Musk. The real king of congestion and parking is Donald Shoup.  He is the author of The High Cost of Free Parking - 20 years ago - and he changed the urban parking landscape significantly.   He was a PhD and research economist at UCLA. He was inspired by a master's thesis that found that Los Angeles County employees were almost twice as likely to drive alone than federal employees in the Los Angeles Civic Centre.  Why?  It was free parking. Shoup had estimated that 700 million rot 2 billion parking spots existed in the U.S. - a ratio of 2.5 to 7 times as many parking spaces as registered vehicles.     His investigation and studies resulted in his theory that an 85% occupancy rate of on-street -parking spaces would be the most efficient use of public parking.  The expression "cruising for parking" was one of his findings - driving around to find the closest parking spot. Congestion was the result.  Parking cash-out was a solution he advocated.  As parking spaces are subsidized at work, he devised options for the employee the choice to keep the parking space, use the money to pay for transit or vanpool fares, or sae the money by carpooling, bicycling, etc.  He also advocated removing parking minimums for condos, etc.  These resulted in a bias towards owning cars and driving.  It was found that parking minimums failed to reduce or eliminate curb congestion and increased it. The expression of being the king of congestion comes with the full sentence that Donald Trump used.    "Long live the king" no longer can apply to Donald Shoup as he died a few weeks ago.   The declaration that Donald Trump actually made was:  LONG LIVE THE KING!   All upper case.  I looked it up and there's a name for that:  language intensity.  Surprise that this is meant to signal that something is important here and that there's intense emotion with the words.

This is the road to the Peninsula Ridge Winery restaurant.  The Kitchen House - a heritage site - is the actual focal point everyone knows.   The second picture shows  a different perspective with the road diagonally in front - and of course a spring view with the fruit trees in bloom.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Oct 4 2023 - The King of Spades

 

The king card is the oldest and most universal court card. It most likely originated in Persian Ganjifeh where kings are depicted as seated on thrones and outranking the viceroy cards which are mounted on horses.  High card by suit and low card by suit refer to assigning relative values to playing cards of equal rank based on their suit. When suit ranking is applied, the most common conventions from lowest to highest are: ♣♦♥♠ English alphabetical order. clubs, followed by diamonds, hearts, and spades.   That makes the King of Spades the highest ranking King: a wealthy king who carries a scepter and an orb. It is a symbol of power and authority. . The kings were associated with historical figures, although this tradition was dropped over time: The King of Spades is thought to be David, King of Israel from the Old Testament. King of Clubs: Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, who conquered a vast region and lived from 356 to 323 BCE. The King of Hearts is the only king without a moustache.  He is Charlemagne, King of France and the first Holy Roman Emperor, who lived from 747 to 814 AD. King of Diamonds is Roman Caesar Augustus. Some sources say the king of diamonds is Julius Caesar, not Augustus. Some jokes are very lengthy and get to a punchline eventually.  Deck of card jokes are pretty short: What doctor also specializes in card games? The cardiologist. Why did a husband give his wife a deck of cards?  She wanted something with diamonds. What does Batman keep losing when playing card games?  He keeps attracting the Joker Why did the Kings, Queens, and Jacks stand before a judge? They’re court cards. My doctor tells me that a healthy serving of red meat is the size of a deck of cards.  Tonight I ate 52 slices of roast beef. A patient bursts into a doctor’s office, "Doctor, I believe I'm a deck of cards!"  Doctor : "Sit down, I'll deal with you later" Today we have a nice model railroad layout scene.

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Apr 13 2023 - There's a sacred part in the Coronation

 

Something that I hadn't thought about - that King Charles will be "anointed" with sacred oil during his Coronation ceremony. The headline is that he has chosen to maintain the privacy of the ancient ceremony "during the most solemn part of the Coronation on May 6".  The press report says that he made the decision to honour his relationship with God. Rituals from ancient times are curious today.  For example, Queen Elizabeth II had a cloth-of-gold that was held over her head for the anointing. No report so far on what the cloth will be for Charles. And when did the anointing tradition begin?  It is The Old Testament's anointing of Solomon.  He was chosen directly by God. So the British monarch was at one time considered divine and appointed directly by God.   The ritual involved seems so out of alignment with our current social traditions.  And perhaps because there are so few kings and queens being anointed we experience the great gap of traditions and activities.  Here's what the National Post writes: "When Charles is crowned by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, he will experience what is believed to be a sacramental encounter with God. It is one of the rarest Anglican rituals, and the only European monarchical coronation that retains the practice of “unction,” the anointing of a new monarch with holy oil to signify God’s grace." The oil - the Chrism oil has been consecrated by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in March. The oil will be held in the Ampulla, the silver-gilt Coronation Spoon was first used in 1349, and has anointed every Monarch since King James I in 1603.  And what about the Crown?  With its controversial jewels being claimed by various countries.  And it has been estimated by financial analysts to be worth more than 5 billion pounds. How quaint: It has its own emoji!

Fruit trees were in full bloom in 2021 at this time.  And things were a week later last year, shown in the second picture.

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Apr 7 2023 - What's in a title? Lots

 

There's news that Queen Consort Camilla is now being called Queen Camilla by King Charles.  A queen consort doesn't have any political or sovereign power.  Queen regent  "has an entirely different meaning - regents can exercise royal sovereignty in the king's behalf. This would happen if the king was absent or if a king were too young to rule." Queen Elizabeth was queen regnant.  This is a titled for a woman who inherits the British crown by right of birth.  A queen regnant has full sovereign powers.  The change of title is considered "primarily" symbolic.  "Queen Camila" is the appropriate title to set agains "King Charles" on the invitation to the coronation.  All former Queen Consorts have been known as "queen" plus their first name.  I wonder why their indicated primarily?  What is it secondarily?  No word on that. There's a lot to find out about the Monarchy - one can find out more at monarchy-of-britain.fandom.com.  There we find out there's queen dowager - widow of a king, and queen mother is a queen dowager who is also the mother of a reigning sovereign.  There's a new photo of the King and Queen looking shiny and new with photoshop kindly removing wrinkles and giving them each a glow.   And the invitation to the coronation? It's beautiful.  "The invitation for the Coronation has been designed by Andrew Jamieson, a heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator whose work is inspired by the chivalric themes of Arthurian legend. Mr Jamieson is a Brother of the Art Workers’ Guild, of which The King is an Honorary Member. The original artwork for the invitation was hand-painted in watercolour and gouache, and the design will be reproduced and printed on recycled card, with gold foil detailing. Central to the design is the motif of the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign. The shape of the Green Man, crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.  The British wildflower meadow bordering the invitation features lily of the valley, cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, bluebells, and a sprig of rosemary for remembrance, together with wildlife including a bee, a butterfly, a ladybird, a wren and a robin. Flowers appear in groupings of three, signifying The King becoming the third monarch of his name.  And so on. This is our neighbour's wonderful Wisteria, blooming the second year after they trimmed it. The Good Earth restaurant is in the process of trimming theirs this spring as it is attempting to demolish the arbour structure.  So next year we are hoping to see this kind of display on a much larger scale  as it is a huge arbour all along the building.    Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Sep 10 2022 - Official Portraits

 

The Obama official portraits were unveiled last week.  Little did I realize I would be looking at dozens of portraits of the Queen over the next few days.  This will be unrelenting for more than a week.  What Barak Obama said during the unveiling of his portrait was that he liked that McCurdy “paints people the way they are, for better or worse.”  “He captures every wrinkle on your face, every crease in your shirt. You’ll note that he refused to hide any of my gray hairs, refused my request to make my ears smaller. He also talked me out of wearing a tan suit, by the way,” Obama quipped. “His work is so precise that at first glance it looks like a photograph.” The official portrait of Trump is full of action and intrigue. Trump’s political action committee donated $650,000 to the Smithsonian Institution in July to help underwrite the portraits of the Trumps. On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether Biden would extend an invitation to Trump should his portrait be completed during the Biden administration. Let us hope this does not occur.  It seems to me that there's all manner of scenarios possible.  He could even declare himself king once he sees the portrait.  There is the likelihood of ill-will being present: "While there’s no hard-and-fast rule for when a White House portrait ought to be unveiled, ceremonies have often been hosted by a former president’s immediate successor. And when in office, President Donald Trump never held a ceremony for the Obama portraits." What a contrast. The U.S. horizons are clouded by Donald Trump's psychotic behaviours in the security realm.  Britain and the Commonwealth (that's us) are engaged in the ritual of the "monarch's ascension to the throne".  What a lot is packed into the declaration of the king by the "lords spiritual and temporal of this realm."    A Shakespearean play is upon us: "By the grace of god of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of his other realms and territory, King, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith, to whom we do acknowledge all faith and obedience with humble affection, beseeching God by whom kings and queens do reign to bless his majesty with long and happy years to reign over us." God Save the King is next played.

Glorious autumn is here soon - you can see it through the entrance way.  This is the University of Toronto - where the stone walls and buildings are so grand and connect us to the beautiful architecture of Great Britain. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 18 2021 - What's in a Name - Martin Luther King

 

Growing up a Lutheran, you can imagine that Martin Luther King got my attention.  Couldn't that be equivalent to naming someone Pope Paul or Saint Peter in the Roman Catholic faith? I wondered about how he got named after such a religious figure. This curiosity is easily answered: "Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth name was not “Martin,” but “Michael.” Dr. King’s father traveled to Germany and became inspired by Protestant reformer Martin Luther and thus changed his name while also changing the name of his then 5-year-old-son." But that isn't the answer - it is a statement of what happened when.  It gives no reason why - there is no explanation by King Sr or others.  As is typical of the articles on social media, the same phrases are repeated in the articles.   Here's the Wikipedia entry: That year, (1934) he also changed his name (and that of his eldest son) from Michael King to Martin Luther King after a period of gradual transition on his own part. He was inspired during a trip to Germany for that year's meeting of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). While visiting sites associated with reformation leader Martin Luther, attendees also witnessed the rise of Nazism. The BWA conference issued a resolution condemning antisemitism, and the senior King gained deepened appreciation for the power of Luther's protest. I don't remember our Lutheran church promoting Martin Luther.  I saw a special on him on the 500th anniversary in 2017.  I found out he was the greatest and most influential social media personality of his time.  He didn't mean to, he wanted the 95 Theses to be discussion points.  Instead, he started the protestant revolution.  Printed copies of the 95 Theses spread throughout Germany within two weeks, and Europe within two months. Martin Luther King Sr. was an activist similar to Martin Luther, pointing to freedom and dignity, and away from corruption and violence.  I wonder what the other connections are.   Model layouts are about clarity - no multiple exposures here. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Who's On First?

Who is on first?  That's Dezi on our walk at Beamer Park in the first picture. But who's on second?  It looks like two Dezis.  We met little Nicos on our walk - very similar to Dezi in colour patterns, and just a little younger so doesn't have all the feathers on the legs yet. If you want to listen to the real "Who's On First" then here is a link to Abbott and Costello's famous comedy routine.  You can read it or listen to them. http://www.phoenix5.org/humor/WhoOnFirst.html