Why?

Why are we resorting to the blame game?
Why do the radical philosophies of isis or other hate groups influence people?
Why are people afraid of homosexuals?
Why would anyone want an assault rifle?
Why would anyone need an assault rifle?
Why would someone with good conscience make or sell an assault rifle?
Why can't we study the impacts of gun violence?
Why do men (not women) so often resort to indiscriminate violence?
Why will our collective reaction be nil in terms of addressing gun control?
Why will our collective reaction be ten fold against mostly innocent people in foreign lands?
Why do we give such a shit about guns?
Why can't we recognize the cyclical action of violence?
Just why?

Calamity Brook

 We entered the high peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains from the southern corner, an hours drive around from our regular starting point, Keene Valley.  The little town is, from the point of view of this city slicker, an ideal trail head town.  It has one main street, the Ausable Inn with plenty of beds, excellent food, and microbrews on tap, The Mountaineer outdoor gear store, a good hipster-ish coffee shop and multiple entry points to the back country.  We chose a different corner to access Colden Lake, the frozen lake saddle within the highest peaks of New York .  As it turns out, two of the brooks we hike up and around are headwaters to the might Hudson River.  The fallen house is a remnant of the iron mill town that existed for a very short time much more than a century ago.  It was operational for two years, was shut down because of an economic depression nation wide and then a few years later was destroy by a big flood event. 

 This memorial sits in a marshy clearing about five miles from the road.  There is a good chance the name of the brook, Calamity, is tied to the event that happened in 1845, when this area was being cleared for logging. 

 We stayed the night at the Livingston Point Lean To.  It sat on the edge of a frozen marshy little tributary to the the dammed lake.  Down the trail a half mile the spectacular Hanging Spear Falls dropped in multiple steps some 500 feet, the largest waterfall more than a hundred feet.  The river is named Opalescent and combines with Calamity to start the Hudson's journey to the Atlantic Ocean.

City Parks

From most vantage points, Brooklyn is a concrete jungle of varying degrees of decay. There are, however, some gems of open space.

Republican Debate

As I watch the Republican debate,

Paul reinvigorates his undercard position.
Mentions the unmentionables in Republican debates:
Race, Criminal Justice, and expensive military expansionism.

Kasich continues to appear pragmatic, inclusive, and experienced
Qualities not sought for in a rightward trending conservative primary.

Christie panders to fear,
Evades questions, and throws attacks at Hillary,
Thinking a blustery and vacuous posture will win points

Cruz skeeves, whines, and scaremongers
This unofficial Tea Party leader
May be the best bet for Democrats to regain Congress.

Bush improves his position
Seeming more confident on the stage.
Probably too little, too late
And he has that well known brother.

Carson confuses and fades.

Rubio tries to hard.
His crescendo cadence with each answer
Moves too fast and too rehearsed to generate confidence.

Trump was not there, thankfully.
He strikes a real cord with the conservative underclass,
But the overtones of anti-anything but- white male
Are a non-starter.

American Museum of Natural History

Winter Storm Jonas