March 24, 2008 - A Hole in the Sky (Red Rock)

Canon 5D, 24 - 105 mm f/4L IS @ 24 mm, f/16, 1/125 sec., ISO 400, polarizer

Sometimes I think you should just avoid the news, especially the Sunday newspaper. Yesterday I read it cover to cover - everything. It's good to stay informed, right? Well, maybe not. Talk about getting depressed. The war in Irag drags on, with no clear end in sight and 4,000 dead Americans (not to mention the thousands and thousands of dead Iragi's). China is almost single-handedly polluting the planet as it becomes one of the most powerful economies on earth. But then, their "model" was the United States. If it worked for us, it should work for them. That, apparently, is their logic. Can you imagine the entire population of China with cars?

The governor of my former home state (NY) has resigned in disgrace. Sex and politics have become nearly synonymous. This guy was supposed to be "Mr. Clean". Then there's the governor of my current state (NV). No sex scandal here. This guy is simply brain dead. Not a clue. Not to mention the little "health crisis" going on here. Some 40,000 people are at risk for Hepatitis B or C or HIV because single - use medication vials were used multiple times at a number of clinics. Of course it turns out that similar "incidents" have occurred in other states. What a shocker. And we're paying astronomical health insurance premiums - for what? My wife says that I'll have to drag her to the doctor kicking and screaming, even if she's dying. Now that's confidence in the system!

No wonder I spend my free time wandering around in the desert. No TV, no newspapers. Just me, my camera, the wind, and a few zillion other people, all taking pictures. That is, when we can see through the haze.