President Ozymandias: Belief vs. Evidence

Sad but true: President Ozymandias (from Scientific American).

Ozymandias
by Percy Bysshe Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Farming on the edge

I wrote about the marine terrace a couple of years ago, but just had some pictures from the second terrace, looking down toward the ocean and the first marine terrace. Here's that picture:

Back Ranch Road, Santa Cruz

Here's where your artichokes (and Brussels sprouts too) come from, on the first marine terrace:

Wilder Ranch, Santa Cruz, California

Just a few feet behind me as I took that picture was the edge of the bluff:

Wilder Ranch, Santa Cruz, California

Spam

Santa Cruz, California

Carr fire smoke, August 4, 2018

Interstate 5 southbound near Weed Airport Road, Weed, California

Driving south from Oregon to Santa Cruz last Saturday, the smoke was dense from the Oregon border all the way to Sacramento. Normally, you can see Mount Shasta from I-5, but not a glimpse of it on this trip. That's Black Butte in the distance on the left.

There were two large fires: the Carr fire west of Redding, and the Mendocino Complex fire farther south. The Mendocino Complex fire became the largest fire in recorded California history later in the week.

Truck

This is a real truck, not just a pickup truck. I'm guessing this is from the 1940s.

Santa Cruz, California

Is this what ventilated brakes look like?

Buses, cafe, engineering school

I'm fascinated with vehicles, particularly trains and buses. Buenos Aires runs on a mix of public buses, subways, taxis, bicycles, and motos (scooters or light motorcycles). There are a lot of cars too, but many people get by without them, because the buses are ubiquitous.

I think that many American cities (including Santa Cruz) are overlooking the potential of public buses.

Also, Buenos Aires has cafes down.

Bar Plaza Dorrego, San Telmo

Facultad de Ingeniería, University of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Courtyards

Latin America has some beautiful courtyards hiding behind unassuming facades. Most of them are private houses, but some of them house shops or restaurants.

San Telmo, Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Argentina