Cleveland Zoo on a sunny April day

Cleveland Zoo is step by step becoming more of an amusement park than an animal park. Ten swan paddle boats are being assembled, that in addition to the zip line, carousel, movie theatre, party hall, seasonal light shows...and the reduction of species.

Here, i'll tell you a tale of the repukican partei in Ohio. Two citizens' introduced ballot initiatives have been passed to end gerrymandering. For many years everything in the state capital has been controlled by the repukican partei, and therefore moneyed interests; the voting public be damned. Current Sec. of State, and Atty Gen, (Larose and Yost) do not want the Democratic Party to have a presidential and vice-presidential candidates on the ballot. These two are dishonest as hell, and will use any conceivable trick to get their way. A few recent repukican Speakers of the House have been arrested for financial corruption. The Repukes have super majorities in both houses of the legislature. There is no law, and especially no spirit of justice, they need to obey. So now, for the third time, these women and other people are trying to get this on the ballot.

Sloths were active.

Last fall the zoo planted 20,000 tulip bulbs about the park. They have pretty much all have hit peak, A couple of 80 degree days will ripen the bloom greatly.

 

candid camera, no trix

sakura April 2

runner foto bombed by greyhound April 6

Dalmatian saw us as we walked by on the day of the eclipse.

East 9th & Superior, Cleveland O. April 10. News media getting ready for a news conference from SNAP (a group representing victims of clerical sexual abuse). [click]

a dragon ate the sun

3.14 pm

The smallest sliver of uncovered sun still illuminated everything, and then moments of instant gray, and then black. It was like theatre when the lights went out, a little eery. Totality was almost four minutes, although it seemed far less. 

While most of the sun was covered, temperature dropped, a little breeze came, birds began chirping, tulips closed. The last light had a different quality; some eyeglasses that darken in the sun, cleared up, perhaps the ultraviolet lessened. 

Our greyhound was with us in the backyard. She was fine with it, she was laying down in the grass continuing a snooze, until some idjit neighbor on the street behind us exploded fireworks. Then Karma quickly scooted into the house.

___________________________________________

postscriptum 3pm 12 April: In the last year plus, i have found on reddit the only place for somethings i am interested in; search engines held nothing of value except for reddit on several subjects. The latest was about the failure and disappointment that the total eclipse of the sun was not an apocalyptic event.  A total eclipse is rare for any particular location on Earth, it is not rare for the Earth.  Apparently some people are surprised that they are still here. Not being conversant in crazy Protestantism, i did not know, some people thought the Rapture would come and begin the End Times that day. Firstly, this rapture was invented by John Nelson Darby in 1831 after he left the Protestant Church of Ireland to form the Plymouth Brethren. His ideas have been accepted by many American Evangelicals. Secondly, there have been many people who call for the end of the world. So far they have all been wrong. Thirdly, many like to quote biblical passages and do some mental gymnastics. They do this while ignoring straightforward passages:

• — But of that day and hour no one knoweth, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone. — Matthew xxiv. 36.
• — Thou shalt have this sign: Whatsoever that same prophet foretelleth in the name of the Lord, and it cometh not to pass: that thing the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath forged it by the pride of his mind: and therefore thou shalt not fear him. — Deuteronomy xviii. 22.
  

What was done, was meant to be done.

Direct hit on target

The bombing of World Central Kitchen people was done with information given to Israeli military by that humanitarian organisation. They told the Israelis, this is us, we are identifying ourselves SO THAT you WILL KNOW it is us. José Andrés knows this, and has told the public.

It was part of planned genocide. It was no accident, it was mission accomplished. It is their game plan, civilian decimation. It is so much easier killing the defenseless, and even easier when their location and movements are known, or ordered. Then deny everything, and attack with feigned outrage everyone who notices.

Netanyahu is a psychopath. Medical people, journalists, aid workers are targeted. Those are people who are trying to keep people alive, and tell their story. Israel accomplished their goal. Aid has been slowed down, humanitarian aid is being stopped, and discouraged to enter. Mission accomplished.

The United States is complicit. Israel has always played the US as a fool, while it takes its money, and armament. Israel is ruthless, and remorseless. Netanyahu enjoys making American presidents humiliated.

summit lake again

Well, we went to see loons. Seven loons were reported earlier Easter morning. Later i saw a picture of one in Portage Lakes, i guess they went a little south, the waters connect. This shoveler pair were close enough in the photo to be clear focus. Shovelers were close enough for a good shot, they are very small ducks about the size of coots. Any further out, they would be fuzzy, and not sharp. That bill is a good percentage of body length.

Mallards are the easiest wild duck to fotograph, and about the largest ones to be seen in Ohio.

Notice the odd lobed feet of the coot/mudhen.

Bullfrog was inside the small nature center.

akron stuff

 

foto from Aaron Turner 2008 flickr, before demolition of Portage Path Elementary

In the early decades of the 20th century, before Hoover's Depression, Akron built many handsome brick schools. Many had friezes, and stone ornaments, Some were repeated. Ferdinand Schumacher (oatmeal), and George Barber (matches) elementaries were a pair. In the 21st century, many of these schools were demolished. Some were replaced with new buildings bearing the same names. Before they were called schools, now jargon identifies them community learning centers.

The old Portage Path Elementary had three Indian heads, the new school has a few more.

These are two of them. One is pictured in the shade, and the other in full sunlight.

John Carmen Comunale. Zippy, University of Akron mascot. 2005. foto 2021.

John Heisman. 2015. Randolph Rose Co. 

Heisman coached Buchtel (now Akron) in 1893. The next year they played at the Ohio State Fair and beat Ohio State. Buchtel's only game that year. Heisman went back to coach Oberlin, where in his first season coaching (1892) they beat Ohio State twice.

Heisman would start each season with this speech:

"What is this? It is a prolate spheroid, an elongated sphere in which the outer leather casing is drawn tightly over a somewhat smaller rubber tubing. Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football."

left horse

Burkhardt Brewing was the big brewer in Akron. They had several brick buildings on Grant from 1902 to 1956. Before that they were on Sherman. One building had a horse head over the two tall doors. In the early part of the century, horses pulled beer wagons.

two views of right horse

M was for Margaretha

revist of abandoned places #42

 Miles Park Methodist Newburgh Cleveland Good Friday morning

The fire was yesterday morning, and almost everything but the brick walls were consumed.

The building was condemned. The demolition vehicles were there late afternoon.

The work crew was there at 8 o'clock in the morning.

I posted fotos a little over a year ago [click].

 Miles Park Methodist 1872 - 1969, then Baptist, then Pentecostal, then abandoned

Alfombras 2024

 

For several years, La Sagrada Familia on Detroit, Cleveland has observed Holy Week with Las Alfombras de Semana Santa (Carpets of Holy Week). They have 33 this year. To-morrow to begin the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) at 11am, people will trample the carpets, and travel to St. Colman, and then St. Michael.  [click for some years prior]

Semana Santa is Holy Week, and these carpets chiefly commemorate Jesus walk to Calvary.

In His Steps. IHS, first three letters of Jesus in Greek, a Christogram

Guatemala may have the greatest devotion to this sacramental practice. A Guatemalan did this alfombra, Su Amor es Infinito, His Love is Infinite. The figures surrounding the alfombra are cucuruchos (the penitents).

This was new to me. A person praying, with Jesus as Lion putting the Dark One to fear.

Every alfombra is not dedicated to Jesus. Here it is Our Lady of Guadelupe, and St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin of Mejico.

De Colores, of colors, is a favorite Mexican folk song. It is the anthem of the United Farm Workers, and is sung by many Catholic groups. Here for Holy Week, it is a reminder of the cock who crowed when Peter denied knowing Jesus.

Jesus and His Cross

There are countries in Central America where the main color in the national flag is of like blue. Eagles are often depicted in crests, and flags. Here a dove of peace is in the blue sky instead.

Jesus the Consoler

There is no Holy Water during the Triduum. Here instead of an empty stoup, there is sand. The next Holy Water comes during the Easter Vigil Mass.

photographs of abandoned places #45

Akron Baptist Temple

This decayed quickly. The main building was built from 1947 to 1949. Eventually there were seven or eight buildings on twenty-nine acres, and extensive parking spaces. I was never on campus. We were on Manchester Road earlier on the 11th of the month, and i said i want to photograph the front. We kept on driving. A few days ago, i saw on teevee, Akron's new mayor, Shammas Malik had the property fenced off, and began demolition formally on the 19th.

[24 March 2024]

The thing that really caught my attention was the quote from Matthew, "Upon this rock i will build my church". The full verse is "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Peter is in Greek 'rock'. The presentation changed the meaning; apparently Bible literalists are very selective (not unlike constitutional originalists). With that shortened verse, i would have thought that the name of the church was Saint Peter's. Yes, i saw great incongruity; but then again...Baptists. Then there is the empty scroll, it used to read: Dr. Dallas F. Billington Founder & Pastor. It is very common among Baptist and Pentecostal churches to have this kind of citation on the building. The facade is also quite tall, and there used to be on top flashing neon letters, Akron Baptist Temple; not unlike the Firestone, and Goodyear signs in Akron.

This Independent Baptist Fundamentalist Megachurch (the three adjectives can be any order) was run by three generations of Billingtons, starting in 1934 to 2007. Dallas F. Billington left Paducah Kentucky to work in a tire factory in Akron. He was a Baptist preacher with ambition and energy, who was willing to use extensive, and then for the time, novel promotional techniques (stunts, gimmicks). The membership for many years were white southerners, and those from Appalachia, and their children. Growth, called evangelism, was paramount.

Elmer Towns. The Ten Largest Sunday Schools. 1969., listed Akron Baptist Temple as #1 with c.7,000. For some reason this was considered the criterion to gauge largest megachurches in the US of A. I could discuss this much further here, but no. It is to be remembered, this is a Protestant phenomena, and the church can have several sites simultaneously. Also these type of establishments have the chief pastor as unaccountable; it is convenient to be 'independent' or 'non-denominational'. In the US they are usually Baptists, in the rest of the world usually Pentecostalist/Charismatic.

After a time, Akron's population stopped growing. Some things happened along the way, besides demographics. A new pastor in a megachurch with different programmes/methods/agenda/style can effect the congregation greatly. Firstly, a portion of the congregation might be in disagreement and leave, and new congregants might not make up the difference.

In 2018 the new chief pastor sold the church to a black megachurch pastor. Both congregations used the campus for a time, then Akron Baptist Temple moved elsewhere under a new name. By this time the third Billington had a separate Akron church of his own. The new Word Church ownership did some remodeling, but the new congregation preferred the previous Akron location (the main site is in a Cleveland suburb). In 2019 it was up for sale. Soon thereafter, scrappers, vandals, and the homeless have used the campus, and trashed a good deal of it. The neighbours, fire department, and the police find it a continuing nuisance. Realtors wanted it to be a strip mall, but prospective buyers want the area cleared before they spend a dime. Asbestos is rumoured, does that not survive in fire and brimstone? Another chapter of church and commerce in America.

Saw similar art deco tile fringe on other Akron buildings [click]

2324 Manchester

Looks more like an abandoned theatre.