These days I am painting hawks, Red tailed Hawks to be specific, and a particular individual named Pale Male to be even more specific. Whilst I paint away, a dove is in the room, convalescing from a run in with some glue that left him missing a tail and many feathers. A Mourning Dove to be specific, as pictured above: Zenaida macroura to give its Latin binomial.

It is good company. It bates when it sees me and seethes with rage at its dilemna, pining for the freedom I would be wrong to grant it at this stage. He knows not my reasons; I am in his mind only a warden, changing his food and water daily and cleaning his mess. His tail, after two weeks of this, has started to grow in well, but I see no sign yet of his breast feathers, and his primaries, which I had to clip on one wing, did not fall out hence they body does not know to renew them. He is no match for predators. Cats, or hawks, will find him a tasty morsel.

And I hope he finds my latest offering a tasty morsel as well: hemp. Hulled seeds which I got at Wholefoods here in Chelsea, and which I will share with friends and with birds on the Highline feeders. I am not yet sure if he is taking to the hemp, he goes for bread, which is cheap and abundant - but on which a dove cannot live alone.

Given his feather condition, I knew he needed some butter with it, at least this is an old falconer's tale - so he got that, along with powdered milk in his water. Not sure even if he drinks. He does not like to be watched. Our companionship is a solitary affair, limited to feeding and cleaning. He had bread, + millet, flax, sesame and bran in his bowl. Soon I will limit his rations to hemp so I can observe whether he takes to it or not. It has all the essential amino acids, so I know he will be getting the necessary nutrition at this time, and a high percentage of oil, 30%, which will give his feathers a shine.

When he has his plumage in good condition again I will release him to the Highline, which is near to where I found him, and where I spotted a juvenile Mourning Dove the other day. It is also not far from a spot in the city, the French Apartments, where these doves breed, so this makes sense. And just maybe, if feeling mischievous, I will add hemp to the 300 species of plants they have lavished on this structure so he will have a fresh supply.

HOPE AND CHANGE

Later this year 100 million or so are going to fill out chad slips or whatever they use now to pick someone to occupy the White House for four years. Many are fighting over who is better or worse, McCain or Obama. To be or not to be a McCaination or an Obamanation. Is there a third choice? I am not sure if Cynthia McKinney is still in as Green Party candidate, but if she is then let's get her in the White House. Republicans can be happy that there is a an honest church goer, and the other side gets both an African American and a woman.

There will of course be lots of unhappy people who are being asked by her what they did with trillions (yes, that's not a typo - I don't mean millions or even billions) of dollars that went MIA at the Pentagon.

She knows about hemp and expect it to become legal on a federal level if she gets is, which is just what we need. As the price of oil just rose 10% in a day this week, as some Bozo in the Middle East, who had nothing better to say but needed to get a soundbite, announced that Israel was about to attack Iran, Iran's exports, including oil, rose in price. This does not help the Israeli economy and unless the Knesset is on acid they are not about to do any such stupid thing. Kissinger once said that there is no foreign policy there, just domestic, which means that politicians say all kinds of crazy things to pander to voters. They endanger the Israeli public just to get the press to give them space. If someone were a real enemy of Israel, they would encourage all the saber rattling they could and then let a big war end the game. Or are arms dealers already playing that just for their fun and profit?

One more reason to have Cynthia McKinney - if we do not want the neophyte Obama or the GOP McCain, bedfellow to lots of arms dealers, we need someone with experience and common sense. McKinney has been in the throes of political machinations in the US, and knows what is what.

Having met McKinney I can vouch for her character. She took London by storm - and, for what it's worth, her son is a Chelsea fan. We hope to have them over soon on a more official visit.