Visiting With Dad

In the afternoons, my Dad seems to prefer watching "Laura - Sin Censura" on the Spanish-language network, Telemundo. The TV show is something like Jerry Springer on crack. First, they introduce the arrogant cad to the studio audience, then the censorious mother-in-law, who attacks and insults the cad, then the wife, who defends the cad, then the girlfriend, who attacks the wife as the surprised wife attacks the cad, then the second girl friend, whom no one but the cad (and the show's secret camera) knew about. Then everyone attacks the cad, then the sudden revelation everyone has AIDS, then the cad is thrown out of the studio to the chants of the outraged studio audience. It's all close-captioned by a hopelessly ill-equipped typist, who can't possibly keep up with all the shouting. As a retirement distraction, it beats golf. That, and Judge Joe Brown.

Scooter Libby Verdict

Yay! Justice begins to get served!

Corrales And North Valley Sojourn

Left: I grew up in this house, but the people who bought it in 1990 did so much work on it, it is now unrecognizable to me!

Corrales Rd., Corrales.

This is one of the oldest buildings in Corrales. My sister took ballet lessons here, when it was the Litka School, when she was a little girl. Interestingly, under different management, it is still a dance school.

Horse statue and Rio Grande cottonwood tree, along Rio Grande Blvd., NW.

Slacking Off At UNM

Left: "Fiesa" - "Jarabe", Luis Jimenez, 91-96, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.


The university area was reassuringly familiar, for the most part, but some new buildings are going up, and there is some new statuary.

Downtown Albuquerque.

Kimo Theater - downtown Albuquerque.

My sister Michelle samples the delicacies (e.g., huevos rancheros) at the Frontier Restaurant, near the UNM campus.

"Frozen Lightning"

As a kind gift, my sister wanted to get me a hagiographic account of Governor Bill Richardson's inevitable march through New Mexico politics, and irresistable rise into national politics.

Instead, she obtained a compendium of the political misdeeds of an egotistical monster of Brobdignagian proportions.

Offhand, it doesn't look like a conservative hit job; more like someone got burned.

Some stuff is a little clunky. For example, the picture of the dancing girls doesn't make me think of political corruption. Instead, it makes me want to join the dancing chorus.

I partly blame Richardson for the Wen Ho Lee affair - a disaster spawned by the anti-Clinton hate machine and the national media, together with the help of Richardson. Anything to prove national security credentials, no matter how false.

"Frozen Lightning" looks like an interesting read - turning over the rock of State of New Mexico politics.

Trapped On The Tarmac

Left: People spring up to exit America West Flight 212 at 2:23 a.m. in Albuquerque - and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait!

The flight in from Las Vegas/Sacramento was uneventful. There was a baby crying inconsolably. Weather was nice, traffic was light, but we were still not immune to screwups.

Apparently we were supposed to exit at Gate A4. We came in at Gate B3. The jetway operator apparently oversteered the jetway and broke it, incidentally also plunging us for a full minute into a onboard power failure. And there were no tug operators to tow us to another gate at that hour - all the Albuquerque Sunport airport workers had apparently gone to bed. So, we waited for a full hour before deplaning!

The only good part was the inconsolable baby was finally happy, once the plane stopped moving. The passengers were peeved, and the flight crew seemed pretty grim. The woman next to me repeated over and over, "I'll never fly America West again! I'll never fly America West again!"

Weekend Of "Camelot" - Combustible Trucks

Left: Davis firefighters inspect the truck that erupted in flame during "Camelot" Sunday afternoon (apparently an alternator was to blame).

Audiences were larger this weekend. Second Friday went reasonably well. Jon Jackson has been ill and so 'Fie On Goodness' felt strange, being slightly different than practiced in rehearsal: Leighton Worthey was called to carry a bit more of the singing duties, trading off with Jon. Saturday also went well. Sunday was a bit odd. We traded a rent-a-settee for the Evita love couch because it looked like the one we had was going to break on stage - something that might surprise and alarm actors and audience alike.

Sunday afternoon at DMTC was more exciting than usual. At the start of "Camelot's" 'What Do The Simple Folk Do?' Kat Holder came back stage in a flustered state, asking where the fire extinguisher was: a pickup truck had caught fire in front of the theater. I thought we had a fire extinguisher back stage, but when suddenly pressed to produce it, I couldn't remember where it was. The fire extinguisher was right there on the wall, just a few feet away, but there were set pieces partly obscuring the view, and the lights were low because of the show, which also served to hide the extinguisher's location, so I blanked.

The song sequence of 'What Do The Simple Folk Do?' is quite long, and the hall began to fill with smoke drifting in from outside as the scene progressed. If the fire had been in the theater, neither I or anyone would have hesitated to stop the show immediately, but since the fire was outside, the audience was still safe. Nevertheless, people could rely on their senses, onstage cast and audience alike, and they KNEW that not all was right (particularly when sirens could be heard approaching from the distance).

There was the distinct possibility the audience might leave on their own, or even panic. I remember once, in 1999, when I saw "Peony Pavilion", a modern Chinese opera at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, I nearly fled across the stage in mid-performance, in front of an audience of thousands, because I smelled smoke (from a match used to light incense). I was in the first row, and I would have preferred interrupting the show rather than having to fight with thousands over the narrow exits. Here, the smoke was much thicker, and it wasn't a match and it wasn't incense!

So, the ensuing delicate diplomatic dilemma:

Do you stop a show to inform the audience that, contrary to all they can sense, that they are still safe? And what to do about players (like Morgan La Fey - Anne Marie Trout), who are in inconvenient places to be quickly informed?

Because Kat had come back stage, most of the actors were quickly informed regarding what was going on, but there were three exceptions: Gil Sebastian and Marguerite Morris, performing on stage, and Anne Marie Trout, who had already climbed into position on an darkened, elevated platform for her upcoming scene. Her location was awkward: she was in view of the audience, she could not leave her post without assistance and she could not easily communicate with others. As smoke drifted in, she tried to signal other actors, to give warning and also to try to fathom what was going on. In the dark, she surreptitiously waved at Jon Mounts, across stage in the wings. Jon saw her wave, and gave a jolly wave in return. So much for communication!

Towards the end of the song, Lisa Holder, Kat's mom, and the lightboard operator, finally stopped the show, announcing the outside fire and also announcing that everyone was safe. I heard words of relief from Marguerite: the actors had been growing increasingly anxious. I popped onstage and Lisa asked me to summon Steve Isaacson. Steve came onstage (Steve, Dannette, and others had been out front dealing with the fire with two fire extinguishers kept under the side stairs in the lobby) and announced that a blue pickup truck had caught fire, and (to some laughter) inquired if anyone had parked out in front of the theater in a blue pickup truck. The audience remained mostly in place, the side rollup door was opened, as well as some of the other side doors, in order to increase ventilation. Then, to what would have normally been unacceptable levels of wing illumination, we continued with the rest of the show. Marguerite and Gil performed 'What Do The Simple Folk Do?' once again. The rollup door was partially-closed for the subsequent Morgan La Fey scene. And we finished the show, about twenty minutes later than usual.

Brief Hiatus - Trip to New Mexico

I'll be back on Thursday!

Exciting afternoon at DMTC. A pickup truck caught fire in front of the theater, and the hall began to fill with smoke at the start of "Camelot's" 'What Do The Simple Folk Do?' So, the ensuing delicate diplomatic dilemma:

Do you stop a show to inform the audience that, contrary to all they can sense, that they are still safe? And what to do about players (like Morgan La Fey - Anne Marie Trout), who are in inconvenient places to be quickly informed?

I'll elaborate in a few days!

Dave Cargo Makes A Funny

Cargo was not the most effective Governor in New Mexico's history, but he was always the funniest:

"If I was Heather Wilson, I'd be thinking about taking a long trip to Baghdad, where the conditions are a little more subdued."
--former New Mexico Gov. Dave Cargo, a Republican, on the fallout from the U.S. attorney purges

Advice From Pepper

I had a harder time than usual in Pepper Von's aerobics class this week - the joint to my left big toe hurt and I was out of shape from skipping class last week for "Camelot" tech week. So, after class, when we started chit-chatting, I wasn't surprised when he began asking some gentle questions, but I became curious when he began asking about my diet: cereal in the late morning, Subway sandwich in the late afternoon, frozen dinner in the wee hours, with assorted cookies and crackers. I was especially surprised by his recommendation:

I think you need to eat more calories.

That made my outer Fat Boy wake right up! Pepper said it's hard to keep up the high-energy activity if there isn't enough of an energy reserve already available, so he also recommended front-loading the calories in the morning, rather than backloading them late at night like I do now.

Changing my caloric intake timing, I get. That's a good idea. Increasing overall calorie intake: I don't know - given my restful desk job, that might be a major mistake. In any event, Pepper sure knows how to grab your attention if he wants to!

Tom Friedman's "The World Is Flat"

Thank God for blogs. You discover all kinds of wonders!

Here are selections from one of the funniest book reviews ever, of Tom Friedman's "The World Is Flat", by Matt Taibbi:

Thomas Friedman does not get these things right even by accident. It's not that he occasionally screws up and fails to make his metaphors and images agree. It's that he always screws it up. He has an anti-ear, and it's absolutely infallible; he is a Joyce or a Flaubert in reverse, incapable of rendering even the smallest details without genius. The difference between Friedman and an ordinary bad writer is that an ordinary bad writer will, say, call some businessman a shark and have him say some tired, uninspired piece of dialogue: Friedman will have him spout it. And that's guaranteed, every single time. He never misses.

...The significance of Columbus's discovery was that on a round earth, humanity is more interconnected than on a flat one. On a round earth, the two most distant points are closer together than they are on a flat earth. But Friedman is going to spend the next 470 pages turning the "flat world" into a metaphor for global interconnectedness. Furthermore, he is specifically going to use the word round to describe the old, geographically isolated, unconnected world.

... Predictably, Friedman spends the rest of his huge book piling one insane image on top of the other, so that by the end—and I'm not joking here—we are meant to understand that the flat world is a giant ice-cream sundae that is more beef than sizzle, in which everyone can fit his hose into his fire hydrant, and in which most but not all of us are covered with a mostly good special sauce.

... Let's speak Friedmanese for a moment and examine just a few of the notches on these antlers (Friedman, incidentally, measures the flattening of the world in notches, i.e. "The flattening process had to go another notch"; I'm not sure where the notches go in the flat plane, but there they are.) Flattener #1 is actually two flatteners, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the spread of the Windows operating system. In a Friedman book, the reader naturally seizes up in dread the instant a suggestive word like "Windows" is introduced; you wince, knowing what's coming, the same way you do when Leslie Nielsen orders a Black Russian. And Friedman doesn't disappoint. His description of the early 90s:

The walls had fallen down and the Windows had opened, making the world much flatter than it had ever been—but the age of seamless global communication had not yet dawned.

How the fuck do you open a window in a fallen wall? More to the point, why would you open a window in a fallen wall? Or did the walls somehow fall in such a way that they left the windows floating in place to be opened?

Four hundred and 73 pages of this, folks. Is there no God?

Bev Sykes' Review Of "Camelot"

Everyone experienced this moment at least once:

Up to this point it has been a delightful first scene. As the royal couple exited, the curtains closed and Lancelot du Lac (Tae Kim) appeared in a spotlight. When Kim opened his mouth to sing, everybody in the near-capacity audience sat up straighter. We all experienced a stunning moment together. Kim, a medical student newly moved to the Davis area, is, amazingly, making his very first theatrical appearance--ever, yet he has the confidence of a seasoned professional and a voice worthy of any professional production. He lifted the production to a higher level.

Mysterious Hominid

Me no Tarzan, me no Jane, who am me?:

It wasn't exactly a Bigfoot sighting, but motorists reported seeing someone wearing a gorilla suit in the center divide of Interstate 280 on the Peninsula at the start of this evening's rush hour, the California Highway Patrol said.

National Scandal, New Mexico Angle

From Josh Marshall:

So there it is. Former US Attorney David Iglesias has now all but named Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) as the two members of Congress who pressured him to indict a New Mexico Democrat before the November election. He didn't use their names. But he said they were "two members of the New Mexico delegation." The other three have each categorically denied it was them.

The Virus Is Deep

Associated Press goes cold turkey about mentioning Paris Hilton at all, and ends up going rabid after a week.

Flippant Tony Snow

I was disturbed by the flip attitude expressed by White House Press Secretary Tony Snow regarding the level of training new U.S. 'surge' troops will get before going to Iraq:

White House press secretary Tony Snow on reports that two U.S. combat brigades will "surge" into Iraq without undergoing the usual counterinsurgency training in California's Mojave Desert first: "Well, but they can get desert training elsewhere, like in Iraq."

There was a big article last year in the New York Times regarding this kind of training. Even though it occurs at Ft. Irwin in the Mojave Desert, it is not desert training. They've set up a mock Iraqi town, and soldiers learn vital skills, like how to hold a town full of civilians without compromising basic security by trusting the wrong people. They also teach soldiers urban street fighting, with particular focus on Iraqi conditions. Without this focused training, 'surge' soldiers will be painfully underequipped for the chaotic realities of Iraq - sitting ducks, really. Training saves lives. For Snow to gloss over that is shameful.

Horse's Head In The Bed?

Interesting suggestion that the suicide bomber who attacked the gate at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan when Dick Cheney was there may have been delivering an unmistakable message from Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to ditch the idea of pressuring Musharraf about his current appeasement policy regarding the Taliban. The fact the bomber hit when Cheney was there suggests a security breach (presumably the Pakistanis knew where Cheney was going), yet the fact the base wasn't hit harder suggests no assassination attempt. Just - a message.

Australian Weather Forecasts Diverge Over The Next Week

The NOGAPS synoptic forecast model, the one I trust most, suggests that a tropical storm will soon develop off the coast of Queensland and be in a position, on Monday and Tuesday, to cause some rainfall in the Brisbane area as it passes southward offshore. Although the model doesn't suggest the rains will penetrate that far inland, it may be in a position to help Lake Wivenhoe a little (this morning at 19.41% storage).

The Queensland office of the Australia Bureau of Meteorology is taking this development seriously.

Nevertheless, there is an interesting divergence of opinions about Australian weather over the next week.

NOGAPS also suggests that the tropical low now over Arnhem land in the Northern Territories will blossom into a major tropical cyclone, and perhaps menace the West Australia coast in 10 days or so.

The Darwin office of the Australia Bureau of Meteorology is currently dismissive of the chances of that tropical low developing.

I've noticed that NOGAPS tends to overestimate the chances of tropical cyclones developing, in general, so maybe the Darwin office has reason to be complacent, but it will be interesting to watch and see who is right.

Can't Remember The Details

Nominated to an ambassadorship, a major contributor to the Swift Boats Veterans has to testify directly to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry about his role.

When Reporters Talk To Meteorologists

When tech talk raised its ugly head, tribune shrugged shoulders and said:

Weatherwatch spokesman Anthony Cornelius said cooler air in the upper levels across southern Australia had led to higher storm activity than usual because rising hot air was hitting a cold level, leading to heavy rainfall.

No Snow

Tokyo fails to get snow in the December-February period for the first time in 130 years, since 1876.

The Enabler Speaks

Bob Woodward, who has done more than almost anyone to propel Bush Administration lies in the press, with his celebrity books and failures to report on news in a timely fashion, now worries about his handiwork. Typically, he casts blame on unrealistic deadlines, but the fault is not being able to recognize when he is being used.

The celebrated Washington Post reporter said the media should have done more to verify whether Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had secret weapons as alleged by US President George W. Bush as a reason to go to war.

"We should have been much more aggressive," Woodward told a conference in Tokyo.

"I've thought what I could have done," he said. "The only way to find out if (weapons of mass destruction) really existed is to get on the ground."

But he said the round-the-clock deadlines of the modern media were hampering investigative journalism.

"It's a crazy media environment. We need to slow it down. We need weeks, months or even years to work on stories," Woodward said.

... "The real impulse is to make the government accountable so we do not get a secret government," Woodward said.

"The nightmare is that the president gets so closed off, so secretive, so convinced they are doing the right thing or just unable to face the possibility that they've made a very, very serious mistake," he said.

Too late, Bob! Just take a look at Dick Cheney - if you can find him! And the nightmare applies to the press, too. After all, you had a significant piece of the Plame puzzle (the identity of Richard Armitage as the prime leaker) in your hands, for years, and didn't report on it because it seemed like such a nothing, and so contrary to the interests of the Bush Administration, and maybe useful in a future book. Thanks a lot, Bob, for the 'closed off, so secretive, so convinced they are doing the right thing' press! How people like you are going to make the government accountable, when they are busy doing the government favors, is beyond me!

Intriguing Memo

Excerpts from Pentagon #2 Gordon England's memo regarding Pentagon goals over the next year reads like so much clunky government-speak, but it also suggests that liberals are right to complain that the Global War on Terror is just a Republican partisan project.

So "to ensure that warfighters and taxpayers receive maximum benefit from on-going initiatives," England suggested, "it would be highly desirable to complete current projects by the summer/fall of 2008."

Just in time for the election! Victory in the Global War on Terror will likely be proclaimed in October, 2008, just like Vietnam's 'Peace Is At Hand' was proclaimed by Kissinger and Nixon in October, 1972. And Al Qaeda? Who cares about those folks! This war was never about them anyway.

"Camelot" - First Weekend

Left: Seen from behind and below - Anne Marie Trout as Morgan Le Fey.

Gil Sebastian as King Arthur, Paul Fearn as Pellinor, and Adam Sartain as Dinadan.

Jon Jackson as Mordred, and Anne Marie Trout as Morgan Le Fey.

Anne Marie Trout as Morgan Le Fey.

Left: The enchantment of Merlin. Left: Meg King as Nimue Dancer and Paul Fearn as Merlin. Above, Bridget Maguire as Nimue Singer.

Left: Gil Sebastian as King Arthur.

Should The Democrats Get Involved?

I'm of two minds about this:

National Democrats on Tuesday urged Republican Party chairman Mel Martinez to stop the independent College Republicans from holding "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" events around the country.

... "These despicable tactics have no place in our public discourse or on our college campuses," the letter said.

The game is a variation of hide and seek, with one player posing as an illegal immigrant and everyone else trying to find the person. The winner usually gets a prize.

Tracy Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said "we find these activities both egregious and offensive and condemn them wholeheartedly." But she noted the College Republicans are independent of the RNC: "We do not control their activities."

Independent my ass, but that's another argument. This game sounds offensive enough, and worth complaining about, but it also sounds like it's designed to bait Democrats into a whiny, politically-correct protest. Why not let the Republicans alienate people with their little game? Give 'em rope, I say. Just show up with a bunch of video cameras and get material for TV ads aimed at the Hispanic market during campaign season.

Breeding Ground For Australian Cyclones

It's been a pretty dreadful summer 'rainy' season Down Under, at least in the Brisbane area, where Lake Wivenhoe continues to drain away, but up along the northern coast, they've been getting lots of rain, and now that the cyclone season is in full swing, they likely will get even more.

The cyclone likely kicking up this week will germinate in the Gulf of Carpentaria, but will be raised in the warm, sheltered Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, which looks like the perfect breeding ground for tropical storms. From there, they spring westwards across the Indian Ocean, where they soon recurve upon meeting the mid-latitude westerlies and come crashing into more-populated coastal areas down south, towards Perth.

"Smokey Joe's Cafe" - RSP

Opens this weekend! The one week offset from DMTC's "Camelot" means I'll at least have a chance of seeing it!

"It's About Time" St. Patrick's Day Concert At Davis High School

Plans for Saturday evening, St. Patrick's Day, look too tame? Andy Sullivan suggests:

[T]he jazz band that I play in is doing a benefit concert to support the Davis Unified Junior High School Music departments on March 17th at 7 PM. It will be a fun evening of great music. The show will open with the big band from Emerson Junior High School, followed up by the small group jazz stylings of the Holmes Junior High School jazz combos. After a short intermission the It's About Time Band will come to knock your socks off. Tickets are $10 and all of the proceeds go to the Junior High Music departments at Emerson, Harper, and Holmes Junior High Schools. You can find all of the information about this concert (and the It's About Time Band) at http://www.itsabouttimeband.com/.

This looks like an excellent joint concert, to help out all the Davis junior high music departments! Lots of good dancing opportunities!

Sparky, Get Your Ass On That Moon!

So, she likes dogs too!:

Kylie Minogue may have dumped Olivier Martinez, but she is still in love with his dog.

The 'Spinning Around' singer, who ended her four-year relationship with the 41-year-old French actor earlier this month, can't give up her ex-lover's pet pooch Sheba.

During a recent trip to Paris for a cancer check-up at the Institute Gustave Roussy Kylie stayed at Olivier's apartment and took Sheba out for a walk.

Scissor Sisters singer Jake Shears, who is good friends with Kylie, told Britain's Grazia magazine: "Kylie loves that dog. I'm sure she'll still see her whenever she likes."

Darwin Candidate Goes High Tech

Some activities do not mix:

A 28-year-old Chico man was killed Monday after he lost control of his car while working on his laptop computer while driving, according to the California Highway Patrol.

"We have reason to believe he was operating his laptop because it was still on and plugged into the cigarette lighter," said CHP Cmdr. Scott Silsbee.

It's Hard To Kill Zombies

Witness:

Cheney OK after Afghan blast; 23 killed

Robbie Waters Campaign Funds

Looks like Robbie Waters doesn't understand the concept of CORRUPTION!:

City Councilman Robbie Waters' campaign finance records show he's paid himself $500 each month since July 2004 to house a district office for constituents in his framing shop in south Sacramento -- a potential violation of state law.

...Asked where the 7th District office is in the Rush River Drive store, Waters explained that it is hidden behind a partition -- and that the public can't go in it because of liability issues.

And just who decides what the rent is, Robbie? Who? Who? Who? And can I rent some space there too? I don't want to actually house anything there, understand I just want to spend $10,000 a month renting the space - because you are such a nice guy, and we see eye-to-eye!

Campaign finance experts, however, suggest that paying himself $6,000 a year from his campaign funds for a district office may not be a "legitimate expenditure," regardless of whether he set up the office in the leased framing shop.

State Government Code 89517 prohibits using campaign funds to purchase real property, or to lease property controlled by a candidate, a candidate's family member or a campaign member with authority to approve committee expenditures, according to Fair Political Practices Commission documents.

Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles, drafted the state's Political Reform Act. "The bottom line is, you shouldn't be enriching yourself with campaign funds," Stern said.

This is a penny ante version of the same practice that got John Doolittle into so much trouble in his last campaign.

Elected to the City Council in 1994, Waters said he has been using campaign funds to pay for his district office for years and that nothing in the city codes prohibits it.

"I'm very comfortable that what I'm doing is not a violation of the city law," Waters said. "If it is a violation of state law, I'd certainly take a look at it."

Of the mayor and eight council members, Waters is the only one who paid himself from campaign funds to maintain a district office in the past three years.

Campaign records show that from July 2004 through December 2006, Waters paid his framing business $12,400 in rent for a district office. Waters would not disclose the store's monthly lease payment, saying the amount is immaterial.

In addition to the office rent, Waters paid his son, Dan Waters, $2,000 for consulting work and the councilman spent nearly $4,000 for phones, a computer, construction work and other expenses for the framing shop's district office, the records show.

Dumb, dumber, dummier....

JoAnn Fuller, executive director of California Common Cause, said Waters' expenditures offer a good reason the city of Sacramento should have an ethics commission to monitor how campaign funds are spent.

"The law prohibits these arrangements because they effectively funnel dollars from campaign donors directly into the pocket of an elected official," Fuller said. "The risk of self-dealing is compounded when the funds are not even spent on legitimate campaign purposes."

Last week, the City Council voted 5-4 to form a task force to examine creating an ethics commission or an ethics officer post, charged with investigating contributions and possible campaign violations. Waters was among those who voted no.

Vote bought and paid for? Hard to tell!

The council also approved closing some loopholes in its matching funds program for candidates accepting public money. One of the fixes bars those candidates from giving public funds to their own business or to a family member.

However, this restriction applies only to those taking matching funds -- it's not likely to include incumbents, such as Waters, or other well-funded politicians. Waters voted no on the amendment changes.

Waters said he sees a difference between what the council voted to prohibit and his own campaign expenditures. "They're using public money, I'm not," Waters said.

Campaign funds are not public money, but they aren't private money either, they are campaign money, the most radioactive kind of money. Ask yourself, Robbie, would this money be coming to you if you weren't in public office? The answer is "NO!" and hence you must NOT enrich yourself with it, or APPEAR to be enriching yourself with it, or your family members, or close associates.

Councilwoman Lauren Hammond, who heads the council's Law and Legislation Committee that reviewed the proposed amendments to the city's campaign finance code, pushed for the restriction.

Before last week's vote, she said she believed that spending campaign funds on a candidate's own business, or giving it to family members, was a conflict of interest. "People shouldn't be making money off their candidacy, with or without public funds," Hammond said.

Hammond is absolutely correct here!

TV Weather Forecasts

Apparently local meteorologists bobble the forecast quite often. As an air quality meteorologist, I sympathize very much. After all (casting blame elsewhere) the dearth of temperature soundings over the nearby Pacific Ocean practically guarantees bad forecasts (although this weakness can be mitigated by carefully reading the satellite pictures).

In New Mexico, my Dad had an explanation for the bad forecasts. "Marc, they lie," as he used to say. "No, they don't," I used to reply, "they use the very best information they can get their hands on, it's just sometimes not enough." He responded, "liars, liars, liars!"

The New Mexico solution, as elsewhere, is to put a good gladhander up on the tube. KOAT-TV had Howard Morgan doing the weather for years, and KOB-TV pulled science whiz-bang George Fischbeck off of educational KNME-TV to do their weather for awhile, until George went to LA and became a local star there. These days, Joe Diaz rules KOAT-TV, because it's easier to stomach the lies, or whatever they are, from an amiable person named Diaz, than for any other particular reason.

"Camelot" - Saturday And Sunday

We got a little more sure-footed over the rest of weekend. The Saturday audience was quite small (it was raining, but Lauren and MikeMac came out), but the Sunday audience was quite large.

Still having trouble with the set change going into "Guenevere": on Sunday, I didn't get the back curtain open when it should have (I was worried about Gil's footing).

Get well soon, Alex!

Lieberman's Op-Ed

In today's Wall Street Journal, Joe Lieberman appeals to all of us Iraq naysayers to just shut up until summer. I would if he would, and he won't, so I won't:

Two months into the 110th Congress, Washington has never been more bitterly divided over our mission in Iraq.

This is the natural consequence of having committed hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives over four years, and having almost nothing to show for it.

Congress thus faces a choice in the weeks and months ahead. Will we allow our actions to be driven by the changing conditions on the ground in Iraq--or by the unchanging political and ideological positions long ago staked out in Washington? What ultimately matters more to us: the real fight over there, or the political fight over here?

No political position has been more fixed and more bloodthirsty, or so little affected by the "real fight over there," than Lieberman's.

For the first time in the Iraqi capital, the focus of the U.S. military is not just training indigenous forces or chasing down insurgents, but ensuring basic security--meaning an end, at last, to the large-scale sectarian slaughter and ethnic cleansing that has paralyzed Iraq for the past year.

If only it would end, Mr. Lieberman. Unrealistic, pollyannish hopes hardly seem appropriate at this time, particularly since the U.S. seems to be in retreat to Baghdad.

Al Qaeda's stated strategy in Iraq has been to provoke a Sunni-Shiite civil war, precisely because they recognize that it is their best chance to radicalize the country's politics, derail any hope of democracy in the Middle East, and drive the U.S. to despair and retreat. It also takes advantage of what has been the single greatest American weakness in Iraq: the absence of sufficient troops to protect ordinary Iraqis from violence and terrorism.

And yet, the U.S. Administration has never made averting a Civil War a priority, because it never understood that it was a possibility until far too late, nor supported placing sufficient troops in Iraq, because it did understand just how unpopular a move that would be at home. The Administration still doesn't understand how ineffective English-speaking U.S. troops are at securing basic security in a hostile foreign setting, but that will come soon enough (previous historic culture-clashing examples include the failed Napoleonic French occupation of Spain). It's sad how easily we play into Al Qaeda's hands....

The new strategy at last begins to tackle these problems. Where previously there weren't enough soldiers to hold key neighborhoods after they had been cleared of extremists and militias, now more U.S. and Iraqi forces are either in place or on the way. Where previously American forces were based on the outskirts of Baghdad, unable to help secure the city, now they are living and working side-by-side with their Iraqi counterparts on small bases being set up throughout the capital.

And so what happens in the outskirts of Baghdad now? Politics abhors a vacuum, after all!

At least four of these new joint bases have already been established in the Sunni neighborhoods in west Baghdad--the same neighborhoods where, just a few weeks ago, jihadists and death squads held sway. In the Shiite neighborhoods of east Baghdad, American troops are also moving in--and Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi army are moving out.

Hmmmm..... I'm unconvinced. It's not as if the Mahdi army is an occupier - east Baghdad is it's home turf. The only way the U.S. can 'secure' these neighborhoods is by either killing everyone there, or chasing everybody away.

But the fact is that we are in a different place in Iraq today from even just a month ago--with a new strategy, a new commander, and more troops on the ground. We are now in a stronger position to ensure basic security--and with that, we are in a stronger position to marginalize the extremists and strengthen the moderates; a stronger position to foster the economic activity that will drain the insurgency and militias of public support; and a stronger position to press the Iraqi government to make the tough decisions that everyone acknowledges are necessary for progress.

A change of strategy is not a stronger position. The strategy is changing because the position is extremely weak. Will alone is insufficient against bullets and bombs.

Unfortunately, for many congressional opponents of the war, none of this seems to matter. As the battle of Baghdad just gets underway, they have already made up their minds about America's cause in Iraq, declaring their intention to put an end to the mission before we have had the time to see whether our new plan will work.

Four years, buster! Four years! How many times do we have to go down this same lethal road?

There is of course a direct and straightforward way that Congress could end the war, consistent with its authority under the Constitution: by cutting off funds. Yet this option is not being proposed. Critics of the war instead are planning to constrain and squeeze the current strategy and troops by a thousand cuts and conditions.

Whatever works!

In fact, halting the current security operation at midpoint, as virtually all of the congressional proposals seek to do, would have devastating consequences. It would put thousands of American troops already deployed in the heart of Baghdad in even greater danger--forced to choose between trying to hold their position without the required reinforcements or, more likely, abandoning them outright. A precipitous pullout would leave a gaping security vacuum in its wake, which terrorists, insurgents, militias and Iran would rush to fill--probably resulting in a spiral of ethnic cleansing and slaughter on a scale as yet unseen in Iraq.

The lesson of Vietnam - the lesson of the Cambodian incursion - is that the longer we stay, the more likely the worst-case outcome will be. If we had not invaded Cambodia, it would not have been drawn into that war and there would not have been a genocide. The longer we persist in Iraq, the more likely we will indirectly get tens of thousands killed, and maybe many more, by pressing on and on, harder and harder, perhaps by invading Iran as well, until we trigger truly calamitous disaster....

Gen. Petraeus says he will be able to see whether progress is occurring by the end of the summer, so let us declare a truce in the Washington political war over Iraq until then.

Are you kidding? And let you creeps throw more lives into the bonfire unopposed?

We are at a critical moment in Iraq--at the beginning of a key battle, in the midst of a war that is irretrievably bound up in an even bigger, global struggle against the totalitarian ideology of radical Islamism.

Fantasy. Delusion. Madness.

Is It The Chicken, Or The Egg?

Men who take lots of common painkillers are more likely to have high blood pressure, but is it because of the painkillers and their effects, or is it that men who need lots of painkillers are in poorer health to begin with? I'm so confused!

Popular painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can raise blood pressure and thus the risk of heart disease among men, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Men who took such drugs for most days in a week were about one-third more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure than men not taking them, the researchers found.

Sparky's Heart Medicine

My dog Sparky has been taking this medication for a year, but this is the first time I've checked to see what it actually does. It makes for interesting reading:

BRAND NAME: ENACARD OR VASOTEC

BACKGROUND
Enalapril is an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, also called an ACE inhibitor, or simply an ACEI. In order to understand what this means, it is important to have some understanding of the body’s renin-angiotensin system, an important hormonal mechanism used in times of blood pressure drop.

The kidney is a uniquely well perfused organ, receiving approximately 25% of the blood pumped by the heart directly. Given this fact, it is not surprising that the kidney would possess special areas for the sensing blood pressure changes. In the event of a drop in blood pressure, as might occur with a significant bleed or in heart failure, the kidney’s sensors perceive this drop and release a special hormone called renin.

The healthy liver normally produces a substance called angiotensinogen that innocuously floats around in the blood in case of a blood pressure emergency. Should angiotensinogen meet up with renin, an activation reaction occurs leading to the production of angiotensin I. As angiotensin I in the blood circulates eventually into the lungs where an enzyme called angiotensin converting enzyme converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II.

Angiotensin II acts as the superhero in this time of need. It is probably the most powerful constrictor of blood vessels known. This helps re-route circulation so as to preserve blood flow to the most important organs: the brain, heart and kidney.

As you might guess, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor curtails the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II. Why would we want to reduce levels of a life-saving protein like angiotensin II?

One must remember that the above system evolved to protect us from blood loss due to injury as might occur in an attack from an enemy or predator. It was not designed to protect us from a more chronic blood pressure drop such as progressive heart failure. The re-routing of circulation produced by angiotensin II leads to more blood returning to the heart and more blood for the heart to pump forward. The failing heart cannot handle this extra work and will fail more rapidly.

Enalapril effectively acts as a dilator of blood vessels. This effect opens up circulation peripherally. (If one thinks of the circulation as a roadway system, this is analogous to achieving less highway congestion by opening more side streets.) Blood pressure drops and the heart has less work.

Opening Night - "Camelot"

By and large, a successful venture. There were some problems, of course, but given the length of the show and complications of the set and costume changes, it could have been worse. There were some communication difficulties between the stage and the light booth, and a few set pieces and props had been moved.

One of the ensemble members was sick and couldn't perform. That's always ominous, because no matter how you reassign set changes and minor lines, there is always something crucial that the missing person does that will be sorely missed at some point. In this case, the ensemble member helped with one of Guenevere's costume changes, and the replacement hands were slower and less expert with tying bows, because of no practice, and so there may have been a delayed entrance, or some disarray [UPDATE: Marguerite says she made it OK for her entrance, but just BARELY]. In addition, we had some trouble with getting awkward set pieces on and off the stage, slowing the pace down.

There were some incongruities. For example, the other knights had cumbersome swords - thick slabs of medieval Gothic steel - whereas I had a slick, slim 17th century French epee. Director Lenore ('She Who Must Be Obeyed') Sebastian noticed the incongruity too late to attempt a change, so for the moment, I guess I'm still the 'gay blade' of the bunch.

I was nearly thrown off the music a few times. 'Fie On Goodness' was like driving a sports car along a winding mountain road, and nearly careening over the edge, but the thrill was we did just fine.

In 'Guenevere', delayed by set change duties, I at first failed to throw the dark hood of my cloak over my face, in order to obscure my identity and blend into the chorus. When I finally did so, the hood fell completely over my face. Every time I inhaled to sing, the hood's material moved up and made a perfect seal over my mouth. I started to giggle about the absurdity of the censorious hood, threatening to undermine what had to be a serious piece.

A very large contingent of Tae Kim's co-workers and Griffin Jackson's relatives were in the house, composing half of the entire audience. The crowd was very supportive, as you might expect.

Britney Goes Feral

No, it's nothing you haven't already seen in the press, it's just that I like the headline. If I went feral, it would be just another happening in a busy week, but it's noteworthy when Britney goes feral. We live in feralous times, so keep it glued together when you enter a hair salon, or if someone pushy takes your picture, or if you trip over cracks in the sidewalk, or if you hang out with Paris and her poisonous posse.

Here's a call to lay off Britney.

TNR Sliding

Josh Marshall reports The New Republic is going biweekly.

May the collapse start now, in earnest!

Junky Low Orbits Around Earth

An increasingly-obnoxious problem (Feb. 21):

On February 19th, late-night sky watchers across Australia witnessed a bright explosion followed by a debris cloud that hung in the sky for nearly an hour. At first a mystery, the source of the blast is now understood. It was a Russian Briz-M rocket booster misplaced in orbit last year by the failed launch of an Arabsat communications satellite. The fuel tanks of the Briz-M ruptured on Feb. 19th, producing a vivid naked-eye display and more than 1000 pieces of debris. Experts are calling this a "major breakup event," comparable to or even worse than last month's Chinese anti-sat test.

Taking 'Fanta Se' Too Far

Meanwhile, high in the sere foothills of New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, another traditional Ash Wednesday mass is held:

Santa Fe police say an Ash Wednesday service at the cathedral was disrupted by pornographic messages from three CD players duct-taped to the underside of pews.

Santa Fe police Captain Gary Johnson says the CD players had been set to go off at 12:20 pm Wednesday during Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis.

Johnson says the recordings were full of foul language and pornographic messages. ... Church officials say churchgoers were not evacuated.

Johnson says the police bomb squad destroyed two of the players. Officers saved the third CD player after realizing the devices did not have explosives. It will be analyzed for evidence.

Troublesome Psychotic Astronaut?

No problem!:

... the astronaut's crewmates should bind his wrists and ankles with duct tape, tie him down with a bungee cord and inject him with tranquilizers if necessary.

"Talk with the patient while you are restraining him," the instructions say. "Explain what you are doing, and that you are using a restraint to ensure that he is safe."

The instructions do not spell out what happens after that. ... The crew members might have to rely in large part on brute strength to subdue an out-of-control astronaut, since there are no weapons on the space station or the shuttle. A gun would be out of the question; a bullet could pierce a spaceship and could kill everyone.

... Space station medical kits contain tranquilizers and anti-depression, anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic medications. ... The checklist says say astronauts who crack up can be restrained and then offered oral Haldol, an anti-psychotic drug used to treat agitation and mania, and Valium.

... During missions in 1985 and 1995, shuttle commanders put padlocks on the spaceships' hatches as a precaution since they didn't know the scientists aboard very well. Some crew members, called payload specialists, are picked to fly for specific scientific or commercial tasks and do not train as extensively with the other astronauts.

But still no ideas about how to deal with a troublesome psychotic onboard computer system. Bring out the duct tape and you're likely to get "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Dave!"

"Camelot" - DMTC - Opens Tonight!

Left: Morgan Le Fey (Anne Marie Trout)


Here are a few pictures from Wednesday and Thursday night rehearsals:

Nimue Dancer (left, Meg King) ensnares Merlin the Magician (right, Paul Fearn) to the eerie song of Nimue Singer (off camera right, Bridget Maguire).


Evil Mordred (Jon Jackson) tempts Morgan Le Fey (off camera right, Anne Marie Trout) with a basket of her favorite treat, candies.

Guenevere (Marguerite Morris) listens as Lancelot (off camera right, Tae Kim) sings 'If Ever I Would Leave You'.

King Arthur (left, Gil Sebastian) invites Mordred (right) to join the Round Table.

Andy Warhol, And The Zuni War God

Interesting article about the return of an artifact:

Warhol died 20 years ago, on Feb. 22, 1987. A year later, as a collection of art and other objects owned by Warhol was about to be auctioned by Sotheby's, I received a call from one of my sisters, who had a friend working with the Zuni Indian tribe. E. Richard Hart, then director of the Institute of the North American West, had been helping the Zunis contact Sotheby's and the Warhol estate about an item listed in the auction catalog -- a Zuni war god, appraised at $2,500 to $3,500. Because I had been a friend of Warhol's, I placed a call to the estate as well.

To the Zunis, war gods -- or Ahayu:da -- have a value far greater than money. Carved by priests and placed in secret shrines on the reservation, the wooden figures are not considered art. To the Zuni people, Ahayu:da are living deities who, when disturbed, have the power to upset the world's balance. War gods are owned communally by the tribe and are never sold. If one appears in an art collection or museum, it has been stolen. Warhol's war god was probably a gallery purchase. American Indian artifacts, like cookie jars and jewelry, were one of his collecting passions.

As it turned out, my call was unnecessary. When representatives of Warhol's estate heard about the war god's background, they immediately volunteered to return it. They said Warhol could not have known of the war god's religious significance or its shady past. ... It took about two seconds." Although at this point all Ahayu:da in American collections have been repatriated, many major museums were not as swiftly cooperative.

In May 1988, not long after the 10-day Warhol auction set records at Sotheby's, Richard Hart traveled from New Mexico to New York City with two Zuni priests and a tribal councilman. The Zunis spoke limited English and had no idea who Andy Warhol was. It was certainly the first time a Zuni song of welcome was chanted in the reception area of Warhol's famous Factory, then on East 33rd Street.

Once the 2-foot-long wooden figure had been properly greeted, then cushioned in bubble wrap, and a photo taken of tribal members with Factory workers, the Zunis headed back to their hotel, near Penn Station. ... The Zunis wore ceremonial garb -- white cotton clothing, sashes, prayer pouches and colorful headbands. Walking single file, the small group was led by Joseph Qualo, a war priest, holding the Ahayu:da up high.

"It was amazing to see them cross the streets," remembers Hart. "Cars stopped, and no one honked." David Firestone, then at New York Newsday, now with the New York Times, also accompanied the Zunis that afternoon and described their walk west as "a remarkable religious procession through midtown Manhattan, a minuscule homecoming parade that took place under the eyes of hundreds of New Yorkers sitting in traffic or striding to a business lunch or looking down from the Empire State Building at a city that moves so quickly it cannot see its minor miracles."

... Some will argue that Warhol was one of the biggest burglars in art history for quoting and reworking the images of other artists for his own pictures; but that wasn't theft, it was homage, and the end product always looked like a Warhol, even when it was the "Mona Lisa."

Warhol was superstitious. A sacred object illegally removed from tribal lands would not have appealed to him. He was also a Catholic, and stealing is a sin.

It's Black History Month, So Let's Honestly Discuss Race

Well, maybe....

A friend took affront at something written by Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr., back in 2003, namely:

The GOP is never comfortable discussing race, unless you count the thinly veiled appeals Republican candidates have sent to racists in the white South over the years.

My friend prepared a response that is still germane today. Like many similar letters-to-the-editor, the response isn't profound. Nevertheless, I post it, because flawed as it is, many people think along these lines.

Mr. Pitts: I am writing to rebut/complain/whine about your column regarding an “open” letter to Senator Bill Frist, which was published in the newspaper on January 6, 2003.

Before I get to the rebuttal, let me say that I have been reading your column regularly since the Chronicle picked it up perhaps a year ago, and my overall opinion of your work is high. Most of your columns are thoughtful, measured, and lacking the shrillness apparent in some pundits’ writings. The column in question is an exception for you, an openly partisan piece, and misrepresents the Republican party, perhaps knowingly so. That is why I am moved to respond.

The central portion of your column correctly notes one of the very core Republican beliefs, the “rising tide” metaphor – that by promoting laissez-faire capitalism for all, we create an environment which provides the greatest good for the greatest number with respect to pursuit of happiness, but you seem to imply at the same time that this belief is falsely held, that we don’t really believe in our core value. Get a grip, Leonard. Maybe our world view is right, maybe it is wrong, but please don’t say that we secretly disbelieve our own convictions.

Next you correctly point out that while black quality of life has been improving, it still lags the quality of life for whites. No argument there. You also attribute the gap to race. I agree with you, and think that most conservatives also agree.

The core of my complaint is the following text, which says that “the GOP is never comfortable discussing race”, and discusses “the GOP’s racial pandering (as if Democrats don’t), insensitivity, and silence”. All this is true. However, the reasons for this are very different than you make them out to be.

You don’t exactly say why the GOP is never comfortable discussing race. Perhaps you think Republicans want to keep the black man down, or that we believe black poverty is an acceptable price to pay for white wealth, or perhaps that we are genuinely perplexed at the failure of our world view in much of the black community. Maybe you think it’s all of the above. I’ll tell you why we are uncomfortable discussing race, although I think that you may already know.

Republicans and Democrats have contrasting world views; that is why they are adversaries. Republicans tend to believe that a person’s fate is largely in his own hands; Democrats tend to think that a man’s life is shaped largely by his environment or other external factors. Examples of this dichotomy are everywhere: who thinks homosexuality is a choice, and who thinks it is genetics? Who thinks the unemployed don’t look hard enough for work, and who thinks they are passive victims of circumstance? Who thinks criminals are 100% accountable for their deeds, and who wants to consider their childhood experiences as mitigating factors? To put it simply, Republicans emphasize free will; Democrats emphasize determinism.

Republicans believe they know why the black boats don’t rise so high, although they truly are never comfortable discussing it in public. In keeping with the Republican world view of free will, Republicans think that black poverty is no longer due primarily to external racism (although of course it was once, prior to about 1970), but rather is a predictable consequence of behaviors and values held by many blacks; in other words, black poverty in 2003 is largely a result of choices made by the formulators of modern black culture. “The government owes me a living. The government owes me reparations. I’m entitled to welfare, to public housing, to set-asides. Only Uncle Toms study and do homework. Colin Powell is no better than a slave because he takes orders from a white man.” I’ve listened to enough hip-hop music when I lived in Baltimore to have a good idea of urban black values: exaggerated self-importance, keeping three bitches but marrying none, and murder for fun. To me, the defining moment of modern black culture was when Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur had each other murdered because of, because of, what reason exactly? In all of human history, of all the various corners of the world, the only musicians to fight wars with each other are current-day African-American cultural leaders. The values and behaviors of these people are truly unfortunate. To one who believes that a man’s destiny is governed by his own values and behaviors, to one who believes that free will is more important than determinism, the low state of the black boats today is no mystery.

As thinking men, you and I both know that our lives are shaped not entirely by our own free will, but also not entirely by external factors. Both are important. Republicans are partly right, and partly wrong. Democrats, too, are partly right, and partly wrong. What is the true mix? Is it 80/20? 50/50? 20/80? Nobody knows. Surely this question can be an honest point of dialogue, surely reasonable men should be able to talk about this very important issue, and express varying opinions without fear of reprisal. Don’t you agree, Mr. Pitts?

But the problem, the reason why the GOP is never comfortable discussing race, is that in our present cultural climate, it is not possible for a white man to publicly discuss the low black boats in terms of a consequence of African-American values or behaviors. It doesn’t matter if the opinion is honestly held, it doesn’t matter if it expressed considerately and respectfully, it doesn’t matter if the speaker backs up his opinions with data, it doesn’t matter if the opinion is true. Any prominent white man who talks like this in public risks having his reputation destroyed immediately. No honest discussion about the relative influence of free will (choices made by blacks) versus determinism (discrimination by whites) is possible today in America, unless the speaker takes the determinism viewpoint. We have been living in a “McCarthy Era” on this subject for the past quarter century. Democrats, the press, and black leaders are the enforcers. If a white man believes that free choices made by blacks are at least partially responsible for black poverty, he will never be comfortable discussing race, if he values his career. This is the situation that Republicans are in, by virtue of their defining core value of free will. Leonard, as a black, a member of the press, and (I presume) a Democrat, you are three times a member of the enforcer class. You cannot possibly be unaware of the McCarthyism ruling public speech today; therefore you were intellectually dishonest in this column.

Try this thought experiment for me: imagine a white conservative candidate addressing a black church or convention, and suggesting that an ethic of entitlement, the practice of having children without marriage, together with a disdain for education, might be contributing factors to black failure. How would he be received? I believe he would be booed off the stage, he would not be permitted to finish his speech, and he might be physically attacked on the spot. If you think I exaggerate, please tell me. Is it really hard to understand why Republicans don’t contribute to what passes for a national dialogue on race?

As a final beef against your Frist column, I will point out your discussion, towards the end, of who is or is not vindicated by history. You said that you cannot think of a single example where conservatives were on the right side of history on a racial issue. The way I see it, the two parties in the long term take turns being the good guys. The Republican party was founded in order to advance black civil rights; their positions were vindicated by history from 1854 up through about 1910. Starting in the 1940s, it was Democrats who took positions for awhile that have been vindicated by history. However, note that all the examples of Democrat vindication which you cited -- military desegregation, bus boycott, Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act, Brown vs Board of Education -- all of these came from an extremely narrow period of only 19 years, between 1946 and 1965. As far as vindication by history on racial issues, I believe the Republicans resumed their turn in the 1970s.

The Democratic and black leadership’s concept of cradle-to-grave welfare entitlement will not be vindicated by history. The concept of race-based college admissions will not be vindicated by history. The idea that lesser-qualified blacks should get jobs in preference to more-qualified whites will not be vindicated by history. McCarthyism will not be vindicated by history. Finally, the unanimous exultation of the African-American community at the acquittal of O.J. Simpson will not be vindicated by history.

Please try another thought experiment: imagine a white man who firmly believes that society should be colorblind; that men should be judged only by their merits, abilities, and accomplishments, but never by the color of their skin. This man refuses to countenance any government policy or social practice which favors one race over the other. This position will be vindicated by history. In 1960, such a man would march with Martin Luther King. However, the same exact man, today, would be called a racist by King’s protégé Jesse Jackson. Democrats, liberals, and black leaders lost their claim to historic vindication when they quit their “justice for all” objective and began working the black community the same way Republicans work the gun lobby – as a favored special interest group.

Mr. Pitts, in conclusion I want to emphasize again that I respect the majority of your newspaper pieces, and I feel that you are a reasonable man. I realize that you might be offended by some things written here; that is not my intent. However, you wrote an unfair, openly partisan column, so I feel you deserve a candid response. Please do not quote me by name.

So, what is my take?

In order to have an honest discussion, it is important not to deliberately insult the other party. What conservatives often interpret as political correctness gone amok is often just an attempt to preserve a public space where people can speak freely. The media, Democrats, and black leaders will pounce on openly racist caricatures, and grumble about "dog-whistle" messages that speak only to conservatives (e.g., G.W. Bush speaking of the 'Dred Scott' case during the 2004 debates with John Kerry). If one can't express oneself without running afoul of the language police, then it may signify another problem.

Actually I believe most black audiences would be receptive to a white political candidate who suggested that the blame for most black problems lay in the black community, provided the criticism was not condemnatory and insulting. After all, Bill Clinton was able to walk this line. The trouble is that context matters, and most conservatives can't do it successfully, because they have other interests in mind. Lowering tax rates does little for those who don't pay much in taxes, or who benefit disproportionately from government spending, for example.

I'm troubled by the paragraph where "current-day African-American cultural leaders" are essentially equated with hip hop musicians. This is an exaggeration, leaving out black pastors and a host of community organizers that collectively dwarf the impact of the (admittedly influential) hip hop musicians (many of whom are just as popular among whites as blacks).

The caricature of black attitudes (even placed in quotation marks) "The government owes me a living, ..." etc. is an attitude I think few blacks actually have. It is an attitude that is more-common on the urban street, which is multi-racial in nature. But even there, it isn't that common. For example, most of the homeless folks I've dealt with (I hire them sporadically for a variety of household tasks) do not have this attitude. Even as they fall short, their ideal is to prize labor and scorn sloth: much like the rest of society.

One trouble with laissez faire capitalism is that it is not as independent of culture and history as it's proponents would like to believe. Laissez-faire is an ideal condition rarely reached in human experience.

The Chinese and the Jews have long fostered strong merchant traditions, which derive ultimately from the tradition of book-learning: learning done originally for primarily religious purposes, but adapted for other needs. Malaysians or African Americans engage in capitalism at an initial disadvantage because of the absence of the merchant tradition, and that can't be made up for quickly.

For example, a young American Jew (or Chinese) might have several people in his immediate family that have either owned a business, or served in an important capacity in a business, so dinner-table talk tends to be dominated by discussions about market trends, money issues, etc. - conversations that are largely-absent in other households. So, in a fledgling business, the young American Jew is likely to have a variety of resources and experiences available to him that his African American (or Malay) counterpart does not. The ultimate effect is a higher business success rate.

Americans in general have a very hard time speaking honestly about race, and that is because we often speak without much reflection, in caricatures.

What would Tupac say?:

If I could recelect before my hood dayz
I'd sit and reminisce, nigga and bliss on the good dayz
i stop and stare at the younger, my heart goes to'em
They tested, it was stressed that they under
In our days, things changed
Everyone's ashamed to the youth cuz the truth looks strange
And for me it's reversed, we left them a world that's cursed, and it hurts
cause any day they'll push the button
and yall condemned like Malcolm x and Bobby Hunton, died for nothin
Don't them let me get teary, the world looks dreary
but when you wipe your eyes, see it clearly
there's no need for you to fear me
if you take the time to hear me, maybe you can learn to cheer me
it aint about black or white, cuz we're human
I hope we see the light before its ruined
my ghetto gospel

"The Producers" - Las Vegas

The reviewer was not pleased, Davis Hasselhof, or no:

Dialogue and scene trims brusquely advance plot at the expense of character, and the musical cuts are curious. "The King of Broadway" that introduces Max in Act I—deleted without consequence from the 2005 movie by going directly to Max and Leo's loopy office meeting that nicely establishes both characters—is reinstated. But the adorable and affectionate "That Face," a flirty song-and-dance courtship between Leo and hot-blond secretary Ulla (Leigh Zimmerman), is axed, destroying the foundation for their sweet romance that now seems dropped in from another play. "In Old Bavaria," a disposable Franz number also struck from the movie, remains, while "Der Guten Tag Hop Clop"—a hilariously physical showcase of Franz's comic dementia, with Max and Leo singing and dancing along—disappears. And late-play showstopper "Betrayed," a tour de force in which imprisoned, embittered Max delivers a machine-gun recap of the plot, is sacrificed, perhaps because with all the cuts, not everything that happens in The Producers happens in this Producers.

"Camelot" - DMTC - Tuesday Night Rehearsal

Left: Morgan Le Fey (Anne Marie Trout)


We are at the stage in tech week where we are playing with costumes.

Sir Sagramore (Leighton Worthey)

Guenevere (Marguerite Morris) and Lancelot (Tae Kim)

Morgan Le Fey (Anne Marie Trout)

Virginia Shaw

Merlin (Paul Fearn)

Sir Dinadan (Adam Sartain)

Michael Miiller visits the theater after a long absence.

Stacy Sheehan plays with a 'torch'

Milquetoast's POV

Alan Colmes, about his co-host Sean Hannity on FOX News:

"Sean and I have different styles," said Colmes. "I believe it's better to put out fires with water, not with more fire."

(Or you could start a backfire, you doof....)

The Devil Is In The Details

Why are the wealthy so keen about Estate Tax repeal?:

Sanders's office came up with some interesting numbers here. If the Estate Tax were to be repealed completely, the estimated savings to just one family -- the Walton family, the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune -- would be about $32.7 billion dollars over the next ten years.

The proposed reductions to Medicaid over the same time frame? $28 billion.

Prisoners Of YouTube

It's worse than Caged Heat. Subtitle of article:

Meet the most hilarious people ever to lose their jobs, friends,
livelihoods, and their dignity—all for your personal amusement

The one I like best is Gary Brolsma in "Dragostea Din Tei".

Taking Note

Of some local and national news, before it gets too old:

YouTube's purge of Daily Show video really threw a monkey wrench into local vlogger's LiberalViewer's creative output.

One day, you are a minor YouTube celebrity with more than 1,850 subscribers to your personal channel and nearly 1 million viewings of your videos logged.

The next day -- poof! -- it's as if you never existed.

Such is the fate of Allen Asch, a Sacramento man who went by the nom de Web of LiberalViewer. When Viacom last week demanded that YouTube, the popular online video site, remove more than 100,000 videos containing unauthorized content, it meant that some of the LiberalViewer's work soon would be purged from the site.

Normally I don't link to sports stuff, but I liked the Sacramento Bee's Ailene Vosin's characterization of Las Vegas:

It isn't really true what they say about Las Vegas. What happens here doesn't really stay here, not unless the visit is brief and the departure exceptionally well-executed.

This city attaches to your skin the way cigarette stench clings to your clothing. Its influences can be repressed -- think of Vegas as a recurring virus -- but never entirely purged. And you must reside here to fully appreciate the fact that although this is a fun place to visit, in decades past, this was a fascinating place to live.

... As we drove west from Brooklyn, N.Y., that summer in the early 1960s, I was California dreamin', hoping the family car would continue toward the home of the Beach Boys, surfboards and desirable soft sand. Instead, the car broke down, and my father immediately obtained a job cooking at a diner called "The Thief of Baghdad." A couple of city kids became desert rats exposed to a lifestyle so unique -- so bizarre -- it's hard to keep a straight face when NBA Commissioner David Stern muses about the league coming to town and offering family-style entertainment.

People who have trouble talking finances are confessing their indebtedness online. The Web is an excellent confessional:

When a woman who calls herself Tricia discovered last week that she owed $22,302 on her credit cards, she could not wait to spread the news. Tricia, 29, does not talk to her family or friends about her finances, and says she is ashamed of her personal debt.

Yet from the laundry room of her home in northern Michigan, Tricia does something that would have been unthinkable — and impossible — a generation ago: she goes online and posts intimate details of her financial life, including her net worth (now negative $38,691), the balance and finance charges on her credit cards, and the amount of debt she has paid down since starting a blog about her debt last year ($15,312).

Excellent idea!

Which reminds me... Did I mention my $2,200 night at Thunder Valley last week? No? Ugh!

Hope It Went Well!

The St. Francis Winterfest Concert this weekend.

Left: In no particular order - Stephanie Broadley '07, Melissa Evans '07, Emily Jue '07, Liz Liles '07, Kelly Mennemeier '07, Jacquie Neri '07, Meghan Yee '07, Angie Andrews '08, Francesca Arostegui '08, Charleen Choi '08, Harlee DeMeerleer '08, Molly Krafcik '08, Estrella Ramirez '08, Kristyn Schumacher '08, Katie Rose Mennemeier '09, Katie Fuller '10, Sophia Moad '10.

(Photo: Stephanie Villanueva)

Why Aliens Come To Earth

The Plumber provided an answer to the question of why aliens come to Earth, when they could go to many other places instead:

We have souls, but they don't, and they'd like to know why.

Hence, the scientific experiments on us, the probing, carrying us away to other planets, etc., etc.

In addition, the British own everything - everything, including the travel agent companies....

And the wife of a friend ordered the Hells Angels to make a hit on his friend.

The underlying theme? There are a variety of reasons people ultimately leave the Golden State of California.

And yet, I'm still here....

Fluorescent Lights Down Under

The Australian federal government is preparing to ban incandescent light bulbs as part of its greenhouse gas emissions control policy.

Note that this is the conservative answer Down Under to the issue of global warming - banning bulbs will be simpler than the Kyoto-style emissions trading rules favored by the Labor Party.

Our own conservatives Up Above make dinosaurs look hip.