The Christchurch Wizard

I remember listening to this guy speak, when I visited Christchurch in 2008:

For decades, the city has had an official wizard. Born in the United Kingdom, Ian Brackenbury Channell settled in New Zealand in the 1970s, where he became known as The Wizard. As if to reinforce how serious he is, he even held a New Zealand driver's license issued to The Wizard, although he says he hasn't officially changed his name.

Over the years, he became a fixture in the city. On the paved square in front of Christchurch's cathedral, he pontificated on his life theories, wore wizard robes and became such a well-known figure that he earned himself a TripAdvisor rating (four out of five stars). Since 1998, he's been paid 16,000 New Zealand dollars ($10,400) annually by the Christchurch City Council for "wizardry."

Now age 87, The Wizard spends less time in the public eye. He wants to find a successor -- and appears to have got one in 39-year-old Ari Freeman, who teaches guitar and fronts a psychedelic funk band.

Let's see, I have a picture....

The Dandy Warhols Live Set @ The Chapel 2005

I'd like to see these guys perform someday:

Ugly Passing of the Baton

Everybody Likes Jasper

On our walks, everybody likes to stop and say hello to Jasper. The parking-lot guards especially stop and say hello as Jasper ignores them and looks into the distance at the pigeons in the alley. The parking-lot guards try to figure out Jasper's intricate genealogy and wish they had a dog like him.

Yesterday two different women stopped to say hello. One was a breast cancer survivor. Used to have dogs, but no longer, due to Stage 4, with chemo. I told her to get some rest. The other woman was filling up her gas tank, and came over to say hello. Her Pomeranian Benny passed away from cancer at age seven. Just nostalgic for their dogs.

Last week, a strange guy was talking with his sister on his cell phone as Jasper and I passed his house. He told his sister: "YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE IT! YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE IT! THIS DOG LOOKS LOOKS JUST LIKE GUNNER, EXCEPT HE'S THREE TIMES LARGER!"

Everybody likes Jasper!

Training Day

Wednesday, August 5, 2020, I showed up at the Sacramento Army Depot and got sworn in as a Census Enumerator.

The first task upon entering the facility was to sign away most of my rights that day, since the Sacramento Army Depot is an active military installation. If you happen to be there, your civil-right options are kind-of limited, but since Covid rules these days, it's OK. They don't expect to see you again anyway. Further training is virtual. Social-distancing to the nth degree.

The military theme continued inside the facility. Hundreds of people were separated into classrooms (mine was a 5x4 array of socially-distanced desks) and sworn in. Training was more-or-less clear, but very rapid. They throw a scary new iPhone at you, and a bunch of scary acronyms and passwords, and quickly expect you to figure it all out. Sort of learning how to swim by throwing you into the deep end of the pool. Very military.

There was a conference call later in the day. Most of the participants had trouble with conference call etiquette. I thought I was hopelessly far behind, but some in the conference call had never even used an iPhone before, so maybe I'm not so bad off. Further training is virtual, via a website and a podcast.

I'm supposed to be assigned virtual training by my supervisor, but I face two problems:

1.) I have no idea who my supervisor is; and,
2.) According to the help line, no one can help me, due to their being overwhelmed by all the new hires.

So, we'll see what happens.

I'm kind of hoping to blog about my census experiences, but there may be problems doing so. I'll have to be discreet. According to fine print:

As representatives of the Census Bureau, all personnel — Federal employees, contractors, associates, and interns — will be held accountable for their actions and may be subject to criminal or administrative penalties, fines, termination, and/or imprisonment for any infringement of the agency's policy for IT systems use. By acknowledging receipt or using any Census Bureau IT resource, you are accepting responsibility for ensuring proper use and security of these resources. This policy covers all IT resources including workstations, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, SecureID tokens, or other portable devices furnished by the government, as well as Internet services, including but not limited to, use of the World Wide Web, email, file transfer, remote computer access, news services, social networking or social media, instant messaging, blogs, wikis, file sharing sites, as well as streaming audio and video content.

So, don't use any Census IT resources. And be very careful.

According to the Trump Administration these days, they want to finish by September 30th. I hope I receive virtual training by that time.

Epic Neglect Has Consequences

Beirut fell between the cracks:

In 2013, the MV Rhosus set off from Batumi, Georgia, destined for Mozambique, according to the vessel's path and the account of its captain Boris Prokoshev.

It was carrying 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, an industrial chemical commonly used around the world as a fertilizer -- and in explosives for mining.

The Moldovan-flagged ship stopped in Greece to refuel. That's when the ship's owner told the Russian and Ukrainian sailors that he had run out of money and they would have to pick up additional cargo to cover the travel costs -- which led them on a detour to Beirut.

...Once in Beirut, the MV Rhosus was detained by local port authorities due to "gross violations in operating a vessel," unpaid fees to the port, and complaints filed by the Russian and Ukrainian crew , according to the Seafarers' Union of Russia (affiliated with the International Transport Workers' Federation, or ITF), which represented the Russian sailors, told CNN.

It never resumed its journey.

...[T]he ammonium nitrate was unloaded in Beirut's port by November 2014 and stored in a hangar.

It was then kept in that hangar for six years, despite repeated warnings from the Director of Lebanese Customs, Badri Daher, of the "extreme danger" that the cargo posed.

...[D]aher and his predecessor, Merhi, turned to Beirut's courts to help dispose of the dangerous goods multiple times from 2014 onwards.

"In our memos 19320/2014 dated 5/12/2014 and 5/6/2015 [...] we requested that your honor order the responsible Port Authorities to re-export Ammonium Nitrate that was taken off the Rhosus ship and placed in Customs hangar number 12 in Beirut port," Daher wrote in 2017.

At points, he even offered to sell the dangerous cargo to the Lebanese army, according to the court documents, but to no avail.

Daher confirmed to CNN earlier on Wednesday that his office sent "a total of six letters to the legal authorities" but that the authorities never responded to any of their letters.
"The Port Authority should not have allowed the ship to offload the chemicals into the port," he said. "The chemicals were originally going to Mozambique, not Lebanon."

On Wednesday, the Director General of Beirut Port Hassan Kraytem told local television channel OTV: "We stored the material in warehouse number 12 at Beirut port in accordance with a court order. We knew that they were dangerous materials, but not to that extent."

Kraytem too said that the issue of removing the explosive material had been brought up by State Security and Customs -- but that the issue had not been "resolved."

"Customs and State Security sent letters [to the authorities] asking to remove or re-export the explosive materials six years ago, and we have been waiting since then for this issue to be resolved, but to no avail," Kraytem said.

Hop Scotch

Primer For The Spray-Tan

Courtesy of Kate:

The Au Pair Nightmare (2020)

Link to map

Last updated: February 11, 2023


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Notes on Individual Scenes
-----------------------------

Ooh! Aah! Jewelry, 110 Amherst Dr. SE

Aerial view - uncertain

Original Garcia's Kitchen - N. 4th - 1113 4th St. NW

Sandia MINI, at Sandia BMW, West Fwy NE, 3421, 6001 Pan American Fwy, Albuquerque, NM 87109??

Old City Hall?

Interview Room

Aerial View of Robinson Park

Aerial View of Parking Garage on Silver

Driving, RR, Mtn pass,

Caleb's Modern-looking home, about 7370 Elena Dr. NE

Sister's house

Back at Caleb's House

Rodeo scene

Cityscape of downtown

Campus & Carlisle - Autumn Moon = El Cotorro, 111 Carlisle Blvd. NE

Wine cellar - swimming pool

View of downtown

Market

Pedicin - Probably named after Greg Pedicin? - Not sure where this is....

No Love For Skunk

Walking Jasper last night, I didn't even see the moment the young skunk started running across the street to say hello. Jolted out of his nighttime marking mission, Jasper growled and jumped at the end of his leash. The young skunk stopped and pointed his tail straight up in alert surprise. You could tell the skunk was hurt and taken aback at getting that kind of rejection. All the skunk had was love for his mammalian brother. Everyone loves Jasper, after all, but it was as if Jasper called the skunk ugly. I gently pulled Jasper away and let the disappointed skunk skulk away down the street. Jasper took his irritation out by biting his leash and propelling himself into my legs.