YPT Summer Workshop "Bye, Bye, Birdie" (Cast Two)
I saw most of the Friday night performances of "Bye, Bye, Birdie" at the Varsity Theater. Most of lead actresses switched roles from last week, so in some sense it was a new show. Arriving late, I missed the technical problems with lights and set changes, plus the guy yammering on his cell phone in the break-out area, so I really can't comment on all that.
The guys seemed to do much better this week than last (with the exception of John Ramos, who was already good and thus had little room for improvement). Ryan Warren as Albert, Julien Biewer-Elstob as Birdie, and Jordan Ferris as Hugo Peabody all improved considerably this week, given last week's experience. Despite a good first act, though, Julien was a bit too quiet in the second act, given the large space of the Varsity Theater to fill with song.
I thought that Katherine Vanderford, who played Rosie Alvarez last week, set a very high standard for this week's Rosie, Kayla Berghoff, to meet. Kayla proved to be a superb actress and singer, though, so it's really hard to say who might have been best: Kayla had a bit more poise and Katherine had a bit more charisma. Both are excellent at their craft!
I guess a lot of the lead actresses have more stage experience than I counted on for a summer workshop: several come from River City Theater Company (RCTC), or otherwise have impressive resumes. They are kind-of intimidating, with their catalog of strengths!
Once again, Julia Soto did an excellent good job as Albert's mother, Mae Peterson. I like watching Julia's control and discipline, her careful movements, her mannerisms. I hope I see more of her on stage in the years ahead. Anna Miles played an enthusiastic Kim MacAfee. Jessica Greenstreet played a crowd-pleasing, excitable Gloria Rasputin. It was distracting to see Hailee Ketchum-Wiggins in an ensemble role - she distracts by being such a good performer.
For me, one weakness of the show is the oversimplified choreography. Maybe there just isn't enough time in a summer workshop to put together something more challenging. Plus, dance steps are hard for the youngest cast members to memorize - in general, from ballet, I find that kids should be older than 12 to really have a good shot at getting the steps (and there were a number in the cast younger than that age).
In any event, there are just a few performances left - see it while you can!
Friday, August 26, 2005
Heading West
The western forecast wins! National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now calling for Katrina to go for Biloxi, MS. Interestingly, NOGAPS is moving west as well, calling for landfall on the southwestern side of the Mississippi delta. The storm is picking up strength, but it is also moving forward much more slowly than previously forecast. Landfall is now forecast by NHC to be 8 p.m. Monday.
In any event, it looks like Tampa is in the clear: no hurricane there this time!
The western forecast wins! National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now calling for Katrina to go for Biloxi, MS. Interestingly, NOGAPS is moving west as well, calling for landfall on the southwestern side of the Mississippi delta. The storm is picking up strength, but it is also moving forward much more slowly than previously forecast. Landfall is now forecast by NHC to be 8 p.m. Monday.
In any event, it looks like Tampa is in the clear: no hurricane there this time!
Dreaming of Food
I'm beginning to push the diet harder. Last night, I went into aerobics rather food-deficient, and it was a real struggle getting through. Later on, I didn't sleep much - what - with caffeine, muscle aches and dreams of Progresso beef barley soup. But there is no question the diet is beginning to take hold: 6 pounds lost so far!
I'm beginning to get an insight on anorexic thinking. When I see a sandwich, I think "that sandwich is mocking me. Hah! I will mock the sandwich!" So we mock each other, testing each other's will. It's fun! I'm convinced anorexics have a rollicking good time, pushing the limits of denial.
I'm beginning to push the diet harder. Last night, I went into aerobics rather food-deficient, and it was a real struggle getting through. Later on, I didn't sleep much - what - with caffeine, muscle aches and dreams of Progresso beef barley soup. But there is no question the diet is beginning to take hold: 6 pounds lost so far!
I'm beginning to get an insight on anorexic thinking. When I see a sandwich, I think "that sandwich is mocking me. Hah! I will mock the sandwich!" So we mock each other, testing each other's will. It's fun! I'm convinced anorexics have a rollicking good time, pushing the limits of denial.
Message to Tampa, FL, Regarding Katrina and Weather Forecasting
Here is a very helpful blog: Central Florida Hurricane Center, which seems perfectly-suited for your current needs.
In regards to certain questions regarding how often forecasts are generated, and where one can check out the NOGAPS model....
Updates occur every twelve hours, 365 days a year. The U.S. National Weather Service sends up radiosondes by balloon every twelve hours from its network of stations, as do all Weather Services for all nations worldwide. The times are noon (labeled 12 Zulu, or 12Z) and midnight (labeled 00 Zulu, or 00Z) Greenwich Mean Time, which works out to 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The data are quickly gathered, computers run, and several hours later, maps are updated to account for the new data.
I get NOGAPS (also abbreviated as NGP) model results at Monterey, California's Fleet Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Center (FNMOC) Web Site. I access the loops by clicking on North America NGP in the upper-left-hand corner (GFS is another model), then click on the "loop" button for "Previous 12-hr Precipitation Rate [mm/12hr] and Sea Level Pressure [hPa]." At a minimum, I also check out the 500 millibar maps. My understanding is that NOGAPS is a baroclinic model and GFS is a barotropic model: barotropic models make some simplifying approximations regarding temperature gradients and are thus prone to error in some regards. My experience is that, even in the tropics, where temperature gradients are small, NOGAPS does a superior job with respect to the timing of events, which is really what hurricane path forecasting is all about. NOGAPS doesn't jump and swerve, like UKMET and some of the other models do. I notice that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) tends to poll models in order to make their path forecasts, which isn't a very good idea, since some models are simply better than others. It's like asking 50 people on the street where they think the storm is going to go, and weighing everyone's opinions equally. My experience is the GFS model watches too much TV: the NOGAPS model is better, and probably better than most of the other models.
Another helpful Web Site is Calvert Maryland's Center for Ocean-Land-Atmospheric Studies' (COLA's) Web Site. I worry a bit about the ETA model's tendency to have hurricanes wobble all over the place, but second opinions are always welcome.
Today, NOGAPS seems to be pushing Hurricane Katrina, west, towards the Mississippi delta, which is good for Tampa (and bad for Biloxi). For some reason, the Monday 12Z part of the loop is missing, making it hard to evaluate when the NOGAPS model run says Katrina begins angling NE (which it is bound to do sometime), so its hard to say how different it is than the NHC consensus. Nevertheless, it is probably reasonable to say that NOGAPS is west of the NHC consensus.
The question is, is the NOGAPS western forecast reasonable? By looping the NOGAPS loops repeatedly, and comparing them to the GFS loops, I think what NOGAPS is trying to say is that the midlatitude storm system currently moving through the northern Mississippi Valley (here is the Weather Channel map) is moving too rapidly eastwards to help Katrina angle NE - Katrina is simply too far away to be much affected by this fast-moving storm system. On the other hand, GFS says the storm system is moving at a stately pace, and will strongly affect Katrina's path. Catching the speed and magnitude of midlatitude storm systems is NOGAPS strength, and GFS' comparative weakness, and so right now I'd say - watch out Biloxi!
But, as always with all weather forecasting, the proof will be in the pudding!
Here is a very helpful blog: Central Florida Hurricane Center, which seems perfectly-suited for your current needs.
In regards to certain questions regarding how often forecasts are generated, and where one can check out the NOGAPS model....
Updates occur every twelve hours, 365 days a year. The U.S. National Weather Service sends up radiosondes by balloon every twelve hours from its network of stations, as do all Weather Services for all nations worldwide. The times are noon (labeled 12 Zulu, or 12Z) and midnight (labeled 00 Zulu, or 00Z) Greenwich Mean Time, which works out to 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The data are quickly gathered, computers run, and several hours later, maps are updated to account for the new data.
I get NOGAPS (also abbreviated as NGP) model results at Monterey, California's Fleet Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Center (FNMOC) Web Site. I access the loops by clicking on North America NGP in the upper-left-hand corner (GFS is another model), then click on the "loop" button for "Previous 12-hr Precipitation Rate [mm/12hr] and Sea Level Pressure [hPa]." At a minimum, I also check out the 500 millibar maps. My understanding is that NOGAPS is a baroclinic model and GFS is a barotropic model: barotropic models make some simplifying approximations regarding temperature gradients and are thus prone to error in some regards. My experience is that, even in the tropics, where temperature gradients are small, NOGAPS does a superior job with respect to the timing of events, which is really what hurricane path forecasting is all about. NOGAPS doesn't jump and swerve, like UKMET and some of the other models do. I notice that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) tends to poll models in order to make their path forecasts, which isn't a very good idea, since some models are simply better than others. It's like asking 50 people on the street where they think the storm is going to go, and weighing everyone's opinions equally. My experience is the GFS model watches too much TV: the NOGAPS model is better, and probably better than most of the other models.
Another helpful Web Site is Calvert Maryland's Center for Ocean-Land-Atmospheric Studies' (COLA's) Web Site. I worry a bit about the ETA model's tendency to have hurricanes wobble all over the place, but second opinions are always welcome.
Today, NOGAPS seems to be pushing Hurricane Katrina, west, towards the Mississippi delta, which is good for Tampa (and bad for Biloxi). For some reason, the Monday 12Z part of the loop is missing, making it hard to evaluate when the NOGAPS model run says Katrina begins angling NE (which it is bound to do sometime), so its hard to say how different it is than the NHC consensus. Nevertheless, it is probably reasonable to say that NOGAPS is west of the NHC consensus.
The question is, is the NOGAPS western forecast reasonable? By looping the NOGAPS loops repeatedly, and comparing them to the GFS loops, I think what NOGAPS is trying to say is that the midlatitude storm system currently moving through the northern Mississippi Valley (here is the Weather Channel map) is moving too rapidly eastwards to help Katrina angle NE - Katrina is simply too far away to be much affected by this fast-moving storm system. On the other hand, GFS says the storm system is moving at a stately pace, and will strongly affect Katrina's path. Catching the speed and magnitude of midlatitude storm systems is NOGAPS strength, and GFS' comparative weakness, and so right now I'd say - watch out Biloxi!
But, as always with all weather forecasting, the proof will be in the pudding!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Pushed South
As it crossed the Everglades, Katrina was pushed a little farther south than expected, which is very helpful for keeping the storm as far away as possible from Tampa. The storm has to make up that distance as it turns north, and that means it will be farther to the west when it finally passes Tampa Saturday night.
The NOGAPS model now is calling for the storm to make landfall around Pensacola, which is a little farther west than the official National Hurricane Center forecast landfall, with landfall mid-morning on Monday. Still, nothing is settled: rain intensity can vary dramatically so close to a hurricane's center - twenty miles one way or the other can make a big difference. So, Tampa might get lucky, and maybe the experience will be much like with Dennis: rain, clouds, but not so windy.
We'll see!
As it crossed the Everglades, Katrina was pushed a little farther south than expected, which is very helpful for keeping the storm as far away as possible from Tampa. The storm has to make up that distance as it turns north, and that means it will be farther to the west when it finally passes Tampa Saturday night.
The NOGAPS model now is calling for the storm to make landfall around Pensacola, which is a little farther west than the official National Hurricane Center forecast landfall, with landfall mid-morning on Monday. Still, nothing is settled: rain intensity can vary dramatically so close to a hurricane's center - twenty miles one way or the other can make a big difference. So, Tampa might get lucky, and maybe the experience will be much like with Dennis: rain, clouds, but not so windy.
We'll see!
Katrina Cometh
Here's a map of several model-forecast paths for Katrina. The blue path closest to Tampa is the most likely - National Hurricane Center is choosing it for its forecast. I suspect it's a good forecast - the storm will hasten north to meet a trough moving through the eastern states, and since those mid-latitude troughs move fast, it will turn quickly. Intrusions of dry air are hampering development of the storm, which is good, but the storm will have a chance to strengthen again over the Gulf of Mexico.
Things will be uncomfortable in Tampa through Monday evening - a long time! Tampa will be the pivot point of the storm, as it changes direction from west to north, which means it will linger - and linger. Maximum wind forecast is still about 35 mph, but wind is unlikely to be the big challenge: there may be quite a lot of rain with this storm. I haven't seen a rainfall outlook yet, but it's likely to be high.
Here's a map of several model-forecast paths for Katrina. The blue path closest to Tampa is the most likely - National Hurricane Center is choosing it for its forecast. I suspect it's a good forecast - the storm will hasten north to meet a trough moving through the eastern states, and since those mid-latitude troughs move fast, it will turn quickly. Intrusions of dry air are hampering development of the storm, which is good, but the storm will have a chance to strengthen again over the Gulf of Mexico.
Things will be uncomfortable in Tampa through Monday evening - a long time! Tampa will be the pivot point of the storm, as it changes direction from west to north, which means it will linger - and linger. Maximum wind forecast is still about 35 mph, but wind is unlikely to be the big challenge: there may be quite a lot of rain with this storm. I haven't seen a rainfall outlook yet, but it's likely to be high.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Whatever Became of John Trijonis?
Yesterday, a friend asked, "do you know John Trijonis?" I replied that I had talked to Trijonis once on the phone when I was in graduate school. If I recall (it was 20 years ago), Steve Baruch (cousin of a friend) had suggested I talk with Trijonis regarding career tips in environmental science. At the time, one of my Atmospheric Sciences professors had been very critical of Trijonis (criticism I took by flinging numerous sacks of granulated salt over my shoulder, since the professor had just started consulting with a major copper producer regarding visibility issues in the American Southwest), so I was curious about Trijonis. My friend sent me an update regarding Trijonis' career (written in Engineering and Science, in 2001).
The opening picture of the article completely blew my socks away! The picture comes from the balcony of the Foundation Room, high atop the Mandalay Bay Hotel, in Las Vegas. I had copied and published the identical picture in my Weblog in October, 2003. What a trip that had been - I had managed to secure a scarce invitation up to that topsy-turvy nightlife fantasyland! It was very confusing, though: for a second, I thought my Weblog had been published in Engineering and Science!
Turns out, Trijonis has become a professional gambler: specifically, a consultant on sports betting. He has been using his proficiency in data analysis, and mastery of arcane archives, to exploit small advantages in knowledge of sports events, for himself and his clients. With my interest in blackjack, it seemed like I was following in Trijonis' footsteps to some extent - similar arcs in life's trajectory, so to speak, although Trijonis uses his knowledge to the fullest, opposed to my use of magical incantations and the power of delusion. Similar arcs in life's trajectory, like Evel Knievel leaping the Snake River Gorge, except that Trijonis makes it to the opposite side, whereas I entertain myself in the river rapids. Trijonis didn't suggest blackjack as the wave of the future: winnings were headed downhill for that game, but the future of poker looked bright.
Trijonis had a number of useful observations regarding gambling. As late as 1996, Cache Creek Casino allowed people to bank (or host) games of blackjack: sweet! Trijonis points out the Achilles heel of banking:
What about the mathematical and scientific literature regarding gambling? The stuff I read was either too simplified to be of much use in dealing with chaotic casino realities, or just too hard to usefully grasp:
I especially liked Trijonis disquisition on environmental science, and gambling:
Anyway, all of this was a bit too much. There had been a good portent lately: a friend had recently had some luck with slots. Plus, I hadn't played since the beginning of the year. So last night, I drove up to Rocklin, to Thunder Valley Casino, to tempt the Goddess Fortuna.
At Thunder Valley, they pump music into the parking lot to soothe the nerves of the arriving and departing players - ambient music to calm the quarrelsome masses. When I arrived, they were playing Nelly Furtado's "Powerless," my favorite song from all of 2004. Another good omen - I could feel the stars aligning! After several hours, and experiencing four boom-and-bust blackjack cycles, I came away ahead: $915 - $215 = $700.
Yesterday, a friend asked, "do you know John Trijonis?" I replied that I had talked to Trijonis once on the phone when I was in graduate school. If I recall (it was 20 years ago), Steve Baruch (cousin of a friend) had suggested I talk with Trijonis regarding career tips in environmental science. At the time, one of my Atmospheric Sciences professors had been very critical of Trijonis (criticism I took by flinging numerous sacks of granulated salt over my shoulder, since the professor had just started consulting with a major copper producer regarding visibility issues in the American Southwest), so I was curious about Trijonis. My friend sent me an update regarding Trijonis' career (written in Engineering and Science, in 2001).
The opening picture of the article completely blew my socks away! The picture comes from the balcony of the Foundation Room, high atop the Mandalay Bay Hotel, in Las Vegas. I had copied and published the identical picture in my Weblog in October, 2003. What a trip that had been - I had managed to secure a scarce invitation up to that topsy-turvy nightlife fantasyland! It was very confusing, though: for a second, I thought my Weblog had been published in Engineering and Science!
Turns out, Trijonis has become a professional gambler: specifically, a consultant on sports betting. He has been using his proficiency in data analysis, and mastery of arcane archives, to exploit small advantages in knowledge of sports events, for himself and his clients. With my interest in blackjack, it seemed like I was following in Trijonis' footsteps to some extent - similar arcs in life's trajectory, so to speak, although Trijonis uses his knowledge to the fullest, opposed to my use of magical incantations and the power of delusion. Similar arcs in life's trajectory, like Evel Knievel leaping the Snake River Gorge, except that Trijonis makes it to the opposite side, whereas I entertain myself in the river rapids. Trijonis didn't suggest blackjack as the wave of the future: winnings were headed downhill for that game, but the future of poker looked bright.
Trijonis had a number of useful observations regarding gambling. As late as 1996, Cache Creek Casino allowed people to bank (or host) games of blackjack: sweet! Trijonis points out the Achilles heel of banking:
Taking the banker role in such situations can yield a great mathematical edge to the professional gambler. One big problem with banking is that, unlike the situation with its own games, the casino host has little incentive to prevent cheating against a private banker, so that fraud and chicanery have severely pared (and in many cases eliminated) profits.Who would have thunk? Cheating. In a casino. How dare those nasty players! And with my money! Glad I eventually found out without having to pay that price!
What about the mathematical and scientific literature regarding gambling? The stuff I read was either too simplified to be of much use in dealing with chaotic casino realities, or just too hard to usefully grasp:
Concern over competition also explains why there is little decent academic literature on gambling; the winners cannot afford to alert their opponents. (In 1980, Professor of Mathematics Gary Lorden wrote an excellent article for Engineering & Science explicating how you can maximize your chances for a windfall in casino games with the percentages against you. There is little or nothing written of comparable quality, however, on how to turn the tables on Las Vegas and get the percentages in your favor.) As to sports betting, I have come across a few articles in the scholarly literature, especially economics journals, but they have all bordered on the nonsensical—with a few far over the border. To paraphrase an old maxim: in gambling (as perhaps in stock and commodity trading), those who can, do; those who can’t, publish.I will have to track down Lorden's article!
I especially liked Trijonis disquisition on environmental science, and gambling:
In air-pollution research, there are only two significant sources of funding— governmental agencies and private industries (basically, the polluting industries). In my perception, the government agencies essentially want to determine if there is a problem and what can be done about it. The polluting industries, on the other hand, often seem in deep denial. They tend to assert that (1) there is no problem, (2) even if a problem exists, they aren’t the cause, and (3) even if they were the cause, the nature of the problem is too uncertain to try to do anything about it. Being a product of the ’60s and a little quixotic, I could only bring myself to work on government studies. Unfortunately, the largest and most lucrative consulting contracts came from industry. This situation not only severely limited my income, but it meant that my research was, in my view, subject to incessant carping from industry scientists and their consultants. (It appeared to me that I was continually trying to defend a simple, reasonable $40,000 government study from red herrings raised by some multimillion-dollar industry project.) The gambling was a godsend, providing me a great income and an objective test that my way of interpreting data was truly correct.Funny! Funny! Funny! This I can appreciate!
Anyway, all of this was a bit too much. There had been a good portent lately: a friend had recently had some luck with slots. Plus, I hadn't played since the beginning of the year. So last night, I drove up to Rocklin, to Thunder Valley Casino, to tempt the Goddess Fortuna.
At Thunder Valley, they pump music into the parking lot to soothe the nerves of the arriving and departing players - ambient music to calm the quarrelsome masses. When I arrived, they were playing Nelly Furtado's "Powerless," my favorite song from all of 2004. Another good omen - I could feel the stars aligning! After several hours, and experiencing four boom-and-bust blackjack cycles, I came away ahead: $915 - $215 = $700.
Tropical Storm Katrina
Aha! They have labelled this Tropical Storm Katrina. The new forecasts make this storm a lot stronger than the old forecasts did, with the storm generating in the Bahamas, crossing S. Florida, turning north, and then following a Dennis/Ivan like path into the Pensacola area. Currently the weather maps show Tampa just barely escaping without big problems, just like with Dennis, but it will be close (hopefully the storm won't be as powerful as Dennis - current forecasts don't show the same intensity).
Aha! They have labelled this Tropical Storm Katrina. The new forecasts make this storm a lot stronger than the old forecasts did, with the storm generating in the Bahamas, crossing S. Florida, turning north, and then following a Dennis/Ivan like path into the Pensacola area. Currently the weather maps show Tampa just barely escaping without big problems, just like with Dennis, but it will be close (hopefully the storm won't be as powerful as Dennis - current forecasts don't show the same intensity).
Monday, August 22, 2005
Suburban Shopping Center Architecture
There once was a time when American shopping center architecture was reviled worldwide for its bottom-line utilitarian functionality. These days, however, since that's where the money is going, shopping center architecture is getting arty - and weird. Here's what I mean (from Roseville, CA: Douglas Blvd. and Rocky Ridge Dr.). I mean, what is this stuff exactly?
There once was a time when American shopping center architecture was reviled worldwide for its bottom-line utilitarian functionality. These days, however, since that's where the money is going, shopping center architecture is getting arty - and weird. Here's what I mean (from Roseville, CA: Douglas Blvd. and Rocky Ridge Dr.). I mean, what is this stuff exactly?
Bravo Ristorante Italiano
Through MDF Productions, Andee Thorpe and others will be at Bravo Ristorante Italiano Thursday night (since Max's closed at Arden Fair, Sacramento needs more of evenings like this):
Through MDF Productions, Andee Thorpe and others will be at Bravo Ristorante Italiano Thursday night (since Max's closed at Arden Fair, Sacramento needs more of evenings like this):
Need a Date Idea for Thursday Aug 25, or just want to try something new with your friends/family?
Consider dining out at Bravo Ristorante on Fair Oaks Boulevard in Sacramento, between 7 and 10PM!
The evening’s ambiance music entertainment will be provided by Andrea Eve Thorpe, with accompaniment by Paul Galloway, and special guest Jason Petit.
Bravo Ristorante is located at 2333 Fair Oaks Boulevard, between Howe and Fulton. The best landmark is that it is behind Swanson’s Cleaners. Bravo’s phone number is (916) 568-0494.
Sunset From the Spaceship Columbia
Friends Julia and Fred sent this photo by E-Mail, with the enclosed caption. One Web Page with more information is here. One great photo, from Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 (Jan. 16 -Feb. 01, 2003)!
The photograph attached was taken by the crew on board the Columbia during its last mission, on a cloudless day.
The picture is of Europe and Africa when the sun is setting. Half of the picture is in night. The bright dots you see are the cities' lights.
The top part of Africa is the Sahara Desert. Note that the lights are already on in Holland, Paris, and Barcelona, and that's it's still daylight in Dublin, London, Lisbon, and Madrid.
The sun is still shining on the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean Sea is already in darkness.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean you can see the Azores Islands; below them to the right are the Madeira Islands; a bit below are the Canary Islands; and further south, close to the farthest western point of Africa, are the Cape Verde Islands.
Note that the Sahara is huge and can be seen clearly both during Daytime and night time.
To the left, on top, is Greenland, totally frozen.
Friends Julia and Fred sent this photo by E-Mail, with the enclosed caption. One Web Page with more information is here. One great photo, from Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 (Jan. 16 -Feb. 01, 2003)!
The photograph attached was taken by the crew on board the Columbia during its last mission, on a cloudless day.
The picture is of Europe and Africa when the sun is setting. Half of the picture is in night. The bright dots you see are the cities' lights.
The top part of Africa is the Sahara Desert. Note that the lights are already on in Holland, Paris, and Barcelona, and that's it's still daylight in Dublin, London, Lisbon, and Madrid.
The sun is still shining on the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean Sea is already in darkness.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean you can see the Azores Islands; below them to the right are the Madeira Islands; a bit below are the Canary Islands; and further south, close to the farthest western point of Africa, are the Cape Verde Islands.
Note that the Sahara is huge and can be seen clearly both during Daytime and night time.
To the left, on top, is Greenland, totally frozen.
"Thou Shalt Not Kill"
Founder of the Christian Coalition of America, Pat Robertson, has had enough of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and wants U.S. operatives to kill him:
Founder of the Christian Coalition of America, Pat Robertson, has had enough of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and wants U.S. operatives to kill him:
You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.These things tend to work both ways, Pat. Are you prepared to pay the ultimate price to make your point?
Chautauqua Playhouse's "Lend Me A Tenor"
Here's a nice note from Lenore and Gil Sebastian:
Here's a nice note from Lenore and Gil Sebastian:
Greetings, friends! Lenore & Gil are at it again, this time with a madcap, crazy farce called LEND ME A TENOR at Chautauqua Playhouse in Carmichael. No, it’s not a musical, it’s a fast-paced, six-door farce. It’s about opera folk, and you know how meshugenah they can be! It’s 1934, and the Cleveland Grand Opera Company has hired world-famous tenor Tito Merelli to perform his signature role of Otello for their gala season opening. Through a series of hilarious mishaps, Tito can’t go on! Who can replace him? Come & find out!
Gil is directing, and the cast includes old favorites Rodger Hoopman, Jeff Labowitch, Paul Fearn, Erin Jones, Savannah Scott, and Lenore (as the high-strung Signora Merelli!), along with wonderful newcomer Kevin Carvalho as Max.
We open this Friday, August 26th, and run Fridays & Saturdays @ 8:00 thru October 1st. There are only three Sunday matinees @ 2:00: September 11, 18 & 25. Tickets are $15 general, $13 students/seniors. There are only 95 seats in this theater, so get your tickets soon! Call Chautauqua Playhouse at (916) 489-7529 or go to their work-in-progress website: http://www.cplayhouse.com/. Gil & I promise you a very entertaining, laugh-filled afternoon/evening!
Hugs, LENORE & GIL
Merck Fantasyland
It's amazing that Merck doesn't quite realize how bad the Vioxx law suit blowback will be. Merck utterly corrupted the scientific review process for the drug, and so a bad verdict in court shouldn't have come as a surprise, but they seem to think they can just talk their way out of the problem. That's the hubris comes from out-of-control corporate power!
It's amazing that Merck doesn't quite realize how bad the Vioxx law suit blowback will be. Merck utterly corrupted the scientific review process for the drug, and so a bad verdict in court shouldn't have come as a surprise, but they seem to think they can just talk their way out of the problem. That's the hubris comes from out-of-control corporate power!
Mr. Lanier offered jurors a trove of company documents and e-mail messages that revealed how Merck researched Vioxx's heart risks and presented what it knew to doctors and consumers. The documents showed that scientists at Merck were worried about Vioxx's potential cardiovascular risks as early as 1997, two years before Merck began selling the drug.
...They showed Dr. Scolnick later referring to scientists at the Food and Drug Administration as untrustworthy. And they revealed that Merck had stridently resisted the F.D.A.'s efforts to add warnings to Vioxx's label, and that it eventually complied only in ways that the Texas jury found unacceptably obscure. ("You had to dig three levels to see it," one juror, Lorraine Blas, said of the potential heart problems described in one version of the drug's labeling material.)
Mr. Lanier also introduced a marketing videotape that showed Merck sales representatives being trained to view doctors' concerns about Vioxx's heart risks as "obstacles" to be avoided or dismissed. Another marketing document taught representatives to play "Dodgeball" when doctors voiced concerns.
... In interviews, several jurors said they had intended the verdict, which included $229 million in punitive damages, not to reward Mrs. Ernst but to punish Merck for its actions. Derrick Chizer, one of the jurors, said that the jury wanted to send Merck and the drug industry a message: "Stop doing the minimum to put your drug on the market." Other jurors made similar comments.
The $229 million punitive damages figure was not picked at random, but referred to a 2001 Merck estimate of additional profit the company might make if it could delay an F.D.A. warning on Vioxx's heart risk. Mr. Lanier mentioned that monetary figure in his closing argument.
Dr. Jerry Avorn, a professor at Harvard Medical School and frequent critic of the drug industry, said he was not surprised that the jury responded as vehemently as it did.
"Even as a seasoned observer of drug company affairs, I have been surprised at the way Merck handled the emerging evidence about cardiac risk with this drug," Dr. Avorn said. "There was an element of the Watergate tapes that I was reminded of: many people had been critical of Nixon for a long time, but even Nixon's critics did not expect to find the documentation of their worst fears made so clearly evident."
... But many provocative documents, such as the e-mail messages in which Merck scientists discussed their early concerns about Vioxx, are clearly relevant to the litigation and will be allowed everywhere. And unless Merck can quickly figure out how to explain those documents to juries, it will soon face an enormous problem. Even Merck, with $22 billion in sales and $6 billion in profits last year, can withstand only so many $250 million verdicts before it is forced to rethink its plan to fight every Vioxx lawsuit.
Disability Insurance
I wonder if its degrading to the point where it's becoming a scam?
I wonder if its degrading to the point where it's becoming a scam?
Until a few years ago, Debra Potter made sure that her family could cruise the Caribbean, watch the NFL on big-screen TV and keep her elderly mother and in-laws at home in comfort.
She did so by earning $250,000 a year selling more insurance than almost anybody else in the state of Virginia, virtually all of it disability and health policies that she thought put a safety net under middle-class and affluent families such as her own.
Potter so believed in the protection she was providing that she made sure she was covered under a policy her employer, Southeastern financial services giant BB&T, had with UnumProvident Corp., the nation's largest disability insurer.
But when Potter began falling down in 2002 and was subsequently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she discovered that the protection didn't work anything like she'd expected.
... The $10.5-billion-a-year insurer denies mishandling Potter's case, saying only that "new information" caused it to change its position and start paying.
"People need safety nets, and that's what I thought I was selling them," Potter said. "But here I am with all my knowledge of insurance and I couldn't make it work for me."
Whatever Became of Harold Holt?
Antipodean weirdness:
Antipodean weirdness:
Some theories suggest the CIA assassinated Mr Holt before he could pull Australian troops out of Vietnam; or he ran off with a lover; or he committed suicide.
The most popular one was British author Anthony Grey's claim that Mr Holt was actually a Chinese spy who fled in a Chinese submarine.
... Mr Holt was with four friends on Cheviot beach, including secret lover Marjorie Gillespie.
"I watched Harold continuously and the water became turbulent around him very suddenly and seemed to boil and these conditions seemed to swamp him," Ms Gillespie told police, according to the brief of evidence tendered to the court.
Alan Stewart was the other person in the group who decided to go swimming, but only ventured out 10m because he was wary of the conditions.
Eastern Gulf of Mexico
From the numerical weather forecasts, there are some indications that a tropical depression may generate in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, immediately adjacent to Tampa, by next weekend. The system would likely be weak while in the Tampa area, probably wouldn't pick up that much strength, and would drift away to the northwest. But it's just another reminder that the season is still quite active.
From the numerical weather forecasts, there are some indications that a tropical depression may generate in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, immediately adjacent to Tampa, by next weekend. The system would likely be weak while in the Tampa area, probably wouldn't pick up that much strength, and would drift away to the northwest. But it's just another reminder that the season is still quite active.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
YPT Summer Workshop "Bye, Bye, Birdie" (Cast One)
I saw portions of the Friday and Saturday night performances of "Bye, Bye, Birdie" at the Varsity Theater. Nice show, particularly considering some of the technical pressures: DMTC could not afford more than the bare-minimal stage rehearsal time on the now-pricier Varsity Theater stage, and the Summer Workshops in general have always had less rehearsal time available overall than YPT shows usually have. Nevertheless, the show looked better-rehearsed than the "Bye, Bye, Birdie" Summer Workshop three years ago, and the set looked very nice indeed (the sparkling 45 rpm record emblem on the set was painted in the form of a "Z", an inadvertent, unconscious tribute to Jan Isaacson's favorite television hero from the early 60's, "Zorro").
It was interesting to watch the cast portraying characters considerably older than themselves. That's when the actor's craft gets tested: inhabiting another person's life, and living through it. For Cast One (Cast Two next week) Ryan Warren played Albert Peterson and Katherine Vanderford played Rosie Alvarez.
Ryan Warren dressed in a very professional manner, and played Albert in a professional way as well. From the back of the theater, he looked a bit like film actor Tony Roberts, who was cast in several movies as Woody Allen's calm, professional foil: remember, 'Rob' from "Annie Hall", listening to neurotic 'Alvy Singer' (Woody Allen) as he explained the day's latest outrage?
Katherine seemed to have trouble establishing herself in the First Act, when she had to share the spotlight with other people, but once she became 'Spanish Rose', and was clearly, unmistakably identified as the star, she began enjoying herself (I think Katherine likes being the star!)
Julia Soto did a very good job with Albert's mother, Mae Peterson. Despite her young age, Julia effectively captured the pressures of aging, and the threat posed by Rosie. I liked Julia's crisp diction. Julia's performance was much different than Savannah Scott's brilliant, raging, over-the-top Mae Peterson from the Summer Workshop three years ago. Nevertheless, I think Julia got much closer to the essence of the character than Savannah did. Excellent job!
John Ramos was a very winning Mr. MacAfee: very pleasant and enjoyable to watch on stage. Jessica Greenstreet played Mrs. MacAfee very well: lots of smiling suburban housewife energy (the epitome of the 1950's ideal) was evident. And this was the first time I've seen Hailee Ketchum-Wiggins perform in an way that could be clearly evaluated (unfortunately, I missed Wizard of Oz in the spring). Just perfect! She's a real asset to Sacramento-area theater!
Cast Two will perform, with some of the actors (the girls particularly) trading places. It will be fun to see how a different mix of personalities deal with the same acting challenges!
(insert pictures, when available).
I saw portions of the Friday and Saturday night performances of "Bye, Bye, Birdie" at the Varsity Theater. Nice show, particularly considering some of the technical pressures: DMTC could not afford more than the bare-minimal stage rehearsal time on the now-pricier Varsity Theater stage, and the Summer Workshops in general have always had less rehearsal time available overall than YPT shows usually have. Nevertheless, the show looked better-rehearsed than the "Bye, Bye, Birdie" Summer Workshop three years ago, and the set looked very nice indeed (the sparkling 45 rpm record emblem on the set was painted in the form of a "Z", an inadvertent, unconscious tribute to Jan Isaacson's favorite television hero from the early 60's, "Zorro").
It was interesting to watch the cast portraying characters considerably older than themselves. That's when the actor's craft gets tested: inhabiting another person's life, and living through it. For Cast One (Cast Two next week) Ryan Warren played Albert Peterson and Katherine Vanderford played Rosie Alvarez.
Ryan Warren dressed in a very professional manner, and played Albert in a professional way as well. From the back of the theater, he looked a bit like film actor Tony Roberts, who was cast in several movies as Woody Allen's calm, professional foil: remember, 'Rob' from "Annie Hall", listening to neurotic 'Alvy Singer' (Woody Allen) as he explained the day's latest outrage?
You know, I was having lunch with some guys from NBC, so I said, 'Did you eat yet or what?' And Tom Christie said, 'No, JEW?' Not 'Did you?'...JEW eat? JEW? You get it? JEW eatAnyway, 'Rob' thought 'Alvy Singer' was imagining things. So, to me, Ryan's Albert was more like calm 'Rob' than neurotic 'Alvy', but the script seemed to call for more of a neurotic. So, I worried about that a bit, but what I did like was that Ryan and Katherine worked together very well as a couple, and so some of my concerns were allayed.
Katherine seemed to have trouble establishing herself in the First Act, when she had to share the spotlight with other people, but once she became 'Spanish Rose', and was clearly, unmistakably identified as the star, she began enjoying herself (I think Katherine likes being the star!)
Julia Soto did a very good job with Albert's mother, Mae Peterson. Despite her young age, Julia effectively captured the pressures of aging, and the threat posed by Rosie. I liked Julia's crisp diction. Julia's performance was much different than Savannah Scott's brilliant, raging, over-the-top Mae Peterson from the Summer Workshop three years ago. Nevertheless, I think Julia got much closer to the essence of the character than Savannah did. Excellent job!
John Ramos was a very winning Mr. MacAfee: very pleasant and enjoyable to watch on stage. Jessica Greenstreet played Mrs. MacAfee very well: lots of smiling suburban housewife energy (the epitome of the 1950's ideal) was evident. And this was the first time I've seen Hailee Ketchum-Wiggins perform in an way that could be clearly evaluated (unfortunately, I missed Wizard of Oz in the spring). Just perfect! She's a real asset to Sacramento-area theater!
Cast Two will perform, with some of the actors (the girls particularly) trading places. It will be fun to see how a different mix of personalities deal with the same acting challenges!
(insert pictures, when available).
Right-Wing Attacks on the Families of the Dead
Joe Conason is right: the American right-wing overreacted to Cindy Sheehan, and descended to really vile depths to slime her. The reason they did so is that Cindy Sheehan and mothers like her are the Republicans' Achilles Heel:
When I was a kid, growing up in New Mexico, we would often come across insects, but every so often we would dig up a very rare insect called an Earthbaby. Earthbabies were so ugly and ominous-looking that we would wouldn't take the time to smash them like other insects: we would run in fear and loathing. That's what I felt like when I came across this McMahon character. I don't know who he is or what he is: I just know he's an unspeakably-vile Earthbaby, and one MUST run!
The Wall Street Journal also approvingly quotes a blogger named Scott Randolph, who seems to feel that since Iraq is an accomplished, inevitable intervention now, there's nothing anyone can do anything about it, and it's time to just stop complaining about it:
Before Cindy Sheehan, there was Lila Lipscomb (from Fahrenheit 9/11). After Cindy Sheehan and Lila Lipscomb, there are thousands of relatives who want answers, and who will demand them. I am with them. Are you?
Joe Conason is right: the American right-wing overreacted to Cindy Sheehan, and descended to really vile depths to slime her. The reason they did so is that Cindy Sheehan and mothers like her are the Republicans' Achilles Heel:
Whatever Sheehan has said or done, the real problem for the right is her demand that the president address questions for which he and his conservative allies have no convincing answers. He cannot explain the shifting rationale for the war that has cost the lives of Casey Sheehan and thousands of others. He cannot explain why the war was so poorly planned. He cannot explain why he has no plausible exit strategy.For reasons that escape me (probably because I blog), I'm on the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal E-Mail alert list. One example of the vile character assassination the Wall Street Journal engaged in was how they forwarded Tom McMahon's denigration of Cindy Sheehan's sacrifice by trying to equate it with light-weight Hollywood preoccupations: Cindy Crawford vs. Cindy Sheehan in Crawford. Get it? Ha, ha!
For the right as much as for the left, Sheehan is a symbol. She represents a growing threat to Republicans, who fear that they will pay a heavy electoral price next year for the unjustified and unnecessary bloodshed in Iraq. And that is why, from the beginning, Bush's defenders have tried to change the subject to her supposed mistakes and misstatements. They would far prefer to mock and malign her than to talk about the supposed reasons that her son and so many other innocents are dead.
When I was a kid, growing up in New Mexico, we would often come across insects, but every so often we would dig up a very rare insect called an Earthbaby. Earthbabies were so ugly and ominous-looking that we would wouldn't take the time to smash them like other insects: we would run in fear and loathing. That's what I felt like when I came across this McMahon character. I don't know who he is or what he is: I just know he's an unspeakably-vile Earthbaby, and one MUST run!
The Wall Street Journal also approvingly quotes a blogger named Scott Randolph, who seems to feel that since Iraq is an accomplished, inevitable intervention now, there's nothing anyone can do anything about it, and it's time to just stop complaining about it:
I hate the fact that our boys are getting killed over there, and I wish it didn't have to happen. But, it is, there's nothing we can do about it, except for doing everything we can to offer support and hope to the folks fighting over there. Arguing and whining about the reasons we're there, and the need to come home not only kills morale, but it is a complete waste of time.Wow! This fatalistic response is SO out-of-character for the Wall Street types to approve! The Masters of the Universe, who are always bloviating about how they make history, not follow it, suddenly have their hands tied! Who could have imagined such impotence?
Before Cindy Sheehan, there was Lila Lipscomb (from Fahrenheit 9/11). After Cindy Sheehan and Lila Lipscomb, there are thousands of relatives who want answers, and who will demand them. I am with them. Are you?
Gravity
Gravity, finally explained. Every word, God's own truth!:
Gravity, finally explained. Every word, God's own truth!:
"Things fall not because they are acted upon by some gravitational force, but because a higher intelligence, 'God' if you will, is pushing them down," said Gabriel Burdett, who holds degrees in education, applied Scripture, and physics from Oral Roberts University.
Hell Hath No Fury Like A Filipina Ripped Off
The Texan twins, Hal and Al, explained it pretty carefully. They were offering only $60 for the washer/dryer, and $2 for the portable heaters, because that's what the market would bear. Besides, the space saved by moving the stuff out would allow a move into a smaller storage unit, thus saving money. And who could argue with that? It's just business.....right? Right?
They got the washer/dryer (necessity), but not the portable heaters (pride).
The Texan twins, Hal and Al, explained it pretty carefully. They were offering only $60 for the washer/dryer, and $2 for the portable heaters, because that's what the market would bear. Besides, the space saved by moving the stuff out would allow a move into a smaller storage unit, thus saving money. And who could argue with that? It's just business.....right? Right?
They got the washer/dryer (necessity), but not the portable heaters (pride).
More Tales of Sacramento At Night
Last night, Sparky and I walked past a nice house with a perfectly-manicured lawn. There was some kind of party going on inside. Just as we walked past, the front door opened, a handsome man in his 30's came out of the house, fell like a tree on the perfect lawn, and started throwing up.
Sparky wisely chose to keep on walking, but I started thinking about how the man's private drunkenness had inadvertently become public, and about public drunkenness in general in California, compared to Utah. Alcohol sure helped make the move jarring when I first came to Sacramento from Salt Lake City in 1990. My first day of work, I went to the bus stop in Citrus Heights, and found a man there drinking beer - at 8 a.m.: never see that in Salt Lake City!
Here in Sacramento, I'd go to to the supermarket and ask, "why was there such a wider range of consumer choices in Utah, rather than this richer California place?" Then you'd walk around the corner and see the vast floor space of the store wasted on beer, wine, and spirits. The answer was obvious - alcohol crowded out consumer products, so instead of, say, eight different kinds of batteries, you could get only three kinds.
Utah law mildly harrasses alcohol drinkers. Alcohol is sold ONLY in state liquor stores, and bright, splashy advertising displays there are banned. Scarce night clubs allow members-only drinking, and even though it's laughably easy to get someone to sponsor your entry into the club, it places an additional barrier to easy entry into the club. Mixed drinks cannot be sold: if you want a mixed drink, they sell you the components, which you have to mix yourself. When it became wide knowledge that limousine services were serving alcohol to Salt Lake City residents riding to distant stateline Nevada casinos, it became a scandal, and the Utah legislature passed a law specifically banning the practice.
The official harrassment in Utah is certainly not enough to deter serious alcoholics, but it does help place a stigma on the drinking of liquor. California, the epicenter of one of the world's greatest viticultures (oh my God! take a look at the Napa Valley!), DOES NOT place a stigma on the sale and consumption of alcohol. The net effect is much more public drunkenness in California compared to Utah. Sometimes the effect is amusing: in 1990, the Salt Lake City TV stations carried lurid specials on the seediness of State Street - any major thoroughfare in Sacramento is seedier than State Street!
I love California's liberality, but I also like Utah's liquor laws. That extra Mormon touch keeps a place nice. I'm sure it helps keep Las Vegas, Nevada nicer than it could be. Las Vegas is one of Mormonism's most important cities, but it is also one of the world's greatest dens of sin. There is a tremendous cultural clash there, and I'm sure there is a price to pay for that. Still, keep that tension - keep the neighborhoods clean and safe, and the Strip fraught with illicit danger, and everyone will be happy!
Last night, Sparky and I walked past a nice house with a perfectly-manicured lawn. There was some kind of party going on inside. Just as we walked past, the front door opened, a handsome man in his 30's came out of the house, fell like a tree on the perfect lawn, and started throwing up.
Sparky wisely chose to keep on walking, but I started thinking about how the man's private drunkenness had inadvertently become public, and about public drunkenness in general in California, compared to Utah. Alcohol sure helped make the move jarring when I first came to Sacramento from Salt Lake City in 1990. My first day of work, I went to the bus stop in Citrus Heights, and found a man there drinking beer - at 8 a.m.: never see that in Salt Lake City!
Here in Sacramento, I'd go to to the supermarket and ask, "why was there such a wider range of consumer choices in Utah, rather than this richer California place?" Then you'd walk around the corner and see the vast floor space of the store wasted on beer, wine, and spirits. The answer was obvious - alcohol crowded out consumer products, so instead of, say, eight different kinds of batteries, you could get only three kinds.
Utah law mildly harrasses alcohol drinkers. Alcohol is sold ONLY in state liquor stores, and bright, splashy advertising displays there are banned. Scarce night clubs allow members-only drinking, and even though it's laughably easy to get someone to sponsor your entry into the club, it places an additional barrier to easy entry into the club. Mixed drinks cannot be sold: if you want a mixed drink, they sell you the components, which you have to mix yourself. When it became wide knowledge that limousine services were serving alcohol to Salt Lake City residents riding to distant stateline Nevada casinos, it became a scandal, and the Utah legislature passed a law specifically banning the practice.
The official harrassment in Utah is certainly not enough to deter serious alcoholics, but it does help place a stigma on the drinking of liquor. California, the epicenter of one of the world's greatest viticultures (oh my God! take a look at the Napa Valley!), DOES NOT place a stigma on the sale and consumption of alcohol. The net effect is much more public drunkenness in California compared to Utah. Sometimes the effect is amusing: in 1990, the Salt Lake City TV stations carried lurid specials on the seediness of State Street - any major thoroughfare in Sacramento is seedier than State Street!
I love California's liberality, but I also like Utah's liquor laws. That extra Mormon touch keeps a place nice. I'm sure it helps keep Las Vegas, Nevada nicer than it could be. Las Vegas is one of Mormonism's most important cities, but it is also one of the world's greatest dens of sin. There is a tremendous cultural clash there, and I'm sure there is a price to pay for that. Still, keep that tension - keep the neighborhoods clean and safe, and the Strip fraught with illicit danger, and everyone will be happy!
Saturday, August 20, 2005
AMREP RECORP Evil
Hasn't anyone ever heard of infill development? This is a really bad idea, putting a huge suburban development in the Rio Puerco Valley, west of Rio Rancho, New Mexico (NW of Albuquerque). In fact, it makes me incredibly sad to see that wonderfully empty land, where mammoths once ran in the last Ice Age, get defiled, and go under the blade. It is a sin.
Hasn't anyone ever heard of infill development? This is a really bad idea, putting a huge suburban development in the Rio Puerco Valley, west of Rio Rancho, New Mexico (NW of Albuquerque). In fact, it makes me incredibly sad to see that wonderfully empty land, where mammoths once ran in the last Ice Age, get defiled, and go under the blade. It is a sin.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Sounds Like An Interesting Lady!
Obituary for Esther Wong:
Obituary for Esther Wong:
Wong, who earned the nickname the "godmother of punk," showcased such popular groups as the Police, X, the Go-Gos, Oingo Boingo, the Motels, the Knack, the Textones and Plane English early in their careers, giving many groups their first major break.
The native of China originally booked Polynesian bands to play at her restaurant, but when hardly anyone showed up to hear them she decided to take a chance on rock acts. Almost overnight in 1978, hundreds of people began showing up at her Chinatown restaurant to hear the new sounds, and she opened a Madame Wong's West in Santa Monica that same year.
"Before, I didn't think I'd ever like rock music," she told the Los Angeles Times in 1979. "Now I can turn it on, and it doesn't bother me."
As her clubs flourished, Wong quickly became known as a no-nonsense proprietor. She once halted a performance by the Ramones until the band members left the stage and cleaned up the graffiti they had put on a bathroom wall. She rarely booked female singers, calling them "no good, always trouble," and she was known to go into the audience to try to sniff out marijuana smokers.
... Wong auditioned performers by listening to their tapes, often while driving in her car, until she said her habit of flinging bad music out the window nearly got her in trouble.
"One day I almost hit the highway patrol car that was right next to me," she told the Times in 1980.
Australians Still Dominate
American competition still appears weak (photo #16):
American competition still appears weak (photo #16):
About 40 mothers gathered at the park as one of the seven venues in Alameda County to attempt to break Australia's world record (1,664) for the most mothers breastfeeding simultaneously. With only 287 mothers participating, the record still stands.
A Polynesian Link?
An interesting hypothesis that Polynesian Islanders came into contact with coastal California's Chumash Indians (Santa Barbara area) in the sixth century A.D. (Sacramento Bee link not yet available). Sometimes these things are coincidences indicating nothing except similar responses by different peoples to identical pressures, but maybe there really is a link!:
An interesting hypothesis that Polynesian Islanders came into contact with coastal California's Chumash Indians (Santa Barbara area) in the sixth century A.D. (Sacramento Bee link not yet available). Sometimes these things are coincidences indicating nothing except similar responses by different peoples to identical pressures, but maybe there really is a link!:
...[Kathryn Klar] happened upon two terms for a type of canoe - the Chumash tomolo'o and the Hawaiian kumulaa'au. Subsequently she noticed these words shared a linguistic heritage with the Polynesian tumuRaa'au, a word for the wood used in seagoing sewn-plank vessels.
... [Terry Jones] and UC Berkeley anthropology professor Patrick Kirch determined that a type of Polynesian fish hook looked stunningly similar to one used by the Chumash.
Ketones
A friend who once lost some weight said the most interesting part of the experience for her was how bad her breath got. She fancied that maybe toxic compunds dissolved in the fat were being released, but she wasn't sure what it was. I wondered whether it was ammonia: I read somewhere we have roughly 7 parts per billion ammonia in the lungs, which is sufficient to neutralize the acidic aerosols one might encounter in a natural environment.
Apparently the culprits are ketones, which fat turns into upon combustion, particularly with low-carbohydrate diets, and which are volatile and stink (Friends Julia and Fred sent this picture via E-Mail).
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Beam Me Up, Scotty!
Mickey Kaus discusses an apparent correlation between the original Star Trek, and pedophilia, that the Toronto Sex Crimes Police Unit has noticed.
Mickey Kaus discusses an apparent correlation between the original Star Trek, and pedophilia, that the Toronto Sex Crimes Police Unit has noticed.
The Late, Lamentable Seymour Valdez
Once in a while, you'll get a spam E-Mail that makes you smile. I got one today from an English 'barrister' looking to dispose the estate of the late 'Seymour Valdez':
Poor Seymour! As overlooked in death as he was in life! The barrister wants to invest his 'shear' of Seymour's estate in the Real Estate business: good for him! May the barrister have better fortune than Seymour, who was the last one to join the dot-com boom, and who no doubt would have squandered what would have remained of his investments in Halliburton and various, dubious Iraqi business ventures.
Once in a while, you'll get a spam E-Mail that makes you smile. I got one today from an English 'barrister' looking to dispose the estate of the late 'Seymour Valdez':
After these several unsuccessful attempts, to locate any member of his family hence I contacted you. I am contacting you to assist in repatriating the money left behind by my clien t before the y get confiscated or declared unserviceable to the security company in Europe where this huge deposit were lodged.Seymour died in an auto crash in Manchester, UK, on April 21, 2002. Despite the fact that Seymour was incinerated along with 95 other people, the terrible calamity was somehow overlooked in the local media (no reference in the Manchester Evening News archive!)
Poor Seymour! As overlooked in death as he was in life! The barrister wants to invest his 'shear' of Seymour's estate in the Real Estate business: good for him! May the barrister have better fortune than Seymour, who was the last one to join the dot-com boom, and who no doubt would have squandered what would have remained of his investments in Halliburton and various, dubious Iraqi business ventures.
The Romance of Polar Adventures
Pales somewhat when you read about the close escapes!
Pales somewhat when you read about the close escapes!
Three unarmed Polish researchers stranded on a remote Arctic island were rescued by helicopters as polar bears were closing in on them, officials said Wednesday.
The hairsbreadth escape took place on an island in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, about 650 miles from the North Pole.
"It was the worst imaginable situation. They were cold and wet, had no equipment or weapons, and were surrounded by hungry polar bears," said Peter Braaten of the Svalbard governor's office.
Bully
This is already well-covered, but last Saturday's remark by George W. Bush surely must rank as among his most callous public remarks ever. What a breathtakingly evil guy he is! And what can one say about people who defend him, people like Christopher Hitchens, or for that matter, numerous acquaintances? Satan's minions all!:
This is already well-covered, but last Saturday's remark by George W. Bush surely must rank as among his most callous public remarks ever. What a breathtakingly evil guy he is! And what can one say about people who defend him, people like Christopher Hitchens, or for that matter, numerous acquaintances? Satan's minions all!:
"I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life ... I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy. And part of my being is to be outside exercising. So I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so."
Scientific Grants, and Corruption
There was an interesting article in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal about a Cornell University doctor, Kyriakie Sarafoglou, who, as a newly-appointed "research subject advocate", objected to what she saw as a diversion of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research money to treat regular hospital patients. In fact, as far as she could tell, the research was merely a ruse: the money was being for any number of other purposes outside the scope of the approved research projects. She eventually filed suit, and in June, Cornell's Weill Medical College agreed to settle the government's charges for $4.4 million, without admitting wrongdoing.
This story brought back memories of when I was a postdoctoral assistant at Arizona State University (ASU) in the late 1980's. I too fought back at what I saw as corruption, but it was of a different sort: the emergence of the scientist as administrator - an administrator who appeared to no longer have the ability to properly understand, much less do, the science. In fact, it was the graduate students and postdocs who had to teach each other the skills of the trade: the "job" of the "lead scientist" was to harrass grant reviewers at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, D.C.
In both cases, it was easy to understand why the corruption occurred. It's expensive to run a teaching hospital, funds have to come from somewhere. I can see why hospital administrators and the research faculty who work there might have to get creative with the financing. Similarly, the ASU faculty had expensive electron microscope facilities to maintain, and where else was the money going to come from but Washington, D.C., and how do you guarantee your access to it unless you concentrate your energies there? In both cases, however, the purposes of science were being subverted for the purposes of obtaining grant money: the exact opposite of why the money is supposed to be there in the first place! There is a difference of degree though: Sarafoglou's problem was larger, since NIH health science grants tend to be much larger than what NSF doles out to physical scientists.
It had never occurred to me that the higher one looked in the Pyramid of Science, the more people of lesser ability one might be likely to find: that's not how things should work! But under some circumstances, particularly at large U.S. state universities, where the competition for money is strong, the higher you look, the more gladhanding dummies you find. Similarly, Sarafoglou had probably thought she left behind petty corruption when she closed her medical practice in Greece in order to become an assistant professor at an acclaimed U.S. medical school. You learn something new all the time!
In any event, after leaving ASU for a second postdoctoral position (that also went badly for different reasons), I left academia entirely for consulting air pollution engineering. Oddly enough, there seems to be less corruption overall in the private sector, probably because the race for money is less brutal. And the expectations tend to be less exalted, which means targets can be more easily met without twisting people into pretzels. Regarding Sarfoglou, for her own good, she had to leave Cornell for the University of Minnesota. I hope she is happy there!
Anyway, there's a lot of sham research out there, which is quite unfortunate for the progress of science. Watch those scientists: underneath those lab coats, they might be surprisingly corrupt! All understandable, of course, but still lamentable!
There was an interesting article in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal about a Cornell University doctor, Kyriakie Sarafoglou, who, as a newly-appointed "research subject advocate", objected to what she saw as a diversion of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research money to treat regular hospital patients. In fact, as far as she could tell, the research was merely a ruse: the money was being for any number of other purposes outside the scope of the approved research projects. She eventually filed suit, and in June, Cornell's Weill Medical College agreed to settle the government's charges for $4.4 million, without admitting wrongdoing.
This story brought back memories of when I was a postdoctoral assistant at Arizona State University (ASU) in the late 1980's. I too fought back at what I saw as corruption, but it was of a different sort: the emergence of the scientist as administrator - an administrator who appeared to no longer have the ability to properly understand, much less do, the science. In fact, it was the graduate students and postdocs who had to teach each other the skills of the trade: the "job" of the "lead scientist" was to harrass grant reviewers at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, D.C.
In both cases, it was easy to understand why the corruption occurred. It's expensive to run a teaching hospital, funds have to come from somewhere. I can see why hospital administrators and the research faculty who work there might have to get creative with the financing. Similarly, the ASU faculty had expensive electron microscope facilities to maintain, and where else was the money going to come from but Washington, D.C., and how do you guarantee your access to it unless you concentrate your energies there? In both cases, however, the purposes of science were being subverted for the purposes of obtaining grant money: the exact opposite of why the money is supposed to be there in the first place! There is a difference of degree though: Sarafoglou's problem was larger, since NIH health science grants tend to be much larger than what NSF doles out to physical scientists.
It had never occurred to me that the higher one looked in the Pyramid of Science, the more people of lesser ability one might be likely to find: that's not how things should work! But under some circumstances, particularly at large U.S. state universities, where the competition for money is strong, the higher you look, the more gladhanding dummies you find. Similarly, Sarafoglou had probably thought she left behind petty corruption when she closed her medical practice in Greece in order to become an assistant professor at an acclaimed U.S. medical school. You learn something new all the time!
In any event, after leaving ASU for a second postdoctoral position (that also went badly for different reasons), I left academia entirely for consulting air pollution engineering. Oddly enough, there seems to be less corruption overall in the private sector, probably because the race for money is less brutal. And the expectations tend to be less exalted, which means targets can be more easily met without twisting people into pretzels. Regarding Sarfoglou, for her own good, she had to leave Cornell for the University of Minnesota. I hope she is happy there!
Anyway, there's a lot of sham research out there, which is quite unfortunate for the progress of science. Watch those scientists: underneath those lab coats, they might be surprisingly corrupt! All understandable, of course, but still lamentable!
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Where's The Willpower?
I've been trying out a diet for the first time in my life, reducing portions, but otherwise not making substantial changes in what I eat. Over the last two weeks, I dropped 4 pounds, from 182 lbs (82.55 kg) to 178 lbs (80.74 kg). Big whoop-dee-doo! Then tonight, after Pepper Von's step aerobics class, I drove away from Step One as fast as traffic would permit (and by happenstance passed ballet teacher Victoria along the way, who waved in a very friendly way, because she had no idea what I was up to) in order to eat not just one helping of ice cream, but after an intervening meal, yet a second helping of ice cream! Bet my weight loss stalls after that!
Fear is a good motivating factor in a diet. I've managed to reduce my lunch portions (which I usually eat quite late) because if I don't, I will puke in step aerobics class (it's THAT high-energy!) I fear irretrievably embarrassing myself in front of Sacramento's hard-body elite more than I want the extra lunchtime food. But what can I fear in the evening, after step aerobics class?
If I eat ice cream after dark, the terrorists win, I suppose.
There was a very funny article on Salon by Garrison Keillor about his efforts to lose weight: Is finding one's inner Puritan the true path to weight loss and eternal happiness?
I've been trying out a diet for the first time in my life, reducing portions, but otherwise not making substantial changes in what I eat. Over the last two weeks, I dropped 4 pounds, from 182 lbs (82.55 kg) to 178 lbs (80.74 kg). Big whoop-dee-doo! Then tonight, after Pepper Von's step aerobics class, I drove away from Step One as fast as traffic would permit (and by happenstance passed ballet teacher Victoria along the way, who waved in a very friendly way, because she had no idea what I was up to) in order to eat not just one helping of ice cream, but after an intervening meal, yet a second helping of ice cream! Bet my weight loss stalls after that!
Fear is a good motivating factor in a diet. I've managed to reduce my lunch portions (which I usually eat quite late) because if I don't, I will puke in step aerobics class (it's THAT high-energy!) I fear irretrievably embarrassing myself in front of Sacramento's hard-body elite more than I want the extra lunchtime food. But what can I fear in the evening, after step aerobics class?
If I eat ice cream after dark, the terrorists win, I suppose.
There was a very funny article on Salon by Garrison Keillor about his efforts to lose weight: Is finding one's inner Puritan the true path to weight loss and eternal happiness?
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Science Wars Abate
And the grand coalition of scholars is reassembled (it's almost like The Return of the Jedi, or something!):
Yoda gazes out at the commercial exhibit floor at the California State Fair, 2005.
And the grand coalition of scholars is reassembled (it's almost like The Return of the Jedi, or something!):
So perhaps it's no surprise that the science wars of the 1990s have almost entirely subsided, and, as the scientific community has increasingly become embroiled with the Bush administration across a wide range of issues (from evolution to climate science), a very new zeitgeist has emerged. The summer issue of The American Scholar, a leading read among academic humanists and the literary set, provides a case in point. "Science matters," blazons the cover. Inside, Editor Robert Wilson explains to readers that although "the attack on science has always been our game … the enemy of our enemy is most definitely not our friend."
Yoda gazes out at the commercial exhibit floor at the California State Fair, 2005.
Not a Politician
Christopher Hitchens certainly has a tin ear these days! His dismissal of Cindy Sheehan on George Bush's behalf certainly has the charm of being honest and unaffected, but it clearly demonstrates why he'll never hold office.
Christopher Hitchens certainly has a tin ear these days! His dismissal of Cindy Sheehan on George Bush's behalf certainly has the charm of being honest and unaffected, but it clearly demonstrates why he'll never hold office.
Republicans Hate Crippled Veterans
How else to explain the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto's attacks on what he calls the crippled veteran ploy: the use of crippled veterans to elicit assistance in pushing a political program? Remember, sympathy for the veteran is just about the only advantage veterans have in securing the benefits they have supposedly been guaranteed, and are often systematically deprived of - just ask anyone involved in veterans' organizations! How brave of Taranto to attack veterans' only effective tool!
How else to explain the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto's attacks on what he calls the crippled veteran ploy: the use of crippled veterans to elicit assistance in pushing a political program? Remember, sympathy for the veteran is just about the only advantage veterans have in securing the benefits they have supposedly been guaranteed, and are often systematically deprived of - just ask anyone involved in veterans' organizations! How brave of Taranto to attack veterans' only effective tool!
Gas Mileage
An amusing comment at Obsidian Wings regarding the Bush Administration's plan to ease the auto industry's pain over Corporate Average Fuel Economy for those huge SUVs:
An amusing comment at Obsidian Wings regarding the Bush Administration's plan to ease the auto industry's pain over Corporate Average Fuel Economy for those huge SUVs:
This would make no sense at any time. It makes anti-sense at a time when we badly need to reduce our reliance on oil for both economic and national security reasons. If this anti-sensical anti-plan ever came into contact with a coherent and reasonable proposal of any sort, there would be an explosion and a huge flash of light, and the entire universe would be destroyed. Which, no doubt, is why it has been carefully sequestered within the Bush administration.
War and the Bush Administration
Nice post over at Paperwight:
Nice post over at Paperwight:
José Padilla's detention (1189 days and counting) is the paradigmatic example of all of these things. Remember, George W. Bush's administration justifies detaining Padilla because the United States is a battlefield in the "war" on terror.The concept of a permanent, endless war where little real damage gets done was explored by George Orwell in "1984". In many ways, the GWOT is even better-suited for sustaining the power of the rulers than the skirmishes at the edges of the three great empires that Orwell wrote about. Also, recall that Michael Moore stressed exactly these points in "Fahrenheit 9/11". As time goes on, we will all tend to gravitate towards Michael Moore's political positions, as much as many of us may dislike the slide, because he saw sooner than most where the GWOT is going.
That "war" will never end, because it's not a war at all. One can't wage "war" on an idea, and certainly a "war" on an idea shouldn't give the executive the authority that it would have in an actual war. In that sense, the "war on terror" is the perfect war to create and sustain the Imperial Presidency: unpredictable and therefore perfectly suited to fear-mongering and bully-pulpit pounding, but unwinnable by military means and therefore perfectly suited to a permanent "war" rationalization for any number of actions. And every square yard of the planet is part of the "battlefield".
If the Republican Extremists believe that they are justified in arresting an American citizen on American soil and detaining him indefinitely on the emperor's president's say-so, they believe the are justified in anything, as long as it's in the name of their "war".
Ouch
Horses again:
From Beau Bo d'Or at B3ta
Horses again:
US singer Madonna was taken to a British hospital after falling off a horse while celebrating her 47th birthday today, her spokeswoman said. The pop queen has broken her collar bone, a hand, and cracked three ribs in the fall.
From Beau Bo d'Or at B3ta
Advertising Is A God
Wow!:
Wow!:
The Pentagon, looking for innovative ways to thwart deadly roadside bombs in Iraq, has launched an $11 million program using robots, body armor and a "first-ever advertising campaign aimed at the Iraqi" people, the weekly Inside the Army reports.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Spooky
Isn't this Helios Airways crash in Greece the spookiest ever? And it concerns the ubiquitous Boeing 737 (every Southwest Airlines airliner is a Boeing 737, and 99% of my flights are on Southwest). People are getting arrested, presumably for evidence, or related issues. As Kieran Daly of Air Transport Intelligence was quoted in this morning's paper:
Isn't this Helios Airways crash in Greece the spookiest ever? And it concerns the ubiquitous Boeing 737 (every Southwest Airlines airliner is a Boeing 737, and 99% of my flights are on Southwest). People are getting arrested, presumably for evidence, or related issues. As Kieran Daly of Air Transport Intelligence was quoted in this morning's paper:
It really is all very peculiar. I rather suspect we're heading for a
very complicated investigation.
"Intelligent Design" and "Dumbth"
I was struck by a recent letter by Ejnar Fjerdingstad in Science Magazine: a European perspective on the so-called Intelligent Design movement (reproduced below in full - emphasis added):
Over the last several decades, the late comic, television personality, and social critic Steve Allen noticed, and attempted to label, what he saw as a new efflorescence of American stupidity: he chose the word "Dumbth". I picked up Steve Allen's book again, for the purpose of relating Dumbth to Intelligent Design, when an acquaintance, who is a prime example of the concept in action, began perusing the book. "He is a vociferous! He is a defiance!" she proclaimed. Then my acquaintance began reading aloud from Allen's book, playing inartful word games with Steve Allen's writing, so as to make Allen's work the "dummiest" one, and expose Allen to the scourge of criticism that he was all-too-willing to levy against others. It was really much too funny, especially when she disagreed whether Allen correctly-reproduced Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address': "that's not what I read in the American History!"
What I wanted to say is that Intelligent Design is a response by an inherently-skeptical American audience towards a wooden caricature of Evolution. Creationists use this usually-beneficial skepticism for their own ends.
I've heard that evolutionary biologists say that whales descended from cow-like mammals that moved from land to sea. Two decades ago, I saw Creationists made a mockery of this idea with a cartoon cow-whale, with a cow's head and udder, and fins for limbs. How could this happen in a rational manner, they ask? Presumably today Creationists are a little more sophisticated, but not much. It doesn't help having the know-nothing Bush Administration, the Creationists' friends, in power.
The answer is patience, and education, and maybe a little muscle. Scientists are a notoriously short-tempered, intolerant group of people (a justified intolerance, by the way, but inappropriate for the task at hand), but kindness can work wonders. People are genuinely curious about the world, and willing to listen to scientists, but it's most-effective to relate the findings of science directly to people's lives.
An effective approach to teaching Evolution might revolve around the lethality of viruses and bacteria. The menace of the invisible world depends on Evolution in a way quite distinct from what 'Intelligent Design' might be inclined to suggest, and thus affects the design of vaccinations required to combat them: something that directly affects people's health. And muscle: nothing would set off a shock wave better than a few of the Ivy League colleges getting together and regrettably informing the State of Kansas that graduates of their public school system have to meet a higher standard before being allowed to enroll, on account of their substandard education. Sticks and carrots!
And remember, "Dumbth" is not just an American phenomenon, it's a universal experience. Dumbth exists anywhere and anytime ignorance or stupidity afflicts people. I like the example Bertrand Russell provided of dumbth in action:
I was struck by a recent letter by Ejnar Fjerdingstad in Science Magazine: a European perspective on the so-called Intelligent Design movement (reproduced below in full - emphasis added):
It is a strange experience for a European biologist to read about the growing support in the United States for so-called "intelligent design," the current name for good old unintelligent creationism. Strangest of all, though, are the recent activities of the Kansas Board of Education (Y. Bhattacharjee, "Kansas gears up for another battle over teaching evolution," News Focus, 29 Apr., p. 627; E. Reynolds, "A cry for help from Kansas," Letters, 29 Apr., p. 631). The Kansas Board's proposal to "[change] the definition of science" is unheard of in a western democracy, although similar activities have been common in dictatorships. In Nazi Germany, relativity was considered "Jewish science" and therefore unacceptable, while in the Soviet Union, modern genetics was rejected as unmarxist in favor of the ravings of the charlatan Lysenko. Is this the way the good citizens of Kansas (and the many other states where similar initiatives are seen) want to go?As troubling as this new-fangled creationism called 'Intelligent Design' is, it's important to keep it in perspective: in some ways it's just a new expression of a very old problem: stubborn, stupid, mulish American ignorance. It's very hard for scientists to effectively combat it, because the administration of American education is decentralized among the various states, and vulnerable to political enthusiasms: scientists thus have to divide their attack so as to be effective in many places simultaneously.
Obviously, there must be a profound ignorance of science and the scientific method among the U.S. public for such a thing to happen (an ignorance that intelligent design supporters evidently hope to perpetuate), and for this, scientists must be held responsible. There is too much looking down at colleagues who engage the public through popular science, such as the late Carl Sagan (1). All scientists, not just biologists, should realize that an attack on the very roots of science concerns every one of them, and accordingly, they should do their utmost to counteract it by actively participating in the debate.
Ejnar J. Fjerdingstad*
Montauroux, France.
*Retired Professor of Anatomy, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
References
S. J. Gould, Science 275, 599 (1997).
Over the last several decades, the late comic, television personality, and social critic Steve Allen noticed, and attempted to label, what he saw as a new efflorescence of American stupidity: he chose the word "Dumbth". I picked up Steve Allen's book again, for the purpose of relating Dumbth to Intelligent Design, when an acquaintance, who is a prime example of the concept in action, began perusing the book. "He is a vociferous! He is a defiance!" she proclaimed. Then my acquaintance began reading aloud from Allen's book, playing inartful word games with Steve Allen's writing, so as to make Allen's work the "dummiest" one, and expose Allen to the scourge of criticism that he was all-too-willing to levy against others. It was really much too funny, especially when she disagreed whether Allen correctly-reproduced Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address': "that's not what I read in the American History!"
What I wanted to say is that Intelligent Design is a response by an inherently-skeptical American audience towards a wooden caricature of Evolution. Creationists use this usually-beneficial skepticism for their own ends.
I've heard that evolutionary biologists say that whales descended from cow-like mammals that moved from land to sea. Two decades ago, I saw Creationists made a mockery of this idea with a cartoon cow-whale, with a cow's head and udder, and fins for limbs. How could this happen in a rational manner, they ask? Presumably today Creationists are a little more sophisticated, but not much. It doesn't help having the know-nothing Bush Administration, the Creationists' friends, in power.
The answer is patience, and education, and maybe a little muscle. Scientists are a notoriously short-tempered, intolerant group of people (a justified intolerance, by the way, but inappropriate for the task at hand), but kindness can work wonders. People are genuinely curious about the world, and willing to listen to scientists, but it's most-effective to relate the findings of science directly to people's lives.
An effective approach to teaching Evolution might revolve around the lethality of viruses and bacteria. The menace of the invisible world depends on Evolution in a way quite distinct from what 'Intelligent Design' might be inclined to suggest, and thus affects the design of vaccinations required to combat them: something that directly affects people's health. And muscle: nothing would set off a shock wave better than a few of the Ivy League colleges getting together and regrettably informing the State of Kansas that graduates of their public school system have to meet a higher standard before being allowed to enroll, on account of their substandard education. Sticks and carrots!
And remember, "Dumbth" is not just an American phenomenon, it's a universal experience. Dumbth exists anywhere and anytime ignorance or stupidity afflicts people. I like the example Bertrand Russell provided of dumbth in action:
The philosopher Bertrand Russell served six months in prison as a war resister during World War I. As is customary in prison, Russell's incarceration began with an interview with the Prison Warden. He was asked the customary questions – name, age, place of residence.
Then the warden inquired, 'Religious affiliation?' 'Agnostic,' Russell replied. The poor man looked up, 'How do you spell that?' Russell spelled 'a-g-n-o-s-t-i-c' for him. The warden wrote the word carefully on the prison admission form, then sighed, 'Oh, well; there are a great many sects nowadays, but I suppose we all worship the same God!
The U.S. Footprint in Iraq and Iran
We had better get around to doing a lot more than just declare that we don't want a permanent military presence in Iraq. No one believes us, and who can blame them?
We had better get around to doing a lot more than just declare that we don't want a permanent military presence in Iraq. No one believes us, and who can blame them?
In May, the Washington Post reported that military planning did not envision permanent bases in Iraq but rather stationing troops in nearby Kuwait. But the report noted that the Pentagon was also planning to consolidate U.S. troops in Iraq into four large fortified bases.Meanwhile, we are squandering what little credibility we have in the area with hollow threats regarding Iran:
On the theory that concrete speaks louder than words, critics see such work as a sign the administration is planning to stay longer than it has acknowledged.
John E. Pike, a defense analyst at GlobalSecurity.org, points to another indication. Although the United States is systematically training Iraqis to fight the insurgents, he notes, the Pentagon has not taken key steps — like making plans for acquiring tanks or aircraft — to build an Iraqi military capable of defending the country against its neighbors.
To Pike that means that although the United States might reduce its troop level in Iraq, the fledgling nation, like Germany or South Korea, will require the sustained presence of a large American contingent, perhaps 50,000 soldiers. "We are building the base structure to facilitate exactly [that]," he says.
Last week [President Bush] responded to Iran's decision to resume work on its nuclear program by asserting that "all options are on the table" to stop Iran's nuclear development. He also implied that were Israel to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities, the United States would support it. Unfortunately, these are hollow threats, unlikely to have much effect other than to cheapen America's credibility around the world.
Chickens Come Home to Roost
Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo too abstract and remote for the typical citizen? Never fear! Strong prison guard unions, especially in California, make it a certainty that torture will become standard routine in American prisons:
Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo too abstract and remote for the typical citizen? Never fear! Strong prison guard unions, especially in California, make it a certainty that torture will become standard routine in American prisons:
But a 16-hour “hellish nightmare” awaited Hall, who attended Newport Harbor High School, graduated in 1991 from UC San Diego with a degree in economics, and says he has operated several small companies. When he complained about the tightness of his handcuffs, five deputies swarmed him, yelled obscenities and attacked without legitimate provocation, Hall claims. Handcuffed and overwhelmed, his body was treated like a piñata.
... In fact, politics tops the sheriff’s list. When they’re candid, Carona’s advisers admit the sheriff won’t end jail abuses for fear of alienating the deputies’ politically powerful union. With an election year approaching and challengers such as Bill Hunt and Ralph Martin already campaigning, it’s unlikely Carona—who is seeking his third term at the $500-million-a-year agency—will enact reforms any time soon.
That reality gives rogue deputies leeway to misbehave with little or no fear of punishment. Sources inside the jail say these officers often arrive at work looking for excuses to employ violence.
Elly Award Nominations
2004-05 Elly Award nominations were announced Sunday night at Garbeau's Dinner Theater. Lots of friends and acquaitances on this list!
DMTC apparently garnered three nomination, one expected (Byron Westlund, lead actor in a musical, as Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha") and the other two surprising: Jason (not Jean) Hammond for choreographer in "Anything Goes", and Ben Bruening for supporting actor, as Drake, in "Annie."
The Elly process seems like an out-of-control pinball game: good work is routinely overlooked, and what doesn't get overlooked seems random. Makes me wonder.....hmmm...... The Elly judges these days seem to favor new theaters over established theaters, but beyond that, it's hard to spot a specific bias - almost like roulette, or a sweepstakes.....
2004-05 Elly Award nominations were announced Sunday night at Garbeau's Dinner Theater. Lots of friends and acquaitances on this list!
DMTC apparently garnered three nomination, one expected (Byron Westlund, lead actor in a musical, as Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha") and the other two surprising: Jason (not Jean) Hammond for choreographer in "Anything Goes", and Ben Bruening for supporting actor, as Drake, in "Annie."
The Elly process seems like an out-of-control pinball game: good work is routinely overlooked, and what doesn't get overlooked seems random. Makes me wonder.....hmmm...... The Elly judges these days seem to favor new theaters over established theaters, but beyond that, it's hard to spot a specific bias - almost like roulette, or a sweepstakes.....
California State Fair, 2005
On Saturday evening, I joined Steve, Jan, Gayle Wakefield, Jennifer Bonomo, and daughter Sarah at Cal Expo, for the California State Fair, which opened Thursday. It was a pleasant evening. I spent about $50 on parking, tickets, food, and not much else, since I came away apparently empty-handed - oh, but then there was the ladder!
I arrived shortly after 5 p.m. and entered through the West gate of the fairgrounds. There was an FMX Freestyle Motocross exhibition going on at the instant on the Midway. Daredevil riders raced up a ramp and leaped 30 feet into the air on their lightweight motocross motorcycles, and performed stunts while suspended in midair (here is a Web Site about the sport), prior to landing on the opposite ramp (a la Evel Knievel). It was wonderful to watch, but I couldn't endure too much, because it just looked so dangerous. The riders would dismount their cycles midair and extend their legs sideways while holding onto the handlebars before remounting in anticipation of landing. Even better, they would completely let go in midair, slip backwards, hold onto the seat from the back of the motorcycle, then pull themselves forwards in order to remount for landing. Excruciating, and delightful: one false move would have been quite disastrous!
I was under the vague understanding that the crew was somewhere on the other side of the fairgrounds, in or around a southern barbeque place. I quickly walked across the crowded fairgrounds, and stumbled into a floral garden based on a pirate theme. Lisa Lewis, who used to work with DMTC, and whom I now see at Step One step aerobics, was strolling around dressed as a pirate. She introduced me to her friend, who, with multiple piercings, actually did seem to resemble what we might think of as a real pirate!
On the east side of the fairgrounds, I found a southern barbeque place, but the crew was not there. After awhile, I began looking for a phone to call Steve. I still resist getting cell phone service (like this guy at The Onion), and so needed to find a public phone: that took awhile, though, since they've been eliminating public phones at the Cal Expo this year.
I finally reached Steve, and he said they were at the southern barbeque place (but apparently not the one I was near). "It's across from the line of cars, next to the Dish TV HDTV trailer, across from 'Hot Dog On A Stick': you can't miss it! Well, I was next to a line of cars, next to the Dish TV Sports Theater, adjacent to 'Hot Dog On A Stick', so this must be the place! Right? Right?
Wrong! They designed the State Fair so that no matter how specific Steve's instructions were, they weren't good enough. There were doppelganger southern barbeque places, lines of cars, and Dish TV complexes adjacent to each other, one on the east side, where I was, and one on the north side, where the crew was. Very confusing!
After finally locating the crew and eating, we headed to the race track, where the Bridget Maguire, master of raptors, was stationed with her crew from UC Davis, except that instead of hawks and eagles, she was mastering Japanese Quail for Fair purposes. Interesting little birds (especially for raptors). There were other birds there too, including an out-of-control macaw in an impossibly small cage.
After watching birds at the race track, we went outside and entered interesting modular manufactured houses for sale. Reminiscent of mobile homes, but much nicer, these homes are much cheaper than traditional housing and may represent the wave of the future in regards to low-cost housing.
After visiting the llamas, we went and revisited some of the commercial displays. There were these excellent tall ladders for sale: I regretted not purchasing one last year (my house is tall, and I just can't reach places that desperately need paint). Steve also got excited about the ladder, for theater purposes such as lighting and set painting. After a thoroughly unnecessary sales pitch, the Theater and myself decided to share the purchase price on the tallest, best-equipped ladder setup they had (with three to four weeks for delivery).
We kept walking around the fair. There was band playing, and the drummer was using drumsticks nearly as large as baseball bats - it was fun to see percussionist Steve's eyes upon seeing those drumsticks. We traveled around the fairgrounds on the monorail and witnessed the 10 p.m. fireworks. The crew departed at that point, and I wandered alone (and got lost) on the midway. The various midway game booths featured prizes that were much less interesting (almost entirely stuffed animals), and much tamer, than 5 to 10 years ago (I wonder why that is?) Interesting fair: I need to revisit the place and see the displays this time!
Steve spots yet another field on which to build a New Theater, or maybe place a manfactured home, or maybe a whole series of manufactured homes - heck, why not a whole community of affordable housing, equipped with hot tubs, TIVO, and reasonable season tickets, where musical theater is king: DMTC Acres anyone?
The monorail glides over and through the nighttime midway fantasy land of the 2005 California State Fair.
Summer Anxiety
I had an odd dream Friday night. I dreamt I was in Monrovia, Liberia, a warm tropical locale. The afternoon was warm and breezy. Friend Craig was firing a RPG (rocket propelled grenade) at a troop transport helicopter that had landed at my house, a short distance away.
Then abruptly, I was approaching my real house in Corrales, NM, in a VW Bug, with Friend Steve. The moonlit wintertime night was bitterly cold, and snow lay everywhere. I was upset that Steve wouldn't stop singing and talking, since presumably the enemy troops were still at the house.
I think it's a New Theater anxiety dream of some sort, but exactly what sort, who knows? And who exactly is the enemy?
I had an odd dream Friday night. I dreamt I was in Monrovia, Liberia, a warm tropical locale. The afternoon was warm and breezy. Friend Craig was firing a RPG (rocket propelled grenade) at a troop transport helicopter that had landed at my house, a short distance away.
Then abruptly, I was approaching my real house in Corrales, NM, in a VW Bug, with Friend Steve. The moonlit wintertime night was bitterly cold, and snow lay everywhere. I was upset that Steve wouldn't stop singing and talking, since presumably the enemy troops were still at the house.
I think it's a New Theater anxiety dream of some sort, but exactly what sort, who knows? And who exactly is the enemy?
Friday, August 12, 2005
Strange News
How do you forget about bringing the pipe bomb in your luggage?
More on that amazing Utah explosion.
Suicide theme park.
250,000 chickens go up in flames.
How do you forget about bringing the pipe bomb in your luggage?
More on that amazing Utah explosion.
Suicide theme park.
250,000 chickens go up in flames.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Daddy, I Want Another Pony!
The inimitable Veruca Salt's best line!
Nice movie, very pleasant: willful kids and the Industrial Revolution meet.
The inimitable Veruca Salt's best line!
Nice movie, very pleasant: willful kids and the Industrial Revolution meet.
You May Have Already Won.....
Sigh.... Didn't make the B3ta 'Best' page this week. Still, I wanted to share my entry, in answer to their question (of a sort):
Sigh.... Didn't make the B3ta 'Best' page this week. Still, I wanted to share my entry, in answer to their question (of a sort):
Competitions, raffles, give-aways... sure the prizes look great, but don't they always turn out a bit crap should you happen to win them?Anyway, here's my entry:
You May Have Already Won....
I'm a winner! Look at this loot!
The pictures come from the California State Fair (1998-2000). You can win them on the midway by throwing balls at stacked bottles. If you never hit the bottles, but buy enough chances, they'll feel sorry for you and give you the pictures anyway. I shot, I missed, I scored!
The trophies and ribbons come from ballroom dance. The ballroom dance crowd is great for prizes. I remember attending a strange 'Battle of the Ballroom Dancers,' in Casa Grande, Arizona, halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. Various dance studios made the trek to this neutral turf, ready to rumble: the Jets and Sharks on stilletos. Ambitious teachers, lame students, fake palm fronds and rotating ceiling fans in the insufferable summer heat: confusing routines, the forced applause - everybody got a big trophy or plaque, except for one old woman, who may not have even noticed: she was bent horizontally at the waist and could see little else but the stilletos.
But the pieces de resistance were eaten long ago: the 646 pieces of candy I won at a McDonalds in Salt Lake City, Utah, by guessing the exact number of the sweets in a jar.
Indonesian Idiots
They are burning Sumatra again, like they do every year (freakin' morons):
They are burning Sumatra again, like they do every year (freakin' morons):
Malaysia's leader declared an emergency in two regions Thursday, closing workplaces and calling on mosques to hold special prayers for rain to rid the country of hazardous haze drifting from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia.
... Hundreds of forest fires on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, just across the Malacca Strait, have stoked choking, acrid haze that causes eyes to redden and leaves throats raspy.
The fires are an annual occurrence, and Malaysian officials have expressed frustration over Indonesia's failure to tackle the problem. Indonesia's forestry minister, Malam Sambat Kaban, countered Thursday that 10 Malaysian firms clearing land in Indonesia had contributed to the problem.
The two countries did agree Thursday to use cloud seeding to try to induce rain over the forest fires.
... Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared a state of emergency in Port Klang and in Kuala Selangor, a tourist area known for its fireflies, after the air pollution index reached 500 — the emergency level.
It is the first time the 500-level has been breached in Malaysia.
... The prime minister urged people to seek divine help to overcome the crisis and called on mosques to hold special prayers for rain that would wash away the haze.
"This is my approach. When such things happen, we must also pray to God to seek help," Abdullah told reporters.
...The Meteorology Department said no respite was expected until October, when rains would help wash away the haze, a mixture of dust, ash, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.
DMTC Board Meeting
Wednesday night, DMTC had its monthly board meeting.
The board began to consider the question: What form of government would be most ideal to run the City of Davis?
Then we remembered that Steve wanted to step down as DMTC Board President after having served in the post for eight or nine years and so we needed first to choose a head for our own government.
We opted for a Latin dictatorship, with fascist caudillo overtones, and lots of star power.
New DMTC Board President Ryan Adame. In this photo, Ryan was making an obscure Italianate hand signal that I did not understand (not being Italian and being fairly innocent), but not wishing to cause possible offense out of ignorance, I cropped the photo so as to concentrate instead on Ryan's clear focus on the future.
[Postscript, 8/19/05: Steve subsequently informed me that Ryan's peculiar partial thumbs-up gesture was used frequently by Bill Clinton, and was later adopted by John Kerry, and has particular resonance in political circles. Here is the wider view:]
In his first function as President, Ryan addressed the Board:
Wednesday night, DMTC had its monthly board meeting.
The board began to consider the question: What form of government would be most ideal to run the City of Davis?
- a parliament of hereditary noblemen;
- a business-oriented tyranny; or
- an anarcho-syndicalist commune?
Then we remembered that Steve wanted to step down as DMTC Board President after having served in the post for eight or nine years and so we needed first to choose a head for our own government.
We opted for a Latin dictatorship, with fascist caudillo overtones, and lots of star power.
New DMTC Board President Ryan Adame. In this photo, Ryan was making an obscure Italianate hand signal that I did not understand (not being Italian and being fairly innocent), but not wishing to cause possible offense out of ignorance, I cropped the photo so as to concentrate instead on Ryan's clear focus on the future.
[Postscript, 8/19/05: Steve subsequently informed me that Ryan's peculiar partial thumbs-up gesture was used frequently by Bill Clinton, and was later adopted by John Kerry, and has particular resonance in political circles. Here is the wider view:]
In his first function as President, Ryan addressed the Board:
It won't be easy, you'll think it strange
When I try to explain how I feel
That I still need your love after all that I've done
You won't believe me
All you will see is a guy you once knew
Although he's dressed up to the nines
At sixes and sevens with you
I had to let it happen, I had to change
Couldn't stay all my life down at heel
Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun
So I chose freedom
Running around trying everything new
But nothing impressed me at all
I never expected it to
Don't cry for me DMTC
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days
My mad existence
I kept my promise
Don't keep your distance
And as for fortune, and as for fame
I never invited them in
Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired
They are illusions
They're not the solutions they promised to be
The answer was here all the time
I love you and hope you love me
Don't cry for me DMTC......
Don't cry for me DMTC
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days
My mad existence
I kept my promise
Don't keep your distance
Have I said too much? There's nothing more I can think
of to say to you
But all you have to do is look at me to know that every
word is true
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
The Great Pop Vs. Soda Debate
Soda, pop, or Coke? I remember using "Coke" as a kid, but today I use "soda": when did that change happen?
Soda, pop, or Coke? I remember using "Coke" as a kid, but today I use "soda": when did that change happen?
Strange New Mexico News
Police helicopter brought down by gunfire. (update: the pilot has decided to hang it up!)
Plus, there was news that flashed across the TV at the Golden One Credit Union yesterday about a woman thief who was caught at the Expo New Mexico trade fair, and who tried to flush her stolen jewelry and pottery and paintings down a toilet, in order to avoid capture, but the story doesn't seem to be on the Web, as far as I can tell.
Police helicopter brought down by gunfire. (update: the pilot has decided to hang it up!)
Plus, there was news that flashed across the TV at the Golden One Credit Union yesterday about a woman thief who was caught at the Expo New Mexico trade fair, and who tried to flush her stolen jewelry and pottery and paintings down a toilet, in order to avoid capture, but the story doesn't seem to be on the Web, as far as I can tell.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Aguilera Dishes
Some things a pop star just can't do?:
Some things a pop star just can't do?:
CHRISTINA AGUILERA has warned pop rival BRITNEY SPEARS not to expect a comeback after her baby is born - because she's "let herself go" too much to reclaim her sex symbol status.There is some merit in this worry, but it's not about having a baby: Britney's knees may be too badly-damaged to keep the dancepop star status. But having kids? It's nothing: look at Madonna!
Southwestern Monsoon In Full Swing
The annual monssonal flow into the Southwestern U.S. has been going strong for several weeks now. It's surprising how little the general meteorological situation has changed in the last several weeks. There's some moisture feeding into the Southwest from a tropical depression that never quite made it to tropical storm status, and there's also a tropical wave that's been passing through northern Mexico setting off showers there, and in AZ as well. More tropical moisture might feed into the area in a week. Right now, AZ is awash in moisture!
I was getting really depressed there about the Ahwatukee point forecast - rain everywhere, all around Phoenix, except that specific point called Ahwatukee. I guess that's why the region is a desert. Glad to see things are looking up there!
Current forecasts show drying over the next few days (I hope that's wrong).
Deborah's cat contemplates the Southwestern monsoon.
The annual monssonal flow into the Southwestern U.S. has been going strong for several weeks now. It's surprising how little the general meteorological situation has changed in the last several weeks. There's some moisture feeding into the Southwest from a tropical depression that never quite made it to tropical storm status, and there's also a tropical wave that's been passing through northern Mexico setting off showers there, and in AZ as well. More tropical moisture might feed into the area in a week. Right now, AZ is awash in moisture!
I was getting really depressed there about the Ahwatukee point forecast - rain everywhere, all around Phoenix, except that specific point called Ahwatukee. I guess that's why the region is a desert. Glad to see things are looking up there!
Current forecasts show drying over the next few days (I hope that's wrong).
Deborah's cat contemplates the Southwestern monsoon.
Gambling And The Brain
Interesting article, and one I can relate to:
Interesting article, and one I can relate to:
Researchers are learning that the heads — or to be more accurate, the brains — of pathological gamblers are biologically different from those of most of the estimated 73 million Americans who are able to play bingo, pull the arm of a slot machine or flip some aces and then simply stop.
... About 1.6% of Americans have a full-blown gambling addiction and an additional 2% have a serious problem with gambling, says Jon Grant, assistant professor of psychiatry at Brown Medical School and author of "Stop Me Because I Can't Stop Myself," (McGraw Hill, 2003). By these estimates, nearly 4% of the population experiences a mild to severe gambling problem — and as the number of gamblers goes up, so does the number of those with a gambling problem.
... Now, with the aid of neuroimaging techniques and a greater understanding of neurotransmitters, researchers are discovering that the brain's hard-wired reward system and frontal lobes have certain unique characteristics in these gamblers. Even some of their personalities and genes may be different from those without gambling problems.
"We are finding that pathological gambling is very definitely a brain disease," says Timothy Fong, a psychiatrist and codirector of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. "The central question is: Were pathological gamblers born that way or are the changes in their brains the results of excessive gambling? We are far from answering that question in a meaningful way."
... The brain can become addicted to behaviors as well as substances, Grant says. "It can be addicted to anything that we find rewarding," he says. "If we find it too rewarding, we will want to do it again and again. Even when they lose all their money and credit cards, they describe intense cravings much like people do for drugs."
The explanation for why gambling is the drug of choice for one person, and for another it's heroin is still unknown. But the key to most addictions can be found in the brain's reward system, particularly a region called the ventral striatum. Neuroimaging studies of compulsive gamblers point to a different functioning in this neural system.
... When the area is working normally, it responds appropriately to pleasure stimuli — such as winning money or getting a gift — filling us with a sense of happiness or satisfaction. When it is not working properly, as in cocaine addicts, this area seems almost indifferent. What would make a normal person react does nothing for people addicted to substances or behaviors. Even more stimuli, such as drugs, alcohol or gambling, are needed to feel the pleasure from a particular activity.
"You experience something very nice that gives you pleasure," says UCLA's Fong. "But then other parts of the brain seem to shut down and you need to have the reward so much that it takes over the rest of the brain."
... Research presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in April found that executive function, the brain circuitry that underlies inhibition and self-control, was deeply impaired in pathological gamblers. These impairments made the gamblers unable to truly comprehend the trade-off between short-term reward and long-term negative consequences.
This loss of self-control in turn affects other important brain functions needed to step on the brakes when emotions spin out of control. Those who suffer from attention-deficit disorder experience difficulty with executive function, and researchers have found, not coincidentally, that a high percentage of pathological gamblers also have ADD.
Many studies suggest that compulsive gamblers may have reduced frontal lobe activity, which may in turn be triggered by decreased activity in the basal ganglia, a deeper part of the forebrain that generates two important neurotransmitters called dopamine and norepinephrine.
The feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine, in particular, has intrigued those studying compulsive gamblers. Several studies have looked at a dopamine receptor gene and have found real differences in the structure of that gene between gamblers and non-gamblers.
That genetic predisposition has direct consequences on brain chemistry. The dopamine receptor sites in the midbrain that are driven by anticipation, but uncertain of the rewards, are especially sensitive. They require more and more dopamine to create the rush of happiness and satisfaction. When gambling is the trigger for the dopamine rush, a vicious cycle is created.
... "This research makes us more sensitive to the idea that there are deficits in certain brain areas of gamblers," says Leann Dodd, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic and lead researcher in the study. "It adds to the evidence that gamblers might have a decreased capacity to get stimulation from their pleasure system and they need extra stimulus to get there."
... In a paper last month in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers looked at the personality and temperament of 939 men and women, all born in 1972 or 1973, to see if they could discern some personality traits that compulsive gamblers all shared. They also wanted to find out if these traits related to those in substance abusers.
All the participants were given a personality test when they were 18, and then at 21 they were screened to see if problem behaviors such as compulsive gambling, drug and alcohol abuse or nicotine dependence, had emerged. The researchers found that the problem gamblers shared many personality traits with others with addictive disorders: risk taking and impulsivity.
Monday, August 08, 2005
A Call to Arts
Davis Musical Theatre Company (DMTC) hosted a tour, and financing discussion regarding the New Theater, on Sunday, August 7, 2005 (607 Pena Drive in Davis). DMTC's funding guarantor was present to answer questions, as were DMTC Board Members and other supporters.
Several people offered financing assistance, including one DMTC enthusiast who is not yet twenty years of age.
It now appears the New Theater will be dubbed the Hoblit Performing Arts Center.
DMTC Co-producer Steve Isaacson makes a presentation and answers questions.
Erik Daniells had the honor of playing the first-ever musical notes in the New Theater. After a successful discussion, Erik plays a little incidental music to spirit everyone home.
Davis Musical Theatre Company (DMTC) hosted a tour, and financing discussion regarding the New Theater, on Sunday, August 7, 2005 (607 Pena Drive in Davis). DMTC's funding guarantor was present to answer questions, as were DMTC Board Members and other supporters.
Several people offered financing assistance, including one DMTC enthusiast who is not yet twenty years of age.
It now appears the New Theater will be dubbed the Hoblit Performing Arts Center.
DMTC Co-producer Steve Isaacson makes a presentation and answers questions.
Erik Daniells had the honor of playing the first-ever musical notes in the New Theater. After a successful discussion, Erik plays a little incidental music to spirit everyone home.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
"Guys and Dolls," Magic Circle
A nice evening with the DMTC crew last night, checking out "Guys and Dolls," at Magic Circle's Roseville Theater. This was their closing night for the show, and we had friends and acquaintances to see in performance.
In general, it was a very good show. As Jan repeatedly mentioned, it was so nice seeing the show when Sky Masterson and Sister Sarah Brown (Steve Campbell and Jennifer Schmelzer) seemed to have that magical quality known as "chemistry." Casting "chemistry" is very hard, and Magic Circle did a good job. Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide (Doug Kester and Christi Axelson) were also well cast. Doug Kester seemed to have some of that Bob Amaral energy about him: someone said he works primarily in the Lodi area.
It was great seeing friends again: David Holmes, Bob Eggert, Richard Spierto, Keri Newton, Samantha Ellinwood, and Brent Null. I was particularly happy to see that David hadn't moved to Idaho after all: he is a major asset in the Sacramento area. Bob Eggert sang beautifully: he said he's now performed the show about 80 times now as his alter-ego Arvide Abernathy. As a former drunk in both DMTC's and Woodland's "Guys and Dolls," I particularly liked Bob Gerould's imaginative rethinking of the character as a high-society tippler: in hat and tails, like that cartoon character from "Monopoly." Also, the kitchen "jewelry" was also a very nice prop!
I also enjoyed meeting new people, particularly Alexander Dominitz (Harry the Horse), who now begin attending Yale, majoring in Theater, PLUS an amalgam of subjects that sounded, upon Babelfish translation, kind-of-like pre-law. Alexander has been doing a lot of work at Sacramento Theater Company.
Most of the DMTC crew liked the dancing (choreography by Stephen Hatcher), but I thought it was too restrained. It was as if Stephen was working against a constraint of some sort. The hard part was figuring out what the constraint was.
Often in these shows, the dance corps is not given priority: amateur musicals tend to attract singers and actors instead, who may be too old, too young, too lame, too halt, too slow to provide first-rate dance entertainment. But I don't think that was the problem here. There were some fine dancers available, the J's in particular (Jacob Keller and Jordan Tillotson), plus Melinda Olivera and her gloriously-long legs.
I think the problem may have been the rapid tempo chosen by musical director Jennifer Vaughn. The Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls" featured an alarmingly-rapid tempo, which goes well with the mid-20th-Century-urban setting of the show, but necessarily requires everyone to make adjustments to suit. Dancers can't attempt as much, and actors can't milk the songs for humor (noticeable with Christi Axelson's portrayal of Adelaide - Adelaide's various laments were too quick).
In any event, the show was excellent!
Doug Kester and Christi Axelson take their bows as Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide.
David Holmes as Benny Southstreet.
Dead Birds
I've been finding dead birds around lately. A bluebird died for unknown reasons in my driveway. There was a dead crow, feet up in the air, on the sidewalk in front of Subway the other day. I went into Subway and said, "there's some chicken teriyaki feed stock out here!"
I prefer to concentrate on live birds: here's some nice pictures, courtesy of Fred and Julia, of a hummingbird's nestlings.
The County is going to be spraying for West Nile virus soon:
I've been finding dead birds around lately. A bluebird died for unknown reasons in my driveway. There was a dead crow, feet up in the air, on the sidewalk in front of Subway the other day. I went into Subway and said, "there's some chicken teriyaki feed stock out here!"
I prefer to concentrate on live birds: here's some nice pictures, courtesy of Fred and Julia, of a hummingbird's nestlings.
The County is going to be spraying for West Nile virus soon:
County officials said the pesticide's active ingredients, pyrethrins, a natural toxin from chrysanthemum flowers, is considered one of the safest insecticides on the market.
The insecticide, which goes by the brand Evergreen EC 60-6, will be heavily diluted from concentrations applied on farms and will be sprayed in droplets smaller than a grain of pollen.
That's large enough to kill mosquitoes and other airborne insects but too small to affect mammals and people, said Dan Markowski, one of a team of specialists with Vector Disease Control Inc., which the county hired to conduct the aerial spraying.
The spray will not kill all the mosquitoes and will not end the virus threat, officials said.
The spray is designed to kill adult mosquitoes that are airborne but not insect larvae on the ground, official said.
Markowski said the planes will dispense two-thirds of an ounce of pyrethrins for every acre sprayed, an "ultra-low" concentration, and that the aerosol will be
virtually unnoticeable.
"If you were standing on the ground, and the airplane was flying right over, you might see a very fine mist coming out, but I'd doubt you will feel it," Markowski told The Bee.
A pair of Piper Aztec twin engine planes will release the aerosol from about 300 feet above ground, covering the same 71,000 acres in the north county on each of the three nights.
The spraying will last about four hours, between 8:45 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., Markowski said.
He said the pyrethrins formulation is considerably less toxic than the insecticide the company has used in aerial sprays of residential areas to combat the West Nile virus in Houston and mosquito-borne diseases in Miami.
"Last week we treated 189,000 acres in Houston with Dibrom and had no reports of problems," Markowski said.
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