Damnable Bugs!

Kylie got sick last weekend and had to bail out, mid-concert. Awkward, but these things happen! Tours are grueling things (I'm glad I saw the show early in the run):

Kylie has to cut last night's show in Manchester short, as she - along with a number of the crew - is suffering from flu. After cutting out one section of the show, and struggling through the 'easier' parts elsewhere, she finally gave in shortly before the interval, tearfully telling the crowd "this is the first time I've ever had to do this in my career". Sister Dannii was on hand, telling Kylie she was an 'inspiration'.

...Last night's crowd, in general, showed great support for Kylie, and many left in tears. There was some graceless boo-ing after Kylie left the stage, and those who feel truly 'short changed' by the show are advised to contact the ticket agent from where they bought their tickets should they feel they deserve a refund.

"It really was emotional" comments Martyn from our forum. "I am truly stunned. When the show kept stopping, I felt really uneasy as I knew it shouldn't."

"She was crying and said 'you ever get the feeling you're being watched?'. She said she loved Manchester, and that this was a first, but she has learned to look after herself. She said don't worry, its nothing more than a cold."

Sister Dannii attempted to perform Kids with Kylie again last night, and indeed it was after this song that the show was cut. We are also led to believe that Will Young was scheduled to appear to perform Especially For You at the end of the show.

Interesting Point Regarding Iraq

The Left Coaster notes that Juan Cole was at UC Santa Cruz last night. Despite all the chaos in Iraq, Cole makes an interesting point:

US has been fortunate Arab reaction to the occupation has been so mild.

The Shia have been doing their best to avoid battle with the despised U.S., because the U.S. have taken their side with their battle against the Sunni. It will be interesting, indeed, if they ever change their minds!

Wonder Who The Republicans Nominate As President?

Republican politicians generally choose the favored candidate among themselves first - there's generally a nod from the Establishment about who they prefer. I remember 1998, when it became clear that George W. Bush was the favored candidate among insiders. I thought that was absurd, given the dozens of higher-profile Republicans available to choose from, and especially since the post of Governor is actually quite weak in Texas politics (Lieutenant-Governor is the strongest post of all there!) but what do I know?

The favored candidate should be apparent by now, but isn't. McCain? Too much conservative hostility towards him. Giuliani and Romney? Easterners both, and Giuliani with his checkered personal past and Romney as a Mormon. Mike Huckabee? Not well-known. Sam Brownback? Closer, but does he have organization?

So, a vacuum at the top there! Room for the ambitious!

No, What Do You Really Think?

Here is a sampling of the Beast's "50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2006":

48. Gerald Ford - Precedent-setting cowardice; admitted to pardoning Nixon because they were friends. Enabled the sense of executive impunity that pervades the White House today.

46. James Carville - vastly overrated as a political strategist based on the fact that he managed to win with the most charismatic Democratic candidate of the post-war era and a split conservative vote. In ‘06, Carville raged against his own obsolescence by blasting Howard Dean’s competence as Chairman of the DNC—immediately after Dean steered the party into majorities in both houses of congress as well as state legislatures and governors.

37. Madonna - A truly unremarkable "singer" who gained fame by courting controversy and flexing her once-attractive body. Wore out her shock value, among other things, a full 2 decades ago, yet won’t stop trying to rile baby-boomers with puerile symbolism. Dangling from a big plastic cross just isn’t edgy anymore, not even close.

32. George Allen - Seriously, how stupid do you have to be to call a dark-skinned kid who works for your political opponent "monkey" while he’s pointing a video camera at you?

31. Cindy Sheehan - Two harrowing months deprived of all nutrition—except Jamba Juice smoothies, protein shakes and the odd ice cream latte, just like Gandhi. That’s not a hunger strike; that’s a diet.

30. Rush Limbaugh - It’s hard to believe this repulsive shit fountain is even human, until you remember that we share 70% of our DNA with pigs.

18. Mel Gibson - If there was any question after the belligerent Jew-bashing Passion of the Christ, Mel’s 2006 Malibu pogrom proved once and for all the anti-Semitic apple doesn’t fall far from the Holocaust-denying tree.

14. Britney Spears - this bilious tramp has two doomed children, both cursed with the warped ribonucleic helices of a beer-chugging swamp princess with a defective larynx and a lucky low-rent wannabe hustler who may actually be the more responsible parent.

10. Jack Abramoff - An amoral uber-bully who saw morality as an unnecessary obstacle to success and congress as an easily gamed system of constitutional subversion, Abramoff ushered in the era of rules-are-for-losers politics.

6. Dick Cheney - How evil does a guy have to be for his buddy to apologize for getting shot in the face by him?

3. George W. Bush - This spoiled, whiny pinhead is, regrettably, responsible for the nauseating fiasco he’s made of America and the world. Employs an effective strategy of creating so many deplorable scandals that it’s impossible for anyone to keep up, guaranteeing that most will slip by with little notice.

In The Outback

In central Australia, near Alice Springs, it's raining:

The rain has also deluged the opal mining town of Coober Pedy, in South Australia's north, which received its biggest rains in five years: 50mm fell in less than 12 hours.

"It's just great -- basically the first decent rain we've had in two years," Mayor Steve Baines said.

Now, if only something could be done for eastern and southeastern Australia....

Fire And Rain

Over the next week, considerable rainfall might occur in exactly the most parched locations in Australia - South Australia, Victoria, and NW NSW - something to be welcomed!

Here's an interesting article - veteran Australian foresters blame efforts over the last two decades to stop logging for the severity of the big fires there. But they seem to pin the blame on the growing absence of local know-how and willing hands to fight fire, not, as in related U.S. arguments, on fuel buildup due to fire suppression. In both hemispheres, though, the urbanization of the populace coupled together with the emptying of rural areas, the expanding urban/wildland interface, and tight budgets, all can lead to dangerous fire storms.

One thing I noticed when I was driving around recently in Queensland was how many trees, many looking quite healthy, sported serious burn marks. The forests apparently burn much more often in Australia than they do here, but whether it's deliberate land use policy or just accident, I don't know.

Who's The Choreographer?

Dang! Some of the best people never get the credit they deserve! Here are North Korean soldiers training for a musical ... uh.... war.

Mid-Life Augmentation

Bigger tits for the bored Decider-in-Chief:

You see, sometimes, when a President hits the big 6-0 he has a life-changing itch. Past wars he's lived with tend to get boring. Maybe they put on a little weight. Perhaps they lose a bit of luster as the taut buttocks and breasts lose their battle with gravity. And while you wake up every morning next to the same old war (and war-horse), you are besieged by younger and more erogenous wars splashed across the pages of "Soldier of Fortune" or on Fox News, outfitted in those tight belly-baring tops and derriere-crack revealing shorts that the younger wars are wearing today..

Poof!

Robin Leach reports on his blog that Heidi Fleiss has vanished from Pahrump, Nevada, together with her plans for a first-ever stud-muffin farm in the desert.

So, if you see Heidi, let her know Robin Leach is looking for her.

Irresistible Headline

I like this:

Can coco-diesel stop the super-typhoons?

Answer: Nothing can stop a super-typhoon (except, of course, lots of cold, dry air).

DMTC Concert - Derren and Rhiannon



Here we go with the concert series again, but this time with an added treat - Rhiannon Guevin shares the bill! Darren Raser is the professional musician, and Rhiannon is the excellent YPT veteran with the amazing voice.

Here are portions of the press release:

Derren Raser set to perform benefit concert for Davis Musical Theatre Company with special guest opening artist Davis High School's Rhiannon Guevin.

Davis Musical Theatre Company’s “Keep the Music Playing in Your Community” benefit concert series continues with young folk/pop/jazz sensation Derren Raser at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 10, at DMTC’s Hoblit Performing Arts Center, 607 Pena Drive, Davis. Davis High School Advanced Treble Choir star Rhiannon Guevin will open the concert, accompanied by regular DMTC pianist Erik Daniells and DMTC Band.

DMTC TICKETS/INFORMATION available at http://www.dmtc.org,/, by phone at (530) 756-3682, or in person at DMTC's Hoblit Performing Arts Center Box Office. $15 General, $10 Students/Seniors

ARTIST INFORMATION:

Derren Raser (website: http://www.drbonline.com/)

**One of Music Connection Magazine's "Top 100 Unsigned Artists of the Year"**Award winner at this year's John Lennon Songwriting Contest.An old soul in a new age, Derren Raser stands out from the monotonous fray of popular music. Witty, well-spoken and wise beyond his 20-something years, singer-songwriter Raser will move you with his thoughtful lyrics and haunting melodies. His ballads are old-fashioned folk stories and beautiful tributes to love lost and found.Combining lively folk-rock and classic singer-songwriter traditions with the hard edge of contemporary pop and rock influences, he has honed a cutting edge sound that is immediately both fresh and familiar. His music has been described as "Simon and Garfunkel meets the Shins.” It is music that sounds equally at home on an old dusty hi-fi or in a sleek new iPod.Born and raised in suburban Kansas, Derren has undertaken the Southern California music scene and emerged with his wholesome Midwestern sensibilities intact. He employs a thoughtful, sincere approach to songwriting and performing - his dynamic live performances have been described as “emotive expression that is nearly flawless in its purity" (Jake Sibley--944 Magazine). His guitar work is centered on pristine and intelligent arrangements, each note painstakingly placed to complement the stark clarity of his unmistakable voice. This combination of intention and talent is rarely achieved and is not easily forgotten.A versatile performer, Derren is at home playing intimate dives and big name venues alike. He is a regular on both the San Diego and Los Angeles music scenes, and is constantly working to bring his unique music to new audiences. People nationwide are taking notice. Derren and his music have recently been featured on NPR’s “All Songs Considered,” and have appeared in 944 Magazine, Union Tribune, the Troubadour, Olathe Daily News, and numerous online publications. Derren is currently promoting his self-released album, King of I’ll Tell You Next Week, which has been hailed as “awash with talent!" (Andrew Salyer--www.upbeatmusic.com) and “wildly entertaining" (Craig Yerkes--the S.D. Troubadour).A unique and abundant talent, Derren will continue to share the stage with greats like Nickel Creek, Hem, Ollabelle, Ben Taylor, Sonya Kitchell, Garrison Starr, Arnold McCuller, Richie Cannata and more. Derren Raser is gaining momentum, and you won’t want to miss his rise!

Rhiannon Guevin

Born in Davis, classically trained young vocalist Rhiannon Guevin burst onto the local scene at age 7 as a snowdrop in Davis Musical Theater Company Young Performers Theater’s production of Snow Queen. Since that time, Guevin has performed in numerous local musical theater and comic opera productions with Davis Comic Opera Company, Chautauqua Playhouse and DMTC.

Guevin has also performed in numerous recitals and choral performances. At age 15, she placed second in the under 18 bracket of the regional National Association of Teachers of Singing vocal auditions. Just weeks after her 16th birthday, Guevin won third place in the solo vocal competition (ages 15-20) at the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, where judges remarked on her “lovely centered voice with impeccable sense of pitch.” Others have also commented on Rhiannon’s “lovely voice and charming performance,” calling her “a delight to listen to and watch.”

A junior at Davis High School, Guevin is student conductor for the Advanced Treble Choir. She studies voice with LuAnn Higgs and received additional vocal training at Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s Young Artists Vocalist Program.

DMTC BENEFIT CONCERT MISSION GOALS:

In addition to Davis Musical Theatre Company’s (DMTC) Main Stage and Young Performers Theater musical productions, DMTC now presents benefit concerts showcasing talented local, regional, and touring artists. The artists selected will vary in musical style, but all will be fantastic, and all concerts will be family-friendly events.

DMTC goals in presenting these benefit concert are:

• Raise funds to support DMTC youth education/community outreach and to keep the American musical theater art form alive in Davis and accessible to everyone. DMTC is a non-profit 501(c)3, all volunteer community theater company with a 21-year history of excellence in artistic achievement and community service.
• Support talented local, regional, and touring artists, raising public awareness of their great work and keep their music playing too.
• Enrich the community by providing affordable, outstanding musical entertainment in a family-friendly environment.

"Mame" at DMTC

Sunday afternoon's show (January 14th).

Agnes Gooch makes a surprise entrance.

Left to right, Patrick (Robert Coverdell), Agnes (Monica Parisi), Mame (Mary Young), Ito (Andy Hyun), Vera (Peggy Schecter), Woolsey(?) (Paul Schecter).

(For me, Sunday's show was the best so far!)

Fairness Doctrine

"Andrew" over at Obsidian Wings takes what I consider a rather dim, elitist view of the late, lamented Fairness Doctrine (whereby opinion pieces in the media could be answered by an opposing viewpoint, at least in theory):

For those unfamiliar with the Fairness Doctrine, the basic idea was that if a station ran a broadcast deemed to advocate a particular point of view, it had to provide equal time for the other side. This was intended to provide a variety of points of view in broadcast media. Instead, it led to opinion (other than that of the media) being generally banished from the airwaves.

... Should freedom of speech apply to the airwaves? The original justification for the Fairness Doctrine included the fact spectrum is limited, so not everyone can have access to a radio or TV station, and while the spectrum is a lot larger now than it was then (or, more precisely, we can use more of it), it is still a finite resource. On the other hand, there are laws in place to guarantee that the spectrum cannot be completely dominated by a particular network, and if those laws are insufficient, it seems to me that fixing those is a better way to ensure multiple viewpoints are aired than a doctrine that will restrict the airwaves rather than improving the discourse. The fact remains, as any blogger trying to boost traffic knows, that the public decides what they want to listen to with little regard for fairness or equal opportunity.

... We are fortunate enough to live in a country and an age where it has never been easier to get your message in front of your fellow citizens. Sure, TV and radio are still costly and relatively exclusive, but the internet has given millions of other people a voice in the discussion, and while most of those are looking at pornography and bitching about movies, a nontrivial fraction are having an effect on our political dialogue.

Many conservatives saw the Fairness Doctrine as being an impediment to free speech, but, in fact, it helped to blunt the impulse of rich megamillionaires (like Rupert Murdoch) to impose their idiosyncratic, authoritarian viewpoints on everyone else. The last paragraph quoted above seems way too pollyannish to me.

When all 135 of us dark-horse candidates ran for Governor of California in 2003, we immediately ran into the problem of how to quickly get our views out to California voters. If you don't have millions of dollars at your disposal, it won't happen in an effective and rapid way. Broadcasters often were deliberately rude and insulting to us, because they knew our options were limited.

There are limited ways to broadcast emotion-laden political messages to a receptive passive mass audience - radio and TV are still the best means to do so, and it is very expensive to do so. In practice, it means the rich lecture the poor, which severely stunts the universe of political speech. A proper fairness doctrine would subsidize well-considered messages of deserving poor pundits. Imagine how much more-effective blogs like Obsidian Wings would be it had two minutes on Fox News three nights a week to get their message across.

(Of course, implementing such a scheme would be nightmarishly difficult, but it doesn't mean we don't need something to balance the scales of wealth, even if imperfectly).

Remember, it's not just liberal viewpoints that get squelched - conservative views get squelched as well. If you are conservative and poor, your opinions get ruthlessly crushed too, by the rich coastal liberal elites of Blue-State America. That's one form of rough justice, I suppose, but it would be better if everyone had an equal chance to get their opinion out there. The Internet is a great help, of course, but mass media rules!

Bush Fires A Host Of U.S. Attorneys

The cover-up starts! At least seven Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorneys have been fired and replaced with non-Senate-confirmed Administration stooges.

Travel Destination: Albuquerque

The tastes of world travellers based in LA must be somewhat jaded: the LA Times suggests Albuquerque as a destination:

AT the American International Rattlesnake Museum in Old Town Albuquerque, I spotted a sign on the door. "We love tourists," it said. "They taste just like chicken."

... Now Albuquerque is sprucing up its Cinderella image and turning into one of the belles of the tourist ball. TripAdvisor placed Albuquerque fourth in last year's listing of the top 10 underrated world destinations, and online travel company Orbitz chose it as one of five "outstanding locations that should be on everyone's must-see list" in the next five years.

If one thing has put Albuquerque on the tourist map, it's the annual International Balloon Fiesta (Oct. 5-14 this year). It "helped establish a sense of place," said Dale Lockett, president and chief executive of the city's convention and visitors bureau.

.. THE city is grittier, more real, than "Fanta Se," as some residents disparagingly refer to their northern neighbor, and that's evident in Albuquerque's downtown, which lies between Nob Hill and Old Town. The Downtown Action Team, a private nonprofit, is spearheading the latest urban renewal in the once-dreary district.

And we know, people from LA like nothing better than grit when they travel! In any event, a few items of trivia about my hometown....

...Albuquerque...

… is the birthplace of Microsoft (no, it wasn't Seattle).

… has more than 100 art galleries and 20 museums.

… was named for Spain's 10th Duke of Alburquerque. (The first "r" was dropped, by one account, because a station master had trouble with the spelling.)

Running The Fantasy (And Crashing)

Spent the weekend at Cache Creek (loss: $650) and Thunder Valley (loss: $1,063). Last visited Cache Creek in 2005, after their renovation. Then, the place seemed bright and shiny and new. Sunday night, it just seemed ... seedy. Thunder Valley was better - less smoke, and better card-shuffling machines - but the luck was just as wretched.

So much for that jag. The win from last week is now essentially exhausted....

Chaos In Victoria

Wild fires trip power breakers, and send the whole place to crazy-land:

VICTORIANS face days of power bans - including being forced to turn off airconditioners in heatwave conditions - after the state was plunged into chaos yesterday when bushfires cut the main electricity transmission line between Melbourne and New South Wales.

The shutdown triggered blackouts across the state that left more than half a million homes and businesses without electricity, blanked out 1200 traffic lights and disrupted train services.

... The bushfire that cut the transmission line near Benalla, in northeast Victoria, destroyed seven homes at Toombullup. It was one of dozens that flared across the state in 40C heat. A house in the Brisbane Ranges, to the west of Melbourne, was also destroyed.

The power failure, which hit large parts of Melbourne, including the central business district, as well as the regional centres of Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, was caused when smoke and ash from the fire tripped circuit breakers on the transmission line just after 4pm.

The sudden loss of 2000MW of power - a quarter of the state's supply - caused an automatic load-shedding system to kick in, shutting down power to large areas of Victoria.

There were reports of people caught in lifts in buildings that did not have backup generators. A Melbourne ambulance spokesman said 10 people had been rescued from a lift in one city building.

Afternoon Melbourne peak-hour traffic was thrown into turmoil as more than 1200 traffic lights failed and boom gates at train crossings malfunctioned. Public transport was further disrupted as trains were slowed to a crawl because of reduced voltages in overhead lines.

The cost of the blackout is expected to run into the tens of millions of dollars, with factories forced to shut production lines, businesses sending employees home early and restaurants unable to open for the evening.

... The latest power failure hit as Victoria was experiencing a heavier than normal demand for electricity to run airconditioners and fans, and was drawing extra power from NSW through the vital interconnector transmission lines.

Acting Premier John Thwaites last night said the transmission line could not be reconnected until authorities were sure no one was on the ground beneath the lines, because of a risk they could be electrocuted.

He said plans to fly a Country Fire Authority aircraft over the line had been scuttled because of heavy smoke from the fire in the affected area.

"It appears at this stage it's not safe to turn the power back on," he said. "While we have been able to withdraw the Country Fire personnel, we are concerned there may be other people in the area and without being able to fly over the area we don't want to take any risks."

Fun Song

'Get Me Bodied', on the album "B-day", by Beyonce. Just good fun! The line I like is:

Walk across the room like Naomi Campbell

The awe of that visual! A work of nature!

The New Dimension Of Art

Break out the wine!:

"Ladies and gentleman, bon appetit and may god bless," said Evaristti, a glass in his hand, to his dining companions seated night around a table in Santiago's Animal Gallery tonight.

On the plates in front of them was a serving of agnolotti pasta and in the middle a meatball made with oil Evaristti removed from his body in a liposuction procedure last year.

"The question of whether or not to eat human flesh is more important than the result," he said, explaining the point of his creation.

"You are not a cannibal if you eat art," he added.

... A veteran at shock-art, in an earlier work Evaristti invited people to kill fish by pressing the button on a blender the fish were held in. In April 2004 he dyed an enormous iceberg in Greenland with red paint.

Cognitive Dissonance

There's always something odd when performing artists get involved in politics:

The demonstration outside the Coliseum threatened to upset the genteel world of pirouettes and arabesques as Simone Clarke prepared to play the lead in the romantic classic Giselle.

The English National Ballet's principal dancer was named in a newspaper last month as a member of the British National Party (BNP), a minority anti-immigration party.

Campaign group Unite Against Fascism called for Ms Clarke, 36, to stand down, saying she has been used to "promote and prettify extreme right-wing politics."

"There is no place for fascist ideas in the arts," said Donna Guthrie, 36, a campaigner for the group. "We're calling on her to resign from the party or leave the company."

Thirty police lined the street outside the theatre as ballet-goers arrived for the afternoon show. Most patrons expressed support for Clarke, calling the protest undemocratic.

"They talk about their freedom, but what about ours?," said secretary June Mitchell, 58. "She shouldn't stand down because of her political beliefs."

... "I will be known as the BNP ballerina. I think that will stick with me for life," she told the Mail on Sunday newspaper. "I would rather it wasn't like that but I don't regret anything. I will stay a member.

"I have been labelled a racist and a fascist because I have a view on immigration – and I mean mass immigration – but isn't that something that a lot of people worry about?"

She said her partner Yat Sen-Chang, a dancer with Chinese-Cuban roots, had urged her to join the party. Ms Clarke could not immediately be reached for comment.

Go New Mexico!

The first effort at impeaching Bush and Cheney will start, oddly enough, in New Mexico.

Van Nuys Crash

Business aircraft crashes. May have been something simple too, which makes it all the more tragic.

Love Weather Modeling Computer Output!

Always food for thought!

I've been wondering why the annual Northern Territories monsoon, currently underway, doesn't cross into southern Australia as well. Latest NOGAPS model predictions suggest it will, and soon, heading as far south as Adelaide, and beyond! So, the next question is "why not NSW and Victoria as well?" If it works for summertime Denver and the northern Rockies, why not in the southern reaches of Australia's Snowy Range too? We'll see!

NOGAPS also says that coastal Queensland will soon see tropical moisture advection from the NE (not just the typical afternoon thunderstorms), and that in two weeks or so, a tropical storm may approach from the NE! So soon? We'll see!

The key is a stable, stationary high pressure system between Australia and New Zealand. It functions much like the Bermuda High in the Northern Hemisphere does for the American Southwest and it is required to get a good flow of moisture going into Queensland!

Meanwhile in the Northern Hemisphere, will a Pineapple Express system pump moisture in the southwestern U.S. in a week or so? Quien sabe? We'll see!

Slow, But Halting Progress

Some good comes from nearly losing elections! Rep. John Doolittle finally fires his wife. By employing his wife as his fundraiser, and funneling campaign contributions directly into his own pockets, Doolittle had made his corruption so obvious as to be blinding.

Bev's Take On "Mame"

Davis Enterprise reviewer Bev Sykes liked some things about "Mame", but disliked others. For example, Bev likes Ron and Jean:

If you want a good looking musical theatrical experience, make certain that your show is directed by a choreographer, and costumed by an experienced costumer.

But quality is uneven:

The production itself, however, is spotty and does not maintain the level set by the opening chorus throughout.

Bev likes Mary Young well enough, but thought Andrew Lampinen was too old to play the role of Young Patrick:

He is nearly as tall as his aunt, making description of the games played at his progressive school sound less innocent than they were intended ... I am assuming that he had the great misfortune to go through a sudden voice change during rehearsal, as none of his songs were in his key and he had great difficulty with all of them.

Bev likes Robert Coverdell and a number of other cast members, including Rebekah Shepard, the only UCD doctoral student "with an IQ of a dead flashlight battery." In general, though, I don't think we quite engaged Bev's emotions with this show:

People in the audience, and in the lobby following the performance seemed to enjoy the show very much. I would not list this among the best the company has done, but this is a hard working group and their dedication to DMTC shows.

That's what happens with shows: some shows grab you, and others don't. A show will sometimes grab some people, and leave others cold. For me, the show is growing on me with time, so the emotional appeal hasn't been immediate.

For me, Andrew's dropping voice range hasn't been the least bit troublesome - indeed, it adds to Andrew's emotional appeal as the vulnerable Young Patrick. Nevertheless, not everyone will see things the same way. Indeed, in theater, it's guaranteed no one will ever see things the same way, leading to another truism - when you put yourself on stage, you open yourself to criticism. You hope you appeal to everyone, but that's really quite hard to achieve, almost impossible, really, and don't be surprised by falling short. You struggle on, taking comfort in the knowledge that you are doing your best. C'est la vie!

"Mamma Mia!" Motion Picture

Meryl Streep to star.

War (Apparently) Declared

Looks like Bush has decided to expand the Iraqi war, with a secret decision to declare war. Just like Nixon's incursion into Cambodia - echoes of the recent past! - it shows what a travesty of a democracy we live in!:

Washington intelligence, military and foreign policy circles are abuzz today with speculation that the President, yesterday or in recent days, sent a secret Executive Order to the Secretary of Defense and to the Director of the CIA to launch military operations against Syria and Iran.

The President may have started a new secret, informal war against Syria and Iran without the consent of Congress or any broad discussion with the country.

... Adding fuel to the speculation is that U.S. forces today raided an Iranian Consulate in Arbil, Iraq and detained five Iranian staff members. Given that Iran showed little deference to the political sanctity of the US Embassy in Tehran 29 years ago, it would be ironic for Iran to hyperventilate much about the raid.

But what is disconcerting is that some are speculating that Bush has decided to heat up military engagement with Iran and Syria -- taking possible action within their borders, not just within Iraq.

Some are suggesting that the Consulate raid may have been designed to try and prompt a military response from Iran -- to generate a casus belli for further American action.

If this is the case, the debate about adding four brigades to Iraq is pathetic. The situation will get even hotter than it now is, worsening the American position and exposing the fact that to fight Iran both within the borders of Iraq and into Iranian territory, there are not enough troops in the theatre.

In any event, the Australian press is already crowing about it:

US takes war to Iran, Syria
.... GEORGE W. Bush has defied popular opinion, top generals and Congress with a plan to escalate US military involvement in the Middle East by sending more troops into Iraq and threatening attacks against terror cells in Iran and Syria.

Lost And Found

Marlene Dietrich's earring, lost in 1934, found.

Ick!

Condoleezza Rice gets all kissy-faced:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice let slip her news media preferences Thursday, saying, "I love every single one" of Fox News network's correspondents and also favors CBS anchor Harry Smith.

In comments overheard on an open microphone between morning television interviews, including one with Fox, the top U.S. diplomat said: "My Fox guys, I love every single one of them."

Watch What You Say

Sometimes I wonder if I'm developing Tourette's Syndrome. I wonder if it's normal, when driving back and forth across the Yolo Causeway, to shout obscenities at the CD player, or at wandering sea gulls, or drivers heading in the opposite direction. But one must watch oneself, because sometimes there is foreign money in your pocket!:

In a U.S. government warning high on the creepiness scale, the Defense Department cautioned its American contractors over what it described as a new espionage threat: Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside.

The government said the mysterious coins were found planted on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006 as the contractors traveled through Canada.

... Top suspects, according to outside experts: China, Russia or even France — all said to actively run espionage operations inside Canada with enough sophistication to produce such technology.

... Experts were astonished about the disclosure and the novel tracking technique, but they rejected suggestions Canada’s government might be spying on American contractors. The intelligence services of the two countries are extraordinarily close and routinely share sensitive secrets.

... Experts said such tiny transmitters would almost certainly have limited range to communicate with sensors no more than a few feet away, such as ones hidden inside a doorway. The metal in the coins also could interfere with any signals emitted.

... Experts said hiding tracking technology inside coins is fraught with risks because the spy’s target might inadvertently give away the coin or spend it buying coffee or a newspaper. They agreed, however, that a coin with a hidden tracking device might not arouse suspicion if it were discovered in a pocket or briefcase.

Public Opinion, And The Iraq War

For whatever it's worth. Note a trend?

Darts

As part of their unmanned space exploration policy, the Brits are considering firing darts at the moon. Darts without ale seems pointless, somehow...:

The first (foray), named "Moonlight", would fire four darts the size of suitcases onto the moon's surface from orbit to test for quakes, tremors and other data, the BBC said.

If the mission was successful, a second probe, "Moonraker" would be launched with the aim of landing on the moon.

Mission Impossible

General David Petraeus is the best general the U.S. has had in many years, as demonstrated by his canny work over the last few years handling Anbar Province, but George W. Bush has decided to saddle him with an impossible job. That is really too bad. Soldiers like Petraeus could be the genesis of a newer, smarter way of fighting our wars, but losing generals lose their careers, and Petraeus is toast:

The new commander, Lt. Gen. (soon to be promoted to simply Gen.) David Petraeus, is probably the smartest active-duty general in the U.S. Army today. Late last year, he co-authored the Army's field manual on counterinsurgency—its first in over 20 years. During the early phase of the Iraq occupation, as commander of the 101st Airborne Division, he was one of the very few American officers who understood how to win over the populace, not just bash down their doors. In those halcyon days of the summer of '03, commanders had free access to Saddam Hussein's captured slush funds, and Petraeus used the money shrewdly to build local projects and to build trust with local leaders. It may be no coincidence that things started going to hell in northern Iraq, the 101st Airborne's area of operation, when the commanders' fund dried up—and no further funds poured in.

Alas, Petraeus is in much the same situation he found himself back then—loaded with enormous responsibility, the right skills, but not enough resources, either in money or, especially, in troops.

The big talk this past week, and probably the centerpiece of Bush's announcement (to take place Wednesday night), is the "surge"—20,000 additional U.S. combat troops to be deployed to Baghdad, as part of a classic strategy of "clear, hold, and build."

...Petraeus and his co-authors discussed this strategy at great length in the Army's counterinsurgency field manual. One point they made is that it requires a lot of manpower—at minimum, 20 combat troops for every 1,000 people in the area's population. Baghdad has about 6 million people; so clearing, holding, and building it will require about 120,000 combat troops.

Right now, the United States has about 70,000 combat troops in all of Iraq (another 60,000 or so are support troops or headquarters personnel). Even an extra 20,000 would leave the force well short of the minimum required—and that's with every soldier and Marine in Iraq moved to Baghdad. Iraqi security forces would have to make up the deficit.

... Meanwhile, how will Petraeus be able to keep Baghdad's insurgents from simply slipping out of town and wreaking havoc elsewhere? This is what happened in Fallujah when U.S. troops tried to destroy the insurgents' stronghold in that city.

... Will Petraeus wall off neighborhoods in Baghdad? (The U.S. Army in Iraq does have a lot of concrete.) Is such a strategy feasible in a city of 6 million, as opposed to a town of 60,000 like Tal Afar? Moving in the bulldozers and the berms may be a dramatic first step. But then what?

... If he manages to succeed in Baghdad, how will he be able to "hold" it while proceeding on to Iraq's other troubled cities?

...Then there are the more political considerations. Nothing will work, even under otherwise ideal circumstances, unless the Iraqi government supports the effort, orders Iraqi battalions to take part, and agrees to let the counterinsurgents go after all militias, including the Mahdi Army controlled by Muqtada Sadr, a key faction of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's power base.

... But security is the prerequisite, and to achieve enduring security, the hard arithmetic indicates that Bush needs to send in a lot more troops than 20,000. The problem is, he doesn't have them, and he won't be able to get them for many years, under the best of circumstances. (Even if he reimposed the draft—a sure way to convert popular disenchantment with the war to rioting-in-the-streets opposition—it would take a few years to get the Selective Service System running and to mobilize, train, and equip the draftees.)

... I am not one who likens the Iraq war to Vietnam, but there is an eerie parallel to a memo that John McNaughton, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's closest aide, sent to him on March 24, 1965, after it seemed clear that the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign was producing scant results. "The situation in Vietnam is bad and deteriorating," McNaughton wrote. The important aim now is to "avoid a humiliating U.S. defeat (to our reputation as a guarantor)." Therefore, it is essential "that the U.S. emerge as a 'good doctor.' We must have kept promises, been tough, taken risks, gotten bloodied, and hurt the enemy very badly."

One month later, on April 21, McNamara and McNaughton met in Honolulu with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other top leaders. They concluded, as McNamara summed up in a memo, "that it will take more than six months, perhaps a year or two, to demonstrate VC [Viet Cong] failure in the South." (Both documents are reproduced in Volume 3 of The Pentagon Papers.)

Well, I am one who likens Iraq to Vietnam (the two wars are so closely allied with each other) and it's important to note that it took a decade after the meeting described above for the obvious realization to finally settle in that we weren't going to win in Vietnam. The same thing could happen with Iraq!

Hair Of The Dog That Bit Me

Loss: $500.00

Stoned In Baghdad

Baghdad by the Bay, that is:

Bay Area residents use more drugs than any other metropolitan area in the country, and medical marijuana could be part of the reason, according to officials.

The percentage of people interviewed who had used marijuana, cocaine or heroin in the Bay Area, which included Fremont and Oakland, was 12.7 percent — 3 percent higher than Seattle, the second highest-ranking area with 9.6 percent.

... One of the reasons the percentage might be so high, according to Alice Gleghorn, deputy director of behavioral health services in San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, may be medical marijuana.

... Gleghorn said another reason for the high numbers might be related to the excellent growing conditions for marijuana in California.

“You can’t use what you don’t have,” she said.

While the Bay Area may be pro-marijuana, it isn’t crazy about cigarettes. The region tied with Los Angeles with the lowest percentage of cigarette smokers, 17.9 percent. The national average is 25.3 percent.

John Newmeyer, epidemiologist for the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic, said he has watched marijuana become part of The City’s cultural norm the last 35 years. And when it comes down to it, he said, smoking pot is safer than cigarettes.

“There is a low level of people reporting to hospitals and treatment facilities because of it,” he said, adding that the real problem to watch for might be within methamphetamine use.

"Mamma Mia" - Las Vegas

Closing in the summer of 2008.

Northern Territories Monsoon Firing Up

I've been trying to puzzle out the strange phenomena of Australian weather, and one odd feature is why doesn't the annual NT monsoon extend the full breadth of the continent? Why is Australia so dry in the middle? Why isn't it like the U.S., where the southwestern monsoon can sometimes extend along the Sierra Madre and the Rocky Mountains, all the way to the Canadian border? Is the absence of the mountain ranges a key feature? But at least its raining in some places now (just not everywhere, like down south, where the aridity is unparalleled). The northern crocodiles will be most appreciative!

Malibu Fire

There is always the tendency, when homes belonging to the rich-and-connected burn down, to gloss over the loss, and say cruel, unfeeling things. I remember being shocked, with the highly-destructive 1991 Oakland fire, when 25 lives, 3,354 homes, and 456 apartments were lost, at the attitude among some in the French media, that there was little real pain, since the homes were insured. They forget that children lose their entire worlds when homes burn down, and that insurance can't cover every expense, and priceless mementoes go up in smoke, and lives are entirely dislocated. I certainly cringe when France experiences terrible fires, and I hope they would return the favor.

In any event, Suzanne Somers and others in Malibu have lost their homes, and they deserve our sympathy. Somers puts on a brave front:

"My nature is to look at the glass half-full," Somers said in a statement Tuesday. "I truly believe we will learn something great from this experience."

What's Not To Like?

When I go down to DMV for a test, not even the thought occurs to the clerks there:

Police said Chagnon was giving a road test to the woman Dec. 13. She had failed the driving test several times previously. Chagnon allegedly told the woman he would issue her a driver's license if she would take her clothes off.

Police said the woman reluctantly took off some of her clothing, but refused to take off all of it and Chagnon issued the woman a license.

Busybody Elder Critics

Taste in metal gets personal:

A man who died after a scuffle on a city transit bus had been in a heated argument with youths about the rock band Metallica, two teens testified in court Tuesday.

A 15-year-old witness testified at a preliminary hearing into Stefan Conley's death that the 35-year-old had told the young people they had no taste in heavy metal music.

Albuquerque Satire

Lost on the Puritans of Oregon. Pity, actually:

Robert Diefenbach took his annual vacation two months ago in Albuquerque. While there, the Newport, Oregon, resident picked up a copy of the alt-weekly Albuquerque Alibi. He read ¡Ask a Mexican!, the column in which yours truly answers readers’ questions about Mexicans and which the Alibi also publishes. The questions that week concerned the Mexican love affair with chickens and similarities between Mexicans and the Irish.

Diefenbach had never heard of ¡Ask a Mexican! but thought it was “wonderful.” Upon returning to work as a handyman at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital, the 62-year-old printed a copy of the chicken/Irish installment for a Mexican-American co-worker.

... The following day, Diefenbach’s supervisors called him into a meeting. They reportedly told Diefenbach he would be suspended for five days without pay, effective immediately. His offense: using a computer on company time, racial discrimination and sexual harassment for showing ¡Ask a Mexican! to his coworker. Diefenbach wasn’t allowed to appeal or respond to the charges.

... ”Diefenbach’s union didn’t buy his argument that ¡Ask a Mexican! was satirical, that its reference to Mexicans and the Irish as “drunk, degenerate, fornicating Catholics” and use of a fat, gold-toothed Mexican for a logo was tongue-in-cheek. So Diefenbach hired private attorney Kerry Smith to see if he could sue Samaritan for wrongful suspension.

Smith thought the ¡Ask a Mexican! in question—which also called Mexicans and the Irish “brothers in depravity” and claimed Mexican men treat chickens “as they treat their women: as purveyors of breasts, eggs and little else”—“was really funny. I’m Irish and call myself a feminist. In that particular column, I found it absolutely funny and understood the point right away.”

But Smith told Diefenbach she didn’t think any arbitrator in the state of Oregon would agree and advised him to drop the case.

“I’ve never come across anything like this before,” she says. “I see both sides. Looking at this column at face value, arbitrators could see it as offensive. However, I think that in the context in that it was presented, the hospital acted in a reactionary way.

... Read the latest ¡Ask a Mexican! Warning: Not advised at work.

Kylie's Fashion Sense Is Duly Noted

By Glamour Magazine:

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has topped fashion magazine Glamour's annual list of best dressed female celebrities after her battle with cancer, replacing last year's winner, supermodel Kate Moss.

The 38-year-old, on the comeback trail since undergoing breast cancer surgery in May 2005, was praised for her understated look, in contrast to the flamboyant costumes she has sported during her "Showgirl Homecoming Tour."

"We've seen a newer, softer-looking Kylie emerge this year -- she's still sexy, but she's not flaunting that side of herself in gold hotpants any more," said Jo Elvin, editor of Glamour.

"She's letting it shine through subtly, with a class personal style that women really identify with."

Minogue jumped from No. 26 on the list in 2006, while Moss slipped to fourth this year from first in 2006 -- and her British rocker boyfriend Pete Doherty, frontman of the band Babyshambles, was named one of the worst dressed males.

Opening Weekend For "Mame"

Left: 'We Need A Little Christmas' - Young Patrick (Andrew Lampinen), Mame (Mary Young), Agnes Gooch (Monica Parisi), and Ito (Andy Hyun).


Several months ago, wondering whether she should audition or not, Kristin Cunningham asked "what is 'Mame' about?" I couldn't really answer the question: I just had a fuzzy idea it was about a rich woman in Virginia horse society. I had no idea what the trajectory of the musical was, or any special feature of interest. Unable to get intelligence on "Mame" from her other acquaintances and friends, I suspect Kristin ultimately decided to try out for other shows.

All the pity, actually, because I'm really beginning to like this show, about an eccentric woman of the theater devoted to helping out the weak and living life with zest. Kristin, Ryan, and the rest of the gang would have been great in the show, but we are doing all right with the crew we have. Ron Cisneros did an excellent job of putting the show together without extraneous histrionics, and, because of the New Year's preview, we are better-rehearsed than usual.

Left: Sometimes flawed pictures express the story better than good pictures. Here is Monica Parisi as the bewildered Agnes Gooch in 'Gooch's Song' Right, Mary Young as Mame.


Indeed, as feared, Wendy Young Carey broke her wrist with her fall on the bundle of carpet near the roll-up door on Thursday evening. Nevertheless, with some costume adaptations to accomodate her new cast, Wendy did just fine in her role.

There were the usual minor errors and omissions, as in any show: missed dance steps and incorrect dialogue and muffed lyrics. For me, on Sunday afternoon, I managed to get a red vest on inside-out. That didn't bother me so much as the fact that I had been very careful in the fairly-quick costume change to check myself out in the mirror before going on stage. Despite my deliberate, precautionary pace, I failed to notice the flagrant error. I carefully looked at myself in the mirror, yet somehow failed to see the flaw.

Left: The fine fedora accessorizes Steve Isaacson's Mr. Babcock really well.


Audiences Friday and Saturday night were small (the consensus is that people are tired after the holidays), but the Sunday audience was large and responsive. It was nice seeing Ben and Noel Sunday!

Less Blunder, More Thunder

E. greeted Sunday by saying "it's such a bright, beautiful world, and it is filled with people I hate." Such a cheery start to the day! Then she began fantasizing about a slot machine at Cache Creek Casino, the one that plays cheery tunes, featuring green aliens who lay eggs filled with money. I could tell the worm of addiction was eating at her, and, to tell the truth, to my moth-eaten mind, it didn't sound like such a bad thing. So, Sunday evening, I suggested a trip to Thunder Valley casino - I would stake her. She insisted I wear a new sweater - a lucky sweater. I complied.

The blackjack was quite good. I made four runs that collapsed, but with each collapse, the total advanced forward, like a ratchet: $900 to $500; then $2,800 to $1,600; then $4,100 to $3,300; then $6,000 to $4,700. I left before the last run collapsed, nearly at the peak of my winnings, for the best night at the tables in three years.

A strange, well-dressed Filipina escorted me as I left the table. Turned out, she was a beggar, looking for a handout. I gave her $20. The other Filipina had had a bad night (Thunder Valley doesn't have aliens, but rather some kind of 'Milk Machine' that had gone dry Sunday evening), but under the circumstances, it didn't matter.

Profit: $7,100 - $100 initial amount - $160 E. stake - $20 beggar - $10 tip to cashier = $6,810.00

Now, dividing the spoils (credit card, theater, Filipina, etc.)

"Mame" Opening Night Tonight

Even though we performed New Year's Eve, tonight is the actual opening of "Mame." Interestingly, because of the New Year's Eve preview, we are better rehearsed now than is the usual case for an opening at DMTC. But things are never perfect....

Last night, Wendy Young Carey tripped in the dark over carpet stationed (ill-advisedly) against the roll-up door, not that far from the stage-right exit. She fell and may have broken her wrist. The lack of discoloration suggests instead that the wrist is only badly-bruised, but we'll find out when we see her later this evening.

Preserve The Data, At All Costs

Richard Dawkins, he be funny!:

THE OBVIOUS objections to the execution of Saddam Hussein are valid and well aired. ... But I want to add another and less obvious objection: Hussein's mind would have been a unique resource for historical, political and psychological research, a resource that is now forever unavailable to scholars.

Imagine that some science-fiction equivalent of Simon Wiesenthal built a time machine, traveled back to 1945 and returned to the present with a manacled Adolf Hitler. What should we do with him? Execute him? No, a thousand times no. Historians squabbling over exactly what happened in the Third Reich and World War II would never forgive us for destroying the central witness to all the inside stories, and one of the pivotal influences on 20th century history. Psychologists, struggling to understand how an individual human being could be so evil and so devastatingly effective at persuading others to join him, would give their eyeteeth for such a rich research subject.

Kill Hitler? You would have to be mad to do so. Yet that is undoubtedly what we would have done if he hadn't killed himself in 1945. Hussein is not in the same league as Hitler, but, nevertheless, in a small way his execution represents a wanton and vandalistic destruction of important research data.

He should have been locked up, by all means. Kept him in jail for the rest of his life, to be sure. But to execute him was irresponsible. Hussein could have provided irreplaceable help to future historians of the Iran-Iraq war, of the invasion of Kuwait and of the subsequent era of sanctions culminating in the invasion. Uniquely privileged evidence on the American government's enthusiastic arming of Hussein in the 1980s is now snuffed out at the tug of a rope (no doubt to the relief of Donald Rumsfeld and other guilty parties; it is surely no accident that the trial of Hussein neglected those of his crimes that might — no, would — have implicated them).

Political scientists of the future, studying the processes by which unscrupulous leaders arise and take over national institutions, have now lost key evidence forever. But perhaps the most important research in which a living Saddam Hussein could have helped is psychological. Most people can't even come close to understanding how any man could be so cruel as Hitler or Hussein, or how such transparently evil monsters could secure sufficient support to take over an entire country.

What were the formative influences on these men? Was it something in their childhood that turned them bad? In their genes? In their testosterone levels? Could the danger have been nipped in the bud by an alert psychiatrist? How would Hitler or Hussein have responded to a different style of education? We don't have a clear answer to these questions. We need to do the research.

Are there lots of Husseins and lots of Hitlers in every society, with most ending up as football hooligans wrecking trains rather than dictators wrecking countries? If so, what singles out the minority that do come to power? Or were men such as these truly unusual? What can we do to prevent them gaining power in the future? Are there changes we could make to our political institutions that would make it harder for men of Hitler's or Hussein's psychological types to take them over?

These questions are not just academically fascinating but potentially of vital importance for our future. And they cannot be answered by prejudice or preconception or intuitive common sense. The only way to answer them is by research. It is in the nature of research on ruthless national dictators that the sample size is small. Wasn't the judicial destruction of one of the very few research subjects we had — and a prime specimen at that — an act of vandalism?

Reading The Tea Leaves Of The Recent Xmas Shopping Season

They say it wasn't that good, but on the other hand, they had some pretty high expectations too. I wonder what leads to the high expectations? It's not as if corporate America, swamped these days with cash, has been in a hurry to increase wages - the surest way to boost consumer spending. Still, even if sales were up and beat inflation, the bean-counters seemed glum.

Come on folks, be happy! People had fun and they did spend money! There was lots to celebrate!:

An already disappointing holiday shopping season turned out to be even worse than expected for many of the nation's retailers, who said Thursday they had tepid sales gains for December.

... Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics LLC, a research company in Swampscott, Mass., said retailers were forced to mark down heavily to bring in sales.
"Clearly, this was a promotional Christmas," he said. "Consumers clearly waited until the last minute."

... Based on 51 stores that reported, Perkins said 23 retailers beat sales expectation, 25 missed estimates and three stores matched projections.

...After a solid start to the holiday season, many stores struggled with disappointing business in December, and a shopping surge in the days just before and after Christmas wasn't strong enough to make up for lost sales. Merchants tried to stick to their previously planned discounts, but at the seaon's end they resorted to bigger-than-anticipated cuts to pull shoppers in.

Mild weather across much of the country meant consumers were in no hurry to buy cold weather wear such as coats and gloves, depressing sales at many apparel stores. Declining gasoline prices and a steady job market should have helped merchants, but Perkins believes the recent drop in home equity loans - a big source of buying power over the past few years - curtailed spending among middle-income shoppers.

Sales results were also hurt by two big shifts in the way consumers are shopping: the increasing popularity of gift cards and robust online buying, which is not included in same-store results. Gift card sales are only posted when they are redeemed rather than bought, helping to extend the holiday season into January.

Wal-Mart, which warned earlier in the season that its same-store sales gain would be no better than 1 percent, posted a 1.6 percent increase for December. Retail industry analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected 1 percent gain.

...Wal-Mart has struggled with a mix of problems, including the fact that its lower-income customers were hurt by soaring gas prices. But the company's lackluster sales have persisted even as the cost of gas retreated - partly because its attempt to broaden its appeal to higher-income shoppers was poorly executed, particularly in apparel and home furnishings.

...Rival discounter Target Corp. had a 4.1 percent gain in same-store sales, below the 4.5 percent estimate.

Costco Wholesale Corp. posted a 9 percent gain in same-store sales, beating Wall Street's 5.7 percent estimate.

... Federated Department Stores Inc., which acquired May Department Stores Co. last year, had a 4.4 percent gain in same-store sales, below the 5.5 percent estimate from Wall Street. The same-store results include only the Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores that existed before September, when the company transformed most of the former May Co. stores to Macy's units.

...Nordstrom Inc. reported a robust 9 percent same-store sales gain, exceeding the 4.3 percent forecast. Luxury operator Saks Inc. had an 11 percent same-store sales, gain, nearly twice the 5.3 percent estimate.

WATB (Whiny Ass Titty Babies)

Gotta start somewhere:

Washington Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Washington Wizards basketball team and Verizon Center, yesterday blasted Democratic plans to kill a sports ticket loophole from lawmakers’ $50 gift limit, saying it would damage an important local business.

“We support the concept of full and open disclosure on the part of lobbyists and lawmakers to comply with ethics standards,” said Matt Williams, senior vice president at WS&E. “However, we oppose a total ban on all corporate entertainment opportunities. And this ban of tickets to sporting events as gifts will cause a negative impact on our business.

“Probably more than any other franchises in professional sports, Washington, D.C.-area teams count business from lobbyists as a contributing factor to our bottom line. This ban will certainly negatively affect the business we do with one of the major industries in our region — the federal government.”

...The new House rules eliminate the wiggle room that stadium and arena officials have created for themselves by leaving prices off tickets to luxury suites and skyboxes.

“A gift of a ticket to a sporting or entertainment event shall be valued at the face value of the ticket or, in the case of a ticket without a face value, at the highest cost of a ticket with a face value for the event,” stated the new rule, which Democrats circulated yesterday.

It remains to be seen whether lobbyists or other benefactors can continue holding fundraisers for lawmakers. Such events are considered in-kind contributions to campaigns, and their propriety would depend on whether the value of the contribution exceeds campaign contributions. Now that the House has re-evaluated the worth of luxury box tickets, the Federal Election Commission could revisit in-kind contributions.

House Democratic leaders have thrown a new twist in the ethics rules for the 110th Congress by ending the long-standing exemption of certain sports and music tickets from the $50 limit on gifts that lawmakers and their aides are allowed to accept.

The new rules will take place just in time to foil the hopes of any House officials dreaming of free tickets to next month’s Super Bowl in sunny Miami. Likewise, young staffers hoping to catch the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Verizon Center later this month, or older aides looking forward to Rod Stewart’s performance the following evening, will have to pay their own way if the tickets cost $50 or more.

... In recent years it has been common practice for lawmakers and members of their staffs to accept tickets, often to the best seats in the arena, from lobbyists and other would-be friends, even though House rules prohibited them from accepting gifts worth more than $50. That’s because House ethics officials had accepted the arguments of lobbyists that individual event tickets that are part of a season-long rental of luxury suites could be valued below the limit. But to good-government groups it was clear that the tickets were really worth more.

Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, said lawmakers often accepted free tickets from lobbyists.

“They did a lot, particularly for very important events like the Super Bowl, for which tickets would be normally impossible to get,” said Claybrook, who added that lawmakers and aides often received tickets after they were sold out to the general public and would be “extremely expensive” to purchase from other vendors.

Dry Chinchilla

I thought the place looked terribly dry! In 2006, the town of Chinchilla, Queensland, AU, out on the Warrego Highway in the agricultural district of the Darling Downs, had just 174.0 mm of rain, the lowest annual rainfall ever measured in 117 years, demolishing the previous annual low record of 302.9 mm in 1922, and barely making a quarter of the average annual rainfall of 668.6 mm. Good grief!

Progress Understanding Chickens

Helps shed some light on the broiler underworld:

A chicken going "tck, tck, tck" as it pecks is announcing the presence of food. That clucking makes the chicken the first animal other than primates that's been shown to make sounds that, like words, represent something in the environment, researchers say.

... The old tests, however, left a nagging possibility that the clucks just trigger a reflex to search for food, Evans says. Now, he and Linda Evans, also of Macquarie University, have used a different approach that's "given us confidence," he says, to label the chicken clucks as representational signals.

... For the new tests, the Evanses went back to food calls. For example, males go "tck, tck, tck" upon discovering anything edible.... Hens then stalk over to investigate. They take a tidbit from a male's beak or stare intently at the ground. "They look like people who've lost their glasses," says Chris Evans.

In half the tests, the researchers scattered a few kernels of corn onto the floor. That's enough food for a hen to notice, but nowhere near enough to satisfy its craving. The hens ate the corn before hearing a male's clucks. In the other half of the tests, hens encountered no food.

After each hen heard a recording of a male's food call, those that had already received corn spent less than 3 seconds peering at the ground. But birds that hadn't been fed searched, on average, for 7.5 seconds.

The difference in response times reflected whether a bird already knew that food was available, so the call isn't an automatic trigger for some reflex to search the ground, the researchers argue. In contrast, a rooster's ground-intruder call didn't evoke different responses from the fed and unfed groups, the Evanses say in a paper available online and in an upcoming Biology Letters.

Getting My Names Confused Again

I had marvelled about the discontinuities between the American and Australian pop music universes, and how 'The Veronicas' were big in Australia, but small here, but apparently I had confused the local Sacramento band called 'The Veronicas' (now 'Beyond Veronica') with 'The Veronicas' from Brisbane, Queensland, AU.

It's all so confusing. I have trouble remembering the names of people I see every day, much less rock bands.

But still, it leads one to wonder if a backwater band in Australia could make its way to the big time by spoofing its fan base, and sell lots of music back home by bragging about the huge success of a (barely-existent) American tour.

Ah, probably not. Damn that Internet - knowledge is too-widely dispersed these days!

Monolith

We hired apes to be coffin followers, but all they did was get drunk at the wake, break bones over each other's heads, and run off to found a civilization.

Entitled, "RIP, Arthur C. Clarke": created by 'the legendary shark' over at B3ta.

Ultra-Dry Murray River Basin

The worst month ever recorded for southern Australia's most-important river network:

Just 34 gigalitres of water flowed into the river system in December - a tenth of what is normally expected and the lowest since records began in 1892.

... According to new figures, last year was the driest on record for the nation's biggest river system, with just 1317 gigalitres entering the river. The previous lowest inflow was 1740 gigalitres in 1902, during the Federation drought.

David Dreverman, general manager of River Murray Water, said January was historically a drier month than December and no relief was in sight until more usual levels of rain fell.

Flatback Turtles

Emerge from their nests and head to sea on the western shore of Cape York, Queensland.

More On "Apocalypto"

W. admires Mel Gibson:

There are two true-life Hollywood success stories which fill me with admiration for the people involved. One is the story of Sylvester Stallone's breakthrough where he wrote a screenplay, but refused to sell it unless he could play the lead; after it was made, the movie won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1976. The other story is Mel Gibson's idea of making a story of Jesus's crucifixion from a Christian point of view, and historically accurate even to the languages spoken by the actors. Hollywood refused to support it, so Gibson made it with his own money, and it became one of the most-watched films of all time. After that, I resolved to see whatever movie he made next.

Apocalypto is one of those rare movies which are impossible to leave to use the restroom once the action gets going (Titanic is the only other one I can think of at the moment). After the first half hour of character setup, once the fighting started, there was no let-up until the end.

To me, the most important contribution that it made was to show a native American culture, the Mayans, in a predatory light. The current "progressive" view of native societies in general, and native Americans in particular, is governed by a childish utopian fantasy, partly 1700s Rousseau, and partly 1960s counterculture. On the contrary, anyone familiar with archeology knows that native American societies were consumed by continuous warfare, just like contemporaneous European societies. Some recent movies (Black Robe, Last of the Mohicans) have shown individual Indians acting realistically, with self-serving motives. However, Apocalypto's contribution of bringing a native American society within the circle of Man's Inhumanity to Man is a much-needed wake-up call for the reverential "Great Spirit" paradigm.

The second attribute of the film which commands respect is the way the primitive society (not the Mayans) was portrayed during the first half-hour. Watching it, I had the feeling that I was seeing real aborigines living their actual lives - there was no sense of actors acting a script written by someone else. This part of the movie was filmmaking of the highest order.

Another well-done part of the film was the feeling when the aborigines are brought to the Mayan city. After seeing their primitive lifestyle, juxtaposed against the wealth, technology, organization, diversity, brutality, chaos, and noise of the Mayan city, one can feel something of the shock that millions of captives and slaves throughout world history must have felt when brought to their captor's cities; a feeling of fear, bewilderment, wonder, confusion, fascination, dread, and hopelessness.

Although I enjoyed Apocalypto, it also had some flaws, which it shares with hundreds of other movies. The second half of the film is a relentless pursuit of the hero by his captors. It reminds one of the Fugitive, or even the Terminator. However, the hero takes too much abuse - he is injured too severely, too often, and he endures too much, to be realistic. At its core, Apocalypto is another movie where one simply has to suspend disbelief in order to appreciate it.

Mel Gibson took a huge risk by funding "Passion of the Christ" with his own money, but the tremendous success of the movie meant he also reaped the entire profit. Filmmaking is a very expensive venture, and most filmmakers are under tremendous pressures to cut corners for the sake of money. In addition, one or two failures can destroy a filmmaker's career.

Gibson's big success makes him one of the very few filmmakers, perhaps the only one ever, completely released from those pressures. He could make nothing but duds for the rest of his life, and he'd be OK. But there's no indication at the moment he's going to make duds. It's an enviable place to be!

Regarding the relentless pursuit, and the impossibly narrow escapes, Gibson simply follows the path blazed by Steven Spielberg, particularly 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark". This class of hyperdriven adventure movie tends to make me ill, so improbable the escapes, but it certainly leads to a thrilling cinematic experience.

Gibson also uses the "childish utopian fantasy, partly 1700s Rousseau, and partly 1960s counterculture" of portraying simple village life as a kind of pastoral. This is not to criticize Gibson, only to suggest that the fantasy is very deeply embedded in our culture, and probably will be there always. Gibson uses the fantasy, even if only to break it, for the purpose of the story.

I also liked the attention paid to rendering Mayan/Aztec civilization. The Spanish did much to try to erase that experience from world culture, and it takes scholarship, imaginative leaps and attention to detail to recreate it.

It's interesting to ponder how the American Southwest fit into the jigsaw of Mayan/Aztec civilization. It apparently was a satellite of the greater civilization, in some way. A considerable amount of turquoise from Cerrillos, NM ended up in Central America. The ball courts found universally in Central America are found as far north as southern Arizona, but, interestingly, not on the Colorado Plateau, signifying some kind of cultural or religious frontier along the Mogollon Rim. And I've often marvelled how the archaeologists at Chaco Canyon excavated macaw bones there. Macaws are native to Costa Rica and Panama. Amazing!

General Casey

About to get thrown under the Bush Administration bus. Poor guy. Now he's being treated as some kind of quitter, and all because he followed Bush Administration policy.

Dirty Tricks, Alive And Well For 2008

These media guys are about as subtle as cement:

But instead of asking "Where's Osama?" the graphic over the two Islamists read "Where's Obama?" referencing the surname of popular Illinois Democratic Senator Barack Obama.

A later segment of the show, which took up the topic of the 2008 presidential election, did discuss Senator Obama's political prospects if he chooses to run for president.

Blitzer apologized during this morning's coverage of the Gerald Ford funeral.

"I just want to make a correction, an apology, Soledad, for what we did yesterday. In 'The Situation Room,' we had a bad graphic," Blitzer said in a transcript delivered to RAW STORY by CNN's public relations staff. "We were doing a piece on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden in this new year 2007. Unfortunately, instead of saying "where is Osama," it said "where is Obama." I'm going to be calling Senator Barack Obama to make a personal apology."

A CNN employee also told RAW STORY an additional apology was offered by Soledad O'Brien earlier in the morning.

Bloggers rapidly highlighted the faulty graphic last night. At Daily Kos, a diary started by one user included comments from hundreds of users debating whether or not the graphic was constructed deliberately. While some noted the proximity of the program to New Year's Eve might have resulted in sleepy graphic artists at the cable network, others insisted that the 'B' and 'S' keys are far from one another on the keyboard, making a mere typographical error unlikely. Instead, they saw an anti-Obama bias in the news media as the source of the CNN graphic.

A variety of incidents over the course of recent months have created a perception that pundits and news organizations are attempting to link the popular freshman senator and possible presidential candidate with militant Islam.

Initially, a variety of news organizations and pundits began pointing out that Obama's middle name was "Hussein," given to him by his father who was born and raised a Muslim. In early November, Chris Matthews on MSNBC suggested that the "Hussein" moniker will "be interesting down the road." Republican pundits and strategists then began referring to Obama's middle name more pointedly. On an MSNBC broadcast, GOP strategist Ed Rogers said Obama's full name with a deliberately heavy emphasis on his middle name, and radio show host Rush Limbaugh later called him "Barack Hussein Odumbo." (A list of these and other Obama-related incidents are available at Media Matters for America.)

On a Dec. 11 broadcast of Blitzer's show, other moves suggested an effort to sustain a meme on Obama's Islamic links. First, a commentary by Jeff Greenfield asked "Is there any other major public figure who dresses the way he does?" and answered, "Why, yes. It is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." He thereupon described Obama as a "sartorial timebomb." Greenfield later insisted that his remarks were merely a joke.

On the same broadcast, CNN correspondent Jeanne Moos made the Osama-Obama link. She noted, "Someone could confuse Obama with Osama. Only one little consonant differentiates the two names. And as if that similarity weren't enough, how about sharing the name of a former dictator?"

Following on these incidents, a conservative pundit went as far as to suggest that Obama might be a kind of Muslim Manchurian Candidate. An article by syndicated columnist Debbie Schlussel on December 18th asked "is a man who Muslims think is a Muslim, who feels some sort of psychological need to prove himself to his absent Muslim father, and who is now moving in the direction of his father's heritage, a man we want as President when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam? Where will his loyalties be?"

The Union Calls For A Strike

Against Blue Man Group

Those zany, resourceful Blue Men -- making instruments out of pipes and empty oil drums, creating art out of junk. But local stagehands locked in a labor battle with the Las Vegas-based production are proving no less resourceful. The local branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees recently got union federation AFL-CIO to call for a worldwide boycott of the avant-garde production. On Dec. 20, union federation AFL-CIO asked union families nationwide to boycott the show that has productions in Las Vegas, New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, London, Toronto and Amsterdam.

"Lemur" - Deborah's Newest Painting

I sent Deborah the following E-Mail:

Currently, our theater group is doing "Mame", and somehow this painting seems very much in the spirit of "Mame", but I wanted to ask a question. What is the name of the ship in the background? (the pixellation prevents me from determining it). Probably not Titanic????

The connection between the lemur and the rest of the painting is elusive (by design of course - one of these things is different). So, I'm thinking:

• Everyone comes from Madagascar (probably not true);
• The lemur is an alien import, like cane toads and tumbleweed (seems unlikely);
• We all descend from a common ancestor some 30 million years ago (likely true, but irrelevant);
• Lemurs are a fashion accessory (likely true, but irrelevant);
• They are all creatures of the night (likely true, and more relevant).
  
  In any event, it's a nice painting!

Deborah replies:

> What is the name of the ship in the background? (the pixellation prevents me from determining it). Probably not Titanic????
No, it is HMS Queen Mary to commemorate B/D spent on board in Long
Beach with my niece.

> They are all creatures of the night (likely true, and more relevant).
This + the fact I love their stare.

Science Marches On

And opens a whole new can of worms:

SCIENTISTS are conducting experiments to change the sexuality of “gay” sheep in a programme that critics fear could pave the way for breeding out homosexuality in humans.

The technique being developed by American researchers adjusts the hormonal balance in the brains of homosexual rams so that they are more inclined to mate with ewes.

It raises the prospect that pregnant women could one day be offered a treatment to reduce or eliminate the chance that their offspring will be homosexual. Experts say that, in theory, the “straightening” procedure on humans could be as simple as a hormone supplement for mothers-to-be, worn on the skin like an anti-smoking nicotine patch.

The research, at Oregon State University in the city of Corvallis and at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, has caused an outcry. Martina Navratilova, the lesbian tennis player who won Wimbledon nine times, and scientists and gay rights campaigners in Britain have called for the project to be abandoned.

Navratilova defended the “right” of sheep to be gay. She said: “How can it be that in the year 2006 a major university would host such homophobic and cruel experiments?” She said gay men and lesbians would be “deeply offended” by the social implications of the tests.

But the researchers argue that the work is valid, shedding light on the “broad question” of what determines sexual orientation. They insist the work is not aimed at “curing” homosexuality.

Ghost Riding The Whip

This sounds like fun:

Hyphy was born in the San Francisco Bay cities of Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo in the late 1990s, and devotees often hold late-night car rallies called "sideshows" where crowds perform risky stunts, including ghost riding.

"Ghost riding" refers to the absence of a driver. "The whip" is urban slang for your car. Typically, the driver drops the car into neutral and dances around and on top of the vehicle while it inches forward.

Sometimes it is a solo act; sometimes a half-dozen or more passengers get out and dance, too. The stunt is usually performed late at night, on a deserted road or in a parking lot.

But also exceedingly dangerous:

"It did not take Einstein to look at this thing and say this was a recipe for disaster," said Pete Smith, a police spokesman in Stockton. "We could see the potential for great injury or death."

Earlier this month, Davender Gulley, a ghost-riding 18-year-old, died after his head slammed into a parked car while he was hanging out the window of an SUV in Stockton, police said. In October, a 36-year-old man dancing on top of a moving car fell off, hit his head and died in what authorities said was Canada's first ghost riding fatality.

People have been doing similar things for years. I remember being in the parking lot at Santa Fe High School, NM, in 1971, when a car rolled by with two teenage girls on the hood. The car slowly turned left and the right-hand girl slowly rolled off and bounced on the pavement. It's horrifying to watch all that flesh shake like jelly upon meeting an immovable object (like the slow-mo cameras capture so well at professional football games).

Surveillance Cameras

Help solve serial murders in Philadelphia.

Remembering Names

So, I guess I'm not the only one who has trouble:

Cate Blanchett on Faye Dunaway mistaking her for Kate Winslet: "Faye came up to me at a screening and wanted me to do this project. I said it sounded fantastic. So she turned to her friend and said, 'Debbie, this is Kate Winslet.' I had to ask -- 'So, do you want me to do it or do you want Kate to do it?'"

"Mame" Opens The New Year At DMTC

The last week has been as intense and chaotic as I can recall since - since the last time I did a musical! No, really, since at least "Victor/Victoria" at RSP, in 2005. The difficulty was I joined the cast late (on account of the Australian trip) and missed a few critical musical rehearsals, so it's been catch-up ever since. Plus, it was difficult for everyone to juggle the holidays with rehearsals, and it just seemed that adequate time just wasn't available.

On the other hand, most of the cast were quite experienced, and Ron Cisneros was succinct and efficient as director, knowing exactly what he could reasonably ask for in a hurry. So, we got the show airborne in time for the preview, and after some fine-tuning rehearsals this week, we'll be in good shape for a successful January run.

From my skewed viewpoint, the biggest problems opening night seemed to be technical: lights, cues, etc. Apparently, at one point, there was an open mike in the dressing room and the audience heard a few off-color backstage comments. The cast was running on adrenaline, and so there were fewer mistakes than I expected - the main players largely-remembered the dialogue! - but still, there were a couple of missed or delayed entrances.

Dancewise, some folks were a little out-of-position in the big dance numbers. Dancing can become bowling with people under those circumstances, but we adjusted and kept the bowling soft and easy, in order to avoid unduly alarming the audience.

I'm having some kind of an identity crisis with the Act II dance number 'That's How Young I Feel.' I'm 50 years old, but from the script, it's clear I'm supposed to be some kind of bobby-soxer - aged 17 at most. But since the time frame is roughly 1940, then I should be my mom's age. Should I be Deanna Durbin's date, or, God forbid, my mom's date? And why should I sing "I'm gonna ask my mom, can I go to the junior prom"? Who made her the boss? Am I not an adult? And who am I, exactly? How did I get here? Where am I? Who knew the Oedipal tensions of this carefree number?

I'm so tired - it'll be a long week, even without the psychoanalysis....