Criss Angel's Trick

Splitting women in half (watch, but avoid spoiling, explanatory text).

Lice

Gorillas have one kind of lice, and chimpanzees have another kind, and humans have descendants of both kinds. Nevertheless, we had to have picked up the gorilla lice at a pretty late date, maybe from sleeping in gorilla nests:

"[Lice] are simply stranded on their hosts with no means of escape," he explained. "They can't fly, they can't jump, and they can't live apart from the host for any period of time."

The loss of hair over most of our bodies may have created two distinct habitat islands in humans. The scalp and pubic regions differ significantly—and they are separated by largely inhospitable terrain.

"Pubic lice could not have established on humans without suitable habitat," Reed said. "Loss of body hair would have left the pubic region an open island of habitat that [the gorilla louse] could have colonized."

Dale Clayton, of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, called it "a fascinating example of ecological opportunism."

"Different hair diameters [in the scalp and pubic regions] probably represent different habitat templates," he said, "just as different-size tree branches are used by different species of birds."

Barack Obama, The 'Magic Negro'

You aren't heavy, you're his brother:

AS EVERY CARBON-BASED life form on this planet surely knows, Barack Obama, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, is running for president. ... But it's clear that Obama also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the "Magic Negro."

The Magic Negro is a figure of postmodern folk culture, coined by snarky 20th century sociologists, to explain a cultural figure who emerged in the wake of Brown vs. Board of Education. "He has no past, he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist," reads the description on Wikipedia.

...As might be expected, this figure is chiefly cinematic — embodied by such noted performers as Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Scatman Crothers, Michael Clarke Duncan, Will Smith and, most recently, Don Cheadle. And that's not to mention a certain basketball player whose very nickname is "Magic."

...And what does the white man get out of the bargain? That's a question asked by John Guare in "Six Degrees of Separation," his brilliant retelling of the true saga of David Hampton — a young, personable gay con man who in the 1980s passed himself off as the son of none other than the real Sidney Poitier. Though he started small, using the ruse to get into Studio 54, Hampton discovered that countless gullible, well-heeled New Yorkers, vulnerable to the Magic Negro myth, were only too eager to believe in his baroque fantasy. (One of the few who wasn't fooled was Andy Warhol, who was astonished his underlings believed Hampton's whoppers. Clearly Warhol had no need for the accouterment of interracial "goodwill.")

But the same can't be said of most white Americans, whose desire for a noble, healing Negro hasn't faded. That's where Obama comes in: as Poitier's "real" fake son.

... Obama's fame right now has little to do with his political record or what he's written in his two (count 'em) books, or even what he's actually said in those stem-winders. It's the way he's said it that counts the most. It's his manner, which, as presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden ham-fistedly reminded us, is "articulate." His tone is always genial, his voice warm and unthreatening, and he hasn't called his opponents names (despite being baited by the media).

If There Is No Terror, Is There Terrorism?

It's very impressive that Union Pacific has started so quickly rebuilding the trestle that fire destroyed last Thursday. According to a report I heard on TV, it is costing UP $1 million/day to have that track section out of commission, and so they are moving heaven and earth to get concrete pre-fab trestle sections in place to rebuild a new trestle, for about $38 million, by next month. It's like a war-footing!

Union Pacific has also offered a $2,500 reward for information about foul play that may have been involved in the suspiciously-rapid destruction of the trestle - peanuts, basically, considering the scale of the damage.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the sort of terrorism the Homeland Security folks were most-worried about after 9/11, because it was the most-likely: highly-disruptive activities aimed at causing economic hardship and provoking fear. And you can't say the arsonist(s), whomever they may prove to be, didn't try. The fire was set on that portion of the trestle parallel to the heavily-traveled, Business 80 Capitol City Freeway,where tens of thousands of people would have their most-unencumbered view as they passed over the American River on their ways home in the evening commute.

And yet, there is little sense of dread - in fact, no sense of it at all! Indeed, the sudden absence of train traffic has made commuting life quite a bit easier in downtown Sacramento. So, terror has its upside!

The key here, of course, is the absence of a (publicly-acknowledged) threat, and no deaths (maybe one injury from a firefighter, though). Terror is hard to foment if there aren't at least some deaths. That's one reason Iraq is such a frightening place now: combatants are going for maximum terroristic effect, killing indiscriminately....

So, was the railway trestle fire just the start of a crime spree in the Sacramento area by newbie terrorists flexing their capabilities? Maybe so! So, the stolid reaction of law enforcement and Union Pacific so far may lead the newbies to try again, for greater effect, perhaps this time tripping up. On the other hand, maybe that's the best way terror should always be addressed - just a cost of living in the modern world.

Move along, move along, nothing to gaze at here!

The Meaning Of 'Mortgage' Is 'Death Pledge'

Here is the Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter.

Over at Obsidian Wings, Hilzoy frets about the collapse of the mortgage bubble:

But the real potential for ugliness comes when you put those things together. A fall in housing prices drives consumer demand down, as well as hurting housing-related businesses. A credit crunch means that it's harder for anyone to borrow money, which means that all sorts of demand-creating activities that people want to borrow money to undertake won't happen. All sorts of people will lose money. Not good at all.

And remember: housing recessions take a long time to unwind. When bubbles burst, prices have to return to their normal, non-bubbly level. If the bubble is in tulip bulbs, that happens when people get rid of all the tulip bulbs they couldn't really afford anyways, and things go back to normal. But people don't get rid of homes they couldn't really afford nearly so easily. People like their homes. They'll part with almost anything else first. This could take a while.

Left And Right Coast (And The Middle Too) Carbon Footprint Smackdown

Walt in Aiken, South Carolina, proposed a project:

I was curious to see how folks in Aiken are doing in reducing their carbon footprint. So one day I counted vehicles in the parking lot at work to see how many are driving gas guzzlers. My workplace is in a remote area; the nearest town with more than 5,000 people is 20 miles away. So most employees have a rather long commute.

Of 476 cars, the breakdown was thus:

sedans - 53%
SUVs & vans - 26%
pickups - 22%

Not a very environmentally conscious showing, considering that almost half the vehicles (SUVs, vans, and pickups) probably get 20 mpg or less. It was worse in town. While walking at the park on a weekday afternoon, I observed 400 non-commercial vehicles driving on the main street.

sedans - 44%
SUVs & vans - 35%
pickups - 21%

Overall, it looks as if Aiken residents do not choose their vehicles for gas economy, although they do tend to drive sedans to work, and use SUVs for running errands. I encourage you to take similar censuses in your cities. Let me know what you find.

I sat down outside at the Una Mas! Café one block from where I work, ate a burrito, and counted the mid-afternoon Monday traffic along J Street as it passed by. The location is just outside Sacramento’s urban core and includes many commuters on errands, local traffic, and commercial activity. I also counted the parked vehicles on the walk over. Since the object of interest is commuter vehicles, I tried to leave out heavy-duty vehicles and clearly-labeled commercial vehicles, but I likely-included poorly-labeled commercial vehicles. There is always the chance of some double-counting (vehicles circling for parking spaces; parked vehicles I counted driving past, etc.)

I was impressed by the noise in the counts. Sometimes there would be no pickups going past at all, and sometimes nothing but pickups.

Of 546 vehicles, the breakdown was thus:

sedans - 54%
SUVs & vans - 31%
pickups - 15%

The count is so close to Walt's, it’s quite eerie! The only significant difference is that SUVs/Vans seem to substitute somewhat for pickups. Californians like to preen over their eco-friendliness, but you can’t spot it these statistics.

[UPDATE:] Not to be outdone, John in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma writes:

OK, I did a count this morning on the street in front of my shop before opening and the results are as follows:

Of 437 vehicles counted, there were 241 sedans, 117 SUV's and 79 pickups for:

Sedans: 55%
SUV's and vans: 27%
Pickups: 18%

It seems that the numbers run fairly consistent on a national basis.

Eric Idle Hangs Out With Billionaires

Taking "Spamalot" to Vegas:

"Can I give you a ride home?" he (Steve Wynn) asks nicely. I'm thinking 6th Avenue, but he means L.A. Well, OK. He flies us home in a plane bigger than my boarding school. There are dogs on board, so my wife is happy. All the way he plays the "Spamalot" cast recording, regaling his passengers with his version of scenes from the show. Later he leaves a message on my phone in a British accent so good that for a moment I think it is Hank Azaria.

As part of my research, I decide to visit all the major attractions (in Vegas). Nothing quite matches the intensity of the plot of "Jubilee," which grips me with its thrilling story of 150 bare-breasted ladies seducing Samson and causing the Titanic to sink. At the Crazy Horse, the girls have blond wigs, perfect derri–res and genuine French names like Fifi and Suki. They remind me what the '70s was all about: light shows and shagging. But the show is a little thin on plot. And clothing.

The rest of the entertainment is all French Canadian, from Celine to the many Cirques. Monty Python was a Flying Circus, but does that qualify as a Cirque? We have no acrobats, no contortionism, apart from Silly Walks and only a few French people yelling abuse, farting in our general direction. What will the nipple-sated Nevadans make of our little show?

I know upfront that I will have to cut 20 minutes from it. What F. Scott Fitzgerald said of American lives is definitely true of Vegas — there are no second acts. Partly this is because they want you back in the casino, and partly it's because they want you back in the casino. In fact, with our low ticket prices I figured out that you will actually save money if you spend 90 minutes in "Spamalot." And if you sleep during the show you can save on a room.

...Last month we launched "Spamalot" in the new Grail Theater. I do a bit of stand-up: "I was in Vegas last night and I missed my wife so much I paid for a woman to come up to my room and ignore me…. "

I introduce our new King Arthur, producing John O'Hurley out of a can of Spam. Then we ham it up and dance a tango together. Why? Because I can't do the pasodoble. And of course we bring on our beautiful girls, wearing only white lingerie. Why? Do you need to ask? I announce that, as an added attraction, some of our shows will be topless, but only in John's part.

Steve Wynn is very funny. He says he has been trying to kill Broadway in Las Vegas and what better way than to put on "Spamalot." Earlier I had tried half-heartedly to persuade him to put his elbow through a painting. "It'll be a big laugh," I say, but he sensibly declined. "Bad enough I am known as the Inspector Clouseau of the art world," he laughed.

...THINGS are going well until the third night of previews, when we have a major glitch. Our elevator fails, and instead of the Lady of the Lake and her Laker girls emerging in their skimpy fronds, nothing happens.

King Arthur stands gesturing to an empty stage. "She's a bit late," says O'Hurley manfully. From below we can hear the Lady of the Lake singing away, but nothing emerges. Oh, dear. We are going to have to stop.

Some deep showoff instinct kicks in and I find myself rushing down through the audience and up onto the stage. The place goes wild. Easiest standing ovation I ever had. "This is what in theatrical terms is called a screw-up," I say. "A huge helicopter was supposed to land onstage … oh, no, that was another show." I ad-lib for about 10 minutes, thinking how Eddie Izzard would be proud of me doing improvisational stand-up in front of 1,600 people. Luckily the glitch ends before I do and I can escape back into the audience and the show continues.

Just Supersize It

Big ripples from a big problem. I wonder when we'll follow suit here in the U.S.?:

NSW Ambulance was the first in Australia to introduce the ambulances, which cost nearly $100,000 more than a regular vehicle, in 1999.

...Recent studies estimate 67 per cent of Australian men and 52 per cent of women aged 25 years and over are overweight or obese.

The weight epidemic has also extended to the school playground with NSW Health estimating that between 1985 to 1995 the number of children either overweight or obese has more than doubled.

..."Due to their unique capabilities the ambulances also assist patients with routine medical appointments such as doctor or dentist visits, with examinations and treatment often completed in the rear of the MPV," he said.

..."A recent case in Sydney's northwest, where a 400kg man had fractured his leg at home, required the demolition of part of a wall and required multi-agency teamwork between ambulance officers and officers from NSW Fire Brigade and NSW Police," Mr Willis said.

"The case took 16 emergency services personnel five hours to complete."

The crisis has also forced an upgrade to air emergency services with new helicopters due to arrive in May which will have a greater load capabilities than the current fleet.

"Camelot" Final Weekend, And Strike


Left: King Arthur makes Mordred an offer he accepts to Arthur's face, but refuses behind his back. King Arthur (Gil Sebastian) and Mordred (Jon Jackson).













King Arthur (Gil Sebastian).


















Two more shots with Nimue Dancer (Meg King, foreground), Merlin (Paul Fearn, middle), and Nimue Singer (Bridget Maguire, background).



Kaya The Hawk was hungry on Friday night, and complained about it back stage during the performance. On Sunday, the Sebastians presented Kaya with a chocolate Easter Bunny, but the offering didn't mollify her: her unscripted calls could be heard several times in Sunday's performance.

I think we were all happy to have a living raptor in the show: it added a lot of color. And now, we all know what a Red-Tailed Hawk sounds like (I saw pigeons panicking Saturday morning over a hawk circling near where I live in Sacramento. Bridget Maguire says there are raptors circling everywhere in the area, and I'm sure she's right).

A couple of bumps and scrapes were suffered by people back stage from the moving furniture during the weekend - nothing serious, but always a reminder that theater has its dangerous side.

On Sunday, the may pole dance got a bit tangled - it was always a danger, but the problem lurked until the last show to express itself. No big deal; just mildly embarrassing....

In Act I, Sunday, a woman in the audience abruptly started talking loudly, just a couple of feet from the stage, and very-nearly knocked Gil and Marguerite off their scripted lines. Obnoxious and rude! Director Lenore Sebastian posed a rhetorical question back stage: "Why do all the meshuganas have to sit in the front row?" A good question! If I had had a voodoo doll with me that instant, I'm sure Lenore could have converted it into a pin cushion.

Audience rudeness is a problem that sometimes bedevils live theater. Perhaps audiences should be encouraged to stop shows as needed and ritually ostracize unwelcome noisy individuals. It could be spooky and weird, like in a Twilight Zone episode, so as to discourage violations. Someone stands up (perhaps an usher), points at a loud person and shouts "J'accuse!" The show stops and the offender is hooted out of the theater. Or maybe it should be done with paintballs. Or pitchforks. Or tasers. Whatever works!

Strike was an easy business this time, and we all went out for pizza afterwards.

John Hancock On The Town

On Friday night, Juan Ramos and John Hancock came to see "Camelot" at DMTC. Their visit was unexpected, and it was a very happy one. To impress his fans, John stood up from his wheelchair and took a few steps. The quiet miracle wrought by physical therapy since last May's auto accident left us all awestruck. Best of good fortune to both Juan and John!

Robert Ballard Coming To UCD

On April 11th:

Deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard, famous for his historic discovery of the wreckage of the Titanic more than 12,000 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic, will speak Wednesday, April 11, at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis.

One of the world's foremost oceanographers and a veteran of more than 100 undersea expeditions, Ballard will present a lecture titled “Undersea Exploration and the Miracle of Human Achievement.”

Tickets are still available for his talk at 8 p.m., presented as part of the Distinguished Speakers series.

Threat To Pets?

I shop at Safeway, but I never buy the 'cuts and gravy' style, so maybe Sparky is safe (but not by much):

A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.

An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.

"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer.

The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6. The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.

Menu Foods did not immediately provide a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall, saying they would be posted on its Web site -- www.menufoods.com/recall -- early Saturday. Consumers with questions can call (866) 463-6738..

The company said it manufacturers for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies. Its three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J., Henderson said.

Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a cause for the sickness.

Arson Tip Line

In the event anyone saw anything:

Fire investigators are labeling the massive fire that destroyed a train bridge Thursday night as "suspicious" and are asking for the public's help in determining whether it was arson.

An arson tip line has been set up -- 916-808-1361 -- and Fire Capt. Jim Doucette said the blaze "moved very, very fast," leading investigators to suspect it may have been set.

"Until we rule it out I would call it suspicious," Doucette said about noon Friday.

Speculation Regarding The Fire

It pains me, as a liberal, when fellow liberals get so caught up in the cycle of Washington scandal and recrimination that they are caught flat-footed when genuine threats emerge. That happened during 9/11, when some liberals mumbled tired cliches about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in response to the stark new domestic challenge posed by Al Qaeda. Denial and inertia among liberals gave the initiative to the neoconservatives. At least the neocons had a plan - invade Iraq. It was a stupid plan, but in an emergency, stupid plan wins out over no plan at all.

This Sacramento railroad trestle fire has me worried. Liberals need a plan. I suspect a form of domestic terrorism - whether for money, a grudge, or for ideology is unclear. Even accounting for the flammability of the creosote-soaked timbers, it is very odd that the fire spread so quickly along the length of the 600 foot trestle. Usually, it is very hard to get fires to spread out in a linear fashion, unless there were multiple ignition points. Initial speculation among the people at the scene suggested the same mindset:

Sacramento Metro Fire spokesman Christian Pebbles said the fire spread rapidly, stretching across the length of a football field within minutes. Fire officials said they have not determined how the fire started, but the creosote-soaked trestle fueled intense black smoke that could be seen from more than 50 miles away.

Coal tar creosote is a thick, oily liquid commonly used to preserve the peeled logs used to stabilize railroad trestles.

The fire brought rush-hour traffic to a halt on the Capital City Freeway bordering the state fairgrounds as commuters stopped to look at the blaze. Some even got out of their cars and began walking towards the flames, forcing officials to use megaphones to warn spectators away.

Portions of the structure began collapsing after 7 p.m. Doucette said nearly 100 area firefighters would continue to battle the fire throughout the night and hot spots could continue to burn over the next several days.

According to sources close to the investigation, the speed of the fire's spread had authorities looking into the possibility that an accelerant was involved in the blaze.

The heat and scope of the fire left even veteran firefighters in awe. "If this would've been a hot summer day, we would've had firefighters in the hospital right now," Doucette said.

Late last night, I thought I would play Paul Revere and head over to Eschaton to sound the alarm. The few people on-line were utterly dismissive of my concerns. In a way, it's hard to blame them, since the misdeeds of the Bush Administration are so many, and have yielded political dividends so great, that it's hard to get diverted. Bad news is always unwelcome. But bad news is good news for opportunists like the Bush Administration, so we must be ready. Here is a portion of that Eschaton dialogue:

Is the railroad trestle fire in Sacramento an act of terrorism? If so, by whom?
Marc Valdez Homepage 03.16.07 - 1:54 am #
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Your Mama.
Rumpleforeskin 03.16.07 - 2:01 am #

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Yo mama?
Rumpleforeskin 03.16.07 - 2:04 am #

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'Rumpleforeskin', and others: I'm not posing the question as a joke. The railroad trestle fire in Sacramento may be the kind of terrorism against soft infrastructure targets that the Homeland Security folks have worried about for a long time, and especially since 9/11. So, it's time to get off our soft, complacent asses and at least consider the possibility. Because I'm sure the Bush Administration is already thinking about it. Much will depend on what the investigators discover about the fire's cause once they get the fire put out.
Marc Valdez Homepage 03.16.07 - 2:30 am #

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Using it to deflect attention on nailing Turdblossoms ass.
Rumpleforeskin 03.16.07 - 2:34 am #

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Read up on old railroads, trestles used to burn all the time, and it wasn't Indians / Native Americans doing it.

Good lord, trying to blame this on terrorism.

I'll blame the terriests for making my streets slick, so people keep slaming into my tree at the corner.

Barry from Alaska Homepage 03.16.07 - 2:34 am #

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They're drooling over a potential distraction.

It ain't enough.
Steve French 03.16.07 - 2:36 am #

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It's not the terrorists, its the trestle-ists.
spinoz-a-peeps Homepage 03.16.07 - 2:44 am #

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Barry From Alaska: I'm not blaming the fire on terrorists...yet. It's quite odd that something like this happened, and what I'm saying is be prepared, because it will be a natural magnet for Republican politicians if foul play is discovered.
Marc Valdez Homepage 03.16.07 - 2:50 am #

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Well hell, doesn't the parrot act define any crime as terrism?

Barry from Alaska Homepage 03.16.07 - 2:53 am #

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Get the fuck out of here, concern troll.
Rumpleforeskin 03.16.07 - 2:56 am #

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More liberal than you are, Rumpleforeskin!
Marc Valdez Homepage 03.16.07 - 2:57 am #

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foul play

dancing chickens?
.
Tacitus Voltaire 03.16.07 - 2:58 am #

Sigh! Complacent as a Sunday afternoon! Well, we'll see!

Uh Oh! Big Fire

Left: First view, about 5:46 p.m. PDT, behind Sierra Research, at 18th and J Street, Sacramento.









About 5:48 p.m. PDT, at 19th and J Street, Sacramento.



















About 5:52 p.m. PDT, off of 19th Street, between T and V Streets, Sacramento (The elongated white building is the Ron Cisneros Dance Studio).


It looks like the big fire did some major damage.

A dramatic evening fire Thursday along the American River Parkway near Cal Expo destroyed a Union Pacific mainline track, sending billowing black smoke thousands of feet into the blue skies, and disrupting train traffic through the Central Valley.

The hot-burning fire, first reported at 5:41 p.m., quickly consumed about 600 feet of heavy-duty trestle timber and tracks in a secluded section of the American River Parkway, just north of the American River.

Slowed by the lack of traditional access to water in the area, firefighters from the Sacramento City Fire Department and Sacramento Metro Fire District relied on relay-pumping from hydrants in developed areas on the north side of the parkway levee near Cal Expo.

As night fell and firefighting continued, the blaze was toppling burned sections of the 25-foot-high rail trestle and showed little sign of dying down.

Union Pacific officials confirmed Thursday night that the destroyed track was one of the company's main freight lines between Sacramento and points east, as well as a major passenger corridor for local commuter and long-distance trains.

The blaze forced Amtrak to halt a westbound train from Reno to Sacramento, George Elsmore, railroad operations and safety program manager for the California Public Utilities Commission, told the Associated Press. It threatened to cause further disruptions, he said.

...Thursday night at the scene, Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Jim Doucette said officials did not yet know the cause of the fire, although there were some early reports that a portion of the trestle had been pushed upward, as if there had been an explosion.

"Way too early to figure that out," Doucette said. "We're shuttling water back and forth, and we're making some headway."

However, he said, "The whole bridge will be a loss. I fully expect it to collapse."

UP spokesman James Barnes said there were no initial reports of injuries and there was no train on the tracks at the fire site.

"It certainly is one of our main lines," Barnes said. "We are anticipating that the trestle will not survive. The important thing now is to get that fire under control and out, and then we can better assess the situation. We won't know for several hours what that means in terms of rerouting (frieght trains)."

The fire on the trestle, several hundred yards west of the Capitol City Freeway, caused backups for several miles during the late evening rush hour. The smoke plume was reportedly seen from 50 miles away.

The question I'm sure everyone will have is why did the railway trestle catch on fire in such a spectacular way? On Channel 10 (or was it Channel 3?) they said the trestle was built in 1910. Apparently the trestle carried fiber optics lines, and (I heard somewhere) a propane line. In addition, a natural gas pipeline passes beneath the American River in the immediate vicinity.

Presumably there was an explosion in the propane gas line that quickly spread fire along the trestle. But why? Natural metal fatigue from aging? Some subtle mechanical stress? Sabotage?

If the explosion resulted from terrorism it would have been as easy as pie for the malefactors to study this sensitive urban site, since the area is heavily wooded and sees lots of traffic, from the bike path running along the American River, and under the trestle, as well as numerous other foot paths and roads.

We'll see what the investigators dig up, once they get the fire under control!

Debriefing

Me: Tell me, why are these folks sleeping in the car in the driveway?

Him: I've made lots of money in my lifetime. It came; it went. I just wanted to get away, so I disappeared. I known some people who can cause serious damage. I've known people who throw Hells Angels against the wall. I could see them cleaning their guns, and I knew what was going on, but they cared for me and shielded me from all that. Myself, I'm a peaceful man. The vatos around here, I don't know them. Even the old people will hold you up around here. Love just hurts too much - better to stay single. No matter what, stay honest, because, in the end, that's all you have. That, and your family. Friends come and friends go.

Me: Tell me again, why are these folks sleeping in the car in the driveway?

Behold The Future

I can hardly wait!:

They say fiber from processed and sterilized cow manure could take the place of sawdust in fiberboard, which is used to make furniture, flooring and store shelves. It could help dispose of up to 2 trillion pounds of manure a year.

Losing Patience With The Southern Hemisphere Rain Gods

So, El Nino is over and the climatologists say the picture is increasingly bright, so why doesn't it freakin' rain in the Brisbane area? Lake Wivenhoe is down to 19% - it'll drain completely by year's end at this rate - and the summer rainy season is ending, so, come on, DO something!

Civic Pride, Solidarity, and, yes, Limited Education

Make a lasting mark:

Jack Siemers offered his Bridgeport shop Sunday as a spot for customers to get free CHI-TONW tattoos from Hacker, who usually works at Rising Phoenix tattoo in Addison. Siemers also inked some customers with CHI-TONW.

In total, about 20 people have gotten CHI-TONW tattoos, several of them friends of Hacker's.

"I feel really good about my friends standing up, and the family of tattoo artists," said Hacker, who also has a new CHI-TONW tattoo on his leg.

Looking Askance At The New Mexico State Legislature

Jerry casts a gimlet eye towards Santa Fe:

Looks like some of the folks in the New Mexico legislature may have too
much time on their hands.

Why, what could possibly be up in the Land of Enchantment?:

Last fall, Pluto suffered a blow when 2,500 scientists in the International Astronomical Union voted that the little guy was something of a slacker and didn't dominate his orbit the way the other planets do. Thus, the downgrade to a dwarf planet.

"We really took it as an affront," Gutierrez said.

So she introduced a measure to recognize Pluto as a full-fledged planet when it passes over New Mexico.

The House on Tuesday passed the measure; it's pending in the Senate.

Excellent idea! As a New Mexican, all I can say is that this is the best law ever proposed, and it should be passed immediately! I feel oddly bereft without Pluto as a planet: the New Mexico of the Solar System. Like it's really lonely out there in space!

Strict Dad

Don't leave:

A 6-year-old boy stayed in an apartment with the body of his father for two days after the man died on their sofa, obeying instructions to never leave without permission, firefighters said.

The boy, whose name was not released, didn't want to leave even after firefighters arrived, fearing punishment if he left, fire department Maj. Noble Lee said.

"He wasn't as distraught as one might think," Lee said. "I don't think he understands the gravity of the past few days. He wasn't as upset at the situation as he was about being outside the residence without permission."

Increasingly Baroque Jurisprudence

What constitutes 'religious freedom' has many aspects, including land use:

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday overturned a January 2006 lower-court decision and said the use of recycled sewage water to make artificial snow at the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort violates the religious freedom of Navajos, Hopis and several other Southwestern Indian tribes, the Gallup Independent reported.

... The 9th Circuit found that the Forest Service's approval of the sewage-for-snowmaking violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and that the final environmental impact statement does not comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, according to Appellate Judge William A. Fletcher's written opinion.
Attorney Howard Shanker, who represented the plaintiffs/appellants, said the ruling was especially important for Indian tribes, because an earlier federal decision -- Lyng vs. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Assn. -- held that Native Americans did not have First Amendment rights when it came to federal land-use decisions, the Independent said.

"Essentially, Native Americans have had no recourse challenging government land-use decisions which often times impact sacred sites and culturally significant sites," Shanker said.

...The San Francisco Peaks, located in the Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona, have had a longstanding religious significance to Southwest Indian tribes, according to the Independent.

The Snowbowl is located on Humphreys Peak, the highest mountain in the range and one of the most spiritually significant to the tribes, the Independent reported.

Squirrels

The electric utilities hate 'em:

Every year, Neil Engelman carefully collects his data, stands before his company's board of directors and is asked the same question: What caused more outages? The lightning or the squirrels?

Four of the past five years, the answer has been the squirrels, says Engelman, vice president of operations for the Lincoln Electric System in Nebraska. Nebraska is not alone. Many states are grappling with a big increase in the number of power outages caused by squirrel electrocutions.

... Some states have seen a massive jump in recent years in the number of such outages. In Georgia, squirrel-related outages more than tripled from 5,273 in 2005 to 16,750 in 2006.

... Acorns from oak trees are a squirrel's main diet, says Peter Smallwood, a squirrel expert and biology professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia. When oaks produce more acorns, you get more squirrels — and more outages.

... Squirrels are not electrocuted when they run across power lines. It's when their body makes contact with both the wire and either the ground or a transformer that they become a conduit for electricity to flow through.

"That completes the circuit and bammo!" said Ed Bettinger of the Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

Among recent outages:

• A squirrel caused a power outage in October that shut down Merced College, southeast of San Francisco, for half the day.

• In January, a squirrel cut power to 4,500 customers in Amarillo, Tex.

• Hundreds of gallons of raw sewage poured into Mobile Bay in Alabama after a squirrel cut power to a sewage lift station there.

Pop Tart

Rabbits do a retrospective on the career of Britney Spears.

Australian Nostalgia

Not for the weak of stomach:

KRAFT is closer to identifying the original Happy Little Vegemites after a national call for the children who appeared in the iconic 1950s advertisement to come forward.

Some 13 people contacted the food producer today claiming they starred in the original Happy Little Vegemites commercial, although only eight children appeared in the ad.

Elk Grove Fine Arts Festival

I notice the folks at Pepper Von's are beginning to work up for this event, on Saturday, March 31st. It looks like a big hodge-podge of interesting stuff!

The Trouble With Blogs - Episode MMVLIV

I write about local musical theater player, in passing mentioning a minor injury to hand incurred during show.

Months later, local musical theater player gets involved in on-line activities with strangers (e.g., gaming, etc.)

I notice lots of hits on blog regarding past shows.

Stranger E-Mails local musical theater player and asks, "So, how's your hand?"

Failing To Understand People - Episode CCLVIII

Severely winded in exercise class, I gasped to a neighbor "How are you?" She said, "This is the best possible time to talk, because you can just let go of those inhibitions you might have about talking with me." "Really," I managed to croak, at a loss for both words and breath, and somehow feeling more inhibited than ever....

Top-Down Crash

Significant decline of the stock market today. I always thought the day of reckoning for the real estate boom would be a bottom-up affair, with the rapid spread of foreclosures, but instead it looks like a top-down kind of business:

Last month, the company said it lost track of how frequently borrowers missed payments on their mortgages. Because New Century's books didn't reflect how often borrowers defaulted and how likely borrowers were to default in the future, the value of the company's loan portfolio was overstated.

Last week, it stopped accepting all new loan applications because it hasn't been able to raise enough capital or renegotiate its existing financial agreements. It has since disclosed that all of its lenders have slashed funding or announced their intent to cut it off altogether. The lenders have alleged the company failed to make payments.

The company is now under pressure from several lenders to pay back what it owes them. One of its backers, UBS Real Estate Securities Inc., is demanding New Century's subsidiaries pay immediately some $1.5 billion in repurchase obligations for outstanding mortgage loans, according to documents filed Tuesday with the SEC

Fox News And The Democrats

The Wall Street Journal is worried about the decision of Democratic presidential candidates not to appear at a Nevada primary debate hosted by Fox News, and seems to think that the candidates are knuckling under to the demands of some fanatical left-wing MoveOn.org horde. WSJ points out that many Democrats watch Fox News and that they will be under-served by a Democratic boycott.

I wish the MoveOn.org types had that much power! No, what is happening is that Fox News has no credibility among Democrats in general, and the candidates in particular. Memo to WSJ: does anyone think any Democrat relies on Fox News for unbiased information about Democrats? The only tricks Fox News doesn't do is play scary music and intense wide-angle close-ups when featuring a Democrat. After all, it was Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News himself, who was pushing that idiotic Obama-Osama meme, supposedly as a 'joke'. And then you wonder why Senator Obama doesn't want to have anything to do with Fox News? Or Senator Edwards? Or any Democrat?

Journalism is a delicate dance between the newsmakers and those who cover the news. It's time for Fox News to learn something beyond the Foot-Stomping Fascist Clodhop.

'Rocky Mountain High'

Colorado adopts John Denver's 1972 song as its second state anthem.

"The Emperor's New Clothes" - DMTC's Young Performer's Theater

Left: The cast at final bows. I apologize if I get the name order not quite right:

Left to right: Cassidy Patterson, Ashlyn Barbieri, Sally Li, Lindsay Mitchell, Kelsey Garrett (Herald), Kat Holder (Sinister The Prime Minister), Chris Petersen (Emperor Maximilian The Most), Nora Unkel (Empress Carlotta The Least), Matthew Fyhrie (Stitch), Alice Moylan (Sew), Alex Chen (Chester), Sabrina Schloss (Verity), Kiyo Nishiyama (Lady Winifred), Juliana Wynkoop (Lady Lynn), Kelly Ragsdale, Petra Favorite, Soomi Yoo.

I can still recall the 2003 "Emperor's New Clothes", and indeed, one person was in both shows (Nora Unkel: 'Sew' in 2003, 'Emperess Carlotta' in 2007). I saw at least two people in the audience who were in the 2003 show (Mary Ellen Price and Rebecca Rudy). The sumptuous costumes, designed by Anna Johnson in both 2003 and 2007, were sometimes used for both shows. And Jan Isaacson directed both shows. The ties to the immediate past are strong!

Chris Petersen is a fine actor and Nora Unkel is honing her stage skills (she did a brief tap solo that looked great). Sabrina Schloss played a winning Verity. Later, it occurred to me Schloss looks rather similar to Emily Jo Seminoff, her predecessor in that role: it was almost like deja vu! Kat Holder's makeup and costume served her well as Sinister the Prime Minister. As Stitch and Sew, the Fyhrie/Moylan team worked well: it seemed to me younger than the Spangler/Unkel team had been in 2003, but maybe better-spoken. In the ensemble, two people seemed to stand out - Kelly Ragsdale (I believe) and Soomi Yoo.

Two more performances left! - Saturday morning and afternoon, on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. Go see it!

Here's another picture of bows:

"Camelot" Gallery

(I'll put recent "Camelot" photos here)

Left: Guenevere (Marguerite Morris) and Lancelot (Tae Kim).













Nimue Singer (Bridget Maguire), seen from behind and below.

Guenevere (Marguerite Morris).

The entrapment of Arthur: Pellinor (Paul Fearn) and King Arthur (Gil Sebastian), foreground; Morgan La Fey (Anne Marie Trout), background.



Mordred (Jon Jackson) finally meets his aunt, Morgan La Fey (Anne Marie Trout).





























Nimue Dancer (Meg King, foreground), Merlin (Paul Fearn, middle), and Nimue Singer (Bridget Maguire, background).

King Arthur (Gil Sebastian) and Guenevere (Marguerite Morris).

King Arthur (Gil Sebastian).

"Camelot" Weekend

Left: Bridget Maguire, and Kaya, the Red-Tailed Hawk, wearing her fashionable hood.


On Friday, a sandbag broke, and scattered sand stage left. Sitting on the floor, stage left, in 'Lusty Month Of May' was apparently more akin to sitting on a beach than sitting on a meadow.

On Sunday, Kaya, the Red-Tailed Hawk, began muttering to herself in her cage, back stage. Her calls were familiar, yet eerie - the calls of a living raptor. Bridget had to take Kaya into the costume shop until she calmed down.

It's bad enough to spend week after week with stealthy humans, prowling around the same dull, dark building and always doing the same things, but at least usually it's after sunset. But when it's a glorious March afternoon, with the fields full of mice and gopher snakes, and there you are, trapped in the dark, it's almost more than a hawk can bear.

"Wild Hogs"

Left: William Macy experiences a New Mexico hello.

With the news that Stephanie Skewes was cast in "Wild Hogs" (see previous post), together with the New Mexico locale (where I'm from), there was finally enough incentive to see what promised to be a pretty predictable film.

Sadly, Stephanie Skewes gets only one line, plus several scenes where she's in the background. Nevertheless, she's broken into the big time, and her next film, "Growing Out", promises much more time on camera.

"Wild Hogs" was fairly amusing, but a bit lame: Martin Lawrence and William Macy made the experience enjoyable.

Of course, what really got me was the New Mexico locale. I used to go up to Madrid in the 70's with friend Steve Martin for New Mexico Jazz festivals, held at the old ball park. My dad remembers going up there with his dad in the 30's for exciting boxing matches in the coal camps.

By the early 60's, with the coal mines closed, the town nearly died, but it was reinvigorated in the late 60's with counterculture folks. That was probably the time when the accent on the town's name changed, from Ma - DRID (Spanish), to MA - drid (English): lots of English speakers had moved in. The town's location, more or less in between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, but off the main highway, is a help, especially since they can tap into the boom in Santa Fe-related interests. After all, Shirley MacClaine and her crystal crowd is based at her ranch near Galisteo, not that far away from Madrid....

The last time I visited Madrid was in 1995. I picked up some Casas Grandes pottery in a Madrid shop. The pottery came from northern Mexico, in Chihuahua: close enough culturally to be similar to New Mexico pottery (I think the Casas Grandes Indians are related to the ancient Mimbres culture of SW NM), but nevertheless different - much thinner pottery; more elegant. The folks who ran the shop knew their pottery well.

Hollywood is shockingly cavalier with places and locales in movies - they've always been that way. An example from this movie are some of the road scenes, supposedly filmed in Missouri, but which were obviously filmed in the lush, piney, high-elevation Jemez Caldera, west of Los Alamos. They also used the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, just west of Taos, in the same careless spirit.

Nevertheless, these filmmakers were very, very careful with Madrid. Madrid is a real place, after all. They didn't try to change the name of the town, and they repeated the town's name's pronunciation, for the benefit of the slow. I wonder why they were so careful? It's quite striking, really, when Hollywood couldn't care less, usually. They must like the place!

I loved the immediate surroundings of Madrid - the San Pedro and Ortiz Mountains, looking bright, fresh, and glorious. Interestingly, in the 60's and 70's, bikers used to gather at a bar in Golden, NM, not far from Madrid (but not directly featured in the movie). Bikers are part of the folklore of the area. Maybe that's why they picked Madrid for the movie???

The main street of Madrid looked more-or-less familiar, with that sharp bend in the main street, but I didn't see the old ball park (unless that's where the 'chili festival' was filmed) and I didn't see any pottery or any crystals or any jazz musicians. Oh well - can't have everything!

Homeless People Watch

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, as the remaining cast members of "Camelot" dwindled away into the dark from Applebee's, a young man in his early 20's approached and asked if I knew whether Davis had a homeless shelter. The question took me aback: Davis is a comfortable community with little obvious need for a homeless shelter. On the other hand, people can drop into town anytime from anywhere from Interstate Highway 80. In addition, there are lots of young people in Davis, and you never know what happens even in comfortable communities.

There is a portion of my brain, about the size of a walnut, where I make decisions about whether to aid the distressed. The walnut is schizophrenic and irrational. Given any two homeless people, I might aid one and not the other, neither, or both, depending on whim. In this case, even though it wasn't that cold, he was visibly trembling. I asked if he was cold, and he said yes.

So, apropos enough, I gave him a well-worn "Oliver!" sweatshirt, which I've had for more than six years. Time for the sweatshirt to get more wear in other hands! So, if you see a forlorn but unfamiliar DMTC aficionado wandering near the Richards Blvd. exit off of I-80, that is how he came to have his sweatshirt.

Fortune Cookie Watch

Following the usual practice of adding the phrase 'in bed' to any fortune you receive:

The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well - in bed.

Bigotry And Campaigning

The recent controversy regarding Ann Coulter's 'faggot' remarks concerning John Edwards provides a useful counterpoint to the other controversy last month regarding the two bloggers hired by John Edwards, and their remarks that could be interpreted as anti-Catholic bigotry. Ann Coulter has been defended by some who claim that liberals also use the word 'faggot', even in a derogatory way, and that it is hypocrisy to complain about it.

I think that there are two angles here. The first is, were the remarks taken out-of-context in some manner? Some have argued that the comments of the two bloggers were isolated from their context and were not as extreme as they seemed. Ann Coulter has argued that she was taking aim at the (sometimes objectionable) practice of political correctness and not at John Edwards in particular. In neither case do I think the defenses are warranted. Bigot is as bigot does.

The second angle is the fora in which the bigotry was unleashed. With the two bloggers, the comments were made on personal web logs, or on small group web logs. As such, the fora were fairly small, and it wasn't until the bloggers were hired by Edwards, and the possibility emerged that the anti-Catholic bigotry might be imputed to the candidate, that the controversy arose. It was appropriate that Edwards keep the bloggers on, since the comments had not been made under his auspices. Nevertheless, once it became clear the bloggers would continue their anti-Catholic rhetoric even given their new status, it was necessary for the bloggers to resign, as they did.

Coulter made her remarks as an invited featured speaker to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) after a long career of making incendiary remarks of this sort. Her remarks thus could be imputed to all the identified Republican presidential candidates, since all the identified Republican presidential candidates were in attendance (even as they tried to distance themselves after-the-fact), as well as many politically-active conservatives. Thus, her remarks caused greater harm.

Bigotry is not illegal, even as it is objectionable. Bigotry has been used as a political tool to slime one's opponents since time began, and it is terrible when it succeeds. Gutter sniping in particular has a long, illustrious history in American presidential politics. Nevertheless, it's important to keep track of who is doing the sniping, who is hurt, and who benefits, and keep a running tally in as detached a manner as possible, because it reveals the true character of our leaders, the ones for whom it is all done.

Three Erupting Volcanoes On Io!

Wow! This is the best picture ever of Jupiter's moon! Captured by the Pluto-bound 'New Horizons' spacecraft as it whipped past Jupiter seeking a gravity-assisted velocity increase. Partial caption:

This processed image provides the best view yet of the enormous 290-kilometer (180-mile) high plume from the volcano Tvashtar, in the 11 o'clock direction near Io's north pole. The plume was first seen by the Hubble Space Telescope two weeks ago and then by New Horizons on February 26; this image is clearer than the February 26 image because Io was closer to the spacecraft, the plume was more backlit by the Sun, and a longer exposure time (75 milliseconds versus 20 milliseconds) was used. Io's dayside was deliberately overexposed in this picture to image the faint plumes, and the long exposure also provided an excellent view of Io's night side, illuminated by Jupiter. The remarkable filamentary structure in the Tvashtar plume is similar to details glimpsed faintly in 1979 Voyager images of a similar plume produced by Io's volcano Pele. However, no previous image by any spacecraft has shown these mysterious structures so clearly.

The image also shows the much smaller symmetrical fountain of the plume, about 60 kilometers (or 40 miles) high, from the Prometheus volcano in the 9 o'clock direction. The top of a third volcanic plume, from the volcano Masubi, erupts high enough to catch the setting Sun on the night side near the bottom of the image, appearing as an irregular bright patch against Io's Jupiter-lit surface. Several Everest-sized mountains are highlighted by the setting Sun along the terminator, the line between day and night.

Double-Barreled Cyclone Attack

The northern coast of West Australia is a mess, with first Cyclone George pounding the Port Hedland and Pilbara coast, and with Cyclone Jacob fast approaching the same coastlines.

Meanwhile, in drought-stricken east and SE Australia, places that could benefit from a cyclone attack, the weather is clear, warm and pleasant....

New Species Of Venemous Australian Snake

As if Australia didn't have enough old species of venemous snakes:

Similar to the western brown snake, the still unnamed species was discovered during an expedition to a remote region about 200km northwest of Uluru in September last year.

The Cow And The Chicken

Why can't they just be friends?:

When dozens of chickens went missing from a remote West Bengal village, everyone blamed the neighborhood dogs.

But Ajit Ghosh, the owner of the missing chickens, eventually solved the puzzle when he caught his cow -- a sacred animal for the Hindu family -- gobbling up several of them at night.

... "Instead of the dogs, we watched in horror as the calf, whom we had fondly named Lal, sneak to the coop and grab the little ones with the precision of a jungle cat," Gour Ghosh, his brother, said.

... "The local vets said the cow was probably suffering from a disease but others said Lal was a tiger in his previous birth," Ajit added.

Stephanie Skewes In "Wild Hogs"


Left: Louise Bigelow (Stephanie Skewes) and Carnival Barker (Marc Valdez).


Courtesy of Andy Sullivan, news that Fresno's Stephanie Skewes is in the new John Travolta, Tim Allen, and William Macy movie "Wild Hogs", which was filmed in New Mexico and which my sister Michelle just saw and says is great. Here's Stephanie on William Macy:

"He was my favorite," Skewes says of Macy. "He is more down-to-earth than many of my acting friends. I learned so much."

Stephanie was always so organized and serious and talented - you just knew she would go places!

Here are some photos (by Dannette Vassar) of DMTC's dress rehearsal for "Carousel", on November 5, 2002, featuring Stephanie Skewes.

Louise Bigelow (Stephanie Skewes).

Enoch Snow (Matt Dunn), Carrie Pipperidge (Andrea St. Clair), Louise Bigelow (Stephanie Skewes), and Enoch Snow, Jr. (David "Turtle" Akona).

Pictures In The Gloaming

Albuquerque's South Valley, with the Rio Grande River on the left, Interstate 25 on the right, and a high mesa near San Ysidro in the background. The flight headed SW from the airport, and south along the Rio Grande Valley, rather than the usual west.

The Rio Salado, flowing from the west (top) to the east (bottom), just west of Interstate 25. The Rio Salado empties into the Rio Grande about 25 miles north of Socorro.

Mesa, AZ, and the East Valley, at night.

Jiggly picture of jiggly place - The Las Vegas Strip at night.

Falling Into The Void In Phoenix

The walkway is ending! Please, watch your step!
The
Walk
The walk
alk
The
Th
Walkway
The walkway is ending! Please, watch your step!

Just add some drum 'n bass to the stuttering walkway PSAs, and you'd get electronica!

Plane was TWO freakin' hours late leaving Phoenix for Sacramento! Something about a broken air conditioner on the flight in from Cancun this afternoon....

San Juan - Chama Diversion Project

A year later, and just as mysterious as ever!

Visiting With Dad

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

Scooter Libby Verdict

Yay! Justice begins to get served!

Corrales And North Valley Sojourn

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

Corrales Rd., Corrales.

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

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

Slacking Off At UNM

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


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

Downtown Albuquerque.

Kimo Theater - downtown Albuquerque.

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

"Frozen Lightning"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trapped On The Tarmac

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

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

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

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

Weekend Of "Camelot" - Combustible Trucks

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

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

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

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

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

So, the ensuing delicate diplomatic dilemma:

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

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

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

Brief Hiatus - Trip to New Mexico

I'll be back on Thursday!

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

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

I'll elaborate in a few days!

Dave Cargo Makes A Funny

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

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