Science Education

Apparently as lamentable in Australia as in America.

h/t to John W. Via failblog.

How To Impress Your Mates

I don't know about you, but I'm impressed!:

An ex-con ended up in hospital when he tried to impress his mates - by hammering a 6cm nail into his forehead.

Romanian Radu Popescu, 39, boasted how he picked up the stunt while in prison.

He missed his brain by just 1cm but had to go to hospital when he could not get the nail out of his skull, Britain's The Sun newspaper reported.

One medic joked: "It's no shock to anyone here that he missed his brain.

"It must be a very small target."

History Of The Boom Box

Via espvisuals. Interesting site!

Cut Chemist - The Robots Are Coming


Cut Chemist - 1st Big Break from eyestorm on Vimeo.

McCain, And The Needy Reporter

No love when McNasty is mad:

It wasn't my intention, but I played a role in shutting down John McCain's Straight Talk Express.

It happened on a warm July afternoon as McCain traveled from a West Virginia airport to a rally in Ohio.

I had headed to the back of his bus with a small group of reporters, where as always McCain warmly motioned for us to squeeze in beside him on the couch.

The questions meandered across more than a dozen topics, but I asked if he agreed with his advisor Carly Fiorina's recent statement that it was unfair for some health insurance companies to cover Viagra but not birth control -- because McCain generally opposed those kinds of mandates.

Liberals and late-night comedians would later revel in McCain's on-camera discomfort -- the widening of his eyes, the awkward silence while he clutched his jaw and formulated an answer. But I had come to respect McCain's frankness and his willingness to admit he didn't always have an answer. Watching the question morph into an embarrassing "gotcha moment" for cable television, my stomach churned and my cheeks grew hot.

...Over those months, McCain had artfully created a sense of intimacy with the reporters who traveled with him. He barbecued for us at his Arizona cabin, and opened up about matters as personal as his faith and his son's girlfriends. On one of my first days covering McCain, another reporter protectively warned me that it was important to be judicious with the material I used from McCain's bus rides to keep the conversations in context.

Although the relationship was mutually beneficial, McCain offered accessibility and openness that was rare, if not unprecedented, in modern presidential politics. Now, as the presidential campaign plunges into its final days, that intimacy -- real or imagined -- has evaporated.

...On a recent Sunday during a brief stop at a Virginia phone bank, I got unusually close to McCain in the line of people waiting to shake his hand.

Tape recorder out and within a foot of him, I asked if he could talk about his new economic plan, which he was to unveil that week. The man who once asked me about my wedding date returned my gaze with a stare, shook the hand of the strangers to the right and left of me and continued out the door.

McCain On Economics

Casualties Of The Downturn

Atrios' headline says it best: And A Million Tiny Violins Began To Play:

Twenty-six Republican congressmen are retiring at the end of this session, and expectations are that Democrats will pick up at least that many seats on Tuesday. If the average congressional office has 14 to 18 full-time staffers (plus paid interns and part-timers), that’s a couple of hundred job opportunities that could soon vanish in electoral smoke.

The average Senate office has 34 staffers, and with polls showing Democrats poised to take anywhere from five to 10 of those seats, that could be an additional 150 to 300 Republican Hill jobs gone the way of the dodo bird. Scores of Republican committee staff slots would also get wiped out, too, as the GOP would control a smaller portion of the committee personnel budgets in both chambers.

Of course, with fewer Republicans on the Hill, there are fewer needs for lobby shops to refill their GOP cartridges.

“It’s a double-whammy,” said Brad Traverse, whose staffing website, www.bradtraverse.com, is a popular destination for job seekers on the Hill. “You have more firms who are both looking for Democrats and eliminating the Republican lobbyist positions. And from what I’ve heard talking to people is there’s a kind of a dearth of good, qualified Democrats to take some of these lobbying jobs.”

Younger staffers may have an easier time matching their $30,000 to $50,000 salaries elsewhere, but senior chiefs of staff making six-figure incomes will find it quite difficult to replicate that pay as Republican operatives in a Democratic town during an economic downturn.

...In this environment, Republican staffers should be looking to sign on as the GOP lobbyist for a predominantly Democratic firm, the same aide said. There will also be a lot of business for Republican lobbyists who have the clout to rally GOP lawmakers against a given piece of legislation. “Guys will get paid a lot of money to defeat stuff,” the aide said.

The bear market for Republican talent in Washington may rival the post-election labor market of 1994, when thousands of Democrats who had enjoyed comfortable Hill careers during the four-decade Democratic reign were tossed to the street after the Republican revolution.

...All of this, and we haven’t even touched on the direct effect of an Obama victory: If the Democrats take the White House, that’s up to 3,000 displaced Republicans looking for jobs after the Bush administration.

Federalist Society Panic

Hoo-boy, this is what happens when you believe your own propaganda: bug-eyed terror at what amounts to reasonable, predictable swing in the preferences of the electorate:

A whole generation of Americans has come of age since the nation experienced the bad judicial appointments and foolish economic and regulatory policy of the Johnson and Carter administrations. If Mr. Obama wins we could possibly see any or all of the following: a federal constitutional right to welfare; a federal constitutional mandate of affirmative action wherever there are racial disparities, without regard to proof of discriminatory intent; a right for government-financed abortions through the third trimester of pregnancy; the abolition of capital punishment and the mass freeing of criminal defendants; ruinous shareholder suits against corporate officers and directors; and approval of huge punitive damage awards, like those imposed against tobacco companies, against many legitimate businesses such as those selling fattening food.

Nothing less than the very idea of liberty and the rule of law are at stake in this election. We should not let Mr. Obama replace justice with empathy in our nation's courtrooms.

Las Vegas Lights

Left: The Mandalay Bay is a handsome building, day or night, but never more handsome than at dusk, when it glows a light copper color.

Left: The new Las Vegas under construction (is this the City Centre project?)

Left: Chandelier, Planet Hollywood.

Left: Casino, Planet Hollywood.

Left: Marquee, Planet Hollywood.

Left: New York, New York.

Left and below: The MGM Grand.



Left: Planet Hollywood, and Paris.

Left: The view outside my hotel window.

MGM Grand Lions

Las Vegas Signs

Left: East of downtown Las Vegas has become an eerie zone where business died after the freeway was completed that bypassed this area. The area is also suffering from the latest economic downturn. Even the Salvadoran karaoke shops look desolate.

Below: Election time in Las Vegas.



Left: Tired of corruption? Yes!


Left: "Machine Quilting". Handicrafts people, despair!

Left: "Intense Taekwondo". Wouldn't have it any other way!

Left: "Tender Dental". Promises to be kept!

Left: "Ultimate Hair Dynamics". These people clearly have a higher opinion of hair than I do.

Left: Salon "Shag Me". Must be where Austin Powers gets his cuts.

Stratosphere Tower

When I was 12, I put a jumping spider into the clear plastic payload section of a model rocket. The stubborn astro-spider clung to the bottom of the nose cone rather than sit on the floor of the payload section. I fired the rocket into the air and retrieved the rocket after its parachute deployed. The apparently-intact jumping spider was still clinging to the bottom of the nose cone - but it was dead. The incredible acceleration of the model rocket taking off killed it.

On Monday, I rode the Big Shot at the Stratosphere. It takes off with something like three g's of force! I'm 1179 feet above the Strip! Just like the jumping spider in the face of inhuman acceleration, I'm going to die!

Here is a YouTube link of the ride at work.



Here are YouTube links for the Insanity and XScream Rides as well.

Left: The Stratosphere Tower.

Below: Shadow of the Stratosphere Tower, along Las Vegas Blvd.


Left: The Stratosphere pool, as seen from nearly directly above.

Left: The Las Vegas Strip (Las Vegas Blvd.) from the Stratosphere Tower.

Left: View to the SE of the Stratosphere Tower.

Left: Downtown Las Vegas from the Stratosphere Tower.


Left: The "X Scream" capsule just prior to pitching over the side of the tower.

Hangover Sunday

Left and below: The Tabu Ultra Lounge in MGM Grand.


Not feeling well - something like a permanent hangover. But what was the cause? Let's see: I had a glass of wine on Thursday, I traveled and stayed up late on Friday, I partied with the kids on Saturday; so does that mean I should have a hangover on Sunday?

Later on Sunday, I finally realized what the problem was. I was suffering caffeine withdrawal. Because of the trip, I had skipped several meals. In addition, twenty years ago, soda machines were everywhere in Vegas, but these days they are scarce (perhaps because they are expensive to maintain and more money can be made from soda fountains. Deprived of my usual huge fluid and caffeine diet soda intake, I was both dehydrated and craving my addiction: hence the hangover.

I rested a lot Sunday evening, watching PBS' excellent "Frontline" special regarding Obama and McCain, and finally went out at midnight. I was surprised to see that both LAX at the Luxor and Studio 54 at the MGM Grand were closed on Sunday night/Monday morning.

Nevertheless, Tabu was open, so I went there.

I danced away, and eventually others joined in. It was an ultra lounge, and I tried being ultra cool, but the ultra devotees weren't fooled. Apparently also suffering from cooties, I mostly danced by myself, sometimes on the table tops, sometimes not, for several hours.

Pleasant fun.

Budget Vegas Vacation - "Tournament Of The Kings" at the Excalibur

Left: The arena, in the dungeon of the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas.


I had no specific plans for Sunday, excepting a visit to the Gershin family in the far northern suburbs around noon. I figured serendipity would guide my plans on this day. Sure enough, one thing led to another, and soon I was helping ferry part of the family to the Excalibur to see "Tournament Of The Kings", a long-running show.

Here is a brief description:

One of Las Vegas’ last dinner shows, “Tournament of Kings” transports the audience to King Arthur’s court to help celebrate the return of his son, Christopher.

As the story unfolds, the joyous Arthur gathers the rulers of Europe for a fantastic banquet and competition. The kings challenge their knightly skills while riding their faithful steeds. King Arthur’s hospitality is met with hostility when the evil fire-wizard, Mordred, invades the festivities. The kings of Europe must unite if the fire-wizard is to be defeated.

As the show ages, people have had second thoughts about doing away with it (article from 2006):

Sure, it's been rumored this age of Arthur was about to pass into Las Vegas legend. The rumors began as MGM Mirage swallowed Mandalay Bay resorts last year. MGM is the corporate partner of Cirque du Soleil, and the buzz has it that soon after the merger, Cirque sent its people over to measure the dirt-floored arena in the basement of the Excalibur.

"Tournament of Kings" is, after all, a remnant of 1990 and the short-lived notion that Las Vegas would become a family town and theme park mecca. It does seem plausible that this last holdover from those Middle Ages will end when Cirque finishes its new Beatles-themed show at The Mirage and decides to continue its Renaissance on the Strip.

But so far, the new owners have left well enough alone. The only chink in the armor is the end of the show's dauntless seven-day, 14 shows-per-week schedule. Starting Feb. 7, "Tournament" will take Tuesdays off, paring down to 12 per week.

There are reasons to think long and hard about "fixing" this energetically performed variation on the Medieval Times attractions in other tourist meccas. The King Arthur show is one of three or four with genuine family appeal on a Strip where stubborn families keep showing up, no matter how much the "What happens here" campaign tries to sweep them under the rug.

And, along with "Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding," it's the rare Las Vegas show to offer dinner in the same room, though this banquet is famously served without utensils. The menu never changes: Cornish hen, broccoli stalk and potato wedges, preceded by a bowl of tomato soup ("Pretend it's dragon's blood," a server suggests.)

...The show itself has changed little from its last makeover in 1999. The stuntwork is the highlight of a slight story guided along by Dave Swan, who has played Arthur for years and is one of the few performers who speak into a live microphone.

Swan also helps guide the tone of the thing from jokey anachronisms to a touch of real drama.

The knights from several countries compete vigorously against one another before the tournament is interrupted by Arthur's bastard son Mordred, presented here as a video game villain who can marshal pyrotechnic effects to go with lines such as "Fight the power of my dragon knight!"

The real stars are the good and bad guys who twice a night try to create convincing action while trying not to clock each other with maces, swords and battle axes.

To me, the show looked far too hazardous, with people leaping off of horses, rolling, and bashing each other's shields - hard - with maces and swords and various other clubs, plus all the crazy jousting as well. I was sitting next to Uncle S., who does amateur theater himself (a senior group in Queens called STAR), and we were shaking our heads and watching the sparks fly (literally) and saying things like "Do you realize how much work goes into this, and just how dangerous it is?" It's a real tribute to these guys that they can pull it off with few mishaps. (The one mishap on this night was a rider getting dismounted, which seems minor in comparison to all the other mayhem, but would put me in bed for days).

Lots of fun!

Daniel Gershin's Bar Mitzvah Celebration

Left: Mazeltov to Daniel Gershin! On the left is his Uncle, Sam, and on the right is his Father, Ira.


Pleasant and fun celebration with the extended Gershin clan at the Santa Fe. Two DJs/MCs led lots of party games, including Coke/Pepsi races across the dance floor, the Limbo, a Conga Line, and numerous other diversions.

Barack Obama Music CD

I bought a CD with Obama music from Chad Wildwood, a volunteer (about age 18) from San Diego, traveling with the Obama campaign. The music is quite nice: this CD flash-freezes this particular moment in time better than anything else can.

The most interesting piece is a John F. Kennedy presidential campaign song, mashed up to remove Kennedy and insert Obama in its place (here is the YouTube link).

There are number of songs that are quite uplifting, and affecting. (one even made me cry!)

The CD leads off with the Black-Eyed Peas:



And includes this spirited song from the Mariachi Aguilas de Mexico:

Barack Obama For President Rally, Bonanza High School, Las Vegas, NV, October 25, 2008

As the minutes passed at the bar mitzvah service, I knew I was getting later and later at traveling to the Saturday afternoon Obama for President rally at Bonanza High School. So, when Obama took the stage, I was still in the security line. We frantically did whatever we could to hurry through the metal detectors.

When I finally entered, Obama sounded peeved at something John McCain has recently said, regarding his supposedly socialistic intentions.

"Senator McCain has been throwing everything he's got at us, including the kitchen sink -- all seven of those kitchen sinks," Obama said. "He's even called me a socialist for suggesting that we focus on tax cuts not for corporations and the wealthy, but for the middle class."

"That's right, John McCain has been really angry about George Bush's economic policies -- except during the primaries, when he said we've made 'great progress economically' under George Bush," Obama said. "Or just last month, when he said that the 'fundamentals of our economy are strong.'"

McCain attacking Bush on economic policy, Obama said, "is like Dick Cheney attacking George Bush for his go-it-alone foreign policy. It's like Tonto attacking the Lone Ranger."

Obama noted that on Friday, President Bush filled out a Texas absentee ballot for McCain, according to the White House.

"That's no surprise," he said. "Because when it comes to the policies that matter most to middle-class families, there's not an inch of daylight between George Bush and John McCain."

My estimate of crowd size was 5,000, but I was informed later that the Las Vegas police estimated the crowd size at 13,000. This link places the number at 18,000. It was an odd-shaped venue, like the letter "P", with Obama in the loop of the letter, and the crowd along the stroke of the letter, and so crowd estimates were hard to make on the ground.

On Sunday afternoon, with the Gershin clan, we had a wide-ranging discussion, including the importance of appropriate role models in the education of children. At that instant, I didn't want to change the subject to the election, and partisan politics, but there really has been no better role model for African-American children than Barack Obama - ever! After all, like far too many, Barack had a rootless childhood, and look where he is now!

Leaving the field, a number of us were pinned against a fence while waiting for the entire departing crowd to funnel through a narrow gate. The wait was interminable, the afternoon was hot and the crowd was tired. Nevertheless, the crowd kept its cool.

There was a noise in the distance, and a little African-American child, age about six and too short to see over the crowd, eagerly asked: "Daddy, is that Obama? Do you see Obama?" Very touching!


As the rally dispersed, there was an abrupt cone of silence in the crowd: about ten Republicans were protesting, including one woman holding a sign with bar crossing out the word "socialism".

In a helpful, rhetorical sense, a tall black woman asked the signholder to "Define socialism." I was irritated, because these folks seemed immune to the irony of the recent $700 billion bailout. "Hell, the country is already socialist!" I shouted. I meant the $700 billion bailout, but the Republicans, with different reasoning, and starting from different premises, eagerly agreed, and started replying to my shouted words.

Suddenly I felt a giant grizzly paw on my back, a hand stretching from shoulder blade to shoulder blade, and a deep voice in my ear said, "You would like to move on now, wouldn't you?" I had forgotten there were four policemen on horseback immediately behind me, plus several others on foot. I agreed this suggestion was eminently reasonable.

So, despite the heat of the afternoon, there were no hard words at the rally to speak of, except those I myself shouted.

Summerlin Idyll

The Bar Mitzvah Service At Chabad Of Summerlin

Left: Chabad of Summerlin's home (the building is just 2 1/2 years old).


Driving up to Chabad of Summerlin, I could see a rabbi on foot heading towards the building. I suppose I could have offered him a ride, but it would have broken Orthodox Shabbas practice for him to accept, so it was just as well.

In the parking lot prior to the bar mitzvah, I met a couple who knew Daniel Gershin through school. The fellow, C., builds sets, and sometimes acts and directs, for Las Vegas Little Theater. A non-observant Jew, he offered to steer me through the service.

The service started at 10:00 a.m. The bar mitzvah is incorporated into the service, so I figured it would take a while to get through. I was right: we broke for food at 1:00 p.m.

I was a bit intimidated by the full-blown Hebrew Orthodoxness of it all, and didn't want to make faux pas. As a non-believer, C. advised me not to wear a tallis, and to remain seated even when others stood.

Gabe helpfully located this definition of tallis:

Main Entry: tal·lith Pronunciation Guide
Variant(s): or tal·lit or tal·lis also ta·lith or ta·lit or ta·lis \täls, tl-, tal-, -t(h)\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural tal·li·thim or tal·li·tim or tal·li·sim \tälsm, -t(h)m\; or tal·lei·sim \tälsm\; also ta·li·thim or ta·li·tim or ta·li·sim \tälsm, -t(h)m\; or ta·lei·sim or ta·lai·sim \tälsm\
Etymology: Hebrew tallth cover, sheet, cloak, from Aramaic telal to cover: a woolen or silk rectangular or square shawl with fringes at the 4 corners and black or blue stripes at the ends that is worn over the head or round the shoulders by orthodox and conservative Jewish men and boys over 13 usually during morning prayers -- called also prayer scarf; see ZIZITH; compare ARBA KANFOTH [tallith illustration]

Still, we had to be prompted to stand when the Torah was brought out to congregation. But mine wasn't the worst mistake. One fellow at the very front was momentarily distracted by being asked to carry the Torah, and he removed his yarmulke in response.

For being very traditional, the congregation was nevertheless rather relaxed, and very spirited. Occasional blunders occurred: towards the end of the service, several little girls ran through the pews on the men's half of the floor, but there wasn't any profound irritation at the error.

It seemed to me that there were an unusual number of rabbis at the service - at least four, and maybe more. It was hard to tell for sure because so many others present just happened to look like rabbis.

Afterwards, I asked Ira how many rabbis there had been at the service, and he said he didn't know. His family knows people in both Conservative and Orthodox schools and synagogues, and so having a plethora of rabbis at this service was quite expected. Like many Jews of late, he has been gravitating to the Orthodox traditions. "I always worry about whether food is kosher or not, and here at Chabad, there is no question!"

Very nice service! Daniel's voice was clear and strong!

Head Towards The Light

Friday night, there was no luck at blackjack. Losses totalled roughly $660.00. The Luxor was bad. Dick's Last Resort in the Excalibur (where I'm told that, if you go inside, they insult you Don-Rickles style) was bad too, despite the excellent table-top dancers outside that kept me forking out dough for more play.

Nevertheless, life wasn't all bad. For example, here is a photo of the big light beaming straight up from the Luxor Hotel and Casino. This light can be seen from far away. Once, I remember seeing the light driving in from as far away as (the appropriately named) town of Searchlight, NV. You can probably see the light from Arizona. I'm sure you can see it from space. But what is the environmental impact of the light?

Friday night, looking closely at the light, I could see a bat swooping periodically through the beam every five seconds. How clever! After all, if someone has built the best insect tractor beam in the Western Hemisphere, what is a bat to do except take full advantage of the opportunity?

Sunday night, the bat was still there, but the period was more like every twenty seconds. That must be one happy, out-of-control, fat bat up there!

Life can be good in Vegas, for people and animals alike, but as in all things in Vegas, it's mostly a matter of luck.

Happy 28th Birthday, Kim Kardashian!

Left: Kim Kardashian (on the right). I don't know my celebrities, but I think the woman on the left is Robin Antin, director and choreographer of the Pussycat Dolls.


Friday, October 24th was Kim Kardashian's birthday celebration, and she held a party at the LAX nightclub in the Luxor casino in Las Vegas. I happened to be passing by when she came out for photos by the ravenous celebrity press.

But who, exactly, is Kim Kardashian? I know her vaguely as a pal of Paris Hilton, and famous for being famous (here's more from Wikipedia). Since I don't watch TV, I was unaware till this moment of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians."

Here is more at Kim Kardashian's blog. Here are better photos of this photo opportunity.