Vegas Miscellany

Violin Outlet.

Lillies at the Mandalay Bay.
Well, why not?
Here is the Chapel of the Blue Fountain at Circus Circus Casino. My sister Michelle was married here at the end of 1989, and I just wanted to see how the place looked 20 years later.

Kylie Minogue - "Better The Devil You Know" - Las Vegas - 2009 North American Tour

Kylie Minogue - "Red-Blooded Woman/ Where The Wild Roses Grow" - Las Vegas - KylieUSA2009

After her breast cancer surgery in 2005, Kylie was quoted somewhere (the reference appears lost somewhere in the sands of the Internet) as saying that one thing she would, regrettably, never do again was to line up her backup dancers and step gingerly from one man's open palm to another. So daring, but so dangerous to attempt! No, one must put youthful cavorting into its place in order to age gracefully.

Well, as this video testifies, it appears the little minx lied. My heart burst with pride to see her execute that difficult stunt, here.

Kylie Minogue - "Love At First Sight" - Las Vegas - 2009 North American Tour

Finale and bows.

Kylie Minogue - "The One" - Las Vegas - 2009 North American Tour

An emotional rendition of "The One".

Kylie Minogue - "Got To Be Certain" - Las Vegas - 2009 North American Tour

A cappella rendition, from the encore of the show.

Kylie Minogue - "Like A Drug" - Las Vegas - 2009 North American Tour

Kylie Minogue - "Shocked/ What Do I Have to Do?/ Spinning Around" Medley - Las Vegas - 2009 North American Tour

Part 1




Part 2

Kylie Minogue - "Speakerphone" - Las Vegas - 2009 North American Tour

My second YouTube video.

I like Kylie's backup dancers here.

Return From Vegas

I thought this was the hamlet of Verona, but upon reflection, maybe not.

Flying over nevada, two haze layers were apparent: one at approximately flight altitude (aircraft exhaust?), and a layer higher. But coming into the Sacramento Valley there was an abrupt transition to extreme haze, or smoke. SOMETHING was burning in northern California!

Hawthorne, NV. The town is surrounded by arrays of munitions bunkers.

This looks a lot like Beatty, NV (but I'm not sure).

The beautiful mountains just west of Las Vegas.

Cirque du Soleil "Mystère"

On Sunday evening, Sally and I went to Treasure Island to see the 8 p.m. show of Mystère.

Only one problem. The show starts at 7 p.m. I hadn't checked the show time. Oops!

So, instead, we saw the 9:30 p.m. show.

What a great show! Per request, I took no photos. The summary of the show is here:

Mystère™ is classic Cirque du Soleil®, combining the powerful athleticism, high-energy acrobatics and inspiring imagery that has become the company’s hallmark. Deemed a theatrical "flower in the desert," Mystère thrills generations of audiences with its exhilarating blend of whimsy, drama and the unimaginable brought to life on stage. Presented exclusively at Treasure Island, Mystère provides the ultimate discovery that life itself is a mystery.

Honored eight times as "Best Production Show" by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mystère has an international cast of 72 performers featuring dancers, singers, musicians and champion-caliber acrobats. The Chicago Tribune called Mystère, "one of the most innovative and exciting shows to be seen anywhere". Directed by Franco Dragone.

The trailer of the show is here.

We were seated very close to stage level. It was thrilling to have the clown walk right past us and choose a couple two seats behind us for his amusing antics. Later on, the flying trapeze-like acrobats were spinning right above us and we felt almost like we part of the action.

Go see it!

Abstract Vegas

The Cleveland Clinic (under construction), which will focus on the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.
The Trump Tower, as seen over Neiman-Marcus at Fashion Show Mall.
Neiman-Marcus.
World Market Center.

Las Vegas Shopping

Fashion Show Mall.

Left: Oddly enough, a fashion show was underway at Fashion Show Mall.
Left: Shopping at the Outlet stores on Sunday.

Left: Marc, wearing a gold masque of some sort...


Last week, John reported back from Vegas, and said:

It seems about the same as last year except there is a bit more desperation in the air

Indeed, at Circus Circus, one cosmetics merchant accosted Sally and said:

You've heard of the Dead Sea, right? The Dead Sea?

Sally was startled and couldn't quite puzzle out the merchant's accent and denied ever hearing of the Dead Sea. We had to skedaddle out of there!

Nevertheless, there are more urbane, suave ways for merchants to approach customers. Charm helps. Thus, and so charmed, we unexpectedly found ourselves in an unfamiliar environment, in an elite shopping establishment, in between the Luxor and the Mandalay Bay, looking at the OroGold line of cosmetics. The fellow said that celebrities frequently come by (which I would believe, at this location) and even dropped a name or two.

A charming fellow named Tony informed us about the value of putting gold onto our skin. He said something to the effect that gold contains electrons and that those electrons infuse the skin and help pull it taut.

Nerd that I am, I wanted to inform him that the gold atom has complete electron shells, and is remarkably inert - in fact, inertness is one of gold's most important features - and that gold can't do much more to your skin than sit on it. But the fellow was so charming I chose to let the point slide....

Both Sally and I tried on the masque, and some eye serum, and thoroughly-enjoyed shopping at a level somewhat above our usual demographic. Because, when business drops off, the high-end merchant has to reach one-level-below to help sustain that precious cash flow.

The cost of what he showed us is about $700.00, which sounds high, but for a two-year's supply of high-end cosmetics, is actually quite reasonable.

I told the fellow I sometimes go to Sephora for cosmetics, but he pooh-poohed that establishment. "They make their cosmetics in China," he said. "Why would you put inferior products on your face?" And the fellow had a point. Why put Chinese seaweed on your face when you can put Italian seaweed on your face?

I mean, really.....

Kylie Minogue At The Pearl Concert Theatre, Palms Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV, USA, October 3, 2009

Vegas backdrop (in Oakland, the backdrop featured the Golden Gate Bridge).

"Can't Get You Out Of My Head"
A toe-touch leap from a backup dancer!
Nice pose!
"Confide In Me"
"Vogue"
"Vogue"
"Vogue"

To my great surprise, in the audience participation part of the evening, Kylie requested whether "Leopard Man" was in the house. Even though I didn't see "Leopard Man" in the distant crowd, Kylie seemed satisfied that he was there. As I reported before audience participation at the October 1st Oakland show fell flat because "Leopard Man" wasn't there as she expected (he had apparently been there at the September 30th show). So, just who is this mysterious "Leopard Man", and why is he such a flake?

Kylie also brought a young girl (maybe age 3) from the audience onto the stage during one of her numbers for what must have been a memory-making event for the young girl. I was so surprised I naturally failed to get any photos of the event.

Acoustics were substantially better in the Pearl Theatre than they had been at the Fox Theatre, and the modern stage was better suited for the light show and dance numbers. In retrospect, the only thing the Fox Theatre really edged out the Pearl Theatre was with a better curtain.

Kylie Minogue - "Light Years" - Las Vegas - 2009 North American Tour

My first YouTube video! Hooray!

Oh, this is fun! People seem to like the quality, even with occasional glitches!

A Visit To The Liberace Museum

Usually, on my visits to Vegas, I hurry past the Liberace Museum. Last time, in August, I hurried past to get my oil changed at Jiffy Lube, farther east, on Tropicana Blvd. Saturday was different however....

Some people had negative views of Walter Liberace. He was America's precious, spoiled baby brother. Men steeped in machismo (e.g., my Dad) found his mincing ways grating.

Nevertheless, the women adored him, and with good cause. His flamboyantly kitschy ways disguised a true lover of good art, and he had a remarkably generous spirit. This Museum is a testament to his generosity. Indeed, with its elegance and derring do, it may be one of the best museums on Earth!

Left: What to wear; what to wear?

One of these outfits cost $ 750,000 in 1975 dollars. Another was in the 600K range (in 1984 dollars). Since Liberace's fortune was in the $100 million range, he could actually afford these extravagant costs!

Left: Cars, cars, cars!

Left: Pianos, pianos, pianos!

What did I forget?

Art, art, art!

Jewels, jewels, jewels!
Left: Turkey feathers. A million turkey feathers!

Below: A sort of Czarist Russian look.




Left: A man who loved his dogs!
Philip Fortenberry, associate conductor for the Las Vegas show "Jersey Boys", came to the Liberace museum on this day to rehearse his accompaniment for a UNLV flutist's recital. As a courtesy, he played 'Strangers In The Night' on this amazing piano with the lucite top. The piano was notable for its clarity, and Fortenberry was notable for his powerful and emotional style.
Of course, musical instruments are meant to be played; they make rather forlorn museum pieces. Thus, the Museum will allow people who sign a release to play on Liberace's Rhinestone piano. Here, a music student named Alan from Long Beach, CA, tries out the piano.
Left: John Broadwood Piano (c. 1788). This rare Broadwood piano made by John Broadwood of London is one of the oldest pianos in existence.

Departure To Las Vegas

Left: departure from SMF.
Left: Red Rocks, just west of Las Vegas.

Left: The Las Vegas Strip from the air.

Vegas Hiatus

Kylie Minogue Performed At Oakland's Fox Theatre October 1st

Left: Ah, finally, Downtown Oakland! Remember to exercise - exercise to remember!

Actually, the drive from Sacramento to Oakland went pretty smoothly. The only traffic jam I encountered was the predictable one on I-80 in Berkeley. Plus, I made the ill-advised decision to try to get to I-80 in Davis by passing through Davis' downtown core at 4:50 p.m. Mistake!

I parked in a nice, spooky parking garage and walked to the theater.

The Fox Theatre is an old movie palace that has been recently-renovated in a sort of Byzantine style: intricate friezes, scalloped wall over the proscenium arch, decadent red velvet curtain, amazing lights. Like Las Vegas, but better than Las Vegas (no smoke).



Here is what the interior looks like (image from here: I didn't take a camera inside).

Two sitting figures bracket the proscenium (which has a surprisingly small arch - slightly bigger than the Sacramento's 24th Street Theatre arch). Looking at one of the figures, one fellow said "that's one scary Buddha!" Actually, they look more like fantasy Assyrian figures.

Left: A fan honors Kylie by wearing her costume from the "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" video.


Kylie Minogue has several discrete audiences: older women, younger girls, gay men. When I went to Brisbane, AU in 2006, I was impressed at how her concert was ladies' night out: 50-year-old women in tiaras and boas, 30-year-old women in tiaras and boas, 10-year-old girls in tiaras and boas. The crowd was about 70% women. I was mystified what an American Kylie audience would look like, however. I figured that since this was the Bay Area, it would be very gay, but just how gay would it be?

When I arrived, I took one look at the orderly line of people, and I was blown away. This was the gayest group of people I had ever seen! Men, men, men: 80% men! The mind reels in coming up with a comparison from Sacramento. This group was gayer than "Faces" on a Friday night. This group was gayer than "Badlands" on a Saturday night.

I still had an extra ticket that I had been unable to give away, and I had to decide what to do with it. When I approached the theater, I heard a dodgy black man talking to everyone passing by, and to no one in particular, "Tickets? Any extra tickets, anyone?" After a while, I decided to sell my ticket to him, but returning back to where I last saw him I encountered a dodgy gay man asking the same question, so I sold my ticket to him (for $40.00, nearly half of the face value of the ticket). Flush with cash, I was able to afford Black Russians (kahlua and vodka) for the evening.

As expected, the theater was posted "NO PHOTOGRAPHY". I had to decide whether to sneak a camera in, or leave it behind. I decided to leave it behind. Predictably, once the crowd had all entered, all the digital cameras came out (so hard to control!) Nevertheless, no camera meant I could focus on enjoying the show.

I had a standing-room ticket, and soon I was idling in a dense pack of bored metrosexuals forty feet from the edge of the stage. Predictably, all the Blackberries and Palm Pilots came out, and lots of people were texting. The fellow standing next to me seemed to be going blind reading dense text from some E-book, or other.

A fellow standing near me named 'Ceci' began introducing himself to nearby people and became sort of an informal MC for the local neighborhood. Ceci noted we were standing immediately above an air conditioning vent (which was great, because I was sweating just from the surrounding body heat).

Another fellow approached, whose bare arms, sturdy vest, and facial hair gave him sort of a woodsy look. A woodsy aroma - not too bad, but pervasive - came with the woodsy fellow. Ceci and friends found this troublesome, and good-naturedly started asking him - why the aroma? Instead of becoming bitchy, the gamy gay gamely replied he had not used any anti-perspirant because "of the recession." Nevertheless, feeling somewhat unwelcome, he eventually moved on. Without looking up, one of texters said he was happy he had gone because he "smelled like an old cabinet."

Kylie was late starting, and eventually I surrendered my position due to persistent bladder signals. Before showtime, a mysterious DJ sat at an Apple computer center stage and played tunes. Theatrical smoke occasionally wafted in and isolated pieces of confetti spun downwards from high aloft.

Kylie's opening was amazing - a fantastic laser light show as she descended from aloft. Those familiar with her oeuvre would have found many of the projections used and the costumes worn to be very familiar, but mixed in an unusual way - a pastiche. Kylie descended from above, perched on a miniature version of her silvery skull (2007, "X") and dressed in her pink robe with the boa (2006, "Showgirl Homecoming") while surrounded by her droids (2002, "Fever"). The first song was "Light Years", followed by "Speakerphone".

Because I'm only 5' 6" tall, I had lots of trouble seeing the stage. At one point, I perched myself on a railing to get a better view, but the seat was precarious. After a while, I discovered that the best views for standing room only folks were to be had at extreme stage left, where the theatre staff kept an open path an some relatively unfettered views were to be had.

In the big arenas, roving cameras zooming in on spectacularly-dressed attendees allow Kylie to tailor her favorite part of the audience-participation part of the show: identifying and thanking fellow slaves to fashion. The candidate in white imaged above was a perfect candidate, and well-positioned too (dead center, 25 ft from stage edge). Nevertheless, in this smaller space, there were no such cameras, and apparently it was too hard to peer into the very close audience. Instead, Kylie chose to recognize "Leopard Man". "He was here last night. Where is he tonight?" Alas, Leopard Man wasn't there - Leopard Man flaked out - so the moment was lost.

After her breast cancer surgery in 2005, Kylie was quoted as saying that one thing she would never do again was to line up her men backup dancers and step gingerly from one man's open palm to another. So daring, but so dangerous to attempt. She had apparently done just this at a very daring part of her career, but one must put youthful cavorting into its place in order to age gracefully.

Well, it appears the little minx lied. My heart burst with pride to see her flawless execution of just that stunt in 'Red-Blooded Woman'.

[TO BE CONTINUED - MUST GO TO LAS VEGAS FIRST AND SEE KYLIE AGAIN, HOPEFULLY WITH CAMERA]

Vote Vader: I liked this bumper sticker.

Heading To Oakland

Looking forward to the trip!

Oh, So I Guess It Shows

Pepper: It's important to sleep at night. Your body can't recover if you don't let it do its thing and go into that whole other zone!

Flying Footwear

It's a trend!:

A student journalist threw a shoe at IMF Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Thursday and ran toward the stage shouting "IMF get out!" as the finance official answered questions at a university in Istanbul.

The white sports shoe bounced off another student's head but missed the IMF chief before landing beside him on the speaker's platform. Some students applauded. Strauss-Kahn moved to the side, and a security guard rushed to protect him.

No, What Do You Really Think Mr. Vidal?

Gore Vidal is now at the age where he can finally say what he really thinks:

Last year he famously switched allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama during the Democratic nomination process for president. Now, he reveals, he regrets his change of heart. How’s Obama doing? “Dreadfully. I was hopeful. He was the most intelligent person we’ve had in that position for a long time. But he’s inexperienced. He has a total inability to understand military matters. He’s acting as if Afghanistan is the magic talisman: solve that and you solve terrorism.” America should leave Afghanistan, he says. “We’ve failed in every other aspect of our effort of conquering the Middle East or whatever you want to call it.” The “War on Terror” was “made up”, Vidal says. “The whole thing was PR, just like ‘weapons of mass destruction’. It has wrecked the airline business, which my father founded in the 1930s. He’d be cutting his wrists. Now when you fly you’re both scared to death and bored to death, a most disagreeable combination.”

His voice strengthens. “One thing I have hated all my life are LIARS [he says that with bristling anger] and I live in a nation of them. It was not always the case. I don’t demand honour, that can be lies too. I don’t say there was a golden age, but there was an age of general intelligence. We had a watchdog, the media.” The media is too supine? “Would that it was. They’re busy preparing us for an Iranian war.” He retains some optimism about Obama “because he doesn’t lie. We know the fool from Arizona [as he calls John McCain] is a liar. We never got the real story of how McCain crashed his plane [in 1967 near Hanoi, North Vietnam] and was held captive.”

Vidal originally became pro-Obama because he grew up in “a black city” (meaning Washington), as well as being impressed by Obama’s intelligence. “But he believes the generals. Even Bush knew the way to win a general was to give him another star. Obama believes the Republican Party is a party when in fact it’s a mindset, like Hitler Youth, based on hatred — religious hatred, racial hatred. When you foreigners hear the word ‘conservative’ you think of kindly old men hunting foxes. They’re not, they’re fascists.”

Another notable Obama mis-step has been on healthcare reform. “He f***ed it up. I don’t know how because the country wanted it. We’ll never see it happen.” As for his wider vision: “Maybe he doesn’t have one, not to imply he is a fraud. He loves quoting Lincoln and there’s a great Lincoln quote from a letter he wrote to one of his generals in the South after the Civil War. ‘I am President of the United States. I have full overall power and never forget it, because I will exercise it’. That’s what Obama needs — a bit of Lincoln’s chill.” Has he met Obama? “No,” he says quietly, “I’ve had my time with presidents.” Vidal raises his fingers to signify a gun and mutters: “Bang bang.” He is referring to the possibility of Obama being assassinated. “Just a mysterious lone gunman lurking in the shadows of the capital,” he says in a wry, dreamy way.

Vidal now believes, as he did originally, Clinton would be the better president. “Hillary knows more about the world and what to do with the generals. History has proven when the girls get involved, they’re good at it. Elizabeth I knew Raleigh would be a good man to give a ship to.”The Republicans will win the next election, Vidal believes; though for him there is little difference between the parties. “Remember the coup d’etat of 2000 when the Supreme Court fixed the selection, not election, of the stupidest man in the country, Mr Bush.”

...He observes presidential office-holders balefully. “The only one I knew well was Kennedy, but he didn’t impress me as a good president. It’s like asking, ‘What do I think of my brother?’ It’s complicated. I’d known him all my life and I liked him to the end, but he wrecked his chances with the Bay of Pigs and Suez crises, and because everyone was so keen to elect Bobby once Jack had gone, lies started to be told about him — that he was the greatest and the King of Camelot.”

Today religious mania has infected the political bloodstream and America has become corrosively isolationist, he says. “Ask an American what they know about Sweden and they’d say ‘They live well but they’re all alcoholics’. In fact a Scandinavian system could have benefited us many times over.” Instead, America has “no intellectual class” and is “rotting away at a funereal pace. We’ll have a military dictatorship fairly soon, on the basis that nobody else can hold everything together. Obama would have been better off focusing on educating the American people. His problem is being over-educated. He doesn’t realise how dim-witted and ignorant his audience is. Benjamin Franklin said that the system would fail because of the corruption of the people and that happened under Bush.”

Vidal adds menacingly: “Don’t ever make the mistake with people like me thinking we are looking for heroes. There aren’t any and if there were, they would be killed immediately. I’m never surprised by bad behaviour. I expect it.”

I'm A Powderkeg Ready To Blow

Just years, and years, and years of the sweet stuff:

LONDON — Willy Wonka would be horrified. Children who eat too much candy may be more likely to be arrested for violent behavior as adults, new research suggests.

British experts studied more than 17,000 children born in 1970 for about four decades. Of the children who ate candies or chocolates daily at age 10, 69 percent were later arrested for a violent offense by the age of 34. Of those who didn't have any violent clashes, 42 percent ate sweets daily.

The End Of Saturn

Oh, this is a catastrophe! My car will become a historical oddity even as I still drive it around!:

General Motors Co.'s deal to sell Saturn to the Penske Automotive Group has fallen through, forcing the automaker to shutter the brand altogether.

The sale had been expected to be completed as soon as this week.

"Penske Automotive Group . . . has decided to terminate discussions with General Motors to acquire Saturn," GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson said in a statement. As a result, "we will be winding down the Saturn brand and dealership network."

To Say "Cheese" or Not To Say "Cheese" - That Is The Question

So the question has been gnawing at me, can I bring all my new, high-powered, high-tech camera gear to the Oakland and the Las Vegas Kylie shows. I'd very much like to do so, but I also want to respect theater protocol. So, the appropriate thing to do is to ask. So I did.

Nevertheless, there seems to have been confusion even there. The final answer is "NO!" but the final answer came down just minutes ago.

Well, for a blogger this is intolerable. I will go and have nothing to share but my memories. Can life be any crueler than that?

Well, I remember a friend once saying that his worst nightmare was to arrive at a supermarket check-through without enough money to pay for the groceries. Nothing in life could be worse than that!

This camera policy approaches that level of senseless cruelty, but one must appease the diva, and if that is her price, then so be it.

Here are the contents of the E-Mail thread.

First E-Mail:

Dear Fox Theatre:

In regards to the upcoming Kylie Minogue concert (Oct. 1), I wanted some clarification regarding what cameras or recording devices the Fox Theatre will permit: i.e., what is considered a “professional recording device” for Fox Theatre’s purposes?

Would a personal digital voice recorder be OK?

Would a personal digital camera (e.g. a Samsung SL620 or an Olympus FE-240) be OK?

Would a video camcorder (Sony HDR-XR500) be OK?

Thank you for your help,

Marc Valdez

Response:

In general, a digital voice recorder or video camcorder would not be allowed inside the theater. In addition, for the Kylie Minogue shows, the artist has requested that we do not allow any cameras into the theater. Most shows do allow personal digital cameras, but not this time.

Mike

My reply:

Mike

Oh, oh, confusion!

Earlier today in regards to another question I called the theater main number and verbally asked for their camera policy in specific regards to Kylie’s shows. The woman stated that personal digital cameras were OK.

Was Kylie’s request very recent then? Contradictory policy will lead to problems.

Marc

[UPDATE] And the final answer is "NO!"

Hi Marc,

Yes, we just had our final security meeting with the tour personnel. I passed word along to our main office about the policy.

Thanks!

Mike

Allowing Guns In Bars - Now THAT'S Nuts!

Arizona seems to have regressed back to the 19th Century. Brings back a (perhaps faulty) memory.

I remember reading once that Billy The Kid killed one of his New Mexico victims in a bar. The fellow was drunk and carelessly left his gun unattended on the bar. He was talking smack about the Kid (a public enemy whom he did not know). The Kid surreptitiously emptied the gun of bullets, then publicly identified himself to the man. The man quickly retrieved the firearm and the Kid laughed as he heard the thrilling but satisfying click-click-click coming from the empty gun of the panicked bar patron - before blasting the fellow away into eternity.

What was old is new again!:

Arizona -- in the news over the summer for allowing gun-toters to attend presidential events -- has now passed a law allowing people to carry guns into bars. TPM has reported on 14 people in 3 separate Arizona incidents packing heat at political events - events that involved President Obama and Democratic representatives from the state.

The NRA-backed law, which takes effect today, allows those with a concealed weapons permit to bring guns into bars and restaurants. The new rules coincide with the Supreme Court announcement today that it will review a gun-control case, McDonald v. Chicago, which concerns whether state and local gun laws may be challenged under the Second Amendment.

The one stipulation that prohibits gun-toters from entering Arizona bars: if the establishment has a sign against them. So if there's a sign, you can't bring a gun in -- except there are enough loopholes to render the rule almost meaningless.

First, the signs have to be state-approved. And according to the AP:

A person would be exempt if the sign banning guns had fallen down, the person wasn't an Arizona resident, or the notice was first posted less than a month earlier.That certainly isn't making bar owners in Arizona feel better.

Mark DeSimone, who owns the Hidden House Cocktail Lounge in Phoenix, told the AP even putting the signs up can hurt business: "It looks scary. It looks to somebody like, should I go in this place because they obviously have a problem with people bringing weapons in."

Meanwhile, the NRA's Western Region Director J.P. Nelson said "if a person starts drinking and gets in a shootout and kills someone, of course they're subject to criminal prosecution."

The guns-in-bars rule is especially striking in Arizona, where Chris Broughton made headlines last month when he was spotted carrying an assault rifle (AR-15) and pistol outside the VFW Convention Center in Phoenix. President Obama was speaking there at the time. Broughton attended a virulently anti-Obama sermon just the day before the event, where Pastor Steven Anderson prayed for the President to die. Broughton even said he agrees with the pastor.

He wasn't the only one carrying a gun at that Obama event: twelve people were packing heat that day in Phoenix, sort of a trend in Arizona. Someone dropped a gun at a town hall with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), and a pro-health reform activist brought a gun to an anti-reform demonstration near the office of Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ).

There are 138,350 people in Arizona with concealed weapons permits. Travel writer and publisher Arthur Frommer said that he won't be traveling to the southwestern state anymore after all the political gun-toters of August. Arizona's new gun law may only harden the positions of those who feel similarly.

"The Cats Are All Here"

Meow!:

New Zealand coastal areas bore no resemblance to the tsunami-ravaged islands in the Pacific, as many treated the warning of a large swell as entertainment.

After the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Ministry issued a tsunami warning at 8am, low-lying coastal areas around the Bay of Plenty and the East Cape were evacuated to the eerie sound of warning sirens.

The potential for damaging waves from the huge earthquake near Samoa also caused communities on the west coast - Raglan, Kawhia and Mokau - to move to higher ground.

But at Mt Maunganui and Gisborne, many residents ignored warnings, headed to the beach and, in some cases, kept surfing.

Even as the Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter flew over the coastline, urging people by loudhailer to get away from the tide, families with small children played nonchalantly in the sand.

"It is a first, being kicked out of the water for a tsunami. I was more worried about my 2-year-old on the shore. I wasn't bothered until police starting yelling at us to get out."

A crowd of more than 300 stretched along the boardwalk and up the Mount, but left deflated after an anti-climax.

By the time the waves had travelled 2800km from the earthquake's epicentre to the east coast, they were not detectable by the naked eye.

At New Brighton beach in Christchurch, surfer Shayne Baxter took to the water as the tsunami was due to arrive. He had heard nothing about it until the Herald raised it with him as he kitted himself up.

"A metre? Aw, a metre's not too big," said Mr Baxter, who has just finished a stint surfing big waves in Fiordland for a documentary on the Discovery Channel.

"I might even be able to catch it. If it does come through, probably the safest place is in the water."

Fellow Christchurch resident Simeon Beckett, 23, said he was too curious to miss a potentially dangerous tsunami.

"I was actually in the shower and my mum said, 'Oh, there's a tsunami on its way, and don't go down to the beach.' I said, 'Don't tell me that, because now I'm going to go'."

He added: "It proves the old axiom we are the only species that runs towards danger. It's great, isn't it? Curiosity killed the cat, and the cats are all here."

In the end, he sat perched on a concrete wall at Brighton Beach, feeling cheated by the lack of large waves.

In Auckland, the city council advised people on Great Barrier Island and Waiheke Island to move to higher ground between 10am and midday. Police were out on Tamaki Drive asking people to stay off the popular beaches in the area.

Civil Defence reported tide gauge information received at East Cape indicated an 80cm tsunami reached that region. On the North Cape swells of 25-30cm were measured.

Portable Grill For The Taking

Today, sitting on the grass at the southwest corner of 19th & L Streets in Sacramento, next to the City Suds Laundromat, sits a small portable Weber barbeque grill for the taking.

How it got there is a curious story.

I was driving west on L Street about 11:15 a.m., just approaching the red light at 19th Street, when a man (age of about 28), who had been cradling the portable grill in his arms while bicycling south on 19th Street, lost control, began slipping off his bicycle, missed the wheelchair cut in the curb, instead slammed into the curb, and fell unconscious onto L Street. Several people, including myself, parked to see if they could render aid.

The first fellow on the scene immediately called 911. I was second on the scene. As the first fellow talked to the emergency responders, I picked up the barbeque and reassembled it on the grass. Then I went to see if I could rouse the unconscious man and ascertain whether, or how badly, he was hurt.

In response to a question from some new pedestrian arrivals, the 911 caller stated either that he had just called the Fire Department or that the Fire Department would arrive soon. The unconscious bicyclist, upon hearing the words "Fire Department" immediately roused, jumped to his feet, and said: "No way am I going to let the Fire Department inject me with insulin! No way! Fuck that!" The bicyclist, by now quite irritable and angry, quickly tried to cycle off, but was foiled by minor damage to his rear brake, among other things. He began walking back to the street corner, perhaps to challenge us, perhaps to argue, but held his temper in check when he saw an arriving police car.

I immediately tried to talk sense to the bicyclist and slow his departure by holding firmly onto the bicycle handle. "You aren't feeling well," I said. "You were unconscious in the street for more than a minute!" He replied "I am NOT going to let the Fire Department shoot me up with insulin!" He said it with authority, as if he had already experienced the tender mercies of Fire Department insulin injection and wasn't looking forward to another such experience.

Meanwhile, I was doing an awkward kind of dance, employing stern persuasion while trying to arrest the fellow while simultaneously holding his bicycle upright so he could reassemble the rear brake, and helpfully pointing out broken pieces to him, such as the broken tail reflector lying in the grass.

The bicyclist prepared to take off just as the cop arrived on the scene on foot. Since the bicyclist seemed to be now in full control of his faculties the cop allowed him to depart.

Several of us quickly explained to the cop what had happened. One fellow said he had seen the bicyclist cycling dangerously just before the accident, e.g., by carelessly pulling in front of cars that had the right-of-way. The cop nodded to signal he understood. The fellow who had first alerted 911 called them back to cancel the call.

The Fire Department arrived just as everyone began leaving. A bit bewildered, the driver of the ladder truck stopped in the middle lane of L Street, looked at the more-or-less empty intersection, and tried to puzzle out how to respond. I went over to the driver, informed him that the 911 call had just been cancelled, and briefly explained what had happened. When the driver asked where the bicyclist had gone, I pointed south and said "He went that-a-way!"

But in all the fuss, the small portable Weber barbeque grill got overlooked. It's still there, sitting on the grass, and presuming the irritable cyclist doesn't return for it, it's free to a good home.

Getting Psyched!

Card-Carrying Member Of The ACLU

I thought this portion of "Prairie Home Companion" (9/26/09), featuring Garrison Keillor as Guy Noir, was just brilliant.

Of course, I strongly favor Western Scrub Jays as the most intelligent bird around these parts. They are Corvids too, just like Crows! And brilliant birds all Corvids are!

New Mexico's state bird is the Roadrunner, and they are good to have around when snakes need to be defeated, but if you hide 100 objects from a Roadrunner, the poor Roadrunner will never find the objects again. And California's state bird, the California Valley Quail, is as dumb as a doorknob:

GK: In my desperation to bring in a little cash, I had for the first time in my life become a lobbyist for the ACLU. The American Corvid Lovers Unlimited. Corvids are crows. Black crows. And the ACLU was trying to remove the Loon as Minnesota's State Bird and replace it with the crow.

SS: The crow is an intelligent bird, Mr. Noir. Look at this video. See? (CROW)

GK: Okay, but the legislature named the loon Minnesota's state bird and it's a done deal, ma'am, and I don't think they're about to—

SS: They did it on the assumption — which turns out to be erroneous — that loons form stable monogamous relationships for a lifetime. As it turns out, loons mess around more than just about any other species. Look at this video. (LOON CRY OF SEDUCTION)

SS: Disgusting. And male loons invade another male's territory and kill him and take his wife. It's like a Greek tragedy or something.

TR: And they're not that good at flying— Ever see a loon try to take off? They're white knuckle fliers. Look at this video. (LOON FLAPPING WINGS HARD, PANICKY CRY, AND SPLASH)

SS: Ludicrous.

TR: Whereas the crow is the most intelligent of all birds. A crow is able to hide as many as 100 objects and remember exactly where they are. An intelligent and dignified bird.

SS: And a good flier.

TR: A bird that Minnesotans could be proud of. Instead of this sex-crazed murderer we have now. (LOON CALL)

GK: The ACLU offered me a thousand dollars and I took the money. I made big banners that said “Support the CAWS” (spelled c-a-w-s) and we brought in crows marching and holding picket signs.

ALL (AS CROWS): Whose woods these are, I think I know.
These woods belong to us, the crow.
So we do not have miles to go before we sleep — oh no, oh no.
We will not sleep or use that word
Until you make us your state bird.


GK: Every day, crows flying in C-formation, singing: (WINGS)

ALL (CROWS SINGING TO CAISSONS TUNE):
Over hill, over dale, with the wind behind our tail, and the corvids go flying along...

GK: I wasn't proud of it, but it was money, and I was able to mail in my rent check.

Bush Antichrist

Bush Antichrist
credit: Keith Wise


OK you jokers!

I'm reposting this image several years after the fact because SOMEONE figured out how to tamper with the original image and right now Blogger won't let me edit that old a blogpost.

Could that someone be Satan?????

John Went To The Interbike Convention In Vegas, But All I Got Was This T-Shirt

John reports from his recent trip to Las Vegas:

Hey Marc,

Ah, Las Vegas. It seems about the same as last year except there is a bit more desperation in the air. We stayed at the Riviera which, being one of the older casinos, seems to be on an even keel. However, just north of there is the Fontainebleau which stands unfinished as a striking, blue-windowed piece of early 21st century optimism. And then across the street from the Riviera was the old Westward Ho and to the south of that the Sands and then the Frontier. I say "was" because they are now all gone. Two years ago there was a half mile long vacant lot where they stood but last year a huge steel skeleton of a new multibillion dollar casino called the Echelon began to rise in their place. Today is sits unchanged from a year ago as another failed monument to excess. And farther south on the Strip one finds the new City Center, a behemoth hotel/casino which will add another 4800 hotel rooms to the strip when it opens soon.

Aside from all that, however, I would say that the crowds seem as big as ever. My aunt and uncle who live in the area tell me that the main problem is that LV visitors are not spending money as freely as they did in the past. That seems like a plausible explanation. I did try to see the Cirque du Soleil show "Love" at the Mirage but there were no tickets available for either night I was there. From what I'm told that is the most popular show on the Strip so I cannot say if those sellout crowds are indicative of what is happening at other shows.

The local news talked of 30,000 foreclosures and 21,000 personal bankruptcies last year in Las Vegas. How much of that is a result of the subprime mortgage fiasco and how much is a direct result of declining tourism is hard to say. Overall I would say Las Vegas seems about the same as ever from a tourist's point of view but I wonder what the effect of huge bankruptcies such as Fontainebleau and Echelon will be. Let me know what you think after next weekend.

Enjoy the Kylie show!

-John

It’s amazing – I passed through there three times this summer, but somehow the place didn’t leave much of an impression on me, at least so far. There is a Basic Vegas Holiday that goes like:

Leave hotel to go to casino
Lose a ton of money at the casino
Return to hotel from casino
*repeat*

The summer visits were more like the Basic Vegas Holiday.

Nevertheless this weekend is likely to be different. Sally is coming with me and that will change the dynamic. I’m worried that she’ll eschew the late hours more than I do, and that could be stressful if we stayed a long time, but we likely won’t be there long enough for the mismatch to become an issue. One thing I’ve always liked about Vegas was the tendency for every trip to be different from every other trip (excepting the tedious Basic Vegas Holiday, of course). So, we’ll see….