Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Pluribus Filming Locations - Season 1

Links to 28 different "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" posts can be found on the sidebar of the Marc Valdez Weblog desktop website.  Choose the link that works best for you.  

This post focuses on Season 1 filming locations for "Plur1bus," or "Pluribus" (updated on April 22, 2026).

Let me know if you have any problems or questions (E-Mail address: valdezmarc56@gmail.com).


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To avoid unnecessary friction, I have redacted the addresses of all single-family homes in these books. (These addresses are still available at Marc Valdez Weblog, however.)  The pictures in the print editions are black-and-white, in order to keep costs down. 


"A Guidebook To 'Breaking Bad' Filming Locations: Including 'Better Call Saul' - Albuquerque as Physical Setting and Indispensable Character" (Sixth Edition)

Purchase book at the link.                                                                                                                  
This book outlines thirty-three circuits that the avid fan can travel in order to visit up to 679 different filming locations for "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" in the Albuquerque area.  Some background is provided for each site, including other movies that might have also used the site for filming.

"‘Breaking Bad’ Signs and Symbols: Reading Meaning into Sets, Props, and Filming Locations” (Second Edition)

Purchase book at the link.                                                                                                        “‘Breaking Bad’ Signs and Symbols,” aims to understand some of the symbolism embedded in the backgrounds of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” in order to decode messages and stories Vince Gilligan and crew have hidden there.                                                                                                    A series of tables are used to isolate how certain (particularly architectural) features are used: Gentle Arches, Tin Ceilings, Five-Pointed Stars, Octagons, etc. Daylighting innovations that were either pioneered or promoted in Chicago are examined: Glass Block Windows, Luxfer Prismatic Tile Windows, and Plate Glass Windows.

Certain symbols advance the plot: foreshadowing symbols like Pueblo Deco Arches, or danger symbols like bell shapes and stagger symbols. Other features, like Glass Block Windows or Parallel Beams in the Ceiling, tell stories about the legacies and corruptions of modernity, particularly those best-displayed at Chicago’s “Century of Progress” (1933-34). 

In addition, a number of scenes in the show are modeled after Early Surrealist artworks. The traces of various artists can be tracked in both shows, including: Comte de Lautréamont, Giorgio De Chirico, Man Ray, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, René Magritte, Toyen, Yves Tanguy, Remedios Varo, Paul Klee, and in particular, Salvador Dalí.
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Inaugurating Pluribus!

First, I list locations by episode.  Then, I list locations by neighborhood, the way I have usually done for the other Vince-Gilligan shows.


Season 1 Filming Locations By Episode


Episode 101 - "We Is Us"

Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescopes, San Augustin Plain west of Magdalena, NM (also used in the movie 'Contact,' starring Jodie Foster.

Bookstore - Barnes and Noble Bookstore, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, at Coronado Mall (FB friend Xandra was in the scene). 

USAMRIID labs - CNM Rio Rancho campus, 2601 Campus Blvd. NE, Rio Rancho, NM.

ABQ Sunport - On landing, the view is looking northeast along SW/NE runway, towards the Sandia Mountains.  Baggage collection and escalators at the ABQ Sunport are shown as well.

Sunport parking garage - Row I, Level 3.  This parking garage is holy ground in the Gilliverse.  Essentially, the parking garage itself is treated as a map of the ancient American Southwest, featuring the ancient Pueblo Meridian, represented by the interior, skylighted north-south open space within the garage.  All parking-garage filming locations in BrBa, BCS, and Pluribus are chosen to be as close as possible to the skylighted open space, which represents the Pueblo Meridian (see my discussion here).

Vicinity of Bar - Vicinity of Vernon's Speakeasy, 6855 4th St. NW, where the 2013 Walter White burial plaque was eventually memorialized, and just a short distance from the El Camino Motor Hotel. 

Police car - on Bobby Foster Rd., near "Q" Studios, where many "Breaking Bad" scenes were filmed.

Carol gazes over city on fire - Bobby Foster Rd, at almost exactly the same place where Kim Wexler has her car crash in "Better Call Saul."

Hospital Emergency Room - College and Career High School, 940 University Blvd. SE.

Zombie street scene - Approximately 1500 1st St. NW.  Vicinity of Kinley Ave. and 1st St. NW.

Cul-de-sac where Carol lives - Roughly six houses on the slope of the JA Volcano (35.165335°, -106.746240°). I tried visiting there in February, 2025, but I could see that security was waiting for me, so I didn't visit. 


Episode 102 - "Pirate Lady"

Islas Canarias (Canary Islands)

Approximate location of Car Crash - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Barranca Guiniguada (28.102771°, -15.429149°)

Zosia climbs on motorbike - up above from previous site? - C. Cruz de Piedra

Painted pavement - Calle Nilo (28.104666°, -15.422091°)

Near rug shop - ?

Motorbike descends towards port - C. Sierra Nevada (28.104243°, -15.424704°)

Coastal drive pedestrian overpass (28.067770°, -15.417158°)

Airport - In the Pluribus Facebook Group on Facebook, this location is claimed by the Belen Regional Airport, but the terminal looks mysterious to me.  What is the model for the airport terminal?  I don't know!

Cul-de-sac again 

C-130 at Sunport - on landing, view looking northeast along SW/NE runway, towards the Sandia Mountains.  Shower at Hotel (thinking Sandia Casino, but who knows?)  I like how they are preparing Zosia's extensions in the scene.

Subdivision street - unclear.  Possibly Retablo Rd. NW.

Crane - According to Frank Sandoval: "First Baptist Church on Paseo Del Norte east of golf course, north side of the building. They used the backside of the Baptist Church for the scene. 4101 Paseo del Norte Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114"

Driving on street - thinking around 9101 Retablo Rd. NW.

Cul-de-sac  

Airport at Bilbao, Spain  - According to Atlas of Wonders:  The "establishing shot was filmed at the real Bilbao Airport in the Basque Country, designed by the renowned Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava.  However, the interior was filmed at the Oviedo Congress and Exhibitions Center in Asturias, designed by the same architect."

Estate in northeastern Spain - Getaria, Basque Country - Iturregi Hotela, 20808 Askizu, Gipuzkoa, Spain.


Episode 103 - "Grenade"

Sprouts (interior) - According to Apple TV podcast, this is the old Sears Store at Cottonwood Mall, same as the location used for a department store in the "Better Call Saul" episode "Nippy."

Sprouts (exterior) - Sprouts Farmer's Market store #707, 13150 Central Ave. SE, 87123

Sprouts parking lot - Carol watches trucks approach not far away from the old Sears store location, over more by Dillards, where there is a better view of the Sandia Mountains, at (35.197336°, -106.655171°)

Hospital - CNM Westside Campus, 10549 Universe Blvd. NW.


Episode 104 - "Please, Carol"

Storage units and house in Paraguay - Interior is on set, according to Apple Podcast.  Exterior, storage units in ABQ, off 4th Street, near Vernon's.  Chamisa Self Storage, 7010 4th Street NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.  These place are all near the El Camino Motor Hotel, which was an important filming location in "Better Call Saul."

CNM Open Space?

Cul-de-sac

Hospital - CNM Westside Campus, 10549 Universe Blvd. NW.


Episode 105 - "Got Milk"

Hospital - CNM Westside Campus, 10549 Universe Blvd. NW.

House Interior

Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1901 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM.
(Rooftop built in studio)
Stairwell
City Vista as seen from top of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Cul-de-sac

Street corner - ?

Near playground - milk containers - ?

Duke City Dairy - According to Atlas of Wonders, this is La Cumbre Brewing Co., 3313 Girard Blvd. NE.

Cop car scraping bottom - ?

Builder Materials, 1707 Commercial St. NE. Carol picks up paving stones here.

Driving on the street

Sprouts at night - 

Agri-jet (exterior) - Monumental Studios, 1235 Aspen Ave. NW.



Episode 106 - "HDP"

Agri-jet (exterior) - Monumental Studios, 1235 Aspen Ave. NW.

Westgate Hotel and vicinity, 3000 Paradise Rd. Las Vegas, NV. According to the Apple podcast, the gambling scene was set in Elvis' old bedroom there.

According to the Apple podcast, the John Cena presentation was filmed in Tampa, FL.

Storage Units - Chamisa Self Storage, 7010 4th Street NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.

Lit street - I'm beginning to wonder if this is a studio shot.  I'm having trouble finding such a location in Las Palmas.

Manousos talks with his 'mother' - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Intersection of C. Real del Castillo and C. Gobernador Marín Acuña (28.101797°, -15.423640°).



Episode 107 - "The Gap"

There are many locations in this episode, so it will take a while to get all the locations gathered. Many echoes from "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" are present in this episode.

Opening Scene - Good old Highway 4 leading into the Jemez Mountains from San Ysidro (35.575128°, -106.754926°) 

Second Scene - approximately (35.641777°, -106.724987°) 

Gas Station and Convenience Store - Red Rocks Convenience Store, which is also a filming location for the 2021 movie "The Marksman," starring Liam Neeson (35.643748°, -106.725261°). The interior of the store was not filmed here, maybe, in part, because the store interior is too small.  We need to locate the interior location that was actually used!

"End of the World as We Know It" - (35.676265°, -106.738040°)

Back at the cul-de-sac.

Golf course at the Albuquerque Country Club (with the buffalo), and its parking lot, at 601 Laguna Blvd. SW, Albuquerque.(previously seen in "Better Call Saul," where Kim, Paige and Kevin, as well as Howard and Cliff, golfed).

Jemez Springs Sign (35.680691°, -106.737422°).

"Explode Into Space" - ?

Hot Spring (bringing back memories of Werner talking about wanting to visit hot springs in the Jemez Mountains in "Better Call Saul") - Jemez Hot Springs (formerly Giggling Springs), 40 Abousleman Loop, Jemez Springs, NM.

Old Albuquerque Library (formerly used for Davis and Main's lobby in "Better Call Saul").- Special Collections Public Library, Bott Hall, 423 Central Ave. NE, Albuquerque.

In the episode credits, Georgia O'Keeffe paintings are attributed to the collection at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, which is located at 217 Johnson St. in Santa Fe, NM.  Nevertheless, the walls as pictured remind me of the Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd. NW, Albuquerque.  I need to check my pictures to get a better sense of which museum they actually used. It is possible they constructed their own museum interior.

Cul-de-sac again

Carol's solo dinner at a fancy rooftop restaurant - Hotel Chaco, 2000 Bellamah Ave. NW, Albuquerque (previously visited by Lydia in "Better Call Saul").

Manousos on the Road

Manousos - Empty Gas Can (28.797610°, -17.785030°)
"How About Some Water?" (28.797640°, -17.785415°)
Driver Leaves (28.797550°, -17.785909°)
House with Spanish Tile Roof (28.796851°, -17.784307°)
Manousos on Bridge filmed from about here (28.796756°, -17.781169°)
Bridge - (28.797112°, -17.780979°)

Gilman Tunnels, Jemez Mountains - first view - (35.735451°, -106.764973°)
Gilman Tunnels, Jemez Mountains - second view - (35.734364°, -106.765050°)
Gilman Tunnels, Jemez Mountains - third view -  (35.731900°, -106.764196°)

Argentine Village - Jemez Pueblo, looking towards western horizon.  Probably located near northern edge of Pueblo.  I can't quite figure this one out. Here is a candidate location that needs to be checked out in person (35.618718°-106.724684°).

Petroglyphs (on map, San Pedro de Atacama) - Looks like near Jemez Pueblo.  The official podcast implies it may be on the opposite side of Highway 4 from the gas station. Candidate Location for Map (35.642693°, -106.723609°)

Highway 6, southwest of Albuquerque (34.892383°, -107.081808°)

Steep street - Calle Cardón, Tazacorte, La Palma (28.643501°, -17.932031°)

Seashore - ?

Gabinete Literario, Pt. de Cairasco, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (28.102873°, -15.416567°)

Seaside Drive 1 - Kilometer 3 (28.089321°, -15.703299°)

Seaside Drive 2 -  Manousos' car is at (28.091650°, -15.706444°)

Rain -

Seaside Village - Camino Bajada de Caleta, Gran Canaria (28.162603°, -15.681881°)

Church - Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Las Angustias - La Palma, Islas Canarias

Drive in city - ?
(on map, Huaquillas)

Tilos Bridge, La Palma - Manousos Drives (28.798464°, -17.777770°)
(The Girl Saves the Mouse from the Trap)

Waterfall - Cascada de Los Tilos

Hospital Perpetuo Socorro (HPS Private Hospital), C. Pdte Alvear, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain (28.137210°, -15.430486°)

Jungle - near Cascada de los Tilos?

Manousos sets car afire - Podcast says car was set afire in PECOS, of all places!  The town and area of Pecos is generally the entrance to the Pecos Wilderness, the terminus of a number of trails.  Presumably they are at one of those places.

Manousos collapses - Podcast says that Manousos collapses in Spain (presumably in the Canary Islands) but the helicopter arrives when he is in New Mexico.

Carol Golfs - BBVA, aka Compass Bank Building, at approximately (35.088529°, -106.652323°) - This building was previously used in movies like "The Last Stand" (2013) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and "The Take" (1974) with Billy Dee Williams.  This building is diagonally across the intersection from City Hall, which was used numerous times in "Better Call Saul."  Carol's golf balls land in the 500 Marquette Building.

Cul-de-sac fireworks (Call back to BCS episode "Lantern").

Samon's Home Improvement Center - Samon's Electric and Plumbing Supply, 5314 Central Ave. SW, Albuquerque.

Cul-de-sac



Episode 108 - "Charm Offensive"

Panamanian Hospital - Don't have this one yet.

Cul-de-sac

Arena - Rio Rancho Events Center, 3001 Civic Center Circle NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144.

Cul-de-sac

Desert with train - This is quite a strange scene.  Given the view of the Sandias in the distance in the scene, I suspect the overlook corresponds to an area previously-used at the beginning of "El Camino" - above the place where Mike dies in "Say My Name" in "Breaking Bad." Possible Overlook location is about (35.383992°, -106.502848°).  The vista with the train in it, however, appears to me to be a digital  creation of Rodeo in Montreal, and not a real vista at all.  So, Carol and Zosia spend much of their conversational time gazing into large green screens rather than looking into the vast distance.  

I can think of at least three reasons why they would want to create an artificial landscape rather than use the real one: 1.) There aren't many sufficiently-grand overlooks of railroad tracks in the Albuquerque area - there are some nice overlooks north of town near Lamy, or west of town near Mesita, but they aren't adequate; 2.) Landscapes might be recognizable from El Camino; and 3.)The actual vista from the overlook contains an area of religious sensitivity for Tamaya (Santa Ana) Pueblo.  Since they are filming on Santa Ana land (possibly San Felipe land too, since the Pueblos are next to each other and their lands abut in this general neighborhood) they must avoid showing this sensitive area.  They also avoided showing this sensitive area in "Breaking Bad," "El Camino," and "Better Call Saul."  The Rodeo people in Montreal have been getting better and better over the years making digital desert landscapes that look suitable for the Albuquerque area, and this landscape is their best creation yet!


Swimming Pool - Podcast identifies this as Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, 4803 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Los Ranchos De Albuquerque, NM 87107

Sculpture and Telescope - Podcast says near the Rio Rancho Events Center. Sky Room Campus Park, 2516 King Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM.

Crocquet in sports stadium - Milne Stadium, 1200 Hazeldine Ave SE.

Lauchlin's Coffee Shop - The former Whole Hog Café, 725 Central Avenue NE (and an homage to David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive).  Several "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" filming locations are located not far away (e.g., Crossroads Motel, Grove Restaurant).

Cul-de-sac.

Underpass - This is the same underpass under University Blvd. used in Breaking Bad.  It looks different than I remember, but the podcast says it's the same.  I think the fascia of the underpass may have changed in the last 14 years.  Coordinates: (35.008191°, -106.625973°)



Episode 109 - "La Chica o El Mundo"

Peruvian Village - This location is driving me nuts.  The Official Apple Podcast states that this location is in the vicinity of Pecos, NM, but it's very hard to locate.  All the mountain peaks are CGI, presumably by Rodeo in Montreal, so there aren't many reliable visual clues.  And Pecos is a perfect warren of secret places.  Still, it's important to resolve this location, because Manousos' journey is partly in pecos too.  Based on a YouTube video of behind-the-scenes footage of the scene, I'm thinking (35.548253°, -105.667231°) is a possibility, but I'm not certain, because I would expect to see ground markings on the Google Earth image (taken shortly after filming would have ended), and I don't see anything.

Airstrip - I think this is the Moriarty, NM airport; specifically the western end, where the big "8" is painted on the tarmac (34.982262°, -106.016957°).

According to Atlas of Wonders, the swimming pool is at Iturregi Hotela, 20808 Askizu, Gipuzkoa, Spain, and the picture of towering rocks comes from Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

Beach - ?

NYC - ?

Ski Lift Gondola - This is at the brand-new Explorer Gondola Base at the Big Sky Ski Resort in Montana  (45.286008°, -111.402200°).

Ski Lodge Room - According to the Apple Podcast this place is a restaurant - "One and Only Moonlight Basin Restaurant," Big Sky Resort, 77 Roosevelt Rd., Big Sky, MT 59716 (45.322833°, -111.428575°).

Cul-de-sac

- - - - - - - - 

My goal for the next sections is to first use my own photographs, and then to supplement them with screen-captures if I don't have suitable images.


New Mexico Filming Locations

Season 1 Filming Locations By Albuquerque Neighborhood 

The pictures below come from my trip to Albuquerque, from February 24- March 1, 2026, plus pre-existing pictures I have from "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul," and "El Camino," plus screen captures from "Pluribus."

Northeast Heights (E. of Wyoming, W. of Juan Tabo, S. of Osuna)

(no new locations offered with this update) 


Upper Northeast Heights (E. of Juan Tabo)

(no new locations offered with this update) 


Northeast Heights (N. Of Osuna)

(No new locations offered with this update)


Lower Northeast Heights Locations (W. of Wyoming), & Lomas Blvd. Corridor

Bookstore - Barnes and Noble Bookstore, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, at Coronado Mall.  FB friend Xandra was in the scene ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Barnes and Noble Bookstore ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').













Bookstore - Barnes and Noble Bookstore, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, at Coronado Mall.  FB friend Xandra was in the scene ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Bookstore - Barnes and Noble Bookstore, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, at Coronado Mall ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Bookstore - Barnes and Noble Bookstore, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, at Coronado Mall ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').


Downtown 

Zombie street scene - Approximately 1500 1st St. NW.  Vicinity of Kinley Ave. and 1st St. NW ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').  Near the "Better Call Saul" Boxing Ring, 1512 First Street NW ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 5, 'Black and Blue'). 










Builder Materials, 1707 Commercial St. NE ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk'). Carol picks up paving stones here.








Carol Golfs - BBVA, aka Compass Bank Building, at approximately (35.088529°, -106.652323°) - This building was previously used in movies like "The Last Stand" (2013) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and "The Take" (1974) with Billy Dee Williams.  This building is diagonally across the intersection from City Hall, which was used numerous times in "Better Call Saul" ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap'). Carol's golf balls land in the 500 Marquette Building.  Picture from 2024.


Downtown West and Old Town 

Agri-jet (exterior) - Monumental Studios, 1235 Aspen Ave. NW ("Pluribus," Season 1, episodes 105 and 106, 'Got Milk' and 'HDP').

Agri-jet (exterior) - Monumental Studios, 1235 Aspen Ave. NW ("Pluribus," Season 1, episodes 105 and 106, 'Got Milk' and 'HDP').













Hotel Chaco, 2000 Bellamah Ave. NW ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap' - previously seen in "Better Call Saul," Season 4, episode 2, 'Breathe'). Carol's solo dinner at a fancy rooftop restaurant!

Rooftop photos, with James Gelet.




Huning Castle & ABQ Country Club


Golf course at the Albuquerque Country Club (with the buffalo), and its parking lot, at 601 Laguna Blvd. SW, Albuquerque.(previously seen in "Better Call Saul," where Kim, Paige and Kevin, as well as Howard and Cliff, golfed).




Albuquerque Country Club (photo from 2023)

















Barelas

(no new locations offered with this update) 


Huning Highlands/ Martineztown


Exterior of the building represented as the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap')In "Better Call Saul," this was the exterior of the Davis and Main Law Offices in Santa Fe.  In actuality, this is the Special Collections Library, NM History and Archives, 423 Central Ave. NE, at the intersection of Edith and Central NE.  I used to visit the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center (HGRC) here (but apparently it recently moved to the main library downtown). Until the mid-1970's it was the headquarters of the Albuquerque Public Library. I spent many hours here as a kid and as a teenager.

In the episode credits, Georgia O'Keeffe paintings are attributed to the collection at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, which is located at 217 Johnson St. in Santa Fe, NM.  Nevertheless, the walls as pictured remind me of the Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd. NW, Albuquerque.  I need to check my pictures to get a better sense of which museum they actually used, if they actually used a museum at all. It is possible they constructed their own museum interior.("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap')

Lauchlin's Coffee Shop - Formerly Milton's Coffee Shop and more recently the Whole Hog Café, 725 Central Avenue NE (and an homage to the coffee shop in David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive).  Several "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" filming locations are located not far away (e.g., Crossroads Motel, Grove Restaurant).









University Area & Near Presbyterian Hospital 


Hospital Emergency Room - College and Career High School, 940 University Blvd. SE ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Hospital Emergency Room - College and Career High School, 940 University Blvd. SE.  Looking in the front window of this building, closed on a weekend ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Hospital Emergency Room - College and Career High School, 940 University Blvd. SE ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Hospital Emergency Room - College and Career High School, 940 University Blvd. SE ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').


Crocquet in sports stadium - Milne Stadium, 1200 Hazeldine Ave SE ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').


Nob Hill 

(no new locations offered with this update) 


South Valley (West of River), Southwest Albuquerque and Pajarito Mesa 

(no new locations offered with this update) 


San Jose Neighborhood and South Valley (East of River) 

(no new locations offered with this update) 


Southeast Heights 

ABQ Sunport - On landing, the view is looking northeast along SW/NE runway, towards the Sandia Mountains.  Baggage collection and escalators at the ABQ Sunport are shown as well ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Escalator at the ABQ Sunport, featuring a display featuring Tim Keller, the Mayor of Albuquerque ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Sunport parking garage. This parking garage is holy ground in the Gilliverse.  Essentially, the parking garage itself is treated as a map of the ancient American Southwest, featuring the ancient Pueblo Meridian, represented by the interior, skylighted north-south open space within the garage.  All parking-garage filming locations in BrBa, BCS, and Pluribus are chosen to be as close as possible to the skylighted open space, which represents the Pueblo Meridian (see my discussion here).


Sunport parking garage - Row I, Level 3, Space 35.  All parking-garage filming locations in BrBa, BCS, and Pluribus are chosen to be as close as possible to the skylighted open space, which represents the Pueblo Meridian (see my discussion here).

Looking towards the interior open space in the garage ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Space 35 is the space.

C-130 at Sunport - on landing, view looking northeast along SW/NE runway, towards the Sandia Mountains ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady').


Zosia arrives at the Albuquerque Sunport.  "C" gates.  These gates are for regional airlines.  To reach "C" gates DO NOT go through the security protocol upstairs.  These gates are located on the ground level, so no escalator ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady').

Zosia arrives at the Albuquerque Sunport.  They must have had a green screen here, to give the illusion of a long hallway ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady').


Sprouts (exterior) - Sprouts Farmer's Market store #707, 13150 Central Ave. SE ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 3, 'Grenade Lady').

Sprouts (interior of the exterior location) - Sprouts Farmer's Market store #707, 13150 Central Ave. SE ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 3, 'Grenade Lady').


Near "Q" Studios 

In Pluribus, Carol drives past here, where a police-car accident occurs at night. In "Breaking Bad." refrigerated-truck ambush scenes occur here ("Breaking Bad," Season 4, episode 4, 'Bullet Points', and episode 6 'Cornered').  These are familiar open mesa scenes near Q Studios, on Bobby Foster Rd. SE, about (34.986424°, -106.637737°). Photo from 2011.("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Carol gazes over a city in flames.  These trees are glancingly visible in the scene ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us'). This place is also where Jane & Jesse are reunited ("El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie").  This is also the same location on Bobby Foster Rd. SE where Kim has her car accident ("Better Call Saul,"  Season 3, episode 9, 'Fall'), but the view in this picture is looking east instead of west. (34.989141°, -106.645636°).  Photo from 2019. 


Underpass on Los Picaros Rd. at University Blvd. SE (35.008233°, -106.625899°). This is the same underpass under University Blvd. used in Breaking Bad.  Photo from 2011.("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').


Underpass, Los Picaros Rd. SE at University Blvd. SE (35.008233°, -106.625899°). Photo from 2011.("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').


"Q" Studios 

These are studio locations, wherever they happen to be.  Examples include:

Interior of the 747
Norwegian Ice Hotel



I-25 Corridor, North 

Duke City Dairy - According to Atlas of Wonders, this is La Cumbre Brewing Co., 3313 Girard Blvd. NE ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk').













Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1901 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM.("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk').

(Rooftop built in studio)

Stairwell

City Vista as seen from top of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.











North Valley 

Storage units and Manousos' house in Paraguay - Interior is on set, according to Apple Podcast.  The exterior are storage units in ABQ, off of 4th Street, near Vernon's.  The address is: Chamisa Self Storage, 7010 4th Street NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.  These place are all near the El Camino Motor Hotel, which was an important filming location in "Better Call Saul" ("Pluribus," Season 1, episodes 4 and 6, 'Please, Carol' and 'HDP').


Vicinity of Bar - Vicinity of Vernon's Speakeasy, 6855 4th St. NW, where the 2013 Walter White burial plaque was eventually memorialized, and just a short distance from the El Camino Motor Hotel ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

Image of Al Capone.


Swimming Pool - Podcast identifies this as Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, 4803 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Los Ranchos De Albuquerque, NM 87107 ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').



Northwest Albuquerque 

Crane - According to Frank Sandoval: "First Baptist Church on Paseo Del Norte east of golf course, north side of the building. They used the backside of the Baptist Church for the scene. 4101 Paseo del Norte Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114" ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady').











Hospital - CNM Westside Campus, 10549 Universe Blvd. NW (First seen in "Pluribus," Season 1, episode 3, 'Grenade').

Interesting tunnel.

Where Zosia suffers heart failure.

Unfortunately I toured this site on a Saturday, and I could not enter most of the buildings of interest.



Sprouts (interior) - According to Apple TV podcast, this is the old Sears Store at Cottonwood Mall, same as the location used for a department store in the "Better Call Saul" episode "Nippy" ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 3, 'Grenade').


Sprouts parking lot - Carol watches trucks approach not far away from the old Cottonwood Mall Sears store location, over more by where Dillards is, where there is a better view of the Sandia Mountains, at (35.197336°, -106.655171°)("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 3, 'Grenade').



Rio Rancho 

Arena - Rio Rancho Events Center, 3001 Civic Center Circle NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144 ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').

Sculpture and Telescope - Podcast says near the Rio Rancho Events Center. Sky Room Campus Park, 2516 King Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').

Sky Room Campus Park, 2516 King Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').

Sky Room Campus Park, 2516 King Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').

Sky Room Campus Park, 2516 King Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').

USAMRIID labs - CNM Rio Rancho campus, 2601 Campus Blvd. NE, Rio Rancho, NM ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').


USAMRIID labs - CNM Rio Rancho campus, 2601 Campus Blvd. NE, Rio Rancho, NM ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').

USAMRIID labs - CNM Rio Rancho campus, 2601 Campus Blvd. NE, Rio Rancho, NM ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').


Corrales 

(no new locations offered with this update) 


West Mesa Locations (except Pajarito Mesa) 


Carol's cul-de-sac, as seen from a considerable distance, where the pavement ends on Scenic Drive NW (First seen in "Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, 'We Is Us').There is no access here that does not involve contact with security patrols.










Driving on street - Around 9101 Retablo Rd. NW ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady').












Samon's Home Improvement Center - Samon's Electric and Plumbing Supply, 5314 Central Ave. SW, Albuquerque ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').















Southwest Albuquerque 

(no new locations offered in this update) 


Sandia And Manzano Mountains 

(no new locations offered with this update) 


To'hajiilee 

(no new locations offered in this update) 


Zia, San Ysidro, and Cabezon 

(no new locations offered with this update) 


Santa Ana Pueblo & Algodones 



Desert with train - As of April 9, 2026, I've reconsidered this scene.  I made a mistake and now I'm changing my opinion from what I originally posted late in 2025.  There seems to be just one general location.

This is quite a strange scene.  The vista with the train in it appears to partly be a digital creation of Rodeo in Montreal, since there is no rail line here.  The Rodeo people in Montreal have been getting better and better over the years making digital desert landscapes that look suitable for the Albuquerque area, and this landscape is their best creation yet!

They seem to be on the mesa top south of the Jemez Dam overlook, maybe near (35.389192°, -106.548102°), looking west over the Jemez River Valley, but they also might have moved around a little, as far south as the southern tip of the mesa, near (35.385615°, -106.548074°), in order to get better views for the camera.





















Bernalillo and Placitas 

(no new locations offered with this update) 


Santa Fe and Lamy 

(no new locations offered in this update) 


Near Los Lunas And Belen 


Airport - In the Pluribus Facebook Group on Facebook, this location is claimed by the Belen Regional Airport, but the terminal looks mysterious to me.  What is the model for the airport terminal?  I don't know! ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady').


Jemez Mountains


Opening Scene - Good old Highway 4 leading into the Jemez Mountains from San Ysidro (35.575128°, -106.754926°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Second Scene - approximately (35.641777°, -106.724987°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


Gas Station and Convenience Store - Red Rocks Convenience Store, which is also a filming location for the 2021 movie "The Marksman," starring Liam Neeson (35.643748°, -106.725261°). The interior of the store was not filmed here, maybe, in part, because the store interior is too small.  We need to locate the interior location that was actually used! ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').

Red Rocks Convenience Store ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').














Jemez Springs Sign (35.680691°, -106.737422°). ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').















"End of the World as We Know It" - (35.676265°, -106.738040°)  ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').














Hot Spring (bringing back memories of Werner talking about wanting to visit hot springs in the Jemez Mountains in "Better Call Saul") - Jemez Hot Springs (formerly Giggling Springs), 40 Abousleman Loop, Jemez Springs, NM. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap')


Gilman Tunnels

Gilman Tunnels, Jemez Mountains ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').

 First view - (35.735451°, -106.764973°)

Second view - (35.734364°, -106.765050°)

Third view -  (35.731900°, -106.764196°)

















Argentine Village - Jemez Pueblo, looking towards western horizon.  Probably located near northern edge of Pueblo.  I can't quite figure this one out. Here is a candidate location that needs to be checked out in person (35.618718°-106.724684°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


Petroglyphs (on map, San Pedro de Atacama) - Looks like near Jemez Pueblo.  The official podcast implies it may be on the opposite side of Highway 4 from the gas station. Candidate Location for Map (35.642693°, -106.723609°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



More Distant Locations

Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescopes, San Augustin Plain west of Magdalena, NM (also used in the movie 'Contact,' starring Jodie Foster ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 1, "We Is Us").

Wow! What a place! In the empty, silent Plains of San Augustin of western NM - Voila! The VLA (Very Large Array) radiotelescope dishes, arrayed on rails across the grassland like a peace symbol (on three sets of rails, each set 120 degrees apart from one another, kind of like a bird footprint). The VLA is an important part of the global VLBA (Very Large Baseline Array). A portion of the movie "Contact," starring Jodie Foster, was filmed here. (Photos from 2006.)



The antennas swung from the SW sky to the eastern sky over the space of an hour or so.


We can hear you, but we can't understand you!



Westgate Hotel and vicinity, 3000 Paradise Rd. Las Vegas, NV. According to the Apple podcast, the gambling scene was set in Elvis' old bedroom there ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 6, 'HDP').

According to the Apple podcast, the John Cena presentation was filmed in Tampa, FL ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 6, 'HDP').



Highway 6, southwest of Albuquerque (34.892383°, -107.081808°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


Highway 6, not far from where Manousos drives, and near a filming location for "The Host" (2013), starring Saoirse Ronan.
.
Highway 6, not far from where Manousos drives, and near a filming location for "Outrageous Fortune" (1987), starring Bette Midler.





Manousos sets car afire - Podcast says car was set afire in PECOS, of all places!  The town and area of Pecos is generally the entrance to the Pecos Wilderness, the terminus of a number of trails.  Presumably they are at one of those places ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


Manousos collapses - Podcast says that Manousos collapses in Spain (presumably in the Canary Islands) but the helicopter arrives when he is in New Mexico ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


Peruvian Village - This location is driving me nuts.  The Official Apple Podcast states that this location is in the vicinity of Pecos, NM, but it's very hard to locate.  All the mountain peaks are CGI, presumably by Rodeo in Montreal, so there aren't many reliable visual clues.  And Pecos is a perfect warren of secret places.  Still, it's important to resolve this location, because Manousos' journey is partly in Pecos too.  Based on a YouTube video of behind-the-scenes footage of the scene, I'm thinking (35.548253°, -105.667231°) is a possibility, but I'm not certain, because I would expect to see ground markings on the Google Earth image (taken shortly after filming would have ended), and I don't see anything. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').




Airstrip - I think this is the Moriarty, NM airport; specifically the western end, where the big "8" is painted on the tarmac (34.982262°, -106.016957°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').  The mountains are artificial - done by Rodeo in Montreal.

Beach - ? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').

NYC - ? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').

Ski Lift Gondola - This is at the brand-new Explorer Gondola Base at the Big Sky Ski Resort in Montana  (45.286008°, -111.402200°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').

Ski Lodge Room - According to the Apple Podcast this place is a restaurant - "One and Only Moonlight Basin Restaurant," Big Sky Resort, 77 Roosevelt Rd., Big Sky, MT 59716 (45.322833°, -111.428575°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').



Wish List of Undetermined Locations (Lista de Deseos de Ubicaciones Indeterminadas)


















Near rug shop - ? - Presumably near the other sites, near Calle Nilo? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')



Setup for Boeing 747 Door - Was this near Albuquerque, or was it somewhere else, like Davis-Monthan AFB boneyard or Marana boneyard, near Tucson, Arizona? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')



'("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk').


("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk').



Lit street - I'm beginning to wonder if this is a studio shot.  I'm having trouble finding such a location in Las Palmas. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 6, 'HDP')



Seashore - ? - Maybe Gran Canaria ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').

Rain - ? - ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


















Drive in city - ? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').
(on map, Huaquillas)


Jungle - near Cascada de los Tilos? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').





Manousos sets car afire - Podcast says car was set afire in PECOS, of all places!  The town and area of Pecos is generally the entrance to the Pecos Wilderness, the terminus of a number of trails.  Presumably they are at one of those places ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Manousos collapses - Podcast says that Manousos collapses in Spain (presumably in the Canary Islands) but the helicopter arrives when he is in New Mexico. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').  Exact locations for both not yet known.


Panamanian Hospital - Don't have this one yet ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive').



Peruvian Village - This location is driving me nuts.  The Official Apple Podcast states that this location is in the vicinity of Pecos, NM, but it's very hard to locate.  All the mountain peaks are CGI, presumably by Rodeo in Montreal, so there aren't many reliable visual clues.  And Pecos is a perfect warren of secret places.  Still, it's important to resolve this location, because Manousos' journey is partly in Pecos too.  Based on a YouTube video of behind-the-scenes footage of the scene, I'm thinking (35.548253°, -105.667231°) is a possibility, but I'm not certain, because I would expect to see ground markings on the Google Earth image (taken shortly after filming would have ended), and I don't see anything. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').

















Beach - ? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').


















NYC - ? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo').





Localizaciones de Rodaje en España (Spanish Filming Locations)

Lugares de Rodaje de la Temporada 1 por Provincia, Región o Isla (Season 1 Filming Locations By Province, Region, or Island)

España Peninsular

Biscay

Airport at Bilbao, Spain  - According to Atlas of Wonders:  The "establishing shot was filmed at the real Bilbao Airport in the Basque Country, designed by the renowned Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')


Asturias

"However, the interior was filmed at the Oviedo Congress and Exhibitions Center in Asturias, designed by the same architect." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')


Gipuzkoa

Estate in northeastern Spain - Getaria, Basque Country - Iturregi Hotela, 20808 Askizu, Gipuzkoa, Spain. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady'; episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo')


Islas Canarias (Canary Islands)

Provincia de Las Palmas - Isla Gran Canaria - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

















Approximate location of Car Crash - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Barranca Guiniguada (28.102771°, -15.429149°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')


















Zosia climbs on motorbike - up above from previous site? - C. Cruz de Piedra ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')


















Painted pavement - Calle Nilo (28.104666°, -15.422091°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')


















Near rug shop - ? - Presumably near the other sites, near Calle Nilo? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')




Motorbike descends towards port - C. Sierra Nevada (28.104243°, -15.424704°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')


















Coastal drive pedestrian overpass (28.067770°, -15.417158°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')




Manousos talks with his 'mother' - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Intersection of C. Real del Castillo and C. Gobernador Marín Acuña (28.101797°, -15.423640°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 6, 'HDP')



Hospital Perpetuo Socorro (HPS Private Hospital), C. Pdte Alvear, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain (28.137210°, -15.430486°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Seaside Drive 1 - Kilometer 3 (28.089321°, -15.703299°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Seaside Drive 2 -  Manousos' car is at (28.091650°, -15.706444°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Seaside Village - Camino Bajada de Caleta, Gran Canaria (28.162603°, -15.681881°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Gabinete Literario, Pt. de Cairasco, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (28.102873°, -15.416567°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife - Isla La Palma


Manousos walks with Empty Gas Can (28.797610°, -17.785030°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


















"How About Some Water?" (28.797640°, -17.785415°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Driver Leaves (28.797550°, -17.785909°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



House with Spanish Tile Roof (28.796851°, -17.784307°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Manousos on Bridge filmed from about here (28.796756°, -17.781169°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


Bridge - (28.797112°, -17.780979°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Steep street - Calle Cardón, Tazacorte, La Palma (28.643501°, -17.932031°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Church - Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Las Angustias - La Palma, Islas Canarias ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').



Tilos Bridge, La Palma



Manousos Drives (28.798464°, -17.777770°) ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap'). "The Girl Saves the Mouse from the Trap"



Waterfall - Cascada de Los Tilos ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').

Jungle - near Cascada de los Tilos? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').

Manousos sets car afire - Podcast says car was set afire in PECOS, of all places!  The town and area of Pecos is generally the entrance to the Pecos Wilderness, the terminus of a number of trails.  Presumably they are at one of those places. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap').


On Watch For Hopi Connections

In "Better Call Saul," Kim Wexler was associated with the Hopi God Panaiyoikyasi (Short Rainbow).  Does that strong association also extend to Carol Sturka in "Pluribus"?


Carol is wearing a sweatshirt with a spruce tree on it, suggesting the sacrifices of Summer Solstice, but that doesn't seem to make much sense here ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk').



In the same scene, crows are seen.  Crows are associated with the (now-vanished) Hopi Third World, and Crow Mother, but does that make sense here? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk').



This particular view calls to mind a Spring Equinox marker - a circle with a point (in this case, pointing down from the ceiling).  Only 60 days have elapsed in the Pluribus timeline, but the Hopi Ceremonial Calendar is not really tied to the show timeline - it stands alone.  I'm guessing the show moves faster than either "Breaking Bad" or "Better Call Saul" did.  See my post on the Hopi Ceremonial Calendar.


Hahai Wuhti

Are there any Hopi gods, kachinas, or people that might be comparable, in one sense or another, with Carol Sturka?  After all, Kim Wexler was linked with Hopi god Panaiyoikyasi (Short Rainbow).

I'm thinking possibly the Kachina Hahai Wuhti (Katsina Mother) might fit Carol Sturka. Hahai Wuhti is one of the most talkative kachinas - perhaps the most talkative, in her high-pitched, sing-song falsetto (also called "Tongue Always Going").  Carol Sturka is notably loud and talkative.


Hahai Wuhti is known for several aspects, for example, as "Pour Water Woman," as well as "Kachina Mother," and "Kachina Grandmother." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')


Pouring vodka here.  The chair backs are intriguing.  Reminiscent of upside-down Crow Mother wings. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 3, 'Grenade Lady')


"Pour Water Woman." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 2, 'Pirate Lady')


"Pour Water Woman." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive')


"Pour Water Woman." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 8, 'Charm Offensive')























Hahai Wuhti is also known as the "Mother of Dogs." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk')






















"Mother of Dogs." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 5, 'Got Milk')





















"Mother of Dogs." ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap')


How does a rabbit fit in here?  Not a jackrabbit, like you'd see out in Hopi country, just a regular old rabbit.("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap')
Buffalo are the single-most important animal to Plains Indians, but given their large appetites they were rarely seen out in Hopi country desert country, and thus less important out there.  Is there any connection to the White Buffalo kachina? ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 7, 'The Gap')
















Cannibalism

Hahai Wuhti's connection with cannibalism is complicated  She is the mother of the two Nataska ogres.  At Powamu, all three of them travel about and threaten to eat the children of the village in a ritual designed to strengthen family bonds.  There are also a group of giants, the Soyoko, who were persuaded by witches at Oraibi to eat village children.  The Soyoko were eventually fooled in a subterfuge by the War Twins, to eat their own children instead.  (source: "Hopi Kachinas: History, Legends, and Art", Ron and Bob Pecina, Schiffer Publishing Ltd.,  Atglen, PA, 2013).

So, the theme of cannibalism in Pluribus may well derive from the Hopi, but it is expressed much differently in Pluribus than the Hopi do in their legend.


There is a curious moment in the script of "Got Milk" where the absence of children is noted when Carol makes her video where she talks about milk cartons::

Carol Sturka here with an update.

Here where I live, Albuquerque, New Mexico, they drink this like it's going out of style.

Th-These are little milk cartons, the kind we give children in elementary schools.

Back when we had elementary schools.

And children.


So, where are the kids?  Are they being eaten, in a manner similar to Hopi legend?



Conclusion




Manousos is temporarily lodged in the Wilson household across the court from Carol's house, where a couple of kachina dolls are present. Hard to say what kachinas they are; given the mantas (robes), they look maybe feminine. ("Pluribus," Season 1, episode 9, 'La Chica o El Mundo')

Monday, November 10, 2025

Jasper Update

Since Jasper was featured in Nextdoor.com for doing his own self-directed walk around the neighborhood he's become even more-celebrated. People I've never met before now seem to know his name, and have heard of his exploits. 

Halloween came, and once again I was faced with the problem that no one comes to my house for Trick-or-Treat. Part of the problem is that there are no kids in the immediate neighborhood.  Also, my house stands considerably-higher than the street, making it a formidable, almost haunted, destination for little kids. So, this year, I grabbed my bag of candy as I took Jasper for his evening walk, and went searching for parties of the little kids. I was able to meet a number of them that way, and I gave away most of my candy. 

I wanted to make some comfort food, but didn't account for how slick the skillet was on top of the stove. Suddenly, there was a crash, and Hamburger Helper was piled in a smoking ruin on the kitchen floor. Jasper entered the kitchen. His smile seemed to say: "Best idea ever!"

Tuesday Kindergarten

Last week at the elementary school, I spent most of my time becoming acquainted with what the Special Education folks do. We'll see how it evolves. 

On Tuesday, November 4th, which was a short day at the school, I spent all day in kindergarten. The day was filled with various class projects. The teacher played a video about Canada, and assigned a project to use red crayons and maple leaves in order that everyone could make their own Canadian flags. Quite nice! 

I escorted the kids to lunch. As the kids stood in line for food they started rocking back and forth, particularly their shoulders and arms. "Six seven!" they all chanted. I saw a clip from "South Park," showing kids at their elementary school doing the same, and that looked exactly like this (except the Peter Thiel part). 

I monitored recess as well. One of the girls presented me with a gift: a wood chip cut into the shape of a Perfect Rhombus. It was striking, and sweet. There is something almost ethereal about this girl. 

Meanwhile, a few girls were playing a favorite game: chasing boys and making them kiss them. The boys ran away, but not very hard, and they were frequently caught. 

A group of four girls were hanging upside down from the bars at one end of the play structure. Their tops fell over their heads and they showed off their nipples to each other. I didn't need to see this, and so monitored more-boisterous play at the other end of the play structure. Still, I could hear much of what the four girls were saying. The leader of the four girls wanted to correct her playmates, who were making no distinction between boy nipples and girl nipples. As she explained: "Boys have nipples, but girls have boobies." 

After recess, a strange thing happened. A kindergartener from a different class was moved into the classroom - usually done to throw a misbehaving kid off-balance, and thus more compliant. The teacher asked me to take this boy along with three other kids into the recess yard for an extra recess. 

The boy immediately began misbehaving, with language and action - acting more like a 12-year-old rather than a four-year-old. He started trying to climb the fence surrounding the recess yard. His first attempt failed. I pulled him off the fence (contact with the kids is discouraged, but escape from the recess yard is even more strongly-discouraged). The boy started climbing again. Each time he failed, but he was getting faster and more assured. The boy then turned began attacking the other boy in the yard. I stopped that, but then I got distracted - I think another adult had entered the area - and suddenly, on the fifth attempt, the boy was gone. 

The office responded very quickly. They were alarmed. What is it with this boy? 

Post-school recess then started. The boys particularly liked a game on the slide they called "You Can't Catch Me Old Man!" The boys went down the slide as I lunged clumsily after them, with the pretense that I couldn't touch them. As the kids slid down the plastic slide they became charged with static electricity, so as they escaped my grasp I was still able to zap them with electric shocks. 

And, as sometimes happens, by the weekend I had come down with a fever and a cold. Working with kids can take a toll.

 

Wednesday, November 05, 2025

The Biggest Damn Exododus Anyone Has Ever Seen!

Howe at Arden Anti-ICE Protest, Sacramento, CA, Nov. 1, 2025

Birthday Missive

I'd like to thank everyone for their well wishes on my Halloween-Eve 69th birthday. 

It's kind of a sober birthday. Back in 1992, my mother passed away, two days short of her 69th birthday. I've now hit her mark. I'm looking over the crest of the rainbow and seeing days that she never saw.

Several other friends and relatives also died recently. The older you get the more likely this state of affairs becomes. Memorial services crowd in. 

But I'm also a Boomer (albeit a late, Generation-Jones version of a Boomer). And Boomers have problems acknowledging reality. 

So, here's to a cheerful future, and the fulfilling 69 years yet to come!

A Long Winter Approaches

Jasper Makes it on Nextdoor

Jasper made it on Nextdoor (October 28th).
"Brown and black fluffy dog running around 24th and 2nd. Many Good Samaritans tried to catch it but they’re fast."
Jasper made it home safely. The back gate was open, or nearly so. I guess he got bored, pushed the gate open, and took a trip about three blocks away, where he attracted attention, so he returned home. 

Walking Jasper the morning of October 29th, I met the woman who wrote the Nextdoor post. She said she chased him for about an hour, as he dodged traffic at the 4-way stop. Drivers cooperated with her, trying to keep him safe. She tried enticing him into her yard, but just couldn’t catch him.

Monday, October 27, 2025

Celebration of Life for Tom and Helen Austin

Celebration of Life for Tom and Helen Austin, October 25, 2025, at their home on the far side of Folsom Lake. In attendance were various friends, family members, and associates, from Sierra Research, the California Air Resources Board, and the Iron Butt Association of long-distance motorcyclists. 

You can feel the time slipping away...

Thursday School Activities

Last Thursday (October 23rd), I went to the elementary school, first substituting as a teacher, then as a special education teacher, then as a teaching assistant assigned to the kindergartners. 

The substitute teaching was quite pleasant. The teaching assistants in the class knew exactly what to do to keep on schedule, so all I had to do was preside and keep order. The teacher returned earlier than expected. I was sent to special education. 

This was my first brush with the special education folks. I was assigned to help one student, who seemed reasonably capable, so no problems there. 

Then I was sent to keep watch over the kindergartners, particularly at recess. I seem to have an unusual energy with the littles. I'm less a minder than a big, clumsy, ancient playmate. They are endlessly curious about why I have a mole on my face, or hair in my nose. They try to scare me, and insist that I try to scare them. They incorporate me into strange storylines and games. 

Then, as the afternoon wore on, the energy seemed to shift. The play got more boisterous. I think they were getting crankier with fatigue, as school ended and parents began arriving to pick up the kids. At one point, they snagged my iPhone and played keepaway with it. Kids began stumbling more and scraping knees. 

As the number of students dropped off with various pickups, it was time to leave the playground and consolidate everyone in one of the classrooms. It was time to collect the remaining kindergartners and move on. But they didn't want to go. A group of kids gathered at the top of the playground's play structure, and started resisting. 

Suddenly, a boy reached up from below and pulled on the pants of another boy, exposing his bare bottom. The boy apparently liked the suggestion, and quickly removed his pants and underwear. Since anyone approaching the school on foot could clearly see the top of the play structure, this was a significant problem. A girl quickly copied the boy and removed her tights. They were both experiencing the thrill of complete rebellion, intoxicated by defying all the rules, and challenging anyone to stop them. 

I could hear the call go out over the walkie talkie, asking for assistance from the office. The kids didn't seem to understand that time was running out. I did my best to peel off the kids, one by one, and urge them to leave. A second appeal for assistance went out over the walkie talkie. The power structure was slow in responding, but it was responding. Come on kids! We're out of time! Let's go!!! 

The boy heeded the call to leave at the last possible moment, and vanished, leaving just the girl. Then, suddenly it was all over. The girl got hauled to the office and suffered through the Stern Lecture. 

You learn a lot in kindergarten.

Sunday, October 26, 2025

This Saturday's Protest

You never know exactly what you are going to get in a protest. It can be tedious at times. Still, there are some things that are a given. This Saturday at the intersection of Howe and Arden in Sacramento, I got four; maybe five, middle fingers thrown my way. Probably not enough. I should try harder to rile folks up. The Sacramento crowd in general is quite supportive of our anti-ICE protests. It makes me smile. These days, the fuck-your-feelings crowd has hurt fee-fees, and is beginning to be afraid of looking uncool. We're beginning to drive the Trump pestilence back under rocks, where it belongs. 

There were three notable encounters today. The first was earnest discussion with a man who described himself as a political independent. He stressed the need for compromise between opposing factions. It was hard to find much fault with anything he was saying. He hadn't heard of ICE's use of the John Moss Building on the Capitol Mall in Sacramento as a makeshift detention center. It puzzled him. He is a contractor for providing water-related chemicals to several prisons and is familiar with the needs of prisons. An improvised prison simply didn't compute with him. How does that work? 

The second encounter was with a couple in their fifties idling in the left turn lane who objected to the sign I was carrying saying "Don't Idolize Charlie Kirk - He Was a BAD Man!" The woman said, "How dare you insult the memory of a dead man!" In the absence of traffic I walked into the street to talk more with them. She said, "Get out of the street! You're such a dumbass you're going to get hit!" I replied, "Charlie Kirk was an EVIL man!" The woman's husband replied "Charlie Kirk was a good Christian." I replied, "NOPE! Evil!" Traffic began moving, so I couldn't provide examples of Kirk's evil to them. 

The third encounter was fairly alarming. Waiting for the light to change, a man jumped out of his vehicle's passenger door and shouted that I must have an incredibly-small penis. Apparently this encounter wasn't about the signs I was carrying. Then he raced up to me in the right-turn lane in a highly-aggressive way, stuck his middle finger an inch in front of my nose, and dared me to touch him. "No way I'm touching this guy," I thought to myself. Clearly he wanted the excuse of an assault in order to hit me. I sized him up. Dyed, curly, short blonde hair. Taller than me; fairly muscular. A beach bum look. Looked a bit like Barbie's Ken, but on drugs. Probably doesn't have a penis at all, but a plastic lump in its place. So, we had a shouting match right there in the right turn lane, just inches apart from one another. In the driver's seat of their vehicle, his wife seemed embarrassed and kept calling for him to return to the vehicle. This was all performative bullshit. No way was I backing down against Mr. Perfect-Teeth-In-Need-of-a-Gap. Fellow protesters began to react. A woman I hadn't seen before came into the street to warn him away. Eventually the traffic light changed, so the guy got back in his vehicle and they left. 

Just another day in service of the truth at the protest.

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Various Sacramento Signs

"One Battle After Another"

 

Last weekend (October 11th) I went to see "One Battle After Another," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, and others. I was excited to see this film because parts of it were filmed in Sacramento, and I anticipated grooving out over recognizable scenes. The promotions also suggested this movie might be Hollywood's first take on ICE raids, and so I was interested in that too.

The Sacramento scenes were there, but at least initially I had trouble finding my groove.  The premise of the movie seemed absurd to me.  The comic-book-like character of Perfidia seemed based on Tupac Shakur's mother Efeni Shakur as portrayed somewhat-unrealistically in the 2017 film "All Eyez On Me."  It was all too much removed from reality for me.  And why is Benicio del Toro's character running an Underground Railroad for undocumented children?  Not explained well enough for me to catch.

So, by halfway through the film, I was in distress.

Then, the movie started to become charming.  Leonardo DiCaprio is charming as all get out.  That's probably why people like to cast him.  In the Sicario movies I didn't like Benicio del Toro's character, but I liked his whimsicality and unflappability here.  Plus, Sean Penn commits 100% to his character.

Then they had the car chase scenes.  I had to overlook the fact that these scenes were filmed sometimes hundreds of miles apart, but California does have some excellent scenery available for filming car chases.  Plus, there aren't enough car chases in movies these days (probably insanely expensive).

So, the movie is a mixed bag, but I'll give it a thumbs up.  The movie stars one of Sacramento's Light Rail trains, the Sacramento Superior Courthouse, scenes near the Rail Yards, the J St./Fair Oaks bridge over the American River that all filmmakers love to use, and numerous alleys.

Cause that's what movies are all about. That, and car chases.

Plus, Leonardo DiCaprio is charming.

No Kings (October 18th)

I was so busy all day long that I got almost no pictures of the huge demonstration at the California State Capitol, and no pictures at all at the Howe and Arden later the same day.




















Rachel did get a picture of me, though:

This Latvian Speaks For Me

@knowyourlatvians #latvian #autumn #noproblem ♬ original sound - True Latvian

A Role Model For Our Times

Be like him! (from 2020):
Denver area TV viewers might recognize the person pictured here- Marty Coniglio was a meteorologist with KUSA (channel 9) for years, but he was fired in July after comparing federal troops in U.S. cities to Nazis on Twitter. A few days ago, a local arts and culture paper (Westword) published this piece from Marty explaining why he did what he did- I think the significance of it goes well beyond Colorado, so I've put the entire text of the piece below:
"Better to be a good American than a good employee. Distilled to its most elemental expression, that is the reason why I blew up a 35-year career in broadcast media to add my voice to the alarms sounding about the current state of our Republic.
My former employer did the right thing in firing me. They set the rules, standards of conduct and guidelines for content. Break them and you pay. I did and I did.
To anyone gleefully saying that I got what I deserved, I agree, so let’s move on...back to our imperiled democracy.
At a public event the Saturday after the 2016 election, a colleague asked me what I thought of the result of the presidential race. “Racism and sexism are alive and well in the United States of America,” I responded. After seeing our 45th president’s rise to power fueled by the “birther” movement and his callous attitudes toward women self-described (one might say “confessed”) in the Access Hollywood tape, there is no other conclusion a reasonable person could reach.
The birther movement was based on fiction. However, that did not stop Donald Trump from repeatedly, over the course of several years, questioning Barack Obama’s legitimacy as president. When the entire fabrication unraveled, Trump simply turned everyone’s attention to the next shiny object of distraction and we obediently went along for one of what would turn out to be many excursions down the rabbit hole. As for the Access Hollywood recording, you have a man either bragging about sexual assault or lying to Billy Bush about committing sexual assault; there’s no third choice. It’s inconceivable that a person with those attitudes and (again, self-confessed) behaviors would be hired for any job in a position of authority at any organization, yet here we are.
For pointing these facts out, I’ve been called — well, I’ve been called a lot of things, the gist of which comes down to “liberal.” Fact is, I’ve been a registered Republican, Democrat and, for several years (including now), Unaffiliated. As a fiscal conservative who believes that everyone in the United States should have equal access under the law, there is not a tidy cubbyhole in which I can store my philosophies. Regardless of how you label yourself politically, it should be horrifying to see the relentless assault on truth that engages most of our current president’s time and energy. I’ve never seen myself as a journalist. My training is in psychology and political science, and then late in my college career, I cultivated my fascination with meteorology. I am a scientist who happened to be engaged in mass media, like Bill Nye without the bow tie.
As such, I observed journalists for a long, long time. The wealth of close contact that I enjoyed brought me to the conclusion that journalists do not set out to lie, twist the truth or advance an agenda. The people with whom I worked at several media outlets tirelessly sought to achieve accuracy even when interview subjects were hiding the truth.
Balance in storytelling was also the topic of long conversations in editorial meetings...to be sure that all relevant, varied points of view in a story were presented in a restrained, respectful way. In other words, playing by the rules of a polite society.
The mistake that journalists have made is to assume that our current president and his ilk have any intention of playing by those same rules.
By repeatedly labeling the free press “THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!” (yep, he does it in all caps) the 45th President of the United States declares open warfare on the First Amendment to the Constitution. Casting journalists in this light allows him to be the sole arbiter of “truth,” a scheme aided and abetted daily by talk radio and FoxNews propagandists.
This was all working pretty well until coronavirus came along. The virus doesn’t care what you believe, it doesn’t care who you vote for, it doesn’t care where you live. Donald Trump came up against something he couldn’t spin. Oh, he tried, lord, how he tried. How many times have we heard it would just “one day magically disappear”? There’s a public-health policy for you. 9The United States has the most deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the world, the most coronavirus cases in the world, and much of that world has banned travel from the U.S. to their respective countries. After proclaiming “We’re doing great,” Trump has now tested positive. George Orwell could not have written this situation better.
It is this all-out war on basic truth that I find so appalling. As I said, I am a scientist, and though scientists get things wrong due to a lack of knowledge or insufficient data, we do not get things wrong in a deliberate attempt to call attention away from our own failings.
Which leads me to why I did it. Why I posted what was described as an “incendiary” tweet that ended my media career.
I watched masked, unidentified men in camouflage grabbing people off of the streets of Portland without ever identifying themselves or the authority under which they were operating. I watched the president say that he would deploy similar forces to cities and states governed by his political rivals. This would in essence be a national police force used for “law and order” at the behest of one political party over the objections of local elected officials. Sorry, folks: That ain’t conservative, small government no matter how you spin it. By the way, what jobs do those masked guys in camo normally do? Where are they from? Why did they need camo? Has anyone missed them at their regular jobs?
Finally, I watched U.S. Navy veteran and Naval Academy graduate Chris David being threatened with semi-automatic weapons, beaten with batons and pepper-sprayed in the face. Why? Because he dared to challenge those unidentified men by saying: “Remember your oath to the Constitution.” After that assault, I did not hear any outrage from the “Respect our veterans” crowd. But I was outraged.
My father fought the fascist Germans in North Africa and the fascist Italians in Italy during World War II. Three of my brothers served in the Army. My late brother Tim was an Army Airborne Ranger and retired as a major after a twenty-year career. So don’t you dare try to lecture me about respecting our veterans.
It was at that moment I realized that maintaining a high-prestige job with a comfortable lifestyle and predictable future was not the most important thing to me. The idea of what America is — self-government, equal access under the law, equal justice under the law, respect for truth: Those were the things that were the most important to me.
I ask everyone who reads this to think about the ideal of what America was intended to be, the promise that America has the potential to afford to all of us and, while recognizing that we have yet to fully realize the potential of America, realize that it is worth sacrifice to aspire to the lofty goals our Founding Fathers set for us.
Better to be a good American than a good employee."

Away With You, Griffin!

On our late night walks, Jasper and I monitor the wildish animals in our neighborhood. I haven't seen skunks and possums for awhile. I'm thinking they must be in trouble. We've occasionally seen raccoons prowling the neighborhood at night, though. 

I've been using less and less bird seed at the bird feeding spot. The reason is that there are fewer pigeons now than ever, likely due to predation and disease. The remaining sparrows and doves just don't eat as much as the pigeons. 

Nevertheless, the bird seed has been a big source of trouble. I stored the bird seed in the pickup truck bed, where a rodent managed to raid it. This is the first time in eighteen years that a rodent was smart enough to figure out the system. So I moved the bird seed into the adjacent economy-car trunk. The rodent found that bird seed too, and incidentally feasted on electrical insulation, knocking out the right rear tail light and causing enough damage that $1,800 was required to repair it. Currently, the bird seed is under siege in the pickup truck cab, in hardened metal containers. 

Late at night, you can hear a variety of owls on the prowl. One night, an owl landed on a utility line just a short distance above us. The owl's shadow loomed over us. It hooted. Aha, a Great Horned Owl! But then it made a completely erroneous Canadian-Goose honk too. It started making a ruckus, alternating with hoots and honks. 

What kind of bird was this? Was it trying to escape being pigeonholed? Was it some sort of Gondwanaland experimental hybrid escaped from the lab? Later, I read that Great Horned Owls also make sounds beyond just hoots, so it must have been a Great Horned Owl. Still, I like the hybrid idea - owl head, goose body. Maybe it was a Griffin, like on some medieval map. Here there be Dragons. The Griffin then flew away, honking and hooting all the way. 

This evening (October 16th), I released Jasper from the house into the back yard, where he promptly surprised and killed a rodent. I've been hearing rodents in the back yard for months now. In Sacramento they like to live in palm trees and under ivy. Maybe - could it be? - was this the once-in-a-generation intelligent rodent that has been making my life miserable? One can hope!

Grand Opening of the Sacramento Running Company

This evening (October 15th), Jasper and I rounded the corner of our block, and stumbled into a large party at the old art gallery space, at 2nd Ave. and 21st St. To my surprise, most of the people at the party immediately proceeded to run away. 

I asked, and learned it was the Grand Opening of the Sacramento Running Company in the old art gallery space. Running, in circles and otherwise, is what these people do. Nobody does it better. So why not run right now? 

When Jasper and I returned from our walk all the runners had returned. It was a large party; about a hundred people. Music, wine, healthy snacks, plus the best shoes and warmup gear. I’ll have to drop in soon and check on the merchandise.

Surprisingly-Large Rainfall in Sacramento






































Well, that was an interesting storm! A tight, powerful system that came from the north and moved down the coast. The 2025-26 water year has already started (October 1st), but the rainy season in Sacramento rarely starts before November 1st, so this storm is almost like a freebie. 

At Sacramento Executive Airport, we got 1.57 inches of rain, on a par with the larger storms that typically come in the winter. It's surprising that the valley got as much rain as it did. We're at the bottom of the valley. Elevation doesn't help us at all, but the storm persistently wrapped the rain around the low and kept us wet anyway. 

I was surprised by the relatively-lower rainfall amounts immediately northeast of Sacramento and in the foothills northeast of the city. Carmichael got 0.95 inches, Colfax got roughly 0.84 inches, and Grass Valley got only 0.63 inches. Winds were frequently from the east in those areas as the storm slid south, however. Thus, there wasn't much help from orographic uplift, so totals suffered. Davis and Woodland got roughly 1.1 - 1.2 inches. 

Mountainous areas northeast of Fresno and Bakersfield, and north of Ventura, Los Angeles, and Rancho Cucamonga got clobbered, with upwards of 3 inches of rain. 

There was an intriguing paper out of the University of Arizona a few years ago showing that response of the California rainy season to global warming has been to focus the rainy season into a short span of time. So, instead of rain spaced evenly out over five months you get four dry months and one really wet month, and God forbid if it doesn't rain that one month! We'll see if that's the pattern we get this winter.

More New Protest Signs

Today’s new protest signs (October 10th). I try to keep things fresh. Trump presented a new weakness the last couple of days, and I exploit that.

Big Layoffs in West Sacramento

You learn the craziest things protesting at Howe and Arden on Saturday in Sacramento. A motorist stopped for the traffic light rolled down her window and pleaded with me and the other protesters to keep on protesting, no matter what, because "all these people out here (gesturing at the other motorists) just don't know what's going on." 

Then she informed me about the big layoffs announced the day before in West Sacramento (October 3rd). She knew about the layoffs sooner than most because she worked with labor unions. "We deserve better than this," she said. 

Even though our Howe and Arden protests are aimed primarily at ICE and its abuses, there is a sense that we also need to stand for many other causes too, because we are all fighting many of the same foes. The Trump Administration is no friend at all of the labor movement, so we must also support organized labor, as they support us. 

Sure enough, the layoffs finally made the news on Thursday (October 9th), but nearly a week after the fact. So few reporters these days; so much to cover! The powerful love the uninformed citizenry, and the information gap, so we need to help fill in that gap too.
Manna Beverages notified the state on Oct. 3 that over the next four days it planned to close its West Sacramento plant and its warehouses, where 378 workers made and packed juices, energy drinks, teas and sparkling waters for some of the country’s largest beverage brands. At the same time it said it also planned to shutter facilities in Anaheim and Chino, where an additional 260 people worked. 
Manna Beverages said it was underperforming financially and struggling to make debt payments, in a letter to employees that was included in the state notice. It began looking for buyers in June and received two offers, but couldn’t finalize a sale. The company, the letter said, was “out of time and money.”

I Guess This Means I'm On The Spectrum

Sacramento Helicopter Crash

RIP, Suzie Smith, a nurse who deserved better. 

This crash closed Highway 50 for a time and messed up my commute, and the commutes of others, the next day.

 

Tuesday, October 07, 2025

A New Temperance Movement

Interesting article about how the Republican-led boycott against Bud Light, the war against Hispanic sociability, and the health-podcast subculture has led to a general collapse in beer sales nationwide. 

It sounds like a new Temperance Movement, led by people who intend to rule - eugenicists like RFK, Jr. An echo of the Victorians:
Last month, Gallup published its annual report on U.S. drinking habits. For nearly 90 years, dating back to 1939, the firm has been taking stock of Americans and the good old American pastime. 
Its findings this time were stunning. The percentage of American adults who reported drinking any alcohol at all had cratered to just 54 percent, the lowest number ever recorded in those nine decades of data gathering. That’s almost 10 points below the 80-year average of 63 percent. 
The demographic leading the charge? Self-identified Republicans. Only 46 percent of Republicans reported drinking at all in the past year. That’s a decline of almost a third since 2023, when the Bud Light boycott began. More than half are off the sauce altogether. 
The longer you look at it, the more absurd it seems. The Republican Party, as so many postelection postmortems have found, has gotten younger, running up the margin with young men in particular. Those guys are supposed to be beer’s lifeblood. But the opposite is happening. Half of adults age 18 to 34 do not consume alcohol, up from 41 percent in 2023. Incredibly, as America becomes abstemious, it is Republicans on the vanguard. 
Surely there are nonpolitical explanations for this. Maybe it’s because of a concomitant surge in the use of cannabis or alternative nicotine products, or maybe all those young men and conservatives are shooting up Ozempic. 
But the investment banks don’t think so. As Laurence Whyatt, a beverage analyst at Barclays, told the Financial Times, all of those explanations were “not particularly compelling for having such a seismic change in a short space of time.” He cited uncertain economic headwinds, also brought on by Trump’s tariffs and other policies, as a primary reason for the decline. 
Whatever the Bud Light fiasco was, it was just the beginning. On multiple fronts, the Republican Party has inaugurated an epidemic of teetotaling. Maybe it’s not exactly surprising. Trump abstains from alcohol, though he also abstained from alcohol during his first term, during which time Republicans were tipping them back.

Life in the Remote Borderlands Can Be Hard

An interesting story.