The Bee Picks Up On My Mark Williams Teabagger Post

Amusing, particularly the comment left by one reader:

Disgusting how the Bee allows this nit wit writer to post something like this.

Yes, disgusting it is, particularly when I wasn't asked - they just posted it. If I'd had my druthers, I would have the Bee publish a ten-page, close-typed liberal manifesto - something more useful. But you take what they give, and if that's what they give, then that's what I take.

What Judge Antonin Scalia And Myself Have In Common

We both like this movie:

He loves opera, good books, and a well-argued court case. But when it comes to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's taste in humor, he's just like the rest of us. "My favorite legal movie is My Cousin Vinny," the conservative justice admits. "I could watch that over and over and over again." Especially the scenes that include dishy Marisa Tomei. "God, she's a killer," Scalia says.

My Cousin Vinny could have been a forgettable also-ran of a movie, but is saved by a well-written script and good acting. Everyone seems to like it, and if you hail from New Jersey, you really like it!

In The Jungle Of Nool, By The River Walloo

The Whos, left to right: Riley S., Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly, Elena L., Jennifer Berry, Ana C. (JoJo), Jason Hammond (The Mayor of Whoville), and William C.


[Update] Here are a few pictures from Saturday and Sunday.

Great opening last night (Friday night)!

I've never seen people with so much built-up tension and excitement just before opening night curtain - nearly paralyzed with excitement!

There were a few problems, of course. The Elephant Bird sprang out much too soon, for example. And there were other glitches. But people really enjoyed themselves and laughed themselves silly, and we are off to a strong start!

Dance number, featuring Ryan L., and Jessica Kersten.

"It's Possible (In McElligot's Pool)".

The Cat in the Hat (Kevin Caravalho), Thing 2 (Devon H.), JoJo (Ana C.), and Thing 1 (Linnea L.).

The Cat In The Hat as Dr. Dake (Kevin Caravalho) and Gertrude McFuzz (Emily Jo Seminoff).

The four Bird Girls (Eimi Stokes, Christina Rae, Chanel Charity, and Monica Parisi).

The Whos, left to right: Karina Summers, Riley S., Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly, Elena L., Christine Deamer, Ana C. (JoJo), Jason Hammond (The Mayor of Whoville), William C., and Kristofer Y.

Final Rehearsal Pictures - "Seussical The Musical"

Final pose.
Emily Jo Seminoff as Gertrude McFuzz (and Bird Girl Monica Parisi).
Kyle Hadley (Horton the Elephant) and the four Bird Girls (Eimi Stokes, Christina Rae, Monica Parisi, and Chanel Charity).
Kyle Hadley (Horton the Elephant), Deborah Douglas Hammond (Sour Kangaroo) and two of the four Bird Girls (Eimi Stokes and Chanel Charity).
Horton the Elephant (Kyle Hadley), The Cat in the Hat (Kevin Caravalho), and JoJo (Ana C.).
General Schmitz's troops. (Not quite sure: Kendyl I., x, x, x, Megan Rynott, x, Ryan L., Riley S., Jessica Kersten, Matthew Kohrt, Brittany Bickel?).
Mr. & Mrs. Mayor (Jason Hammond and Erin Renfree), and daughter Elena L. (Cindy Lou Who).
The Wickersham Brothers (Cole Y., Matthew Kohrt, Kendyl I., and Ryan L.).
Kyle Hadley as 'Horton' and Emily Jo Seminoff as Gertrude McFuzz (with Bird Girls Eimi Stokes, Christna Rae, Chanel Charity, and Monica Parisi).
Final number.

Sac Bee Ticket Feature On DMTC

Jan explained the concept:

"I told Steve, 'We're going to have nice, big casts with kids, teens, adults, and seniors onstage and the rest of the community in the audience cheering us on,' " Isaacson says.

"Plaguers" Trailer

Out on DVD (with Stephanie Skewes) on December 15th.

And People Wonder Why We Have An Illegal Immigration Problem

It's because we talk the talk, but we don't walk the walk. And it's actually more human of us that we don't walk the walk either. We are willing to get all medieval on illegal immigrants, but only as long as the folks remain faceless. Once there is a face attached to the pain, it's all a different story. So, Joe Wilson may be a hypocrite, but a hypocrite in a humane sense:

The anti-illegal immigration movement is singing Congressman Joe Wilson’s praises, but the lawmaker who was rebuked by the House this week recently helped extend the stay of one of those very “illegals” the activists hope to remove from the country.

...Two months before he heckled Obama, he introduced legislation to keep Sainey Fatty, an illegal immigrant from Gambia, in the country. Fatty came to the U.S. for school in the early ’90s and lived here for seven years while under a deportation order, according to his friend Bill Cook’s blog.

In his bill, Wilson asks Congress to forgive Fatty’s immigration woes, drop the deportation order against Fatty and allow him to remain in the country legally.

Wilson’s communications director Ryan Murphy told Raw Story in an e-mail that “Congressman Wilson does not support illegal immigrants getting access to a government taxpayer funded health insurance program.” He did not respond to questions about what motivated Wilson to keep Fatty in the country or whether Wilson supports Fatty’s ability to receive medical care in the U.S.

...Fatty’s friend Cook says in his blog that Fatty is allegedly a Christian convert who abandoned his Muslim roots. Cook did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comments, and restricted the public’s ability to view his blog after Raw Story left a voice-mail message at his office. Government workers familiar with the process in which members of Congress fight deportation orders say many undocumented people file asylum claims stating they would face violence if they return to their native countries after converting to Christianity.

After South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham followed Wilson’s lead, Fatty gets to stay in the U.S. for at least the next 15 months. Graham introduced legislation similar to Wilson’s in the Senate, which essentially gives Fatty an automatic stay on the deportation order to give the Senate time to act on Graham’s bill. Fatty is now allowed to remain in the U.S. until the 111th session of Congress adjourns.

“By the grace of God, Fatty has been granted a stay on his deportation,” his friend Cook’s blog reported last month. “…Congressman Wilson and others reached out to Senators DeMint and Graham, who were able to secure a temporary stay–word reached Fatty less than 30 minutes before his flight out of the U.S. was slated to leave today. Praise God for His kindness!”

...Fatty did not respond to requests for comment, but the company website for HIS International, a South Carolina group that bills itself as a non-denominational Christian organization, lists him as an employee since 2003.

The group’s website says it helps foreign students with practical matters like getting driver’s licenses and gives these students the “option” of joining them for Bible study sessions and retreats. They also provide help accessing medical care.

Suzy-Q

(Shouting from different rooms)

M.: We open our show in Davis tonight.

E.: What show are you doing now?

M.: We are doing "Suessical, The Musical": (singing) 'A person's a person, no matter how small....'

E.: Oh....

(Later, listening to her experimenting with the tune...)

E.: Suzy-Q, Suzy-Q, A person's a person, no matter how big....

Space Census

How many people are there in space right now? I mean, right now?

Six, at this instant.

Music Of The Birds

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

A delightful idea!:

Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn't the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.

Dating Montage From The 1980's

I wonder where they are now?

Most Of The Debt Remains

Interesting series of three graphs at Calculated Risk regarding home equity. Here's one graph....

The percentage of home equity virtually defines the middle class and so seems like a good proxy for the economic health of the middle class:

This graph shows homeowner percent equity since 1952.

Household percent equity (of household real estate) was up to 43% from the all time low last quarter of 41.9%. The increase was due to a slight increase in the value of household real estate and a decline in mortgage debt - and also a decline in overall GDP (so the ratio increases).

When prices were increasing dramatically, the percent homeowner equity was stable or declining because homeowners were extracting equity from their homes. Now, with prices falling, the percent homeowner equity has been cliff diving.

Note: approximately 31% of households do not have a mortgage. So the 50+ million households with mortgages have far less than 43% equity.

...After a bubble, the value of assets decline, but most of the debt remains.

"Seussical" - Wednesday Night Rehearsal

General Genghis Khan Schmitz (Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly) and his troops (Jessica Kersten, Matthew Kohrt, and others) meet the Whos.
General Schmitz's troops (Not quite sure: Kendyl I., x, x, x, Ryan L., Riley S., Jessica Kersten, Matthew Kohrt, Helen Spangler?).
Kevin Caravalho (The Cat in the Hat) as Dr. Dake and Emily Jo Seminoff as Gertrude McFuzz.
Kevin Caravalho (The Cat in the Hat) as Dr. Dake, Emily Jo Seminoff as Gertrude McFuzz, Linnea L. (Thing 1) and Devon H. (Thing 2).

Kevin Caravalho as the 'Cat In The Hat', Kyle Hadley as 'Horton', Kay Hight as 'Mayzie LaBird', Linnea L. as 'Thing 1' and Devon H. as 'Thing 2'.
Kyle Hadley as 'Horton the Elephant'.
Left: General Genghis Khan Schmitz (Jeff Lloyd Heatherly) and his troops meet the Whos (Michael Yambrovich and Christine Deamer, obscured; and jason Hammond (The Mayor of Whoville).

Below: Kevin Caravalho as the 'Cat In The Hat'.


"Hunches". Linnea L. (Thing 1) and Devon H. (Thing 2), Ana C. as 'Jojo' and Kevin Caravalho as 'The Cat In The Hat'.
"Hunches". Linnea L. (Thing 1), Devon H. (Thing 2), Ana C. as 'Jojo' and Kevin Caravalho as 'The Cat In The Hat', and Hunches (Gerald Shearman, Christine Deamer, Megan Rynott, and Jennifer Berry).

The Whos (background) struggle to make themselves heard. The Whos, left to right: Christine Deamer, Riley S., Jennifer Berry, Elena L., Ana C., Jason Hammond (The Mayor of Whoville), William C., and Erin Renfree-Davis.

Foreground: Helen Spangler (Court Marshall).
Kevin Caravalho as 'The Cat In The Hat'.

Kyle Hadley as 'Horton' and Emily Jo Seminoff as Gertrude McFuzz (with Bird Girl Monica Parisi).
Final number.
Final number.

Yay! The Mobile Home is SOLD!

I'm happy: my sister is feeling a twinge of sadness, however, because there's no going back - it's a permanent, permanent milestone.

Blogs, And Their Problems

One of the most unexpected joys of blogging here at Marc Valdez Weblog is just how few real problems I've had since 2002 with with people flaming each other in the comments section. That was unexpected, because there are so many people with clashing temperaments in the Sacramento Community Musical Theatre scene, and some flaming might have been expected. But no, everyone's been real, real civil over the last seven years, even if the antagonisms might have been deep at times.

Today is a bit different, however. Since I've churned out so many blogposts over the years, however, I won't point to the problem, but effectively bury it. Since I respect both the flamer and the flamed I won't delete the comments either, at least, not yet, but simply worry over them.

If you are a spammer, however, I'm gonna $&^*#@ kill you!

Mobile Home Sale Might Be Imminent

My sister says the buyer might have trouble paying some excise fees, or something. All I say is "get it done!"

Two - TWO! - Hindenburg-Sized Egos, Under The Same Roof, At The Same Time!

Grotesque doesn't even begin to describe what lays in wait for us! Mothra and Godzilla of the musical world!

Kanye West and Lady Gaga, at Arco Arena, on November 20th!

Should we go, or should we take the cue from the helpless massed denizens of Tokyo, and flee for the hills?

Ladies Gaelic Football Class Organizing Via Craigslist

The Egregious Rush Limbaugh Poisons National Discourse Again

Not for the first time, and I hope for the last, Rush Limbaugh's enormous ass is scraping bottom, again, this time with this black/white school bus incident and some conservatives finally see the danger in giving him any more leeway:

It has since come out that the police officer who initially described the beating as racial has changed his mind. It appears it was just bullies being bullies, which is bad enough, but not as bad as we first thought.

But that's not why I took down the item and the link to the video. I took it down because now we have Rush Limbaugh blaming Obama for black kids beating up a white kid on a school bus. This is what happens in "Obama's America," he said today on his radio show.

How low will these people go? Look, I think it's important to talk about black male violence, or at least as important as it is to talk about any other important social trend. I don't think we should be squeamish about discussing it in a responsible and fair-minded way, despite what the politically correct say. But good grief, Limbaugh is up to something wicked. He's plainly trying to rally white conservatives into thinking that now that we have a black president, blacks are rising up to attack white kids! Christ have mercy, what is wrong with these people?

I won't have anything to do with it, not even tangentially, which is why I took down the post. I can't see this as anything other than Limbaugh deliberately trying to whip up racial fear and loathing of the president. This goes far, far beyond tough criticism of Obama. Does that man Limbaugh have any idea what rough beast he's calling forth?

On his deathbed not too many years ago, a relative of mine confessed to having been part of a white lynch mob in the 1930s, which strung up a black man after he was caught having sex with a white woman. She accused him of rape. The sheriff led the lynch mob. There was no need for a trial; what a black man did to a white woman was considered so horrifying that nobody could wait for a trial and a verdict. After the black man was murdered, the guilt-stricken white woman confessed that the man had been her lover, and she called him a rapist to protect her honor.

None of us ever knew this about my kinsman, until in his dying days, he admitted it because it tortured him. It had been on his heart all his life. I pray that his repentance in the face of eternity helped him find mercy. It unnerved me, though, to think that that kindly old man had once fallen under the sway of race hatred to that degree, a race hatred that was part of the society into which he was born and raised. It still does, because that world seems like a thousand years ago. But it only seems so far away because many people worked too hard -- and some even gave their lives -- to drive those demons out. And now here is Limbaugh, of Palm Beach, and his ilk, calling them back insouciantly, for political advantage. This is evil.

It's undeniably true that black males, as a group, are disproportionately responsible for violent crimes today (and blacks are disproportionately victims, too). This is important to talk about. This means something. I hate the kind of political correctness that demands we pretend not to see what we see. But as far as I'm concerned, if the Limbaughs of the world are going to be doing this kind of thing, and trying to blame, with no logical grounds whatsoever, a black president for black-on-white violence, and if they're going to do this in an increasingly hysterical atmosphere of protest against that black president, I don't want to talk about these things at all. Now is not the time. With this kind of inflammatory rhetoric, they are quite simply tearing the country apart.

Where do they think this is going to go?

The Blue Dogs Get Their Health Care Reform Package

But does anyone else like it?

Myself, I don't know how this health insurance mandate is supposed to work. Requiring everyone to have health insurance would be fine if we also required everyone to have money, but as we know, not all do.

Nope, this is a long-term, multi-year battle. Baucus' bill is just the first salvo.....