"Domestic Disturbance" Signing Party - Celebration Arts

Left: Carla Fleming finishes the evening with a rousing rendition of Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman".


Saturday evening, Celebration Arts hosted a signing party for singer Carla Fleming, upon the release of her new CD, "Domestic Disturbance." Carla is part of the "Step One" family and I sometimes see her in aerobics class. Along with the dancers, she was featured recently in Pepper Von's "Let's Go!" at Garbeau's Dinner Theater. She is a phenomenal R&B singer!

Carla knows (and has known - death being a permanent state) too many friends caught up in the scourge of domestic violence - hence this album. Celebration Arts hosted the party and show, which featured two poets, and another singer, Reming Livingstone, plus some of Step One's favorite dancers.

The two women poets (LaRue and Immobme) were quite good, and sang poems of romantic longing, echoing the theme of the night. (The name "Immobme" is apparently a contraction of "I'm going to be me", or "Im Mo Be Me").

I had the impression (not confirmed) that a portion of the proceeds will go to aid the victims of domestic violence.

Left and below: Carla Fleming.




Left: Evening co-hosts Jean Hooks, and "Jack".

Below: "Reming" Livingstone.



Left: Carla Fleming, and dancers. Dancers, left to right; Hannah Collins, Misty Barker, Alli Phelps, Gabrielle Perez.

Left: Carla Fleming. Dancers, left to right; Hannah Collins and Misty Barker.

Oliver Stone's "W"



When Oliver Stone's "JFK" came out, I promised to never see another Oliver Stone movie. I never saw "JFK", but by introducing an entire generation to the erroneous multiple assassin theory of Kennedy's death (I'm a convinced Oswald-was-the-single-shooter guy), it seemed to me that Stone had done a tremendous disservice to American history - a crime, really. Stone? - Anathema!

Nevertheless, time tends to heal wounds. Today, I went to see Oliver Stone's "W". Josh Brolin's portrayal is almost a caricature, to the point where it's hard to see why anyone would admire and follow George W. Bush. What a dunderhead Brolin's Bush is! Nevertheless, it's a very good caricature - Brolin becomes Bush after a time, so you have to wonder, is the real George W. Bush really this much of a dunderhead? Maybe he is! But a likable dunderhead, and Stone's portrayal is rather sympathetic to a man out of his depth.

The dialog takes creative use of Bush's public malapropisms and brings them into the settings of private cabinet meetings. Everyone's but Brolin's acting tends to be a bit stilted, so the effect is to give a sense of unreality to events that were very real and very recent. The best acting beside Brolin's Bush was Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney and Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush. Robert Cordrry gets to play Ari Fleischer! I didn't much like Thandie Newton's portrayal of Condoleezza Rice - just a bit too prissy.

No crimes to history here - the real crimes are a result of the actions of the Bush Administration, not Oliver Stone. I give the movie two thumbs up!

Bobby Conn- Never Get Ahead



This video clip was voted “Worst Video Ever” in a VH1 contest and has been broadcast in the UK and Europe pretty consistently for the past ten years.

Actually, not so bad....

La Pequeña Sarah Palin



Via Synthesis Magazine Blog.

Joe, 24/7

Joe The Plumbers, everywhere!

Synchronicity

There is a small cyclone spinning in the southern tropical Indian Ocean right now. Awfully early for that! There is also tropicalish bad weather north of there, in the northern tropical Indian Ocean. It's unusual to have tropical disturbances underway in both hemispheres of the same ocean at the same time.

Tipping

A brief history:

Tipping was imported from Europe, and when it arrived in America, it met with impassioned and organized opposition. While the precise origin of tipping is uncertain, it is commonly traced to Tudor England, according to “Tipping,” Kerry Segrave’s history of the custom. By the 17th century, it was expected that overnight guests to private homes would provide sums of money, known as vails, to the host’s servants. Soon after, customers began tipping in London coffeehouses and other commercial establishments. One frequented by Samuel Johnson had a bowl printed with the words “To Insure Promptitude,” and some speculate that “tip” is an acronym for this phrase.

Tipping began as an aristocratic practice, a sprinkle of change for social inferiors, and it quickly spread among the upper classes of Europe. Yet even at its outset, tipping engendered feelings of anxiety and resentment. In the mid-1800s, after leaving the Bell Inn of Gloucester, the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle complained: “The dirty scrub of a waiter grumbled about his allowance, which I reckoned liberal. I added sixpence to it, and [he] produced a bow which I was near rewarding with a kick.”

After the Civil War, wealthy Americans began traveling to Europe in significant numbers, and they brought the tip home with them to demonstrate their worldliness. But the United States, unlike Europe, had no aristocratic tradition, and as tipping spread — like “evil insects and weeds,” The New York Times claimed in 1897 — many thought it was antithetical to American democratic ideals. “Tipping, and the aristocratic idea it exemplifies, is what we left Europe to escape,” William Scott wrote in his 1916 anti-tipping screed, “The Itching Palm.” One periodical of the same era deplored tipping for creating a class of workers who relied on “fawning for favors.”

Opposition to tipping was not limited to the media. In 1904, the Anti-Tipping Society of America sprang up in Georgia, and its 100,000 members signed pledges not to tip anyone for a year. Leagues of traveling salesmen opposed the tip, as did most labor unions. In 1909, Washington became the first of six states to pass an anti-tipping law. But tipping persisted. The new laws rarely were enforced, and when they were, they did not hold up in court. By 1926, every anti-tipping law had been repealed.

Ultimately, even those who in principle opposed the practice found themselves unable to stiff their servers. Samuel Gompers, who was president of the American Federation of Labor and a leading figure of the anti-tipping movement, admitted that he “followed the usual custom of giving tips.”

Meanwhile, Europe was rethinking its devotion to the custom. The 1943 Catering Wages Act in Britain established a minimum wage for service employees that helped decrease their reliance on tips. And in 1955, France passed a law requiring its restaurants to add a service charge (“service compris”) to each bill, a practice that has become the norm for most of the continent.

Who Cares?

Like Atrios is fond of saying, this is another episode of what Digby says:

Is there any value in an endorsement that comes in the last two weeks of a campaign where the endorsee is substantially ahead? It wouldn't hurt to have General Luke Warmwater come out for Obama, but I don't see why anyone but the Villagers will give a damn.

Sixty Is The New Forty? A Boomer Conceit

I find it insufferable that Boomers feel privileged enough to alter the calendar to suit their boundless narcissistic vanity. And to my shock, they quote my optometrist!:

After a recent Bee story described a 60-year-old woman as elderly, one 60-year-old reader called to complain. What's up with you guys, she asked, don't you know that's just plain wrong?

...The consensus seems to be that 60 is the new 40. Or at least a 40 with far different pressures and responsibilities. If not retired, then working with less pressure. The kids are grown and gone. And there's just more time to do fun stuff.

...Bag the "elderly" tag, she said – the preferred terminology these days is "seniors" or "older adults."

Like other experts, McVicar attributes the extended longevity to better knowledge and acceptance of the role of a proper diet and regular exercise.

And, perhaps most important of all, the wonders of life-prolonging and life-enhancing modern medicine that weren't available to earlier generations.

...Ernest Takahashi, 63, is a Sacramento optometrist who in his spare time runs, and runs far. He recently ran in the Cowtown Marathon, completing those 26.2 fun miles in 3 hours, 29 minutes.

"Age is relative," said Takahashi. "When I was younger, I used to think that 50 was really old, but now, I'm physically fit and doing fine."

He said he owes his health to eating right and exercise. He runs between two and 50 miles on a given day and hasn't missed a day in 20 years.

"I've found that running is a good way to keep weight off and release stress," he said.

"It's never too late for anyone to start doing something to keep fit … and for me, it's still a great feeling when I'm in a race and I see someone younger than me and I think, 'I can pass them.' "

I have no problem with 'Sixty being the new sixty.' And it's wonderful that people are living fulfilling, pain-free lives far, far into the golden years. But let's not kid ourselves. For every healthy elderly person, there is another pain-ridden person in their 30's limping around with a cane. Life can be a cruel tyrant. Age is NOT relative! Few yardsticks are so reliable and resilient! And wasn't it my optometrist who first noted the symptoms of my age-associated retinal detachment 14 years ago? Age happens to thee, but not to me - is that the new slogan?

(To be fair, my optometrist never said this - I'm just engaging in thought-provoking hyperbole here).

This "age is relative" nonsense permeates the entire age spectrum now, of course. I remember, when I turned thirty and starting referring to myself as middle-aged, my girlfriend (who was a little older) said, "I don't THINK so! Leave ME out of this middle-aged nonsense!"

Well, she was wrong. Like they say, "Time wounds all heels."

Certain kinds of age can be relative, however. Mental maturity matters. Once, I remember being introduced to a porn-obsessed nineteen-year-old, and I thought it remarkable how OLD the fellow seemed.

Guilt By Association

John McCain's campaign is bloated with lobbyists - some like William Timmons, who lobbied on behalf of disgraceful clients, like Saddam Hussein.

Fortunately, a brave few are willing to call John McCain on his slanderous campaign. Last night, David Letterman went where the cowardly mainstream media journalists were afraid to go, and confronted McCain about Watergate's infamous Gordon Liddy.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander:

Questioning the premise of McCain's relentless guilt-by-association attacks, Letterman noted that people in public life can't necessarily be held accountable for everyone they've interacted with. When McCain protested a bit, Letterman asked two highly relevant questions: "Did you not have a relationship with Gordon Liddy?" and "Did you attend a fundraiser at his house?" McCain, looking confused, conceded to having "met" Liddy. After a commercial break, McCain added, "I know Gordon Liddy. He paid his debt, he went to prison.... I'm not in any was embarrassed to know Gordon Liddy."

That's an interesting response. Liddy is, of course, a convicted felon who has "acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in 'if necessary'; plotting to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotting with a 'gangland figure' to murder Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating with investigators; plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting to kidnap 'leftist guerillas' at the 1972 Republican National Convention -- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed from the Nazis." Liddy also once famously gave his supporters advice on how best to kill federal officials (he recommended shooting them in the head because they might be wearing flak jackets).

Despite this scandalous past, McCain has accepted thousands of dollars in contributions from Liddy, attended a fundraiser in his honor at Liddy's home, and told Liddy that he's "proud of" him.

Also remember, Liddy can be fairly described as "unrepentant." When asked if he regretted his felonies, "A vein twitches angrily on one of his scales, but he replies in a level voice, 'No.'"

The Uses Of Disco Music

It's the rhythm:

In a small but intriguing study from the University of Illinois medical school, doctors and students maintained close to the ideal number of chest compressions doing CPR while listening to ["Stayin' Alive"] the catchy, sung-in-falsetto tune from the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever."

The American Heart Association recommends 100 chest compressions per minute, far more than most people realize, study author Dr. David Matlock of the school's Peoria, Illinois, campus said Thursday.

And while CPR can triple cardiac arrest survival rates when properly performed, many people hesitate to do it because they're not sure about keeping the proper rhythm, Matlock said.

He found that "Stayin' Alive," which has a way of getting stuck in your head anyway, can help with that.

..."It drove them and motivated them to keep up the rate, which is the most important thing," he said.

...It turns out the American Heart Association has been using the song as a training tip for CPR instructors for about two years.

They learned of it from a physician "who sort of hit upon this as a training tool," said association spokesman Dr. Vinay Nadkarni of the University of Pennsylvania.

..."I don't know how the Bee Gees knew this," Nadkarni said. "They probably didn't. But they just hit upon this natural rhythm that was very catchy, very popular, that helps us do the right thing."

Dr. Matthew Gilbert, a 28-year-old medical resident, was among participants in the University of Illinois study this past spring. Since then, he said, he has revived real patients by keeping the song in his head while doing CPR.

Gilbert said he was surprised the song worked as well as it did.

"I was a little worried because I've been told that I have a complete lack of rhythm," he said. Also, Gilbert said he's not really a disco fan.

He does happen to like a certain Queen song with a similar beat.

"I heard a rumor that 'Another One Bites the Dust' works also, but it didn't seem quite as appropriate," Gilbert said.

MIT Flying Car Prototype

Or not a flying car, exactly, but a "roadable aircraft," the Terrafugia Transition is approaching first sale in 2009.

A Christening

Paternal pride:

A supporter of Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin went beyond a bumper sticker and named his newborn daughter after the duo.

The baby's name, Sarah McCain Palin Ciptak, came as a surprise to her mother.

The parents had agreed to name the girl Ava Grace, but father Mark Ciptak instead filled out the birth certificate with the political name to draw attention to the candidates, he told local newspaper the Kingsport Times News.

He only later told his wife, Layla.

"To be sure, she was not quite fond of me or of what I had done, but we've had some time to talk it over, and she has been really supportive through it all," Ciptak told the newspaper.

Renaissance Man

I saw this article last weekend, and particularly liked it:

For pianist, scientist and windsurfer Davide Verotta, the feeling of being at one with himself happens on San Francisco Bay as his board skips over the waves at 40 mph.

It is here, in this windy realm, in the shadow of the Golden Gate, that Verotta ceases to be a man split among three pursuits.

"Sometimes, when I'm on the water, it's a feeling of absolute harmony," said Verotta, 49, who has been windsurfing for almost three decades.

"When you're skipping over waves, that's a transcendent moment. It takes me outside of time, and I feel like I can go on forever."

But transcendence is fleeting, and all windsurfers must return to shore.

And it is ashore where Verotta plays out his other roles, as classical pianist-composer and as professor of biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.

...Verotta, who is pursuing a doctorate in music composition at the University of California, Davis, dwells simultaneously in the right- and left-brain worlds. When he's not attending to his duties as professor at UCSF, Verotta is likely found in his basement studio in San Francisco's Outer Richmond district, composing new works or practicing the piano sonatas of Beethoven and Mozart.

To see him bent over his Yamaha grand piano is to be tempted to think that music and windsurfing have nothing to do with each other.

But Verotta tells you otherwise.

"There are connections," he said. Verotta believes the two activities share issues of physical control, repetition and muscle memory.

"Windsurfing enhances my performance skills by developing my body awareness and my facility to stay in control in hair-raising situations."

Windsurfing has taught Verotta how to keep cool under stress, whether it be steering his board out of the path of an oil tanker or staying focused at the piano when performing a daunting Beethoven sonata.

The crossover of science and music is a trickier matter.

Verotta says he believes that science and art are almost mutually exclusive. For him, science has less to do with capturing the transcendent or building focus as it does with pursuing the truth.

"With music, you don't have any way of measuring the truth like you do with science," he said.

Krona Guilt

Yes, you too are guilty:

ICELANDERS have woken up in a new novel by Franz Kafka, where everybody is guilty by default. One by one, the mighty banks have been seized by the government, and Icelanders, aghast, have been told that each and every one of us owes millions of dollars — to whom, we don’t know. The earnest faces of the politicians, of bankers and tycoons almost crying, give us the final touch of the surreal. The situation is comparable only with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the 9/11 attacks — something final and yet beyond one’s individual grasp has happened.

...Suddenly, there are lines in the bank for foreign currencies, and there is a limit on how much we can get — overseas banks are refusing to accept our freefalling currency, the krona. One of my students, studying in Spain, can’t get money from Iceland for her rent. Importers and exporters can’t get currency to conduct business. Icelandic tourists abroad have problems getting cash from A.T.M.’s. The British government has applied terrorist laws to freeze the assets of an Icelandic bank; the list goes on as if it were a script for the nightmare of globalization.

We thought we had friends, in Europe and in the United States. They were sought in the hour of need and found to be busy with their own problems; only the Scandinavians were prepared to extend a helping hand, and then, all of a sudden, Russia — somehow the world has changed.

...Now that we don’t know if we can, the shock is so strong that neither anger nor sorrow have really taken hold. We thought Iceland was an independent country that could take care of itself without the help of Russia or the International Monetary Fund, that our currency amounted to something, that we could own companies and banks all over the world. We thought we could enjoy our beautiful country and clean air in the backyard of the aluminum smelter.

In many ways, we uncritically accepted the capitalist system, which now appears to have been a gigantic casino without an owner. We did in the end believe that we could get “money for nothing” and now we face the fact that we will get nothing for our money.

Heading Upstream

And I thought I had problems:

Professor Vezhaventhan and Professor Jeyaraman, who treated the boy and later wrote a paper on the case, said: "While he was cleaning the fish tank in his house, he was holding a fish in his hand and went to the toilet for passing urine.

"When he was passing urine, the fish slipped from his hand and entered his URETHRA and then he developed all these symptoms."

After finding the fish in the boy's BLADDER, the medics insert a special set of forceps down the patient's penis in a technique known as cystourethroscopy.

But the fish was too slippery, so the professors used a rigid ureteroscope with a tool attached – normally used for removing bladder stones.

The fish, which is thought to be a small member of the Betta genus, measured 2cm long and 1.5cm wide.

The patient was later offered counselling.

Upside Down Dogs

Useful web site of the day.

Smile With Your Eyes

The Nation Meets Joe The Plumber

Left: US Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (R-AZ) reacts to almost heading the wrong way off the stage after shaking hands with Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) at the conclusion of the final presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, October 15, 2008. REUTERS/Jim Bourg.





In last night's 3rd and final presidential debate of 2008, Barack Obama and John McCain traded shots about the prospects of Joe The Plumber (a registered Republican). Joe The Plumber is said to be from Holland, Ohio, and he wants to buy a plumbing business.

Nevertheless, readers of this blog know that Joe The Plumber is this guy (lower right-hand corner).

Joe The Plumber (an independent) doesn't worry too much about high taxes. After long periods of unemployment, he's just grateful to be working again. Instead, Joe worries about what British financiers are doing to this country, what aliens are doing to our species, and what the Warren Commission has done to our brains.

Mystery Of The Screaming Puppy

Eight a.m., and I woke abruptly. In the other room, Sparky was screaming at the top of his fluid-clogged lungs. I jumped out of bed and ran over to see what was going on.

When I got to Sparky, he stopped. He was coughing, as he always does now with his chronic heart disease, but he didn't seem to be in unusual distress. Had he been dreaming? Did he have a cramp? Did he have a heart attack? Clearly, it was time to make a visit to the vet. So, this afternoon, it was off to Rancho Cordova (where Sparky's vet is located).

A new woman vet looked at Sparky. The first thing she noticed was his bright-pink crayon of a penis. "Is it stuck?" she said, meaning his foreskin. It didn't look particularly stuck to me (but I'm not a trained vet). "I have some lube that might help with that," she added with a slight smile.

She had blood tests done, and X-Rays done, and carefully checked Sparky out for anything that might cause acute or chronic pain. His lungs contain too much fluid; particularly the right lung. Sparky's kidney function is increasingly-impaired and the heart medications require working kidneys to be effective. So, the vet suggested a regimen of antibiotics in case a kidney infection is at work (I vetoed a urine culture, however, to pin down exactly what bacteria might, or might not, be at work). She also prescribed increasing the heart medication dosages, in a more aggressive effort to contain the coronary disease.

I hope this $315 effort is enough to keep the puppy from mysterious night screams.