Hiatus

big project for me, requires head down, no blogging, total focus. therefore, i'm taking a hiatus, 1 week or so. i leave you with information on homelessness and a pretty picture and a pretty song.

RHCP
Going Inside, John Frusciante
You dont throw your life away
Going inside
You get to know whos watching you
And who besides you resides
In your body
Where youre slow
Where you go doesnt matter
Cuz there will come a time
When time goes out the window
And youll learn to drive out of focus
Im you and if anything unfolds
Its supposed to
You dont throw your time away sitting still
Im in a chain of memories
Its my will
And I had to consult some figures of my past
And I know someone after me
Will go right back
Im not telling a view
Ive got this night to unglue
I moved this fight away
By doing things theres no reason to do

Pronouncing Iran and Iraq

i hear so many different pronunciations in the media... so how do you pronounce iran and iraq?
from iranian.com , it's eeron.
from west los angeles college: "“Iraq” is pronounced “a-ROCK,” not “I-RACK.” (Pronounce the “a” like the “a” in “apple.”)
from merriam webster:
m-w iran
m-w iraq

Pole Shift

another possible earthly demise-- the earth has flipped before and could flip again. this is an excerpt from universe today:

Scientists have found no evidence for an ice age occurring 800 million years ago, and the change in the ocean at this juncture remains one of the great mysteries in the ancient history of our planet,” he said. “But if all the continents were suddenly flipped around and their rivers began carrying water and nutrients into the tropics instead of the Arctic, for example, it could produce the mysterious geochemical changes science has been trying to explain.

though princeton just put out the news release calling it "polar wander," it's an underground topic known as "pole shift" and it's been talked about since the 1930s. it was viewed as radical when charles hapgood suggested it in his book, "the path of the pole," in the 1970s.

unlike the underground theorists, who say pole shift will happen again, soon, princeton scientists say nope. the earth is balanced now, thank you very much.

pole shift links

great dreams
pole shift forum
planet-x
crystal links
charles hapgood
wikipedia

Princeton U release:

Planet Earth may have 'tilted' to keep its balance, say scientists

Imagine a shift in the Earth so profound that it could force our entire planet to spin on its side after a few million years, tilting it so far that Alaska would sit at the equator. Princeton scientists have now provided the first compelling evidence that this kind of major shift may have happened in our world's distant past.

By analyzing the magnetic composition of ancient sediments found in the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, Princeton University's Adam Maloof has lent credence to a 140-year-old theory regarding the way the Earth might restore its own balance if an unequal distribution of weight ever developed in its interior or on its surface.

The theory, known as true polar wander, postulates that if an object of sufficient weight -- such as a supersized volcano -- ever formed far from the equator, the force of the planet's rotation would gradually pull the heavy object away from the axis the Earth spins around. If the volcanoes, land and other masses that exist within the spinning Earth ever became sufficiently imbalanced, the planet would tilt and rotate itself until this extra weight was relocated to a point along the equator.

"The sediments we have recovered from Norway offer the first good evidence that a true polar wander event happened about 800 million years ago," said Maloof, an assistant professor of geosciences. "If we can find good corroborating evidence from other parts of the world as well, we will have a very good idea that our planet is capable of this sort of dramatic change."

Maloof's team, which includes researchers from Harvard University, the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as Princeton, will publish their findings in the Geological Society of America Bulletin on Friday, Aug. 25.
True polar wander is different from the more familiar idea of "continental drift," which is the inchwise movement of individual continents relative to one another across the Earth's surface. Polar wander can tip the entire planet on its side at a rate of perhaps several meters per year, about 10 to 100 times as fast as the continents drift due to plate tectonics. Though the poles themselves would still point in the same direction with respect to the solar system, the process could conceivably shift entire continents from the tropics to the Arctic, or vice versa, within a relatively brief geological time span.

While the idea that the continents are slowly moving in relation to one another is a well-known concept, the less familiar theory of true polar wander has been around since the mid-19th century, several decades before continental drift was ever proposed. But when the continents were proven to be moving under the influence of plate tectonics in the 1960s, it explained so many dynamic processes in the Earth's surface so well that true polar wander became an obscure subject.

"Planetary scientists still talk about polar wander for other worlds, such as Mars, where a massive buildup of volcanic rock called Tharsis sits at the Martian equator," Maloof said. "But because Earth's surface is constantly changing as the continents move and ocean crustal plates slide over and under one another, it's more difficult to find evidence of our planet twisting hundreds of millions of years ago, as Mars likely did while it was still geologically active."

However, the sediments that the team studied in Svalbard from 1999 to 2005 may have provided just such long-sought evidence. It is well known that when rock particles are sinking to the ocean floor to form layers of new sediment, tiny magnetic grains within the particles align themselves with the magnetic lines of the Earth. Once this rock hardens, it becomes a reliable record of the direction the Earth's magnetic field was pointing at the time of the rock's formation. So, if a rock has been spun around by a dramatic geological event, its magnetic field will have an apparently anomalous orientation that geophysicists like those on Maloof's team seek to explain.

"We found just such anomalies in the Svalbard sediments," Maloof said. "We made every effort to find another reason for the anomalies, such as a rapid rotation of the individual crustal plate the islands rest upon, but none of the alternatives makes as much sense as a true polar wander event when taken in the context of geochemical and sea level data from the same rocks."

The findings, he said, could possibly explain odd changes in ocean chemistry that occurred about 800 million years ago. Other similar changes in the ocean have cropped up in ancient times, Maloof said, but at these other times scientists know that an ice age was to blame.

"Scientists have found no evidence for an ice age occurring 800 million years ago, and the change in the ocean at this juncture remains one of the great mysteries in the ancient history of our planet," he said. "But if all the continents were suddenly flipped around and their rivers began carrying water and nutrients into the tropics instead of the Arctic, for example, it could produce the mysterious geochemical changes science has been trying to explain."

Because the team obtained all its data from the islands of Svalbard, Maloof said their next priority would be to seek corroborating evidence within sediments of similar age from elsewhere on the planet. This is difficult, Maloof said, because most 800-million-year-old rocks have long since disappeared. Because the Earth's crustal plates slide under one another over time, they take most of geological history back into the planet's deep interior. However, Maloof said, a site his team has located in Australia looks promising.

"We cannot be certain of these findings until we find similar patterns in rock chemistry and magnetics on other continents," Maloof said. "Rocks of the same age are preserved in the Australian interior, so we'll be visiting the site over the next two years to look for additional evidence. If we find some, we'll be far more confident about this theory's validity."

Maloof said that true polar wander was most likely to occur when the Earth's landmasses were fused together to form a single supercontinent, something that has happened at least twice in the distant past. But he said we should not worry about the planet going through a major shift again any time soon.

"If a true polar wander event has occurred in our planet's history, it's likely been when the continents formed a single mass on one side of the Earth," he said. "We don't expect there to be another event in the foreseeable future, though. The Earth's surface is pretty well balanced today."

Maloof's research was sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation.

Creative Writing MFA?

or not. a friend suggested i give it a whirl -- get a masters in creative writing. my trouble with school is: why bother when you can just write?
but there are connections to be made and other advantages to creative writing programs, they say. here is one of the best stories i've read on the topic.
author jeffrey yamaguchi's blog. the blog also links to tons of other book blogs.

Bye Crocodile Hunter

before my skinthood, when i used to have cable, i got a kick out of the crocodile hunter, steve irwin, killed by a stingray of all things. a short life, at least he died one heck of an enthusiastic guy. it seems that the spirited peeps are the ones who always go first.

here is a Steve Irwin memorial blog

from animal planet:

Statement from Billy Campbell, President, Discovery Networks, U.S. Discovery Communications, Inc.

Our entire company is deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. Steve was beloved by millions of fans and animal lovers around the world and was one of our planet's most passionate conservationists. He has graced our air since October 1996 and was essential in building Animal Planet into a global brand.

Steve was killed during a filming expedition on the Great Barrier Reef. While we are still collecting specific details, it was a rare accident in which Steve swam over a stingray and was stung by its barb in his chest. A doctor on board Croc One, Steve's research vessel, was unable to resuscitate Steve and by the time he was reached by the rescue helicopter he had passed away.

DCI Founder and Chairman, John Hendricks said, "Steve was a larger than life force. He brought joy and learning about the natural world to millions and millions of people across the globe. He was a true friend to all of us at Discovery Communications. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Terri, Bindi and Bob Irwin as well as to the incredible staff and many friends Steve leaves behind."

DCI CEO and President, Judith McHale said, "I don't think we will ever get over the loss of Steve Irwin, a human being of enormous heart, irrepressible enthusiasm and dedication to everything he touched."

Steve's loss has been felt around the world, evident by the hundreds of heartfelt condolences that have already flooded into Steve's fan site on AnimalPlanet.com.

To honor Steve and the enormous contribution he made to the world and to our company, DCI will rename the garden space in front of Discovery's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the "Steve Irwin Memorial Sensory Garden."

DCI is looking at the creation of the Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund, which we'll affectionately call "The Crikey Fund" to honor Steve's passion and exuberance for conservation and the animal kingdom. This fund will allow people from across the globe to make contributions in Steve's honor to support wildlife protection, education and conservation. The fund in addition to contributions by DCI will also aid Steve's Australia Zoo in Breewah, Australia as well as educational support for Bindi and Bob Irwin.

Right now, our focus is on Terri and the children. We will keep you informed as plans unfold to pay tribute to our beloved Steve Irwin.

Going to Harvard

what's it like being a student at Harvard? here's a bit from harvard's newspaper, the crimson. i lurk around there to see what i missed.

Bluefront.org

i heard about this on some obscure radio station this morning. bluefront.org talks about the ways we can stop polluting the ocean. i always feel a personal responsibility, living so close and all. as i write, thousands are at the beach right now having their last fling at the beach, leaving behind their little lunch wrappers, plastic pails, shoes... it drives me crazy.

i always wonder how people can get up from a spot and not notice the big gulp cup sitting there.

Where's jacques cousteau when we need him!

anyway, bluefront has a book: 50 ways to save the oceans.

here's a recent blog by bluefront:

A strong case can be made that the Bush administration has had the worst environmental record of any presidency. But just as Barry Bond's homerun record will always come with an asterisk relating tohis alleged steroid use, any recounting of the Bush Administration's environmental stances will now have to come with an asterisk noting the establishment of America's first great and fully-protected wilderness park in the sea, the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Monument.

I had the luck and privilege of being in Honolulu on the day the president announced that some 140,000 square miles of small islands and vast atolls and coral reefs will remain forever wild. I was speaking about my book --'50 ways to save the Ocean'(number 37 'Work to Create Wilderness Parks under the Sea') at the invitation of KAHEA an alliance of Native Hawaiian and environmental activists. KAHEA is also one of the key seaweed citizens' groups that helped win protection for this unique marine ecosystem that stretches 1,200 miles northwest from the main islands. They had turned out hundreds of people at public hearings over the last five years helping inspire Hawaii's Republican Governor and state Congressional delegation to join their call for full protection of the area. That in turn made it easier for the President to take positive action.

The Northwest Hawaiian reef system was first given transitional protection as an --'ecosystem reserve' under President Bill Clinton back in 2000 after he was informed that if he did so he would have protected more wilderness area than Teddy Roosevelt.

Still there has been fierce opposition to final protection from the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional advisory groups that, because they're the only federal regulatory bodies exempted from conflict of Interest laws, are also dominated by the commercial and recreational fishing industries they're supposed to manage.

Because there's been so little extractive pressure in the remote islands area to date (only 8 commercial boats had permits to make the long fuel-costly journey) it retains many of the pristine characteristics of the ocean before human impacts. One of these is that, like Denali or Yellowstone national parks on land, it's a predator-dominated ecosystem with 50 percent of its biomass made up of big carnivorous critters like sharks, jacks and groupers. In the populated part of the Hawaiian chain that figure has been reduced to under five percent

One of the other great things about Northwest Hawaii is that its reef system is at the low end of temperature tolerances for tropical corals. That means it has a far better chance of surviving coral bleaching linked to fossil-fuel driven climate disruption than many other reef systems such as the Florida Keys. This cooler waters advantage was not mentioned by the President in announcing the new Monument. What the President and others did discuss was the problem of marine debris, particularly plastic waste that drifts into the area on Pacific currents. The President's interest in this and other marine topics was piqued in April when he attended a White House screening of a PBS documentary on Northwest Hawaii produced by Jean-Michael Cousteau. The screening was arranged by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair (and diving enthusiast) Jim Connaughton in collaboration with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. It was attended by a number of Marine Conservationists including Sylvia Earle. Sylvia was science director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the President's father and spent much of the evening briefing the son on the state of the reef. Perhaps she assured him that while the rare Hawaiian monk seals that thrive in Northwest Hawaii are endangered, they are not religiously persecuted. In any case the President, who is known not to be much of a reader, was clearly inspired to action by the Cousteau documentary and subsequent discussion. After cleaning up the marine debris that has accumulated in the new monument the main threat to our vast new (and relatively cool) wilderness range will probably come from human-enhanced climate change. It's too bad the president has said he won't watch Al Gore's movie.

Tell Me Baby Behind the Scenes

thanks flo! i suppose i could just send you to flo's place but i need these.
the behind the scenes film gives so much more meaning to the song. love it.
part 1

part 2

part 3

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

it's only but a moment but listen to the sweet voice of the man, Mr. Frusciante, sounding better than ever.

Pluto No Longer a Planet

i feel bad for pluto, the ninth planet of our childhoods.
the headlines are so personal: Pluto Demoted; Loses Planetary Status
but the planet, kicked out for its eccentric orbit and tiny size, may live on as a marketing hook.

Rock Star Supernova

the best show on tv right now -- rock star supernova. i'm such a sucker for tommy lee to start. my next life, i'm going to be a drummer.

other than that, navarro is a great host and the rest of the supernova band have a great chemistry. love the rockers.

Dark Matter

astronomers are saying gravity is not enough to make up the universe. they say they've proved that "dark matter" is out there, which means they don't really know what's out there else why would they name it dark matter.
this story in new scientists not too long ago says gravity theory dispenses with dark matter.

Bear Killer

i never say this... but what an idiot

from cnn
Country star accused of illegally killing tame bear

DULUTH, Minnesota (AP) -- Troy Lee Gentry, of the country singing duo Montgomery Gentry, has been accused of killing a tame black bear that federal officials say he tagged as killed in the wild.

Gentry, 39, of Franklin, Tennessee, and Lee Marvin Greenly, 46, of Sandstone, appeared Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Erickson in connection with a sealed indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Minneapolis.

Authorities allege that Gentry purchased the bear from Greenly, a wildlife photographer and hunting guide, then killed it with a bow and arrow in an enclosed pen on Greenly's property in October 2004.

The government alleges that Gentry and Greenly tagged the bear with a Minnesota hunting license and registered the animal with the state Department of Natural Resources as a wild kill.

Gentry allegedly paid about $4,650 for the bear, named Cubby. The bear's death was videotaped, and the tape later edited so Gentry appeared to shoot the animal in a "fair chase" hunting situation, the government alleges.

If convicted, both Gentry and Greenly face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $20,000 fine.

Gentry's manager, Johnny Dorris, said Wednesday that Gentry, an outdoorsman and hunter, expects to be exonerated.

Gentry "relied on the knowledge and expertise of a local guide to obtain the proper permit," Dorris said in a written statement. "Troy felt what he did was legal and in full compliance of the law and was surprised to hear of the indictment."

Greenly did not return a phone message seeking comment.

No Chemo for Starchild

i don't have a cool name like starchild but i soooooo get this. if i ever have cancer, i will NEVER have chemotherapy. i find it hard to believe starchild had to fight to NOT have chemo. what an odd world.

Teen with cancer can forgo chemotherapy

By SONJA BARISIC, Associated Press WriterWed Aug 16, 8:11 PM ET

A 16-year-old cancer patient 's legal fight ended in victory Wednesday when his family's attorneys and social services officials reached an agreement that would allow him to forgo chemotherapy.

At the start of what was scheduled to be a two-day hearing, Accomack County Circuit Judge Glen A. Tyler announced that both sides had reached a consent decree, which Tyler approved.

Under the decree, Starchild Abraham Cherrix, who is battling Hodgkin's disease, will be treated by an oncologist of his choice who is board-certified in radiation therapy and interested in alternative treatments. The family must provide the court updates on Abraham's treatment and condition every three months until he's cured or turns 18.

Tyler emphasized that the decree states that the parents weren't medically neglectful.

Abraham saw the doctor last week, and defense attorneys told the judge that the doctor has indicated that he thinks that Abraham can be cured.

After the short hearing, the judge looked at Abraham and said, "God bless you, Mr. Cherrix."

Last summer, the teen was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system considered very treatable in its early stages. He was so debilitated by three months of chemotherapy that he declined a second, more intensive round that doctors recommended early this year.

He since has been using an alternative herbal treatment called the Hoxsey method, the sale of which was banned in the United States in 1960.

After Abraham chose to go on the sugar-free, organic diet and take liquid herbal supplements under the supervision of a Mexican clinic, a social worker asked a juvenile court judge to intervene to protect the teen's health. Last month, the judge found Abraham's parents neglectful and ordered Abraham to report to a hospital for treatment as doctors deem necessary.

Lawyers for the family appealed, and an Accomack County Circuit Court judge suspended that order and scheduled a new trial to settle the dispute. The judge scheduled the trial for two days but has indicated he would like to finish in one, said John Stepanovich, a lawyer for the parents.

Abraham is still on the Hoxsey method, but Stepanovich stressed that the family hasn't ruled out other possible treatments, such as immunotherapy or radiation treatment in small doses.

According to the American Cancer Society, there is no scientific evidence that Hoxsey is effective in treating cancer in people. The herbal treatment is illegal in the United States but can be obtained through clinics in Mexico, and some U.S. naturopathic practitioners use adapted versions of the formula.

___

On the Net:

Abraham Cherrix: http://www.abrahamsjourney.com

American Cancer Society information about Hoxsey method:

starchild, who goes by abraham actually discovered the Hoxsey treatment at the Edgar Cayce established research institute in virginia beach. i've done research there and have found it helpful. i swear by castor oil for most any ailment:-)

Sawatsky Interviewing Art

this is an interesting bit from NPR.
john sawatsky trains news folks at espn how to interview.

The old saying goes, "There's no such thing as a stupid question." But in the opinion of at least one major television network, there is such a thing, and some of the least effective questions are coming from top broadcast journalists.

ESPN's John Sawatsky is tearing down icons such as Larry King and Mike Wallace as he preaches his guiding principles about how to properly conduct an interview.

ESPN has become a multi-channel sports juggernaut, beaming games, talk shows and news programs into tens of millions of homes. Its nightly newscast, SportsCenter, features spectacular plays, slips and punchlines -- but its interviews needed work, according to one executive.

"I felt that we were missing key questions," says John Walsh, ESPN's senior vice president and executive editor. "We weren't getting key moments ... so I thought we needed help."

Walsh read a journalism review article about a college professor's technique on the art of the interview. Two years ago, that professor, John Sawatsky, joined ESPN full time.

Now, every single editorial employee at ESPN is expected to attend a three-day seminar, where they encounter a lanky, slightly awkward 58-year-old man with little flash. In his efforts to illustrate what he considers the "seven deadly sins of interviewing," John Sawatsky methodically eviscerates the nation's most prominent television journalists.

"I want to change the culture of the journalistic interview," Sawatsky says. "We interview no better now than we did 30 years ago. In some ways, we interview worse."

For years, John Sawatsky was one of Canada's leading investigative reporters. He unmasked a spy, and exposed explosive stories about rampant police abuses. He later became a journalism professor at Ottawa's Carleton University.

Sawatsky says the big-name reporters are failing to plan meticulously how to extract information from their sources, calling their process "haphazard."

"You are hoping that the person being interviewed is a good talker," he says, "and knows how to do something with your inept question."

Sawatsky's rules are simple, but he says they get broken all the time: Don't ask yes-or-no questions, keep questions short and avoid charged words, which can distract people. In his seminar, Sawatsky points to Mike Wallace of CBS' 60 Minutes and CNN's Larry King as examples to avoid. In Sawatsky's illustrative clips, King favors leading questions that generate curt answers, while Wallace's rapid patter fails to get a subject to speak candidly.

Sawatsky says Wallace and the others are better at theatrics than journalism, and that they often trip up their own interviews -- by thinking they should be the focus of attention.

Wallace brushes that aside, saying he asks indiscreet questions that yield compelling conversations. And he asks, if Sawatsky is right, why would ESPN have invited him to be the keynote speaker at a conference of its reporters and producers earlier this year?

King also doesn't think the criticism is valid.

"I pride myself on not getting one-word answers," he says. "That's really rare. [Sawatsky] may have picked out one or two [difficult] interviews."

King also questions Sawatsky's ability to make a fundamental change in the way ESPN staffers conduct interviews, "because you can't teach someone to be curious."

I had been pursuing Sawatsky since I first heard about him and his work 18 months ago. He kept putting me off, saying his teaching hadn’t taken enough root yet. Sawatsky felt comfortable enough this summer to invite me to Bristol and offer unfettered access to his seminar with six ESPN staffers -- three producers, two reporters and an Olympic figure skater-turned-analyst.

And now, John Walsh says, Sawatsky’s influence can be seen all around. He thinks it's not long before Sawatsky's name becomes a noun or a verb that comes up around the office in association with interviewing -- doing "the Sawatsky," or saying, "I Sawatskied" an interview subject.

Every day, Sawatsky shows up at his office in Bristol, Conn., to review tapes of ESPN shows. It's only a matter of time before the rest of journalism tries to catch up to his method, he says. It's inevitable, like the tides. For Sawatsky, there's no question about it.

Oprah Stages Powwow

one writer is hoping Oprah will "keep it real" after her peeps requested a powwow while visiting the navajo nation.
excerpt

Asking the Navajo to stage a powwow is like asking Catholics to get Evangelical. But when Oprah's Harpo Productions asked Navajo Nation representatives to get some dancers together for a powwow in June, it was done.

read the story. really interesting.

Lollapallooza Chili Peppers

from detroit metro times, a review of the lollapalooza show, starring Johnny!

After Queens, Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage for their festival-closing performance. Dinosaurs from way back when Lollapalooza was only a gleam in Perry Farrell’s eye, RHCP can still make a live show boil with tightly wound energy. It wasn’t Flea’s multicolored Riddler-style unisuit, or Anthony Kiedis’ silky hair and calculated shirt-removal moments. It was the quartet’s sense of themselves as a band, often playing together at the center of the stage, arranged in a loose star shape, Flea slapping away at his bass while John Frusciante played his beat-up Stratocaster like a man possessed. Which, in a way, he is. Frusciante’s struggles with heroin are documented, so when he’s on stage with RHCP, the frailness of his face and body hidden not only by long hair and a baggy suit but his furious, impossibly focused guitar playing, you stop and thank someone that addiction works both ways. The Chili Peppers didn’t play enough of the truly durable hits from their deep catalog, and more than one bass solo is never necessary. But Frusciante even reined in the jamming, and when the onstage camera captured him in close-up, his eyes squeezed shut and a look of rabid concentration on his face, you knew his performance was about joy and pain in competing amounts.

Toward the end of the band’s set, the stage emptied but for Frusciante, who played a brilliant solo version of Simon and Garfunkel’s "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her." It wasn’t accompanied by any VH1 Storytellers intro. Frusciante didn’t even notice that the majority of the crowd — jackasses seemingly more happy to crowd-surf and mosh lamely than enjoy the set — weren’t even listening. He just played the song, the onstage camera displaying his POV on the enormous big screen, one skinny guy with long hair playing a folk ballad for 30,000 people who didn’t know how good they had it. It was another moment inside a massive weekend of music, and it made everything — Jared Leto, mismatched bookings, outsized sponsorships and almost being kicked in the face by an Afro-headed Australian — more than worth it.

note to frusciante fans: yes, we know that John has been free and clear of drugs for quite some time, living the life of a man possessed by music.
"Ascending endlessly and I don't even have to try," John Frusciante, Curtains

Holsum Art

this is a former bread factory turned art space in las vegas.

Calico Ghost Town

these were taken yesterday on the way back from vegas.
calico is a really cool ghost town. it's one of those places that's so quiet that you stop and listen to the silence.
this is the calico cemetery. everyone is buried under rocks. most people have no headstone. there are some worn wooden headstones as well. the poem on Tumbleweed's gravestone is lovely.

this is my new favorite photo
















peggy sue's diner in calico
peggy sue's is a fun place to eat. the pizza is actually good. you can eat outside with the turtles. the bats come out at night.

Moulin Rouge, First Friday

it's a grind, henderson NV:
i've started counting sirens and traffic accidents. so far, about 15 sirens. accidents, 6.

more photos for you. i've been so busy running up and down the city avoiding the strip at all costs. today, i had coffee with mark, a homeless man in Las Vegas. i've learned so much about the homeless i don't even know where to start. let me say first, that they are all different. you can't say that they're all this or all that.

they have problems like everyone else, histories like everyone else, they listen to music and watch movies and read books and have girlfriends and keep up with politics.

here are some more gritty LV photos. today is first friday in downtown LV. it's where thousands of tourists and locals come to check out the art galleries.

these are of the moulin rouge on bonanza. this is apparently the "bad" part of town. the moulin rouge development co. is working to renovate this casino, which was, in its day, a place for "colored" people. many black people weren't accepted as patrons in LV's other casinos. it's where a who's who in entertainers performed. the desert breeze apartments are next to the moulin rouge. a 3-bedroom apartment goes for $900. stan, in the office, says it's the best deal in town.





these murals are downtown on or near charleston:





the gambler's store

lv has way too many political signs. they're big and they're everywhere





frank in a new light. taken at the arts factory






art made of albums and 45s