Last year in autumn, my epee fencing master from my California days, Maestro Lane, drove up to Seattle from the Bay Area to visit his son and was kind enough to have dinner with me at Ivar's Salmon House and then to spend the evening at the club showing me how fleches work after doing combination footwork, either by advance or retreat followed by a ballestra lunge. He then coached my technique by providing excellent examples of his footwork tempo and lunge.
Afterwards we drove to his son's house in Kent where we spent the rest of the night and early hours of the evening discussing fencing. Eventually I became tired and had to excuse myself to go home and sleep. The following morning Art called me up, thanked me for dinner and the tour of the club, and said he regretted not being able to spend more time with me because he wanted to drive down to Ashland, Oregon, and see a lady friend and catch a play.
I was very happy to have seen him and had taken great delight in introducing Art to the Friday night crowd at the club. I don't think the fencers there realized, at least until I told them, that they were shaking the hand of a man who had shook hands with Aldo Nadi. Not to mention Hans Halberstadt. Art, in his mid-80s teaches at the Pacific Fencing Club, now in Alameda, and previously in downtown Oakland on 14th St., where I learned to fence foil under Maestro Harold Hayes. Art had learned to fence under Eric Funke, refined his tactics under Hans Halberstadt, and learned to spar by bouting with Helene Mayer. After the war, Art lived in southern California and studied under Aldo Nadi and, secretly, under Ralph Faulkner. I consider Art an incredible fencing resource, and if the U.S. were similar to the Japanese, Art would've been declared a national cultural treasure many years ago.
Art shared some of his fencing tips with me. They are:
1. When teaching tempo, use a three tempo exercise and always go forward.
2. Being alert is seeing ahead, thinking about what may happen next keeps you from being alert.
3. One may practice 1000 parry 4s, but a good parry 4 is one that has a riposte.
4. Most people parry 4 with two bones, upper first. Nadi parried with lower bone.
5. An early parry is done two inches, not two feet, more forward.
6. Beginners aren't prime-cut steaks, they're hamburgers with everything on it; so, if you prolong a feint on a beginner, beginners react with everything they have!
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Friday, October 28, 2005
The Original 1966 Batmobile Website
Everything you need to build your own (first go buy a Ford Galaxy, and extend it out a foot): http://www.1966batmobile.com/
By the way, am I the only person out there who was aghast at what happened to the Batmobile in "Batman Begins"? A blemish in an otherwise worthy addition to the Batman lineage. (Of course, not having Robin certainly took away the sexual tension.)
By the way, am I the only person out there who was aghast at what happened to the Batmobile in "Batman Begins"? A blemish in an otherwise worthy addition to the Batman lineage. (Of course, not having Robin certainly took away the sexual tension.)
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Knight Rider Lives!
There's an annual convention, and the fans drive there in the replica KITT cars that they built. You don't believe me? Check out David Hasselhoff Online - The Ultimate David Hasselhoff Site or http://www.knightregistries.com/2004knats.html for the full Flash show.
Animated Characters Switch From Snapshots to Mugshots - Los Angeles Times
The L.A. Times has an article (see below) on the Hollywood Boulevard costumed characters. When in southern California, visit Hollywood, and here's a tip for the tourists: the people dressed in cartoon, movie, and super-hero costumes are not official greeters employed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The guidebooks always forget to mention this about the Walk of Fame "actors":they're genuine local wackoes (except for the ones in pointy stud chokers, short leather mini-skirts, handcuff belts, and fishnet stockings, they're hookers or transvestites, or both). And don't worry, while the cartoon characters are a bit beyond zany and eccentric, and more towards rambling and medicated, they're harmless, for the most part, and will gladly pose for snapshots with you and your family for a dollar or two (expect to bargain with the ones in leather mini-skirts who instinctively will ask for $50). These impromptu costumed performers gradually became part of the Hollywood street scene in the 80s, and successfully fitted in with Hollywood's traditional image as the Disneyland for the depraved. Back in the 70s, when I took the Greyhound to L.A. to track down a video game I had heard called Asteroids, the people I saw hanging around on the sidewalk of stars were not as cute and adorable looking. What a difference a mask and hood makes! For a glimpse of what the Tinseltown of my youth was like, when in Vancouver B.C., visit Downtown Eastside (from Gastown, take a wrong turn to Chinatown, you'll know when you're there). The resemblance to the Hollywood of decades past is eerie and authentic, right down to the dilapidated film production offices and post-production studios conveniently located near aging street walkers and scruffy, emaciated drug dealers.
Animated Characters Switch From Snapshots to Mugshots
L.A. police are cracking down after complaints that some costumed impersonators are shaking down visitors along the Walk of Fame.
By Bob Pool, L.A. Times Staff Writer 10/25/05
There was no escape, even for superhero Mr. Incredible.
"Throw down your heads and get up against the wall!" police in Hollywood shouted at the movie cartoon character from "The Incredibles" and his sidekick, Elmo the Muppet.
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Authorities were cracking down on what some have complained is the shakedown of Hollywood Boulevard tourists when they arrested the two costumed impersonators along with a third, the dark-hooded character from the slasher movie "Scream."
Mr. Incredible and Elmo said they were taken into custody at gunpoint and driven in handcuffs by police car to the front of the Kodak Theatre. There they claim they were paraded on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before shocked tourists and other boulevard impersonators.
"We were leaving to get something to eat. We had our heads off and were walking about a block away to our car when they pulled up," said Barry Stockton, 42, aka Mr. Incredible, wearing a red superhero costume topped with a huge, cartoonish head.
Donn Harper, 45, said he complied, tossing his bug-eyed, furry red Elmo costume head to the ground. "They jumped out of their car with guns drawn. With all of the crime in Los Angeles they pick on us?"
Stockton, of Ontario, and Harper, of Echo Park, were charged with misdemeanor "aggressive begging" along with the "Scream" character, Bill Stevens, 54, of Hollywood. Police said the trio was among those who had been warned that authorities were preparing to respond to growing complaints from boulevard visitors and merchants about the Tinseltown impersonators.
Some tourists have complained that they were harassed for failing to pay the costumed characters for posing for photos with them in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the nearby Kodak Theatre. Some merchants have grumbled that the impersonators were also scaring customers with menacing costumes, fake weapons and props like phony snakes.
Last Wednesday's arrests occurred following a sting operation conducted by a pair of undercover officers pretending to be French tourists who didn't understand English or the American tipping culture.
"One of them asked how much I charge, and I said we work for tips. She said, 'Chips?' I had a dollar bill in my hand and I showed that to her. That was my mistake. When you're talking to foreigners you have to show them," said Harper Â? who said he makes up to $400 "on a good day" posing for tourist pictures.
Stockton also displayed currency when the phony Frenchwoman seemed puzzled. Stevens did too. "She asked how much we charge, and I said we usually get a dollar," Stevens said.
Los Angeles Police Officer Michael Shea said the impersonators who make their own costumes or buy what they say are "licensed" suits on EBay were summoned to a meeting last month at the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and warned that enforcement of solicitation and harassment laws was coming. Sixty-eight of them, many in costume, showed up.
Shea said Mr. Incredible and Elmo were brought back to the boulevard so others could see they had been busted. "Make no mistake about it I wanted the characters to know what we're doing," Shea said. The trio was released on $100 bond each.
Other impersonators worried that the crackdown signals a move by the merchant-supported Hollywood Entertainment District to take over the lucrative but independent picture-posing business.
That's not going to happen, but officials have looked at ways other cities license and control street performers, said Kerry Morrison, the district's executive director.
She said there have been "dueling Batman" characters on the street as well as impersonators such as the slasher film favorite "Chucky," who lunges at children with a fake knife. At the meeting, Morrison said she urged them to "get out of character for a moment" if a young tourist seems frightened.
On the boulevard, visitor Dyllan Lindsey, 8, of St. Louis, posed Friday for a family photo as a menacingly grinning Chucky put the rubber knife to his throat. "I saw 'Child's Play III.' I know who Chucky is," said Dyllan, a 3rd-grader.
His father, Mike Lindsey, slipped a dollar bill into the hand of the silent, masked Chucky.
"I'm not offended," Lindsey said. "I initiated the tip for him posing and us having fun."
Animated Characters Switch From Snapshots to Mugshots
L.A. police are cracking down after complaints that some costumed impersonators are shaking down visitors along the Walk of Fame.
By Bob Pool, L.A. Times Staff Writer 10/25/05
There was no escape, even for superhero Mr. Incredible.
"Throw down your heads and get up against the wall!" police in Hollywood shouted at the movie cartoon character from "The Incredibles" and his sidekick, Elmo the Muppet.
ADVERTISEMENT
Authorities were cracking down on what some have complained is the shakedown of Hollywood Boulevard tourists when they arrested the two costumed impersonators along with a third, the dark-hooded character from the slasher movie "Scream."
Mr. Incredible and Elmo said they were taken into custody at gunpoint and driven in handcuffs by police car to the front of the Kodak Theatre. There they claim they were paraded on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before shocked tourists and other boulevard impersonators.
"We were leaving to get something to eat. We had our heads off and were walking about a block away to our car when they pulled up," said Barry Stockton, 42, aka Mr. Incredible, wearing a red superhero costume topped with a huge, cartoonish head.
Donn Harper, 45, said he complied, tossing his bug-eyed, furry red Elmo costume head to the ground. "They jumped out of their car with guns drawn. With all of the crime in Los Angeles they pick on us?"
Stockton, of Ontario, and Harper, of Echo Park, were charged with misdemeanor "aggressive begging" along with the "Scream" character, Bill Stevens, 54, of Hollywood. Police said the trio was among those who had been warned that authorities were preparing to respond to growing complaints from boulevard visitors and merchants about the Tinseltown impersonators.
Some tourists have complained that they were harassed for failing to pay the costumed characters for posing for photos with them in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the nearby Kodak Theatre. Some merchants have grumbled that the impersonators were also scaring customers with menacing costumes, fake weapons and props like phony snakes.
Last Wednesday's arrests occurred following a sting operation conducted by a pair of undercover officers pretending to be French tourists who didn't understand English or the American tipping culture.
"One of them asked how much I charge, and I said we work for tips. She said, 'Chips?' I had a dollar bill in my hand and I showed that to her. That was my mistake. When you're talking to foreigners you have to show them," said Harper Â? who said he makes up to $400 "on a good day" posing for tourist pictures.
Stockton also displayed currency when the phony Frenchwoman seemed puzzled. Stevens did too. "She asked how much we charge, and I said we usually get a dollar," Stevens said.
Los Angeles Police Officer Michael Shea said the impersonators who make their own costumes or buy what they say are "licensed" suits on EBay were summoned to a meeting last month at the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and warned that enforcement of solicitation and harassment laws was coming. Sixty-eight of them, many in costume, showed up.
Shea said Mr. Incredible and Elmo were brought back to the boulevard so others could see they had been busted. "Make no mistake about it I wanted the characters to know what we're doing," Shea said. The trio was released on $100 bond each.
Other impersonators worried that the crackdown signals a move by the merchant-supported Hollywood Entertainment District to take over the lucrative but independent picture-posing business.
That's not going to happen, but officials have looked at ways other cities license and control street performers, said Kerry Morrison, the district's executive director.
She said there have been "dueling Batman" characters on the street as well as impersonators such as the slasher film favorite "Chucky," who lunges at children with a fake knife. At the meeting, Morrison said she urged them to "get out of character for a moment" if a young tourist seems frightened.
On the boulevard, visitor Dyllan Lindsey, 8, of St. Louis, posed Friday for a family photo as a menacingly grinning Chucky put the rubber knife to his throat. "I saw 'Child's Play III.' I know who Chucky is," said Dyllan, a 3rd-grader.
His father, Mike Lindsey, slipped a dollar bill into the hand of the silent, masked Chucky.
"I'm not offended," Lindsey said. "I initiated the tip for him posing and us having fun."
Friday, October 21, 2005
Fencing Classes vs. Individual Lessons
Many of my inquiries are from people who want to know about classes and lessons. I usually advise people who have never fenced before to sign up for a class, and if they want to refine their technique, to take one-on-one lessons. Often, though, I have to answer questions that are phrased as variants of how much do you charge for parries and ripostes to groups and to individuals. While I could simply rattle off a dollar amount, I try to dig deeper and ask about goals and commitment levels. At a certain point, the check one hands over to the club or coach is often negligible compared to the time spent fencing. I hope I got this reply right:
Hi!
Individual lessons vary in price and structure by individual coach. One example is $20 for 15 minutes...
Although classes cost less and include use of club facility and equipment, our classes are survey courses meant only to introduce fencing to students who have been fencing less than two or three months. While classes are an excellent and low cost way to learn and practice footwork and timing, the refinement of skills and the use of tactics and strategy in competition generally fall in the domain of individual lessons. A fencer who wishes to excel in competition quickly becomes frustrated by the lack of results from a fencing class; however, a fencer who wishes to internalize and make footwork and timing second nature usually benefits from persistent practice in class drills and supervised sparring.
Naturally, there are exceptions to this rule, but the time of the coach and student is far more valuable than the lesson fee, and a fencing student who is prepared and is willing to practice with defined goals always benefits from the lesson or class more than the unprepared student without a personal plan.
Hope this helps!
Hi!
Individual lessons vary in price and structure by individual coach. One example is $20 for 15 minutes...
Although classes cost less and include use of club facility and equipment, our classes are survey courses meant only to introduce fencing to students who have been fencing less than two or three months. While classes are an excellent and low cost way to learn and practice footwork and timing, the refinement of skills and the use of tactics and strategy in competition generally fall in the domain of individual lessons. A fencer who wishes to excel in competition quickly becomes frustrated by the lack of results from a fencing class; however, a fencer who wishes to internalize and make footwork and timing second nature usually benefits from persistent practice in class drills and supervised sparring.
Naturally, there are exceptions to this rule, but the time of the coach and student is far more valuable than the lesson fee, and a fencing student who is prepared and is willing to practice with defined goals always benefits from the lesson or class more than the unprepared student without a personal plan.
Hope this helps!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Another Saturday Night in Enumclaw
Enough of my Hollywood rants and back to south King County news. A bizarre incident in Enumclaw last summer still has everyone scratching their heads and could explain why the housing prices are low in South King County. (Get the banjos going in the background.)
Man charged with trespassing on farm in horse-sex death
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
A truck driver identified in court papers as taking part in an incident in which a friend died after having sex with a horse on an Enumclaw farm was charged Tuesday with having trespassed on the farm.
Though police reports indicate that James Michael Tait of Enumclaw admitted joining the friend and another acquaintance for repeated acts of sex with horses at the Enumclaw farm, prosecutors said he couldn't be charged with animal cruelty because no evidence was found of any physical injury to any of the horses involved.
Tait can't be charged with bestiality. Washington is one of 17 states that permit bestiality.
Police say Tait, 54, was videotaping his friend having sex with a horse in July when his friend "received the injuries that ultimately led to his death."
Tait told police that he, the Seattle man who died and another man repeatedly had sneaked onto his neighbor's farm in the middle of the night, without permission, to engage in animal sex.
The third man was not charged, prosecutors say, because they couldn't find sufficient evidence placing him in the barn during the night in question.
The case was filed in the Southwest Division of King County District Court. If convicted, Tait faces a maximum one-year jail sentence. He will be arraigned during the week of Oct. 31, prosecutors say.
According to Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff's Office, the charge against Tait ends the inquiry.
"Nobody else is under any more investigation," he said, including the owners of the farm.
Urquhart said the Sheriff's Office believes sex with animals is not happening any more at the farm.
Man charged with trespassing on farm in horse-sex death
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
A truck driver identified in court papers as taking part in an incident in which a friend died after having sex with a horse on an Enumclaw farm was charged Tuesday with having trespassed on the farm.
Though police reports indicate that James Michael Tait of Enumclaw admitted joining the friend and another acquaintance for repeated acts of sex with horses at the Enumclaw farm, prosecutors said he couldn't be charged with animal cruelty because no evidence was found of any physical injury to any of the horses involved.
Tait can't be charged with bestiality. Washington is one of 17 states that permit bestiality.
Police say Tait, 54, was videotaping his friend having sex with a horse in July when his friend "received the injuries that ultimately led to his death."
Tait told police that he, the Seattle man who died and another man repeatedly had sneaked onto his neighbor's farm in the middle of the night, without permission, to engage in animal sex.
The third man was not charged, prosecutors say, because they couldn't find sufficient evidence placing him in the barn during the night in question.
The case was filed in the Southwest Division of King County District Court. If convicted, Tait faces a maximum one-year jail sentence. He will be arraigned during the week of Oct. 31, prosecutors say.
According to Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff's Office, the charge against Tait ends the inquiry.
"Nobody else is under any more investigation," he said, including the owners of the farm.
Urquhart said the Sheriff's Office believes sex with animals is not happening any more at the farm.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Director's Cruel Cut
Saw the last half of "Napoleon Dynamite" again, this time on cable. People either adore or detest this movie, and I fall firmly into the former camp. It's always a treat to see low budget work by college film makers who don't take themselves seriously. Plus I enjoy the whole outside and insider aspect to the movie and have this theory that this theme has to do with the whole Idaho Mormon nature of the characters and plot. Finally, I feel that "Napoleon Dynamite" conveys high school in an authentic manner with a sense of emotional perspective that corrects both the multi-layered richness in John Hughes' depiction of teen angst ("Sixteen Candles," "Ferris Bueller," etc) and the over-amplified allure of teen lust found in "American Pie"-like movies.
In the cable version of "Napoleon Dynamite," after the end credits, there is a coda that shows Kip and LaFawnda's wedding. It's a sweet reprise of the characters, even including Tina the llama, but one I don't remember seeing in the DVD I rented. Was this scene in the theatrical and DVD release? Was this something I had to search out in the DVD clips? Was the cable version a director's cut?
This brings me to an observation about movies in general: what we see isn't canon. During my avid years of movie viewing, many movies I saw had been cut and approved by government censor boards; in my early youth one had been set up by a democratic government, and in my adolescent years the movies I saw had been screened by a police state. In southern California, televised movies were interrupted every every six or seven minutes to permit Cal Worthington and his dog to sell their cars, and it often seemed that the movie still played on while Cal waved his cowboy hat. As a consequence I'm still surprised when I see an oldie and there are dialogs and scenes that don't mesh with my memory. In addition, I saw many movies on 16mm that had to make their way through a series of remote military sites, and the resultant breakages and jams causing some unintentional though regrettable deletions in key plot and character development. Then there were the nights when we got the order of the reels wrong.
In addition, different versions of movies are made with an eye for in-flight or televised presentation to a family audience. For example, airline passengers would not have seen Kathy Bates in "About Schmidt" come out of the hot tub nude, which is just as well, as it would have no doubt triggered a panicked in-flight exodus. Before an official release, a studio also keeps different endings on hand and runs them by focus groups. And let us not forget the hallowed director's cut, often a more bloated and incoherent version with a baffling scene rythm.
Exceeding the boundaries of a director's cut, George Lucas went back and altered his Star War movies, adding digital detail in one case, and allowing Harrison Ford a self defense argument in the orginal Star Wars bar scene. My question then is can we expect different versions of the same movie to accommodate changes in modern sensibility and audience taste? For example a "Gone with the Wind" where Rhett Butler is caring and sensitive? Citizen Kane dies surrounded by his grieving wife, children, and grandchildren? The Godfather goes up on a 25 to life RICO rap? Marlon Brando wears a helmet in the "Wild Ones"? Perhaps some of our young film makers, having the advantage knowing critical film theory, previously unavailable to past directors, can re-cut and alter classic film works so as to provide a more coherent self-referential narrative.
In the cable version of "Napoleon Dynamite," after the end credits, there is a coda that shows Kip and LaFawnda's wedding. It's a sweet reprise of the characters, even including Tina the llama, but one I don't remember seeing in the DVD I rented. Was this scene in the theatrical and DVD release? Was this something I had to search out in the DVD clips? Was the cable version a director's cut?
This brings me to an observation about movies in general: what we see isn't canon. During my avid years of movie viewing, many movies I saw had been cut and approved by government censor boards; in my early youth one had been set up by a democratic government, and in my adolescent years the movies I saw had been screened by a police state. In southern California, televised movies were interrupted every every six or seven minutes to permit Cal Worthington and his dog to sell their cars, and it often seemed that the movie still played on while Cal waved his cowboy hat. As a consequence I'm still surprised when I see an oldie and there are dialogs and scenes that don't mesh with my memory. In addition, I saw many movies on 16mm that had to make their way through a series of remote military sites, and the resultant breakages and jams causing some unintentional though regrettable deletions in key plot and character development. Then there were the nights when we got the order of the reels wrong.
In addition, different versions of movies are made with an eye for in-flight or televised presentation to a family audience. For example, airline passengers would not have seen Kathy Bates in "About Schmidt" come out of the hot tub nude, which is just as well, as it would have no doubt triggered a panicked in-flight exodus. Before an official release, a studio also keeps different endings on hand and runs them by focus groups. And let us not forget the hallowed director's cut, often a more bloated and incoherent version with a baffling scene rythm.
Exceeding the boundaries of a director's cut, George Lucas went back and altered his Star War movies, adding digital detail in one case, and allowing Harrison Ford a self defense argument in the orginal Star Wars bar scene. My question then is can we expect different versions of the same movie to accommodate changes in modern sensibility and audience taste? For example a "Gone with the Wind" where Rhett Butler is caring and sensitive? Citizen Kane dies surrounded by his grieving wife, children, and grandchildren? The Godfather goes up on a 25 to life RICO rap? Marlon Brando wears a helmet in the "Wild Ones"? Perhaps some of our young film makers, having the advantage knowing critical film theory, previously unavailable to past directors, can re-cut and alter classic film works so as to provide a more coherent self-referential narrative.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Bothell Brawl
It has been suggested in one of the comments that nothing good comes out of Bothell. This article from the King County Journal 10/13/05 would bear this out:
High school brawl caught on DVD - Parents appalled by violent antics of students at pickup football game
2005-10-13
by Noel S. Brady
Journal Reporter
BOTHELL -- Police are investigating a brawl involving possibly hundreds of Bothell and Inglemoor high students that was caught on home video, complete with titles and a music soundtrack, and displayed on campus.
Parents of about a dozen Inglemoor High School students were called into school Wednesday to view the video featuring their children participating in the Friday night brawl that might have been spawned by a 40-year-old football rivalry between the two schools.
``All of the parents who were called in to watch the video were just appalled by what they saw,'' said Susan Stoltzfus, spokeswoman for the Northshore School District.
The video footage depicts numerous small fights that broke out Friday evening when the youths showed up for an unsponsored football game at the North Creek playing fields at North Creek Parkway and 120th Avenue Northeast in Bothell.
The unsanctioned ``pickup'' game between nonvarsity players from Bothell and Inglemoor high schools was timed to precede the annual Spaghetti Bowl, which has pitted Northshore rivals Inglemoor and Bothell against one another since 1966.
``There were several hundred people there, and not all of them were high school students,'' Stoltzfus said. ``Some of them were in their 20s.''
Several young people involved in the fighting were girls, including one girl whose shirt apparently had been ripped off, she said.
Since the fight occurred off school property, there isn't much school officials can do except inform parents and police.
Earlier this week, Stoltzfus said, a school official spotted a group of students watching a DVD of the fight -- complete with a music soundtrack and titles -- in Inglemoor's cafeteria. The DVD was confiscated, and administrators identified about a dozen Inglemoor students in the violent footage.
The school also sent a copy of the video to the Bothell Police Department.
Bothell police Capt. Denise Langford said investigators have viewed the footage and a school resource officer assigned to Inglemoor is trying to identify students who appear in it.
However, she said it's unlikely any criminal charges will arise from it without a complaint from someone who was assaulted. So far, no one has filed a complaint.
``If anyone comes forward as a victim we would open an assault case,'' Langford said.
While no one has reported being assaulted, Stoltzfus said, some of the parents reported seeing black eyes and bruises on their teenagers over the weekend. When parents questioned their kids about the marks, she said, the teens gave varying stories.
Neither the school district nor police would release a copy of the video to the Journal.
Inglemoor Principal Vicki Sherwood referred a reporter to Stoltzfus for comment.
Bothell won Friday's Spaghetti Bowl game, 28-14.
High school brawl caught on DVD - Parents appalled by violent antics of students at pickup football game
2005-10-13
by Noel S. Brady
Journal Reporter
BOTHELL -- Police are investigating a brawl involving possibly hundreds of Bothell and Inglemoor high students that was caught on home video, complete with titles and a music soundtrack, and displayed on campus.
Parents of about a dozen Inglemoor High School students were called into school Wednesday to view the video featuring their children participating in the Friday night brawl that might have been spawned by a 40-year-old football rivalry between the two schools.
``All of the parents who were called in to watch the video were just appalled by what they saw,'' said Susan Stoltzfus, spokeswoman for the Northshore School District.
The video footage depicts numerous small fights that broke out Friday evening when the youths showed up for an unsponsored football game at the North Creek playing fields at North Creek Parkway and 120th Avenue Northeast in Bothell.
The unsanctioned ``pickup'' game between nonvarsity players from Bothell and Inglemoor high schools was timed to precede the annual Spaghetti Bowl, which has pitted Northshore rivals Inglemoor and Bothell against one another since 1966.
``There were several hundred people there, and not all of them were high school students,'' Stoltzfus said. ``Some of them were in their 20s.''
Several young people involved in the fighting were girls, including one girl whose shirt apparently had been ripped off, she said.
Since the fight occurred off school property, there isn't much school officials can do except inform parents and police.
Earlier this week, Stoltzfus said, a school official spotted a group of students watching a DVD of the fight -- complete with a music soundtrack and titles -- in Inglemoor's cafeteria. The DVD was confiscated, and administrators identified about a dozen Inglemoor students in the violent footage.
The school also sent a copy of the video to the Bothell Police Department.
Bothell police Capt. Denise Langford said investigators have viewed the footage and a school resource officer assigned to Inglemoor is trying to identify students who appear in it.
However, she said it's unlikely any criminal charges will arise from it without a complaint from someone who was assaulted. So far, no one has filed a complaint.
``If anyone comes forward as a victim we would open an assault case,'' Langford said.
While no one has reported being assaulted, Stoltzfus said, some of the parents reported seeing black eyes and bruises on their teenagers over the weekend. When parents questioned their kids about the marks, she said, the teens gave varying stories.
Neither the school district nor police would release a copy of the video to the Journal.
Inglemoor Principal Vicki Sherwood referred a reporter to Stoltzfus for comment.
Bothell won Friday's Spaghetti Bowl game, 28-14.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Non-linear Movement
Denise Restout, a student and companion of Wanda Landowska, died in 2004, and donated her collection of Landowksa's musical library to the Library of Congress.
Landowska had been a student of the influential Aleksander Michalowski.
Michalowski studied under Karol Mikuli, who studied under Frederic Chopin, who died in 1849.
So here it is, a magnificent progression of musical genius right back to Chopin. So, on a first glance we have a real link to the masters of the romantic era. Landowsky was practically a contemporary of Tchaikovsky and studied (I think) under one of Franz Liszt's students.
One problem though: Landowska, instead of being a conduit of the the romantic aesthetic, chose to revive the baroque. Wanda Landowska, who died in 1959, is responsible for our modern appreciation of Bach's harpsichord works and was the first to record the Goldberg variations.
This is a maddening puzzle I used to bang against when I studied history: ideas and movements pop in out throughout epochs, defying any logical progression or flow. When I started delving deeper into modern history, sometimes it seemed as if the French revolution had never happened.
The best I can figure is that there is a recessive genetic feature to Hegel's concept of the dialectic, where ideas progress by a clash between the thesis and anti-thesis,which produces a synthesis, which in turn results in a new thesis. Every now and then, an older idea, belief, or art form pops back. In Landowska's case, this was very beneficial for us.
Landowska had been a student of the influential Aleksander Michalowski.
Michalowski studied under Karol Mikuli, who studied under Frederic Chopin, who died in 1849.
So here it is, a magnificent progression of musical genius right back to Chopin. So, on a first glance we have a real link to the masters of the romantic era. Landowsky was practically a contemporary of Tchaikovsky and studied (I think) under one of Franz Liszt's students.
One problem though: Landowska, instead of being a conduit of the the romantic aesthetic, chose to revive the baroque. Wanda Landowska, who died in 1959, is responsible for our modern appreciation of Bach's harpsichord works and was the first to record the Goldberg variations.
This is a maddening puzzle I used to bang against when I studied history: ideas and movements pop in out throughout epochs, defying any logical progression or flow. When I started delving deeper into modern history, sometimes it seemed as if the French revolution had never happened.
The best I can figure is that there is a recessive genetic feature to Hegel's concept of the dialectic, where ideas progress by a clash between the thesis and anti-thesis,which produces a synthesis, which in turn results in a new thesis. Every now and then, an older idea, belief, or art form pops back. In Landowska's case, this was very beneficial for us.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Results from Cherynobyl
Wait a minue, why aren't there 50 foot Ukranians wandering about, and mutated reindeers with fangs and death rays coming from their eyes? Was I lied to when I watched all those late night science fiction movies when I was a kid?
'I Read the News Today, Oh Boy'
George Melloan. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Oct 11, 2005. pg. A.17
" When the reactor in Ukraine exploded in April 1986 during a clumsy test procedure, the scare stories had Laplanders losing their reindeer herds, distant Germans dying of radiation sickness and forecasts of as many as 800,000 additional cancers in humans over the next 70 years.
A new and exhaustive study by United Nations and governmental agencies assesses the damage 20 years on. Only 56 people have died from causes related to Chernobyl radiation, 47 of them plant personnel killed by the blast or in fighting the fire that resulted. Some 4,000 children developed thyroid cancer but nearly all were cured and only nine died. The study projects 4,000 cancers over time, mostly among workers directly exposed to blast radiation, a far cry from the 1986 alarums.
The restricted area around Chernobyl has become a veritable 'game park,' says one U.N. observer. Because of hunting restrictions, deer, wild boar, bison and other creatures roam freely and in good health. Environmental radicals who want to return forests to their natural state could do worse than using a nuclear blast to drive out all the humans -- but don't get any ideas, please. The U.N. estimates that 70% of the area could be safely returned to productive use."
'I Read the News Today, Oh Boy'
George Melloan. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Oct 11, 2005. pg. A.17
" When the reactor in Ukraine exploded in April 1986 during a clumsy test procedure, the scare stories had Laplanders losing their reindeer herds, distant Germans dying of radiation sickness and forecasts of as many as 800,000 additional cancers in humans over the next 70 years.
A new and exhaustive study by United Nations and governmental agencies assesses the damage 20 years on. Only 56 people have died from causes related to Chernobyl radiation, 47 of them plant personnel killed by the blast or in fighting the fire that resulted. Some 4,000 children developed thyroid cancer but nearly all were cured and only nine died. The study projects 4,000 cancers over time, mostly among workers directly exposed to blast radiation, a far cry from the 1986 alarums.
The restricted area around Chernobyl has become a veritable 'game park,' says one U.N. observer. Because of hunting restrictions, deer, wild boar, bison and other creatures roam freely and in good health. Environmental radicals who want to return forests to their natural state could do worse than using a nuclear blast to drive out all the humans -- but don't get any ideas, please. The U.N. estimates that 70% of the area could be safely returned to productive use."
Monday, October 10, 2005
Teach Your Grandparents Well
Last sentence of the article easily sounds as if it came from an Onion article about self obsessed boomers upset that so much tax money is spent on the young.
Boomers' Overdose Deaths Up Markedly - Los Angeles Times Oct. 10, 2005
Boomers' Overdose Deaths Up Markedly - Los Angeles Times Oct. 10, 2005
The change has caught many prevention programs, which tend to be geared toward
young people, off guard. Several drug abuse prevention officials and other
experts said there was virtually no strategy in place to address the risk of
overdose among older users.
"We have seen a massive, long-term trend
toward more middle-age drug abuse that is leading to an unprecedented number of
deaths," said Michael Males, a sociology researcher at UC Santa Cruz. But "no
one is doing anything about it. It has gotten almost no attention at the state,
federal or local level."
Because the problem has been recognized only
recently, it is difficult to say what is behind the generational split.
Some experts suggest, however, that California is merely reflecting a
national trend in which Americans increasingly are using illicit drugs long past
the days of youthful resilience. According to the U.S. Substance and Mental
Health Services Administration, more than a third of drug users today are older
than 35, compared with 12% in 1979.
"Baby boomers are the first
generation that is facing a drug and overdose epidemic in their middle age,"
said John Newmeyer, epidemiologist and drug researcher at the Haight-Ashbury
Free Clinics in San Francisco. "They started using drugs recreationally or
regularly over 20 years ago, and they aren't really slowing down."
To a
degree, it seems overdoses are following the same generation through time. In
California, the age at which someone was most likely to die from a drug overdose
in 1970 was 22; by 1985, it was 32; and today it is 43, according to
calculations by Males, based on state health data.
Many of those who die
are hard-core drug users who never quit, even when they reached middle age.
Californians age 40 and older are dying of drug overdoses at double the
rate recorded in 1990, a little-noticed trend that upends the notion of
hard-core drug use as primarily a young person's peril.
Indeed,
overdoses among baby boomers are driving an overall increase in drug deaths so
dramatic that soon they may surpass automobile accidents as the state's leading
cause of nonnatural deaths...
Kathy Jett, director of the state's
Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, said the agency wasn't aware until
recently that drug overdoses were rising so quickly — let alone so dramatically
among older users. She asked an internal task force assessing the department's
overall drug abuse prevention strategy to come up with new approaches.
But Jett said budget constraints may limit what the agency can do.
Researching and reacting to trends like rising overdose death rates is
"not something that we're typically equipped to do," she said. "We have very
limited resources."
Males, of UC Santa Cruz, said overdose trends call
for a major realignment of the state's drug policy.
"We're going to have
to adapt our treatment and prevention model to older users," he said. "We must stop obsessing solely on younger people doing
drugs and focus resources on aging addicts."
Friday, October 07, 2005
The Seattle Times: Eastside News: Bail set for man in chase
This case is notable because it brought Los Angeles style live coverage of a car chase to the usually staid Seattle television news.
The accused car thief essentially re-enacted a crime he comitted a year ago, for which he was convicted in February and received a nine month work release sentence, which he finished in May. The numbers don't add up, even with time served. I've heard from police that car theft is a low risk crime in Washington, and I'm beginning to believe it.
As might be expected, relatives claim the accused really isn't a bad person, and that he was planning on going to community college; thus, reinforcing comedian Adam Carolla's view that community colleges are the gateway to prison, and that society might be safer if we put concertina wire and guards around community colleges.
News article from 10/7/05, Seatle Times:
Bail set for man in chase
By Matt Ironside
Ryan Wade-Everett first stole a car to go to Bellevue for a meeting with his probation officer. After that meeting, he couldn't get the car started again, so he stole another one.
And the chase was on.
That was how court documents characterized the start of what became a dramatic chase through much of the Eastside Tuesday that was viewed by thousands on local television as it played out live.
King County Superior Court Judge Eileen Kato yesterday set bail at $250,000 for Wade-Everett, who led police on the sometimes-high-speed chase through Bellevue, Kirkland, Bothell and back to Kirkland before his capture.
Wade-Everett, 24, is expected to be charged with numerous violations that may include hit-and-run, vehicular assault, first-degree theft, second-degree robbery, eluding police and residential burglary.
Shaya Calvo, the prosecutor in the case, cited Wade-Everett's conviction in a similar incident that occurred in November 2004 in Shoreline and a concern for public safety in the request for the $250,000 bail amount.
"I told the judge that it's lucky no one was killed," said Calvo.
In the earlier case, Wade-Everett pleaded guilty in February to hit-and-run, possession of stolen property, attempted robbery and assault — crimes that closely mimic the charges Calvo expects to be filed against Wade-Everett today.
Calvo said that, if convicted, Wade-Everett is likely to face considerably more jail time than he received for his first pursuit — nine months in a work-release program and 12 months of probation.
His work-release sentence ended in May and he had been living with an uncle, James Wade of Bothell, until roughly six weeks ago.
According to Wade, Wade-Everett had been making progress in getting his life back on track. Wade said his nephew was working and had plans to enroll in a community college, but suspects he fell back into use of the drug crystal methamphetamine.
"He's a good kid, but that drug puts the demon in him," said Wade.
Police and television helicopters chased Wade-Everett for 50 minutes Tuesday as he wove in and out of traffic on city streets and Interstate 405. He rammed a number of cars along the way and at one point crashed through a fence and drove through Wayne Golf Course in Bothell.
The chase ended when he pulled into a driveway across from Kirkland Junior High School and was quickly subdued by police.
Authorities have no plans to pursue charges against three motorists who attempted to stop the suspect during the chase by blocking or ramming the vehicle Wade-Everett was driving. However, police encourage people to think twice before becoming involved in police pursuits.
"We're not discouraging people" from taking an active role in helping to police their communities, said Michael Chiu, Bellevue police information officer.
But he said it's important that people know if they do become involved, they run the risk of being injured, of being investigated by police if they break any laws, or being liable in any civil-court actions that could result.
He said citizens can help by using their phones to report where a suspect is going, but that ramming a vehicle is a dangerous maneuver best left to trained professionals in vehicles designed to be stable upon impact.
"It's not a video game out there," said Chiu.
The accused car thief essentially re-enacted a crime he comitted a year ago, for which he was convicted in February and received a nine month work release sentence, which he finished in May. The numbers don't add up, even with time served. I've heard from police that car theft is a low risk crime in Washington, and I'm beginning to believe it.
As might be expected, relatives claim the accused really isn't a bad person, and that he was planning on going to community college; thus, reinforcing comedian Adam Carolla's view that community colleges are the gateway to prison, and that society might be safer if we put concertina wire and guards around community colleges.
News article from 10/7/05, Seatle Times:
Bail set for man in chase
By Matt Ironside
Ryan Wade-Everett first stole a car to go to Bellevue for a meeting with his probation officer. After that meeting, he couldn't get the car started again, so he stole another one.
And the chase was on.
That was how court documents characterized the start of what became a dramatic chase through much of the Eastside Tuesday that was viewed by thousands on local television as it played out live.
King County Superior Court Judge Eileen Kato yesterday set bail at $250,000 for Wade-Everett, who led police on the sometimes-high-speed chase through Bellevue, Kirkland, Bothell and back to Kirkland before his capture.
Wade-Everett, 24, is expected to be charged with numerous violations that may include hit-and-run, vehicular assault, first-degree theft, second-degree robbery, eluding police and residential burglary.
Shaya Calvo, the prosecutor in the case, cited Wade-Everett's conviction in a similar incident that occurred in November 2004 in Shoreline and a concern for public safety in the request for the $250,000 bail amount.
"I told the judge that it's lucky no one was killed," said Calvo.
In the earlier case, Wade-Everett pleaded guilty in February to hit-and-run, possession of stolen property, attempted robbery and assault — crimes that closely mimic the charges Calvo expects to be filed against Wade-Everett today.
Calvo said that, if convicted, Wade-Everett is likely to face considerably more jail time than he received for his first pursuit — nine months in a work-release program and 12 months of probation.
His work-release sentence ended in May and he had been living with an uncle, James Wade of Bothell, until roughly six weeks ago.
According to Wade, Wade-Everett had been making progress in getting his life back on track. Wade said his nephew was working and had plans to enroll in a community college, but suspects he fell back into use of the drug crystal methamphetamine.
"He's a good kid, but that drug puts the demon in him," said Wade.
Police and television helicopters chased Wade-Everett for 50 minutes Tuesday as he wove in and out of traffic on city streets and Interstate 405. He rammed a number of cars along the way and at one point crashed through a fence and drove through Wayne Golf Course in Bothell.
The chase ended when he pulled into a driveway across from Kirkland Junior High School and was quickly subdued by police.
Authorities have no plans to pursue charges against three motorists who attempted to stop the suspect during the chase by blocking or ramming the vehicle Wade-Everett was driving. However, police encourage people to think twice before becoming involved in police pursuits.
"We're not discouraging people" from taking an active role in helping to police their communities, said Michael Chiu, Bellevue police information officer.
But he said it's important that people know if they do become involved, they run the risk of being injured, of being investigated by police if they break any laws, or being liable in any civil-court actions that could result.
He said citizens can help by using their phones to report where a suspect is going, but that ramming a vehicle is a dangerous maneuver best left to trained professionals in vehicles designed to be stable upon impact.
"It's not a video game out there," said Chiu.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Kent and Covington Road Rules Explained
Here in Kent and Covington, Washington, there is an additional lane in the middle of two way streets. This lane is marked with a yellow double lines, one solid and one dashed, and, at intervals, left and right curved markers are painted in the lane. In Kent and Covington, this is known as a passing lane, especially during rush hour when the streets are crowded. Kent and Covington drivers use this convenient passing lane as a handy way of racing their pickup trucks several blocks ahead to a protected left turn light that is green. On no account do Kent and Covington drivers actually use the passing lane when making left hand turns from the parking lots of their favorite taverns; instead, Kent and Covington drivers prefer to amble into the traffic stream, and to rely on the good will, not to mention the good eyesight and reflexes, of other drivers.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
The Seattle Times: Local News: At 103, she's living in a wired age
I have loud and furious discussions with friends my age who are still having problems entering the late 20th century world of computing. I tell them, when they have mastered a difficult problem, to write down what they did for future reference in a notebook by the computer (and don't call me again). Age is not a barrier to learning new technology, rather it's that some of my friends are smart and talented to the point that they've never learned how to learn--everything came easy, until now that is. I'm sending them this article from the Seattle Times for inspiration:
"Call Helen Burcham Green one wired lady.
The Bothell resident exchanges e-mail with relatives around the world. She writes books on her Mac computer and she advises people not to trust everything they find on the Internet.
"It's too easy to do the research, and you can't depend upon it," she said. "People want to take shortcuts today."
Of the world's computer literati, Green could be the oldest.
She turned 103 Wednesday.
She entered the computer world a decade ago after writing her first book, an extensive family genealogy that traces ancestors back to the 1400s. Her grandson Jamie Green, a computer-science graduate, and her daughter-in-law Betty Green convinced her that editing would be simpler if she took advantage of today's technology.
So she's writing her current book — her life story — on a computer.
Green found the switch from typewriter to computer relatively easy. She keeps notes on how to do things until she masters the technique."
"Call Helen Burcham Green one wired lady.
The Bothell resident exchanges e-mail with relatives around the world. She writes books on her Mac computer and she advises people not to trust everything they find on the Internet.
"It's too easy to do the research, and you can't depend upon it," she said. "People want to take shortcuts today."
Of the world's computer literati, Green could be the oldest.
She turned 103 Wednesday.
She entered the computer world a decade ago after writing her first book, an extensive family genealogy that traces ancestors back to the 1400s. Her grandson Jamie Green, a computer-science graduate, and her daughter-in-law Betty Green convinced her that editing would be simpler if she took advantage of today's technology.
So she's writing her current book — her life story — on a computer.
Green found the switch from typewriter to computer relatively easy. She keeps notes on how to do things until she masters the technique."
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
CNN.com - Class action sought for 'Dr. Phil' diet suit - Oct 4, 2005
Despite not exercising and not eating less, I still can't seem to lose weight: I'm going to sue.CNN.com - Class action sought for 'Dr. Phil' diet suit - Oct 4, 2005: "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The man famous for dishing out advice on national television now needs the advice of legal counsel.
TV psychologist 'Dr. Phil' McGraw, whose Texas twang and folky common sense catapulted him to stardom, is being taken to court over his discontinued 'Shape Up!' diet plan.
Three disgruntled dieters on Monday asked a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to expand their fraud claim into a national class-action lawsuit. They're seeking refunds and additional damages.
No ruling is expected until next year. If the judge rules in favor of the dieters, the suit would be opened to claims by thousands of followers of Dr. Phil's Shape Up! diet.
The suit alleges that the plan is useless. It called for dieters to take 22 herbal supplements and vitamin pills a day and cost about $120 a month. The plan also advised dieters to adopt a low-calorie diet and to exercise.
The plaintiffs allege that while they lost plenty of money on the plan, they didn't lose any weight.
Unhappy dieters told CNN Radio that after listening to McGraw they believed they could lose weight by taking the pills alone. "
TV psychologist 'Dr. Phil' McGraw, whose Texas twang and folky common sense catapulted him to stardom, is being taken to court over his discontinued 'Shape Up!' diet plan.
Three disgruntled dieters on Monday asked a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to expand their fraud claim into a national class-action lawsuit. They're seeking refunds and additional damages.
No ruling is expected until next year. If the judge rules in favor of the dieters, the suit would be opened to claims by thousands of followers of Dr. Phil's Shape Up! diet.
The suit alleges that the plan is useless. It called for dieters to take 22 herbal supplements and vitamin pills a day and cost about $120 a month. The plan also advised dieters to adopt a low-calorie diet and to exercise.
The plaintiffs allege that while they lost plenty of money on the plan, they didn't lose any weight.
Unhappy dieters told CNN Radio that after listening to McGraw they believed they could lose weight by taking the pills alone. "
Hey Kids, Have Fun with Crypto Cat!
Crypto Cat's trench coat has been traded in for a trench coat. There are are puzzles and codes to crack, though I was disappointed there were no instructions teaching children how to intercept their parent's communications.
Tourists to Florida Get a Warning as Greeting - New York Times
Robert Heinlein once maintained that a well armed populace was a polite one. On the whole these are useful travel hints for tourists from New York City:
Tourists to Florida Get a Warning as Greeting
Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times
MIAMI, Oct. 3 - A national gun-control group is riling Gov. Jeb
Bush andFlorida's mighty tourism industry by warning visitors that arguing with
locals here could get them shot.
The group, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, based in Washington, began handing out fliers at Miami International Airport on Monday, cautioning visitors to take "sensible precautions" and to be aware that altercations on highways, in nightclubs or on the beach could provoke a shooting.
An image of a poster from the Brady Campaign that informs
tourists visiting Florida about the state's "stand your ground" law.
The fliers offer tips like "Do not argue unnecessarily with
local people," and "If someone appears to be angry with you, maintain to the
best of your ability a positive attitude and do not shout or make threatening
gestures."
The group said it was passing out the fliers to protest
Florida's new "stand your ground" law, which lets people use guns or other
deadly force to defend themselves in public places without first trying to
escape.
Brighter Looking Migration Period
I knew this was coming: the academics are replacing the term "Dark Ages" with "Migration Period," so as not to make any unintentional value judgments. Thus, the period from the fall of the Roman Empire to about 900, or so, is now a period of cultural change and diversity and marked, no doubt, by the extensive programs that the Goths, Huns, Norse, and Saxons instituted to redistribute entrenched European wealth.
I'm not surprised. Several years ago I went on the Long Boat ride at the Norwegian pavilion at Disney's Epcot Center. I was looking forward to a Norse version of the "Pirates of the Caribbean;" instead, I was treated to subdued exhibits of leather fringed families and a breathless narrated lecture about those early explorers, settlers, and fishermen--those hard working, loveable Vikings! For some reason there was no exhibit showing how the Vikings contributed to the Irish gene pool.
I'm not surprised. Several years ago I went on the Long Boat ride at the Norwegian pavilion at Disney's Epcot Center. I was looking forward to a Norse version of the "Pirates of the Caribbean;" instead, I was treated to subdued exhibits of leather fringed families and a breathless narrated lecture about those early explorers, settlers, and fishermen--those hard working, loveable Vikings! For some reason there was no exhibit showing how the Vikings contributed to the Irish gene pool.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Honk if You Love Narcissism
Driving around Seattle, I can look at bumpers and instantly tell how drivers voted in the last two or three elections, how they feel about U.S. foreign policy, what their sexual orientation is, and which art fashion movement they belong to. In fact, the only thing I don't know about Seattle drivers is which direction they are going to turn. Saving the world begins by learning how to use the turn signal indicator. Or does this go against Seattle's dominant culture of passive aggression?
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