It’s the birthday

… of Melinda Dillon. That’s the mom in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She’s 67. Dillon was nominated for the best supporting actress Oscar for that role and for her part in Absence of Malice.

… of Paul Simon. He’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” at 65.

It’s the birthday of singer and songwriter Paul Simon, born in Newark, New Jersey (1941). His father was a musician and his mother was a music teacher. When he was in sixth grade, he got a part in the school play as the White Rabbit in Alice In Wonderland. A boy named Art Garfunkel played the Mad Hatter. The two became friends after walking home from rehearsal every day. They started a singing duo, playing sock hops and high school dances, and they made a hit record when they were only 16 years old.

The two recorded their first folk album, Wednesday Morning, 3 a.m. in 1964, but it only sold a few thousand copies. They figured their career was probably over, but, unbeknownst to Simon and Garfunkel, their record label had added electric guitars to the song “The Sounds of Silence” and released it as a single. They had just moved back in with their parents and were sitting in Simon’s car, wondering what to do next, when they heard the song come on the radio, and the DJ said it had gone to number one. Simon turned to Garfunkel and said, “That Simon and Garfunkel, they must be having a great time.” (The Writer’s Almanac)

… of Demond Wilson. Sanford’s son is 60.

… of Marie Osmond. She’s 47.

… of Jerry Rice. He’s 44.

… of skater Nancy Kerrigan. She’s 37.

… of Leonard Alfred Schneider, born on this date in 1925. That’s Lenny Bruce, who said, “All my humor is based on destruction and despair. If the whole world were tranquil, I’d be standing in the breadline, right back of J. Edgar Hoover.”

And it’s the third birthday of Sofie, official youngest granddaughter of NewMexiKen. Happy Birthday, Sofie!

26 Days to Go

Three more pieces of mail today supporting my Congressional representative’s reelection — one from the National Association of Realtors, one from The Seniors Coalition, and one from the Republican Party of New Mexico.

The piece from the GOP doesn’t even mention their candidate — it’s totally an attack on the challenger.

Keep spending that money on me guys.

Stuff

The leading contender for the name of Albuquerque’s new far west side high school (recently approved by voters) is Volcano Vista. Five long dormant small cinder cone volcanoes top the west side mesa.

The Volcano Vista Vulcans. What else could it be?

The Chicago White Sox have figured out how to sell something new. Night games will now begin at 7:11 PM. Guess which convenience store chain gave them $500,000 for this change from 7:05?

The airship Hindenburg I learned tonight did not explode because it was filled with hydrogen. The outer skin of the big German aircraft — longer than three 747s — was painted with an iron oxide, powdered aluminum compound to reflect sunlight (to minimize heat build up). The powdered aluminum was highly flammable and was ignited by an electrostatic charge in the imperfectly grounded zeppelin.

How flammable is iron oxide and aluminum? It’s the fuel used to launch the Shuttle.

The Departed

The Departed is an engrossing, entertaining film worth the trip to the theater (rather than the wait for the DVD). Leonardo DiCaprio is outstanding, Matt Damon perhaps at his best, and Jack Nicholson — well, Jack plays Jack Nicholson better than anybody else can. In lesser roles, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg win every scene in which they play. Vera Farmiga is appealing in the one female role; Martin Sheen plays Jed Bartlet playing a police captain.

Damon is a hoodlum who is undercover as a cop. DiCaprio is a cop who is undercover working for a hoodlum. Nicholson is the hoodlum. All these clashing male egos (performers and characters) are brought together by Martin Scorsese, who builds the tension on the screen and uncertainty in the audience. Is the bad guy getting good? Is the good guy getting bad? Is Jack Nicholson for real? Fans of Goodfellas will like this film, though it is darker, more complex and—unbelievably enough—considerably more violent.

NewMexiKen thought the film a bit long (about 2:20 before the credits rolled). And the ending seemed a trifle too contrived, but any discussion here would necessarily reveal too much, so see for yourself. Not for the faint-of-heart, but otherwise a very, very well-made movie.

Quality of Life

Bernalillo County voters have to decide whether to approve a 3/16ths of one percent increase in the sales tax (actually a gross receipts tax, but it amounts to the same thing as a sales tax). That’s 19 cents on $100. The increase would raise the overall sales tax in Albuquerque to more than 7%. (The tax does not apply to groceries, which are tax free in New Mexico.)

The effort to get the tax approved is called the Quality of Life Initiative because the funds would go to programs devoted to culture, history, art and science. The income raised would be administered by the county with advice from an appointed Cultural Advisory Board. Various organizations, public and private, would make proposals, the Advisory Board would review the proposals and make recommendations to the County Commission.

NewMexiKen strongly believes there should be public, tax support for “culture.” That stated, I have three concerns about this initiative that MAY result in my voting against it.

First, I object to the use of the sales tax, which even though it excludes groceries, is still a regressive tax. I believe zoos, museums, and the like should be supported by the property tax, or possibly a tourist tax (rental cars, lodging).

Second, I’m uncomfortable with the idea of a Cultural Advisory Board. Who died and left these people in charge? One person’s culture is another person’s excess. I much prefer that elected (and presumed accountable) officials be more directly involved. This arrangement shrieks of potential “behind-the-scenes” favoritism.

Third, here’s a list of potential recipients from the Quality of Live Initiative web site:

Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Public Libraries
Keshet Dance Company
Tricklock Company
New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum
National Atomic Museum
New Mexico Jazz Workshop
New Mexico Symphony Orchestra
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
Once Upon A Theatre
STEPS Dance Academy
Harwood Art Center
Friends of Music
National Dance Institute of New Mexico
Los Reyes de Albuquerque
Working Classroom
Albuquerque BioPark

In fairness, the list is billed as “A Few Examples of How Organizations May Use the Funds.” Still, it seems to me more a list of worthy projects than a list entirely of programs that tax dollars should support.

Help me out here. Are my concerns legitimate? How would you vote?

I’d Vote Today If It Meant the Political Junk Mail Would Stop

NewMexiKen caught up on the mail yesterday — ten days worth all at once (including a bunch that belonged to the folks next door, stuck in with mine).

Among the 90% or so of the mail that was junk were nine mailings (in ten days) concerning my congressional race (NM-1). Each was expensively printed on over-sized card stock. Even the realtors don’t print such fancy mailers.

The race here is between the incumbent, Republican Heather Wilson, and the Democratic challenger, current New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid. It’s considered a bellwether contest in the national congressional picture, as Wilson has been a supporter of President Bush on most issues including Iraq. Current polls show Madrid with a lead.

We can vote in New Mexico beginning today (four weeks before “election day”). For now, it’s just at the county clerk’s office, but starting the 21st there are a number of locations. Here’s the details: Bernalillo County Early Voting Locations.

Best line of the day, so far

“DAMN, something just occured to me. I can move the money I spend from the Ipod Music budget over to the Dairy Queen Blizzard budget i had previous decimated to fill my Ipod. ! I really miss Heath and Reese Cup Blizzards, thank you Gootube !!!… ”

— Billionaire Mark Cuban in a post describing, fancifully, how he gets his music from YouTube videos rather than iTunes.

First Ladies National Historic Site (Ohio)

… was established on this date in 2000. It’s in Canton, Ohio.

Two properties, the home of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley and the seven-story 1895 City National Bank Building, are preserved at this site, which honors the lives and accomplishments of First Ladies throughout history. The site is managed by the National Park Service and operated by the National First Ladies’ Library.

— First Ladies National Historic Site

It’s the birthday

… of Elmore Leonard. He’s 81 today.

“Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip” — one of Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing.

… of Joan Cusack. The actress is 44. She’s been nominated for best actress in a supporting role twice, Working Girl and In & Out.

And, if they rated first ladies like they rate the presidents, the one who would surely be at the top, Eleanor Roosevelt, was born on this date in 1884. (She died in 1962.)

Mrs. Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt struggled to overcome an unhappy childhood, betrayal in her marriage, a controlling mother-in-law, and gripping depressions—all the while staying true to her passion for social justice. (The American Experience)

The Writer’s Almanac has biographical background today about both Elmore Leonard and Eleanor Roosevelt.

In the Mountains, Fall Is Already Winter

NewMexiKen ventured to Santa Fe and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains Tuesday in hope of seeing some fall color.

The color was mostly gone, just a few aspens left with leaves and those far past their prime. The color had been replaced with the absence of color — you know, that white, cold stuff. Click each image to see larger version.

Aspens October Snow

Photos taken at Aspen Vista and along highway at about 10,000 feet.

Santa Fe Ski Area Sunlight through Trees

Photos taken at Ski Santa Fe, 10,350 feet.

Winner of the Booker Prize

Although it focuses on the fate of a few powerless individuals, Kiran Desai’s extraordinary new novel manages to explore, with intimacy and insight, just about every contemporary international issue: globalization, multiculturalism, economic inequality, fundamentalism and terrorist violence. Despite being set in the mid-1980’s, it seems the best kind of post-9/11 novel.

The above paragraph begins the review published last February in The New York Times Book Review for The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.

The novel by the 35-year-old Desai was named the Booker Prize winner this evening. She is the award’s youngest winner ever.

William and Mary and the NCAA

NewMexiKen thought this message from William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol was worth posting in full:

October 10, 2006

Dear Fellow Members of the William & Mary Community:

I write concerning the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s dispute with the College over our nickname and logo.

During the past several months, the NCAA has reviewed William & Mary’s athletic insignia to determine whether they constitute a violation of Association standards. On the more important front, the Committee concluded that the College’s use of the term “Tribe” reflects our community’s sense of shared commitment and common purpose. Accordingly, it will remain our nickname. The presence of two feathers on the logo, though, was ruled potentially “hostile and abusive.” We appealed that determination. The decision was sustained and has become final. We must now decide whether to institute legal action against the NCAA or begin the process of altering our logo.

I am compelled to say, at the outset, how powerfully ironic it is for the College of William & Mary to face sanction for athletic transgression at the hands of the NCAA. The Association has applied its mascot standards in ways so patently inconsistent and arbitrary as to demean the entire undertaking. Beyond this, William & Mary is widely acknowledged to be a principal exemplar of the NCAA’s purported, if unrealized, ideals.

Not only are our athletic programs intensely competitive, but according to the Association’s own Academic Progress Reports, the College ranks fifth among all institutions of higher learning in scholastic excellence. Each year, we graduate approximately 95% of our senior student athletes. During the past decade, two William and Mary athletes have been named Rhodes Scholars and 42 elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the national honorary society founded at the College in 1776. Meanwhile, across the country, in the face of massive academic underperformance, embarrassing misbehaviors on and off the field, and grotesque commercialization of intercollegiate athletics, the NCAA has proven hapless, or worse. It is galling that a university with such a consistent and compelling record of doing things the right way is threatened with punishment by an organization whose house, simply put, is not in order.

Still, in consultation with our Board of Visitors, I have determined that I am unwilling to sue the NCAA to further press our claims. There are three reasons for my decision. I’ll explain them in order.

First, failing to adhere to the NCAA logo ruling would raise the substantial possibility that William & Mary athletes would be foreclosed from competing at the level their attainments and preparations merit. Two years ago, for example, we hosted a thrilling semifinal national championship football game against James Madison University. At present, we are barred from welcoming such a competition to Williamsburg — in football or any other sport. I believe it is our obligation to open doors of opportunity and challenge for our students, not to close them. I will not make our athletes pay for our broader disagreements with a governing association. We have also consulted with our coaches and student athletic advisory council on the matter. They are of the same mind.

Second, given the well-known challenges that this and other universities face — in assuring access to world-class education, in supporting the research and teaching efforts of our faculties, and in financing and constructing twenty-first-century laboratories and facilities — I am loath to divert further energies and resources to an expensive and perhaps multi-faceted lawsuit over an athletic logo. Governing requires the setting of priorities. And our fiercest challenges reside at the core of our mission. I know, of course, that more than one member of our understandably disgruntled community would likely be willing to help finance litigation against the NCAA. Those dollars are better spent in scholarship programs.

Third, the College of William & Mary is one of the most remarkable universities in the world. It was a national treasure even before there was a nation to treasure it. I am unwilling to allow it to become the symbol and lodestar for a prolonged struggle over Native American imagery that will likely be miscast and misunderstood — to the detriment of the institution. Our challenge is greatness. Our defining purpose is rooted in the highest ideals of human progress, achievement, service, and dignity. Those are the hallmarks of the College of William & Mary. They will remain so.

I know this decision will disappoint some among us. I am confident, however, that it is the correct course for the College. We are required to hold fast to our values whether the NCAA does so or not. In the weeks ahead, we will begin an inclusive process to consider options for an altered university logo. I invite you to participate. And I am immensely grateful for your efforts and energies on behalf of the College.

Go Tribe. Hark upon the gale.

Sincerely,

Gene R. Nichol
President
College of William & Mary

Message forwarded by Jill (William & Mary, 1992), official older daughter of NewMexiKen.

William and Mary Logo

The logo in question.

Stuff

NewMexiKen, still hacking from the Virginia cooties, is going to Santa Fe for the afternoon — get some fresh air, take some photos of the aspens (if it’s not too late), and have a little repast on the plaza, as people have been doing for nearly 400 years.

And don’t worry Albuquerqueans, true to our apparent sworn civic duty, I promise I won’t like Santa Fe no matter how wonderful a time I have.

(Actually, in NewMexiKen’s opinion, living an hour from Santa Fe, one of the unique, special cities in the U.S. — an attraction people travel for thousands of miles to enjoy — is a bonus to living in Albuquerque. In other words, one of my very favorite things about Albuquerque is Santa Fe.)

Before I go:

Scott Adams tells us about being In Over My Head. Self-serving, no doubt, but still interesting. Go read it. (Adams claims he’s turned down as much as $100,000 to give an hour-long speech. His blog is free.) Link via Three Bed Two Bath.

Andrew Tobias has links showing how the Republicans can win the election, no matter what the polls say, including this, “hotel mini-bar keys open Diebold voting machines.”

And, in what one hopes will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said today that anyone who covered up information about contacts between then Rep. Mark Foley and male pages “really ought to go.”

Thelonious Monk

… was born on this date in 1917.

Thelonious Monk, who was criticized by observers who failed to listen to his music on its own terms, suffered through a decade of neglect before he was suddenly acclaimed as a genius; his music had not changed one bit in the interim. In fact, one of the more remarkable aspects of Monk’s music was that it was fully formed by 1947 and he saw no need to alter his playing or compositional style in the slightest during the next 25 years. (All Music)

A must-have jazz album is Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. All Music has a review and the background — the tape had been lost for decades.

Monk died in 1982.

Blitz? I Don’t Think So! You Blitz.

Discussing The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis, Jason Kottke suggests a fascinating idea:

Many of the left tackles that Lewis talks about in the book can run faster than most quarterbacks, they can throw the ball just as far or farther (as a high school sophomore, Michael Oher could stand at the fifty-yard line and toss footballs through the goalposts), possess great athletic touch and finesse, have the intellect to run an offense, move better than most QBs, know the offense and defense as well as the QB, are taller than the average QB (and therefore has better field vision over the line), and presumably, at 320-360 pounds, are harder to tackle and intimidate than a normal QB. Sounds like a good idea to me.

It’s the Birthday

… of Peter Coyote, the actor. He’s 64. Coyote does a lot of voice-over and narration. He’s the one that sounds a lot like Henry Fonda. He’s appeared in more than 100 films and television shows (including recently in “Commander in Chief”), though he began acting only at age 39. He tested for the part of Indiana Jones.

… of “Chicken George.” Actor Ben Vereen is 60. He played Alex Haley’s ancestor, “Chicken George,” in Roots.

… of Bradley Whitford. He’s 47.

… of Brett Favre. He’s 37.

… of Dale Earnhardt. He’s 32. NewMexiKen overheard some of the Talladega 500 television coverage Sunday. Earnhardt was invariably referred to with the “junior” added on as if the broadcasters thought “senior” was somehow driving a competing car. When his father was alive, the father was Dale Earnhardt and the son Dale Earnhardt Jr. Now that the father is deceased, the son is Dale Earnhardt.

Or so says Miss Manners, making an exception for royalty — oh, that explains the Earnhardts, NASCAR royalty for sure.

This and That

“No, seriously, fans are always asking me, what’s it really like to be the Boss? I could try offer some fake humility bul**hit, but the real answer is: fabulous beyond your wildest dreams…”

— Bruce Springsteen, Nassau Coliseum, (as reported by JJ Goldberg) via Altercation

Pretty much as NewMexiKen has always feared.

Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 16: “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”

NewMexiKen guesses the Bible’s authors needed to get out more. Half the time, the lesser light, the moon, is in the daytime sky.