Us ‘Burqueans

There were 783,920 people in the Albuquerque metropolitan area last year (according to the U.S. Census). 407,621 (52%) were born in New Mexico. 296,236 (38%) were born in the other 49 states. 72,015 (9%) were born outside the U.S. (The other 8,048 were born U.S. citizens, but not born in the U.S.)

Of the 783,920, 381,592 were male, 402,328 were female.

Of the 783,920, 357,613 (46%) claimed white (non-Hispanic) origins exclusively, 340,177 (43%) claimed Hispanic or Latino origins. Just less than 6% claimed American Indian origins. 2.5% claimed African origins. Less than 2% were Asian or Pacific Islander.

There were 509,828 men and women 25 and older in Albuquerque last year. 153,026 of them have bachelor’s or advanced college degrees. That’s 30%. (The U.S. average is 27.7%.) 14% of Albuquerque area adults have less than a high school education.

There were 319,677 households. 204,373 (64%) were family households; 147,467 (46% of the total) of these were married couples. 93,015 (29% of the total) were one-person households.

There were 96,588 women between the ages of 35 and 50 in the Albuquerque metropolitan area last year. 61,882 were married and 34,706 were single.

Metropolitan Albuquerque consists of Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia counties.

Reversion to the Mean

I think this is a political example of the statistical phenomenon known as mean revision — in which a string of unusually high data points is often followed by a string of low ones, bringing the trend back towards the long-term average.

If you look at it that way, it’s no surprise Virginia politics has been churning out dimwitted racist assclowns for the the better part of the past 200 years. It takes a heap of mean reversion to compensate for Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Mason and Monroe.

But now that the state has given us Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and George Allen in such quick succession, it’s pretty clear the pendulum has swung too far. Virginia is almost down to the Texas level now, which is about six standard deviations below the mean.

Billmon at Whiskey Bar, a “16th generation Virginian,” commenting on the George Allen flap.

Four from before

Welcome to Road Trip USA

Detailed travel info for 11 road trips. Well done.

Besides, any web site that says this is OK with me: “Though it’s less than half the size of Phoenix, Tucson is at least twice as nice a place to visit. With a lively university community, and some of the most beautiful desert landscapes anywhere on earth, and more palpable history than anywhere in the Southwest outside New Mexico, Tucson is well worth taking the time to get to know.”

SI’s Top 20 Venues of the 20th Century

1. Yankee Stadium
2. Augusta National
3. Michie Stadium (West Point)
4. Cameron Indoor Stadium
5. Bislett Stadium (Oslo)
6. Wrigley Field
7. Roland Garros
8. Lambeau Field
9. Fenway Park
10. Saratoga Race Course
11. Pebble Beach
12. Wembley Stadium
13. The Pit
14. Boston Marathon Course
15. Camden Yards
16. Lamade Stadium (Williamsport, PA)
17. Daytona International Speedway
18. Notre Dame Stadium
19. St. Andrews
20. Rose Bowl

Kansas Is Flatter Than a Pancake

The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project

Best line of the day, so far

“I like to say I only got drunk once — for thirty years.”

Joe Walsh, quoted in Rolling Stone : The Return of Joe Walsh, One of Rock’s Unsung Guitar Gods.

Walsh goes on to say “Coke really allowed me to focus, and alcohol took the edge off the cocaine.”

And that he always wanted to do an American Express commercial “in a completely trashed hotel room, with smoking embers and things sparking. And I’d go, ‘Hi, do you know who I am? I don’t have a clue.'”

JoeWalsh.jpg

I have a mansion forget the price
Ain’t never been there they tell me it’s nice
I live in hotels tear out the walls
I have accountants pay for it all

They say I’m crazy but I have a good time
I’m just looking for clues at the scene of the crime
Life’s been good to me so far

My Maserati does 185
I lost my license now I don’t drive
I have a limo ride in the back
I lock the doors in case I’m attacked

Bruno Kirby

Actor Bruno Kirby has died of leukemia at age 57.

Kirby was an actor we’ve often seen but seldom remember by name; he appeared in more than 60 films and TV shows. He played the young Peter Clemenza in Godfather II, Tommy Pischedda in This Is Spinal Tap, 2nd Lt. Steven Hauk (the not funny deejay) in Good Morning, Vietnam, Mouse in Tin Men, Jess in When Harry Met Sally and Ed Furillo in City Slickers.

Kirby’s real name is Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr.

Who lived here?

Cliff Palace

That’s a part of Cliff Palace, one of the large cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park.

Did you answer the question about who lived here with Anasazi? That’s what most people with some familiarity reply. But that term isn’t accurate; indeed, it is offensive to some. More correctly (politically and otherwise) the people who lived in the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde and throughout the four corners area from 1100 to 700 years ago are called the Ancestral Puebloans. Their descendants are the Pueblo Indians of modern New Mexico and Arizona.

Anasazi derives from the Navajo words for ancient and enemy. The term was first applied to the cliff dwellings and other deserted settlements by Richard Wetherill, a rancher who was among the first Anglos to explore the area. It was adapted by archaeologists in the 1920s and came into popular usage in part as a result of ranger-led tours and National Park Service literature. In the past decade Ancestral Puebloans has become the generally preferred term.

Click image to enlarge. NewMexiKen photo, August 9, 2006.

NASA Can’t Find Original Space Tapes

Maybe they’re with the Ark of the Covenant in that big warehouse.

The U.S. government has misplaced the original recording of the first moon landing, including astronaut Neil Armstrong’s famous “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” a NASA spokesman said on Monday.
…

Armstrong’s famous space walk, seen by millions of viewers on July 20, 1969, is among transmissions that NASA has failed to turn up in a year of searching, spokesman Grey Hautaloma said.

“We haven’t seen them for quite a while. We’ve been looking for over a year and they haven’t turned up,” Hautaloma said. (AOL News)

Elmo Is an Evildoer

Joel Stein doesn’t like Elmo. Some excerpts:

“Elmo doesn’t grow. People show him something and he laughs. He doesn’t learn a lesson,” says Lee. “It’s the exact opposite of what old ‘Sesame Street’ used to do. Elmo has been learning the same lesson his whole life, which is that Elmo likes Elmo.”

I understand that “Sesame Street” has to compete in a Nickelodeon-Disney Channel-Wiggles-Pixar universe. In fact, the new episodes start with ” ‘Sesame Street’ is brought to you by the following — ” and then, instead of gently mocking consumerism by listing letters and numbers, they actually show real spots for McDonald’s, Beaches resorts, Pampers and EverydayKidz.com — the last of which apparently helps children spell only if they want to be rappers.

I desperately don’t want the show to go away, so I know they can’t afford to run the “Elmo accidentally drank bleach and died” episode. Instead, they need to simply take Elmo and his buddies and give them their own hourlong show for the idiot spawn. Then put Luis, Gordon and the cool Muppets on their own half-hour “Classic Sesame” for the kids who will one day actually contribute to our society.

Read it all.

Coffee as a Health Drink?

From today’s New York Times:

Coffee is not usually thought of as health food, but a number of recent studies suggest that it can be a highly beneficial drink. Researchers have found strong evidence that coffee reduces the risk of several serious ailments, including diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.

… which concluded that habitual coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Exactly why is not known, but the authors offered several explanations.

Coffee contains antioxidants that help control the cell damage that can contribute to the development of the disease. It is also a source of chlorogenic acid, which has been shown in animal experiments to reduce glucose concentrations.

Caffeine, perhaps coffee’s most famous component, seems to have little to do with it; studies that looked at decaffeinated coffee alone found the same degree of risk reduction.

Key quote: “[R]esearchers found that a typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries and oranges.”

Perhaps some people I know should learn to like coffee.

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (Arizona & California)

… was authorized on this date in 1990.

juan Bautista de Anza

The national trail commemorates the route followed by a Spanish commander, Juan Bautista de Anza, in 1775-76 when he led a contingent of 30 soldiers and their families to found a presidio and mission near the San Francisco Bay. Along the trail route, the visitor can experience the varied landscapes similar to those the expedition saw; learn the stories of the expedition, its members, and descendants; better understand the American Indian role in the expedition and the diversity of their cultures; and appreciate the extent of the effects of Spanish colonial settlement of Arizona and California.

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

Over 240 people set out from Tubac on October 23, 1775. The first night out, the group suffered its only death en route when María Manuela Piñuelas died from complications after childbirth. Her son lived. Two other babies born on the trip brought the total number of settlers to 198. Of these, over half were children 12 years old and under.

The expedition continued down the Santa Cruz River to its junction with the Gila River. While they camped, Anza, Font, and a few soldiers visited Casa Grande, which was already known as an ancient Indian site. They followed the Gila to the Colorado River crossing, one birth occuring along the way. They were assisted in crossing the Colorado by Olleyquotequiebe (Salvador Palma), chief of the Yumas (Quechan), whose tribe had befriended Anza on his 1774 trek.

As the route headed through the sand dunes and deserts of southeastern California, the journey became more difficult. To better secure forage and water during one of the coldest winters on record, Anza divided the expedition into three groups, each traveling a day apart to allow water holes to refill.

They regrouped near what is now Anza Borrego Desert State Park. On Christmas Eve they welcomed another birth and reached Mission San Gabriel Arcángel on January 4, 1776. From there they followed known trails through Indian villages along the coast of California, visiting Mission San Luís Obispo de Toloso and San Antonio de Padúa, to arrive at Monterey and nearby mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo on March 10.

Anza then took a small group to explore San Francisco Bay, where he chose sites for the presidio and the mission. Following orders to explore the “River of Saint Francis,” he traveled the east side of San Francisco Bay before turning south to return to Monterey.

Discovering the Anza Trail

Feast of the Assumption

Today, August 15, is the Feast of the Assumption, the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the feast celebrates both the “happy departure of Mary from this life” and the “assumption of her body into heaven.” That she “was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things” is a principle of Catholic dogma.

Macbeth

… was killed on this date in 1057. But not as Shakespeare portrayed it. Here’s the story from the BBC:

Shakespeare’s portrait of a great tragic hero, whose fate was linked to black magic and fuelled by the fire of greed and ambition, bears little resemblance to the historical figure. Duncan (1034-40) was not Shakespeare’s venerable, elderly monarch, but a young king who was killed in battle, possibly by Macbeth, although this is not certain. We do know that Duncan was not murdered in the home of a so-called host.

Macbeth, King of Moray, was elected King of Scotland in place of Duncan’s son Malcolm, who was only a child, and for 14 years Macbeth is believed to have ruled equably, imposing law and order and encouraging devout Christianity. In 1050 he is known to have travelled to Rome for a Papal Jubilee. He was also a brave leader and made successful forays over the border into Northumbria, England.

In 1054, Macbeth was challenged by Siward, Earl of Northumbria, who was attempting to return Malcolm (later Malcolm III) to the throne. It was not until 1057 that Macbeth was killed and not by MacDuff but in battle at Lumphanan. The battle of Dunsinane and the encampment in Birnam Wood referred to in Shakespeare’s tragedy are both earlier events. The final battle was probably not between armies, but between two champions – Macbeth, who was middle-aged or even elderly, and Malcolm, still a young man. The two fought in a stone circle near Lumphanan where Malcolm triumphed. It was Malcolm, not Macduff, who beheaded Macbeth.

Napoleon Bonaparte

… was born on the French owned Mediterranean island of Corsica on this date in 1769.

As an adult, Napoleon was just over 5-feet, 6-inches tall (1.686 m), about average for his countrymen at the time.

Talking about the weather

As the rain continues in Albuquerque it’s the talk of the town. especially by Eckleburg & Grumblecake at Duke City Fix. A couple of excerpts:

I love how rain is it’s own special news topic here — I was watching the news in Albuquerque do a full 15 minutes of coverage about the rain, complete with footage of the water in just about every arroyo and flooded street they could find – and after they ran out of flooded arroyos and streets to show, they said, “And coming up next . . . the weather.”

I also like the constant scrolling weather alerts that have taught me that the proper response to being caught in a flooding area is to “move to higher ground.” Some people have been getting their panties in a bunch about all the Californians and Texans moving to the state recently. To me, people from CA and TX are just fine, but the people that don’t know about higher ground — those are the ones I want to go back to wherever they came from.

And, from their “Top 10 ways to know if it was a ‘good rain’ by ABQ standards”:

8. When it is raining at both your house AND your friend’s house across town.

Albuquerque had another half-inch last night (officially).

General Grant National Memorial (New York)

… became part of the National Park Service on this date in 1958.

Grant's Tomb

This memorial to Ulysses S. Grant, victorious Union commander of the Civil War, includes the tomb of General Grant and his wife, Julia Dent Grant. A West Point graduate, Grant served in the Mexican War and at various frontier posts, before rapidly rising through the ranks during the Civil War. Grant’s tenacity and boldness led to victories in the Battles of Vicksburg and Chattanooga and Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, scenes depicted by mosaics in the tomb. In 1866 Congress awarded Grant his fourth star making him the first full General of the Armies.

A grateful nation twice elected Grant to serve as President of the United States, from 1869 to 1877. Grant’s accomplishments include signing the act establishing the first national park, Yellowstone, on March 1, 1872. After the Presidency, Grant settled in New York City. Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885 in Mount McGregor, New York, and was laid to rest in New York City on August 8th.

Approximately 90,000 people from around the country and the world donated a total of over $600,000 towards construction of his tomb, the largest public fundraising effort ever at that time. Designed by architect John Duncan, the granite and marble structure was completed in 1897 and remains the largest mausoleum in North America. Over one million people attended the parade and dedication ceremony of Grant’s Tomb, on April 27, 1897.

General Grant National Memorial

It’s the birthday

… of Earl Weaver. The former Orioles manager is 76.

… of Dash Crofts. The Crofts of Seals and Crofts is 66.

… of David Crosby. The Crosby of Crosby, Stills and Nash is 65. Before that, of course, Mr. Crosby was a founder of The Byrds.

… of Steve Martin, born in Waco, Texas, on this date in 1945.

… of Susan St. James. The wife of McMillan and Wife is 60. McMillan was played by Rock Hudson.

… of Danielle Steel. The author is 59.

… of Gary Larson. The Far Side cartoonist is 56.

… of Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Magic is 47.

… of Susan Olsen. Cindy, of The Brady Bunch, is 45.

… of Halle Berry. The Academy Award winner is 40.

… of Ernest Thayer, the man who wrote “Casey at the Bat,” born on this date in 1863.

Ben Hogan

… was born on this date in 1912. Hogan was the great golfer of mid-century, overcoming injuries from a severe, near-fatal auto accident. Hogan won four U.S. Opens, two Masters, two PGAs and one British Open between 1946-53.

At some point NewMexiKen read a story about Hogan playing in a pro-am. The duffer with him kept asking how he, Hogan, did this and how he did that, as if the amateur could match Hogan’s skills if only he used the right club.

Finally, after a wonderful chip shot, the amateur asked Hogan which club he had used. That was too much. Hogan proceeded to pull out every club in his bag and make perfect chip shots onto the green with each.

James Dodson’s is a good biography of Hogan.