"So," you may be thinking, "What the hell is going on with The Beehive?"
Well, I thought I'd do the super-easy code update MT kept telling me I HAD to do. Apparently the world of blogging would come to an end if I didn't install this code.
Instead, it seems to have wreaked havoc with the squirrels driving the templates around here. I'm beating them into submission as quickly as I can. Search is back up and running, but it doesn't look pretty.
I beg your forgiveness and return you to your regular dose of snark now. But don't be surprised if it goes down a bit on the weekend -- I'll be mucking about in the code again.
Sorry about the oddness on The 'Hive. We forget to feed the code monkeys and they threw a little revolution. You'd be amazed at what 100 monkeys with keyboards can do.
Hey, some of us have to work around here, and part of my job is approving comments everyone leaves on the blog and the main FresnoBee.com site.
As soon as the U.S. Postal Service is kind enough to deliver my copy of "Harry Potter" tomorrow I'm going to be spending my free time burrowing through the final installment.
Let me post this warning: If anyone posts spoilers in comments they won't get published to the site. But I will see them.
That would make me a cranky online editor. A very cranky online editor. Who will know your IP address.
How did 9/11 change your life? Some Americans lost jobs or family members because of the terrorist attacks five years ago. Some simply became afraid -- or angry. Tell your story here.
People routinely discard garbage -- everything from tires to refrigerators -- along rural roads throughout Fresno County's 6,000 square miles. County officials, fed up with the costly problem of illegal dumping, plan to fight back. Look for an article in Sunday's Bee.
You see the problem every day, share with us where the problem spots are: leave a comment or send photos. We'll help keep the conversation going.
The Fourth of July has been called the "high holy day of America's civil religion" Most of us just call it a great day to eat, hang out with family and friends and watch fireworks light up the night. The Bee will look at how a day established to mark our independence has grown over the centuries into a nationwide celebration of all things American.
What is it about the Fourth that makes it unique for you? What does your family do each year that makes lasting memories for future generations? Share your stories with Denny Boyles at dboyles@fresnobee.com. Please include your name and phone number (we've got to contact you, but we won't publish your information).
$8 million raised for AIDS research & relief.
105 miles, our longest day.
45 miles, our shortest day.
12 camp set-ups and downs.
7 days.
585 miles.
1,840 riders.
2 tired legs.
1 blue bike.
Day six began as a cold, foggy Lompoc morning. Riders were tired, sleepy, and finally showing outright symptoms of a feeling we were all warned about on Orientation Day.
"You've been told about the many mixed emotions you will experience on this ride. Eurphoria, sadness, deep pride," said the announcer. "But I'm here to tell you about one emotion that no one ever talks about. A feeling that lives in all of us, one that we all try to hide. But one morning you will wake up, and you will be tired and cold, and you will be in line at the port-o-potties and wishing for porcelain, and someone will say something to you and you'll snap. And there it will be. I'm talking, of course, about your inner cranky bitch."
Today was the first day I saw many a cranky bitch unleashed. One of them was almost mine.
Whispered conversations stir me from my sleep. A giggle floats past. Once again my conscious mind becomes aware of the sonorous boom from the tent to my left . It rumbles low and deep, and is soon joined by a craggy, nasaly honk three tents behind me. Then a third camper joins in, all unbeknownst. Snoring in stereo.
Such is the nightlife in my purple tent city.
The folks that run the AIDS Lifecycle event have everything so organized, its unbelieveable. If you like to ride and camp, this has to be the most reasonable way to tour the state. There you go: A little known traveling secret.
My day begins at 5:15 a.m., generally speaking. Camp noises bring the day to life early. I dress, pack up my belongings, take down the tent, and scurry over to the port-o-potties to do my business.
That would be the downside of this ride. Port-o-potties are not easy to manage normally (women never sit), but exponentially difficult in riding clips. Suffice it to say, balance is everything.
Day 5 on the ride is "Red Dress Day," as we pass through Santa Maria and head into Lompoc. Years ago the day began as "Dress in Red Day," with the thought that as riders streamed down the road, their collective line would resemble one, long red ribbon. Over time fashionistas transcended the bland.
This pretty much tells you how the ride is going today. Note the use of the present tense: IS GOING. It is after 5:00, and we're still 15 miles out from camp.
That is partially my fault: I needed the java in order to continue.
We've been riding since about 7:30 this morning and we're going to cover a little over 95 miles by the time we hit camp.
Today's ride -- as noted in a previous dispatch-- covered the Evil Twins, two identically seemingly endless climbs that went about 1,000 feet vertical.
The downhill, my friends, was unbeflippinlievable. I felt like I was flying. Clear, wide shoulders, covering about a million miles (estimation), overlooking Paso Robles and the Pacific. And then, when the adrenaline wore off, I was still facing 50 more miles of riding, most of it next to beautiful coastline.
Gotta get back on that bike. Fifteen more miles to go.
Riders pump tires, snack, stretch and all around prepare for the 1,000 foot climb up the section known as "The Evil Twins." The hill is apparently broken into two sections. Just as you're done cursing the first part, around the bend rests his evil twin.
I hear him long before I see him, but more than curiosity, I search out this big Meatloaf look-alike with the beads, cowboy hat, pony tail, lab coat and purple skirt because I NEED him. I need him like I've needed no other man in my life. More accurately, I need the power he wields and I'm willing to walk awkwardly over 200 feet in my cycling shoes to get it.
He stands with an air of comfortable authority, legs slightly apart, shaking a rattling stick covered with long bandanas and curling ribbon, at the top of which sits the head of Jack Skellington (of Nightmare Before Christmas fame). Or maybe it's Jack's twin.
Riders pass and he asks who will be next; who needs the good energy. Embarrassed riders walk on by, ignorant ignorami that they are; but I—like the several other riders around me—I am a knowing knower, and what I know has needs. I go to him like a moth to a light. A smart, needy moth.
Today's ride was 105 miles. It was by far the longest ride I've ever done, and I think, if not for this communique, I would be off in dreamland.
We rode from Santa Cruz to King City, two towns likely never otherwise associated, if not for this sentence. Having done all my training out near Auberry Road and Millerton Lake in the Fresno area, I'd like to point out that I have become somewhat of an expert on a few things. And if you ride those roads, pat yourself on the back: you are right there with me.
Today was on of those amazing, incredible, once-in-a-lifetime days, from the moment I woke up, to this very minute, and counting every second in between.
Much like having a baby, despite what others told me I couldn't quite comprehend what the actual experience would be like until I faced the labor. And this, the first day of the AIDS/Lifecycle Ride, was filled with labor by more people than I can possibly count.
We rose at 3:45 a.m. to ready ourselves and taxi over to the Cow Palace for Opening Day Ceremonies by 5. There, 1,840 riders met, stretched, panicked, carbo-loaded and after much pep-talking, headed out into the balmy (for San Francisco) 60 degree weather and began the fifth annual ride.
It was a breathtaking sight: hundreds and hundreds of riders, enthused beyond words, wound our through the streets of San Francisco, taking up an entire lane of traffic.
I had every intention of sleeping in until at LEAST 6:30 this morning, given my ridiculous "late packing/inability to fall asleep due to overexcitement" episode last night. It was seriously one of those nights where my mother's voice continually floated up from the past to haunt me.
"Theresa Lynn! It's 12 o'clock. You have an early day tomorrow. Turn off that light." Much like my high school days, I took her sincere message to heart, but blew her off anyway. At some point even mom's voice went to bed, and I was left with my own elated exhaustion.
So when my girlfriend sent me a text message wishing me luck at 5:00, I was... well, I wasn't ready for my eyes to be open. But my stomach reacted in flutters anyway.
Between now and 2050, the population of Japan is projected to decline by nearly 25 percent. Demographers think Russia will shrink by 20 percent; Germany by almost 10 percent, Italy by 9 percent. But in the United States, it's a much different story. According to the Census Bureau, the U.S. population could grow by nearly 50 percent between 2000 and the mid-point of this century. And nearly half of that growth will occur among Hispanics. Census Bureau Projections
Need a decent image editor with some basic abilities (crop, rotate and resize) on a moment's notice? Head over to Pixoh. You can upload a photo, give it a quick tweak and save it again. They also support a nice Flickr tie-in.
Or, go in search of some professional looking and FREE icons (for personal use) and you'll find yourself knee-deep in the evil side of the Web. Unless you go here.
pR0n goes wrong again as personal information makes its way from iBill to the Internet. Apparently, the online payment service's records are being bought and sold on the black market. So if you've been hitting the NSFW sites, you might want to go check your credit card bill a bit more carefully.
And while you're trying to track down that private information, take some time to contemplate your home for 8 hours a day -- the cubicle. Where did it come from? Why won't it go away? And what soulless creature brought forth such a beast to corporate America? Find out in this Money article.
Check out Origami and videos you shouldn't miss after the break.
You've heard about "Dancing With the Stars," but what about "Dancing With Chairs and Fruit?"
Eclectic local dance troupe Baba For Now brings back its dancing-with-chairs and tossing-around-fruit multimedia theater show, "Lost and Found on the 99," for this year's Rogue Festival.
Aaron Bonilla offends non-discriminately. He'll offend you sexually, religiously, politically and morally. Hey, at least he covers all the bases.
Bonilla is behind, "It's OK to Like Porn," the most crass and crude show on this year's Rogue Festival. It debuted Sunday night, detailing Bonilla's time working in a porn store and starts with him walking out with a blow-up doll on his shoulders. It's safe to say this one's not for kids -- or the easily offended, for that matter.
I'm almost never offended at the theater. You're talking about someone who drives around with the original cast album of the "Jerry Springer Opera" in his car -- a show almost universally regarded as the most offensive, profane and sacrilegious dramatic creation of the last 10 years. (I think it's brilliant.)
But I walked out on the Red Dog Liberation Company's production of "Gargoyles in Love," staged at the Severance Building as part of the Rogue Festival.
If you closed your eyes and forgot that you were sitting in a dance studio in Fresno, if you closed your eyes and just listened, you would feel like you, too, were a child in Malaysia listening to the stories of Harold Nunis. If you closed your eyes, you too, could image the adventure and suspense of his stories of jungle-hunting trips gone wrong, magic trees that know lottery numbers and blood brothers who communicate through dreams.
These are the basis of "Lies My Father Told Me," a solo performance piece by local playwright Marcel Nunis, who weaves a vivid, engaging and highly detailed tale from the stories his dad told him as a kid.
If you opened your eyes, all that's there is Nunis sitting in a chair, next to a small table, assuming his role as family storyteller.
Considering that Crosby Loggins was nearly pinned up against a wall, signing autograph after autograph for a stretched-out line of new fans and yelling "we need more CDs up here," it's pretty safe to say that his band went over well at Fagan's Irish Pub on Saturday night.
Crosby Loggins, the young, lanky son of pop-rock legend Kenny Loggins, and his band, The Namedroppers, packed Fagan's and had the near-capacity crowd eating right from their guitar-pop playing hands.
It takes a special kind of person to stand in front of a crowd of people and tell his very personal story of going through testicular cancer.
And to stand up there, joke about the whole ordeal, tell people to "grab life by a nut" and sell nuts (from a hardware store) on strings for charity -- well, that just takes marbles.
And cancer and surgery be damned, Lyle Nelson has those marbles.
Something tells me that the stage of the Severance Building, former home of the Fresno Ballet, was never graced with a pair of studded black stiletto heels. Until now. For those who complain that Fresno theater is too safe -- too family-friendly and unwilling to get down and dirty -- your day has arrived. In "Love's Fire," a trio of one-act plays presented by the newly founded Artists Repertory Theater, you'll get a rousing smorgasbord of sexual obsession, jealousy and betrayal. That each are inspired by a Shakespearean sonnet -- and penned by powerhouse playwrights -- makes it even more intense experience.
Henry VIII had six wives, who are best remembered by English schoolchildren in the following rhyme: "divorced, beheaded, died / divorced, beheaded, survived." Cathryn Fairlee, a Healdsburg storyteller, takes great pride in portraying the luckiest of the bunch: Kateryn Parr, last queen to Henry VIII, who managed to outlive her infamous spouse. Not that Kateryn didn't have her own experience with multiple marriages; Henry was actually her third husband, and she even scored a fourth after the king died. Dressed in character in the show "Conversation with a Synner: Cathryn Tells All," Fairlee takes the audience on a fascinating little turn back to the English Reformation. In those turbulent times, the last queen managed to keep her head on her shoulders, quite literally, as she evaded charges of heresy. She became the richest woman in England and eventually tutored her stepdaughter Elizabeth I. http://www.sonic.net/~cfair/
Another out-of-town Rogue highlight only here for the first weekend is Amy Salloway's polished one-woman show "So Kiss Me Already, Herschel Gertz!" She recounts her traumatic summer as a 15-year-old Jewish girl sent by her parents to Camp L'Chaim, where "even the mosquitos wear yarmulkes." Salloway, who has a charming stage presence as she strides about in a Speed Racer T-shirt (the whole show is an ‘80s time warp) cracking jokes about "Hasidic hoedowns," relates the tale of her first boyfriend: a guy named Herschel who's pretty much as socially ostracized as she is.
Who needs a $10 million budget and a Broadway theater? Starr Ahrens can do it all by herself. Her "Let's Go See a Show!", described as an unaccompanied solo exploration of an original one-act musical, is a must-see for musical-theater fans – and even those who don't quite understand why it's so bloody funny for a ghostly mother figure to appear on stage to sing a motivational ballad to the heroine will still succumb to Ahrens' infectious enthusiasm.
If you've been in a relationship, then the banter, arguments and drama of "Here and Now" will sound all too familiar.
"Here and Now," writer/director Nicolette Tempesta's one-act play on the Rogue Festival's mainstage at Starline, explores interpersonal relationships through a series of awkward (and sometimes humorous) situations between longtime friends Zoe and Daniel.
Rogue: Nile Seguin; "The 24-Hour Shakespeare Experiment"; "Supernova in Hamlet"
Toronto-based stand-up comic Nile Seguin was one of the most anticipated acts coming into this year's Rogue Festival -- and he doesn't disappoint in a warm and witty set titled "Fear of a Brown Planet." Half-Rwandan and half French-Canadian, the amiable Seguin is in an advantageous position to poke fun at race and hybridity. ("I'm the Tiger Woods kind of black," he cracks.) But is he black "enough"? Maybe for a theater festival, say, but how about the Apollo Theater?
Hollywood and the entertainment industry are prime offenders when it comes to racial double standards, and Seguin unleashes a crisp routine that points up the sometimes wacky ways that society tries to deal with those who are "brown." Ranging from over-the-top provocative (he acts out a sitcom alluding to his Rwandan heritage titled "I Dream of Genie-cide" to caustically political (Condi Rice fans should check their Bush/Cheney buttons at the door), Seguin has a personable style and a conversational knack for treating the most hot-button topics with an easy-going grace. Brown, black, white or somewhere in between: There's something for everyone. This is definitely one of the Rogue's hot tickets.
Additional performances: 10 p.m. March 4, Starline (833 E. Fern); 4 p.m. March 5, Starline; 8:30 p.m. March 10, Dianna's Dance Studio (726 N. Fulton); 8:30 p.m. March 11, Starline. Info: www.nileseguin.com
Get a taste of Shakespeare and another kind of Hamlet after the break.
Robert Barron-Gushel has the kinda voice that turns heads and raises eyebrows.
The kinda voice that makes you look at the person next to you and shrug in unison, because neither of you can believe that such a powerful, soulful voice was hiding inside a young man who looks more like a football player than a soul singer.
About 150 people packed into Fagan's Irish Pub on Friday night, to see Barron-Gushel's group, Super Lucky Catz (http://www.myspace.com/superluckycatzslc), and learned first-hand the power of his singing voice. Really, if he doesn't have the best voice in Fresno, he's on a short list.
Microsoft is touting its Origami project with a little viral marketing. And although the ads are nice and pretty, there's no real information there other than watch out for March 9, when they'll either have yet another Flash ad or may just give out useful information (Price? OS? Actual functions?). (No word on whether OrigamiBoulder will be a plug-in.)
On the opposite end of the Web from MS, the winners from the Extend Firefox Contest have been named. Web Developer, long a favorite of mine, picks up the Best Upgraded Extension award and Chris Pederick will take home a rocked-out Alienware Aurora 7500 for his efforts. Best New Extension went to Michael Wu's Reveal and Best Use of New Features went to Josep del Rio and his Firefox Showcase.
As a native Iowan, I couldn't pass up the chance to hear Tom Vilsack take his shot at a national audience this week. Vilsack, Iowa's Democratic governor, is considering a run at the presidency in 2008, so when I heard he was addressing a National Press Club luncheon, I wanted to be there. And I wasn't disappointed. The speech he gave Tuesday sounded like a presidential campaign speech -- part life story, part political philosophy, part jabs at the folks in power.
Every candidate these days tries to find a broad theme that can connect with American voters. (John Edwards' "Two Americas" theme in 2004, for example.) Vilsack's is community. Americans are anxious about the future, Vilsack said, and they don't get a sense that there's a helping community ready to step in. "I think we have a crisis of confidence in the national community," he said.
I arrived yesterday the 26th [in Norway] and went straight to practice with Henning, one of the guitarists from Killing Machine. I was relieved that after a little stretching I was able to get my fingers to the strings of my violin with a broken wrist. All day today we recorded the song "GOING HOME" with the Euro Boys in their studio, a rock band from Norway. It will hit the Norwegian radio stations tomorrow. That was my first time recording anything and what a great experience.
There are many reasons why President Bush failed last year to win support for his Social Security overhaul, but here's one of them: Far from being drenched in red ink, the Social Security trust fund is still showing huge year-to-year surpluses. And these surpluses are still continuing to grow! This year Social Security is expected to take in about $80 billion more in cash than it spends on benefits, and by 2009 the surplus probably will top $100 billion. CBO Budget Outlook (Note chart on p. 22)
These growing surpluses don't negate Bush's central point -- that the trust fund will drop like a rock with the Baby Boomers' retirement and that something needs to be done. (Within a decade or so these year-to-year surpluses are projected to become year-to-year deficits.) But it's tough to declare a national emergency at a time when the money is pouring in -- and, by the way, being steered to other pieces of Bush's fast-growing federal budget. For every crisis there is a season, and this one's time clearly hasn't arrived.
This is going to be short because I only have one hand to type. As everyone knows, I qualified first run, then my last practice run for finals I broke my wrist and jammed my back to the point where it seized up. Trembling with pain, I was still able to make my two final runs and take in the whole Olympic expierence.
Pressure is off now, and I am just enjoying the Games, family -- including the Italian ones -- and the parties.
My foot is doing better and my back is not too bad. My wrist is in a cast -- first broken bone ever for me.
I will still be riding at the Arctic Challange in Norway in two weeks.
It's a big dream, man. It's just been so awesome having family here. They've been super supportive and it's making the trip just that much more fun and memorable.
My family is having a great time. Going back to our roots. Some of them haven't been in Italy before, so it's been an incredible experience.
It's just an experience, man. That's what we have to take to the grave. I've been enjoying every single second. I've done some pretty incredible things in my life. At 24, I feel incredibly fortunate to be in this spot. I'm living life. I'm living it to its fullest, and experiencing the opening ceremony was part of that.
Andy Finch, competing in the Olympic games is already making his mark. Here's a note from transworldsnowboarding.com and his response:
On another note, Andy Finch got his violin back. It was accidentally left on a bus that went back to Torino. Word is that the case caused a bomb scare that closed off a city block. We're still hoping to hear Finch and Shaun White (who brought a guitar) jam together.
Yes, it is true. Pretty funny.
We are hoping to practice a little bit soon, but a little busy with the event right now.
Today went really good. My foot is feeling a lot better, but still not a 100%. We will see tomorrow what level I can ride at.
Today was the first day in the pipe and my foot held up. I had one flat landing that hurt a little. But still rehabbing the foot and it is getting stronger every day. Looking forward to practicing again tomorrow. Pipe is smooth, but small compared to what is out there. The snow in the pipe is rock hard. Lata!
For those of us trying not to think about our growing piles of year-end tax forms, President Bush served up an intriguing pitch this week: He wants to cut our federal taxes some more. Bush’s new budget advises tax cuts that, on average, would exceed $2,000 per household over the next 5 years. But is that money we’re ever going to see? Barely a chance.
Much of it involves extending tax cuts now scheduled to expire. For bookkeeping purposes that might be a tax cut; for pocketbook purposes it means no change. Best bets for reducing tax bills probably will be in the area of tax-preferred savings for health care, college and retirement. The latest wrinkle, just now starting to appear, is a Roth 401(k). http://www.irs.gov/retirement/article/0,,id=152956,00.html
With the Baby Boomers bearing down on retirement, higher taxes seem at least as likely as tax cuts. Speaking of which, the IRS has a slick web estimator http://apps.irs.gov/app/amt/ for those worried about hitting the Alternative Minimum Tax. About 4 million households this year have reason to worry.
Thank you for your article which questioned the wisdom of allowing those whom we execute to give a final statement. I found it extremely thought provoking. After considering the issue, I just wanted to offer a thought as to why it may be important. I am not addressing the merits or lack thereof of the death penalty itself, merely this last ritual. I believe it has more to do with the dignity and humanity of ourselves and our justice system than what we may or may not hope or expect any individual to express. Despite the prisoner's utter lack of regard for his victims or their family members, despite the inability of his victims to give a statement of their own, the granting of the statement is a recognition that our society nevertheless does value each human life. It recognizes that, even assuming justice requires this most severe and extreme punishment, that unlike this prisoner, we acknowledge that there is some part of every human that should be recognized and treated as human. The pathological narcissism of the offender should not allow us to devolve into state where we ourselves become myopic and able to disregard anyone's pain in their final moments, even his. The ritual is a measure of our civility, not his.
===== Flame mail: =====
Bill, found your killer's last statement [column] lacking just like your articles. Thanks for the fire starter on a burn day. Oh yeah you probably have lots, look in one of them and reflect on who rambles for 171 plus words all the time.
Mike O. sends word that Black Eyed Peas and Fall Out Boy have scheduled March stops in Fresno, putting them both in the same eight-day span that the Taste of Chaos tour will be here. With all this music, what you looking forward to the most?
Charlie Waters, The Bee's Executive Editor, wrote a piece today explaining why sometimes newspaper headlines change during the night. Last night, The Bee's South Valley edition went out with a version of the West Virginia story saying the majority of the miners were alive. But by the time the Late Final edition came out, the story had drastically changed.
Country music performer George Strait returns for another Valley visit Feb. 3 at the Save Mart Center at Fresno State. Tracy Lawrence and Miranda Lambert will be special guests.
Strait last performed at Save Mart Center in January 2004.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 7 and cost $51.25 and $61.25. They will be available at the Save Mart Center box office, Ticketmaster locations, including many Save Mart supermarkets and Tower Records, online at www. ticketmaster.com or by calling (559) 485-8497. —The Fresno Bee
Four hours of a jet-lagged dead man's sleep is plenty. It's 5 a.m. and time to welcome my first morning in Beijing. After an hour and a half of sweating at the hotel's beautiful gym, I was ready to get down to the business at hand.
I have flown over 100,000 miles in 2005. My destinations have included many wonderful U.S. cities, Vancouver, Mexico, London, Greece and other parts of Europe. But today is much different, and I know it. I awoke at 5 a.m. with Elton John's classic "Rocket Man" running through my brain.
John S. Shegerian is the president and CEO of Computer Recyclers of America (CRA), the largest recycler of electronic waste in the State of California. John also serves as an Ambassador of Education at California State University at Fresno.
Wow! How did this happen? One day I am a businessman in the Central Valley of California – the next thing I know I am invited by Governor Schwarzenegger to join his trade mission to China. What does this all mean? And how do I make the most of this exciting and promising journey?
The folks that run the AIDS Lifecycle event have everything so organized, its unbelieveable. If you like to ride and camp, this has to be the most reasonable way to tour the state. There you go: A little known traveling secret.
