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December 20th, 2007 - 10:24am
So, I'm here at home cooking Christmas dinner because I won't have any time over the weekend. It's our 2nd Christmas here in our little house, but the first one we've hosted a gathering. It'll be the in-or-outlaws - hi Kevin and Lise! plus D's Mom and friend Steve, so 6 in all. I'm cooking the dinner on my 1944 Wedgewood stove, which is the real reason we bought this house. When we moved in, we spent three days and completely stripped down and cleaned and fixed it up, so it's in wonderful shape. During the making of this dinner, we'll be using almost all of its features, including

• the oven
• the famous "back burners"
• the grill

So, heads up Kevin - here's the progress report on your dinner! Stay by my side as we wend our way through the intricacies of creating this traditional American feast.

I started by roasting the potatoes, both sweet and Russet, for their respective dishes, Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes. For good flavor, we're starting out with organic ones. Already, Potatoes have become a "learning experience"! The local natural food grocery has sweet potatoes on special, with 4 varieties all priced the same. I, in my Adventurous Chef identity, of course bought some of each.There was one kind that looked especially exotic; very twisty, with lots of eyes and a deep purple skin. After washing and paring, they were a near-white. After baking, it was clear they would not work in the dish -- their outside formed a new leathery skin, while their inside proved uncooperative to mashing.
They did taste good, however, but more like a plantain banana than something you'd want alongside the Jewel yams underneath the marshmallows. Here's a picture of one after baking: Pretty unappetizing, eh? It's proved to be a good snack, but their absence from the dish means I have to go shopping again and get some Jewel yams to make up the shortfall
	I also overbought on the Russets, so we'll be eating on those tonight to make room for all the great stuff that still needs to go into them - butter, cream, etc. Here's what the mashed potatoes look like now, in their protoean, unalloyed state:
I'm a big fan of the bad boy of cooking, Tony Bourdain. His recent Christmas show was amusing as usual, and different in that there was some actual footage of Tony cooking. One of his big admonitions for home cooks is to make your own stock for that professional chef flavor. He actually showed how to do it (almost), so I re-watched the episode and took notes. I started by roasting (at 450) a chicken carcass and some vegetables, with a little tomato paste
	I also roasted a load of chestnuts for the stuffing at the same time. Because of the demand on the stove's BTU-producing abilities, everything took longer, but eventually we got some good roastage happening.
Next, I put the roasted bones and vegs into a 12-quart stock pot and filled to the top with cold water, adding a couple of bay leaves and some fresh thyme, and simmered.
	After about 3 hours, it looked like this.
I let it continue to simmer overnight. This morning I strained it, put it in a clean pot, and added some red wine and shallots. The wine, a Bear's Lair 2003 Merlot, was chosen the way I choose most any wine, by some combination of attractive label, name and/or price. This was $2.99, and is actually quite drinkable. Here are the wine and the shallots eyeing each other.
	Here they are again, having just gone into the stock. Next comes the process of reduction, allowing the water to evaporate and the flavors to concentrate. It's starting to taste pretty good! The wine was a good idea.
12:20pm - The liquid level is noticeably lower, and scum accumulates on the surface, which I've been skimming off. I've increased the flame slightly over this level for the reduction process:
	Peeling the chestnuts proved to be the most labor-intensive chore thus far. Here's my peeling setup on my office table last night. Note the drab, prison-like lighting and the large job that still lies ahead.
As a Midwesterner, Jello salad was often a part of big meals, especially on my mother's side of the family, which was from Missouri. I'm adding a gratuitous Jello salad to our meal, and have gotten a start on it here with this raspberry with coconut and pineapple version. I'm thinking of topping with a layer of tapioca.
	I made the cranberry sauce last week, because I for one love it. Nothing here but cranberries, orange juice, brown sugar and molasses. It's scrumptious!
4:21pm Just got back from shopping, and I reckon this here stock is done! Huh - that rude ol' Tony was right. Look into the murky depths and drool. Say Amen! This stuff is packed with flavor. You'll be meeting it later in your gravy and stuffing, Allah be praised!

I have to run off now and pick up my green coffee beans from Sweet Maria's, in case the apocalypse hits over the weekend. And not to forget those yams!

December 12th, 2007 - 10:14am
There is one more weekend of Dickens Fair left before it closes forever (for 2007)! Just to be formal about it:

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
at The Cow Palace (enter Gate 5)
Parking (charged by the Palace): $10

This year's Fair has been quite enjoyable for me. This is our 8th year in the present venue, and gradually our crew has become better and better until we are now a smooth-running, well-oiled machine. (Especially the well-oiled part, anyway).

Pirates of Penzance is back at the V&A Theatre after a two-year hiatus, and is better than ever - last Sunday's performance was absolutely stellar. New pianist Barry has whipped the cast into shape - I'd pit them two falls out of three against any other local cast!

Naughty French Postcards returns for its third triumphant year, with a new script and some new talent, including the beautiful Deborah Doyle as Leticia. In a new and unexpected development, I find myself playing electric sitar for 3 of the Indian-themed tableaux! I've also been bending those same strings for J. Paul Moore's exotic magic show, seen twice daily at the Victoria & Albert Theatre and Bijou Music Hall (as are the other productions mentioned above).

I also appear daily playing with Siamsa, the Irish & Scottish dance group (appearing at Fezziwig's at 11:40 and 3:40), as well as with the Pipe & Bowl Morris Men (appearing at Mad Sal's at 12:30 and 3:30). How do I appear in two places at once? Come find out!

It's the Bruno Band - here featuring Jay Doane, Robert Hill, Brian Dallarmi, and Hava

December 7th, 2007

Silo @ Central Perk, Thu, Dec 13 -acoustic fiddle & guitar
Hey gang, the new duo Silo, featuring Dane Miller on fiddle and Mark Ungar on guitar, plays this coming Thursday, December 13th at the wonderfully quirky café/vintage modern artifacts museum and store Central Perk in El Cerrito. Silo goes back to the roots, with a repertoire steeped in Appalachian, Old-Time, Celtic and Bluegrass music. Bring a chicken - you'll want to pluck one! Showtime is 7:30 – come on down, hang out and get buzzed! Central Perk is located in the heart of El Cerrito, at the corner of Central and San Pablo Aves.

Silo @ Central Perk – Thursday, December 13th, 7:30pm to ?
10086 San Pablo Ave – El Cerrito, CA 94530
631-553-3841 • www.centralperkcoffee.net
Espresso • Cappuccinos • Sandwiches • Salads • Free Internet Access

October 24th, 2007

The Starlight Circle Players Present:
The Samhain All Hallows Masquerade
2nd Annual Fundraiser Concert:

The Starlight Circle Players 2nd Annual Samhain Fundraiser will be held on November 3 at The Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists on the corner of Cedar & Bonita in Berkeley (directions are at www.bfuu.org).
A costume event full of music, good food, art, tarot, and more music! Our theme this year is "Ancestors" and there will be prizes for the best costumes in several categories, so dress up like your favorite ancestor – open to interpretation!
Featured bands include: Caliban, Sharon Knight & Winter, Fontain's M.U.S.E., Axis of Blues, Evelie Såles Delfino Posch & Mahal, Across the Pond, Teed Rockwell Hinustani Ragas, Tha BaySix, The Questionably Sane, and more!

Tickets on Sale October 1 at
Dark Carnival Books
3086 Claremont Ave.
Berkeley CA, 94706
510-654-7323

Ancient Ways Bookstore
4075 Telegraph Ave
(between 40th St & 41st St)
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 653-3244

By mail: "Tickets" TSCP c/o 2998 Shasta Rd. Berkeley Ca 94708
And - November 3rd at the door: 1924 Cedar Street (at Bonita Avenue),
Berkeley (directions are at www.bfuu.org).
You can also call us at 510-647-5268 or send an email to
starlightcircleplayers@yahoo.com.

Volunteers are still needed in all areas, and there is still time to enter your art in the gallery show or to donate a raffle item. Please contact Lezlie at doclezlie@gmail.com.
You can call us at 510-647-5268 or send an email to
starlightcircleplayers@yahoo.com.

August 10th, 2007
In the Future, all businesses that move out of a building will take their damn signs with them when they go. For instance, Copeland's Sports in El Cerrito Plaza closed last year, yet their huge lighted signs are still there, misleading the public and wasting people's time and gas. In the Future, that won't happen, because corporations will not be allowed to have, on the one hand, the status of human personhood with the rights and privileges thereof, yet on the other hand none of the responsibilities of being a person, such as conscience and ethics.

...Just thought you'd like to know.

August 9th, 2007
In the Future...
In the Future, every restaurant, from McDonald's to Hometown Buffet, will have a pepper grinder filled with fresh peppercorns. Not decades-old pre-ground pepper and mouse droppings melange that is fortunately ground too large to fit through the holes in the top of the shaker anyway. Also, not tasteless grey dust. Just thought you'd like to know.

July 18th, 2007
Rental review: Mel Gibson's Apocalypto
The sweetie and I rented and watched Mel Gibson's Apocalypto the other night. If you haven't seen it, it's the movie Mel released last year, just about the time he was busy advising that Malibu cop who pulled him over for drunk driving that he'd destroy his career. Apocalypto is about Mayans, who apparently - thank God! - are not Jews, because you know (according to Mel) Jews are responsible for all the world's wars, and they also run the world by controlling its finances from their hidden lairs.

Anyway, I hate to admit it, but it's a riveting, fascinating movie. The story begins in the little jungle village where Jaguar Paw lives an innocent, idyllic life with his father, pregnant wife, and little son. We spend enough time with them to see that they're people just like us (except not as fat, and wearing fewer clothes) who enjoy the universality of humor based on bodily functions and sexual practical jokes. Suddenly their peaceful world is shattered when a press gang from the Big City invades, killing Jaguar Paw's father and capturing the rest of the adults to be used as blood sacrifice to the gods. Their heads are bound to long logs, their version of a chain-gang, and they're driven on a forced march to a date with destiny atop the stepped pyramids of the ceremonial center. It's on this journey that we get to know and hate Middle Eye, played by Gerardo Taracena, the sadist, brutal lieutenant of the raiding party; since this is a Mel Gibson movie, we can smell his impending violent comeuppance a mile away.

The captives are painted blue in preparation for their big moment at the high altar, where a loathsome high priest runs a veritable disassembly line in service of the insatiable blood-thirst of the king and their god, first cutting out each victim's still-beating heart, then decapitating them and finally kicking their head and body down the steps. Fortunately for Jaguar Paw, just when it’s his turn there is a sign from heaven indicating that the god's thirst for blood has been slaked, and he's let go. Of course in the process of his departure he manages to piss off the leader of the raiding party by killing his son, which results in a whole lot of running through the jungle as Jaguar Paw tries to get home to save his wife and son, whom he’s left stashed in a deep cave for their safety. In typical Gibson style, along the way the hunted becomes the hunter, and all of the attackers receive their just desserts. This portion of the film reminded me of The Naked Prey, starring Cornell Wilde, a movie which also involved a whole lot of running (half-naked, the title notwithstanding), except in Africa, not Meso-America.

The casting, acting, make-up, costume and production design of Apocalypto are jaw-droppingly good. It’s as if a film crew were magically transported back in time to the twilight of the Mayan empire and just filmed what they saw. Even the simplistic storyline works well enough in context. In terms of creating a totally believable illusion, Apocalypto was an unqualified success.

But this is an incredibly violent, brutal movie. And it occurs to me that it’s very similar to other Mel Gibson vehicles, including all three Mad Maxes and Lethal Weapons, in that Mel seems to be pleading with us to believe in his basic philosophy of life: that extreme violence is justified, as long as it’s in retaliation against extreme violence. It’s interesting to note that, as a young man, Gibson was severely beaten by a gang, resulting in major damage to his face. He became a recluse, until an anonymous benefactor arranged for him to have plastic surgery, after which he became Mad Max and the Mel Gibson we know today. It’s probable that this experience of helplessness in the face of overwhelming brutality helped shape his core being, and still profoundly affects him today.

Saturday, May 26th, 1:15 - 2:15: Carnaval SF Festival 2007
I'll be playing guitar with The Jana Herzen Band on Stage 6, 22th St & Harrison, in San Francisco's Mission District. Jana's a fine singer and songwriter, also owner of Motema Records. Deirdre McCarthy will be joining the band on percussion.

Carnaval San Francisco Festival

Festival Location: 16th St and Harrison St down to 23rd Street and Harrison Street.

The Festival draws hundreds of thousands of people (and that's just the musicians!) for two days of dancing Salsa, Samba, Reggae, Tango, Hip- Hop, Merengue, Calypso, Cha Cha Cha, Cumbia, and Mambo into the evening. Food vendors offer traditional delicacies, while others sell crafts native to the Carnaval countries of their heritage. Giant stages sparkle with continuous entertainment. The 2007 Festival will take place on Saturday, May 26th, and Sunday, May 27th.

Fri May 11, 2007

  Under the mistaken impression that I might be a jazz bassist, singer and friend DJ Hamouris has invited me to fill in for Mark Petrella, the bassist in her trio The Nomadics, at the Nomad Café in Oakland . Since I’ve had many adventures simply by not contradicting people’s mistaken impressions of my abilities, I agreed. Won’t you join us for an evening out? Maybe I’ll collide with Jazz and a new nation will be born, or something.

  Oh yeah, I should mention: DJ is a fabulous singer. Also this Friday, normal (well, really, he’s as abnormal as they come, and proud of it) Nomadics guitarist Brooke Schoenfield will be replaced by Ken Husbands. Buffalo will also sing a few songs.   See you there! The Nomad Café is on Shattuck, one block north of Alcatraz, in North Oakland .  Here’s how to get there. And a map. We’ll play from 7:30 to 9:30.

  6500 Shattuck Ave. (at 65th St .)
Oakland , CA 94609
(510) 595-5344

  Thursday, April 5th, 2007
You may remember our announcement of a few days ago, regarding the Uncle Bobb show at Kimo’s in San Francisco. Well, Kimo’s is no longer having music…something to do with lack of soundproofing upstairs.

BUT: (as Peewee Herman said, everybody’s got a big but…) We have switched venues to The Club in Pacifica, 955 Yosemite @7pm. (Click "Events" link) As of this moment, we are waiting to hear from Yesterday's News to see if they will do the show with us. This is totally last minute crazy, but it's important to us because we are introducing a new band member at the show!!!

Yes, Uncle Bobb presents our new frontman, Siri (that’s him in front of my neck)
We have been working over the band repertoire and we are fired up. We love the new sound of Uncle Bobb and think you all will enjoy it even more.

Wednesday, March 28th, 2007

Fund For John Havard
Yesterday I received the apalling news that guitarist John Havard has been diagnosed with lung cancer. John is great musician and gentle soul whom I've had the privilege of working with on Laurie Chastain's album Remencier, as well as performing with on several occasions. John was a member of Berkeley band The Natives, which flirted with major label success several years ago. Recently he's been a member of Kevin Brennan's Claddagh Band.

A fund to help defray John's medical and living expenses has been set up:

The bank is: Mechanics Bank
The account name is: John Havard Benefit Fund
The account # is: 040986969

You may also send checks to:
The John Havard Benefit Fund
c/oMichele deCesare
19654 Forest Ave.
Castro Valley, CA 94546

There will be a benefit concert to benefit John on Saturday, April 21st, 5 - 9pm, at The Harbor House in Half Moon Bay, 346 Princeton Ave. A $25 donation is requested.

Age-Old Plumbing Mystery Solved
I've noticed this phenomenon in every house I've lived in. When one turns on the hot water, the flow gradually gets slower and slower; if you initially turned on the water just a trickle, within a minute or two it stops flowing altogether. Finally, this morning, I got so fed up with not knowing the reason for this that I waded through 9 pages of Google results until I found the answer. Here it is, excerpted from www.dansdata.com:

Mysteries of the bathroom

I very much doubt I am the only one who's observed this phenomenon. I was wondering whether you could shed any light on it:

When you live in a cold place like Tasmania, the hot water takes a while to get to the tap when you turn it on. Have you noticed how, when you first turn on the tap, while the water is still cold, the water comes out quite fast. However, when the water coming out of the tap starts to warm up, the rate of flow slows down.

Sometimes this is so drastic that one has to pause the hand-washing process to turn the tap on more (which can be very annoying if you have soapy hands at the time). Why does this happen? What is the scientific reason?

Answer:
The tolerances inside a normal tap are surprisingly small; look how little the top of the tap screws out when you turn it on. The water pressure's high enough (provided you don't have a crummy gravity feed hot water system), though, that you can get respectable flow from only a small valve opening. It's that small opening that explains the hot-water-slowing-to-a-trickle behaviour.

The valve gap is small enough that if the valve washer expands significantly, it shuts off the water flow. Plain rubber washers do exactly that. They "take a set" when the tap's turned off, then expand over time when you've turned the tap on and they're not being pressed against the valve seat any more. Both hot and cold tap valves do this, but it's much more noticeable with hot, because the hot water softens the rubber and causes it to expand more quickly (it's not thermal expansion, just softer rubber). The harder you turn the tap off, the more compressed the washer will be and the more dramatically it'll spring back.

If you use tap washers that're less compressible - fibre washers, or any of the various synthetic washers out there that're each claimed to be more miraculous than the last - the problem won't happen.

I now know to buy something other than rubber washers when I next replace the ones in my shower.

Monday, March 26th, 2007

Yes, I admit it: it's been a very long time since I updated the site. So much has happened since September. But the main thing that's happened is that Deirdre and I bought a house! It's a wonderful little 1944 bungalow, in Richmond Annex (El Cerrito by another name would smell as sweet). We really lucked out - our house was 99% ready to move in, with no real outstanding physical problems. We found it just as the market began to stabilize after a long period of inflation, and were able to bid the asking price and have our offer accepted. Escrow closed September 6th, and then came an exhausting 2 full months of packing and moving.

D and I are both in a situation where we recently inherited all of our ancestors belongings; for each of us, one parent has died and the other moved into a retirement home within the last few years. As a consequence, we've been weeding through mounds of "heirlooms" and not-so-heirloomy things. All of our previous diligence seemed to have made no difference when we moved from a 1400 square foot flat to our 1000 sq. ft. house! Up until the week of our housewarming party in late February, we still had a refugee pile of excess belongings in the back yard. This winter's heavy rains helped to ruin a large portion of it, making parting with it an easier decision.

At present, both D and I have wrestled our offices into a fairly neat semblance of functionality, and the pile of homeless objects in the center of the garage is down to about 64 cubic feet.

MUSIC NEWS
¶ When we were finally granted access to the stage, after an hour and 45 minutes of driving around the area, Avalon Rising had a fine time playing at San Francisco's Civic Center plaza on St. Patrick's Day last Saturday. Here's a photo to prove I was there. I was kind of going for the "Cowboy Leprechaun" look, with a stylish Aussie hat and, of course, kilt. Geez it was cold! The crowd was friendly and responsive, with plenty of punks dancing with grandmothers. The sound company, Renegade Sound, was fabulous, dealing with our rushed setup situation like pros.

¶ My 1952 Kay upright bass, which luthier Stewart Port and I started rebuilding last February, was finally finished in June. It turned out much better sounding and easy to play than I could have possibly imagined. I've been having a great time learning to play it, and now possess the stamina to at least stumble from one end of a song to the other. It's an amazing experience playing an instrument that is taller than I am, that can rattle the windows without even being plugged in!

¶ Avalon Rising's guitarist/producer Kristoph Klover has been laboring mightily in his Flowinglass Studio, forging our new album, tentative entitled Elbows & Antlers. No word yet on a release date, but we're hoping to squeeze it out sometime mid-Summer.

¶ I've recently acquired a new computer and a cool device called a StealthPlug - a USB to 1/4" cable for guitar, bass, etc. It came bundled with a nifty multitrack recording program called Tracktion. I've begun tracking some ideas, and will be doing more in the next few months, gearing up towards a new creative period of writing and recording.

¶ Speaking of which, I've begun a new project with guitarist/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Robert Hill, familiar to friends of The Bruno at the Renaissance and Dickens fairs. No name yet (how about Funky See, Funky Do?). Robert's been coming over to the new studio and jamming - it's been a pleasure playing along with his rich, buttery voice and fine Corinthian guitar stylings. We hope to play some gigs in Alameda before too long, so stay tuned. We're not quite sure what we're going to play, but whatsomEVER we play, it GOT to be funky!

¶ Coming up on July 1st is something very exciting: The Midsummer Celtic Festival for Peace In Our Streets, featuring Avalon Rising, Druid Sisters Tea Party, Evelie Delfino Sayles Posch, Fontain's M.U.S.E., with magician Majinga and more! It's to be held at La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705 - 510-849-2568. This event is not yet confirmed, so check back here for the latest news.

5-20-2006
Back From China
Yes, Avalon Rising is home from our 2006 China tour! We worked like mules, had a wonderful and somewhat frustrating time, and saw a very narrow slice of China. I'll be elaborating at more length on what we saw and did, but right now I'll just post a couple of photos from the Chinese newspapers. If anyone can read and translate the accompanying Chinese text, we'd be interested to know what they're saying about us!

We played in a large public park in Jinan, the capitol city of Shandong province. The residents of Jinan evidently have seen very few westerners, but were very friendly when we said "hello" in their native tongue.

Celtic Power Hour on hiatus..
Due to increasing demands on my time by rehearsals for two stage productions coming up this summer (The Girl Who Touched The Stars, and Thanatics -- see Performance Schedule sidebar), my internet radio show the Celtic Power Hour will be on hiatus until I can get an upgraded computer. The problem is that my current computer is not powerful enough to run SAM2, the broadcast software, in its full capacity. Normally, I would be able to do announcements and voice-overs, but due to aforementioned lack of computational horsepower, I am unable to speak while broadcasting, and must pre-record my shows. This usurps valuable time during the week that I just can't spare anymore. My apologies to my legions of fans out there (all dozen or so of you), but this is the way it must be, at least temporarily. Thanks for your patience.

4-11-2006
Avalon Rising to Play in China!
Euro-American Festival To Be Held in Jinan, China, May 1 - 7
"Now in its third year, the Festival is organized by the Shan Dong Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film, & TV. This Chinese government organization is empowered to present the Festival each May for the purpose of celebrating the Chinese Labor Day. As China is one of the most rapidly growing and dynamic economic centers of the world, the Bureau has expressed its goal of promoting the awareness of international entertainment (culture) to the people of Shan Dong.

Entertainers performing at the Festival will be seen by thousands of Chinese attending the event. They will receive extensive exposure in the local newspapers, on television, and on the radio. Previous festivals attracted over 120,000 guests."

Jinan is a modern, bustling city and is known as the birthplace of many celebrities in Chinese history, such as Bian Que, the founder of traditional Chinese medicine, and Master Zou Yan, the founder of the yin and yang five-element school used in traditional Chinese medicine.

As Jinan boasts a number of natural springs amid picturesque scenery, it is known as the "City of Spring". The city tree of Jinan is the willow, and the city flower is the lotus. To the south of Jinan stands the "Holy Land of Buddhism" a- the Thousand Buddha Mountain.

By request, Avalon Rising has added a traditional Chinese tune to our repertoire - (Bubugao, or "Step by Step"), and will be wearing kilts onstage. We will strive to bring honor to our ancestors, and cultural enrichment to the great people of China by rocking out to the best of our ability.

4-22-2006
Celtic Power Hour Now 4 Hours! That's right, I passed the audition -- my internet radio show, the Celtic Power Hour, is expanding to 4 big hours, starting this Sunday, March 26th! I feature the best in Celtic Rock and Roots, with side trips into Folk, Folk-Rock, and Psychedelia. That means plenty of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Jethro Tull, and Pentangle, with goodies like Horslips, Mellow Candle, even Thin Lizzie thrown in for good measure. Great music for lounging around, cleaning house, bathing the pets, or...? The show airs from 10am (or so, while we wrestle with whatever is the latest round of technical difficulties) to 2pm (or so).

Bass News
The summer before last, Avalon Rising played an afterhours show at the Stafford Lake Renaissance Faire. The next day, Steve the chocolate guy approached me and said, "you know, you should really get an upright bass -- I think you'll love it, and it will improve your technique on the other instruments you play". Those words stuck with me, and I slowly started to keep my eye out for a bass. Then, a few months ago, Anne Hosmer, a fellow fair stage manager, was cleaning out her parents' old house preparatory to selling it, and gifted me with her old high school bass. It's a '52 Kay (two years older than me) that had had the neck broken off twice. I recently took it to my luthier, Stewart Port, who rebuilt it and has graciously been allowing me to refinish it in his shop on Oakland's waterfront. Here are a few pics of progress so far.

	These pictures show the second of several coats to come of de-waxed shellac, tinted with a combination of browns and reds. I'm going for a very dark red final finish.

3-06-2006
Thanks to everyone -- all 9 of you, at peak -- who listened to Show 6 of the Celtic Power Hour yesterday. We're settling into a (somewhat crippled) rhythm with this endeavor...due to a power failure during the night at the home of my engineer in Illinois, he overslept and, after much scrambling and emergency messaging, we got on the air 1/2 hour late.

Ever notice that, no matter how much you upgrade your computer and/or electronic gear, it's never enough? Such is the case here. Despite a generous donation of a Windows 2000-equipped eMachine from our songwriting partner Margarita to serve music-only needs, apparently asking it to run SAM2, our streaming radio/DJ software is too much...it'll stream MP3 files OK, but asking it to also deal with voice-overs is just too much; the poor CPU gets overloaded, resulting in latency/buffering problems and my rich, buttery announcer's voice gets all garbled and skippy. So we're stuck with pre-recording shows, or at least announcement breaks. The problem with that is that online listeners cannot read the title and artist name of the song that is currently playing. Anyone out there have a computer they'd like to donate, something with a minimum speed of 1 Ghz?

Check out the Serenity-IRC LandzEdge chatroom
During my shows, I've been hanging out in the LandzEdge chatroom at Serenity-IRC, to hobnob with fellow Celtic Rock fans. If you'd like to join us there, simply click on this link:
http://www.serenity-irc.net/java/?chan=landzedge
On the page that it takes you to, simply input a nickname and a password (pay no attention to the part about "registered nickname password" -- you don't need to be registered.) You'll be logged into the LandzEdge chatroom. You must have Java enabled for this to work; if you'd rather not use Java (it's kind of sluggish), you can download the program mIRC from http://www.mirc.com/. It's a little complicated to get setup if you're not used to IRC programs, so if you're interested, contact me and we'll see if we can't guide you through it.

Listening Online - what you need
The very simplest way I know of to listen to online radio is to get Winamp and configure it as your default player for audio files and streaming...then when you click on the streaming link -
http://rs9.radiostreamer.com:8100/listen.pls
your player will automatically open you'll be logged on to the stream.

Alternately, you can copy the link above, go to File>Open URL. and paste it in.

3-04-2006
Howdy world, what's up? Thanks to everyone for a great Pantheacon show! It seemed like there were 400 people, all wearing faerie wings and gyrating madly; some people were actually hovering...We truly wish we could have taken you all home with us, but the next best thing would be if you could show up at every gig!

Celtic Power Hour
It's coming up on the sixth week of the show, and we're finally getting most the bugs out...My computer doesn't seem to be powerful enough to allow me to do the show live, so it'll have to be pre-recorded until I upgrade. You can see playlists of the shows and download archives of past and present shows on the Radio page. Just click on the show number to download the MP3 of the show.

2-02-2006
Be sure to listen to my new internet radio show, The Celtic Power Hour, this Sunday, February 5th - it's a special show featuring Ireland's early Celtic Rock band Horslips - I'll be playing their first two albums, Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part and The Tain -- in their entirety! Horslips was a unique, pioneering band that fused elements of traditional Irish music and instrumentation with the rock band context, creating an original sound that was at once rocking, folky, psychedelic and most of all, unique. The show airs on LandzEdge.com - just click on the radio icon, then on the streaming audio link on the radio page. I recommend either WinAmp or iTunes to listen. The Celtic Power Hour will be broadcast from 10am - noon, Pacific Standard Time.

1-22-2006
Oops Happens: Well, due to some Time Zone mixups, my show today ran 10am to noon...Texas Time. LandzEdge has apologized profusely and promises that it'll be on at the correct time next week: 12 to 2pm CST, 10am to noon PST. For those that really, really want to hear it, you can download the show from my Radio page...just click the link for Show 001.

1-20-2006
It's done! I finally, with much trepidation and screwing around, pre-recorded the first Celtic Power Hour radio show. It'll air this Sunday from 10am - noon on LandzEdge.com. Continue....

1-18-2006
Feliz Navidad, everyone! Well, it's a new year...we finally made it through the 4th-quarter gauntlet of the Dickens Christmas Fair (build, teardown, and all things in between), family gatherings, and holiday parties. We've got some great stuff on-deck for 2006 -- here are a few teasers:

• Friday, Jan 27th: Avalon Rising returns to one of the greatest venues in the Western world: The Starry Plough. I personally cherish every chance I get to play here, though I've done it hundreds of times...the very stage seems to exude magic from the sweat of the thousands of incredible performers who have walked it...
  This is our annual return to the Plough, opening once again for the granddaddy of Celtic Rock in the Bay Area: Tempest. Tempest currently has a good line-up, especially bassist Ariane Cap, who is a delightful player..
  In years past, this January show has been a benefit for the Pagan Pride Parade, and I think that's what it's for again this time...I'll check and get back to you about that.
• Avalon Rising has a new manager/booking agent: please welcome Lisa Summers! Lisa's a big fan of Tempest, and chose them as the headliner for the big Hurricane Katrina benefit she and her two partners put together back in September down at the SF Civic Center Plaza. She found Avalon Rising when looking for an opening act, and was so charmed by us (go figure!) that she took the reins and has been riding the phones for hours and days, talking to a myriad of festivals coming up later in the year. Early polling indicates some probable dates in Phoenix, AZ and Montana, so stay tuned for details.
• I, Yours Truly, Me, Myself & I (oops, I said I already) will be hosting a new internet radio show on www.LandzEdge.com -- it's the Celtic Power Hour, featuring Celtic Rock and its roots. I'm still working on organizing my library and compiling and recording my first show, but I should have it done very soon. The show will air 10am to noon Sunday mornings (PST), plus possible repeats during the week. Check out LandzEdge - they're nice folks, and have a very diverse lineup of shows throughout the week. They're on the air 24/7, too.

10-31-2005
On September 22nd, Kristoph Klover and I were fortunate to be able to sit down with world renowned fantasy author Terry Pratchett and ask him a few questions. Click here to download the interview...

Today it was our great pleasure to host world-renowned fantasy author Terry Pratchett in the first of what may become a series of audio interviews. The interview will be available for download soon right here on this website, and will also be accessible from the Apple iTunes Podcast site (as soon as I've digitized it and figured out how to post it there.) The co-moderators were Kristoph Klover, of Flowinglass Music, and myself. Terry proved to be an amenable, witty and voluble subject, which should come as no surprise to his fans. Below: Terry and Donna, discussing Margaret Dumont...	Terry is in the midst of a West Coast tour promoting his new Discworld novel, Thud.
Co-host Kristoph and Terry: two clowns in search of a circus...

IndepenDisc Hosts New Online Radio Show
Gary V., of IndepenDisc, has recently created the IndepenDisc Radio Show, Wednesday nights from 10:00PM – Midnight (Eastern Time) , on Cygnus Radio. This is a chance for you to hear a variety of adventurous new music from a whole truckload of IndepenDisc artists - including The Veil, the Celto-Middle-Eastern psychedelic rock project of Yours Truly, Deirdre McCarthy, and Margarita Kovats. If you're like me - frustrated by the bland predictability and corporate sameness of conventional radio - mark your calendar and tune in! No registration is required to listen or chat.

10-13-2005
By now, the word is out: I was burglarized. Well, my car was, to be exact. After performing with my friends Cuir Bleu at The Stud last Friday night, I packed out my equipment and loaded it into my car, parked on the corner outside, at 9th and Harrison. I dashed back in to say good-night to everyone, and during that time my car window was smashed and my equipment and instruments were stolen. Fortunately, I had brought a minimum of stuff with me, but that included my bass, my electric guitar, and my pedal board.

The short list of stolen equipment includes:

• Peavey Foundation V 5-string bass, black, serial number 10180769. My name is engraved on the back of the headstock.
• Schecter Omen 6 electric guitar, walnut satin finish, my name engraved on the back of the headstock.
• Boss GT-3 multi-effects processor, metallic blue

I want to express my deep appreciation for all the nice thoughts everyone has been sending my way by email the last few days. The stuff...well, it's only stuff, but they are the tools of my trade, and it's a wrench to have them taken. I do have insurance, but there is a deductible and it remains to be seen how much of the replacement costs will actually be covered. I will be very grateful for any donations to help weather this. Kristoph has organized our upcoming Saturday night show at the Bistro in Hayward as a benefit, as well as a special birthday celebration for him, so come on out and see us if you can. There will be cake, doorprizes, and general merrymaking - I hope to see you there!

Meanwhile, if anyone wants to check the pawnshops around town for the stolen gear, that would sure help...I've also heard that a lot of it turns up at the Oakland Coliseum flea market. Thanks again, everyone.

9-27-2005
The Anti-Christ speaks

From Dateline: Hollywood -

Pat Robertson on Sunday said that Hurricane Katrina was God’s way of expressing its anger at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for its selection of Ellen Degeneres to host this year’s Emmy Awards. “By choosing an avowed lesbian for this national event, these Hollywood elites have clearly invited God’s wrath,” Robertson said on “The 700 Club” on Sunday. “Is it any surprise that the Almighty chose to strike at Miss Degeneres’ hometown?”

As a former cult member, I can unfortunately attest to the fact that Robertson probably actually believes what he's saying. If I learned anything from my experience, it's that human minds are incredibly malleable and no matter what a evil, low-grade moron one is it's still relatively easy to believe unquestioningly in one's own goodness. And, contrary as it seems to natural law, holding wildly contradictory beliefs does not make one's head explode. As the Queen of Hearts once said, "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." And that, my friends, is how Pat Robertson, the Anti-Christ, can believe that he is a Christian. And the fact that he's actually saying these things out loud in public further demonstrates that he really doesn't understand that there's anything wrong with his position! At the least an evil slime-devil like Rumsfeld has enough decency to be embarrassed by Pat's call for the assassination of Ugo Chavez..."Pat, you idiot - we DO these things, sure, but we don't TALK ABOUT THEM!!!"

8-9-2005
Terry Pratchett Interviewed at More Moose Music Studio

8-9-2005
Not Much to Say...Sayin' It Anyway
It's been a busy few weeks for us here at More Moose, weeks spent on our butt in front of the computer, checking Craigslist every day for work for bass players. It's slowly starting to pay off; the last couple of Tuesdays have seen our intrepid 4-or-5 stringer at the Wallace Arms pub in Antioch, helping to anchor the weekly jam session sponsored by the Antioch Music Academy. Following an exciting debut two weeks ago, there was a sudden drop into "trainwreck" territory last week, but we're hopeful for a renaissance tonight, with lots of good players and happy customers coming down.

If you're a San Anselmo resident, or just like to protect free speech, why not attend the San Anselmo Town Council meeting tonight at 8, where they will be attempting to crucify my friend Ford Greene...that is, they want to pass a special zoning amendment to keep him from continuing to use the side of his building at 711 Sir Francis Drake to express his political views. To get the whole story, go to http://fordgreene.com/.

6-23-2005
Great Review in SF Weekly
Ok, maybe not great...but pretty good! Check it out...
A word to the wise: bring earplugs Saturday night.

6-12-2005
Thanatics Rocks the Exit Theater for Boffo 2nd Weekend!
So concludes the second weekend of the 4 weekend run of Thanatics - A Rock Opera. The half-way mark. It's been a blast, and we're steadily improving We had a bit of a demolition derby moment back in our second performance, when narrator Andy's headset mic broke, and he skipped a song cue...we treaded water for a moment and then plunged into the song. If you think of a band like a big car, a Cadillac for instance, the rhythm section (bass, drums, and sometimes other instruments) is like the tires and suspension. And the transmission. And the engine. Ok, so the rest of the band (singers, lead guitarists, etc.) are kind of like the...vanity mirror light. Or the logo on the steering wheel. Anyway, when you get a fine rhythm section like bassist Erica Watson and drummer Scott Healey (and, depending on whether I'm playing rhythm or lead guitar, sometimes me - well, I stand in the backline anyway), your suspension is so good that it just evens out any potholes or rough spots. So when Keith's mic cut out during Hello Mother last night, we just drove right over it and smoothly brought the vehicle to its final destination. Kind of like, oh I don't know...a real band!

Playing with this production has been a tremendous amount of fun, and a nice challenge. It's an actual show - not just another night in a bar - so the finitude of chances to play things effectively is very apparent. Translation: the show's only an hour and 20 minutes long. Each musical moment in it never comes around again, so if I lose my concentration and forget where I am, that's one less chance to enjoy doing that section correctly. And also, with limited opportunities to play lead fills, it's been fun to find out what note range yields the most expressiveness for each particular place in each song.

The Exit Theater has an alfresco backstage area that is incredibly pleasant. It's between the back of the building, a red brick job that is mostly residence hotel, and a concrete block parking structure with huge mult-paned window. Here's what it looks like, sitting out back taking a break.

Here's picture of the whole Thanatics gang after opening night's show.

Left to right: Tygre, Keith, [unknown], Scott, Erica, Andy, Laura, Barak, Rick, Chris, Mark.

Avalon Rocks Faerie Fest
Yesterday progressive Celt-rockers Avalon Rising (yours truly on bass, mandocello, and occasional guitar) played way out in Fair Oaks, 12 miles past Sacramento, at the Celtic Midsummer Night's Dream Faerie Festival. Whew, ma'am - that's a mouthfull! This was the same laid-back afair we played last year, with the same ever-helpful Ariel on a much-improved sound system. The venue had been changed to the VFW post grounds (I'm guessing that stands for Very Fine Witches). The stage was in the center of the small fair, with about 30 or so booths spread out around it in a loose spiral. Everyone within a mile radius would have had no trouble hearing us, so as a result we hardly ever had much of a tangible audience in front of us. What actually WAS in front of us, from about rows 10 through 17, was a bog. One knew it was a bog, because it was fenced - or rather, stringed - in, and there was a large sign in the middle of it that read Authentic Irish Bog. Here it is below, in front of the authentic Celtic round house, cleverly made from hay bales and reed mats.

A view of the stage, with drummer Scott

Wait, what's that look on his face?
	A little closer...

6-7-2005
We opened! Opening night show went great, helped by a loud, enthusiastic audience of about 30 of our friends and assorted hooligans. Then came the drinkin' and dancin', oh my...

Second night became a bit of a demolition derby, but never went completely out of control. Then came the going home and sleeping....

Surprisingly, I was surprised that the audience laughed. I haven't actually seen the show yet, being in it. I imagine it's similar to being in a movie, where you play all the scenes out of context and the story never actually takes shape until post-production. So apparently it's funny.

3 more weekends left...

6-3-2005

5-22-2005
It's a mere 11 days until Thanatics - A Rock Opera opens at the Exit Theatre here in San Francisco. Rehearsals are running fast and furious, with hazardous puddles of mascara everywhere and distrait artists running about like headless chickens, trailing clouds of sparkles, muttering "It'll be OK - it'll be OK!" We've started to integrate the narrator in, and now that I've gotten a glimpse of what this show might actually look like, I'm eager to see the video after we're all done - it looks like it'll be a fun night out on the town. Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to playing in it too. I'm finally getting to break in my Schecter Omen 6 guitar, a truly awesome beast that was born to wail.

Tickets are now available online! Go to www.kshaddock.com/thanatics/index.html and click on the date you plan to attend. Tickets are $15. For reservations or questions, send email to: thanaticstix@yahoo.com. Thanatics is playing EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT IN JUNE, starting June 3rd. SHOWTIME: 7:30

THANATICS - A ROCK OPERA
Suicide Art. Craze of the Future.

San Francisco, June 3rd, 2035
Welcome to the Population and Planning (PaP) Conference 2035.
Your key note lecturer on this final day of the conference will be Dr. Richelieu Smitty, author of Thanatics: How Art Defied Politics and Saved the World.

Because San Francisco is hosting this year's conference, Dr Smitty
will recount a tale that is now legendary: how the famed SoMa 7
art collective accidentally fueled a suicide art movement that almost
put the Depopulation Party in power in the early part of this century.

As part of his presentation, he's hired an old fashioned 'rock & roll' band
(Crooked Family) to give 'light accompaniment' to this revered story.

Join Dr. Smitty at the Exit Theatre every Friday and Saturday of this
coming June and relive this exciting tale of yesteryear.

The Exit Theatre is located at 156 Eddy Street (between Mason & Taylor Streets) in beautiful cosmopolitan San Francisco.

5-16-2005
Special, special thanks to Ann Hosner of Sacramento. She is in the process of clearing out her childhood home in order to sell it. Once upon a time, she played upright bass in her high school band. The band was so good, they went on a tour of Europe. Alas, the bass (a '52 Kay) had only a canvas gig bag to shield it from the rigors of travel, and ended up in three pieces. It was given to Ann upon her graduation, who did a beautiful job of stripping off the finish and has kept it ever since in the hopes of reassembling and refinishing it. She has very kindly donated it to me. I'm thrilled at the prospect of restoring it to useful musical life, and perhaps spending the rest of my life learning how to play it. I happen to be blessed to know the adventurous, good-natured luthier (and new Daddy) Stewart Port, who is excited to take on the project, especially since he himself has a Czech-made bass in similar condition. Now to get together the requisite cash to fund the Great Bass Restoration...$2 - 400 for the regluing, $3 - 500 for the refinishing, and $1 - 150 for stringing and setup. Pictures to come soon!

Ann also gave me a gorgeous 1965 bowl-back mandolin, made by the prestigious Framus company of Bavaria. Before they went out of business in the late '60s, Framus supplied many of the classic rock 'n' roll instruments people like the Beatles played.

5-11-2005
Rare Live Phoenyx Track Found
Being temporarily under-employed, I'm using the time between job searches to clean house and rid myself of the detritus of ages that clings on like barnacles and threatens to sink the ship of life. Down in the basement, I found a box of old demo tapes that included a cassette of Phoenyx performing Heather Alexander's Black Unicorn recorded live at Decatur Street in San Francisco in May of 1990. On it, I take a 1,064-bar guitar solo - whew, ma'am - that's a mouthful! Enjoy.
M4a version (iTunes)
MP3 version

5-4-2005
This week saw the virtually simultaneous release of two videos featuring live performance of Avalon Rising. One I already mentioned below: SF Sound. To those on the MoreMooseMailingList, to whom I boldly stated that Comcast SF Channel 11 is commercial-free, boy was I wrong about that! There are indeed commercials, and they are LOUD. And a majority of the rest of the programming on Ch.11 seems to be "infomercials" featuring the huckstering of charlatan Kevin Trudeau, who recently paid a 2 million dollar settlement to the Federal Trade Commission and agreed to stop appearing in infomercials...which is another story for another time.

I hate watching video of myself. From 1980 to 1990, it was generally believed by those in the know that a band couldn't be successful without "a video", and by that I mean the kind they used to show on MTV (which I believe is now a dedicated channel for kindergarteners). Then Journey, that quintessential monolithic dinosaurian mega-band, boldly made history by refusing to do any more videos...the fact that two of their members had quit and they lost their major label contract had nothing to do with their decision, I'm sure.

The camera adds ten pounds, they say. I figured out why, once: it's because people are 3 dimensional (some of them, anyway), and the process of videography renders their image down to 2 dimensions. That means that the dimension of depth, or thickness, that we see with our eyes and we know with our brain is the side of a body, is brought forward in the flattening process and added to the width dimension, making a body look wider and fatter. Make sense?

Anyway...I was pleasantly surprised by the SF Sound episode. We were paired with two other excellent acts, a solo singer-guitarist Jethro Jeremiah (is it just me, or does his name make you want to go on a scenic tour of the Ozarks?) and a Grateful Deadish quintet called Seconds on End, with Avalon Rising in the coveted "headliner" spot at the end. People have intimated, well, told me outright, that I'm a smartass. After seeing the interview footage of me (shot while we were setting up), I guess I have to admit, it's true. Could be worse, eh? At least I'm really, really a smartass. As a band, we acquitted ourselves Not Too Badly...video shoots I've experienced in the past were steaming, odiferous piles of doo-doo compared to this one. You know, you never notice how much hair there is on your arms until you see it in video....We'll have a link up soon so you can see the show even if you don't live in San Francisco.

This week also saw the release of video footage from our show last month at the Sacramento Theatre Co's Monday Night Cabaret series. You can see the video footage here. Also in the Not Too Bad category...funny how when you watch it later, the little details come back to you, like exactly how hot it was onstage. Hot or not, the folks there were wonderful, and we hope we can go back and play again soon.

The Duck
Who says the internet is not a wonderful place? Since I posted my duck query below, I've had correspondence from both M C of Oakland and Jay Freeman of Palo Alto, who correctly pegged the animal in question as a Muscovy duck. Thanks, guys. I haven't seen the big white one recently; I think he got himself an agent and is out there taking Fyvush Finkel's leftover acting jobs.

4-28-2005
Coming up Monday, May 2nd: See Avalon Rising on TV! Residents of San Francisco can see Avalon Rising on San Francisco Sound, 6 and 9:30pm, Comcast cable Channel 11, with repeat showings on Sat, May 7th, and again on June 6th and 11th. San Francisco Sound is on every night, and is one of the better community-access cable music programs around - it presents local bands live, with high quality production values and great sound. If you've ever wondered who some of these strange names you see in the entertainment calendars are, this is an excellent way to find out. We had a great experience in the studio - special thanks to producer Ron Ress and his valiant crew.

4-27-2005
First of all, a big thank-you to friend and music student Bradley Tanzman, who recently gave me a digital camera. I'm fortunate in living not half a block from one of the greatest parks in the world, Golden Gate Park. I took the dog for a walk there yesterday and was so entranced by the incredible natural beauty that seems to unfold in new ways at every step that I shot 24 photos in short order. And now, I have the opportunity to ask you, dear Reader, a question that's been bugging me ever since I moved here a couple of years ago:

What the heck is this bird?
	At first glance, it seems like a duck, but with a red wattley face like a turkey. I took to calling them Fyvush Finkel ducks, because one of them looked exactly like the actor, right down to the thinning pate. They seem to come in a variety of colors; this one's mostly dark, with iridescent blue-green feathers, but the original Fyvush Finkel was all white. There are also some that mostly white with a smattering of black. I've looked for it in several bird books, but can't find it.

4-18-2005
Coming in June! at the Exit Theater:

THANATICS, A ROCK OPERA You remember back in 2015 or so when that weird group of artists--the SoMa Seven--accidentally started that suicide art movement? Remember that? And that creep who was running for governor on the Depopulation Party ticket--Daryl Knox? Remember how he used suicide art to fuel his crazy fringe group? Thank heavens the remaining members of the SoMa Four set things straight. Join Dr. Smitty as he recounts this crazy tale of yesteryear, set against the backdrop of a chaotic and overpopulated planet Earth.

Along for the ride to give 'light accompaniment' is an old fashioned 'rock band' named Crooked Family. Written and directed by K.S. Haddock. Featuring Crooked Family. EXIT Theatre 8pm FRI/SAT JUN 3 - 25, 2005 Tickets $15. Reservations & Info: 510-523-1891 and www.kshaddock.com/thanatics

4-3-2005
Crooked Family Gets Shot

Crooked Family, the driving musical force in the new rock opera Thanatics went into the photo studio yesterday, with sinister results. Pictured leering above (L-R):
-- Lacy Underalls Notorius - drums
-- Lotus Morning Notorius - bass
-- Le Tygre Fudgebar Notorius - vocals
-- Chuy Dirk Biff Notorius - vocals, guitar
-- Princess Foo-Foo Ecstasy Notorius I - vocals
-- Uncle Mungar Notorius - vocals, guitar

3-29-2005
Look who showed up at one of our shows last week...

We found his mixing to be highly logical, hence worthy of admiration. He really acquired a decrease in altitude, as well as a musty smell.

Thanatics Are Coming!!!

Mark your calendars for June...

Rehearsals are going great - Crooked Family is a kick-ass band, rocking in the shadow of such greats as Ziggy Stardust and Lou Reed. Thanatics, named for the Freudian term thanatos, meaning the urge toward death, is the darkly humorous story of a group of terminally hip artists who inadvertently start a pop suicide craze, with hilarious results! This show is sure to sell out, so make reservations now - call 510-523-1891 for more information.

3-22-2005
I've got some great new shows coming up soon! Check out Performance Schedule to the right. The rock opera Thanatics (featuring the kick-ass band Crooked Family) will be debuting at the Exit Theater in San Francisco for four weekends in June - don't miss it!

On Terri Shiavo
My father, sister and I made the decision to end life support for my mother after she had a massive stroke. It was her second stroke; the first one had already caused significant brain damage, and the second one rendered her without consciousness. There was no hope of her ever being more than a gradually decaying body, kept alive without sentience, will, or personality, so by horrible comparison, it was an easy decision to make.

What really bothers me about this whole Terri Schiavo debate is the hypocrisy. A truly compassionate people would pay more attention to the living people around us who at least have the potential to grow and live fruitful lives - people like the children for whom we can't seem to find enough money for education (yet we can find millions to build the prisons they will have to occupy when their lack of education makes them unfit to earn a living), or the young soldiers we are sending to fight an illegal, immoral war for oil. True Christian (or any other religion's) morality does not consist of making a show of keeping bodies without consciousness alive, be they foetuses or brain-damaged adults. Considering that, while governor of Texas, Bush signed into effect a law that grants hospitals the right to remove life support from patients with far more hope of survival than Terri Schiavo, it is clear that his supposed concern in this case is prompted by political expediency, not compassion.

3-4-2005
Why is no one talking about impeachment? How much more evidence do we need that Bush & Co. are lying liars, war criminals, immoral power and sex peddlers? Ok, I personally don't have the evidence. But I'm more than willing to spend a couple of years and 3 zillion of America's tax dollars to dig up that evidence. If we can waste the nation's time on Monica, why not on rescuing the country from the tender mercies of an unqualified, inept, superstitious moron and his gang of millionaire planet-rapers? So click on my new ImpeachBush logo up there in the right-hand corner, or click on the Congress logo in the left-hand corner to go to http://www.congress.org/, and type in your zip code to find your congresspeople. Light a fire under them - insist that they do the job you're paying them for, and bring impeachment proceedings against BushCo. now! You can also write to the Resident, for what it's worth. Here's my letter to the Thief.

1-10-2005
Howdy MoreMoose lovers! It's a brand spankin' new year -- so have a happy one! Best of luck in all your endeavors in this coming year -- especially in wresting our nation back from the slimy right-wing coup that has seized control. I hope to see many of you, dear readers, at upcoming Avalon Rising shows. Also, be on the lookout for the rock opera Thanatics, currently in rehearsals, debuting at a time and venue to be determined.

12-01-2004

Bush did not win! Contact your elected officials - protest voting fraud
I wrote the following letter to Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Representative Nancy Pelosi. I urge readers to contact their own elected officials and protest the rampant voting fraud that took place in Ohio. It's easy -- just go to www.congress.org and type in your zip code to find your congresspersons. Feel free to use this letter, or compose one of your own.

"I urge you in the strongest possible terms to investigate the rampant voting fraud that took place in Ohio and other states during the November election.

This fraud took two forms:

1) Thousands of fraudulent votes were cast and erroneous vote tallies were recorded, due either to tampering or "voting machine malfunction". These erroneous tallies amount to hundreds of thousands of votes, and since Bush's margin of "victory" was only 139,000 votes, an accurate vote count could actually give the election to Kerry.

2) Deliberate bullying tactics and the placing of logistical obstacles in the path of legitimate voters, especially African-Americans, caused many people to give up on voting that day. Examples of this range from shunting registered voters from one polling place to another, to inadequate numbers of voting machines supplied to polling places, resulting in hours-long delays and lines. Working people cannot spare hours to wait in line to vote. These harassment tactics were condoned and initiated by voting officials in Ohio and other places, and are shameful and illegal. Those responsible should be punished.

This is the most important issue before us now as Americans, and should be especially important to you as a Democrat. The Bush administration has already stolen TWO ELECTIONS, and what have you, as our elected Democratic representatives done about it? Nothing! "Business as usual" is not good enough. Earn your pay - and the trust we, our constituents place in you - and rigorously investigate this rampant voting fraud. Until you do, I do not consider Bush the president, nor does he have a mandate. We have been and continue to be the victims of a right-wing coup.

Yours truly,

Mark Ungar"

10-20--2004
Don't Wait - Begin Impeachment Now
It's time to forget about being shocked and depressed at how 59,729,952 Americans can be so stupid as to re-elect W. What's shocking and depressing is that we can be so stupid as to not see that the Republicans stole the election again without our knowing it.

We already know, as Bev Harris ascertained in researching her book Black Box Voting, that Diebold electronic voting systems can be tampered with, easily and without a trace. Why is it that, when the president of Diebold promised, as he did last year, to "deliver Ohio" to Bush, we didn't throw him in jail, and take away his company? Why have we not learned that today's Republican party stands for cheating and utter disregard for the law and democratic process? Why are we pretending that they'd never do such a thing as STEAL THE ELECTION...AGAIN?? If we start looking, we'll find the evidence - totals were changed in Ohio. Votes were stolen. Dirty tricks were played. I guarantee it.

As a kind of consolation prize, the bright side of W's re-stealing the election is that now he'll have to stick around and face the music. Let's begin impeachment NOW, early, so that we can really have time to savor it. And totally ruin W's second term. And, oh yeah - that's a star-studded, double impeachment review, featuring Cheney too.

10-20--2004
Bush Receives Endorsement From Iran
The country of Iran has stated that it would rather see Bush than Kerry win the election, despite the administration's "Axis of Evil" label, accusations that Iran harbors al-Qaida terrorists and threats of sanctions over the country's nuclear ambitions.

Historically, Democrats have harmed Iran more than Republicans, said Hasan Rowhani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security decision-making body. Mofidi added that "Democrats usually insist on human rights and they will have more excuses to pressure Iran." Read the full story here.

9-27-2004

I'm too old to have watched the Brady Bunch while growing up. So anytime I see an episode now, there's a good chance it'll be the first time for me. I recently caught the end of an episode that featured the Bradys being adopted into the tribe of an American Indian played by the great Jay Silverheels, better known as Tonto from the Lone Ranger series. As Jay and the Bunch gathered 'round the campfire, I braced myself for a high cheese-content, polyester hippie Hollywood version of a Native American "pagan" ceremony. To my utter surprise, the ceremony was a wonderfully sincere (though brief) invocation of actual Native American/pagan/mystical values. Beginning with greeting all his relations (the animals, plants and ancestors), Silverheels saluted the 4 directions, going on to give each Brady a new Indian name and adopting their tribe into his own, pledging love, hospitality and support. An actual Indian dance in real costumes followed. I was floored - or would have been, had I not already been lying on the bed. In the midst of the plastic, in the artificial Great Outdoors of a soundstage, a flower blooms. Echoes of the Universal reverberate from my TV.

As the San Francisco race for the Board of Supervisors heats up, smear tactics are being employed. Expensively printed flyers and brochures from both SFSOS and the Golden Gate Restaurant Association have landed on my porch in the last few days, clearly targetting incumbent Jake McGoldrick and presenting the other five candidates for his District 1 seat in an "anyone is better than Jake" fashion.

One huge, gorgeously designed 7-page brochure came from SFSOS.org, which describes itself as a "formal, non-partisan coalition...comprised of individuals, not companies or associations." They were sponsoring a candidates debate, which I decided to go to to learn more about who was running. McGoldrick is endorsed by both the Green Party and the Sierra Club, both of which I belong to, but I wanted to me