Two HUGE Ravens were perched over the library entrance this morning at Flathead Valley Community College -- I hope they weren't an omen for Finals Week!

Modern Dance at: Theater X-Net

Featuring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW! Spitfires of the Spaceways
Watch Dale Arden rescue Flash Gordon for a change!

Charity Alert: Keep that resolution in Springtime too! Click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: The Hockaday Museum of Art is hosting the opening reception for it's 5th Auction of Miniatures. This one's for the artists to meet potential buyers, and for the public to vote for the People's Choice award, which WE buy. The actual auction is on May 19 this year. The Hockaday's Website
(Cross-posted from Daily Kos): Montana's Church & State Symposium in Kalispell is done. We had Dr. Christopher Muste as our final speaker. His job is political science professor in nearby Missoula, but he's a professional poll analyst, and he presented a number of results from the last five to six years concerning American public opinion on Religion.
One thing that came out was that Americans believe almost 2 to 1 that churches and ministers should NOT directly try to influence laws or lawmankers.
Another thing was that they believe 2 to 1 that churches and ministers should speak out about their beliefs.
I say: the difference is subtle, but important.
If you are interested, about 90% of Americans claim to be religious. Dr. Muste's statistics showed that even the biggest US religions only cornered about 20% of the total.
I say: that means every one of them is a minority.
Among the seven speakers we had one blatant jackass (David DeWolf of the Discovery Institute), two zebras, or camouflaged jackasses (Daniel Driesbach & Rob Natleson), two general informants with no special point (Harry Fritz & Chris Muste), and two passionate defenders of the constitution with awe-inspiring credentials -- Marci Hamilton, who was concise and to-the-point, and Peter Irons who could have spoken elequently for another hour about the truly dire consequences of giving in to religious extremists over "Jefferson's Wall."

Welcome to the Blog: Somebody stopped by from England yesterday. (I think they were Blog-hopping.) They stayed long enough to view lovely Angie Brown and her 'Gothic Sisterhood,' but that's about all.


Lisa Schaus is just one of the two dozen artists who have contributed works of art to our Miniatures Auction this year. This is a picture of Lisa by ME, from an event at Flathead Lodge in 2002 beneath a cloud of forest fire smoke that made for very unusual lighting conditions.

No clouds in the "Big Sky" this morning. About a dozen Yellow Headed Blackbirds are visiting us regularly, mixing their screeches in with the sweet songs of the Red Wings.

Modern Dance at: Theater X-Net

Featuring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW! Spitfires of the Spaceways
Watch Dale Arden rescue Flash Gordon for a change!

Charity Alert: Keep that resolution in Springtime too! Click on The Hunger Site every day.

Welcome to the Blog: A surfer from Duluth, Georgia clicked in for a few seconds yesterday, and clicked out on MY PICTURE. Day-um! Why don't 'ya look at all those lissome lasses I post here every week instead?

Media Watch: There was a report on NPR this morning about "Hip Replacements." I know we all get less hip as we get older -- I don't own a cell phone or an Ipod. I take my digital photos with a CAMERA, and use a MAP to locate myself geographically. I usually can't name the latest Country singer under their latest hat. I can't tell Faith Hill's cleavage apart from Shania Twain's, except for the color of their hairstyles. (The video cuts are so fast I never catch a look at their faces.) I can't name ANY of the Pussycat Dolls, but I bet their manager has a hard time too. I spell Eminem like candy, and wonder how you can Get Rich or Die Trying with only 50 Cents. I thought the biggest-selling video game right now was Lord of the Rings, but it turned out I was watching a movie instead of sitting behind a a kid pretending to be in Middle Earth -- sure fooled me. I even thought that Goths were BARBARIANS rather than BOHEMIANS. When I further researched replacing my hipness, it turned out that they were talking about my HIP -- operating on my upper Femur or coating my Pelvic socket with Titanium. I guess it was time to visit one of those Espesso shops NPR was talking about in another story and wake up -- the Coffee Garden I patronized in Salt Lake City, Utah was FULL of Goths -- the modern kind.



My own Gothic Construction -- Amalgamated images of Chartres Cathedral (background), the number one so-called Gothic edifice, built by French people in the Middle Ages. A modern Gothic Madonna (center), a modern Gothic Madam (right), and a friend from Salt Lake -- photographer/editor Angela Brown (left) as a modern Gothic Belly Dancer. The ORIGINAL Goths were indirect ancestors of mine who collaborated in the dismantling of the Roman Empire between 360 and 560 A.D. in Southern Europe, and helped populate Scandanavia with rampaging, thieving Vikings in the North.

It's a typical early Spring day in Northwestern Montana -- not too warm, but sunny and beautiful, with a classic "Big Sky" above us. The Swallows have migrated back to their fence-top houses in our neighborhood, but I've given up on seeing Bluebirds there this year.

Modern Dance at: Theater X-Net

Featuring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW! Spitfires of the Spaceways
Watch Dale Arden rescue Flash Gordon for a change!

Charity Alert: Keep that resolution in Springtime too! Click on The Hunger Site every day.

Welcome to the Blog: A surfer rode in from Addison, Texas on April 22, looking for Ming Foy -- Damn if I know what THAT means, but they stuck around for six minutes, reading about the Spitfires, I guess, and left via Michael's Montana Archives.

Media Watch: GAWD! I never thought I'd ever see THIS on television, or anywhere else for that matter! The Forbidden Zone (1980), a film by The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. They were a great bunch of guys who I met in Los Angeles when my dance company was playing at the Santa Monica Playhouse on West Pico Boulevard in 1975. The only 'Boingo' I met more than once became very famous during the 80's -- his name was Danny Elfman, and his brother Richard was co-leader of the group.
It makes me sad to say it, but Forbidden Zone has too many images of cruelty, violence, obsession, and rape to be funny. There's a lot of talent in the cast, but I wouldn't recommend this flick to anyone. Their stage shows were GREAT, and they made their mark later in the decade as Oingo Boingo the rock group. This derivative effort neither reveals the quality of their actual body of work, nor the good spirits they raised in their audiences.


Hooded Oingo Boingo musicians schlep along behind Danny Elfman playing Satan in his 'Cab Calloway' costume. Gisele Lindley plays her daring, but ultimately thankless, role of Princess in the lame-assed cult film Forbidden Zone. Theater master Jacques LeCoq's famous graduates Brian Routh and Martin von Haselberg appeared as The Kipper Kids.

Cold rather than warm today -- mixed snow and rain, depending where you are. We had snow on the "F" slope above us, but our deck was dry. The damn wind sure made flower-planting difficult yesterday.

Modern Dance at: Theater X-Net

Featuring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW! Spitfires of the Spaceways
Watch Dale Arden rescue Flash Gordon for a change!

Charity Alert: Keep that resolution in Springtime too! Click on The Hunger Site every day.

Welcome to the Blog: I subscribed to Sitemeter, and it's interesting to see who visits here and why. Someone from Albany, Oregon surfed in from Yahoo yesterday, looking for references to founding Mime Troup dancer Patsy Droubay -- they found THIS PAGE, which happened to be the starting point for my Theater X-Net project, where they can read more about Patsy. Another person visited TWICE from Jackson, Mississippi -- they wanted to read about Ashley Del Grosso, two-time professional partner on Dancing With The Stars. (I wonder if it was Master P or one of his relatives?) Well, they got a LOT MORE than that -- especially quotes from Tove Jansson. One more surfer of note was looking in from Grand Junction, Colorado for the reception for the family of Winold Reiss and the opening of his show at the Hockaday Museum of Art last year. They stuck around to read about Ray Bradbury too.

Media Watch: Mystery on PBS ran a sleazy British cop show supposedly set in the 50's or early 60's. Some of the clothes, cars, and Vespas were convincing, but the brash characters were all from RIGHT NOW. In those days, a dense and deadly politeness ruled British society that was satirized in Ionesco's Bald Soprano, and ignored in this Granada TV drama.


Diana Dors was a famous British "Blonde Bombshell," ala' Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe, during the late 1950's and pre-Beatles 60's. Like those other two entertainers, the reward for her sensuality, generosity, and courage was a dreadful private life.

Damn near SNOWED yesterday -- cold wind and rain blew in before dawn. We saw a Bald Eagle being harrassed by a Red-Tailed Hawk over Little Foy's Lake -- the big bird turned over in flight and struck at it's assailant.

Modern Dance at: Theater X-Net

Featuring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW! Spitfires of the Spaceways
Watch Dale Arden rescue Flash Gordon for a change!

Charity Alert: Keep that resolution in Springtime too! Click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: (Cross-posted from DailyKos) Retired colonel runs as Montana Democrat -- Scott Wheeler, retired professor from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has launched his website as part of his campaign for Montana House of Representitives (District 6): Scott Wheeler for Montana State Legislature
Yeah, I put the site together, instead of doing HuffPo's Contagious Festival last month. There's some upcoming graphics that'll change the look a little, but Scott's info will remain the same!
The folks in west Whitefish, NW Flathead County, and the scattered logging communities up to and including Olney will have somebody with a SPINE and a BRAIN atop it to represent them for a change.

Media Watch: Arianna Huffington wrote this today on Huffington Post: The honor of being included among Time's 100 of "the world's most influential people" doesn't belong to me. It belongs squarely to the Huffington Post community -- our talented team, our amazing stable of bloggers (over 700 strong), our advertisers, and our readers whose clicks and comments have been the lifeblood of HuffPost, and fueled whatever success and influence we may have enjoyed. Time's recognition is really a tribute to the influence of the blogosphere, which has leveled the playing field between the media haves and the media have - only - a - laptop - and - an - Internet - connection crowd. In the process, it has become a vital source of news and opinion -- forever altering and democratizing the way we gather, process, and share information.
That includes me, so she says -- check out MY contributions to HuffPo:
Gold Star Mother
Not A Day Goes By (Flash 8 required)
Both are videos of poems by FVCC's Jim Soular, a Viet Nam veteran.


Mistress Philomena and Kinko the Clown
Founders of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
Theater/Theatre: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Summer Tour (mostly eastern United States) Thirst for excitement? Dying for a night at the Cirkus? Yearning for an ice cold beer? Well, you're in luck! This summer the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and Magic Hat Brewing Company team up to satisfy all your thirsts! Coming to over 35 cities, form Maine to North Carolina, the long awaited Bindlestiff Family Circus East Coat Tour hits the road in June, July and August. To celebrate the launch of the Magic Hat Summer Variety Show 12 Pack, The Bindlestiffs will be rolling into a town near you with a classic variety show that promises something for everyone: circus, sideshow, vaudeville and burlesque presented in unique Bindlestiff style. Don't settle for any pale imitations! The cast features an All-star lineup of founding members of America's best travelling variety show--Scotty the Blue Bunny, David Didd, Philomena and Mr. Pennygaff, joined by Aussie circus sensation Dizzy Lizzie, Sxip Shirey, and other surprises! Stay tuned for more details. Coming to a Town near you! Tentative Tour Dates

Bring the Cirkus to your town!
We are seeking venues to host the 2006 Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Summer Tour. We are looking for venues that are Cirkus friendly and ready to serve pints and bottles of Magic Hat Beer. The larger the stage the grander the show. For booking details email stephanie@bindlestiff.org

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus on DVD coming soon. For over ten years the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has been presenting its unique blend of Circus, Sideshow, Vaudeville, and Burlesque and you will soon be able to take the Cirkus home with you. Produced by Alan Plotkin this documentary highlights the travels, trials and evolution of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. DVD will be available at the end of May. New York City screening at Coney Island September 16, 2006