When it's sunny it's COLD, when it's gray, it's warmer, but still cold. The Deer don't seem to know if it's day or night -- they only have eyes for food.

Footbarn's Celebration of Theatre: Theater X-Net

Starring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Ida's Places in Paris -- from my first jet-lagged day by the Seine.
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: Make a resolution as the days get brighter to click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: We had an interesting turn-out for the "opening" of the Travelling Medicine Trunk Show last Friday night. Native American cultures are complex and deep. The Blackfeet artists had many stories to tell, and our docents will have their hands full explaining their artwork and artifacts. We got it all on videotape, for a start, thanks to Ken and Marita Combs. Hockaday Museum of Art

Media Watch: NFL Football -- The Superbowl is between Indianapolis and Chicago. BOTH teams have African-American head coaches. The "old boy" club, meaning "whites only" in management, is fading into the past. Good riddance.
BET re-ran a tribute to Aretha Franklin last night -- all sorts of good singing in honor of the Queen of Soul: Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Ronald Isley, Yolanda Adams (EX - cellent!), and a talented young English lady named Joss Stone. She looks better as a brunette, and has a refreshingly direct way of singing a song. Ms. Franklin was sitting dead-center in the low balcony. Don't try any foolish tricks in front of the First Lady, as George Clinton once named her!
Book TV showed Alan Dershowitz and Jimmy Carter at Brandeis University -- kind of a "He said -- He said" thing over the issues between Palestinians and Israelis. They separately spoke and answered questions for an hour or so each. Carter was fairly calm, Dershowitz wasn't. Nobody has all the answers, but Dershowitz's rage and fear exemplified the deadly problems there, rather than providing any guidance towards potential solutions.
CSPAN also covered the 2007 March Against the Iraq War on Saturday -- I stumbled on the end of the live coverage around 2pm EST. There were a helluva lot of people there! I saw all sorts of signs and animated puppets -- like the "Backbone," and a white dove getting ready to spread it's wings on Constitution Ave. When the speeches were over, an interesting rap artist entertained the departing crowd, introduced by the mother of a slain US soldier. His poem used the refrain "Blood On Our Hands."
The disorganization of the scene, as far as making a "show" went, was alright with me -- I think the march itself deserved the most attention. I'm going to see if there were any cameras along the route during the re-runs, and will watch out for the effect public demonstrations may or may not have nowadays. Gateway to various witnesses HERE.
I know I was moved -- I'm also still impressed by seeing live events from 3000 miles away.

Fight The Power!


Car Stereo Heaven -- I have been enjoying a collection of obscure singles and B-sides by the Isley Brothers from Scepter/Wand Records about 1962-63 -- Nobody But Me is definitely my favorite, but there are other tunes like The Snake, Never Leave Me Baby, Twist & Shout, Twisting with Linda, et al, which are FUNKY to the MAX! Pictured above are: (Clockwise from Left) Isley Brother-in-law Chris Jasper, O'Kelly Isley Junior, Marvin Isley, Rudolph Isley, Ernie Isley, and lead singer Ronald Isley from a decade later.