The Bald Eagles keep visiting the pond, even when the ducks and geese are there. The latter swarm into the middle when the eagles show up. We had snow last night, and extremely slippery roads during drivetime this morning. There was an accident at the top of the hill coming down into the college from the main highway. The driver-in-motion was lucky -- her skidding right-turn collision with a car waiting for the left-turn light probably saved her life, because she would have slid off the road down a 20 plus foot embankment otherwise.

Poet Jim Soular on: 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!

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

In The Community: Every Day Is Veteran's Day is now up in HuffPo's Contagious Festival.
Click on Veteran's Day in the list, or try this link:
Front Line Poetry
(You need FLASH 8 to see the video this month.)

Media Watch: Junque-by-the-yard TV -- The winner of Skating with Celebrities was KRISTY SWANSON and Lloyd Eisler. Jillian Barbarie and John Zimmerman were just too ambitious IMHO, and Jillian crashed again on a solo spinning jump. The judges liked Kristy's passivity too -- but learning to let her experienced partner do all the hard work was the key to their success.
Low Culture to High Culture or is it? -- I took a look at Zatoichi, the Blind Swordsman by Takaishi Kitano from 2003 -- it is a bright, bold addition to the iconic Japanese film series, originally starring actor/director Shintaro Katsu, produced from 1962 to 1973. His television series ran four seasons: 1974, 1976, 1978, and 1979. Shintaro Katsu also made one more Zatoichi flick in 1989. The tap dance at the end of the 2003 movie follows a traditional-looking Bugaku festival dance, but is pure whimsy on the filmmaker's part -- there is a brief preview of tap dancing in a rice field earlier on, ending with a pratfall in the mud.
Zatoichi in Wikipedia


(L) Shintaro Katsu and (R) Takaishi Kitano as Zatoichi.
Edo-period Japan (1620 - 1860) was actually marked by near-pathological social order, replacing the chaotic warfare raging for more than a century among feudal barons (Sengoku Jidai, the age of unnumbered battles). "Samurai Movies" fancifully mix elements of the two periods.

The damn boat is gone again. The Bald Eagles were ignoring it anyway, and we are seeing more geese and ducks migrating through. March came "in like a lamb" this year, and we had a large flock of Robins exploring the college lawns.

Poet Jim Soular's archives on: 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!

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

In The Community: Every Day Is Veteran's Day is now up in HuffPo's Contagious Festival.
Click on Veteran's Day in the list, or try this link:
Front Line Poetry
(You need FLASH 8 to see the video this month.)
You may also go to Huffington Post and follow their links to the festival.
I'm proud to present another poem by Jim Soular to the Reality-based Community.
If you appreciate what he has to say, pass it on!


Photos courtesy of Jim Soular

Media Watch: Junque Deluxe -- Skating with Celebrities should run it's final episode tonight. Are you betting on Jillian or Kristy? Passiveness or agression? Blonde or blonder?
Montana Public Radio played some wonderful African choral music last night -- mostly church music, but unconventional and beautiful in any language.

On the road with George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars:

The WISE Review: Parliament-Funkadelic@9:30 CLUB (2-27-06)
Ohhhhhh, KAY!
First off, I was surprised that there was an opening act. Even more surprised when it turned out to be 2nd-Generation P-Funkers SATIVA and The Clones Of Funk !!! Good Job, George, because Sativa's band (featuring Kendra!! )is tight as hell!!! Their 45-minute set had us salivating for the main course (and YES!! Sativa did bang "Somethin' Stank" and "Get The Fuck Out!" -- George didn't cover here mouth THIS TIME!!!).

After only 15 minutes between acts, P-Funk eased their way on the stage. The Clones also joined in the madness--it turns out that THEY ARE SOME OF THE ROADIES!!! Good work on the discovery, George!!!!

The Funk began with STANDING ON THE VERGE OF GETTING IT ON, and George came onstage just as COSMIC SLOP began. Count 'em:

5 LEAD GUITARS!!! (even if you count Lige Curry's Bass!) The stage rocked. From there--maybe because this IS DC--we were treated to probably Parliament's first -ever, full-blown version of Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers' BUSTIN' LOOSE!!

After that, they broke into some of the material from their new disc. SEXY SIDE OF YOU sounds better LIVE than on disc--trust me! BOUNCE TO THIS--led by KENDRA--thumped with authority. Shamefully, KIM "PEACHES" MANNING had no showcase. Awwwww!

The other real star of the show was GENE "POO-POO MAN" ANDERSON. Always with a smile on his face, having a great time and rousing the audience as only a veteran soul-shouter can. Now, I'm too young to have seen Sam and Dave, or Wilson Picket, or Joe Tex---but Poo-Poo Man is all of them together.

George and Gary both served as Hosts and Ringmasters of this madness. Frankie "Kash" Waddy was in top form---until something happened during (NOT JUST) KNEE DEEP. As usual, we were gifted with BELITA WOODS's SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY, while we were waiting for MICHEAL HAMPTON to tune up. BLACKBYRD McKNIGHT "picked a FIGHT" with Micheal during the solo. The heat was so powerful during that 5 1/2 Minute Axe-War, that Frankie Kash quietly stepped aside and passed the sticks to the drummer from the Clones. (Without missing a single beat!)

The young brother, despite being hot as hell, was literally sweating buckets as he tried to keep up with those two lethal axe-masters!!!

Belita tried to contiune SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY, but was drowned out, as was everybody, until MAGIC MIKE took his solo back!! (effectively--and MUSICALLY--kicking Blackbyrd's ASS!!)

ATOMIC DOG brought out the "dog line", as hot honeys from the crowd crowded the stage!! There was this 280lb. sista icon_eek.gif in a wife-beater T-shirt and booty-jeans who had George, Poo-Poo, P-Nut and Sir Nose all wanting a peice of that!!!

Finally, the THAT 50's FUNK medley. This is where George, Poo-Poo and Peaches all had a showcase. It's also where Gary introduced his "closing COMEDY Routine". After some 6 minutes into the medley, a "frustrated and tired" Gary---now in his street clothes, patrols the stage, and pushes everyone offstage, one at a time. If they DON'T move, he unhooks thier mikes and confiscates them. Then, without saying a word, Gary turns to the crowd and signals "SHOO! GO HOME!! IT'S LATE!! WE GOTTA GET SOME SLEEP!!"

This leaves George, P-Nut and Poo-Poo rockin' the stage. Gary shoos P-Nut off, but has a hard time getting rid of THE BOSS!! So, he confiscates Poo-Poo's mic, causing Gene to run over to George and share his mic. That's when Gary "throws up his hands!". George and Gene--and GARY--rock the medley for another 2 minutes, then shuts down in grand vaudeville style!!!

Man, I LOVED it!!!!

Only drawbacks: NO Maggot Brain, or Dog Star!!! But, with the fun we has last night, it really didn't matter!! Now, if we can just get BOOTSY back in DC!!! And to think, this was the FIRST NIGHT of the tour!!!

The deer disturbed a skunk who was gleaning the bird food on the ground. He gave 'em a shot of skunk-scent and came up on our deck for a minute.The Bald Eagles seem to put up with the neighbor's boat by the pond.

Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton: 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!

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

In The Community: The Hockaday was written up in the NY Times for our Montana Impressionists show -- that and our other exhibits will be ending in two weeks -- get on down to:
Hockaday Museum of Art

Media Watch: Junque TV -- Skating with Celebrities AKA "Battle of the Blondes," followed the Olympics broadcasts. Nobody was going to watch rank amateurism while the real thing was going on anyway. Kristy Swanson and Lloyd Eisler work very well with each other. I think Swanson is a "follower." Jillian Barbarie is an aggressive "leader" type and I think her ambition led to being knocked about, and perhaps knocked down to second in this competition. There's ONE more show, though!
Better TV -- Those Olympic Closing Ceremonies were EXCELLENT! There were some silly moments, like the walking mountains, but those acrobats in the air column were something I'd never seen before.


One of several acrobats who floated in baggy costumes
on a 125 MPH column of air at the finale of the Torino Olympics
Digitized detail of an AP Photo by Paul Chiasson

The Bald Eagles (and some helpful Magpies) were picking on a deer carcass laying in the drainage ditch of a neighbor's driveway below "The F." I wonder if that guy dragged it there? It could have been Coyotes -- this is near the path which our local herd uses to go between the hills and Little Foy's Lake. (See the pictures below.)

Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton: 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!

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

In The Community: Denny Kellogg's lecture about Herman Schnitzmeyer was fairly well-attended for an afternoon lecture about an obscure photographer. There's just one chapbook about him, and a locally-published book with some of his photos in print. Denny has made a life's study of this none-too-successful homesteader who made hundreds of photographs of the developing West in the early 20th Century.
Hockaday Museum of Art

Media Watch: Dancing with the Stars had one singular puzzling moment -- Tony and Stacy Keebler ("Tina Sparkle") came in THIRD. Jerry Rice must be more popular than even I thought. My favorites Drew and Cheryl won the trophy though.
The Olympics could have been better presented -- NBC made repressed ol' Salt Lake City look like a real groove four years ago, but we learned almost nothing about Torino this time. I've been to Italy, and I can tell you that they know how to PARTY there.


(Left) We scared one of the eagles away when we
crept up for a photograph. (Right) The other stayed put for awhile.