Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Sidewalk Astronomy - Takin' it to the streets

onight, for the second time in as many weeks, I took my telescope to the new local bikepath / walkway and set it up for random passersby to have a free look at the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. I've been a member of the Sidewalk Astronomers for several years now, and this is what we do.

The group was founded by John Dobson back in the late 1960s in San Francisco. Some young friends he had got interested in astronomy were turned away from a local astronomy group because they were "too young" to join, so they founded their own, and "sidewalk astronomy" was born. I met John several years ago at a series of cosmology lectures he was giving. The following year I took his telescope making class. Since then, I've been active on-and-off with the group; mostly off in the last few years.

Then a funny thing happened in March: I received a phone call from the head librarian of the El Sereno Public Library. At their request, I had taken my telescope there years before and set it up for the children to look through. The program director, Mrs. Ali, was now calling me to bring my telescope back. We agreed to a Wed. in April for me to return, from 6 - 8pm. I lugged my telescope equipment out to the car and made the hour-long drive to the library. I had a good time and the children there were very appreciative. In the 2 hours I was there, 40 or 50 people looked through my telescope.

One thing that always seemed an obstacle to children and adults alike was that they all appeared intimidated by my telescope. It is a large, expensive-looking piece of hardware with odd angles and a massive tripod support that was difficult for people to maneuver around. I wanted to do this sort of thing again, so I bought another telescope, identical in size/power, but a much simpler design.

A week later, out of the blue, I received an email asking for volunteers to go to a high school in Lakewood and set up for the students there. They expected 300+ students to attend. I agreed to go, taking my new, lighter, more portable telescope for the 90 minute drive to the school. The telescope saw "first light" the night before from my front yard, where I gave my new neighbor and his son a mini-tour of the sky. They were thrilled. The program at the school went off without a hitch and the different mount/design, (called a "Dobsonian" after John Dobson who came up with this design) made it much more "people friendly".

While at the school, I ran into an old friend who is also a member of the Sidewalk Astronomers. He asked me if I'd help him the following night at a "language school" in downtown Los Angeles. We rode there together in his truck and caught up on old times during our trek. When we arrived, I asked him how he'd found the school. They called him out of the blue 5 years before. It turns out that my friend had graduated from that very school over 40 years before. He goes there 2 or 3 times a year with his telescope and has become an inspiration to the students, since he came to America, not speaking the language, and has gone on to work with NASA.

Since purchasing this new scope, I've made a committment to myself to take it to the Chandler Bikeway in Burbank every Wednesday night during the warmer months. People there are hesitant at first, but next thing I know, I'm surrounded by a small mob of enthusiastic, excited people with lots of questions about the stars and planets. A common occurence is people rushing home to grab their kids and bring them back to have a look. Interestingly, when I used to do this with a friend in front of the local movie mega-plex on the weekends, we often heard the questions: "What's the catch? Why are you doing this? What's in it for you?" The person asking could never understand that someone would do this for free. Out on the Chandler Bikeway, not one person has asked that. They don't even question my presence; they are just grateful for the opportunity I provide. There is none of the cynicism we encountered at the mega-plex, though I do hear: "You do this for free, on your own time? That is so cool! Thank you!"

The bikeway is currently 2 miles long, though it is being expanded. I want to set the telescope up at different residential intersections of the bikeway each week, since I know that not everyone walks the full length of the path. When I first came up with this plan, I was worried about having problems with the police. To minimize any problems, I set up the scope at the quieter intersections and set up off the main path in the common area near rest benches. The police have come by both nights and I haven't had any problems. So far, both times, fun was had by all. And I look forward to setting up my telescope again next Wednesday.

Brit Fries US Senators in Oil





From the show Hardball

Chris Matthews: "George Galloway is a member of the British Parliament whom Senator Norman Coleman has just accused of improperly benefiting from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Your response sir..."

George Galloway:
"Well to be accused of 'lack of moral character' by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) is a bit like being told to 'sit up straight' by the Hunchback of Notre Dame..."



This follows Galloway's appearance before members of the Senate yesterday (05/17/05), defending himself against accusations that he profited from the scandal-ridden U.N. Oil-for-Food program. Galloway, a member of the British Parliament, is probably not used to the U.S.'s method of couching their speech. He spoke bluntly, yet eloquently.
You can see an excerpt of his appearance before the Senate, here. And you can see some of Coleman's and Galloway's appearance on Hardball, here.

Here is a key part of the transcript of Galloway's closing statement before the Senate Select Committee:




"Now, Senator, I gave my heart and soul to oppose the policy that you promoted. I gave my political life's blood to try to stop the mass killing of Iraqis by the sanctions on Iraq which killed one million Iraqis, most of them children, most of them died before they even knew that they were Iraqis, but they died for no other reason other than that they were Iraqis with the misfortune to born at that time. I gave my heart and soul to stop you committing the disaster that you did commit in invading Iraq. And I told the world that your case for the war was a pack of lies.


"I told the world that Iraq, contrary to your claims did not have weapons of mass destruction. I told the world, contrary to your claims, that Iraq had no connection to al-Qaeda. I told the world, contrary to your claims, that Iraq had no connection to the atrocity on 9/11 2001. I told the world, contrary to your claims, that the Iraqi people would resist a British and American invasion of their country and that the fall of Baghdad would not be the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning.


"Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 people paid with their lives; 1600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies.


If the world had listened to Kofi Annan, whose dismissal you demanded, if the world had listened to President Chirac who you want to paint as some kind of corrupt traitor, if the world had listened to me and the anti-war movement in Britain, we would not be in the disaster that we are in today. Senator, this is the mother of all smokescreens. You are trying to divert attention from the crimes that you supported, from the theft of billions of dollars of Iraq's wealth.


"Have a look at the real Oil-for-Food scandal. Have a look at the 14 months you were in charge of Baghdad, the first 14 months when $8.8 billion of Iraq's wealth went missing on your watch. Have a look at Haliburton and other American corporations that stole not only Iraq's money, but the money of the American taxpayer.


"Have a look at the oil that you didn't even meter, that you were shipping out of the country and selling, the proceeds of which went who knows where? Have a look at the $800 million you gave to American military commanders to hand out around the country without even counting it or weighing it.


"Have a look at the real scandal breaking in the newspapers today, revealed in the earlier testimony in this committee. That the biggest sanctions busters were not me or Russian politicians or French politicians. The real sanctions busters were your own companies with the connivance of your own Government."



The full transcript of Galloway's appearance before the Senate Select Committe can be found on the Times of London website.

"So Go Find Her..." L.A. Music Scene

There are those who would deride Los Angeles, claiming that it lacks culture. I say that they don't know where to look. The music scene is flourishing here, as evidenced by the experiences we had last night.

We began the evening at The Gig on Melrose with a performance by indie queen, Kat Parsons. It was another of her astounding shows. She was the opening act for Music Connection Magazine's Showcase Night, and was well received by the crowd of her loyal fans and the music industry insiders in attendance.

Kat had just finished a triumphant Release Party Tour promoting her CD No Will Power. She often does solo gigs, but last night she was accompanied by a full band, including talented cellist (and veteran actor) Dermot Mulroney. Kat is a multi-talented musician who is as adept at guitar as she is on keyboards. She opened her set standing behind the mic with the bright, upbeat title cut No Will Power and then took over keyboard duty. Through out the set she alternated between keyboard and guitar, with the band in full compliment. One exception was her sultry a cappella cover of Someone To Watch Over Me.

Her set included, among others, the soul-searing Go Find Her and the monumental U2-esque To Return To You. Unfortunately, it was a "showcase" night, only affording Kat a short set to show off her musical talents, which are many. She has an astounding vocal range that is equally suited to pop-driven melodies, torch songs and powerful ballads. Her sets are infused with her wit, charm and quirky, often comedic intros to her songs; she has a great rapport with her audience. Kat is a real talent that you should check out when she comes to a club near you. See her website for upcoming dates.

We left there and drove across town to one of our favorite eateries, Amalfi Ristorante. We went there with the plan of having a late dinner (9pm) from their incredible menu of Italian cuisine. When we walked in the door, we bumped into the beautiful, talented Sally Jaye of Paper-Sun, who proceeded to quickly lead us upstairs to the Room 5 Lounge where she promptly put us on her guest list. We grabbed a table in the darkened lounge, ordering off the menu by candle light. By the time we arrived, Emile Milar had already taken the stage and was filling the crowded room with his songs. Every night is different and one never knows what they'll find at Room 5. Emile and his band were quite good and a great musical appetizer for what was to come.

Dinner arrived, and with it, the next band. For my dining pleasure I chose the delicious Pesto e Pollo pizza from Amalfi's kitchen. For our aural pleasure, we were fortunate enough to be treated to the music of C. Duck and Nate. They were a 3-piece band featuring C. Duck Anderson and Nate Richert, accompanied by the lanky, stoic, and barefoot (while onstage) Michael Starr on fiddle. Their set started with C. Duck on guitar and handling lead vocals, while Nate played banjo and took care of the backing vocals. Throughout their set, C. Duck and Nate would take turns playing banjo and taking lead vocal duties. C. Duck has a voice that is eerily reminiscient of Lyle Lovett. Nate, for his part has a weary-sounding voice, like a lonesome wind that has been drifting across the plains since the beginning of time, picking up wisdom and stories along the way. Their voices and harmonies are perfectly suited to their music.

Their style of music would equally fit in with the talented musicians found on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, yet some of their songs sounded like something you'd expect from the Civil War era. It was a great set of music, and not something I expected to hear at Room 5.

The last set of the evening was Sally Jaye's (remember her from 3 paragraph's up?) new band, the name of which I never caught. All I can say is WOW! Sally has an angelic voice, which was beautifully backed by the haunting voice of Irish chanteuse Naimee Coleman. Unfortunately, Sally & Co. hit the stage after 11pm and some in our group had to be up at 4am, so we only stayed for the first 3 songs. Sally Jaye is a frequent performer at Room 5, so I know we'll be seeing her again. One of the things I truly enjoy about Room 5 is that many of the musicians there know one another, and often sit in with their friends on stage. From what I've experienced, no one has an ego problem; everyone is willing to take a back seat to their friends and help them out with their gigs. It is a great music scene for up n' coming performers. All-in-all, last night was a great night of music, food and the company of good friends.

Monday, May 16, 2005

Ground control to Major Tom

An otherwise dreary-looking day was brightened by two events:
1) Seeing a decent movie ("Unleashed" with Jet Li)
and
2) The odd, dramatic sight of several old bombers rumbling through the skies overhead. They were part of an airshow held over the weekend, and they are most likely returning home.

The local air traffic at this time of day is usually heavy, with jets pouring out of the airport once every 4 or 5 minutes. Today, though, the appearance of the bombers seems to have shut down air traffic as they flew out of town. They stayed relatively low to the ground (compared to the passenger jets), causing the air to vibrate with a heavy bass sound from their 4 prop engines. They flew out individually, with some of their overhead passes triggering car alarms. It was a pretty astounding sight.

Today's paper noted that there were both B-17s and B-25s at the airshow. I saw both of these pieces of history sail past. The B-17 was a beautiful site with its 4 prop engines, and the twin tail rudder of the B-25 was a dead giveaway as to its identity. Just a spectacular sight; big, thundering, airborne toys for boys.

From out of the ether, from non-existence, existence.