Tricksy, Tricksy Police

I caught this story on the radio. 

Cops have a duty to inform you if they (purposely or incidentally) kill members of your family, but what they do these days is turn that visit into an informal interrogation, not because they are chatty and it's a nice day, but in order to learn from you the best ways to bolster their own wrongful-death lawsuit defenses.  When cops come to your house first ask them why they are there, and then remain as SILENT as possible! Reveal nothing:

Bruce Praet is a well-known name in law enforcement, especially across California. He co-founded a company called Lexipol that contracts with more than 95 percent of police departments in the state and offers its clients trainings and ready-made policies.

In one of Praet’s training webinars, posted online, he offers a piece of advice that policing experts have called inhumane. It’s aimed at protecting officers and their departments from lawsuits.

After police kill someone, they are supposed to notify the family. Praet advises officers to use that interaction as an opportunity. Instead of delivering the news of the death immediately, he suggests first asking about the person who was killed to get as much information as possible. 

Reporter Brian Howey started looking into this advice when he was with the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. He found that officers have been using this tactic across California, and the information families disclosed before they knew their relative was killed affected their lawsuits later. In this hour, Howey interviews families that have been on the receiving end of this controversial policing tactic, explaining their experience and the lasting impact.

The Late Ken Sanchez Honored

A plaque was unveiled in Albuquerque celebrating the life and career of former city council member Ken Sanchez. Nice. Strangely enough, we went to high school together, but our paths rarely crossed. We had different politics.  We did do a conga line dance together at the West Mesa High School 40th reunion in 2014, though. What I'd like to know is why he passed away. After all, we are classmates, and it bothers me when my classmates just keel over.

Traffic Accident on Fair Oaks Blvd. - May 5, 2024

“Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?” Dubya’s thought crossed my mind last week when I was passed quickly on the freeway, on the shoulder on the right, by a car emblazoned with the slogan: “Be patient: student driver.” 

No worries, I’m patient, but - is our children too impatient? 

Sunday evening, I was driving north on Fair Oaks Blvd. in Carmichael, at the sharp turn just south of Marconi Ave., when I heard (and saw in my rear view mirror) the car in the left lane sideswipe the car in the right lane (and apparently bumping into a traffic island in the process). At first, given the noise, I thought I was involved in the collision, but apparently not.  I pulled over, as a witness. 

No one was hurt, even though both vehicles were full of people. Phone numbers and insurance info were exchanged. The sideswiped vehicle was still drivable, but not the sideswiper vehicle. 

I talked briefly to the young driver of the sideswiper vehicle. The young driver didn’t have a driver’s license, but instead had a driver’s permit - a new driver. He explained that he didn't see the traffic island and that he was in a hurry. You could hear the urgency in his voice. I’m sure he had to go somewhere. And he was going nowhere. He seemed honest, entitled, and bewildered that he couldn't get what he wanted.

(According to the driver of the sideswiped vehicle, the young driver had tried to cut him off and couldn’t even keep his vehicle in his own lane before even reaching the sharp turn.) 

There are various sharp limitations on the ages and number of people who may be driven by someone with a driver’s permit. The young driver had three or four other people about his own age in his vehicle. Every single limitation in the law appears to have been broken here. 

Is our children too impatient?

Walking with Jasper and Joe the Plumber

Usually Joe the Plumber comes to my neighborhood to walk with Jasper and myself, but given the fact that his vehicle guzzles gas, he invited me to come to his neighborhood instead.  These days, he lives near the American River Parkway.  

Jasper was totally amazed!  Lots of big geese.  Quail and rabbits.  Plus other dogs, of course.  A dog's dream!

Joe doesn't like being photographed.  I got this photo entirely by accident.  I've known him for 24 years.  This is the only photo I have of his face.

William B. Pond pond.

Bridge over the American River, looking northeast towards Gothe Park.

Bridge over the American River, looking southwest.

"Damn Yankees" - Woodland Opera House - May 4, 2024

On Saturday, Rachel and I went up to see the Woodland folks do "Damn Yankees" (I did the show myself at DMTC in 2004).  It was fun seeing seeing old friends in the roles (Nathan Lacy as Joe Boyd; Rick Eldredge as Mr. Applegate; Jeff Nauer as Van Buren; Erik Catalan as Eddie; Scott Griffith as Bouley, Omar Ernesto Huerta as Smokey; Jackie Smith-Induni and Alexis Velasquez in the Women's Ensemble) plus new folks too. (I might know Ryan Gordon-Morgan as Rocky - I knew Ryan Gordon in the 90s - plus I know Tomas Eredia as Henry - we are at odds right now, however.)

Erin McGoldrick was great as Lola, and Rich Eldredge was great as Mr. Applegate.

During intermission, I was approached by a man who thought he recognized me.  It was Trevor Hoffman, the Boy Wonder of 2008 at DMTC!  I thought he had vanished, but he had relocated apparently to the Greater Bay Area.  These days he's a major presence at Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma.

Good times!

Jasper's Birthday - April 29th

OK, Jasper, you win, no little hat today, on the occasion of your sixth birthday.

"The Beast"

I headed to the Tower Theater on May 3rd to see "The Beast": a French/Canadian project. 

The film basically follows the same couple over three distinct periods: Belle Epoque France (basically Paris) in 1910, Los Angeles in 2014, and Paris in 2044. The stories are interesting, with several common themes: the presence of dolls, the presence of pools of water, and a spiritual adviser.

The Beast (French: La Bête) is a 2023 science fiction romantic drama film directed and written by Bertrand Bonello from a story he co-wrote with Guillaume Bréaud and Benjamin Charbit, and loosely based on Henry James's 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle. It stars Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, with Guslagie Malanda and Dasha Nekrasova in supporting roles. 

It is a co-production between France and Canada. The film is produced by Les Films du Bélier and Bonello's My New Picture in collaboration with Arte France Cinéma, AMI Paris, and Xavier Dolan and Nancy Grant's Sons of Manual. The project was announced in 2021 and principal photography took place in Paris and Los Angeles between August and October 2022.

Léa Seydoux is a good actress, but I was wowed more by George MacKay. He has a monologue as an insecure, well-dressed American incel that is so over the top that people laughed. It was great!  Apparently he's British and learned French for the role.  Amazing!

The California scenes are both menacing and absurd. Just right, in my opinion.

I suspect the movie works better for French audiences.  The 2044 world features three nightclubs meant to evoke nostalgia for specific years: 1980, 1972, and 1963.  The 1980 club is familiar, but the music in the 1972 club must be what was popular in France in 1972, not the U.S., and so was unfamiliar.  The 1963 world might as well have been a different planet.  It's a demonstration how the world of pop music became internationalized towards the end of the 20th Century.

See the film if you can!

 

Shopping Affirmation of the Day

You’re good enough, tough enough, and come in several varieties.

Theater Dream

Theater dream. I dreamt I was in a courtroom in a musical. I resembled Mel Brooks dressed as the King of France in "The History of the World - Part 1." 

Action slowly ground to a halt. Apparently I was supposed to start the singing - so the hushed voices in the wings muttered - but I didn’t know the cue because this was the first time I ever had this dream and didn’t know any of the songs. So things just kept getting more and more awkward until I woke up.

 

Ukraine War Drone Footage - May 5, 2024

Mesmerizing, and high-quality footage:

 

Don't Worry Toto, We're Not in South Dakota

April 27th Train Derailment at AZ-NM Border

From Reddit:

trucker video of train derailment. veer left!
byu/WillingnessOk3081 inTruckers

All that propane and gasoline!

Report Cards are a Dumb Metric

The American Lung Association (ALA) is like Mommie Dearest - beating the Sacramento area with a wire hanger despite our diligent efforts hanging clothes up. 

Apparently our air pollution levels are among the worst in the country. Regarding ozone, the Sac Metro area placed 7th-worst in the country for 2024. Still, 20 years ago, in 2004, the area placed 11th, despite ozone levels being notably worse than they are today. 

The paradox is that as pollution levels decline, the areas that have geographic impediments to improvement (as every city in California does) will stand out for their slow progress. 9(Particle levels have recently reemerged as a problem, which could be addressed if we can somehow stop burning down forests every other year next to the city limits.) 

Report cards are a dumb metric. 

Here are the top 10 most polluted metropolitan areas in the United States in terms of ozone, according to the American Lung Association: 

Los Angeles-Long Beach

Visalia 

Bakersfield 

Fresno-Madera-Hanford 

Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona 

Denver-Aurora, Colorado 

Sacramento-Roseville 

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 

Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, Utah 

Houston-The Woodlands, Texas

This is How Republics Die

The Supreme Court may decide that Donald Trump has immunity - impunity - for his criminal actions as President. The fact that this matter is even in question signals the death of the American political experiment, and the likelihood that we will all suffer much violence and death in the immediate future.

@jamellebouie #stitch with @Newsweek ♬ original sound - b-boy bouiebaisse

Chicken Dog

I didn't have the heart to fully-read the story of how South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem put down her dog Cricket. It reminded me too much of an event in my childhood. 

One morning in Corrales, NM, in 1967, about 7 a.m., we all awoke to blood-curdling screams just outside my parent's bedroom window. Expecting the absolute worst, we discovered that our new dog, Ranger, had captured and was happily defoliating a bald, screaming chicken of all its feathers. We were aghast. The chicken soon died. 

In semi-rural Corrales, in those days, animals were still given free rein, and often kept outside at night. Bored dogs frequently roamed where they pleased. 

Having grown up in a rural household in the Depression, my father knew the iron rule of poor, rural life. Chicken-hunting dogs cannot be permitted to live. Rural families depended on their chickens and it was a hardship to lose them. To remain a member in good standing in the community, the dog had to go. 

I felt horrible. This was the Sixties, we had astronauts in space, but suddenly, before the sun had even fully-risen, we were back in medieval days, where animals were routinely beaten and life was very, very cheap. I don't know if Ranger was put down, or given away, but he was quickly removed - forever - from our lives. 

Someone like Kristi Noem, the kind of person who becomes a governor, doesn't live in the same universe as poor rural folks. Life is comfortable. These folks have enough resources to keep horses and if they lose a chicken it's not a hardship. Horses are more for dressage than plowing. 

For such a person to celebrate killing a dog (and dogs worship people) indicates either they esteem the worst of the bad old days too much, or that they are a psychopath; the kind of person that either enjoys the cruelty or feels nothing at all. Either way, such a person has no business being in high political office. It's just a very small step to delight in killing people.

Table Experiment

Table 10 - All-Seeing Eye (God's Vision)

Series Episode Scene

"Breaking Bad" And the Bag's in the River Krazy-8's 'Ojo de Dios' in his car (Dreamcatcher)

Cancer Man, Gray Matter, End Times, Hazard Pay, Fifty-One Native-American all-seeing eye symbols on White family's couch cover and dining-counter chairs

Cancer Man Reptile-like eye of beach ball in White back yard

Caballo sin Nombre Disk in Flynn's room

ABQ, No Más, Caballo sin Nombre, Box Cutter Roaming Teddy Bear's Eye

Half Measures Hanging from rear view mirror of one of Wendy's johns in Wendy's Alley

Half Measures, Buried, Confessions Couch cover in White living room

Full Measure Short rug on TV tray in Gale's apartment

Bullet Points, End Times Quilt on White family's couch

Hermanos, Crawl Space Casa Tranquila chairs

Hermanos Flynn's T-Shirt - I'm reminded of the humanist Argentine cult Silo's Message

Hermanos, Salud, Crawl Space, Face Off Don Eladio's amulet

Say My Name DEA Projector

Gliding Over All Candle holder at White's home

Gliding Over All, Blood Money Native American all-seeing eye symbols on Jesse's couch blanket

Blood Money Saul's customer's T-Shirt

Confessions Interrogation room camera lens

Rabid Dog Staycation hotel rug pattern

Granite State Cabin chair back

Felina Clubhouse poster that gets shot up

"Better Call Saul" Uno, Bingo, Cobbler, Amarillo,  Inflatable, Lantern HHM Conference Room - Behind head of table

Alpine Shepherd Boy On wall beside entrance to Ricky Sipes' estate; Neighborhood Watch sign; Nail Salon Dreamcatcher

Cobbler Rug with eyes in Cliff Mains' office

Amarillo, Inflatable Eyes in Navajo-like carpet in Jimmy's Davis & Main office

Bali Ha'i Peacock feathers at Forque Restaurant

Mabel Jimmy's tie as he confronts angry Air Force Captain

Sabrosito, Something Unforgivable Don Eladio's amulet

Smoke, Bad Choice Road, Rock and Hard Place, and others Kim's couch, blanket, and pillows with diamond "eyes"

Quite A Ride Image of balloon at CC Mobile

Winner Dreamcatcher in Jimmy's bedroom

Something Unforgivable Rug and bedspread in Hotel Andaluz room

Wine and Roses Hanging with eyes on wall at ABQ Country Club

Hit and Run Eight-sided "Ojo de Dios" on Gus' neighbors' basement wall

Waterworks The profile of the entire airport terminal, with its stepped-Earth roofline, and Pueblo Deco Arches above front doorways, becomes a giant eye; Rug on wall of Cheryl's dining area, plus shape of the chandelier there

Anna Gunn Senses a Shift in the Zeitgeist

About time!:

Audiences are apparently beginning to view Skyler White, the character played by Anna Gunn on the hit AMC series "Breaking Bad," in a new light, thanks to the "seismic" cultural changes that have happened in the more than a decade since the show's finale.

Gunn, who nabbed two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Skyler, the wife of Brian Cranston's Walter White, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the misogyny her character faced from much of the show's fanbase.

The actor cited a 2013 op-ed that she authored for The New York Times, in which she delved into the "vitriolic response" Skyler garnered as the effective antagonist to Walter. While Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter that her decision to look into the discourse surrounding Skyler "was probably a mistake," she acknowledged that it "led to a great deal of soul searching and me thinking, 'Well, is it me?'"

"I really just had to go through that ring of fire, for lack of a better phrase, to understand that a lot of it was, frankly, misogynistic," Gunn added. "A lot of it was the way that female characters were treated, and I think we've come a long way since then. If I may call them my sisters, I'm really proud of all the actresses who've spoken up and continued to pave the way and created their own antihero characters for themselves." 

Spring Means Haircut Time!

At Anthony’s dog grooming shop.

What You Did To These, You Did To Me

Puppet Show - The Stage at Burke Junction - April 20, 2024

Rachel suggested seeing a children's puppet show Saturday morning at The Stage at Burke Junction in Cameron Park, in Eldorado County, featuring the work of puppeteer Elizabeth Leonard and company.

Twinkles the Clown.

A witch with a plan.

Time to get the honey.

The witch offers an egg in exchange for the honey.

Various troubles ensue.

A tale (not surprisingly, from Australia) about the various adventures of Super Kangaroo.

Super Kangaroo!

Bows for the puppeteers!

Time for the Pet Parade!

Weird Stuff in the Street

Weird stuff ends up on the street in my neighborhood. It's like we're in a remake of "The Time Machine," where random stuff from Sacramento's past or future momentarily appears for unknown reasons, then disappears. Maybe the stuff helps the Midtown Morlochs attract the Elusive Eloi. Maybe we're the Eloi. For example, here's a plug-in dentist-style chair that mysteriously appeared on my street. For the amateur dentist in you.

Then, under the W-X Freeway, a somewhat-battered Foosball table mysteriously appeared. The Foosball table had a "free" label on it, which just begs different questions, like, was this transported here from somewhere else, and by whom, and why, or did it belong to the homeless folks living under the freeway who got tired of playing Foosball? Why did they get tired? Did they lose all the balls? Are the Morlochs hoarding the balls? Are the homeless folks the Eloi or the Morlochs? Who's in charge here?

Then both objects abruptly disappeared. Maybe back to the future, back to 2224, where they belonged.

Wanting to Keep Kicking the Can Down the Road on This

Of course, it's always possible I had it already, as an asympototic illness (but I think I would have noticed the Zombies).

More Than Three Minutes with the Most Tedious Man on Earth

@meidastouch

Here's a montage of clips put together by MeidasTouch Editor-in-Chief Ron Filipkowski of Trump selling his various products and scams over the years: Trump University, Trump Steaks, Vodka, Board Game, Mattresses, Water, Airline, Vitamins, Ties and more.

♬ original sound - MeidasTouch

Big Car Accident - April 20, 2024

About 2:54 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, April 20, 2024, I heard a series of very-loud, seemingly-endless collisions.  All the neighbors heard it too, and we all ran down to the intersection of Second Avenue and 21st Street to see what happened.  

What we found was a bunch of riddles.  At least six vehicles were involved in the accident.  Multiple parked cars were struck.  Apparently a car drove away entirely from the accident on a flat tire.  Plus, a pickup truck collided head on with a parked car.  None of us could come up with a theory that satisfactorily-explained the wreckage that we observed strewn all about.  Did the pickup truck driver do all this damage by himself?  Seemed implausible.

Bystanders helped the driver of the pickup truck out of his vehicle and lay him down in the gutter until help could arrive.  The driver seemed somewhat incoherent, but it was unclear why.  Driving head on into a parked car and having an air bag explode in his face might have been enough to make him incoherent.

Help begins arriving.

Ambulance.

Assessing the damage.

A second engine arrives!

TrazoDon

@radical_jezebel #TrazoDon #Donaldtrump #trumptrial #hushmoneytrial #skit #politicalhumor #politicstiktok #politics #comedian #sleepydon ♬ For commercial projects!(1145568) - MaxRecStudio

Tele Novella - Funeral

Russia: Putin's Propaganda Machine

This is a fascinating documentary on the indoctrination of Russian society as it went to war against Ukraine - and as it inevitably goes to war against us too: