On the Street

Hustle and Snow(cones)



I feel like he does a route between the tiny bus station on Alamo Street and the bus station on Broadway. The ruta raspa...


Don't Let the Sun Set On Me



At one point there were solar panels on the roof of this building.  I'm almost positive they sold those panels. I wonder if the monsoons of the last few months dried up his business, so to speak.  Hopefully, he just moved locations.  If not, then another noble San Antonio attempt at something different.

Bottles and Cans



This is right behind Sam's Burger Joint by the Pearl Brewery.  Work is being done to renovate what was a beer can recycling station into some sort of mixed use space, at least according to my street informant.  I've heard rumors of a yoga studio and three studio loft spaces for living.  The other rumor is that it won't be cheap either.



Cheap would be a ticket on the Night Train.  Last Thursday night I was tied to the tracks.  On a serious note, there was a real train accident in Houston that captured the national attention.




I followed the tracks over to La Tuna, an obscure bar very few people in town have heard of.  It's pretty cool!



Next door, Slab Cinema was doing their weekly film.  There was a San Antonio connection.



A movie the Farrely Brothers would like to say they made.  These are the notorious Hilton Twins, perhaps the most famous Siamese twins to ever call San Antonio home.  I was told they are related to the Paris and Nicky Hilton family, but I don't think that's the case.  However they are "freaks" in their own right.




Exciting, isn't it?  Precast concrete forms often are.  To the left is the old Buttercrust Bakery.  And here - a mystery for the moment...

Another "Weekly" Update, Or Is It...



Is this a new photo of the communit garden?  Or, is it the same photo from last week?  My guess is no one can tell the difference.

Stumptown Part Two - Revenge of the Mobile Food Carts




According to Gourmet magazine this is the most popular taco truck in Portland.



According to me, it's completely average by my San Antonio standards.   However, I do give them credit for having birria tacos.  



However, that is not to say that Portland doesn't have an amazing mobile food truck scene.  Almost everything is represented.



Between 4th and 5th avenue in downtown Portland they all congregate.  It is a paradox to see mobile food trucks parked semi-permanently.  However, the synergy is amazing.



Poland?  Well played.



A variety of options...






I would love to see a Thai food truck in San Antonio.



However, I'm glad San Antonio hasn't embraced burritos.  In my opinion, that's a road of no return.  Taco truck tacos succeed because of their small elegance. Burritos invite madness.



Pho sure.  (I know...)



An amazing success story.  Pok Pok was a thai street food style shack established by a white rock and roll musician/chef.  




He became so succesful he transcended the parameters of the shack.  Now he has a restaurant next to his shack.  I tried the rotisserie chicken.  It was good, but I thought a bit overrated.  However, that isn't to say I don't appreciate the approach. Embracing Thai street food as a Thai alternative was well received by everyone all around.  

And now to conclude, here is a boring but bizarre video I stumbled across.  Jim Cornette was a "famous" pro wrestling manager in the 80s.  Here, at a recent convention of all places he shoots down a fan from the Insane Clown Possee.  Pop culture eating itself.




And so goes another week on the streets of San Antonio (and Stumptown.)  As always, to be continued...

N-BAF too dangerous for New York, but fits right into SA plans

It’s certainly fascinating to watch lawmakers, economic boosters, and universities around the country scrap for the privilege of hosting one of the most dangerous research facilities imaginable.

The new Plum Island, as chronicled in the Current a couple weeks back, would involve research on some of the most transmissible and deadly diseases on the planet. Of course, the thought of billions in economic jelly tends to color these sorts of debates, as some of you may have noticed.

Now we find out that Plum itself, not considered an option when the siting process got underway, may is in the race, after all! Only that damn Senator “from” New York won’t quit saying it’s too dangerous to dump near a “population center.” Safety concerns haven’t stopped Cornyn or Ciro from pumping it. I’m sure they have their reasons.






Plum Island plan focus of Homeland Security talks
BY BILL BLEYER | bill.bleyer@newsday.com
August 22, 2007
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-liplum225341071aug22,0,3587333.story
Even though Plum Island is not on the list of five sites being considered for a new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, the Department of Homeland Security is scheduled to hold a public meeting tomorrow night in Southold to solicit comments on whether the island would be a good site for the lab.   Plum Island, located off Orient Point and home of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center scheduled to be superseded by the new facility after 2013, hasn't been considered for the new lab that will study more dangerous pathogens. That's due in part to opposition from the state's two U.S. senators, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, both Democrats, and Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton). They say the idea is too dangerous.   But Department of Homeland Security spokesman Larry Orluskie said the agency's environmental review process requires consideration of the now-operational site as a fallback if the other locations are deemed unusable.   Plum Island could not serve as the site for the new facility while remaining at its current level of operation, Bio-Safety Level 3, the second highest level, which is what the area's elected officials want. "That can't happen because Plum Island as it is today doesn't meet the needs," Orluskie said. "It could be a location to build a new facility."   In a statement yesterday, Clinton and Bishop said, "We continue to stand firmly opposed to placing a Bio-Safety Level 4 facility on Plum Island due to its close proximity to major metropolitan areas." BSL four is the most dangerous level.

  --- DON’T FORGET THE PUBLIC HEARING ON N-BAF IS BEING HELD HERE IN TOWN AT 7 p.m., September 11, and will be held at the Marriott Plaza, 555 S. Alamo Street, San Antonio. MAKE PLANS NOW, SEATING IS LIMITED, AND ALL THAT B.S.--

On the Street

From Jupiter to Stumptown (And No Place Inbetween)




In the 80s for some reason I thought of Randy Beamer as a young David Letterman hambone type.  Specifically, I'm thinking of a scene he did live at La Villita during NIOSA for Chanel 5.  Those were the waning Dan Cook years when a younger Chris Marrou hammed it up as well during the 10:00 news' closing segment and held a lockdown over the city.  I can't exactly remember what it was that they did every night to close out the broadcast but it had the feel of the last gasp of vaudeville.  It must have been an antecedent to the wacky outtakes phenomenon made popular by Burt Reynolds, Jackie Chan, and Don Rickles.  Those were the glory years of Chanel 5 news when supposedly half of all San Antonio televisions were tuned into their channel for the nightly news.  This sort of media dominance (except by the Current, of course) seems unthinkable today.



The tumor grows.  This hotel weakens not only the tradition of the skyline, but perhaps the livelihood of other, smaller (more interesting?) downtown hotels.  I'd like to think that places like the Havana Hotel and the Tropicana won't be affected by the recent hotel building frenzy, but one has to wonder.  Put another way, are these new hotels bringing more tourists to town, or simply reshuffling the deck?





The sun is the source and Jupiter is just merely a planet, bound to its orbit...moments earlier I had an interesting discussion with the owner of Jupiter coffee shop about a recent meteor shower he witnessed from the hill country.  We also discussed astrology (the soft science) and I realized the general inspiration for the name of the coffee shop.  Perhaps the purple paint on the walls is also explained by the stars.



Months back I recall a worker on a precarious ladder doing work on the top right window.  At the time the building was bright white.  Rumor has there are  rock and roll photographs on the bottom floor for a show for Foto Septiembre by local photographer Al Rendon.



This a block from the intersection of Avenue B and I-35, a block west of Broadway.  Is this a case of a land owner who had no interest in selling?  The odd thing is that the large scale developments on either side of this bungalow also seem abandoned. Though spies have told me that something is in the works for these concrete structures, at the moment, both are caught in a death waltz.



I saw this old lithograph postcard underneath a glass counter at a local store.  This (to me, at least) confirms my suspicion of what was once the grandeur of Cincinatti Avenue as it headed west from Fredericksburg Road towards Woodlawn Lake and the Tobin Arch.



Everytime I go by they seem to be closed.  This is at Pereida and South St. Mary's, next to the defunct "wine bar." I had heard Ghetto Good was open and had a show or two for CAM but I never made it by to check it out.  Robert Tatum told me he was working on this space while picking up a coffee at Jupiter.  More on this place later down the road...




A beautiful sign, yet no longer true.  This is around the corner from Ghetto Good on the Presa side, and was meant to advertise Holden's Wine Bar.  The little Gremlins on the bottom are actually somewhat tasteful, I would say.



From a parking lot behind a church on Fredericksburg Road.  A children's game, or some old fashioned- Old Testament-pull yourself up with your own bootstraps- lesson?



There are no shortouts in life, evidently.  Is this four-square terminology, or hop scotch, or something else?




Soon to be formerly Kayla's Cafe behind the Havana Hotel.  A double agent inside the place told me that the restaurant is going to be run by the people from the Cool Cafe and they are going to turn it into a French Mediterranean restaurant.  On the right, workers are remodelling and expanding the seating space.  

Presa Street Community Garden "Weekly" Update



Familiar but different.  There were piles of dirt, hexagonal shaped things in the ground not seen since the pentagrams of Midget Mansion, and declarative signage in the back for identification.  



The sign has made the most progress - a good thing?  I joke...

Watch That Tootsie Roll!



Courtesy of custodian Antonio Barron I was able to get inside the former Uptown Theater.  This image is at the junction of a flight of stairs.  The dilipidated carpet on the right is one of the last things to remain from the old days.  The former balcony is up and to the right.  It now is closed off and houses several large air conditioning units.  The projector's booth?  Bricked close, like Al Capone's vault...





Barron showed me a photo he had of its former glory.  Behold.  From carbon dating/IMBD search, it seems this was from 1945.  "Isle of the Dead" - apparently not an allusion to the true horrors of the Pacific Theater, so to speak, though I have to wonder if this film came out before August of 1945.

From Karloff to Keaton



As traffic was about to move tragic-comically towards him, this gentleman did his best to retrieve an air conditioning unit that fell out of his truck as he drove past the notorious Banana Billiards.


Cue Dream Sequence...(Name This Town, Part One)




















Custom head badges for bikes are going to happen soon.  It just is.  It hasn't happened yet, but it will. "Pimp My Bike."  Laugh now if you want to but do so foolishly.  If I was into bikes and knew people who worked with metal, then I would try to be at the beginning of this economic horizon.  Wait...



Probably around a two thousand dollar bike.  There are plenty of carbon fiber racing jobs around that cost that much and more, but precious few that are made with lugged steel frames.  The wood fenders makes this bike a thing of beauty, or is it too precious?  The pad for the top tube is what takes it too far in my opinion.



The mecca for handmade bikes.



The V in the dropout...a thing of beauty.



A very popular trike.



A photographer from Chicago sits on the left while taking a break from a photshoot he had been doing.   To the right - Sensei Sacha, the focus of the photos.  San Antonio street informant/bike mechanic Carlos is having two bikes  made by Sacha in the next month.  Perhaps the first and second Vanilla bikes ever seen in San Antonio?  



At the bottom of this sky tram is a hospital and medical school.  Here, at the top of the hill, they ran out of space.  The solution?  Build another building down the hill, across the freeway, by the water front and connect the two buildings by sky tram.  I didn't think this sort of brash 'can-do' attitude (or money) still existed.




A view from below the tram.  Not exactly the shift-tilt lens miniaturized phenomenon, but as close as I'll come.




Underneath the bridge...a park.  Very close to the largest urban forest in America.



Skateboarding is big here, and oddly not frowned upon.  These pieces by skater/inventor Jake Gaynor were found in the office of a commissioner at City Hall.  



A river and a lot of bridges.  Not seen, an ass load of strip clubs - part of its industrial/nautical, working class legacy.  Supposedly they have more strip clubs per capita than anywhere else in the country.  One of them, the Acropolis (or the "A-crop", as locals call it) is owned by a cattle rancher.  The kitchen sells cheap high quality steaks, supposedly.  Also supposedly, Anthony Bourdain is known to eat there when in town.



From Jupiter to Stumptown, and no place in between.  

More next week when I get into their mobile truck food scene.  Not to be missed.

And so goes another week on the streets of San Antonio (and somewhere else.)  As always, to be continued...

Local Cinema: SAY Sí's Doldrums

Last Friday I attended SAY Sí’s premiere of Doldrums, a 30-minute film written by John Strong, and directed by Strong and Antonio Rodriguez. This was only my second time at SAY Sí, but like the first time I visited, I felt right at home, enveloped in the gorgeous, art-saturated space. Also like the first time I visited, I accidentally kicked something over. My apologies to the individual whose empty cup I knocked over as I ducked out after the film (unfortunately, a previous engagement prohibited me from staying for the Q&A); I am working on my coordination.

But on to the film! Everyone involved should feel so proud of this achievement. Like other audience members, I too was blown away by how professional the lighting, photography, and camerawork in Doldrums is. The tracking shots are especially nice, sweeping past lockers and bookshelves.

The soundtrack was integrated quite seamlessly throughout, much to the credit of the film’s editors; a clothes-changing scene which, if memory serves, was accompanied by the Violent Femmes stands out. (My compliments to the filmmakers’ on their good taste in music). Doldrums definitely winked at the films of Wes Anderson, among others, and its story of a high-school boy who realizes that his quest for instant gratification isn’t actually all that gratifying was relatable, if a little crowded in a half-hour timeframe.

A quick, final note: SAY Sí launched its new website (www.saysimedia.org) — complete with streaming SAY Sí-produced video — on the same evening as the premiere. Surf on over.

Thanks for a great night at the movies, SAY Sí students and teachers!

Presidential Gaffes: Dennis Kucinich

Kucinich’s grassroots movements (which include his wifeElizabeth Harper, who made a stop at the latest T. Don Hutto prison protest in Tyler) have won the hearts of a small chunk of Americans (about 3% of Democratic voters) and political activists, including Ani DiFranco and Dave Matthews. The bold congressman was the first to birth the idea of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney’s impeachment, and is one of the two congressmen who voted against the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Still, the little congressmen who could can’t seem to garner any respect, from his political peers or the media. He may not have the fattest resume or be the ideal presidential candidate, but he keeps on trying to “get the message out.”

Here we have Kucinich hitting a low note reciting “Sixteen Tons” during a speech about the nation’s economic hardships. His rendition makes it easy to simultaneously like and pity him. Feel free to sing along:

“You load sixteen tons, and what do you get?

Another day older and deeper in debt.

Saint Peter, don't you call me, 'cause I can't go;
I owe my soul to the company store...”

Ron Paul

But he’s not so popular with obese kids. Paul, who is resolutely and staunchly against the Clinton-sanctioned War on Drugs, isn’t above cheap shots at fat kids. Here he is on Morton Downey, Jr’s television show in 1988, callin’ out the overweight:

Presidential Gaffes: Bill Richardson

When you look at the scroll of Democratic presidential nominees, it’s refreshing to notice we’re moving into an anti-WASP era. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) is the first Hispanic to run for president, and I must say bluntly: it’s about fucking time!

Diversity aside, this John-Wayne-rip-off ad shows Richardson clicking his spurs and saddling up to fight crime and forge change in New Mexico. It made me scratch my head, especially the fact that it’s little ironic for a Hispanic to be playing giddy up con los gringos.

However silly – not to mention politically incorrect – this ad may be, it highlights one fact: Richardson has walked the walk as New Mexico’s gung ho governor. In fact, he’s probably the most qualified presidential candidate, on paper anyway (if you haven’t already, do a little research on the diplomatic overachiever).

Being the pro-gun rights supporter Richardson is, this ad is probably fitting, and it’s evident that it’s a confederate mock. Lets face it, there are a myriad of gun-totting cowboys in the south (and in Washington), which makes this parody sadly satirical. Let’s just hope that for the next 15 months he leaves his cowboy boots and gun harness at home.

Here he is, the Hispanic cowboy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0juSJ-y9xg

Presidential Gaffes: John McCain

In 2002, the presidential hopeful hopped on stage to serenade a small catalog of Barbara Streisand tunes in front of an SNL audience to promote a faux cover album (don’t blink or you’ll miss the album cover). This wasn’t just an ill attempt at some political retaliation, but a way to buff up his crippled public persona.

“…for over 20 years, I’ve had Barbera Streisand trying to do my job. So I decided to try my hand at her job” (Much to McCain’s dismay, Streisand has raised her fist on a plethora of liberal issues, such as women’s reproductive rights, global warming and the Iraq War).

Babs may have won the singing contest in a landslide (the ex-POW does her no justice), but it looks like she isn’t the only funny girl in town. After initially nodding my head in disgust a few times, I was surprised to find he actually squeezed a few chuckles out of me. For instance:

“Do I know how to sing? About as well as she knows how to govern America!”

The senator’s public persona may get it all wrong most of the time (many of McCain’s “jokes” have been dubbed political disasters: Chelsea Clinton’s adolescent ugliness, the bomb Iran song, or the IED he said he smuggled over for John Stewart), but this is a rare instance where he hits the right note with his quip.

Watch as he hilariously rains on your parade:

Presidential Gaffes: Joe Biden

Ironically, Joe Biden (D-Delware) is, at least on a committee level, well-educated on the subject. A longtime member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, he served as its chair from 2001 to 2003, and advocated military force in the Balkans to combat human rights violations.

But it seems that every time Senator Biden opens his mouth about race, it’s just wide enough to shove his congressional loafer through. Last year, he basically called the entire Delaware Indian population Apu. And then, to follow up, he tied his improbable success in the South Carolina primary to the fact that his “state was a slave state.”

Check out both blunders for yourself:

On the Street

Inspirational Light



While taking a break from sweating my ass off and riding around the city interviewing characters for an upcoming article, I took a break at Jupiter Coffee Shop and enjoyed an ice cold mocha frappe (the best Summer drink in the city) and noticed this inspirational light beaming down towards several copies of the San Antonio Current.  Though one might think I somehow moved the tall, red bookshelf in place while no one was looking, the placement of the heroic Spielberg-esque shaft of light actually happened naturally.  

Goodbye To Vtrue



For a last show at Vtrue gallery, Kerri Coar presented Sweet Tooth, a celebration of cupcakes.



Photos, sculpture, video - all present.




This last show has the air of a celebration though I suppose it was bittersweet (I know...)



I talked to the head curator, Barry, I believe.  He told me a wedding photo business was going to be moving in next month, oddly coinciding with Foto Septiembre.




From this wall of ceramics...

Weiland at 1906/Fl¡ght Gallery (No, Not the Guy From Stone Temple Pilots)



...to this one.  The other Weiland, the German artist who flew in for the show, had work at Fl¡ght Gallery and down the hall at 1906.



First, Fl¡gth Gallery.  The pens on the wall suggested interactivity but at the time I was there everything seemed to be from Weiland (I assumed.)

UPDATE: Wrong on my part.  An email informed me "The multimedia exhibit is called "Exist/Resist: Metamorphosis of Destruction" by Laura Varela, Vaago Weiland and Guillermina Zabala; with additional participation by Justin Parr, Ed Saavedra, Carolina Rubio, and Reagan Johns."



A progressive art word association game.



A confusing close-up on my part.  I think there was a word underneath 'changes' that I accidentally cut off. A participle, or something, was dangled.



This detail added nice comic relief.  Perhaps this was part of the interactivity.



The artist of the night is seen here on the right, as gallery owner Justin (I think) looks on longingly from the video projection.

UPDATE: This image is not of Justin but of local filmmaker, media artist, and photographer Guillermina Zabala.





Though I know its digital, the palette reminds me (to an excessive degree) of old Afga film that was *the* film used for almost all the notable European films of the 1960s and 70s.  Something about the Parisian light and the Agfa film stock combining together to create a distinctive look that can't quite be duplicated today.

UPDATE: The woman in this image is of  the aforementioned Laura Varela.




Here, Weiland explains his work for the 1906 Gallery space.




Some jack officer next to me kept commenting on the supposedly obvious anger of these images.  Maybe, maybe not.  These collages remind me of faded street advertisements one sees in most big cities.  The layering of new and old combine together to tell their own story.  As for the icons of protest, it shouldn't be a stretch to imagine them as being positive as much as they are 'angry'.  As Florence Reece once sang -  Who's side are you on?  However, that phrase is just as much a slogan of the Right as it once was of the Left.  Because what's a neo-con but a burnt-out Trotskyite, apparently.





These characters on the  bottom are somewhat of a double-take.  The dude on the far right seems fresh off the Eastert Front circa 1944, whereas the guy on the far left might have just gotten back from band practice for the Rage Against the Machine reunion tour.  The guy in the middle?  A lost soul...


A Tale of Two Fences



More on these guys later in the September 5th edition, most likely.  



I don't know why (juvenile sense of humor?) but this kills me.  Just a block away from the top fence sign, I see this aztec fence sign.  



And then not too far from that were these sacrificial mops, left out for dead.  Yeah, it was a slow week.

Talk to Me (And Others)

For the fourth Sunday in a row I saw a 10pm screening of a film.  The first week: Die Hard (a film that I knew was crap, but was received positively for all its cheap charms and relentless pace - the only thing that Hollywood films can claim to even half-way do well: move very fast.)

Then, a *thinking man's* action movie, Bourne Ultimatum.  I think the film was much better than reviewed at this paper previously, and what interested me most was the confounding shift in tone by director Greengrass.  Before, he made the 9/11 re-enactment film Flight 93 that focused on the lives of the hostages. I'm not sure what he hoped to achieve, but at least he made the film with tact.  It could have been completely sensational. Instead, it was borderline existential in its detached view.  Having said that, the film offers very little indication of a critique of anything.

Next comes this film, the Bourne Ultimatum.  Whereas the paper's reviewer saw it not to have a clear antagonist, I felt Greengrass's point was to implicate the role of the American government, and then eventually, that of American attitudes.  The repeated shots of Bourne being water logged seemed an obvious allusion to *Gitmo* and Abu Ghraib torture scenarios.  Any critique was lost with the goofy last shot that keeps the sequel hope alive, but for a while, Bourne was in full blowback mode as he sought revenge against the CIA.  That everyone cheered could be seen as full indication of people's attitudes, or, just the manipulation by the plot?


Next, Rescue Dawn - a *thinking man's* POW escape film by German auteur Werner Herzog.    The trend over the weeks' films has been towards supposed thoughtfulness and away from action.  Most of the attention of this film has been on Christian Bale's method weight loss/manorexia but I thought the same attention could have been towards erstwhile bad actor Steve Zahn.  He lost as much weight as Bale and delivered a Bonny Prince Billy styled performance full of big facial hair and sullen emotions.  It was shocking to see the goofball Zahn deliver an understated performance such as this.

The other interesting thing about the film was the producer - NBA star Elton Brand.  The combination of the smooth Brand and the maniacal Herzog is so bizarre, there's something...Herzogian (Herzog-esque?) about it.  Yes, this was both of their first American narrative films, so to speak, but Herzog is the one with the real baggage and for those who know his other films, of course its shot in a remote jungle.

And lastly, Talk to Me with Don Cheadle.  Though its received positive reviews, in the end, it felt like a VH1 biopic.  The beginning (or the "rise" in biopic terminology) was entertaining but as the second act continued (the "fall" in biopic terminology), the film lost its purpose and became too much about a friendship between Cheadle's straight-talking ex-con DJ character and his straight-laced producer/manager friend.  A different structure was needed for this film.  I don't have too much else to say about it.



And to end, here's a video that practically everyone in the whole world has already seen but its worth posting here just in case.



Well, I couldn't pass up this one either.  Possibly not as popular in the pop culture arena as the  Filipino prison/Michael Jackson re-enactment but incredibly popular elsewhere.  13 million views can't be wrong, can it?


And so goes another week on the streets of San Antonio.  As always, to be continued...

Farm Fresh Market Now Available

Listen up foodies! A new farmer’s market is happening Friday mornings over in the Pearl Brewery area. Fresh honey, roasted nuts, and Indian cucumbers are just some of the offerings available from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. We can thank Brian and Elise Montgomery, owners of Texas Farm to Table restaurant, also located on Pearl Parkway, for the new market in town.

The vibe is fun and laid-back in the wide parking lot that bestows about ten farmer’s stands, all offering something different, and samples of all the goods are practically impossible to avoid. I’m not sure if it’s happened yet, but Brian told me that he was going to get a local band to play some fresh tunes during the market hours to liven up the scene. He also said that soon, if not already, some of the farmers are going to sell artisan products. Fresh flowers, homemade jams and jellies, and cheese are some examples of the artisan goods hoping to be available.

Brian and Elise have worked really hard at getting the farmer’s market to us, so let’s take advantage of the opportunity while supporting our local farmers. It’s only a 6-month “pilot” market, so in order to keep it, we need to get out there and spend some bucks on the product. The purchase is a reward itself.

Presidential Gaffes: John Edwards

Though a poll of Current newsroom weirdos indicated otherwise, I believe that I, as a twenty year-old male, can speak for all middle-aged slightly WASP-y women when I say: John Edwards really is, on a fundamentally visual level, pretty. He looks like someone you could bring home to your vaguely peace-loving mother and fiercely pro-mandatory-military-service father without batting an eye.

He'd probably bat his, though.

There's nothing wrong with the honest-to-god truth. And when the truth is that you've tied the success of your campaign to boyishness, keeping your foppish 'do in place becomes a matter of national importance. $400 for a haircut is a small price to pay for liberty. And two minutes of adjusting, primping, and getting that part just right isn't just the right thing for you-- it's the right thing for America.

Patriots, Paul Mitchell: Unite!

Renewable Energy Update

Congressman Ciro Rodriguez stopped by the office to brag about the brand new 15 percent renewable energy standard passed (HR 3221) in the US House of Reps last Saturday. Previous efforts of a 20% standard failed, never making it out of committee.

The mandate was part of the House version of a new energy bill sweeping both chambers of Congress. The House also passed a companion tax package (HR 2776) that would create a new tax on oil and natural gas companies and use the money as production incentives for renewable energy.

The standard and accompanying tax package still face a variety of obstacles, including tough opposition in both the Senate and the White House. Will this “little bill that could” survive conference between the two chambers? Stay tuned to the current blog for new information.

For more on renewable energy standards and CPS’s renewable energy efforts read our July piece Plugged into Wind.

-Story link

On the Street

On the Street



Troop redeployment, football, religion...all wrapped up together at a practice field at Central Catholic High School.  I've occasionally wondered why football attracts one type of crowd and basketball another.  Does football celebrate suffering and being brought back down to earth, whereas basketball is more unapologetically a celebration of ascendancy and success?



Well, who knows, but there is something odd to me about these scarecrows in line together like stick figures at a Republican (or sadly, Democrat) Presidential debate.    Maybe its another inspiration from a Don Delillo novel?

First Friday

There was very little new work to be seen this time around.  At the exhaustion (I'm using that term loosely) of a packed month of CAM, it seems most galleries down shifted to recharge for next month's photo spotlight.





Inside Bluestar, Michele Monseau still had her previous show up.  Judith Cottrell took over the tiny side room next to where the wine is served.



I believe this is her discussing her work with a prospective customer/patron.  This image washes out the nuances of the work.



At the UTSA Satellite Space, there was plenty of new stuff.  Some of it interesting.




Wood contraptions.  Bending wood takes skill I've been told.




In addition to the actual snake, the base itself is put together interestingly.  The crossing lights overhead give an interesting set of shadows on the back wall.



I've even more impressed by the snake's shadow as it infiltrates this image.  These trikes on one hand are sweet, as in innocent and lovable, but also seem spectral.  Perhaps an homage to the kids from the ghost tracks...oh, wait that never actually happened here.





Some sort of mythical, arctic world where Superman's father, Marlon Brando, might live.



And then from afar, just a blue circle...




At Cactus Bra (I believe).  The photos were from a family funeral the artist recently attended.




At Robot Gallery, a visiting photographer from LA (Korea Town) brought her hand tinted black and white photographs, many of them celebrating a "Route 66" sort of American nostalgia.



An Arizona rest stop?



The French Quarter?

I overhead a conversation outside the gallery with someone who used to work as a custom photographic printer, extolling the hand-crafted quality of the images.  Apparently, no illicit digital sneaking around was to be found.

Random Architecture



"Garbage dump, ohh garbage dump."



A Meso-American Illuminati...




And was this the old "Uptown Movie Theater?"  It is a rather odd shape for a church, but as a place of worship...for cinema...perhaps...

Lawn Games of the Leisure Class


The Current threw a free party at Unit B Gallery: free Shiner Bock, hot dogs, popcorn, and raspas.  Though the floodgates were opened wide, very few dillweeds showed up.  Anyone who didn't have a good time doesn't know how to gave a good time.



Excellent music was spun by JJ Lopez, though Kimberly Aubuchon is seen her working the crowd, as she is oft to do.



Action shot of wiffle ball reminiscent of a a slo-mo scene from The Natural.



A crappy shot of the badminton tournament.



Kids had fun.  To the right was the self-serve raspa machine.



And then the sun went down.  The winning horseshoe team can be seen in the background recounting tales of glory.

Lavaca Community Garden Benefit

I got there a bit late.  There was a pop punk band, and then a goofy viral video.  And then this band that divided the crowd - Heather Leather.  



Their set was a subconscious collection of the 99.5 KISS rock canon.  Lots of Nirvana and Judas Priest.  Evidently, they've been playing together since the 1980s.



Afterwards as Heather Leather was packing up their gear, young wizard Yo Yo Steve performed an encore performance outside the club.



No violins - just yo yo's.  I think his mother (the other Yo Yo Ma?) was the bass player for Heather Leather. Yo Yo Steve kicked ass.  There's not really any other way to explain it.  He could be one of San Antonio's fastest rising stars.

And so goes another week on the streets of San Antonio.  As always, to be continued...

... And we're back

G'morning, folks. Allow me a moment to allay your concerns, soothe yournerves, and introduce the new Curblog properly.

This weekend at the Unit B Lawn Sports Gala, a certain local artist and sporadic Current contributor (we won't identify him, but we will out his beard - see right) pulled me aside to gently complain about the great quality-of-life plummet he suffered when we took our old blog offline last Wednesday. He confessed that he was one of our silent regulars, visiting every day but never posting a comment. What the chisme was he going to do with his mornings?

C'mon, Beard-o ... cut us some slack. We were only gone a week, and we think the R&R was well worth it. In addition to a name switcheroo (Chisme Libre, you'll note, is now our community forum), the new and improved Curblog will feature the best of the daily goodness we had going before, plus a few new features which we'll spring on you in good time. By good time, I mean starting in a couple hours.

With the new blog, we've got to train this whole lurking thing out of you. Beard-o, we fully expect you to create yourself an anonymous user account and shout back at us. We can't give you more of what you want if we don't know you want it in the first place.

In the meantime, for all y'all webbies who already link to us, here's the updated link and a new button (gif & jpeg) for your web site.

   
And this, of course, is the new URL: http://www.sacurrent.com/blog/
See you on the next refresh.

Posted by Dave Maass on 8/8/2007 Permalink | Comments