On the Street

High Culture, Low Culture All Co-Existing Uneasily In Another Installment of On the Street. As always, read at your own risk...

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Letters (to the OTS Penthouse Suite)

#1

(The Green Fairy)

Evidently, absinthe is legal in U.S. now that distillers do not use thujone, which is a banned substance. New chemical research has discovered that vintage absinthe had only traces of thujone, which was thought to be the 'magical' ingredient. Now, absinthe's unique qualities are believed to be a combination of the wormwood and the blend of herbs and botanicals.

Here, a publicist for St. George Spirits responds to my inquiry.

"Hi Mark,

I'm a publicist working with St. George Spirits. I believe Lucy Farber has offered to send you a sample, but I wanted to send you some press materials as well. Attached are a background sheet on St. George Spirits and info on the Absinthe Vert.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like. Glad that you enjoyed the video, and looking forward to being in touch.

Best,
Kate"

A very small sample will be in the mail soon. The real question for me - is absinthe actually any good? We'll see soon enough.

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#2

There was this small baskeball related message...

"This is just sweet

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Chris-Paul-s-incredible-bounce-pass-while-fallin?urn=nba,72296"

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#3

And then this short note regarding a SNL sketch...

"Wow! Who knew SNL was still funny?"

Apparently, SNL has removed their clips from Youtube. Here is an old-fashioned link to see it.

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#4

Panasonic Lumix wrote to tell me that my camera is being repaired and that there will be no charge. It was a form letter but still just as exciting.

Getting Out?

Here is an interesting clip - an interview with a Nation reporter discussing Obama and Hillary's real plans for withdrawal. It isn't as promising as many people hope.

Then a few days later, Obama gives his big speech. The press reaction was quite positive which might make a cynic question its worth. I had been quietly dubious about Obama's sincerity. Is he just another opportunist? Why did he associate so closely with Lieberman? Then I remembered the obvious fact that all Presidential candidates are complete opportunists, so that argument while still valid is no more a hindrance against him then it is against any other candidate. Obama's 'More Perfect Union' speech is the best case for Obama yet. Here it is in longform...

(On a sidenote, after the Obama speech, watch this clip of Huckabee defending Obama and Pastor Wright. And that is why OTS wanted to see Huckabee stay in the race as long as possible - not to be a pawn of the Left in the way that Hillary receives votes from the Rush Right, but actually because he would have elevated the debate from the Right.)

Anyway, a 'More Perfect Union"...

It should be noted that this speech has been seen a little less than half as many times as a Youtube clip about a leprechaun getting stuck in a tree in Mobile, Alabama, which begs the question - who offers more hope for struggling America? Obama? Or the leprechaun and his pot of gold?

Bright Lights, Big City?

Late to the game, there is little left to say about Luminaria. My expectations were low so therefore I considered it a success. Here are some images from inside a normally empty storefront on Houston Street. Is this the Houston Revitalization that's been promised?

This, to me, was the most interesting piece at all of Luminaria. First off, no lights. Secondly, does it perhaps not acknowledge the status of the current building? Recycled, soon to be forgotten...

Leslie Raymond's UTSA students put together an interesting group show.

And perhaps this is how Houston Street should be revitalized: not with a once a month street fair but at night. The glory days of Houston street had to have been its night life. If a legitimate gallery opened in one of these spaces, then who knows where things might go...

Outside - bright lights, big city? (And you would think I would locked in a room forced to come up with equally amazing titles for other articles, but thankfully I have my freedom.)

Street performances gave an air of spontaneity. No matter how artsty-craftsy an SA art event is pitched, the people on the streets always find their own way.

Downtown Highlife had often wondered about projecting onto this huge wall space, and for the night the city made it a reality

I was never completely sure if the lights were more artistic or more spectacle. I actually think the spectacle was equally if not more important. What is cinema but not spectacle (historically speaking, of course.)

This is probably as good as any other spot to comment on the horrible camera I had to work with. (See letter #4 from above for promising news.)

I was curious where all these projectors came from. If they're around, perhaps they should be used more often. And still no word back from back when I was giving the milk away for free. Lights, people, touring bands, films, taco trucks - it's all possible.

Down the remote and forgotten Peacock Alley a fascinating maze presents itself.

Where there is light, there is a shadow. Off the path, inside a dive bar, 'normal' life continued.

Irish Car Bomb

On Monday night I found my way to the Lion and the Rose. As the Spurs played a close game with the Boston Celtics, bagpipers roamed the bar. Later, someone mentioned that bagpipers were more Scottish than Irish, which is a point I had not considered more fully.

A view from after two Irish Car Bombs, too lazy to rotate the image, or a profound statement cultural perspectives?

Is that a leprechaun chilling in the background?

An excellent question about our forgotten little friends. Was he in Mobile, Alabama recently?

#1

#2

The first remix...

#3

The second remix...

#4

The Hollywood version. Which is more unbelievable...

Last note: As I am on Spring Break, it is only fitting that I gave all my OTS correspondents from La Paz to San Luis Obispo the week off. More to come in the following weeks. Winzlo, fka DJ Gandoff, might soon enough be reporting from H-Town on music, mint juleps, and all things inbetween.

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