TOSCA is in Town. Run to See Her.

It is not often that a company outside of New York, Milan or Buenos Aires manages to assemble such a perfectly balanced trio of lead singers as did Vancouver Opera for last night's opening performance of Puccini's "Tosca."

Renzo Zulian is Cavarodossi, the artist hero.

Yulan Zhang is the darkest of villains, Scarpia.

And Cynthia Lawrence is the alluring actress, Floria Tosca.

Against the most beautiful, classical sets of Rome 200 years past, this simple tight story is told with such swift confidence that you feel it has gone by in a moment.

It is one of the best pieces Vancouver Opera has ever presented. The three lead singers are each, alone and together, wonderful.

Click here for all the details of the 4 remaining shows, and do yourself a huge favor and see this and hear it. It is quite amazing.

MARIA CALLAS - TOSCA - Torture scene - Act 2 (1958)

On the other hand...here are Gobbi and Callas as Scarpia and Tosca in what must be one of the great pulp fiction terror moments eve put on a stage...It was brilliant last night, as well

Enrico Caruso - Tosca ''Recondita armonia''

In honor of last night's wonderful "Tosca" by the Vancouver Opera, here is Caruso...

SHHHHH, WE'RE TALKING/TEXTING

A fascinating article in this morning's New York Times talks about the need for Blackberry connectivity in terms of validation, inclusion and desirability. And the writers speak about addiction.

They are absolutely correct about addiction and those other motivator, as well. And they could include, especially include, the ubiquitous cellphone.

But I see darker, more ominous payoffs and motivations. And darker consequences.

Nobody today can tolerate quiet.

120 years ago, if you wanted to travel from what is now Richmond to what is now Point Grey, you would sit on or behind a horse. You would pack a meal or two and perhaps a small boat. Except for the bleats of Mother Nature, you would be alone with your thoughts. Alone with your thoughts! Imagine!

Today, there is a small counter or hanging, plasma TV in every kitchen making sure you don't have a thought over breakfast. The cell and computer practically turn themselves on in their excitement to run your noisy, thoughtless life. In the car, your earcell is blathering on from the office or the next condo closing, in competition from ALLNEWSALLTHETIME or ALLTRAFFICALLDAY.

Nobody can buy lettuce anymore without conferring electronically. "I'M AT THE LETTUCE COUNTER, DEAR," the fool hollers, above all the other hollering fools, "IS IT THE TALL, STALKY LOOKING STUFF OR THE SHORT ROUND CRINKLY ONES?"

Nobody reads a book in a cafe. Everybody computes and cells and blackberry's simultaneously, a dance to multi-tasking.

Nobody walks down the street and observes the passing scene, the men, the women, the children, the shop windows, the bakeries, the new clothes, the cherry blossoms. Everybody is talking and scrolling and texting.

A world without thought is world in great peril.

And I am a total hypocrite and of no use in this deluge. For soon, my blog will be ALLAUDIOALLTHETIME and it will RRS to your iPod and I will join the fray gleefully and pocket the change and help you ignore the world around you and avoid the silence that might if you really, really listened answer your prayers, amen.

Would the REAL America Please Stand Up?

President Bush continues his hopeless, hapless war on the world at an ever-increasing cost approaching a Trillion dollars.

But that is far from the only cost.

The money has to come from somewhere.

This article from the New York Times chronicles one of the most ugly and most sad and most predictable fall-outs of Operation Stupidity.

Guest Editorial from R.

And check out fellow Blogger, Robert Werner, on his current thoughts on medicine and the media, among other issues.

NEW AXIS, er, AXES, uh, several anyway...

Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the "Axis of Evil",> Libya, China and Syria today announced that they had formed the "Axis> of Just as Evil", which they said would be more evil than that stupid> Iran-Iraq-North Korea Axis that President George Bush warned of in> his State of the Union address.> Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new> Axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are> just as evil...in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim> Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils . . best at being evil> . We're just the best!"> Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being> excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the> Axis of Evil. "They told us it was full," said Syrian President> Bashar al-Assad.> "An Axis can't have more than three countries", explained Iraqi> President Saddam Hussien. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In> World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So,> you can only have three, and a secret hand shake. Ours is wickedly > cool."> International reaction to Bush's Axis of Evil declaration was> swift, as within minutes, France surrendered. Elsewhere,> peer-conscious nations rushed to gain triumvirate status in what has> become a game of geopolitical chairs.> Cuba, Sudan and Serbia announced that they had formed the "Axis> of Somewhat Evil", forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in> the"Axis of Occasionally Evil", while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia> established the "Axis of Not So Much Evil Really as Just Generally> Disagreeable".> With the criteria suddenly expanded and all the desirable clubs> filling up, Sierra Leone, El Salvador and Rwanda applied to be called> the "Axis of Countries That Aren't the Worst But Certainly Won't Be> Asked to Host the Olympics". Canada, Mexico and Australia formed the> "Axis of Nations That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Some> Nasty Thoughts About America", while Scotland, New Zealand and Spain> established the "Axis of Countries That Want Sheep to Wear Lipstick".> "Yon's no' a threat, really, jist somethin' we'd like tae dae",> said Scottish Executive First Minister Jack McConnell.> While wondering if the other nations of the world weren't> perhaps making fun of him, a cautious Bush granted provisional> approval for most Axes, although he rejected the establishment of the> "Axis of Countries Whose Names End in 'Guay", accusing one of its> members of filing a false application. Officials from Paraguay,> Uruguay, and Chadguay denied the charges.> Israel, meanwhile, insisted it didn't want to join any Axis, but> privately world leaders said that's only because no one asked them.>>>

Who Protesteth Too Much?

The Conservative government is angry at two BC lobby groups for their aggresive tactics.

Cry me a river.

Autism and fishing rights have now been bonded.

What did you expect when you got elected? That everyone would love you to pieces just all the time wearing daffodils in their hair and blowing kisses?

Iraq Explained

It took a bit of work, but the Internet is a wondrous thing.

Here is the entire 8 page article by Peter J. Boyer published in The New Yorker magazine, which I have been reading over breakfast the last few days.

It is quite simply the best and the most detailed reporting a how so many men were so wrong so often in a military campaign that has clearly become a hideous disaster from almost any point of view.

You owe it to yourself to read this piece from beginning to ignominious end.

Dianne Reeves-In Your Eyes-Live at Vienne 1999

I liked her so much yesterday, I thought I'd better have MORE...

National THANK YOU Day

I hereby declare this to be well, heck, International "Thank You" Day.

Thank everyone you meet for somethingorother today. Twice.

Surrounded By Geniuses and Good Will

John McCain, the Senator who would be King, the man who strolls through the Baghdad market with only 100 soldiers for protection, has done it again.

He was quick, in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, to defend gun rights, and further to add that he doesn't see why America should restrict the sale of ammo clips.

The stand-up comedian also doesn't understand why some people don't think his "bomb Iran" gag is the funniest they ever did hear.

For the full, cheerful story, if there remains an ounce of human energy in your index finger, click here.

Dianne Reeves - How High The Moon

Wow! This is HOT!!!
I don't really know this lady, but, man, is she goooodd!

Follow the Money

Two stories in this morning's paper reveal the problem of not having enough real writers or enough real resources or enough political will to pursue stories to their natural conclusions.

Both stories concern City Hall.



In the first, we are teased about the possible re-alignment of taxes. Maybe businesses will be taxed less and homes a bit more. All of that is worthy of consideration. All of that is important, especially to small business owners who pay the highest tax rates in the country, and to home owners who pay a small fortune in taxes themselves.



But nowhere have I see or heard anyone ask, "What are we getting for our money?" Nobody has asked Vancouver City Hall to hold its books to the light.



The truth is that, like all good bureaucracies, Vancouver City Hall spends untold millions of total nonsense. Do you know about all the departments and all the meetings and all the discussions and all the real work that never gets done because first it has to be talked about for 6 months.



It is clear to anyone with a moment's business experience that 50% of all City Hall business could be dropped today and the only difference that would make is that we could lower the taxes for everyone.



I know of an architect who was making about $160,000 a year in private practice. That was the good news. The bad news was that he was working 26 hours a day, 9 days a week.



He smartly moved to City Hall as a Planner or some such. Now he earns exactly the same amount of money, but he works 4 days a week, leaves the office at 3 and spends quality time with his wife and young sons. Good for him.



The second story concerns the admirable efforts of the Vancouver City Police to catch those 2 assholes who beat the woman almost to death the other morning as she went to the 29th Avenue Skytrain Station. That's the good news. The Police are trying to catch the Bad Guys.



But the story not told is that the Police should be at that Skytrain Station and 10 other "hot spot" Skytrain Stations every morning and every night. But that's not going to happen in our lifetimes because City Hall doesn't want more police.



In fact, if you know anything, you would know that THE NUTTY MAYOR is on an active campaign to limit and discredit the police. The Mayor hates the Police and wants LESS of them in every way. Very soon he will announce the appointment of his new Director of The Civil City. And he expects the Chief of Police to share duties with this new WunderCat.



You want more police. You want more police in public, on the stroll, visible, obvious, present.



But you are not City Hall.

Baghdad Explodes; Bush Persists

Shortly after the American attack on Baghdad, Donald Rumsfeld was asked about "the insurgencies" that were obvious on every street corner. The then Secretary of Defense dismissed these actions and isolated and irrelevant and "clearly just looters."

Well, Rummy is gone - thank Christ - and yesterday "the looters," in a series of coordinated attacks killed almost 200 people.

The day before that, Bush cheapened the lives of the dead by using the old, emotional blackmail stunt of referring to the sacrifice of soldiers and their families in his latest attempt to justify this dreadful, unwinnable war.

Look at the destruction for yourself.

Bruce Springsteen - Highway Patrolman

Here's The Boss at his best. From the quiet, haunting acoustic album, "Nebraska." How reflective is this of the last few days?

Humpty Dumpty Land

Crook gets out of prison. Four days later he steals razor blades from a store. Store fuzz spot the fool. Fool runs. Scuffle ensues. Fool and Fuzz fall. Down, down, down they tumble, and with them goes Canadian jurisprudence.

In a heap at the bottom of the stairs, the Store Fuzz, now really high with excitement, rattle the Fool's cage a bit. Tooth or two go missing.

A few days after this melodrama, Fool is busted by the real Fuzz for stealing a car. Date: Aug.27/04 for the Great Razor Blade Caper.

By the way, if you think Fool was heisting the blades to shave with, you're about as clueless as the Judge who is next up in our story.

Yesterday, Judge William "I'll Believe Any Sob Story You Throw at Me, Buster" Ehreke ruled that the Fool deserves $12,000 in compensation from the store and the Store Fuzz for the missing tooth or teeth.

Don't judge Da Judge too harshly. He went to school a lot, became a lawyer, lived in Kerrisdale, or one of the other leafy glens, was appointed to da bench and has never spent a nano-second in the real world amongst real, dirty people. Never shot a game of pool, never played an evening of poker, never touched himself, told a dirty joke or peaked at the girls in gym class. In short, he's an over-educated, under-wise dork in a position way, way, way beyond him. His name is Ehreke. Is that pronounced, "EEEEEEEERRRRKKKKKKKKKK!!!!"

Let us pray now, Brethren, that the Store and its Fuzz appeal this non-decision.

The Pivot Legal Society, who believe that they are fighting at all times to uphold the law for tiny people everywhere, have argued that the provincial government must provide "greater public protection against abuse of authority by private security guards."

I have a simple question, kids.

When you're standing at an ATM at 9 pm getting out a little coffee money for tomorrow, who are you afraid of - the security guards, or the FUCKING CRIMINALS?

Is the Red Color Injected Dye?

I don't mind Mexican tomatoes. I just don't like being lied to.

When the main message is BC HOTHOUSE, and the rest is produced in Mexico....

See, not only do I not mind Mexican tomatoes, I'm prepared to go out on a vine and sponsor a Mexican tomato, marry one if that's what it takes.

And there's always the question of pesos. If I'm paying $X for BC HOTHOUSE, shouldn't I be paying $X - 100 for tomatoes produced in Mexico? Don't they pay workers about one ninetyth of the wage that workers earn here in our hothouses?

It's Not About Mr. Cho, Stupid. It's About Guns

Twenty-three year old Mr. Cho walked into a local gun shop, produced 3 pieces of identification, waited a few minutes for the local constabulary to clear him (He had no previous record.) and walked out the proud new owner of a Glock 9 mm automatic pistol.

What is the purpose of a Glock 9mm pistol?

Fun Fair with the family?

Sports? Amusement? Dinner conversation?

Why is it both legal and in every social way acceptable to buy this kind of killing machine on every second street corner in America?

Why does everyone assume that this kind of business is normal? That this is the definition of "business as usual."

This rant is not about casting blame. But it is about making a point.

Mr. Cho is not the story. He is not even interesting. There are nut jobs everywhere amongst us, waiting to explode. Witness the front page story today about the schizophrenic addict who burned down his mother's house. What are you going to do, blame their parents? Send everyone to Parenting Class? Yell at God for making some people less reasonable than others.

But this is a great opportunity for Americans and Canadians to look at some basic assumptions we share in out daily lives.

The question in this tragedy is not "Why?" All the shrinks in the world can't tell you why, and the ones who claim they can are as delusional as the people they are trying to describe.

The question is "How do we stop facilitating crazy people during their worst moments?"

Now, I have been asked if I approve of the complete abolishment of all guns from all citizens.

No, I do not. That would lead, with terrifying rapidity, to a totalitarian central government.

But I do not want gun shops selling every manner of small and powerful personal armaments on every street corner. Has that desire somehow threatened your rights or your sense of personal safety? Sorry.

The NRA has been quick to argue that, if all of those students and professors, now dead and injured, has themselves been armed, one of them would have killed Mr. Cho right smart. Remember that there are several states in the USA where carrying a firearm is legal and commonplace. The proponents of this "lifestyle" argue that life is quiet in their home towns, because the bad guys know what they're up against.

Great. Pardon me if I don't vacation there.

Asking questions and raising debate about how we live is not casting blame. It is asking questions and raising debate.

I think some guns should be available for some people. Which guns, which people is another, lengthy post.

I do not think that millions of small, deadly personal firearms should be available at every strip mall for all people without a criminal record to buy. I think this public policy leads to deadly consequences. I think the horror of Virginia Tech speaks exactly to this issue.

Definitions

I was on a movie set all day today.

As we all approached the day's work, an actress asked, "What? What happened?"

Several of us explained to her about The Massacre.

You see, her dog had been sick yesterday and she didn't see or hear or read the news.

We define ourselves also by what we notice...and what we ignore.