Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Boom!?
Recently we took my mother-in-law, who was visiting from Phoenix, to visit the Atomic Testing Museum, located about a mile East of the Strip on Flamingo Road. That's the road that crosses the Strip next to the Flamingo, in case you're wondering. The actual address is 755 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. Hours are 9 to 5, except Sunday's, when they open at 1 PM. It costs twelve bucks, unless you're a local, a senior, or under 17, in which case you get a three buck discount (only one, unfortunately.) When I showed my local ID, we all got in for the locals' price, so if you're from out of town but have a local friend, get them to come along and give them the money to pay your way in.The museum is associated with the Smithsonian Institution. It was really chilling in parts for me, because I remember the days when the threat of nuclear holocaust seemed more imminent with each passing day. Honestly, looking back, it really wasn't very likely because the Soviets, who may have been evil, and certainly were misguided, weren't stupid. And neither were we. But, it was a time with no need for reality TV, and that's a fact. Truth is, the cold war ended with the good guys in the lead, Reagan got more credit than he deserved, and the world probably got a titch more dangerous as a result. But that's a topic for others. As for me, I was truly amazed at the casual approach people had to atomic radiation in those days.
During a test, those "without goggles," welder's goggles, that is, were told to "face away from the blast." Those with goggles could watch it directly. Other than the goggles, the people witnessing the testing wore no protective gear at all. Soldiers were positioned in trenches as the shock wave from the blast blew over them. After, they were swept off with brooms, and maybe hosed off in some cases. There's no reason to wonder why some people who were there are now dying of cancer. You can get a sense of what it's like to witness a nuclear explosion in the Ground Zero Theater, right smack in the center of the museum. Every twenty minutes or so a multimedia presentation opens with video (film, I suppose originally) and sound in a simulated viewing site. Believe me, it's an experience like no other. And I live in Las Vegas, so I oughta know.
There are also exhibits covering the history of the development and testing of nuclear weapons, drilling the tunnels where underground tests were performed, and the town of Mercury, Nevada, which once boasted an amazingly large population of people all dedicated to testing atomic weapons and other devices. Other devices? Sure, how about an atomic powered rocket motor? Well, why not, if you're going to stand there and let an H-bomb shock wave wash over you, use that same power source to go into space? That rocket motor worked, by the way. Still would, but you know how wussy people are these days. Afraid of a little death and destruction!
But, really, the people testing the weapons believed that they were keeping the world safe for democracy. The thing is, they probably were doing just that. Luckily they didn't know exactly what they were doing to themselves, or they'd have bailed out. They were American heroes; front-line soldiers in a cold war. And, as I said, we won.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Wanting America Back
One of the signs I see flashed at protests in the last month or so is one reading "I want my America back!" Bill Maher and others I have noted saying "America never went anywhere, what the f*** are they talking about?" (Bill Maher talks like that, unlike myself, who would never use a blue word out loud. And I sell bridges.) The thing is, Bill's America never went anywhere. For that matter, my America never went anywhere. But, in truth, a lot of people's idea of America has been blasted badly in recent years, and it isn't likely to return, ever. Rather than scorn them, I think it would be a good idea to help those poor folks through a difficult time.
This is the flip side of a post I put up last November about why the Sarah Palin conservatives lost the election. Read it here. They really are a minority, which of course they never have been before. That can't be easy. And I'd be an idiot if I didn't think there were some racist overtones to it. Some people can't be anything but upset by having a "picaninny mau mau coon nigger" (their words) in the White House. And, they can't even say those things out loud any more. Oh, the agony. Mostly, though, there is a huge complex set of unspoken assumptions about America that people took for granted for a very long time that no longer hold true.
California is an all-minority state. No ethnic or racial group constitutes a majority of Californians. Here in Southern Nevada we good old white folks have until 2020, roughly, to enjoy our majority status. After that, we join California. To me, that's just the way it is. I upgraded my Spanish skills, learned not to prejudge anybody by appearances, and I'm getting on with life. I'm a smart guy, or so the tests tell me. I'm good at languages. Not everybody is smart. In fact, the average American is simply average. Half of Americans are below Average in intelligence, and we're all below average in something. My point is that, for me, a guy who does that sort of thing relatively easily, it wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done to shift my world view to include all these strange people as being "my" people. For an average person, it must seem just about impossible. Why, if you haven't had the experience dealing with lots of different people, you could think that somebody has stolen your country! Yeah, like that.
Well, the truth is that our founding fathers set up a country that, sooner or later, will include absolutely everybody as worthy of respect. You could argue that that's a bad thing, but it's the thing we've got. The fruits of our founding fathers' labors are becoming obvious as California leads the nation in feeling the effects of an actually multi-cultural society. It isn't easy, but there's no real alternative but to get on with it. And of course, it's bad enough that the children of children of slaves can now aspire to high office, but there are all these other people, who don't even speak English sometimes, with their Spanish TV, and their Spanish newspapers, and their odd foods and all the rest. How do you cope with all that?
Well, once you get over the hump, it's easy. They're just trying to get by, like the rest of us. Previous waves of immigrants have met with the same sort of attitude from the people already here. The Italians, for example, brought all sorts of strangeness with them. The food was especially foreign to most Americans. Now, spaghetti isn't even considered an ethnic food: it's mainstream America. The Irish were roundly condemned when they first arrived. Irish? Yeah, green beer notwithstanding, people hated the damned Irish. Well, consider the taco. I remember when you couldn't buy Mexican food anywhere. Now, you ever been to Taco Bell? Del Taco? A neighborhood Mexican place? See? Already they're blending into society. Someday being Mexican will mean about what being Italian does now: good food, great times.
Well, it's easy for me to write that, but my real point is that instead of just laughing off the demonstrators as nut cases or ignorant fools (although probably some of them are) it would be better to be sympathetic and helpful. Nobody who isn't a nut case really expects things to go back to how they used to be, but everybody wants to think that they've been taken seriously. So, the best way for those who don't like the demonstrators to get them to stop and go home is by simply listening to them. You don't necessarily have to do a thing other than that, but just really take them seriously.
That's not too much to ask.
Steve
This is the flip side of a post I put up last November about why the Sarah Palin conservatives lost the election. Read it here. They really are a minority, which of course they never have been before. That can't be easy. And I'd be an idiot if I didn't think there were some racist overtones to it. Some people can't be anything but upset by having a "picaninny mau mau coon nigger" (their words) in the White House. And, they can't even say those things out loud any more. Oh, the agony. Mostly, though, there is a huge complex set of unspoken assumptions about America that people took for granted for a very long time that no longer hold true.
California is an all-minority state. No ethnic or racial group constitutes a majority of Californians. Here in Southern Nevada we good old white folks have until 2020, roughly, to enjoy our majority status. After that, we join California. To me, that's just the way it is. I upgraded my Spanish skills, learned not to prejudge anybody by appearances, and I'm getting on with life. I'm a smart guy, or so the tests tell me. I'm good at languages. Not everybody is smart. In fact, the average American is simply average. Half of Americans are below Average in intelligence, and we're all below average in something. My point is that, for me, a guy who does that sort of thing relatively easily, it wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done to shift my world view to include all these strange people as being "my" people. For an average person, it must seem just about impossible. Why, if you haven't had the experience dealing with lots of different people, you could think that somebody has stolen your country! Yeah, like that.
Well, the truth is that our founding fathers set up a country that, sooner or later, will include absolutely everybody as worthy of respect. You could argue that that's a bad thing, but it's the thing we've got. The fruits of our founding fathers' labors are becoming obvious as California leads the nation in feeling the effects of an actually multi-cultural society. It isn't easy, but there's no real alternative but to get on with it. And of course, it's bad enough that the children of children of slaves can now aspire to high office, but there are all these other people, who don't even speak English sometimes, with their Spanish TV, and their Spanish newspapers, and their odd foods and all the rest. How do you cope with all that?
Well, once you get over the hump, it's easy. They're just trying to get by, like the rest of us. Previous waves of immigrants have met with the same sort of attitude from the people already here. The Italians, for example, brought all sorts of strangeness with them. The food was especially foreign to most Americans. Now, spaghetti isn't even considered an ethnic food: it's mainstream America. The Irish were roundly condemned when they first arrived. Irish? Yeah, green beer notwithstanding, people hated the damned Irish. Well, consider the taco. I remember when you couldn't buy Mexican food anywhere. Now, you ever been to Taco Bell? Del Taco? A neighborhood Mexican place? See? Already they're blending into society. Someday being Mexican will mean about what being Italian does now: good food, great times.
Well, it's easy for me to write that, but my real point is that instead of just laughing off the demonstrators as nut cases or ignorant fools (although probably some of them are) it would be better to be sympathetic and helpful. Nobody who isn't a nut case really expects things to go back to how they used to be, but everybody wants to think that they've been taken seriously. So, the best way for those who don't like the demonstrators to get them to stop and go home is by simply listening to them. You don't necessarily have to do a thing other than that, but just really take them seriously.
That's not too much to ask.
Steve
Labels: Politics, Social Commentary
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Inglourious Basterds
In 2109, film students will be studying Tarentino. See this film if you don't believe me. Better than reality.
Labels: Reviews
Friday, August 14, 2009
Peace, Love & Music
It's Woodstock Weekend on Fremont Street. They've got a line up of the best tribute bands they could find. Jimi Hendrix couldn't make it. Bummer. The VivaVision shows are all customized for the experience. It's more like Las Vegas than the strip is anymore. Come see it if you can.
Right On!
Steve
Right On!
Steve
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Fremont Street
Did you know that Fremont Street and Boulder Highway are the same? Small county, ain't it?
This post is for anyone visiting Las Vegas between now and Labor Day, plus anyone who lives here or near here. I'm talking about the Fremont Street Experience Summer of '69 celebration. I remember the summer of '69, and I really was there. There, in my case, being Boca Raton Florida, home of an incredible flock of blind retirees who insisted on driving as if there were no lanes, but I digress. The bad news is tha
t you've missed some good stuff. The good news is that there is still time to get in on it.
Consider the Hippie Nation Gallery, if you will. It is owned by John Van Hamersveld, now of Las Vegas, who did a lot of album covers that people over 40 will most certainly recognize. There are some original ink works available for a lot of bread (get that '60's slang?) plus a lot of album covers for a whole lot less. Inside the album covers you'll find the original vinyl recordings. Talk about a bonus buy!
If you've seen the Fremont Street Experience you still haven't seen it this summer. It's the best I've seen so far, a heckuva lot better than that lame alien thing they run sometimes, and of course if you were there in '69 you've gotta like the music. On Independence day they ran Jimi Hendrix doing the Star Spangled Banner from Woodstock. Nobody to this day knows how he made his guitar sound like that.
My point is that you have five weeks, plus a few days, to get down to Fremont Street and check out the Summer of '69 activities. The place really isn't too crowded in Summer, you know. We were there most recently last night, to drop in on Mayor Oscar Goodman's 70th birthday party. Know what the "official martini of Las Vegas" is? The Good Man -- basically chilled Bombay Sapphire Gin. I had one with a touch of vermouth and an olive. Happy Birthday, Oscar! He's just over ten years older than I am, so I wish him many more years. If he drinks as much gin as they say, he'll look the same when he's gone, but that's another story.
Local or out of town, check out the Summer of '69 today!
Steve
BIG PS -- I don't often do this, but I am republishing this post to add this embedded video. It was shot by Jack LeVine after we'd left the party. Do check Jack's blog at http://veryvintagevegas.com, by the way. I'm stealing this, so don't tell him, okay? It shows John Van Hamersveld taking pictures of his own artwork as it is projected above. I've seen the show a couple of times and it is the best I've seen from Fremont Street to date. So, with only a smidgen of further ado, here's the video:
Groovy, baby!
This post is for anyone visiting Las Vegas between now and Labor Day, plus anyone who lives here or near here. I'm talking about the Fremont Street Experience Summer of '69 celebration. I remember the summer of '69, and I really was there. There, in my case, being Boca Raton Florida, home of an incredible flock of blind retirees who insisted on driving as if there were no lanes, but I digress. The bad news is tha
t you've missed some good stuff. The good news is that there is still time to get in on it.Consider the Hippie Nation Gallery, if you will. It is owned by John Van Hamersveld, now of Las Vegas, who did a lot of album covers that people over 40 will most certainly recognize. There are some original ink works available for a lot of bread (get that '60's slang?) plus a lot of album covers for a whole lot less. Inside the album covers you'll find the original vinyl recordings. Talk about a bonus buy!
Photo by Tami Cowden
If you've seen the Fremont Street Experience you still haven't seen it this summer. It's the best I've seen so far, a heckuva lot better than that lame alien thing they run sometimes, and of course if you were there in '69 you've gotta like the music. On Independence day they ran Jimi Hendrix doing the Star Spangled Banner from Woodstock. Nobody to this day knows how he made his guitar sound like that.
My point is that you have five weeks, plus a few days, to get down to Fremont Street and check out the Summer of '69 activities. The place really isn't too crowded in Summer, you know. We were there most recently last night, to drop in on Mayor Oscar Goodman's 70th birthday party. Know what the "official martini of Las Vegas" is? The Good Man -- basically chilled Bombay Sapphire Gin. I had one with a touch of vermouth and an olive. Happy Birthday, Oscar! He's just over ten years older than I am, so I wish him many more years. If he drinks as much gin as they say, he'll look the same when he's gone, but that's another story.
Local or out of town, check out the Summer of '69 today!
Steve
BIG PS -- I don't often do this, but I am republishing this post to add this embedded video. It was shot by Jack LeVine after we'd left the party. Do check Jack's blog at http://veryvintagevegas.com, by the way. I'm stealing this, so don't tell him, okay? It shows John Van Hamersveld taking pictures of his own artwork as it is projected above. I've seen the show a couple of times and it is the best I've seen from Fremont Street to date. So, with only a smidgen of further ado, here's the video:
Groovy, baby!
