Good News Everyone...

TheStar.com | entertainment | Futurama cast members ink new deal with Fox: "LOS ANGELES–The Star has learned exclusively that the entire voice cast of Futurama has just signed a new contract with Fox after weeks of intense salary negotiations.

As late as last week, the network was threatening to replace the original voices of Matt Groening's cult-hit cartoon, to the point of actually announcing a casting call for voice actors to replace them.

The Futurama voice cast includes John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Billy West, Tress MacNeille and Katey Sagal."

Dino Workshop 2009

Let Me Tell You About Last Week

I ran this out for a class today. Starting last Sunday my week went like this:

Pittsburgh -> Washington DC -> Pittsburgh -> Denver -> Burbank -> Pasadena -> Burbank -> Pasadena -> Burbank -> Denver -> Steamboat Springs -> Denver -> Pittsburgh


Three time zones
Six cities
Three cars
Four planes
Two weddings
Two receptions
Too much alcohol
Many, many alums

Here's some pictures:

Something New

Monday and Tuesday I taught a class for IA Local #22 in Washington DC. We got to have the class at the Kennedy Center on one of the small theatre stages. Everyone was really cool, and I think it went fairly well.

This is the sort of thing I have been thinking I ought to be doing for quite a while now. To date I really haven't parlayed my ETCP Rigging certification or my ETCP Recognized Rigging Trainer status into very much - although I would guess it had something to do with the tenure decision. Anyway, since being certified and recognized the opportunity has been there to break into the independent training business. This gig was first supposed to happen in January but for two things: first, my mom passed, and second, they canceled the class. Before they canceled it they'd got Bill Sapsis to replace me, which I thought was pretty cool. So, this was my first foray into what could be a big part of the next chapter for me careerwise.

Or it could be a gig and that's all.

This really was an alpha and omega experience for me. Class was on Monday. The previous class I appeared in front of was Friday morning, and it was high school juniors. Monday's class was all professional stagehands, some with more years than I have. It took a little bit of a re-calibration.

The point of the class was to prep the group for the ETCP Theatre Rigging exam. So, in addition to my "regular" material I put together a sort of "Complete history of the ETCP - abridged" explaining how the program and the certification came to be and what material is on the test. I'm in a fairly unique position to speak to that having been on the ESTA CPC, in the CP RSWG, and having been an ETCP Rigging Subject Matter expert. I think it was a good place to start as although the pocess was fairly transparent many people don't know how the thing came about. Most of the material I needed was in the candidate handbook, so it wasn't too hard to do.

The first day I did the intro and then went through Hemp Systems, Counterweight Systems, Double Purchase & Mechanical Advantage, and Powered Systems. In one day that's most of the first half of my old rigging class. Mrs. TANBI and I had spent some time frantically converting my class notes into powerpoints just before I left. I'd actually just completed Monday's content Sunday night at the hotel and was fairly panicked that I wouldn't be able to fill the time.

I've noticed that doing material from an outline on the board and then converting it to do with powerpoint and a projector that it's likely that the time it takes to get though compresses substantively. The completed presentations were all in the 12-18 slide range, and even though I knew for certain that each of the lessons could easily fill 80 minutes I could also see how I could be standing there at the end of the file after less than 20 minutes.

As it turned out, none of the files went by any faster than about 50 minutes. Still not all the time I thought it would take, but enough. With the ETCP "Intro" and then finishing up with a presentation from homework and test questions I think I did wind up haing enough material for the full two day workshop.

The second day's material covered Fire Curtains, Soft Goods rigging, Line & Hardware, and Design Principles. We finished out the day with sample test questions. In the end I think I left out some things. I could use some more about geometry and trig. I completely blew off reading drawings, measuring units, and general theatrical terms. I need something to cover the arena content that verges over into the theatre content, things like bridling and shock loading. I don't think any of this stuff is disastrous from a test standpoint. It's probably stuff they know cold or its stuff that couldn't possibly be more than one test question.

Still, if I do it again I think I really would need to patch those gaps.

We had a very spirited conversation about whether the pins in the pinrail absolutely need to be loose. For the record, neither I nor anyone I could get hold of could come up with a reason. We also got into it a little on the "stab-and-jab" practice and how the certification can't test you on something the manufacturer of the equipment would tell you is using it wrong. Overall it was a good group with lots of questions and input. I hope they had as good a time as I did.

Before Class

How Do You Really Feel?

Topless Robot - I Am Going to Skull@#$% Everyone at Fox to Death: "Fuck them. Fuck their families. Fuck their babies and pets. Fuck everyone who's ever held a door open for them."

I guess I concur.

Ellipses...

I'm kinda glad I'm not one of those Potter people. They all seem a little disappointed in the latest... You know what I want? I want a judge who can say "Yes, I have opinions and biases just like every other person in the world. When I decide cases I follow the law, the evidence, and the argument. That's the job." Just a thought... I am really not ready for my class on Monday and Tuesday. Still what doesn't kill us makes us stronger... Who do you think 310-678-9428 is? They didn't leave a message... I don't think I needed social elements to Google reader. I mean, I like that people can share items, but I don't need to "follow" anyone, and I really don't need the "like" feature - I thought that's what sharing was for... I graded my first set of papers for the summer, and immediately got the second group. Those will probably take longer... It was disheartening to hear that after all this time a fear of bank runs is still not so much unfounded... That commercial they're running to keep people from supporting a public health care option - the one with the G-Man standing between the doctor and the patient - the other guys should remake it *exactly* with the guy in the middle being an insurance exec... After a second Warehouse 13 I am still not excited, Ironman Armored Adventures - now that's another story... Apparently several travel destinations are pretty much giving it away. Maybe we'll go someplace neat mid-August. Who wants to go with? Send me a message... I finally ordered the automation gear for work. The delivery date got pushed back somewhat dramatically... Just about two weeks until the 2009 Dino Workshop. I hope it's fun again... I am excelling at procrastination. I think I might go pro...

Spreading the Word...

Robert Andrews	NJ01	202-225-6501
Yvette Clarke	NY11	202-225-6231
Joe Courtney	CT02	202-225-2076
Marcia Fudge	OH11	202-225-7032
Phil Hare	IL17	202-225-5905
Rush Holt	NJ12	202-225-5801
Dale Kildee	MI05	202-225-3611
David Loebsack	IA02	202-225-6576
Carolyn McCarthy	NY04	202-225-5516
Joe Sestak	PA07	202-225-2011
John Tierney	MA06	202-225-8020
David Wu	OR01	202-225-0855

Dear David,

Rep. Dennis Kucinich proposed a crucial amendment today for single-payer healthcare and we urgently need you to call one or more of the 12 Democrats on the House Education and Labor Subcommittee. Our message is simple:

Please support Rep. Kucinich's Amendment today in the HELP Subcommittee to allow states to create single-payer healthcare systems. The federal government should give states the freedom to fix our health care crisis.

You can call any time and leave a voicemail if no one answers. If you do speak with a staffer, please post their reply here:
http://www.democrats.com/support-kucinich-single-payer-amendment-today

You can also urge your Senators and Representatives to support a nationwide Single Payer Health Care plan (H.R. 676) by signing our petition:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-petition?cid={cid_enc}

The Kucinich Amendment would let individual states create single-payer healthcare systems even if Congress fails to create a nationwide single-payer system.

That's exactly how Canada evolved towards single-payer: one province at a time. Given the corporate-funded resistance to single-payer in Congress, the U.S. may have to follow the Canadian path.

Progressive activists in California and Pennsylvania are leading the way for single-payer systems and the Kucinich Amendment would remove the legal roadblocks they face.

The fate of the Kucinich Amendment rests in the hands of the 12 Democrats above. Please call as many as you can.

Thanks for all you do!

Bob Fertik

Where are the Liberal Pundits

Hey SpinPundits! How come nobody is moving the center to the left? All these people criticizing her for her "wise Latina" comment and all the lefties can come up with was "but look at her record."

Look at her record? Where are you guys? Man up already. How about this:

I don't see why she should walk that back at all, I mean, it might be hard for some people to hear, but she's right.

Is it so hard for someone being paid to be the "voice of the left" to say on television that perhaps just as there are issues perhaps best decided by old white men that there could possibly be the odd issue that might be better decided by a wise Latina?

"Look at her record" is where the anchor is supposed to take the conversation when you bookends drag things too far out to the fringe. If they say "what could she have been thinking?" and you say "but look at her record" then the anchor is left with "well I guess we'll see if there's anything to it." If they say "what could she have been thinking?" and you say "maybe she thinks there are some issues better decided by someone of her nature" then the anchor can say "What does the record show?"

Take it left and the center moves left with you. Drive the center and the middle moves to the right. Get it together already.

Which is More of a Problem?

I wonder which is really more problematic, that "a wise, Latina woman" might come to a better conclusion than a white male or that pretty much every decision made by the Supreme Court for centuries has been based on the judgment of wealthy, white, Anglo, Protestant men.

Not much of a contest to me.

Why is it that people elected to the most selective office in the land seem to believe that someone with a conspicuous background - and keep in mind that it's really only conspicuous held against the homogeneous status quo - would somehow base every single decision on that background? Are they really that stupid or bigoted?

One would hope that some of those questions were purely to placate influential but ignorant constituents and that the Senator, behind closed doors, is thinking "I can't believe I have to say things like that to keep my job."

Of course when the question is one about the merits, a judge will decide on the merits. Are they really asking if someone who is credentialed appropriately for the Supreme Court will decide to lump the law to favor one group or another?

And what's the problem with empathy? What's the problem with making a decision based on who you are? Not all legal decisions are strictly about the merits. Some are about reasonableness or a balancing test about who is harmed more. Why wouldn't we want someone with foundation or a breadth and depth of empathy to be the person making this judgment? Are we to believe that the only acceptable form of education on and relationship to an issue is to have absolutely no history or stake and to learn about it secondhand from research? How can anyone ever come to complete understanding in that way?

I'll be glad to have wealthy, white, Anglo, Protestant men on the court to relate to the wealthy, white, Anglo, Protestant issues, and at the same time I'll be glad to have a wise Latina woman on the court to relate to less wealthy, white, Anglo, Protestant issues. Diversity on the high court - in all the courts - is something to be embraced, not feared.

Senator Sessions today asked "If you had to go to court, what kind of judge would you want?" It's pretty clear what he wants. I hope it isn't the view shared by the majority on the committee.