Hasta La Gadget!

Over the years I’ve learned to savor my journeys through improbable dreamscapes — visions that make no dramatic sense, lack any kind of physical restraints, and have no respect for boundaries of any kind. Shortly after awakening, the flagrant real-life barriers to duplicating anything that happened in my dream become painfully obvious.

Let me give you an example (and I’m not talking about the time Whoopi Goldberg and I went bicycling down a steep hill to see who could cross a highway and enter Safeway’s parking lot first without getting creamed by an approaching car).

The other night I dreamed that I was in an office in mid-Manhattan when someone came into the room and announced that the conductor for that evening’s performance of La Traviata was indisposed. Could I step in and take over?

Having no experience leading an orchestra in real life, the idea is downright laughable. Decades have passed since I studied piano or was able to sight read music. And yet, there I was, alone in a studio, running through Verdi’s score by heart on a grand piano.

Renee Fleming as Violetta in Act I of La Traviata

In my mind, the dynamics of Violetta’s Act I party scene were totally accurate. A neighbor who is a major opera fan even stopped by to agree with the tempi I had chosen. As I waited to make my entrance into the orchestra pit at City Center, I thought back to the time (in my dreams) when I had conducted a performance of Lohengrin in my underwear following an urgent request from Kurt Herbert Adler.

And then I woke up.

In the hazy aftermath of that dream, some ideas which had been eluding a solution finally coalesced into a workable format that I could use in an upcoming column. As the wild creativity of my dream life faded into the background, I quickly saw how what was possible in my sleep was impossible in reality.

For many artists, the ability to see what others don’t — or can’t see — is what adds an element of humanity or depth to their work. For most people, 2 + 2 may equal 4. But for an artist, the result may be 4 plus a pink rhinoceros. Or a cupcake with day-glo icing. I can’t explain the process; that’s simply how it happens.

Those off-balance observations and perspectives are what frequently make one person’s art stand out from another’s. Consider two short plays that were part of the Best of Playground 18 Festival.

In The Broken-Tooth Comb by William Bivins, a young Chinese math whiz gets an opportunity to leave China and study in America. As the years progress (and he is separated from his beloved Yaling Sun (Rinabeth Apostol), he struggles to find a relationship between two prime numbers — P (Howard Swain) and Q (Teddy Spencer). As directed by Katia Rivera, Jomar Tagatac gave a poignant portrayal of a mathematics professor chasing after the seemingly undecipherable answer to his theory until, late in life, he finds the solution he has always sought.

Tagatac also appeared as Kevin, the delivery boy, in Ruben Grijalva’s political farce entitled Mr. Wong’s Goes to Washington, which was crisply directed by M. Graham Smith. The setup is simple: Denise (Stacy Ross) is a White House aide locking horns during a meeting with a wingnut conservative member of Congress (Howard Swain).

When Kevin arrives with the food that was ordered by Ben (Adam Roy) and approved by Kim (Rinabeth Apostol) and Denise, Mick’s two congressional aides are hungry for lunch. Kim is starving and ready to kill anyone who gets between her and the food. Ben is the very model of a research assistant, ready to quote statistics that will allow the Congressman to pay for and eat the food Kevin has delivered.

Mick, however, is having none of it. Not only does he resent the fact that someone ordered Chinese food when there is a good American delicatessen just down the street, he refuses to spend taxpayer money on a decision in which he was not involved. When Kevin (whose arms are getting tired from holding all the food) insists that someone is going to have to pay for their order, it only serves to further aggravate the belligerent Congressman who is, above all else, in love with the sound of his own voice.

Grijalva’s tidy little farce did a surprisingly effect job of underscoring the sheer lunacy of the ideological extremes which have led to so much gridlock in Washington. But when it comes to dissecting sociological and ideological extremes, there is really only one person whose combination of forensic insight and artistic acuity is up to the task. That man is Mike Daisey.

* * * * * * * * * *

Daisey returned to the Bay area for the first time in three years for a two-night engagement at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where he performed his stunning monologue entitled American Utopias. It requires an extremely skilled artist to take three seemingly disparate and uniquely American microcosms and tie them together using the complex common bond of how American culture can use (and abuse) the concept of an ongoing, carefully defined niche partnership between the public and private sectors.

Poster art for American Utopias

The three objects of Daisey’s fascination are:

• Burning Man: Daisey and his wife, Jean-Michele Gregory, had never been to the annual gathering in Black Rock Desert. As they drove down from Seattle, they were terrified by thoughts of the unknown. Watching Daisey describe what it’s like for a marginally defensive New Yorker to be hugged by strange men wearing little, if any clothing, is a moment of priceless hilarity built on the shattering of assumed physical boundaries. While his critical eye takes in the art cars and other sculptures to be found on the Playa, Daisey’s acute sensitivity to money and how it affects cultural systems is blindsided when he encounters Burning Man’s gifting economy. His discovery that the ritual of “burning the man” at the end of each year’s festivities has less to do with the actual conflagration than with the way it impacts those in attendance is one of many presumptions about Burning Man that, quite literally, went up in smoke.
• Walt Disney World: For years, Daisey had resisted going to Orlando’s theme parks. However, his relatives in New Jersey regard a trip to Walt Disney World the same way that many Muslims regard the Hajj. While Daisey’s description of his painful misadventures in “the happiest place on earth” will have some people doubled over in laughter, there is also a childlike moment of awe as he first glimpses Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and feels the same thrill he felt as a child watching television. His expectation of spending many hours waiting on lines for various attractions is undermined by a cousin’s paramilitary approach to efficiently touring the Magic Kingdom. Perhaps the biggest irony of his family’s Disney obsession comes when his cousin, Chris, asks Daisey what he liked the most about the whole experience and Mike confesses that, even more than the trip to Orlando, he really enjoyed attending one of his family’s annual picnics in which they created their own Disney-inspired theme park experience.
• Zuccotti Park: Feeling guilty that he was not on hand for the Occupy Wall Street event when it took over Zuccotti Park, Daisey describes his experience on the day that he finally made a trip to Wall Street to see what the park (another public-private partnership) was like. Astounded by the intense police presence, after leaving the area and heading toward the subway, he asked a lone policeman how he felt about the whole phenomenon. The man replied “Well, you know, we’ve got to keep this place safe for the right people.”

Monologist Mike Daisey

Those who attended some of Daisey’s previous performances might have been surprised by the different tone of American Utopias. For one thing, Daisey seemed more emotionally vulnerable in his descriptions of feeling like an outsider at Burning Man and Walt Disney World. His ability to weave three separate narratives into a cultural tapestry hit a critical turning point at which the audience suddenly became much quieter and settled in for less comedy and more social criticism about the dominant influence of corporatism in our lives.

In American Utopias, Daisey seemed less combative and more willing to take his time as a master storyteller (had he been a camp counselor telling ghost stories, you can be sure every one of his camper’s sleeping bags would have been soaked in urine by the time the sun came up). Not too many people can hold an audience in rapt attention for more than 2-1/2 hours before asking the stage manager to bring up the house lights so he can see the audience.

At that point, Daisey did something quite remarkable. He thanked the audience for letting him see them, explaining that at most performances he’s usually speaking into a darkened space. Then, to make his point about why theatre is really about the exchange of energy between the audience and the performers, he invited everyone to join him outside the Novellus Theatre for the final segment of his performance. Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Daisey then left the stage, walked through the auditorium and was followed outdoors by hundreds of loyal fans.

As I noted above, American Utopias presents a mellower and more personal side of Mike Daisey than audiences might be used to. For those who have never seen Daisey performing at full throttle, the following clip was recorded on December 2, 2011, in the plaza at Broadway and West 50th Street (directly across the street from the Winter Garden Theatre) as part of an Occupy Broadway event. As Benjamin Shepard, co-author of The Beach Beneath the Streets explained:

“The city created privately owned public spaces for the people, in exchange for bonus height and bulk in these spaces. In recent weeks, there has been a push to tramp on our rights to public assembly, public space and, by extension, democracy itself. In response, Occupy Broadway joins a global struggle using occupation as a form of creative resistance. Occupations are spreading around the world and around New York City, even uptown.

Bloomberg beware: As State Judge Stallman made clear last week, the people have a right to be in these spaces 24 hours a day. You take our park, now Liberty Park is everywhere! In a time when downtown theaters are rapidly losing their spaces, being turned into high-end fashion stores, Occupy Broadway is a symbolic attempt to regain the space of theatre as an accessible, popular art form, bringing it back to where it all started — in a public space, for the common citizen.”

Watch Mike Daisey address the crowd in a highly impassioned, uniquely confrontational speech. His action is a fine example of artists working to bring power back to the people.

To read more of George Heymont go to My Cultural Landscape

On June 25, 2014, the following scientific study made the cover of the prestigious journal Nature: “Aspergillomarasmine A overcomes metallo-β-lactamase antibiotic resistance.” Doesn’t exactly sound earth-shattering, does it? But the discovery of a fungal compound that restores the efficacy of one of our antibiotics of last resort is, in fact, huge news.

The discovery of antibiotics was unquestionably one of the most powerful contributions to public health of all time — right up there with water sanitation, vaccination, and hand-washing. Each of these innovations struck a blow against the infectious diseases that had been the principal cause of death, especially of children, for hundreds of years. Indeed, antibiotics and vaccinations were so miraculously effective that in 1963 paleopathologist T. Aidan Cockburn made the following prediction in his book The Evolution and Eradication of Infectious Diseases:

We can look forward with confidence to a considerable degree of freedom from infectious diseases at a time not too far in the future. Indeed … it seems reasonable to anticipate within some measurable time, such as 100 years, all the major infections will have disappeared.

With these words, poor Dr. Cockburn made himself the eternal poster boy for his era’s wild optimism, but he was not alone. In his defense, he followed the cheery statement above with this one, which proved far more prescient:

This desirable goal will not be easily reached, for the difficulties are many, and unpleasant surprises are inevitable … Evolution is not merely something that happened in the past; it is an essential part of both the present and the future, so that out of all the microorganisms that are continually seeking to invade our bodies, one that is favored by changing conditions will occasionally succeed.

HIV, SARS, and Ebola — all unknown in 1963 — each confirm Cockburn’s prediction of unpleasant surprises, although I personally dislike his framing of the microbial world as one filled with dastardly actors scheming to infect humans. The vast majority of microbes are utterly indifferent to humans, and far more of them are more helpful to us than harmful. But be that as it may, the more interesting part of the passage above are these words: “one that is favored by changing conditions will occasionally succeed.”

Cockburn was absolutely correct that “changing conditions” would allow infectious agents to succeed. Here’s the irony: The “changing condition” that most favored infectious agents was the profligate use of antibiotics — the supposed wonder drugs. To be fair, there wasn’t much known at the time about how the spectacular genetic variability of bacteria would contribute to the development of resistance. Practically nothing was known about the elaborate social lives of microbes, which use small chemical compounds to communicate, compete, and cooperate with each other within and across species boundaries.

Bacteria and other microbes have been living with these small molecules in their environment for billions of years and have evolved several effective defenses against harmful ones, including pumping them out of their cells or attacking them chemically, These defense mechanisms were already widespread in the bacterial world, so when antibiotic use took off, it was only a matter of time before selection pressure favored bacteria that carried protective genetic tools. Resistance spread quickly because bacteria are able to share genes with each other easily, both within and across species. But wait, it gets worse: Bacteria can string whole series of resistance genes together onto a small ring of DNA called a plasmid and export an entire Swiss Army knife of resistance to other bacteria. Resistance, multi-drug resistance, and extreme multi-drug resistance can and did spread rapidly.

It’s against that background that “Aspergillomarasmine A overcomes metallo-β-lactamase antibiotic resistance” is huge news, as I’ll explain in Part 2.

(Photo Credit: Kelsey Rexroat; Nepal’s Annapurna Route)

On a 10-day trek along Nepal‘s spectacular Annapurna route, our group of mostly athletic young adults struggled through seven-hour hikes up and down steep Himalayan terrain in both pounding heat and, as the elevation increased, near-freezing cold. So I was surprised that our demographic was far from the only one populating the trails. While 20- to 40-somethings made up the majority of the trekkers we passed, there were also a large number of elderly trekkers and even some families with young children in tow.

Since then, I’ve spoken with several “nontraditional” trekkers, including retirees and families. For these travelers, trekking shouldn’t have a standard age, and it offers far greater rewards than an easy vacation lounging at a beach resort. Yes, trekking involves training, research and fitting weeks’ worth of supplies into one bag. But when you distill it down, a trek is just a long-distance walk — something anyone in generally fit condition is capable of with the right preparation.

Jeff Wilson, who hosts “Real Rail Adventures” on Public TV and runs New Eyes Travel, has been taking his two daughters backpacking with his wife since they were 5 years old. Their first multi-night trip was in the mountains at Great Basin National Park at ages 7 and 10.

“We have a family game where, each year, they are challenged to ‘hike their age,'” says Wilson. “They’re now quite adept, carry their own gear, and complain at their own peril. Actually, at this age, they appreciate the challenge, and often push their old man. They now are disappointed if we don’t finish what we set out to do.”

For Wilson, the trip would be incomplete with his daughters. “This is time to be a family, experience fully the places where we travel, and have all of those long talks we’ve been meaning to have.”

Older travelers also find the slower pace of traveling by foot leads to a more intimate experience getting to know both your fellow travelers and the local culture and surroundings.

Patty Baird, 51, who owns the Cedar House Sport Hotel in California along with her husband Jeff, 68, says, “trekking is a sport that works well as we age.” The couple completed the Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in April this year and have done the Kunisaki Trek in Japan, which follows the steps of Buddhist monks.

“What we love about trekking is that it allows a more intimate and authentic contact with the local people and the place,” says Baird. “We feel it is the best way to see a place and to truly experience the history and stories that only the trails will share with you.”

But trekking is not a walk in the park (unless it’s a national park). Norman Freund from Tiffield, England, has been trekking in Bhutan twice at elevations of up to 10,000 feet, most recently when he was 72 and his wife was 64.

“Trekking, especially in a fairly remote environment like Bhutan, is not be taken lightly by anyone, least of all retirees. You need to be generally fit and, if you have medical conditions which could flare up any time, a trek remote from a doctor or hospital is to be avoided,” says Freund.

Although some routes have the option to stay in teahouses — dorm-style accommodations that are little more than four walls and a bed — Freund and his wife roughed it even more by camping in tents. “My wife found sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag not much fun; I did not mind it too much though I didn’t sleep too well,” recalls Freund.

Depending on the location, trekking conditions may include freezing nights, cold or non-existent showers, and reduced oxygen at high altitudes. To train, Freund took long walks on a treadmill and Baird walked outdoors up to 50 miles a week. Stair climbing can also help build muscle and lung endurance.

Besides training, smart packing is another key to a successful trek. Travelers must find the balance between packing light and being well prepared. Quality gear is essential.

“Older people especially need to have very good footwear, with firm ankle support, and the boots should be well worn in before you go on the trek,” says Freund. He also recommends collapsible walking sticks, which help with balance and absorb some of the impact on the joints.

Good shoes are also important for younger travelers, and Wilson recommends kids have quality packs that are sized to their frames as they grow. “Good gear allows us to stay out longer and camp in conditions when others might give up and head for a hotel, ultimately saving money and giving us a better experience.”

In regions such as Nepal, it’s common to hike with a small day pack and hire porters or packhorses to carry the heavier bags. Marisol Mosquera, founder of Aracari Travel, even used them to help transport her 4-year-old son on his first trek in Huchuy Qosqo, Peru, where he rode a horse on the way up and was carried down the steep downhill portions by a porter.

If carrying your own gear, be sure to wear it while training to get accustomed to the weight. For younger children, Wilson says, “Always make them carry something so that they feel like they’re contributing. Eventually, they’ll be able to carry all their own gear.”

But for today’s tech-addicted youngsters, should that gear include electronics like cell phones and iPads? Wilson limits his daughters’ electronics on the trail so they can focus on time with the family instead, and he believes the tradeoff has paid off. “We think the trips teach self-reliance, self-discipline, frugality, and respect for nature and other cultures. They think differently from many of their friends, and are able to work on long time horizons — unique in a short attention span society.”

Mosquera doesn’t let her son bring electronics along at all, to eliminate the temptation. She suggests more old-fashioned diversions. “Bring cards to play after dinner as a group. Make sure you prepare to stargaze. Read stories. Bring marshmallows so you can make them in the fire. Make popcorn.”

These are the types of big lessons and small delights that make trekking a worthwhile pursuit at any age.

Says Wilson: “My older daughter, Winter, now has suggested that she wants to complete one long trail each summer of her college years. We’ll see about that, but at least she considers the possibility of such challenging, life-altering trips.”

Travelzoo Tip: With this exclusive deal, venture to Nepal to explore Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan on a seven-night land-only tour for $469 per person and save 55% or plan for a Everest Base Camp trek.

— Kelsey Rexroat is an editor at Travelzoo and based in New York. Travelzoo has 250 deal experts from around the world who rigorously research, evaluate and test thousands of deals to find those with true value.

After a long hard day fighting crime, you stink. I don’t even want to think how rank it is inside those superhero’s leotards or Iron Man’s armored suits. Clean up your act with these Avengers deodorant body sprays.

Reeavenge body sprays are made by Reebok, and come in Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and Avengers spray cans. I have no idea if they have different scents, or if the same aroma can be used to cover up the Hulk’s angry green stench as Thor’s sweaty locks.

Guess the way to find out is to order a few cans and spray yourself down. They’re available from Flipkart for about 179 Indian Rupees ($3 USD) each.

Looking at these time-lapse videos of Undulatus asperatus—”a cloud formation proposed as separate cloud classification in 2009″—look like the ocean’s surface in a stormy day as seen from under the water. They also look like those scenes in sci-fi movies when something really bad is coming to kill us all from the sky.

Read more…