blivet 2.0

Ancient ‘pit house’ feature uncovered near Lake Las Vegas #

"The remains of a home for people who lived in the area centuries before the Spanish words "las vegas" were ever associated with this vicinity have been discovered in the Las Vegas Wash area near Lake Las Vegas.

Shaded under a modern, lightweight covering, about seven feet below the current desert surface, lies the revealed floor of a shelter described as a "1,400 year old pit house." [more]

This has been in the background for a bit, now it can be told. A few things, however, went slightly askew in the transition to print. The structure is more likely associated with the prehistoric Patayan culture, ancestors of the modern Mohave tribe. The southern Las Vegas Valley seems the northernmost extent of their prehistoric range. Their heartland lies along the Lower Colorado River corridor and in the southeast Mojave Desert.

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André Update #

I’m glad to hear that André continues to improve.

Early Signs of Fascism #

Early Signs of Fascism: a brief, nine question Adbusters interview with visiting UC-Santa Barbara Global and International Studies faculty member Richard Falk. [via John]

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It Has Been a Long Week #

Grandma and Grandpa are on their way back to Colorado, the paint is dry, the carpets are newly cleaned, Ian is in bed, we’re tired and there is still lots to do. Just in time to start the work week. 

Can You Find Ed Abbey’s Trailer at Arches National Monument? #

This just in from Brian at Got Caliche?

"In 1956 and 1957, Ranger Ed Abbey lived and working out of a small tin trailer at Arches National Monument. For decades, we’ve searched high and low for a photo of Ed’s summer home. Now, at long last, we’ve spotted him (or it). It this aerial photograph, taken on April 27, 1957, a careful observer can clearly see the house trail. One photo analyst even claims to be able to see Abbey throwing a beer bottle cap at a chipmunk, but we’re skeptical.

Whoever spots Ed’s trailer first, draws a red line aroudn it and sends to The Zephyr gets a FREE one year subscription."

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Onyate Man #

Speaking of garret, he sent me this link which made me laugh out loud. If I was a coffee drinker, my monitor would have been soaked. It turns out that Onyate Man was an April Fools Day spoof from 1999. More details are here.

Home Front News #

Furious cleaning and some redecorating continues unabated here at the blivet hacienda. Thanks to the hard work of Grandma and Grandpa (maternal) a lot more has been accomplished than would have been otherwise.

Hey, how about that Tour de France?

New Mexico Sunsets #

garret has a couple of nice shots of tonight’s sunset.

‘Bambi’ an elaborate hoax: #

"But man behind videos continues to tell media outlets that hunts are real.

The Hunting for Bambi video that has been sweeping the media in the past week or so is a hoax, city of Las Vegas officials said Thursday.

No "hunts" have ever been sold, and no "Bambis" have ever been shot with paintballs, the officials said in concluding a weeklong investigation.

"The bottom line is we are convinced as a city, based on the information we have, that … some in the media were used as unwitting dupes to promote a private enterprise," said Mayor Oscar Goodman. "It would appear from all sorts of admissions … that the purported Hunt for Bambi was a scam. That it was all staged. That there were actors and actresses and there wasn’t even the real shooting of paintballs."

City officials said the man who made those admissions was Michael Burdick, the self-professed mastermind behind the videos and the purported hunts of nude women in the Southern Nevada desert they portray. Burdick told several officials the hunts were staged events designed to fool the media so his video-selling operation would get free publicity, the officials said." [more]

A scam in Las Vegas? I’m shocked. Shocked I tell you!

It’s Big News Here #

Rain in this desert is always news, but two days in a row is reason for celebration!

later: Well, I thought 20% of the typical year’s total precip in one day in the midst of a three-year drought was news, but I couldn’t find anything in the local press. It was news to me.

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Gratuitous page flip #

And while I was here, Tuesday became Wednesday. There you have it. And Bob’s your Uncle.

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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch… #

Meanwhile, Grandma and Grandpa have been here for several days and we are neck deep in draining the swamp, er, cleaning the house and doing some redecorating, painting, and as they say, etc… So, I haven’t been ignoring things, it’s just the analog sphere is taking center stage.

21 Months! #

I would be remiss if I did not note here that Ian turned 21 months old yesterday.

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Ouch! #

André Radke (spicynoodles!) has broken both his arms!

"Yesterday, André managed to trip over something and to fall in such a way that he broke both his arms. Yes, you read that right. He got up after the fall and thought he was fine, but fainted a few minutes later and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The x-rayed his arms and discovered a crack in the right forearm bone (I don’t know which of the two) and that a piece of the left forearm bone had snapped off. He got casts on both arms right up to the shoulders, and he also got a bed in the hospital. This morning, the left arm was operated on. The doctors screwed the bone back together, and everything went alright. He will have to stay at the hospital until at least Monday, but at least he’ll lose the cast on his right arm in about a week because the screw will hold the bone together. The other arm will probably have to stay in the cast for two weeks." [Andrea]

We wish you two the best, friends. Hopefully, you’ll be able to give each other big hugs in four weeks when that first anniversary rolls around. [heads up via garret]

Newlyweds Andrea and André in the kiva at Pecos, New Mexico.

House Halts Administration Plan to Outsource Park Staff #

This has been watched by many in my profession, including myself, as well as many of you.

"This is an enormous victory for our national parks and for millions of park visitors," said Thomas Kiernan, National Parks Conservation Association president. "We hope that the Senate and conferees also stand up for our parks and do not allow the administration to put the stewardship of our parklands in the hands of the lowest bidder without full consideration for the implications to our parks."

The plans included "archaeologists, biologists, museum curators, interpreters, maintenance workers, and others whose jobs are critical to meeting the needs of park visitors, educating school groups, and protecting the parks." Private contractors could staff up to 70 percent of positions in the National Park Service under the plan.

Now, on to the Senate… [link via Got Caliche?]

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Nothing Political #

Sort of on blackout. I get this Tourette’s thing going and I’m already on high-blood pressure medication and it just upsets everyone. Especially me.

Not That I’m Complaining, Mind You #

We have been having near record high temperatures combined with high ozone readings (~135, where 100 = 0.08 ppm) in the Las Vegas Valley. Officially (as in at the airport), it has not been higher than 113°F. Semi-officially (in Green Valley and Henderson in the southern part of the valley), it has reached 122°F yesterday and today. [Note: that is not a url to an archived database, so you will just get the past 24 hours worth of readings.]

Here is the graphic showing the Green Valley station’s thermograph as of 2100 (-0700 GMT) on 11 July.

Yeah, you’re right, I’m complaining.

Trying To Catch Up #

It has been a bit, Ian is in bed and asleep, Washington Week has been consumed and here I now sit, trying to find my voice.

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Rush, Newspeak and Fascism #

Recommended.

"David Neiwert (Orcinus) has made the completed Rush Newspeak and Fascism: An Exegesis available as a pdf download (87 pages). " [via mark]

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