University student fulfills childhood fantasy, ran away and joined circus
By: Kate Snyder
Posted: 10/31/08
Freshman Logan Jacot prepared to set himself on fire. He'd done it many times before.
Torches were constructed from old T-shirts, a metal rod and Elmer's glue. Although typically doused in gasoline or kerosene to make them easier to light, this time, Jacot used Coleman camp fuel.
He slid one down his bare arms, extinguishing the fire after a few seconds, before snuffing out the torch itself by sticking the lighted end in his mouth.
"How do you eat fire?" a passerby asked.
"Carefully," he laughed.
He's from New Philadelphia, Ohio. His mom is in real estate and his dad owns a small oil business.
Four years ago, Jacot ran away and joined the circus.
"At first, [my parents] were horrified," he said.
He's mainly a contortionist, but a bad car accident last February shattered his right femur and forced him to stop contorting for a while. He needed a new act, so he taught himself to eat fire. He also walks on glass.
When his parents finally watched his acts, suddenly having a circus-performing son wasn't so bad, Jacot said.
People would ask to see his acts at parties or friends' houses, and he would show them, said freshman Kyle Gale, a hometown friend also attending the University.
"[The acts are] kind of like death-defying in a way," Gale said.
Jacot's interest in the circus was first piqued when he was researching animal's rights, and he liked what found.
"These circus performers take better care of their animals than some people take care of their dogs," Jacot said.
It wasn't easy to get in; the circus is very suspicious of outsiders, Jacot said. But he proved he wouldn't quit after two weeks, and once he was in, he could get jobs at any show he wanted.
He started as an acrobat, but he could never get the landings right, so he switched to contortion.
"Everybody laughed at me because I couldn't touch my toes when I started," he said. "I started stretching four hours a night in front of the TV."
For the past four years, he's traveled cross country, performing in various shows, including the World of Wonders sideshows and the Lewis and Clark Circus. There were times when he was doing up to 30 shows a day while completing nearly all his high school education online.
"You learn something in geography, and then next week you go and see it," Jacot said.
He also learned about people - all kinds of people. Lobster girls, midgets and a guy named Jeffrey who has no arms, but can play the bass with his feet are all counted among Jacot's friends.
"These people with deformities, they are more accepting of their body than anyone else I've ever met," he said. "The circus doesn't judge you on who you are. Circus is all about what you can do."
But it's not an easy job.
"There's no safety, there's no health insurance," Jacot said. "It potentially could be very, very dangerous."
The animals, though bred in captivity, are never completely tame. The acts are never completely foolproof.
Between fire eating, glass walking and contortion, Jacot's hurt himself more in contortion. He quickly learned the difference between pain and soreness.
"If you feel pain, you need to stop," he said.
And even if every precaution is taken, a circus is still at the mercy of the elements. Jacot remembered once when a tornado swept through their show. The performers and the 15 audience members huddled in one trailer, he said. There was no damage, but a man did die.
"It's a really hard life," said Montana Miller, an assistant professor in the pop culture department.
Miller joined the circus when she was 17. Between high school and college, she was a flying trapeze artist. She never cared for the traditional circus, but when a new circus movement called Cirque du Soleil opened in the 1980s, she ran with them all over the world for a while.
At the time, Cirque du Soleil was animal-free, with more of a theatrical approach to the performances.
Miller left to attend college, and after graduation she took a position here. She still thinks about the circus though, and it influences the way she teaches. She still wants her audience, no matter who they are, to be absorbed.
She doesn't know if she will ever go back, but it's still a possibility.
"If I were to have to leave Bowling Green, I would be very tempted," Miller said. "No matter what I'm doing, there's this circus part of me that I crave."
Jacot feels that pull too.
"I get bored here, sitting in one place," Jacot said. But he hasn't given it up.
During the summer, he'll keep performing, booking and promoting shows. He and Kyle Gale are trying to start a circus troupe using BGSU students.
He recently performed in the talent show for the Latino Arts and Culture organization. Senior Laura Saavedra, the former president, had never seen an act like his before.
Usually contestants sing or dance or read poetry, Saavedra said. Jacot invited an audience member to stand on his head while he lay on shattered glass.
"It was amazing to watch," Saavedra said. "He ended up winning."
Jacot applied to four schools last year, picking BGSU because he thought the arts department was strong.
Because besides Cirque du Soleil, the circus hasn't changed much in 50 years.
"The industry is kind of at a crossroads right now," he said. "Shows that are staying in 1950 ... are slowly dying out."
He put his job on hiatus to gain a degree in theater and business, and to learn new technology so he can help bring the show he loves up to the 21st century. After graduation, he will go back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© Copyright 2008 BG News
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
BREAKING NEWS
I just got the word that Britney Spears will be doing a performance with the Big Apple Circus. Hopefully the BAC will recieve the national attention they deserve.
Logan
Logan
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey licensees signed
-- Kids Today, 11/21/2008 1:11:00 PM
CopCorp Licensing’s president, Carole Postal, announced several key licensees for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey entertainment brand. Though most of the products are geared toward adults, there are some juvenile/youth products planned as well.
Idea Nuova, an award-winning manufacturer of home, room decor and lifestyle products, has locked up the rights to manufacture and market Ringling Bros. sheets, comforters, quilts, throws, blankets, slumber bags, pillows, window treatments, rugs, beach towels, collapsible hampers, lava & table lamps, night lights, bed & play tents, and coordinating juvenile chairs (including folding, rigid, and plush).
Other licensees include R.M. Palmer Co., for novelty chocolate circus characters; seasonal novelty gummies sold in bags, boxes or tins; novelty marshmallow circus characters; and candy-filled ceramic gift mugs; Briefly Stated, a division of Li & Fung USA, for sleepwear, loungewear, and underwear for juniors and men and Giant, also a division of Li & Fung USA, for t-shirts, fashion tops, and fleece for men, boys, women, and girls.
“These companies are each proven leaders in their respective markets and, together, represent a broad spectrum of key product categories that will help get our Ringling Bros. licensing program off to a great start,” said Postal, whose agency was appointed just this past summer by Feld Entertainment, Inc. to represent Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey- The Greatest Show On Earth as a family entertainment brand for licensing.
“As America’s Living National Treasure, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey transcends generations and is a strong and famous brand. We are looking forward to working with all of these new licensees to help bring the wholesome, colorful family fun of the Ringling Bros. brand to audiences everywhere,” said Jason Bitsoff, vice president and general manager of strategic alliances for Feld Entertainment.
http://www.kidstodayonline.com/article/CA6616854.html
CopCorp Licensing’s president, Carole Postal, announced several key licensees for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey entertainment brand. Though most of the products are geared toward adults, there are some juvenile/youth products planned as well.
Idea Nuova, an award-winning manufacturer of home, room decor and lifestyle products, has locked up the rights to manufacture and market Ringling Bros. sheets, comforters, quilts, throws, blankets, slumber bags, pillows, window treatments, rugs, beach towels, collapsible hampers, lava & table lamps, night lights, bed & play tents, and coordinating juvenile chairs (including folding, rigid, and plush).
Other licensees include R.M. Palmer Co., for novelty chocolate circus characters; seasonal novelty gummies sold in bags, boxes or tins; novelty marshmallow circus characters; and candy-filled ceramic gift mugs; Briefly Stated, a division of Li & Fung USA, for sleepwear, loungewear, and underwear for juniors and men and Giant, also a division of Li & Fung USA, for t-shirts, fashion tops, and fleece for men, boys, women, and girls.
“These companies are each proven leaders in their respective markets and, together, represent a broad spectrum of key product categories that will help get our Ringling Bros. licensing program off to a great start,” said Postal, whose agency was appointed just this past summer by Feld Entertainment, Inc. to represent Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey- The Greatest Show On Earth as a family entertainment brand for licensing.
“As America’s Living National Treasure, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey transcends generations and is a strong and famous brand. We are looking forward to working with all of these new licensees to help bring the wholesome, colorful family fun of the Ringling Bros. brand to audiences everywhere,” said Jason Bitsoff, vice president and general manager of strategic alliances for Feld Entertainment.
http://www.kidstodayonline.com/article/CA6616854.html
PETA: A circus sideshow with no lack of clowns
This is a great column from the Daily Comet.
THAT'S THE WAY IT GOES
PETA: A circus sideshow with no lack of clowns
Laura McKnight
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 21, 2008 at 12:23 p.m.
I love animals. I really do. But honestly, PETA gets on my nerves.
They’re flash and bang, shock and awe, a noisy distraction that grabs your attention with outrageous antics, but offers no substance.
Most of their actions simply have no meat.
I can get behind the ethical treatment of animals part – I don’t want animals to suffer either – but I also think I can ethically eat some tasty turkey treated with Tony Chachere’s spices.
Besides, I bet turkeys would rather die at the hands of a turkey farmer than at the claws of a coyote. Nature’s one cruel Mother.
One of my friends likes to say that he’ll stop eating animals when they stop eating each other.
When is the animal-on-animal violence going to stop? Really, animals seem much more cruel to each other than we are to them.
Have these PETA folks ever watched the Discovery Channel? Have they ever seen a hawk eat a mouse?
It ain’t pretty.
I must say, if I were a mouse and had the choice between being smashed by a metal bar while trying to reach a piece of cheese or being gradually stretched and snapped apart by a sharp bird beak, I’d probably go with the mouse trap.
And if you’re trying to win me to your cause, they need to do better than the recent circus sideshow courtesy of PETA.
The group’s circus protest in Houma Nov. 17 was hilariously typical.
A hullabaloo brewed in the city as we heard reports that a nude protester would paint her body in a tiger design and peer out from between the bars of a cage on the corner of Lafayette and Main streets.
Because putting an attractive, nude woman at a busy intersection makes people never want to invite a circus back again, my co-worker pointed out.
The “protest” drew a small crowd of mostly men, presumably interested in animal rights, especially those of the Nudis Femalis species. Some even brought cameras, I guess so they could document the protest for later reminders of the plight of circus animals.
Too bad the sideshow proved disappointing despite its fanfare, mostly because the nudity part of the nude protest got scrapped. The protester apparently heard about Terrebonne Parish’s no-public-nudity law and slapped on a bra and underwear. Too bad the tigers can’t follow suit.
This protester didn’t want to get put behind bars during her protest of putting animals behind bars, which I think lacks a certain level of commitment.
Or maybe it’s a show of integrity: PETA doesn’t want any animals behind bars, especially the two-legged kind that work for PETA.
Before this latest PETA episode, there was the Tarpon Rodeo protest that floundered.
The famed Grand Isle International Tarpon Rodeo one year drew the ire of PETA, which planned to send a protester dressed as a fish to protest murderous fishermen. However, when PETA found out the island would be full of partying Cajuns, the group decided the tarpons could fend for themselves.
But what really gets me is PETA’s new “Save the Sea Kittens” campaign.
Fish just don’t arouse human sympathy like fuzzy mammals, so PETA decided that maybe if we dub the fish “sea kittens,” people won’t care to catch and eat them. Who would hook a precious little kitten and serve it on a plate?
Visit the campaign’s Web page and you’ll find cartoon images of happy fish wearing kitten masks.
Why must they wear kitten disguises? Because they’re not kittens. They’re fish. And they taste delicious.
But fish have feelings, too, according to PETA.
So what’s all this stuntin’ about?
My good friend believes that groups like PETA cater to people who just don’t like people. I’m starting to believe this could be true.
A lot of people have a tendency to feel more compassion for animals than for people. Maybe it’s because humans tend to bite harder. And they’ll turn on you sometimes.
My friend and I sometimes talk about how people react when seeing a smashed cat or dog on the road. They gasp in horror, they yelp, they look away. The same people will twist their necks into yoga positions to see a car wreck out of curiosity or sheer entertainment.
I know this because I do it, too. A hurt human? That stinks. A hurt dog? The horror.
After Hurricane Katrina, a volunteer told me that should another disaster hit, he’s going to start barking and meowing – because that will get you help.
Maybe PETA’s next campaign could save some two-legged animals.
Instead of “Animals are people, too,” let’s go with “People are animals, too.”
I know – we just need cute little kitten masks!
For example, right now, people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are suffering from horrible, brutal fighting among militias and government soldiers. It’s terrible.
But “people” won’t attract the needed sympathy.
Let’s go with “Congo kittens.”
We can outfit the refugees, rape victims and child soldiers with kitten masks, and people will rush to their rescue.
Who would leave a little kitten to run for its life from merciless militias?
Maybe that’s what went wrong during Katrina. We should have handed out kitten masks to all the “Katrina Kittens” on rooftops. Who would leave a little kitten for days on a rooftop?
Maybe coastal land loss would attract real action if “Cajun Kitties” were in danger of losing their natural habitat.
It’s a cruel world, so I think we should start petitioning straight away for human inclusion among animals in need of ethical treatment.
A new slogan: “People feel pain, too.”
But for now, if another disaster heads this way and I wind up on a roof, I think I’ll put on a kitten mask and start meowing.
Maybe PETA will come to my rescue. Or at least stage a ridiculous protest on my behalf.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20081121/OPINION01/811219952/-1/SPORTS12?Title=PETA__A_circus_sideshow_with_no_lack_of_clowns
THAT'S THE WAY IT GOES
PETA: A circus sideshow with no lack of clowns
Laura McKnight
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 21, 2008 at 12:23 p.m.
I love animals. I really do. But honestly, PETA gets on my nerves.
They’re flash and bang, shock and awe, a noisy distraction that grabs your attention with outrageous antics, but offers no substance.
Most of their actions simply have no meat.
I can get behind the ethical treatment of animals part – I don’t want animals to suffer either – but I also think I can ethically eat some tasty turkey treated with Tony Chachere’s spices.
Besides, I bet turkeys would rather die at the hands of a turkey farmer than at the claws of a coyote. Nature’s one cruel Mother.
One of my friends likes to say that he’ll stop eating animals when they stop eating each other.
When is the animal-on-animal violence going to stop? Really, animals seem much more cruel to each other than we are to them.
Have these PETA folks ever watched the Discovery Channel? Have they ever seen a hawk eat a mouse?
It ain’t pretty.
I must say, if I were a mouse and had the choice between being smashed by a metal bar while trying to reach a piece of cheese or being gradually stretched and snapped apart by a sharp bird beak, I’d probably go with the mouse trap.
And if you’re trying to win me to your cause, they need to do better than the recent circus sideshow courtesy of PETA.
The group’s circus protest in Houma Nov. 17 was hilariously typical.
A hullabaloo brewed in the city as we heard reports that a nude protester would paint her body in a tiger design and peer out from between the bars of a cage on the corner of Lafayette and Main streets.
Because putting an attractive, nude woman at a busy intersection makes people never want to invite a circus back again, my co-worker pointed out.
The “protest” drew a small crowd of mostly men, presumably interested in animal rights, especially those of the Nudis Femalis species. Some even brought cameras, I guess so they could document the protest for later reminders of the plight of circus animals.
Too bad the sideshow proved disappointing despite its fanfare, mostly because the nudity part of the nude protest got scrapped. The protester apparently heard about Terrebonne Parish’s no-public-nudity law and slapped on a bra and underwear. Too bad the tigers can’t follow suit.
This protester didn’t want to get put behind bars during her protest of putting animals behind bars, which I think lacks a certain level of commitment.
Or maybe it’s a show of integrity: PETA doesn’t want any animals behind bars, especially the two-legged kind that work for PETA.
Before this latest PETA episode, there was the Tarpon Rodeo protest that floundered.
The famed Grand Isle International Tarpon Rodeo one year drew the ire of PETA, which planned to send a protester dressed as a fish to protest murderous fishermen. However, when PETA found out the island would be full of partying Cajuns, the group decided the tarpons could fend for themselves.
But what really gets me is PETA’s new “Save the Sea Kittens” campaign.
Fish just don’t arouse human sympathy like fuzzy mammals, so PETA decided that maybe if we dub the fish “sea kittens,” people won’t care to catch and eat them. Who would hook a precious little kitten and serve it on a plate?
Visit the campaign’s Web page and you’ll find cartoon images of happy fish wearing kitten masks.
Why must they wear kitten disguises? Because they’re not kittens. They’re fish. And they taste delicious.
But fish have feelings, too, according to PETA.
So what’s all this stuntin’ about?
My good friend believes that groups like PETA cater to people who just don’t like people. I’m starting to believe this could be true.
A lot of people have a tendency to feel more compassion for animals than for people. Maybe it’s because humans tend to bite harder. And they’ll turn on you sometimes.
My friend and I sometimes talk about how people react when seeing a smashed cat or dog on the road. They gasp in horror, they yelp, they look away. The same people will twist their necks into yoga positions to see a car wreck out of curiosity or sheer entertainment.
I know this because I do it, too. A hurt human? That stinks. A hurt dog? The horror.
After Hurricane Katrina, a volunteer told me that should another disaster hit, he’s going to start barking and meowing – because that will get you help.
Maybe PETA’s next campaign could save some two-legged animals.
Instead of “Animals are people, too,” let’s go with “People are animals, too.”
I know – we just need cute little kitten masks!
For example, right now, people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are suffering from horrible, brutal fighting among militias and government soldiers. It’s terrible.
But “people” won’t attract the needed sympathy.
Let’s go with “Congo kittens.”
We can outfit the refugees, rape victims and child soldiers with kitten masks, and people will rush to their rescue.
Who would leave a little kitten to run for its life from merciless militias?
Maybe that’s what went wrong during Katrina. We should have handed out kitten masks to all the “Katrina Kittens” on rooftops. Who would leave a little kitten for days on a rooftop?
Maybe coastal land loss would attract real action if “Cajun Kitties” were in danger of losing their natural habitat.
It’s a cruel world, so I think we should start petitioning straight away for human inclusion among animals in need of ethical treatment.
A new slogan: “People feel pain, too.”
But for now, if another disaster heads this way and I wind up on a roof, I think I’ll put on a kitten mask and start meowing.
Maybe PETA will come to my rescue. Or at least stage a ridiculous protest on my behalf.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20081121/OPINION01/811219952/-1/SPORTS12?Title=PETA__A_circus_sideshow_with_no_lack_of_clowns
Friday, November 21, 2008
Last Night's Encounter With An AR Activist
Last night I was at a local restaurant and I saw one of my friends there and I stopped by the table to say hi and we started talking and the topic of circus came up and the girl he was with looks at me and says "You can get the f***k away from. Just walk away right now."
So I calmly say "Exuse me?"
"Circuses beat their animals and tie them up in train cars all day long," she said.
So I asked her where did she get her information and her answer was www.circuses.com. I then continued and told her of my experiences and what I knew about PETA and the animal liberation movement in general. She was shocked to find out that PETA was an animal liberation group, and after a while off rational debating and discussing circus animals I won her over. She actually apologized to me for being misinformed.
I think November should be "Change somebody's mind about circus animals month." Lol So everybody must go out and change at least one persons mind :-)
Logan
So I calmly say "Exuse me?"
"Circuses beat their animals and tie them up in train cars all day long," she said.
So I asked her where did she get her information and her answer was www.circuses.com. I then continued and told her of my experiences and what I knew about PETA and the animal liberation movement in general. She was shocked to find out that PETA was an animal liberation group, and after a while off rational debating and discussing circus animals I won her over. She actually apologized to me for being misinformed.
I think November should be "Change somebody's mind about circus animals month." Lol So everybody must go out and change at least one persons mind :-)
Logan
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
More Evidence That The Tides Are Turning
KTBS.com ran a similar story about the naked tiger lady protesting the alleged cruelty of Ringling Bros. These comments are also echoing the other article; I guess the public is finally starting to realize that Ringling does treats its animals well.
"Posted by WaterNovember 19, 2008 7:47:17 PM CST
Hey, she could be the new LSU mascot. Maybe then the entire football team would be “up” for the game."
"Report Abuse
Posted by cdjrushjrNovember 19, 2008 7:30:19 PM CST
she to get a life and eat a hamburger"
"Report Abuse
Posted by captain bangarooNovember 19, 2008 6:57:11 PM CST
I thought peta stood for "people eating tasty animals"
"Posted by SortedLogicNovember 19, 2008 4:28:35 PM CST
i wish it had been unseasonably cold today."
" Posted by asp2November 19, 2008 4:27:03 PM CST
Dang!! More than likely she striped off to protest on her way to the employment office to pick up her unemployment check. And I was at work. Dang!!!"
"Posted by sayedrickgloverNovember 19, 2008 3:55:57 PM CST
So if she gets her way and they let the animals out of the cage, won't the animals attack? The second question is, if they do get let out and a TIGER mounts her, should anyone intervene? And would it be considered public lewdness or just animals playing."
"Posted by drjeck21November 19, 2008 3:40:14 PM CST
She's right, wild animals do not belong behind bars, but circus animals do! Since they are no longer wild it's only fit that they stay in a cage. These animals were born in captivity for cryin out loud...."
"Posted by Ernest TNovember 19, 2008 2:44:28 PM CST
Looks to me like she needs to be in the circus. Maybe they will give her a job and she wont have to be locked up"
"Report Abuse
Posted by Ernest TNovember 19, 2008 2:39:45 PM CST
She looks like she could use a nice juicy steak or a hamburger or some poke ribs or some poke chops. Somebody needs to tell to get rid of the sign if she really wants to make a statement. We cant tell if shes really naked with that sign in the way. "
"Posted by WaterNovember 19, 2008 2:25:30 PM CST
Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up folks. See the amazing tiger girl. Half woman, half tiger, and all beast. She’s the meanest creature in the jungle. Lovely to look at but don’t get too close, she’ll rip your heart right out! Just fifty cents, half a dollar! Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up folks…"
"Posted by WaterNovember 19, 2008 7:47:17 PM CST
Hey, she could be the new LSU mascot. Maybe then the entire football team would be “up” for the game."
"Report Abuse
Posted by cdjrushjrNovember 19, 2008 7:30:19 PM CST
she to get a life and eat a hamburger"
"Report Abuse
Posted by captain bangarooNovember 19, 2008 6:57:11 PM CST
I thought peta stood for "people eating tasty animals"
"Posted by SortedLogicNovember 19, 2008 4:28:35 PM CST
i wish it had been unseasonably cold today."
" Posted by asp2November 19, 2008 4:27:03 PM CST
Dang!! More than likely she striped off to protest on her way to the employment office to pick up her unemployment check. And I was at work. Dang!!!"
"Posted by sayedrickgloverNovember 19, 2008 3:55:57 PM CST
So if she gets her way and they let the animals out of the cage, won't the animals attack? The second question is, if they do get let out and a TIGER mounts her, should anyone intervene? And would it be considered public lewdness or just animals playing."
"Posted by drjeck21November 19, 2008 3:40:14 PM CST
She's right, wild animals do not belong behind bars, but circus animals do! Since they are no longer wild it's only fit that they stay in a cage. These animals were born in captivity for cryin out loud...."
"Posted by Ernest TNovember 19, 2008 2:44:28 PM CST
Looks to me like she needs to be in the circus. Maybe they will give her a job and she wont have to be locked up"
"Report Abuse
Posted by Ernest TNovember 19, 2008 2:39:45 PM CST
She looks like she could use a nice juicy steak or a hamburger or some poke ribs or some poke chops. Somebody needs to tell to get rid of the sign if she really wants to make a statement. We cant tell if shes really naked with that sign in the way. "
"Posted by WaterNovember 19, 2008 2:25:30 PM CST
Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up folks. See the amazing tiger girl. Half woman, half tiger, and all beast. She’s the meanest creature in the jungle. Lovely to look at but don’t get too close, she’ll rip your heart right out! Just fifty cents, half a dollar! Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up folks…"
The Tides Are Turning For PETA
An article about the naked tiger woman from PETA appeared on Shreveport Times website today. A few years ago the comments would more likely have been full of anti circus comments about the so called abuse that takes place under the bigtop. Check out today's comment:
"shrvprtproud wrote:
Why do they not arrest these people for indecent exposure?!? Why do they have to go topless or naked? Of course it's to attract attention, but the only reason people even look is because she's naked. They couldn't care less about PETA or animals at the circus...
They should be arrested and fined heavily, I would absolutely die if my 4 yr old were to see that!!
11/19/2008 2:28:59 PM"
" Silverfoxla wrote:
I wish I'd known ahead of time this was going to happen... I'd put on my leather, gone down there, and tossed her some peanuts while eating a hotdog. I bet if I went downtown and blocked a sidewalk like those idiots, the SPD would be beating my azz and dragging me to jail.
11/19/2008 2:50:34 PM"
"Beavis1 wrote:
About all I can say is, Dang !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11/19/2008 2:58:22 PM"
"Shvcitizen wrote:
I saw this girl in Monjuni's last night dressed like this (but fully clothed). I thought SHE was a circus act myself.
11/19/2008 3:31:54 PM"
"jqpublix wrote:
Not much of a body but she has a pretty face. Someone should have offered her a fur coat to keep warm! Silverfoxla is right, if some of us locals tried that we'd be under the jail..."
"Rushing40 wrote:
What a dumba#@. Get a job. PETA is just a group for people who have nothing better to do than smoke pot and act like monkeys
11/19/2008 3:43:51 PM "
"fishinwoman22 wrote:
i agree they have nothing better to do ... wtf... how long has the circus been going on, since before i was born! well that is absolulty hilarious!!!!! but i think she should be fined for her tah tahs hanging out and not being covered!!"
"crazycat99 wrote:
PETA should be called P.I.T.A. (pain in the ***) Most of the animals in circuses have it much better thn they would in the wild. PITA just wants attention.
11/19/2008 9:35:01 PM"
I think this shows that the public is getting weary of PETA's claim finally. I attended several performance of Ringling Brothers Blue Unit in Cleveland a couple weeks ago and opening night only had about 6 protestors, in the past there have been a couple dozen on opening night and by the second weekend there were no protestors. Last year there were protestors every show. I think this a general trend that is happening all over the country. Either the protestors are getting educated or they are giving up.
Take care,
Logan
"shrvprtproud wrote:
Why do they not arrest these people for indecent exposure?!? Why do they have to go topless or naked? Of course it's to attract attention, but the only reason people even look is because she's naked. They couldn't care less about PETA or animals at the circus...
They should be arrested and fined heavily, I would absolutely die if my 4 yr old were to see that!!
11/19/2008 2:28:59 PM"
" Silverfoxla wrote:
I wish I'd known ahead of time this was going to happen... I'd put on my leather, gone down there, and tossed her some peanuts while eating a hotdog. I bet if I went downtown and blocked a sidewalk like those idiots, the SPD would be beating my azz and dragging me to jail.
11/19/2008 2:50:34 PM"
"Beavis1 wrote:
About all I can say is, Dang !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11/19/2008 2:58:22 PM"
"Shvcitizen wrote:
I saw this girl in Monjuni's last night dressed like this (but fully clothed). I thought SHE was a circus act myself.
11/19/2008 3:31:54 PM"
"jqpublix wrote:
Not much of a body but she has a pretty face. Someone should have offered her a fur coat to keep warm! Silverfoxla is right, if some of us locals tried that we'd be under the jail..."
"Rushing40 wrote:
What a dumba#@. Get a job. PETA is just a group for people who have nothing better to do than smoke pot and act like monkeys
11/19/2008 3:43:51 PM "
"fishinwoman22 wrote:
i agree they have nothing better to do ... wtf... how long has the circus been going on, since before i was born! well that is absolulty hilarious!!!!! but i think she should be fined for her tah tahs hanging out and not being covered!!"
"crazycat99 wrote:
PETA should be called P.I.T.A. (pain in the ***) Most of the animals in circuses have it much better thn they would in the wild. PITA just wants attention.
11/19/2008 9:35:01 PM"
I think this shows that the public is getting weary of PETA's claim finally. I attended several performance of Ringling Brothers Blue Unit in Cleveland a couple weeks ago and opening night only had about 6 protestors, in the past there have been a couple dozen on opening night and by the second weekend there were no protestors. Last year there were protestors every show. I think this a general trend that is happening all over the country. Either the protestors are getting educated or they are giving up.
Take care,
Logan
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The Naked Tiger Woman Strikes Again
According to WWLTV.COM PETA has deployed Christina Dang to pose naked outside of the arena in Houma to protest the opening of Ringling Brother and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Circus goer Lori Garrison told WWLTV.COM “I don’t think people driving by and seeing a lady in a cage are going to care.”
You can read the whole article at http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl111808mltiger.1c643586e.html
Take care,
Logan
You can read the whole article at http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl111808mltiger.1c643586e.html
Take care,
Logan
Bello Nock
So the big news in the circus world was that Ringlng announced the birth of a new Asian female. The best of luck to her care takers and her. The circus desperately needed some good news this week.
In other news though I was just told that Bello Nock, who just finished a tour with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey will be joining the cast of Circus Sarasota this year. Does anybody know how many cities Circus Sarasota will be playing this year?
Logan
In other news though I was just told that Bello Nock, who just finished a tour with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey will be joining the cast of Circus Sarasota this year. Does anybody know how many cities Circus Sarasota will be playing this year?
Logan
IT’S A GIRL!
(Vienna, VA) – The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation proudly announces the birth of a healthy female Asian elephant – marking the twenty-first birth in what is already the most successful Asian elephant breeding program in the Western Hemisphere. The calf named Sundara, which means “beautiful” in Hindi, was born on Nov. 9, 7:15 p.m. at 310 pounds, and is an offspring of 39-year-old Sally and 35-year-old Charlie. Sally has given birth before as part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey breeding program. The young elephant has four other siblings, two of which were born at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation. Kelly Ann, now 12 years old, and Rudy, who is 6 years old, both touring with The Greatest Show On Earth®.
“There are fewer then 35,000 Asian elephants remaining in the world and these magnificent animals are struggling to survive so each elephant born at Ringling Bros. is a celebratory step toward the preservation of the species,” says Kenneth Feld, Founder of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation. “Since 1992, 21 elephants have been born into Ringling Bros. care and that is a lifetime commitment that we take very seriously.”
A team of veterinarians and elephant husbandry specialists will watch over and care for Sundara as she grows and develops. The goal of the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation is to focus on the research, reproduction and retirement of Asian elephants. Since the program’s inception, it has seen unparalleled breeding success and remains one of many key components in Ringling Bros. conservation efforts. Proper care and management of the endangered Asian elephant species is vital to their survival. As a leader in captive elephant husbandry, the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation continues to expand its global preservation initiatives.
This year, due to the increasing domestic Asian elephant population in the country of Sri Lanka and the declining pool of skilled elephant handlers to care for the elephants, the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation has partnered with the University of Peradeniya in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The pilot partnership is comprised of four students enrolled in a Masters of Philosophy (MPhil) program in Captive Elephant Management at the University. The pilot consists of a 12-month program based out of the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation where the students will implement a university-approved research project on Asian elephants with time spent learning elephant husbandry practices and handling techniques.
“The objective is to train the University students while developing a national curriculum for elephant husbandry and management techniques based on Ringling Bros. practices,” says Bruce Read, Vice President, Animal Stewardship, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. “By connecting the high standards of elephant husbandry applied by Ringling Bros. with traditional methods and the needs of the growing number of domestic elephants in Sri Lanka, together we can help the future of this endangered species.”
Another significant component in Ringling Bros. conservation program is the establishment of the annual international conference on tuberculosis in elephants. The conference brings together experts in human and animal medicine, including veterinarians, geneticists and animal management specialists to discuss the current state of tuberculosis research for elephants. The participants met again this fall with project updates at the 2008 Elephant Managers Association Conference hosted by Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation.
Since 2005, Ringling Bros. other collaborative conservation initiatives include funding more than $300,000 toward the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo’s research projects on a reproductive study aimed at increasing the captive Asian elephant population and on endotheliotropic herpes viruses, the single greatest health threat to the Asian elephant. Only four known elephants have survived the disease, one of which is currently residing at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation.
“There are fewer then 35,000 Asian elephants remaining in the world and these magnificent animals are struggling to survive so each elephant born at Ringling Bros. is a celebratory step toward the preservation of the species,” says Kenneth Feld, Founder of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation. “Since 1992, 21 elephants have been born into Ringling Bros. care and that is a lifetime commitment that we take very seriously.”
A team of veterinarians and elephant husbandry specialists will watch over and care for Sundara as she grows and develops. The goal of the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation is to focus on the research, reproduction and retirement of Asian elephants. Since the program’s inception, it has seen unparalleled breeding success and remains one of many key components in Ringling Bros. conservation efforts. Proper care and management of the endangered Asian elephant species is vital to their survival. As a leader in captive elephant husbandry, the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation continues to expand its global preservation initiatives.
This year, due to the increasing domestic Asian elephant population in the country of Sri Lanka and the declining pool of skilled elephant handlers to care for the elephants, the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation has partnered with the University of Peradeniya in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The pilot partnership is comprised of four students enrolled in a Masters of Philosophy (MPhil) program in Captive Elephant Management at the University. The pilot consists of a 12-month program based out of the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation where the students will implement a university-approved research project on Asian elephants with time spent learning elephant husbandry practices and handling techniques.
“The objective is to train the University students while developing a national curriculum for elephant husbandry and management techniques based on Ringling Bros. practices,” says Bruce Read, Vice President, Animal Stewardship, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. “By connecting the high standards of elephant husbandry applied by Ringling Bros. with traditional methods and the needs of the growing number of domestic elephants in Sri Lanka, together we can help the future of this endangered species.”
Another significant component in Ringling Bros. conservation program is the establishment of the annual international conference on tuberculosis in elephants. The conference brings together experts in human and animal medicine, including veterinarians, geneticists and animal management specialists to discuss the current state of tuberculosis research for elephants. The participants met again this fall with project updates at the 2008 Elephant Managers Association Conference hosted by Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation.
Since 2005, Ringling Bros. other collaborative conservation initiatives include funding more than $300,000 toward the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo’s research projects on a reproductive study aimed at increasing the captive Asian elephant population and on endotheliotropic herpes viruses, the single greatest health threat to the Asian elephant. Only four known elephants have survived the disease, one of which is currently residing at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation.
Monday, November 17, 2008
From Peta Kills Animals: Maybe PETA Just Wants a Monopoly On Clowns
The circus is in town for Chicagoans this month, but it could be the very last time -- if the animal-rights nuts at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals get their way. The anti-everything group has an ally in Chicago Alderman Mary Ann Smith, who has been trying this year to do PETA's bidding by involving city government in how elephant trainers do their work. We don't live in Chicago, but we envy those of you who do. It must be fantastic to live in a city with plummeting crime rates, no poverty to speak of, stellar public education, and a reliably balanced budget. How else could the City Council justify spending time telling the circus how to help Jumbo astound and amaze small children from a safe distance?
We heard similar arguments two years ago when a few Chicago Aldermen pushed a ban of the culinary delicacy foie gras through a legislative committee -- and then through the full City Council -- at the request of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Didn't lawmakers have anything better to do? Apparently not. And two years later, amid guffaws and ridicule from every corner of the country, they finally repealed what Mayor Richard Daley had called Chicago's "silliest law ever."
This week we're reminding Chicago Aldermen -- and Chicago media -- about the laughingstock that Chicago became in 2006 by bowing to animal-rights pressure and becoming the "tofu butcher to the world." Do they really want to go there again? Do they really think the circus will come back if they do?
"PETA has argued in court that elephants would be better off dead in Africa," our letter to City Council members says, "than alive in American zoos and circuses. PETA kills thousands of dogs and cats at its Virginia headquarters every year. It's a mystery why Chicago lawmakers would risk their reputations for this bunch of hypocrites."
We heard similar arguments two years ago when a few Chicago Aldermen pushed a ban of the culinary delicacy foie gras through a legislative committee -- and then through the full City Council -- at the request of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Didn't lawmakers have anything better to do? Apparently not. And two years later, amid guffaws and ridicule from every corner of the country, they finally repealed what Mayor Richard Daley had called Chicago's "silliest law ever."
This week we're reminding Chicago Aldermen -- and Chicago media -- about the laughingstock that Chicago became in 2006 by bowing to animal-rights pressure and becoming the "tofu butcher to the world." Do they really want to go there again? Do they really think the circus will come back if they do?
"PETA has argued in court that elephants would be better off dead in Africa," our letter to City Council members says, "than alive in American zoos and circuses. PETA kills thousands of dogs and cats at its Virginia headquarters every year. It's a mystery why Chicago lawmakers would risk their reputations for this bunch of hypocrites."
Chicago Animal Ordinance to come to vote
Monday, November 17, 2008 - Chicago, IL
As many of you are aware, there is a proposed city-level animal ordinance in Chicago. E-mails of opposition to this ordinance from Circus Fans and other supporters are needed as soon as possible
As many of you are aware, there is a proposed city-level animal ordinance in Chicago which, if passed, would prevent circuses with elephants from visiting the city. Currently, the proposed language would prohibit anyone from using a tether with an elephant except for veterinary purposes. This ordinance would not permit circuses to properly transport and house elephants in the Chicago city limits (including the annual Ringling Bros. engagement at the United Center). Feld Entertainment and Chicago-area Circus Fans have been in contact with City Council members and in attendance at relevant Council hearings the past few months in efforts to prevent the passage of this ordinance. However, we expect the ordinance to come to a vote before the full City Council soon. Therefore, e-mails of opposition from Circus Fans and other supporters are needed as soon as possible.
The list below contains contact information for the 50 aldermen members of the Chicago City Council. Please politely urge the aldermen to vote “no” on the proposed elephant ordinance introduced by Alderman Mary Ann Smith. Some talking points to consider in your e-mails include:
Your experience with various circuses and seeing first hand the care they provide for their animals.
Circuses provide a unique opportunity to see animals and humans perform together.
The history and special tradition that circuses hold would be denied children in Chicago if the ordinance passes.
The circus industry (and all elephant handlers) are already highly regulated and inspected by the federal government through the U.S. Department by Agriculture. Further, all performing animals in circuses are subject to animal protection laws at the state and local level when they visit Chicago.
As a Circus Fan, you can state that you support the enforcement of current animal protection laws, and that you also support and enjoy the use of performing animals in circuses.
Contact Information: City of Chicago
Mayor’s office:
The Honorable Richard M. Daley, Mayor
City of Chicago
City Hall - 121 N. LaSalle
Room 507
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: (312) 744-3300
E-mail: not available
City Council:
All Aldermen can be contacted at the following address:
Chicago City Council
121 N. La Salle
Chicago, IL 60602
City Hall Phone: (312) 744-3063
Ward Name E-mail
38 Alderman Thomas Allen ward38@cityofchicago.org
34 Alderman Carrie Austin caustin34@cityofchicago.org
11 Alderman James Balcer jbalcer@cityofchicago.org
36 Alderman William Banks wbanks@cityofchicago.org
9 Alderman Anthony Beale ward09@cityofchicago.org
21 Alderman Howard Brookins, Jr. ward21@cityofchicago.org
14 Alderman Edward Burke eburke@cityofchicago.org
27 Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr. wburnett@cityofchicago.org
12 Alderman George Cardenas ward12@cityofchicago.org
29 Alderman Isaac Carothers ward29@cityofchicago.org
20 Alderman Willie Cochran ward20@cityofchicago.org
35 Alderman Rey Colon ward35@cityofchicago.org
43 Alderman Vi Daley vdaley@cityofchicago.org
24 Alderman Sharon Dixon ward24@cityofchicago.org
41 Alderman Brian Doherty bdoherty@cityofchicago.org
3 Alderman Pat Dowell ward03@cityofchicago.org
2 Alderman Robert Fioretti robert.fioretti@cityofchicago.org
1 Alderman Manuel Flores ward01@cityofchicago.org
15 Alderman Toni Foulkes tfoulkes@cityofchicago.org
5 Alderman Leslie Hairston lhairston@cityofchicago.org
8 Alderman Michelle Harris ward08@cityofchicago.org
7 Alderman Sandi Jackson ward07@cityofchicago.org
18 Alderman Lona Lane ward18@cityofchicago.org
39 Alderman Margaret Laurino ward39@cityofchicago.org
45 Alderman Patrick Levar ward45@cityofchicago.org
6 Alderman Freddrenna Lyle ward06@cityofchicago.org
33 Alderman Richard Mell rmell@cityofchicago.org
37 Alderman Emma Mitts emitts@cityofchicago.org
49 Alderman Joseph Moore jmoore@cityofchicago.org
22 Alderman Ricardo Munoz ward22@cityofchicago.org
26 Alderman Billy Ocasio bocasio@cityofchicago.org
40 Alderman Patrick O'Connor ward40@cityofchicago.org
13 Alderman Frank Olivo ward13@cityofchicago.org
10 Alderman John Pope ward10@cityofchicago.org
4 Alderman Toni Preckwinkle tpreckwinkle@cityofchicago.org
30 Alderman Ariel Reboyras ward30@cityofchicago.org
42 Alderman Brendan Reilly office@ward42chicago.com
19 Alderman Virginia Rugai vrugai@cityofchicago.org
47 Alderman Eugene Schulter ward47@cityofchicago.org
46 Alderman Helen Shiller ward46@cityofchicago.org
25 Alderman Daniel Solis dsolis@cityofchicago.org
28 Alderman Ed Smith ehsmith@cityofchicago.org
48 Alderman Mary Ann Smith maryann@masmith48.org
(NOTE: Alderman Smith is the sponsor of the elephant ordinance!)
50 Alderman Bernard Stone bstone@cityofchicago.org
31 Alderman Ray Suarez rsuarez@cityofchicago.org
17 Alderman Latasha Thomas ward17@cityofchicago.org
16 Alderman JoAnn Thompson jthompson@cityofchicago.org
44 Alderman Thomas Tunney ward44@cityofchicago.org
32 Alderman Scott Waguespack ward32@cityofchicago.org
23 Alderman Michael Zalewski mzalewski@cityofchicago.org
As many of you are aware, there is a proposed city-level animal ordinance in Chicago. E-mails of opposition to this ordinance from Circus Fans and other supporters are needed as soon as possible
As many of you are aware, there is a proposed city-level animal ordinance in Chicago which, if passed, would prevent circuses with elephants from visiting the city. Currently, the proposed language would prohibit anyone from using a tether with an elephant except for veterinary purposes. This ordinance would not permit circuses to properly transport and house elephants in the Chicago city limits (including the annual Ringling Bros. engagement at the United Center). Feld Entertainment and Chicago-area Circus Fans have been in contact with City Council members and in attendance at relevant Council hearings the past few months in efforts to prevent the passage of this ordinance. However, we expect the ordinance to come to a vote before the full City Council soon. Therefore, e-mails of opposition from Circus Fans and other supporters are needed as soon as possible.
The list below contains contact information for the 50 aldermen members of the Chicago City Council. Please politely urge the aldermen to vote “no” on the proposed elephant ordinance introduced by Alderman Mary Ann Smith. Some talking points to consider in your e-mails include:
Your experience with various circuses and seeing first hand the care they provide for their animals.
Circuses provide a unique opportunity to see animals and humans perform together.
The history and special tradition that circuses hold would be denied children in Chicago if the ordinance passes.
The circus industry (and all elephant handlers) are already highly regulated and inspected by the federal government through the U.S. Department by Agriculture. Further, all performing animals in circuses are subject to animal protection laws at the state and local level when they visit Chicago.
As a Circus Fan, you can state that you support the enforcement of current animal protection laws, and that you also support and enjoy the use of performing animals in circuses.
Contact Information: City of Chicago
Mayor’s office:
The Honorable Richard M. Daley, Mayor
City of Chicago
City Hall - 121 N. LaSalle
Room 507
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: (312) 744-3300
E-mail: not available
City Council:
All Aldermen can be contacted at the following address:
Chicago City Council
121 N. La Salle
Chicago, IL 60602
City Hall Phone: (312) 744-3063
Ward Name E-mail
38 Alderman Thomas Allen ward38@cityofchicago.org
34 Alderman Carrie Austin caustin34@cityofchicago.org
11 Alderman James Balcer jbalcer@cityofchicago.org
36 Alderman William Banks wbanks@cityofchicago.org
9 Alderman Anthony Beale ward09@cityofchicago.org
21 Alderman Howard Brookins, Jr. ward21@cityofchicago.org
14 Alderman Edward Burke eburke@cityofchicago.org
27 Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr. wburnett@cityofchicago.org
12 Alderman George Cardenas ward12@cityofchicago.org
29 Alderman Isaac Carothers ward29@cityofchicago.org
20 Alderman Willie Cochran ward20@cityofchicago.org
35 Alderman Rey Colon ward35@cityofchicago.org
43 Alderman Vi Daley vdaley@cityofchicago.org
24 Alderman Sharon Dixon ward24@cityofchicago.org
41 Alderman Brian Doherty bdoherty@cityofchicago.org
3 Alderman Pat Dowell ward03@cityofchicago.org
2 Alderman Robert Fioretti robert.fioretti@cityofchicago.org
1 Alderman Manuel Flores ward01@cityofchicago.org
15 Alderman Toni Foulkes tfoulkes@cityofchicago.org
5 Alderman Leslie Hairston lhairston@cityofchicago.org
8 Alderman Michelle Harris ward08@cityofchicago.org
7 Alderman Sandi Jackson ward07@cityofchicago.org
18 Alderman Lona Lane ward18@cityofchicago.org
39 Alderman Margaret Laurino ward39@cityofchicago.org
45 Alderman Patrick Levar ward45@cityofchicago.org
6 Alderman Freddrenna Lyle ward06@cityofchicago.org
33 Alderman Richard Mell rmell@cityofchicago.org
37 Alderman Emma Mitts emitts@cityofchicago.org
49 Alderman Joseph Moore jmoore@cityofchicago.org
22 Alderman Ricardo Munoz ward22@cityofchicago.org
26 Alderman Billy Ocasio bocasio@cityofchicago.org
40 Alderman Patrick O'Connor ward40@cityofchicago.org
13 Alderman Frank Olivo ward13@cityofchicago.org
10 Alderman John Pope ward10@cityofchicago.org
4 Alderman Toni Preckwinkle tpreckwinkle@cityofchicago.org
30 Alderman Ariel Reboyras ward30@cityofchicago.org
42 Alderman Brendan Reilly office@ward42chicago.com
19 Alderman Virginia Rugai vrugai@cityofchicago.org
47 Alderman Eugene Schulter ward47@cityofchicago.org
46 Alderman Helen Shiller ward46@cityofchicago.org
25 Alderman Daniel Solis dsolis@cityofchicago.org
28 Alderman Ed Smith ehsmith@cityofchicago.org
48 Alderman Mary Ann Smith maryann@masmith48.org
(NOTE: Alderman Smith is the sponsor of the elephant ordinance!)
50 Alderman Bernard Stone bstone@cityofchicago.org
31 Alderman Ray Suarez rsuarez@cityofchicago.org
17 Alderman Latasha Thomas ward17@cityofchicago.org
16 Alderman JoAnn Thompson jthompson@cityofchicago.org
44 Alderman Thomas Tunney ward44@cityofchicago.org
32 Alderman Scott Waguespack ward32@cityofchicago.org
23 Alderman Michael Zalewski mzalewski@cityofchicago.org
Rare blood transfusion attempted on tiger cub
By GAVIN RABINOWITZ and RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM, Associated Press Writers Gavin Rabinowitz And Ramola Talwar Badam, Associated Press Writers – Mon Nov 17, 3:27 pm ET
NEW DELHI – Veterinarians carried out a rare blood transfusion in an attempt to save a 7-month-old wild tiger that had been attacked and beaten by angry villagers in central India. The female cub received the emergency treatment late Sunday after blood taken from captive adults was airlifted to the zoo where the cub is being cared for, said Bimal Majumdar, the chief wildlife officer in the region.
He said it was the first time a transfusion had been given to a tiger in India.
The cub, which doctors named Juhi after a fragrant white flower native to India, was still in serious condition Monday at the zoo in the city of Nagpur, some 530 miles southeast of New Delhi, he said.
India's wild tiger population has plummeted to just some 1,500 — down from about 3,600 six years ago and an estimated 100,000 a century ago. Shrinking habitats have brought them into conflict with farmers and poachers have killed them for their pelts and body parts, which are highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine.
Juhi and her sister were rescued two weeks ago from villagers who tried to kill them, fearing they would go after their children and cattle. The cubs also appear to have been abandoned by their mother.
"The cubs were in bad shape at the time they were rescued. They were starving," said Majumdar. "The villagers had also beaten them with sticks so they were injured as well."
While the other cub Jai, or Victory, responded well after being brought to the zoo, Juhi's condition deteriorated.
On Sunday, veterinarians treating the cat discovered that her hemoglobin levels had suddenly dropped to a dangerously low level and decided the only way to save her was to carry out a blood transfusion.
They sent a request to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, where doctors tranquilized two healthy adult tigers and drew three-fourths of a pint of blood from each of them. Four hours later the blood reached Nagpur, said Vinery Jangle, the park's head veterinarian.
Jangle, who oversaw the transfusion, said she remained uncertain whether it would prove successful because only rudimentary tests were done to determine whether the donor blood matched Juhi's type.
"The blood grouping procedure is critical, but in India there has been no work done on blood groups. There are no studies on blood types and wild tigers," she said, adding that she was unaware of a transfusion being performed on a tiger elsewhere.
Transfusions for rare animals can be difficult because blood types and antibodies vary from species to species, according to the Web site of Brown University's Division of Biology and Medicine.
While rare, transfusions have been done in the past on turtles, pandas and a baby elephant at Western zoos, which sometimes bank an animals own blood in case it needs a transfusion, the Web site said.
Pandurang Munde, the Mumbai park's director, said it was worth the risk.
"We needed to save the young one's life. If the hemoglobin was low, there was only one remedy: blood transfusion," he said.
The cub was on a saline drip and cameras had been installed in her enclosure so they could monitor her around the clock, said Majumdar.
"She is still not in good shape," he said. "So we have our fingers crossed."
____
Ramola Talwar Badam reported from Mumbai.
NEW DELHI – Veterinarians carried out a rare blood transfusion in an attempt to save a 7-month-old wild tiger that had been attacked and beaten by angry villagers in central India. The female cub received the emergency treatment late Sunday after blood taken from captive adults was airlifted to the zoo where the cub is being cared for, said Bimal Majumdar, the chief wildlife officer in the region.
He said it was the first time a transfusion had been given to a tiger in India.
The cub, which doctors named Juhi after a fragrant white flower native to India, was still in serious condition Monday at the zoo in the city of Nagpur, some 530 miles southeast of New Delhi, he said.
India's wild tiger population has plummeted to just some 1,500 — down from about 3,600 six years ago and an estimated 100,000 a century ago. Shrinking habitats have brought them into conflict with farmers and poachers have killed them for their pelts and body parts, which are highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine.
Juhi and her sister were rescued two weeks ago from villagers who tried to kill them, fearing they would go after their children and cattle. The cubs also appear to have been abandoned by their mother.
"The cubs were in bad shape at the time they were rescued. They were starving," said Majumdar. "The villagers had also beaten them with sticks so they were injured as well."
While the other cub Jai, or Victory, responded well after being brought to the zoo, Juhi's condition deteriorated.
On Sunday, veterinarians treating the cat discovered that her hemoglobin levels had suddenly dropped to a dangerously low level and decided the only way to save her was to carry out a blood transfusion.
They sent a request to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, where doctors tranquilized two healthy adult tigers and drew three-fourths of a pint of blood from each of them. Four hours later the blood reached Nagpur, said Vinery Jangle, the park's head veterinarian.
Jangle, who oversaw the transfusion, said she remained uncertain whether it would prove successful because only rudimentary tests were done to determine whether the donor blood matched Juhi's type.
"The blood grouping procedure is critical, but in India there has been no work done on blood groups. There are no studies on blood types and wild tigers," she said, adding that she was unaware of a transfusion being performed on a tiger elsewhere.
Transfusions for rare animals can be difficult because blood types and antibodies vary from species to species, according to the Web site of Brown University's Division of Biology and Medicine.
While rare, transfusions have been done in the past on turtles, pandas and a baby elephant at Western zoos, which sometimes bank an animals own blood in case it needs a transfusion, the Web site said.
Pandurang Munde, the Mumbai park's director, said it was worth the risk.
"We needed to save the young one's life. If the hemoglobin was low, there was only one remedy: blood transfusion," he said.
The cub was on a saline drip and cameras had been installed in her enclosure so they could monitor her around the clock, said Majumdar.
"She is still not in good shape," he said. "So we have our fingers crossed."
____
Ramola Talwar Badam reported from Mumbai.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Dissecting the phenomenon of a Sarah Palin rally: WITH LOGAN JACOT! (At the very end. lol)
by Erin Halasz
Nov 06, 2008
At 3:30 a.m., Ron Dixon stood alone outside a college basketball arena, cold in the freezing Ohio night. He had driven 30 miles to get there; he was the first to arrive.
“If I was going to see her,” he said, “I wanted to see her up close.”
It's a week before Election Day and Dixon is wearing a Vietnam veteran baseball hat and a black jacket to keep warm. He supported Hillary Clinton in the primary, but after her loss switched his allegiance to the Republicans.
He likes John McCain’s stance on veterans issues and as for Sarah Palin, he relates to her as an everyday person. That’s one reason he drove alone to Bowling Green and stood alone in the dark, shivering in the cold, to head the line to see the Republican vice presidential candidate speak.
Soon, Dixon wasn’t alone.
When the doors opened at 8:30, the line to see Palin was thousands long. It snaked around nearby trees, along campus paths, between buildings. At the student center, a five-minute walk away, the line continued, an orderly mob of sign-bearing, button-wearing rallyers, united, most of them, in their support for the Alaska governor.
The signs said it all: Drill, Baby, Drill; Sarah for Sarah; Don’t be insane, Vote McCain; Bible-beating, home-schooling, gun-toting mother of 9 for Palin.
The buttons spoke, too, in well-known campaign slogans and pop-news references. Country First; Sarahcuda; Read My Lipstick; The Mavericks.
When Palin became McCain’s VP pick, button sales spiked, said George Leroy, a button salesman peddling his wares. Leroy had sold campaign-related buttons for $3 each, or two for $5, at about 50 Midwestern rallies since the primaries.
A few weeks before, Joe the Plumber buttons sold best; then waned. Leroy thought people had started forgetting about McCain’s archetypal everyman.
Ever since, the most popular button showed Palin’s smiling face and the state of Alaska. It read: Hottest VP, Coolest State. Leroy often sold out of them.
Palin was chosen to rally the conservative base, and in northwest Ohio, the conservative base rallied in force. The base stood for hours in the freezing cold to hear their Sarah speak. The base waited a few more hours inside a crowded stadium, listening to country music while sitting on a hard gym floor. The base cheered and chanted and booed on cue; they waved pompoms and let their kids miss a day of school to hear Palin pontificate on tax cuts, Joe the Plumber and America the Real.
All that is over now.
Barack Obama is headed to the White House. But here in Bowling Green, on this day, before we knew, Palin left hints that the divides she exposed run deep and countrywide. Her whirlwind candidacy was a political eye-opener not to be overlooked.
During her two months of campaigning, Palin’s no-nonsense traditionalism invigorated conservatives such as Tony Tepper, a 44-year-old from Holland, Ohio, who works in advertising for AutoTrader.com, and who attended the Bowling Green rally. The George W. Bush administration had disappointed Tepper; he thought Bush would do more to control immigration and keep spending in check.
Before Palin became the VP pick, his feelings toward the Republican ticket were lukewarm; McCain was too centrist for him.
“I felt like I was going to have to hold my nose,” he said of his pre-Palin voting options.
The more-conservative Palin, he said, balanced McCain’s viewpoints.
As for Obama, Tepper believed the Democratic candidate to be a bit Marxist. He questioned Obama’s associations and disputed the idea that the economy was built from the bottom up.
“If that were the case, Mexico would be the most thriving country in the world,” he said.
He wants lower taxes and less dependence on foreign oil but he didn’t trust Obama to deliver either.
Obama also worried Tiffany Yurkovich, a 27-year-old mother of two from nearby Maumee. A longtime Republican, she cares about traditional family values, moral issues and preserving the American dream, which for her involves hard work and self-sufficiency. She opposes abortion and gay marriage, and did not like that Obama favored both.
“With him, it’s anything goes,” she said. “Whatever feels good for you, is good for you.”
Yurkovich’s husband works construction and is looking to buy his company, but feared an Obama presidency would make that more difficult and expensive. Like Tepper, Yurkovich did not trust Obama to keep taxes down.
While waiting for Palin to arrive, Yurkovich sat on the gym floor with her 7-month-old daughter, Taylor, a fleece blanket spread beneath them. They were close to the stage, maybe 20 yards away -- close enough, Yurkovich hoped, for Palin to pose for a picture with her baby girl.
Until then she’d wait as thousands of rallygoers filed into the stadium, crowding the floor and filling the bleachers. Some found hand-painted pro-Palin signs awaiting them, provided by campaign staff. The signs said Students for Sarah, Hunter 4 Palin, America’s Hockey Mom.
Soon high school cheerleaders were leading cheers from the bleachers. They waved navy and yellow pompoms, chanting Let’s Go Palin. Bowling Green State University cheerleaders led cheers from the stage. They tossed red and blue pompoms to the audience and kicked off loud rounds of U-S-A, U-S-A.
While the crowd waited, country star Aaron Tippin made an appearance, singing songs of politics and patriots, a cowboy hat atop his head.
Samuel J. Wurzelbacher was there, too, known now as Joe the Plumber. The crowd applauded when he entered the arena, him with his bald head and flannel shirt and jeans. Joe made his national debut at the third presidential debate. Now the Toledo, Ohio native is rumored to have big goals, possibly seeking a seat in Congress, or a record deal.
Fourteen-year-old Mason Mayberry liked Joe the Plumber. He liked McCain and Palin, too, but it was Joe the Plumber, he said, who played gotcha with Obama, even when the media would not. It was a plumber, just your average Joe, who triggered Obama’s “spread the wealth” comment, which had been a McCain/Palin catchphrase ever since.
“He’s a very smart man,” Mayberry said, “because all the reporters couldn’t make up that question, and he just comes and says it.”
At school in Bowling Green, Mayberry’s friends were politically divided, half supporting Obama, half McCain, split down the middle like the rest of his bellwether state.
Mayberry’s 11-year-old friend Jeremy Chambers, also in attendance, liked McCain and Palin, too, because his dad said good stuff about them and bad stuff about Obama. Palin would be good for America. She’d help the economy and make new jobs. Obama, Chambers said, would not:
“If Obama gets in, it’ll be, like, socialism, and stuff.”
***
The crowd was ready to rally early in the morning, so as mid-morning became late-morning, and when that became nearly noon, people were getting restless.
Then, finally, it was time. A stream of local Republicans took the stage as Palin’s introductory acts.
“Good morning, northwest Ohio,” former Ohio attorney general Betty Montgomery said, her voice resonating arena-wide. “Are we ready to rumble?”
Voices cheered and signs arose, and hundreds of pompoms waved in the air. The arena was awash in red, white and blue, in smiling faces and raised camera phones. Northwest Ohio was ready.
Montgomery lavished praise on Ohio, the heartland of this country, land of open horizons and beautiful sunsets. She lavished praise on its citizens, too, those powerful swing-staters endowed with the duty to swing to the right.
“Neither the media nor Hollywood are going to select our next president,” she said. “You are.”
To that, she received a chorus of uproarious cheers.
State Sen. Mark Wagoner went next. He invoked Teddy Roosevelt and Mt. Rushmore, great American things that define what we believe in. Obama, he said, was too inexperienced to hold the highest office in the land.
A collective booooo backed him up.
But how remarkable, Wagoner said, that after just two years as governor, Sarah Palin is already up for VP.
After this, a collective cheer.
Then came U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, who represents northwest Ohio in Congress. Stumping for McCain, Latta railed against the Democrats and their fancy for redistribution. McCain and Palin would not presume to spread Ohioans’ hard-earned wealth around.
“They believe we can do things on our own in this country,” he said.
From the bleachers, cheers resounded.
Still, the audience was just getting started. Aaron Tippin returned to the stage, singing, “Drill here, drill now,” and the audience sang along with him.
Somethin’s gotta be done right now cuz friends, it won’t be long
Before this great big country comes grinding to a halt
Drill here, drill now
Betty Montgomery returned to the stage and spoke of Palin as a doer, not a talker -- someone who, unlike her opponents, actually gets work done.
That got cheers, too.
The biggest cheers were reserved for the biggest act: for the VP pick, the Alaska governor. Sarah Barracuda, the pit bull with lipstick -- unapologetically opposed to abortion and gay rights, close to Russia but far from the centrist voters McCain needed to reach.
Outside this rally, this group of hard-right voters, Palin is frequently mocked, her experience questioned, her politics denounced as out of touch. She had rallied the base but alienated the middle. A recent Pew poll showed her low approval rating -- just 44 percent, compared to 60 percent for the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.
She was especially unpopular among women younger than 50. In late October, Pew pollsters found that 60 percent of them viewed her unfavorably. Independent women voters also disliked Palin. Only 35 percent of them expressed favorable opinions of her in the Pew poll.
On Election Day, 56 percent of women voters chose Obama/Biden.
None of that mattered as Palin took the stage in Bowling Green. It was her half-hour. She entered to explosive cheering, loud enough to awaken any students still asleep on campus. “9 to 5” played in the background, Dolly Parton’s song about the daily grind.
Palin wore a black suit and walked to the stage like a beauty queen, smiling big and waving her hand with a delicate twist of the wrist. With her was Todd Palin, her snowmobiling, ex-secessionist husband, or, as she introduced him, Alaska’s first dude.
Palin spoke with the fire of a pastor and the confidence of a lifelong pol. Her seamless, gaffe-less speech left no doubt of her intentions, no mystery among audience members about when to cheer and when to boo.
It’s not mean-spirited, she said, to call someone out on their record or associations, to bring up Obama’s “friends from Chicago” or say that some of them once were terrorists.
“Someone’s gotta do it!”
She proclaimed to raucous cheers that she and John McCain would double the child-tax credit, helping hard-working families make ends meet.
To raucous boos, she said Obama’s tax breaks are really tax credits, which are really Washington’s way of giving money back based on their personal values.
“Sen. Obama has an ideological commitment to higher taxes,” she said.
Then it was Joe the Plumber’s time to shine. He re-entered the arena, joining Palin on stage, to a chorus of Joe-Joe-Joes and promises from Palin that the Republican ticket would not spread his wealth around.
Obama’s comments showed another side of him, Palin said: “To some, it has sounded like socialism.”
Barack the Wealth-Spreader, she mocked. Barack the Wealth-Spreader: Bad for America.
It was up to America to agree. Really, she implied, it was up to Ohio.
“So, Ohio, will you hire us?” Palin asked, 30 minutes in, nearing the end, her Bowling Green faithfuls as revved up as ever. “Will you send us to Washington?”
Most in the audience would.
***
At many rallies this year, Palin overshadowed her running mate, attracting more attendees bearing more custom-made signs. At a recent rally in Florida, there was no sign for McCain at all.
Looking forward, some suspect Alaska’s governor soon will return to the national stage. If that happens, America can expect more rowdy rallying.
We can also expect more vocal opposition to Palin and her culture wars. She has united and infuriated liberals and pushed moderates away. Many in this country never bought her hometown commonness, her cute colloquialisms, her claims that the media was being too harsh on her.
Second in line last Wednesday morning were three BGSU undergrads who showed up at 5 a.m., wanting front-row seats. Among them was Logan Jacot, 19, a coveted undecided. He had come to the rally to make a choice.
An aspiring circus contortionist, Jacot has been denied healthcare because of the risks associated with his profession, and he wants to see that system reformed. He also cares about the environment and the economy, as well as gay rights, which he supports, and abortion, which he does not.
Jacot counted himself a moderate, especially on economic issues. He was unsure which candidate would best serve him and his country.
Palin clarified his options. In her words on the economy, he heard insults, not plans. McCain and Palin were opposed to socialism, but he wondered what exactly they were for.
On the environment, he heard plans he did not like. He’s not against domestic drilling, but drilling in national parks, such as the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve? That would be too much for him.
On Tuesday, Jacot went to the polls. Along with more than half the voters in his state, Jacot chose Obama
Nov 06, 2008
At 3:30 a.m., Ron Dixon stood alone outside a college basketball arena, cold in the freezing Ohio night. He had driven 30 miles to get there; he was the first to arrive.
“If I was going to see her,” he said, “I wanted to see her up close.”
It's a week before Election Day and Dixon is wearing a Vietnam veteran baseball hat and a black jacket to keep warm. He supported Hillary Clinton in the primary, but after her loss switched his allegiance to the Republicans.
He likes John McCain’s stance on veterans issues and as for Sarah Palin, he relates to her as an everyday person. That’s one reason he drove alone to Bowling Green and stood alone in the dark, shivering in the cold, to head the line to see the Republican vice presidential candidate speak.
Soon, Dixon wasn’t alone.
When the doors opened at 8:30, the line to see Palin was thousands long. It snaked around nearby trees, along campus paths, between buildings. At the student center, a five-minute walk away, the line continued, an orderly mob of sign-bearing, button-wearing rallyers, united, most of them, in their support for the Alaska governor.
The signs said it all: Drill, Baby, Drill; Sarah for Sarah; Don’t be insane, Vote McCain; Bible-beating, home-schooling, gun-toting mother of 9 for Palin.
The buttons spoke, too, in well-known campaign slogans and pop-news references. Country First; Sarahcuda; Read My Lipstick; The Mavericks.
When Palin became McCain’s VP pick, button sales spiked, said George Leroy, a button salesman peddling his wares. Leroy had sold campaign-related buttons for $3 each, or two for $5, at about 50 Midwestern rallies since the primaries.
A few weeks before, Joe the Plumber buttons sold best; then waned. Leroy thought people had started forgetting about McCain’s archetypal everyman.
Ever since, the most popular button showed Palin’s smiling face and the state of Alaska. It read: Hottest VP, Coolest State. Leroy often sold out of them.
Palin was chosen to rally the conservative base, and in northwest Ohio, the conservative base rallied in force. The base stood for hours in the freezing cold to hear their Sarah speak. The base waited a few more hours inside a crowded stadium, listening to country music while sitting on a hard gym floor. The base cheered and chanted and booed on cue; they waved pompoms and let their kids miss a day of school to hear Palin pontificate on tax cuts, Joe the Plumber and America the Real.
All that is over now.
Barack Obama is headed to the White House. But here in Bowling Green, on this day, before we knew, Palin left hints that the divides she exposed run deep and countrywide. Her whirlwind candidacy was a political eye-opener not to be overlooked.
During her two months of campaigning, Palin’s no-nonsense traditionalism invigorated conservatives such as Tony Tepper, a 44-year-old from Holland, Ohio, who works in advertising for AutoTrader.com, and who attended the Bowling Green rally. The George W. Bush administration had disappointed Tepper; he thought Bush would do more to control immigration and keep spending in check.
Before Palin became the VP pick, his feelings toward the Republican ticket were lukewarm; McCain was too centrist for him.
“I felt like I was going to have to hold my nose,” he said of his pre-Palin voting options.
The more-conservative Palin, he said, balanced McCain’s viewpoints.
As for Obama, Tepper believed the Democratic candidate to be a bit Marxist. He questioned Obama’s associations and disputed the idea that the economy was built from the bottom up.
“If that were the case, Mexico would be the most thriving country in the world,” he said.
He wants lower taxes and less dependence on foreign oil but he didn’t trust Obama to deliver either.
Obama also worried Tiffany Yurkovich, a 27-year-old mother of two from nearby Maumee. A longtime Republican, she cares about traditional family values, moral issues and preserving the American dream, which for her involves hard work and self-sufficiency. She opposes abortion and gay marriage, and did not like that Obama favored both.
“With him, it’s anything goes,” she said. “Whatever feels good for you, is good for you.”
Yurkovich’s husband works construction and is looking to buy his company, but feared an Obama presidency would make that more difficult and expensive. Like Tepper, Yurkovich did not trust Obama to keep taxes down.
While waiting for Palin to arrive, Yurkovich sat on the gym floor with her 7-month-old daughter, Taylor, a fleece blanket spread beneath them. They were close to the stage, maybe 20 yards away -- close enough, Yurkovich hoped, for Palin to pose for a picture with her baby girl.
Until then she’d wait as thousands of rallygoers filed into the stadium, crowding the floor and filling the bleachers. Some found hand-painted pro-Palin signs awaiting them, provided by campaign staff. The signs said Students for Sarah, Hunter 4 Palin, America’s Hockey Mom.
Soon high school cheerleaders were leading cheers from the bleachers. They waved navy and yellow pompoms, chanting Let’s Go Palin. Bowling Green State University cheerleaders led cheers from the stage. They tossed red and blue pompoms to the audience and kicked off loud rounds of U-S-A, U-S-A.
While the crowd waited, country star Aaron Tippin made an appearance, singing songs of politics and patriots, a cowboy hat atop his head.
Samuel J. Wurzelbacher was there, too, known now as Joe the Plumber. The crowd applauded when he entered the arena, him with his bald head and flannel shirt and jeans. Joe made his national debut at the third presidential debate. Now the Toledo, Ohio native is rumored to have big goals, possibly seeking a seat in Congress, or a record deal.
Fourteen-year-old Mason Mayberry liked Joe the Plumber. He liked McCain and Palin, too, but it was Joe the Plumber, he said, who played gotcha with Obama, even when the media would not. It was a plumber, just your average Joe, who triggered Obama’s “spread the wealth” comment, which had been a McCain/Palin catchphrase ever since.
“He’s a very smart man,” Mayberry said, “because all the reporters couldn’t make up that question, and he just comes and says it.”
At school in Bowling Green, Mayberry’s friends were politically divided, half supporting Obama, half McCain, split down the middle like the rest of his bellwether state.
Mayberry’s 11-year-old friend Jeremy Chambers, also in attendance, liked McCain and Palin, too, because his dad said good stuff about them and bad stuff about Obama. Palin would be good for America. She’d help the economy and make new jobs. Obama, Chambers said, would not:
“If Obama gets in, it’ll be, like, socialism, and stuff.”
***
The crowd was ready to rally early in the morning, so as mid-morning became late-morning, and when that became nearly noon, people were getting restless.
Then, finally, it was time. A stream of local Republicans took the stage as Palin’s introductory acts.
“Good morning, northwest Ohio,” former Ohio attorney general Betty Montgomery said, her voice resonating arena-wide. “Are we ready to rumble?”
Voices cheered and signs arose, and hundreds of pompoms waved in the air. The arena was awash in red, white and blue, in smiling faces and raised camera phones. Northwest Ohio was ready.
Montgomery lavished praise on Ohio, the heartland of this country, land of open horizons and beautiful sunsets. She lavished praise on its citizens, too, those powerful swing-staters endowed with the duty to swing to the right.
“Neither the media nor Hollywood are going to select our next president,” she said. “You are.”
To that, she received a chorus of uproarious cheers.
State Sen. Mark Wagoner went next. He invoked Teddy Roosevelt and Mt. Rushmore, great American things that define what we believe in. Obama, he said, was too inexperienced to hold the highest office in the land.
A collective booooo backed him up.
But how remarkable, Wagoner said, that after just two years as governor, Sarah Palin is already up for VP.
After this, a collective cheer.
Then came U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, who represents northwest Ohio in Congress. Stumping for McCain, Latta railed against the Democrats and their fancy for redistribution. McCain and Palin would not presume to spread Ohioans’ hard-earned wealth around.
“They believe we can do things on our own in this country,” he said.
From the bleachers, cheers resounded.
Still, the audience was just getting started. Aaron Tippin returned to the stage, singing, “Drill here, drill now,” and the audience sang along with him.
Somethin’s gotta be done right now cuz friends, it won’t be long
Before this great big country comes grinding to a halt
Drill here, drill now
Betty Montgomery returned to the stage and spoke of Palin as a doer, not a talker -- someone who, unlike her opponents, actually gets work done.
That got cheers, too.
The biggest cheers were reserved for the biggest act: for the VP pick, the Alaska governor. Sarah Barracuda, the pit bull with lipstick -- unapologetically opposed to abortion and gay rights, close to Russia but far from the centrist voters McCain needed to reach.
Outside this rally, this group of hard-right voters, Palin is frequently mocked, her experience questioned, her politics denounced as out of touch. She had rallied the base but alienated the middle. A recent Pew poll showed her low approval rating -- just 44 percent, compared to 60 percent for the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.
She was especially unpopular among women younger than 50. In late October, Pew pollsters found that 60 percent of them viewed her unfavorably. Independent women voters also disliked Palin. Only 35 percent of them expressed favorable opinions of her in the Pew poll.
On Election Day, 56 percent of women voters chose Obama/Biden.
None of that mattered as Palin took the stage in Bowling Green. It was her half-hour. She entered to explosive cheering, loud enough to awaken any students still asleep on campus. “9 to 5” played in the background, Dolly Parton’s song about the daily grind.
Palin wore a black suit and walked to the stage like a beauty queen, smiling big and waving her hand with a delicate twist of the wrist. With her was Todd Palin, her snowmobiling, ex-secessionist husband, or, as she introduced him, Alaska’s first dude.
Palin spoke with the fire of a pastor and the confidence of a lifelong pol. Her seamless, gaffe-less speech left no doubt of her intentions, no mystery among audience members about when to cheer and when to boo.
It’s not mean-spirited, she said, to call someone out on their record or associations, to bring up Obama’s “friends from Chicago” or say that some of them once were terrorists.
“Someone’s gotta do it!”
She proclaimed to raucous cheers that she and John McCain would double the child-tax credit, helping hard-working families make ends meet.
To raucous boos, she said Obama’s tax breaks are really tax credits, which are really Washington’s way of giving money back based on their personal values.
“Sen. Obama has an ideological commitment to higher taxes,” she said.
Then it was Joe the Plumber’s time to shine. He re-entered the arena, joining Palin on stage, to a chorus of Joe-Joe-Joes and promises from Palin that the Republican ticket would not spread his wealth around.
Obama’s comments showed another side of him, Palin said: “To some, it has sounded like socialism.”
Barack the Wealth-Spreader, she mocked. Barack the Wealth-Spreader: Bad for America.
It was up to America to agree. Really, she implied, it was up to Ohio.
“So, Ohio, will you hire us?” Palin asked, 30 minutes in, nearing the end, her Bowling Green faithfuls as revved up as ever. “Will you send us to Washington?”
Most in the audience would.
***
At many rallies this year, Palin overshadowed her running mate, attracting more attendees bearing more custom-made signs. At a recent rally in Florida, there was no sign for McCain at all.
Looking forward, some suspect Alaska’s governor soon will return to the national stage. If that happens, America can expect more rowdy rallying.
We can also expect more vocal opposition to Palin and her culture wars. She has united and infuriated liberals and pushed moderates away. Many in this country never bought her hometown commonness, her cute colloquialisms, her claims that the media was being too harsh on her.
Second in line last Wednesday morning were three BGSU undergrads who showed up at 5 a.m., wanting front-row seats. Among them was Logan Jacot, 19, a coveted undecided. He had come to the rally to make a choice.
An aspiring circus contortionist, Jacot has been denied healthcare because of the risks associated with his profession, and he wants to see that system reformed. He also cares about the environment and the economy, as well as gay rights, which he supports, and abortion, which he does not.
Jacot counted himself a moderate, especially on economic issues. He was unsure which candidate would best serve him and his country.
Palin clarified his options. In her words on the economy, he heard insults, not plans. McCain and Palin were opposed to socialism, but he wondered what exactly they were for.
On the environment, he heard plans he did not like. He’s not against domestic drilling, but drilling in national parks, such as the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve? That would be too much for him.
On Tuesday, Jacot went to the polls. Along with more than half the voters in his state, Jacot chose Obama
Terrorism in the name of animal rights - LA Times
By P. Michael Conn
November 12, 2008
Words convey more than concepts; they stir up our feelings and direct our
thoughts. Racial and religious epithets have started riots, and calling the
police officer who pulls your speeding car over "Sir" is a smart way for you
to start the conversation.
Animal rights activists know how important words can be. The Northern
California-based organization In Defense of Animals and its founder, Elliot
Katz, advocate substituting "companion animal" for "pet" and "animal
guardian" for "pet owner" in local ordinances and everyday parlance. The
idea is "to elicit responsible treatment of companion animals and end abuse,
neglect and abandonment of pets."
Well, OK, it's never right to abuse or neglect animals, but U.S. law already
contains vigorously enforced animal welfare statutes that require animals to
be fed, sheltered and treated as more than just property. It is legal to
toss an old coat in a dumpster, but it is not legal to toss an old dog into
one.
So if we already distinguish animals from property, why do we need word
changes in public ordinances? Probably because many animal rights activists
want more. They want to persuade us that animals deserve nearly equal rights
with people. "Rights-holders, " of course, couldn't be "enslaved" as pets,
nor could they be used in scientific research.
I'm a researcher and director of research advocacy at the Oregon Health and
Science University, where humane, federally regulated animal research is
conducted. I don't believe that animals should be treated as the ethical
coequals of people. One way to understand the issue is to carry the
underlying logic to its extreme: Would you extend to the surviving family of
a rabbit the right to sue the fox that killed it? Should a monkey have the
right to sue, or have a lawsuit brought on its behalf against a research lab
?
Just as Katz's group and others care what words describe pets, I care what
words are used to describe animal rights activists. Some, I believe, deserve
to be called "terrorists. "
In 2001, when I interviewed for a position at a Florida university, I was
publicly and privately harassed, followed, threatened and accused of lying
about the fact that my own research didn't use animals. A police officer had
to be assigned to protect me. Later, the FBI found my name and address among
the papers of a man who was arrested for trespassing at the Oregon Health
and Science University, a man whose website described how to make firebombs.
I can assure you that I felt terrorized.
Much worse has happened to others. Four of my colleagues have received
letters "armed" with razors set to cut the hands of anyone who opened them.
In August, scientists at UC Santa Cruz and their families survived
firebombings, and UCLA researchers have been similarly attacked.
Extremists have even posted pictures of scientists' children on their
incendiary websites in order to get the scientists to stop animal research.
In some cases, they've succeeded.
Of course, the leaders of a few animal rights organizations decry violence
and criminal acts, and even the movement's more shadowy groups often claim
that they act on the first principle of protecting human and animal life.
But the law increasingly sees the movement's extreme actions for what they
are.
When 10 activists were convicted of arsons committed from 1995 to 2001
throughout the West (responsibility for the actions was claimed by the
Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front), U.S. District Judge
Ann Aiken applied "terrorism enhancements" that increased sentences for the
defendants.
In November 2006, the federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act was signed
into law by President Bush, creating tough penalties for damaging property,
making threats and conspiring against zoos, research labs and similar
enterprises.
Many on both sides of the issue took note of the use of the "T-word" in the
name of the act. The science journal Nature bristled. "Calling someone a
terrorist is a value judgment," it said in an unsigned editorial. While some
"knuckleheaded actions could easily have accidentally hurt someone, [the]
ethos was to damage property, never to hurt or kill."
Which brings us back to words. Is "knuckleheaded" really the right
description for those who place bombs at researchers' residences or under
their cars? Is it the right word for targeting children to press their
parents to give up animal research?
The terrorist tag is sticking. Just as laws in West Hollywood, San Jose, San
Francisco and other cities now term pets "companion animals," federal law is
increasingly viewing those who use violence or intimidate by threat of
violence as terrorists.
The extremists in the movement will not and should not be able to shed this
label unless they rethink their tactics and strategies.
P. Michael Conn is coauthor, with James V. Parker, of "The Animal Research
War." He is a senior scientist at the Oregon Health and Science University's
Oregon National Primate Center and a professor in the university's School of
Medicine.
November 12, 2008
Words convey more than concepts; they stir up our feelings and direct our
thoughts. Racial and religious epithets have started riots, and calling the
police officer who pulls your speeding car over "Sir" is a smart way for you
to start the conversation.
Animal rights activists know how important words can be. The Northern
California-based organization In Defense of Animals and its founder, Elliot
Katz, advocate substituting "companion animal" for "pet" and "animal
guardian" for "pet owner" in local ordinances and everyday parlance. The
idea is "to elicit responsible treatment of companion animals and end abuse,
neglect and abandonment of pets."
Well, OK, it's never right to abuse or neglect animals, but U.S. law already
contains vigorously enforced animal welfare statutes that require animals to
be fed, sheltered and treated as more than just property. It is legal to
toss an old coat in a dumpster, but it is not legal to toss an old dog into
one.
So if we already distinguish animals from property, why do we need word
changes in public ordinances? Probably because many animal rights activists
want more. They want to persuade us that animals deserve nearly equal rights
with people. "Rights-holders, " of course, couldn't be "enslaved" as pets,
nor could they be used in scientific research.
I'm a researcher and director of research advocacy at the Oregon Health and
Science University, where humane, federally regulated animal research is
conducted. I don't believe that animals should be treated as the ethical
coequals of people. One way to understand the issue is to carry the
underlying logic to its extreme: Would you extend to the surviving family of
a rabbit the right to sue the fox that killed it? Should a monkey have the
right to sue, or have a lawsuit brought on its behalf against a research lab
?
Just as Katz's group and others care what words describe pets, I care what
words are used to describe animal rights activists. Some, I believe, deserve
to be called "terrorists. "
In 2001, when I interviewed for a position at a Florida university, I was
publicly and privately harassed, followed, threatened and accused of lying
about the fact that my own research didn't use animals. A police officer had
to be assigned to protect me. Later, the FBI found my name and address among
the papers of a man who was arrested for trespassing at the Oregon Health
and Science University, a man whose website described how to make firebombs.
I can assure you that I felt terrorized.
Much worse has happened to others. Four of my colleagues have received
letters "armed" with razors set to cut the hands of anyone who opened them.
In August, scientists at UC Santa Cruz and their families survived
firebombings, and UCLA researchers have been similarly attacked.
Extremists have even posted pictures of scientists' children on their
incendiary websites in order to get the scientists to stop animal research.
In some cases, they've succeeded.
Of course, the leaders of a few animal rights organizations decry violence
and criminal acts, and even the movement's more shadowy groups often claim
that they act on the first principle of protecting human and animal life.
But the law increasingly sees the movement's extreme actions for what they
are.
When 10 activists were convicted of arsons committed from 1995 to 2001
throughout the West (responsibility for the actions was claimed by the
Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front), U.S. District Judge
Ann Aiken applied "terrorism enhancements" that increased sentences for the
defendants.
In November 2006, the federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act was signed
into law by President Bush, creating tough penalties for damaging property,
making threats and conspiring against zoos, research labs and similar
enterprises.
Many on both sides of the issue took note of the use of the "T-word" in the
name of the act. The science journal Nature bristled. "Calling someone a
terrorist is a value judgment," it said in an unsigned editorial. While some
"knuckleheaded actions could easily have accidentally hurt someone, [the]
ethos was to damage property, never to hurt or kill."
Which brings us back to words. Is "knuckleheaded" really the right
description for those who place bombs at researchers' residences or under
their cars? Is it the right word for targeting children to press their
parents to give up animal research?
The terrorist tag is sticking. Just as laws in West Hollywood, San Jose, San
Francisco and other cities now term pets "companion animals," federal law is
increasingly viewing those who use violence or intimidate by threat of
violence as terrorists.
The extremists in the movement will not and should not be able to shed this
label unless they rethink their tactics and strategies.
P. Michael Conn is coauthor, with James V. Parker, of "The Animal Research
War." He is a senior scientist at the Oregon Health and Science University's
Oregon National Primate Center and a professor in the university's School of
Medicine.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I apologize for the lack of updates through out the weekend. I had a health concern and I ended up hospitalized Sunday afternoon. I just got discharged.
I want to thank all of you who called me or visited me at the hospital!
Take care,
Logan
I want to thank all of you who called me or visited me at the hospital!
Take care,
Logan
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Criss Angel's 'Believe' hard to believe
All I could think about watching Criss Angel's "Believe" was the movie "Showgirls" and Elizabeth Berkley's Nomi Malone, the nomad who goes from stripper to Strip showgirl. Angel's journey from street magician to Strip headliner is a similarly implausible story, but more so, it is his show that really manages to capture the so-bad-it's-good spirit of the movie.
There is actually a point in "Believe," amongst the lush black-and-red staging, in which Angel is on all fours crawling forward toward the audience, that seems a tribute to that hideous film. For "Showgirls," you had to wait for the anniversary DVD that came complete with shot glasses to go with the drinking games. "Believe's" gift shop already has shot glasses. It also has votive candles should you actually be loyal enough to pray to Criss Angel.
Sadly, no magic or miracle saved the muddy mix of Cirque and Criss Angel from turning into quicksand. I would like to mention all of the good points as well as the show's weaknesses. But except for a dancing rabbit (I assume the legs of the dancer are in the rabbit's ears), there is virtually nothing in "Believe" that is not better presented in another Cirque show or another magic show in Vegas.
Here is one example using a trick that is also in the Penn & Teller show and involves a random audience member offering a word or phrase then discovered in a sealed container. P&T use an envelope that audience members examine before the show. Angel uses a box that descends from the ceiling. The point to both tricks is that what is written on the paper has yet to be chosen by an audience volunteer. Of course, Penn & Teller let you know up front that they are cheating, and the trick is funny while serving as a warning about con artists who pose as mind-readers. It really is the staging and the use of audience volunteers and an entire context built around the trick that make the moment so perfect in the Penn & Teller show.
Angel's version demands the audience member feel a "special connection" to Angel or, he claims, the trick will not work. If you lack this mystical bond with Angel, you are asked to let another person volunteer. The word chosen by the audience member on opening night was "psychology." The handwriting was hasty and sloppy (though Angel claimed to have written it weeks ago in rehearsals during a moment of inspired mystical reflection before sealing it in a box and suspending it from the ceiling -- without telling the stagehands, for some reason). Angel only let the audience see the paper with the word for a moment, but "psychology" seemed to be misspelled. So in whose mind does the spelling error take place?
There are also still basic technical problems galore with the magic. To pick one: Angel was split fully in half by a saw that had not actually cut across him yet. But mostly the problems are in the basic conception: To maintain a sense of the magical in a theatrical production absent any magic-related context or presentation is an insurmountable challenge. In "Believe," making doves appear, or escaping from a straitjacket while suspended in the air, or vanishing in puff of smoke and flash simply comes off as stagecraft. How can you be impressed when Angel levitates when you see the cords on the aerialists in the show?
The early moments, by the way, flaws and all, in which Angel is just being himself are actually the highlight of the show. Once Cirque takes over, the show turns into a hopeless muddle of plots, subplots and recurring-yet-pointless and poorly defined characters.
The choreography, for example, is so reminiscent of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video that if it weren't for the total earnestness with which it is presented, I would swear this was an intentional effort at camp. There are many such moments that make Cirque's signature clowns in this show have a lot of competition from the dramatic elements of "Believe." There seemed to be a lot of people around me who were provoked to inadvertent laughter at least once. The responses talking to people afterward fell into two camps: the horrified and the bored. The bored seemed to be folks who, like me, had free review tickets; the horrified seemed to be those who paid. But this was an informal survey based on eavesdropping on conversations on the way out and talking to people at the bar in front of the show after.
The ending, in which Angel returns to the living from a staged accident earlier in the show that sent him to Cirque-land, finds him surrounded by concerned friends. Angel in bed wonders if "Believe" has all been a dream and then, almost line for line, does Judy Garland's scene from end of "The Wizard of Oz," as he notes to all his friends how they too were there with him in his Cirque dream, transformed yet present. Can this be an elaborate parody? When Angel at the end holds up a sign with the word "Believe," the letters of "lie" stand out in red.
I could beat up on "Believe" in greater detail, but there is little point. You get the idea. If you are a Criss Angel fan, there will not be nearly enough of his style of magic. The magic is much closer to standard theater illusions that do not really recall his television show as much as they do, say, Monte Carlo's Lance Burton (who does a far better magic show, being more comfortable and expert at this more traditional magic presentation). Cirque fans will find nothing that would put "Believe" on the list ahead of "Mystere," "O," "Love" or "Ka."
Still, with all the talk of presales in the $5-million range, "Believe" is here to stay for a bit, and Cirque and Angel will have time to continue trying to make improvements. But I am reminded of the terrible opening of "Le Reve" at Wynn (in which the director had pregnant women falling from the sky as one of many disturbing images); Steve Wynn eventually bought out the original director (a Cirque alum) to make a show that would work and sell tickets at his casino. The show has the same name it did on the night it opened, but much of the rest has changed. And, in the long term, it is hard to see any incarnation of this "Believe" lasting a decade as scheduled when their best hope is to play up how bad the thing is on the off-chance that "Believe" manages to find a niche willing to pay Cirque prices to see the theatrical equivalent of "Showgirls." My guess (and this is only a guess) is that by the one-year anniversary of "Believe," this will either be a Cirque or an Angel show. But this awkward mix will have to be rethought eventually. And although this show hardly offers much evidence of Angel's stage talents, the demand for him doing a show right now is far greater than the need for Cirque's sixth show on the Strip.
Perhaps, in the end, breaking new ground for magic was not what needed to be done. The real answer might have been simpler if obvious: Take what works so well for Angel on television and find a way to translate that to the stage. Yes, that is a difficult challenge, but Vegas is known for giving audiences what they want, no matter how difficult. And this Salvador Dali-inspired, pretentious excursion into artistic abstraction does not lack effort, only quality. Simply put: This not what the audience wants from a magician who has made his career offering visceral thrills. This was a brave experiment, but at some point, the fact that it simply does not work will have to be reckoned with one way or the other.
http://vegasblog.latimes.com/vegas/2008/10/criss-angels-be.html
There is actually a point in "Believe," amongst the lush black-and-red staging, in which Angel is on all fours crawling forward toward the audience, that seems a tribute to that hideous film. For "Showgirls," you had to wait for the anniversary DVD that came complete with shot glasses to go with the drinking games. "Believe's" gift shop already has shot glasses. It also has votive candles should you actually be loyal enough to pray to Criss Angel.
Sadly, no magic or miracle saved the muddy mix of Cirque and Criss Angel from turning into quicksand. I would like to mention all of the good points as well as the show's weaknesses. But except for a dancing rabbit (I assume the legs of the dancer are in the rabbit's ears), there is virtually nothing in "Believe" that is not better presented in another Cirque show or another magic show in Vegas.
Here is one example using a trick that is also in the Penn & Teller show and involves a random audience member offering a word or phrase then discovered in a sealed container. P&T use an envelope that audience members examine before the show. Angel uses a box that descends from the ceiling. The point to both tricks is that what is written on the paper has yet to be chosen by an audience volunteer. Of course, Penn & Teller let you know up front that they are cheating, and the trick is funny while serving as a warning about con artists who pose as mind-readers. It really is the staging and the use of audience volunteers and an entire context built around the trick that make the moment so perfect in the Penn & Teller show.
Angel's version demands the audience member feel a "special connection" to Angel or, he claims, the trick will not work. If you lack this mystical bond with Angel, you are asked to let another person volunteer. The word chosen by the audience member on opening night was "psychology." The handwriting was hasty and sloppy (though Angel claimed to have written it weeks ago in rehearsals during a moment of inspired mystical reflection before sealing it in a box and suspending it from the ceiling -- without telling the stagehands, for some reason). Angel only let the audience see the paper with the word for a moment, but "psychology" seemed to be misspelled. So in whose mind does the spelling error take place?
There are also still basic technical problems galore with the magic. To pick one: Angel was split fully in half by a saw that had not actually cut across him yet. But mostly the problems are in the basic conception: To maintain a sense of the magical in a theatrical production absent any magic-related context or presentation is an insurmountable challenge. In "Believe," making doves appear, or escaping from a straitjacket while suspended in the air, or vanishing in puff of smoke and flash simply comes off as stagecraft. How can you be impressed when Angel levitates when you see the cords on the aerialists in the show?
The early moments, by the way, flaws and all, in which Angel is just being himself are actually the highlight of the show. Once Cirque takes over, the show turns into a hopeless muddle of plots, subplots and recurring-yet-pointless and poorly defined characters.
The choreography, for example, is so reminiscent of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video that if it weren't for the total earnestness with which it is presented, I would swear this was an intentional effort at camp. There are many such moments that make Cirque's signature clowns in this show have a lot of competition from the dramatic elements of "Believe." There seemed to be a lot of people around me who were provoked to inadvertent laughter at least once. The responses talking to people afterward fell into two camps: the horrified and the bored. The bored seemed to be folks who, like me, had free review tickets; the horrified seemed to be those who paid. But this was an informal survey based on eavesdropping on conversations on the way out and talking to people at the bar in front of the show after.
The ending, in which Angel returns to the living from a staged accident earlier in the show that sent him to Cirque-land, finds him surrounded by concerned friends. Angel in bed wonders if "Believe" has all been a dream and then, almost line for line, does Judy Garland's scene from end of "The Wizard of Oz," as he notes to all his friends how they too were there with him in his Cirque dream, transformed yet present. Can this be an elaborate parody? When Angel at the end holds up a sign with the word "Believe," the letters of "lie" stand out in red.
I could beat up on "Believe" in greater detail, but there is little point. You get the idea. If you are a Criss Angel fan, there will not be nearly enough of his style of magic. The magic is much closer to standard theater illusions that do not really recall his television show as much as they do, say, Monte Carlo's Lance Burton (who does a far better magic show, being more comfortable and expert at this more traditional magic presentation). Cirque fans will find nothing that would put "Believe" on the list ahead of "Mystere," "O," "Love" or "Ka."
Still, with all the talk of presales in the $5-million range, "Believe" is here to stay for a bit, and Cirque and Angel will have time to continue trying to make improvements. But I am reminded of the terrible opening of "Le Reve" at Wynn (in which the director had pregnant women falling from the sky as one of many disturbing images); Steve Wynn eventually bought out the original director (a Cirque alum) to make a show that would work and sell tickets at his casino. The show has the same name it did on the night it opened, but much of the rest has changed. And, in the long term, it is hard to see any incarnation of this "Believe" lasting a decade as scheduled when their best hope is to play up how bad the thing is on the off-chance that "Believe" manages to find a niche willing to pay Cirque prices to see the theatrical equivalent of "Showgirls." My guess (and this is only a guess) is that by the one-year anniversary of "Believe," this will either be a Cirque or an Angel show. But this awkward mix will have to be rethought eventually. And although this show hardly offers much evidence of Angel's stage talents, the demand for him doing a show right now is far greater than the need for Cirque's sixth show on the Strip.
Perhaps, in the end, breaking new ground for magic was not what needed to be done. The real answer might have been simpler if obvious: Take what works so well for Angel on television and find a way to translate that to the stage. Yes, that is a difficult challenge, but Vegas is known for giving audiences what they want, no matter how difficult. And this Salvador Dali-inspired, pretentious excursion into artistic abstraction does not lack effort, only quality. Simply put: This not what the audience wants from a magician who has made his career offering visceral thrills. This was a brave experiment, but at some point, the fact that it simply does not work will have to be reckoned with one way or the other.
http://vegasblog.latimes.com/vegas/2008/10/criss-angels-be.html
Illusion is elusive in Angel’s ‘Believe’
"A few years ago I predicted that we were about to see the down fall of Cirque du Soleil. I guess I was right. They just opened three shows this year, the only one that is getting good reviews is Zed. The other show Zaia is only filling 30% of its seats."
By Joe Brown
Sat, Nov 1, 2008 (2 a.m.)
No wonder.
That — among its many, more obvious failings — is the fatal flaw at the heart of “Criss Angel: Believe.”
There’s just no wonder in it.
In fact, there’s shockingly little magic to be seen in this much-anticipated Cirque du Soleil spectacle constructed around a celebrity magician. No shock, no awe, precious little surprise, even.
Cirque throws everything in its considerable arsenal of stage genius at Angel — the expected array of lush, loud music, expert dancers and aerialists, lavish settings and boundary-breaking special effects, all intended to amaze.
The single most amazing thing about “Believe” is that it’s still so boring.
For a reported $100 million, Cirque has bought itself its first bona fide bomb.
Angel, who is signed to a 10-year contract, hasn’t managed to make all that money vanish completely, however. Cirque makes everything look and sound sumptuous, of course. The 1,600-seat purpose-built theater at the Luxor makes a promising first impression, with its gilded rococo proscenium arch and decadently luxe crimson curtains.
After the customary preshow clowning, the show kicks off abruptly with an intentional false start, a very loud video infomercial for Angel’s A&E TV series “Mindfreak.” And then Angel materializes, descending slowly from the ceiling in Jesus pose. (He’s been outdone by Cher in the Big Entrance category).
Angel romps through the audience, shrieking “Mindfreak!” and “I’m tellin’ you, this is gonna be CRAZY!” and “I swear to you, this is just nuts!” in his Lawn Guyland accent, slapping hands and accepting gifts, including lots of stuffed animals and a homemade banner with ironed-on images of Angel’s cat Hammy and other significant Angel icons on a white bedsheet. (This turns out to be a rather obvious plant.)
The video run-through of Angel’s greatest stunts — being crushed by a steamroller, cutting himself in half, etc. — serves only to show up how puny and paltry his stuff looks on stage. He’s got nothing without postproduction editing.
“Believe” contains very few of the sort of extreme stunts and illusions Angel made his name on. At one point, he invokes his beloved late father, and then taunts death. “What you’re lookin’ at is 6 million volts,” Angel shouts, and, costumed in skintight reflective foil, he tosses a baked potato into an enormous, buzzing and hissing Tesla coil to demonstrate its deadliness.
BOOM! Blackout. Cut to video of Angel, gruesomely burned, one-eyed, his face bubbling like bacon, being wheeled away on a gurney as actors scream in horror offstage.
Then Angel — and the show — plunges into fever dream, an enactment of Angel’s interior Inferno.
His delirium involves ascents and descents and births and deaths, depicted by squads of dancing bunnies and moles. And there’s a continual struggle over his usually shirtless bod between his stage assistants, Kayala, an angelic ever-receding woman in white and Crimson, a devouring, demonic black woman.
(Not even going there.)
Angel’s near-death fantasies are dominated by bunnies (a wink to rumored girlfriend Holly Madison?). Big bunnies, small bunnies, robot bunnies and giant puppet bunnies, good bunnies and bad, bad bunnies. The show’s single most memorable image involves a giant severed bunny head that rolls over and tap dances on its ears.
There’s also a gorgeous scene in which a field of giant red California poppies gradually gathers, floating down and sprouting up and putting his demons to sleep. An onstage tornado blew away.
The entire hallucination sequence is a Frankenstein quilt of undigested chunks of “Donnie Darko,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and even Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album. At one point, after rising from his gurney, Angel actually says, “And you were there, and you were there — and you tried to kill me. And (to the audience) you were there!”
Camp followers — the types who relish gems of unintentional badness like “Showgirls” and well, “Springtime for Hitler” — are advised to get tickets soon.
As I said, magic-lovers are shortchanged. We get a remote-writing trick involving a suspended locked box, a flock of doves that appear and fly above audience, some piddling flashpaper fire-work, lots of clever screenplay, with Angel popping in and out of the projected images, and an enjoyably gory set piece with Angel sawed in half by a chainsaw-wielding bunny.
All his illusions are obscured by flashing strobes, clouds of fog and other standard methods of distraction and misdirection. The Fright Dome Halloween haunted house at Circus Circus employed many of the same effects, to better result, for $35.
A charmless mook, Angel is a rudimentary stage performer — he’s barely believable playing himself. But those who are hoping for an in-person look at his gleaming tattooed torso will get their money’s worth.
Many of the Cirque set pieces seem familiar by now: There’s a scaled-down version of the vertical wall-walking from “Ka,” and the onstage rock guitarist and drummer, too. A quartet of frantic clowns serve as Angel’s bumbling “Ushers,” and a pair of grotesque living dolls are tarted up like Victorian prostitutes. Aerialists sport angel wings, and the squad of dancers is ingeniously costumed as bunnies, rats, moles and spiny reptiles, although their stiff-legged, copy-“Cats” moves suggest seizures in progress.
The music, usually an enchanting, unifying element of Cirque productions, is a disappointment, a banal, bombastic mishmash of “Carmina Burana” melodrama, mix-tape exoticism and mock-rock opera.
The incoherent evening is haunted by a recurring Magritte-like image of an empty gilded picture frame. And that, finally, is the truest metaphor for “Criss Angel: Believe”: a gorgeous golden structure surrounding a void.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/01/illusion-elusive-angels-believe/
By Joe Brown
Sat, Nov 1, 2008 (2 a.m.)
No wonder.
That — among its many, more obvious failings — is the fatal flaw at the heart of “Criss Angel: Believe.”
There’s just no wonder in it.
In fact, there’s shockingly little magic to be seen in this much-anticipated Cirque du Soleil spectacle constructed around a celebrity magician. No shock, no awe, precious little surprise, even.
Cirque throws everything in its considerable arsenal of stage genius at Angel — the expected array of lush, loud music, expert dancers and aerialists, lavish settings and boundary-breaking special effects, all intended to amaze.
The single most amazing thing about “Believe” is that it’s still so boring.
For a reported $100 million, Cirque has bought itself its first bona fide bomb.
Angel, who is signed to a 10-year contract, hasn’t managed to make all that money vanish completely, however. Cirque makes everything look and sound sumptuous, of course. The 1,600-seat purpose-built theater at the Luxor makes a promising first impression, with its gilded rococo proscenium arch and decadently luxe crimson curtains.
After the customary preshow clowning, the show kicks off abruptly with an intentional false start, a very loud video infomercial for Angel’s A&E TV series “Mindfreak.” And then Angel materializes, descending slowly from the ceiling in Jesus pose. (He’s been outdone by Cher in the Big Entrance category).
Angel romps through the audience, shrieking “Mindfreak!” and “I’m tellin’ you, this is gonna be CRAZY!” and “I swear to you, this is just nuts!” in his Lawn Guyland accent, slapping hands and accepting gifts, including lots of stuffed animals and a homemade banner with ironed-on images of Angel’s cat Hammy and other significant Angel icons on a white bedsheet. (This turns out to be a rather obvious plant.)
The video run-through of Angel’s greatest stunts — being crushed by a steamroller, cutting himself in half, etc. — serves only to show up how puny and paltry his stuff looks on stage. He’s got nothing without postproduction editing.
“Believe” contains very few of the sort of extreme stunts and illusions Angel made his name on. At one point, he invokes his beloved late father, and then taunts death. “What you’re lookin’ at is 6 million volts,” Angel shouts, and, costumed in skintight reflective foil, he tosses a baked potato into an enormous, buzzing and hissing Tesla coil to demonstrate its deadliness.
BOOM! Blackout. Cut to video of Angel, gruesomely burned, one-eyed, his face bubbling like bacon, being wheeled away on a gurney as actors scream in horror offstage.
Then Angel — and the show — plunges into fever dream, an enactment of Angel’s interior Inferno.
His delirium involves ascents and descents and births and deaths, depicted by squads of dancing bunnies and moles. And there’s a continual struggle over his usually shirtless bod between his stage assistants, Kayala, an angelic ever-receding woman in white and Crimson, a devouring, demonic black woman.
(Not even going there.)
Angel’s near-death fantasies are dominated by bunnies (a wink to rumored girlfriend Holly Madison?). Big bunnies, small bunnies, robot bunnies and giant puppet bunnies, good bunnies and bad, bad bunnies. The show’s single most memorable image involves a giant severed bunny head that rolls over and tap dances on its ears.
There’s also a gorgeous scene in which a field of giant red California poppies gradually gathers, floating down and sprouting up and putting his demons to sleep. An onstage tornado blew away.
The entire hallucination sequence is a Frankenstein quilt of undigested chunks of “Donnie Darko,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and even Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album. At one point, after rising from his gurney, Angel actually says, “And you were there, and you were there — and you tried to kill me. And (to the audience) you were there!”
Camp followers — the types who relish gems of unintentional badness like “Showgirls” and well, “Springtime for Hitler” — are advised to get tickets soon.
As I said, magic-lovers are shortchanged. We get a remote-writing trick involving a suspended locked box, a flock of doves that appear and fly above audience, some piddling flashpaper fire-work, lots of clever screenplay, with Angel popping in and out of the projected images, and an enjoyably gory set piece with Angel sawed in half by a chainsaw-wielding bunny.
All his illusions are obscured by flashing strobes, clouds of fog and other standard methods of distraction and misdirection. The Fright Dome Halloween haunted house at Circus Circus employed many of the same effects, to better result, for $35.
A charmless mook, Angel is a rudimentary stage performer — he’s barely believable playing himself. But those who are hoping for an in-person look at his gleaming tattooed torso will get their money’s worth.
Many of the Cirque set pieces seem familiar by now: There’s a scaled-down version of the vertical wall-walking from “Ka,” and the onstage rock guitarist and drummer, too. A quartet of frantic clowns serve as Angel’s bumbling “Ushers,” and a pair of grotesque living dolls are tarted up like Victorian prostitutes. Aerialists sport angel wings, and the squad of dancers is ingeniously costumed as bunnies, rats, moles and spiny reptiles, although their stiff-legged, copy-“Cats” moves suggest seizures in progress.
The music, usually an enchanting, unifying element of Cirque productions, is a disappointment, a banal, bombastic mishmash of “Carmina Burana” melodrama, mix-tape exoticism and mock-rock opera.
The incoherent evening is haunted by a recurring Magritte-like image of an empty gilded picture frame. And that, finally, is the truest metaphor for “Criss Angel: Believe”: a gorgeous golden structure surrounding a void.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/01/illusion-elusive-angels-believe/
Under the big top - Lewis and Clark Circus
By Donna Riley-Lein
Independent Staff Writer
(Created: Saturday, November 1, 2008 8:05 AM CDT)
ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — High-wire acts, jugglers, and yes, clowns are on the schedule for this coming Sunday. The one-ring Lewis and Clark Circus is coming to the Baldwin County Coliseum. You can smell the animals, sawdust and popcorn now.
“This is something Baldwin County hasn’t had in a long time,” said A.B. “Sonny” Hankins, the Coliseum’s manager. Tickets for the circus are $15 for adults, and youngsters 14 and under are free. The circus will put up its traditional “big top” tent in a field next to the Coliseum. Performances, according to the circus’ Web site, are about an hour and a half.
“This is a European type, one-ring circus,” said Al Rawlins, a spokesman for the circus in a telephone interview. “You get better seats, right next to everything going on.”
As for the “free” youngsters, yes, they do have to be accompanied by ticket-holding adult.
“We really don’t care how many (youngsters) they bring,” said Rawlins.
One nice touch, the “midway” will be open to the public free of charge before the 2 and 4:30 p.m. performances.
“You don’t ned a ticket until the show,” said Rawlins. He added that the circus’ animals, including tigers, snakes and a petting zoo, complete with baby bull, will be visible.
“We are one of the few circuses to have a midway,” said Rawlins, who was quick to add that unlike midways of old, there is nothing frightening or objectionable at the Lewis and Clark midway. While most of the midway is free of charge, there are some attractions, like the circus’ “bounce house” that do require a ticket.
The circus, according to Rawlins, is about five years old, and plays smaller communities. He says that Lewis and Clark is one of a handful of smaller circuses traveling the country. In many cases, the circus works with a sponsor to produce a fund-raiser, but that’s not the case in Robertsdale.
“The experience is one most children won’t soon forget,” added Hankins, who can recall going to the Ringing Brothers circus in 1946.
“I remember the animals, especially the elephants,” said Hankins. “I had never seen a live elephant.”
“The performers are amazing,” said Hankins. “There are people performing without a net. Amazing.”
Because the circus is a small one, Rawlins says that performers often have to fill more than one role. For example, the circus’ ringmaster, Brian LaPalme, is also a fire eater.
While elephants are not on the program at the Lewis and Clark Circus, Hankins believes just getting to see the trained animals up close (yes, the tigers are caged) will be a treat.
“The children can seethe animals and talk to their trainer,” said Hankins.
That’s something you don’t get every day.”
For more information about the circus, go to their Web site, http://www.lewisandclarkcircus.com.
Independent Staff Writer
(Created: Saturday, November 1, 2008 8:05 AM CDT)
ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — High-wire acts, jugglers, and yes, clowns are on the schedule for this coming Sunday. The one-ring Lewis and Clark Circus is coming to the Baldwin County Coliseum. You can smell the animals, sawdust and popcorn now.
“This is something Baldwin County hasn’t had in a long time,” said A.B. “Sonny” Hankins, the Coliseum’s manager. Tickets for the circus are $15 for adults, and youngsters 14 and under are free. The circus will put up its traditional “big top” tent in a field next to the Coliseum. Performances, according to the circus’ Web site, are about an hour and a half.
“This is a European type, one-ring circus,” said Al Rawlins, a spokesman for the circus in a telephone interview. “You get better seats, right next to everything going on.”
As for the “free” youngsters, yes, they do have to be accompanied by ticket-holding adult.
“We really don’t care how many (youngsters) they bring,” said Rawlins.
One nice touch, the “midway” will be open to the public free of charge before the 2 and 4:30 p.m. performances.
“You don’t ned a ticket until the show,” said Rawlins. He added that the circus’ animals, including tigers, snakes and a petting zoo, complete with baby bull, will be visible.
“We are one of the few circuses to have a midway,” said Rawlins, who was quick to add that unlike midways of old, there is nothing frightening or objectionable at the Lewis and Clark midway. While most of the midway is free of charge, there are some attractions, like the circus’ “bounce house” that do require a ticket.
The circus, according to Rawlins, is about five years old, and plays smaller communities. He says that Lewis and Clark is one of a handful of smaller circuses traveling the country. In many cases, the circus works with a sponsor to produce a fund-raiser, but that’s not the case in Robertsdale.
“The experience is one most children won’t soon forget,” added Hankins, who can recall going to the Ringing Brothers circus in 1946.
“I remember the animals, especially the elephants,” said Hankins. “I had never seen a live elephant.”
“The performers are amazing,” said Hankins. “There are people performing without a net. Amazing.”
Because the circus is a small one, Rawlins says that performers often have to fill more than one role. For example, the circus’ ringmaster, Brian LaPalme, is also a fire eater.
While elephants are not on the program at the Lewis and Clark Circus, Hankins believes just getting to see the trained animals up close (yes, the tigers are caged) will be a treat.
“The children can seethe animals and talk to their trainer,” said Hankins.
That’s something you don’t get every day.”
For more information about the circus, go to their Web site, http://www.lewisandclarkcircus.com.
Circus comes to town
Sunday, November 02, 2008
By KEITH J. O'CONNOR
There will be more than the roar of the crowd at the MassMutual Center when Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey rolls into Springfield on Thursday for a four-day stay.
Crcus-goers will see majestic Asian elephants, stunning acrobatic feats, and some clowning around next to some royal and rare white-striped Bengal tigers led by Vicenta Pages, one of the world's youngest performing tiger trainers who will lead her furry "pets" in a dazzling display of acrobatic jumps, balancing and even a high-five.
At age 23, Pages is considered extremely young to have achieved the demanding standards and assumed the substantial risks associated with working with tigers. Born into the Pages performing dynasty, which originated in Cuba and continues today with Jorge's Circus Pages in the United States, she made her first public performing appearance at the age of four in a trampoline act with her parents. The tiger trainer later became versed in numerous aerial skills before following in several family members' footsteps as a budding animal trainer. Pages first public solo performance occurred at eight years old when she executed a liberty act - taught to her by her father - featuring four ponies.
"While growing up my parents pushed going to school and preferred that we do something else with our lives other than the circus. And if it came to performing in the circus with them, it was a privilege and if we didn't do our schoolwork, we were not allowed to perform," said Pages.
"And that drove me and my siblings to want to be performers even more and once I got older and advanced to bigger acts and bigger things, as much as I liked school, I finished it through the mail," she added.
The Pages' home and lives were filled with animals - dogs and horses, to be sure, but also camels, elephants and tigers. Pages recalled she and her sister sneaking tiger cubs into their beds when they were young.
"That was the best," she said.
And at age 14, her grandfather, Fred Logan, began teaching her about the care and training of the big cats. By the time she was 16, Pages aptitude for the daring circus skill was readily apparent when she first caught the eye of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey officials who came to see her act and make inquiries regarding her joining The Greatest Show On Earth. Four years later in October 2006 when according to her, "The time was right and I was ready," she joined Ringling Bros.
"I try to make my act look effortless and pretty much everything my tigers do is based on their natural behaviors," said Pages.
"You must gain the trust and respect of your animals, and outside the ring I am their caretaker cleaning their home and feeding them," she added.
Pages said she is happiest in the ring.
"I grew up in the circus and I can't imagine being anywhere else with the same job every day in just one place all the time, as opposed to meeting new people and always being in a new town seeing something different," said Pages.
Joining Pages is Justin Case, host of Boom A Ring, who will introducethe circus stars as the action bounces from one high-energy act to the next from breathtaking aerialists gracefully soaring over the audience's heads to a daring crossbow demonstration by Martti Peltonen that takes archery to new extremes to the gravity-defying Los Scolas, who perform on the Whirling Wheel of Steel in a high-wire adventure that tests the limits of human balance.
Rounding out the circus family are Ramon Esqueda alongside majestic Asian elephants and Diana Vedyashkina presenting a delightful Daschund dog act.
And, while at this year's circus, audiences can experience a little of the circus before all the action begins. Boom A Ring brings circus lovers close to the amazing performers that make the circus so thrilling during a free All Access Pre-show which begins one hour before show time when the audience will have an opportunity to meet and get to know the performers personally. Circus fans will discover how the performers got into the circus world, how they train each day to prepare for the show, and even learn some circus skills of their own.
By KEITH J. O'CONNOR
There will be more than the roar of the crowd at the MassMutual Center when Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey rolls into Springfield on Thursday for a four-day stay.
Crcus-goers will see majestic Asian elephants, stunning acrobatic feats, and some clowning around next to some royal and rare white-striped Bengal tigers led by Vicenta Pages, one of the world's youngest performing tiger trainers who will lead her furry "pets" in a dazzling display of acrobatic jumps, balancing and even a high-five.
At age 23, Pages is considered extremely young to have achieved the demanding standards and assumed the substantial risks associated with working with tigers. Born into the Pages performing dynasty, which originated in Cuba and continues today with Jorge's Circus Pages in the United States, she made her first public performing appearance at the age of four in a trampoline act with her parents. The tiger trainer later became versed in numerous aerial skills before following in several family members' footsteps as a budding animal trainer. Pages first public solo performance occurred at eight years old when she executed a liberty act - taught to her by her father - featuring four ponies.
"While growing up my parents pushed going to school and preferred that we do something else with our lives other than the circus. And if it came to performing in the circus with them, it was a privilege and if we didn't do our schoolwork, we were not allowed to perform," said Pages.
"And that drove me and my siblings to want to be performers even more and once I got older and advanced to bigger acts and bigger things, as much as I liked school, I finished it through the mail," she added.
The Pages' home and lives were filled with animals - dogs and horses, to be sure, but also camels, elephants and tigers. Pages recalled she and her sister sneaking tiger cubs into their beds when they were young.
"That was the best," she said.
And at age 14, her grandfather, Fred Logan, began teaching her about the care and training of the big cats. By the time she was 16, Pages aptitude for the daring circus skill was readily apparent when she first caught the eye of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey officials who came to see her act and make inquiries regarding her joining The Greatest Show On Earth. Four years later in October 2006 when according to her, "The time was right and I was ready," she joined Ringling Bros.
"I try to make my act look effortless and pretty much everything my tigers do is based on their natural behaviors," said Pages.
"You must gain the trust and respect of your animals, and outside the ring I am their caretaker cleaning their home and feeding them," she added.
Pages said she is happiest in the ring.
"I grew up in the circus and I can't imagine being anywhere else with the same job every day in just one place all the time, as opposed to meeting new people and always being in a new town seeing something different," said Pages.
Joining Pages is Justin Case, host of Boom A Ring, who will introducethe circus stars as the action bounces from one high-energy act to the next from breathtaking aerialists gracefully soaring over the audience's heads to a daring crossbow demonstration by Martti Peltonen that takes archery to new extremes to the gravity-defying Los Scolas, who perform on the Whirling Wheel of Steel in a high-wire adventure that tests the limits of human balance.
Rounding out the circus family are Ramon Esqueda alongside majestic Asian elephants and Diana Vedyashkina presenting a delightful Daschund dog act.
And, while at this year's circus, audiences can experience a little of the circus before all the action begins. Boom A Ring brings circus lovers close to the amazing performers that make the circus so thrilling during a free All Access Pre-show which begins one hour before show time when the audience will have an opportunity to meet and get to know the performers personally. Circus fans will discover how the performers got into the circus world, how they train each day to prepare for the show, and even learn some circus skills of their own.
Winter in Circus City
6 family-friendly things to do in, around Sarasota
By Amanda Miller Allen
Contributor
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Sarasota, Fla. —- The town that long ago was built on big cats and elephants, flying trapezes and sideshow acts —- and more than a few clowns —- has morphed into a sophisticated resort city.
Look beyond the accomplished West Coast Symphony or Sarasota Ballet, beyond the numerous art galleries and theaters, or shopping at chic St. Armands Circle, and you’ll find experiences unique to a place nicknamed Circus City. You’d expect no less from the town that was once the winter quarters for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Here are six ways to entertain children of all ages over the holidays and into the new year:
1. Big Cat Habitat
Lions, tigers, bears, elephants, chimpanzees, monkeys, exotic birds, goats and dogs all have something in common at Kay Rosaire’s Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary: Most of them are rescues. And on weekends from December until about mid-May, some of them are talented performers. Rosaire, her son, Clayton, and numerous other members of the renowned Rosaire circus family perform under a huge tent with the animals, but the show is more than entertainment. Kay Rosaire, mistress of ceremonies, educates the crowd about trafficking in exotic animals. And during the dog act (all rescue dogs, of course), she urges: “If you’re looking for a pet, go to the animal shelter.”
7101 Palmer Blvd. 941-371-6377; www.bigcathabitat.org.
2. John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and Ca d’Zan
It’s hard to decide which is more dazzling —- Ca d’Zan, the Venetian Gothic mansion completed by the Ringlings in 1926 and restored in 2002, or the magnificent art collection housed in the Museum of Art’s 21 galleries. In the Ringlings’ time, the “House of John” mansion was a gathering spot for Sarasota society, and touring the home gives a sense of how lavish a Ringling party might have been. The museum was opened in 1931 to display the Ringlings’ extensive and priceless collection of paintings and sculptures; visitors today can see many more American, Asian and European artworks. The museum continues to acquire exceptional works, including the Koger Collection of Chinese ceramics in 2002. In 2007, the museum added 30,000 square feet of exhibit space. Current special exhibits include “Modern Masters of the Japanese Print: Tradition and Transformation,” through Jan. 4; “To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum,” through Jan. 11; and “Fashioning Kimono: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan,” through Feb. 8.
5401 Bay Shore Road. 941-359-5700; www.ringling.org.
3. Circus museum
A highlight of the Ringling Museum of the American Circus and the Tibbals Learning Center, located on the 66-acre Ringling estate, is the Howard Bros. Circus model, a 3/4-inch scale replica of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919 to 1938. Howard Tibbals carved and assembled this detailed, 3,800-square-foot model over more than 50 years. You’ll see ringmasters and performers under the little big top, viewed by tiny spectators; circus wagons and train cars; animals in and outside the ring; dressing rooms; and the mess where meals were served. If it happened in the real circus, Tibbals captured it for his miniature one. The Museum of the American Circus has much more, including costumes of famous circus performers, historic posters and prints, and a section on the 1952 Oscar-winning film “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Some of the movie’s scenes were filmed in Sarasota.
5401 Bay Shore Road. 941-359-5700; www.ringling.org.
4. PAL Sailor Circus
Grab a seat at a PAL Sailor Circus performance and see kids who know how to clown around, swing confidently on a trapeze or juggle more than just schoolwork and extracurricular activities. The Sailor Circus, a longtime program through Sarasota County schools, teaches kids ages 8-18 circus arts, from performing to making costumes, erecting rigging and working concessions. In 2004, the Police Athletic League took over operation of the program, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2009. The Sailor Circus will perform its Holiday Spectacular Dec. 27-29; tickets are $16 adults, $12 children 10 and younger, and $10 general admission. Spring performances are March 25-28 and April 1-4.
2075 Bahia Vista St. 941-361-6350; www.sailorcircus.org.
5. Circus Sarasota
Founded in 1997 by Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs, Circus Sarasota opens under a big top each winter to sell-out crowds. Reis is a trapeze artist who performed for years with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus; Jacobs, also an aerialist and performer with Ringling and the Big Apple Circus, is the daughter of clown Lou Jacobs. Circus Sarasota’s mission is to engage and encourage students through education, to improve the quality of life for individuals in institutionalized settings, and to present quality circus performances as an affordable family event. With the help of a foundation and volunteers, the circus keeps its ticket prices low while attracting headline circus acts.
Shows in 2009 are Jan. 30-Feb. 22 in the overflow parking lot of Ed Smith Stadium off Tuttle Avenue in Sarasota, and March 6-29 at Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers; ticket prices $10-$47. 941-355-9335; www.circussarasota.org.
6. Lipizzan Stallions
Herrmanns’ Royal Lipizzan Stallions aren’t circus performers, though they entertain at regional and state fairs during spring and summer, and at the Herrmann farm in winter months. The stallions are descendants of those bred for the Hapsburg Royal Family of Austria, and directly descend from the few saved during World War II by Col. Ottomar Herrmann Jr. and his father under the protection of U.S. Gen. George S. Patton. You’ll see amazing leaps and complicated maneuvers by these strong and talented horses, including Capriole, in which the horse soars high in the air and strikes out with its hind legs.
Shows during winter months on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. 32755 Singletary Road, Myakka City, about 20 miles from Sarasota. 941-322-1501; www.hlipizzans.com.
IF YOU GO
Where to stay
Hotel Indigo. This boutique chain of hotels, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, is always a sure bet for value and location; this one is near Palm Avenue’s art galleries and shops. Rates $140-$209 per night. 1223 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. 941-487-3800, www.hotelindigo.com
Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. Pamper yourself in this elegant resort on Sarasota Bay; it was named to Conde Nast’s Traveler’s Gold List of the World’s Best Places to Stay in January 2008. Even your dog can get a pet massage here. Rates from about $250 per night. 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Sarasota. 941-309-2000; www.ritzcarlton.com/sarasota
Where to eat
Roaring 20’s Pizza and Pipes. Order pizza or pasta at the counter, then take a seat and listen to a Wurlitzer theater pipe organ, circa 1931; evening sets on weekdays, lunch and evening sets on weekends. This is no ordinary organ —- it has 2,456 pipes and percussions powered by a 20-horsepower Spencer blower. Sandwiches, entrees, $8-$15. 6750 N. U.S. 301, Ellenton. 941-723-1733; www.roaring20spizza.com
Michael’s on East. This fine dining steak and seafood restaurant holds a AAA Four-Diamond Award and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. 1212 East Ave. S. in Midtown Plaza, Sarasota. 941-366-0007; www.michaelsoneast.com
Information
Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau. 766 Hudson Ave., Sarasota. 941-957-1877; www.sarasotafl.org
Amanda Miller Allen is a former Travel section editor for the Journal-Constitution; contact her at amandamillerallen@hotmail.com.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/11/02/sarasotanew.html
By Amanda Miller Allen
Contributor
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Sarasota, Fla. —- The town that long ago was built on big cats and elephants, flying trapezes and sideshow acts —- and more than a few clowns —- has morphed into a sophisticated resort city.
Look beyond the accomplished West Coast Symphony or Sarasota Ballet, beyond the numerous art galleries and theaters, or shopping at chic St. Armands Circle, and you’ll find experiences unique to a place nicknamed Circus City. You’d expect no less from the town that was once the winter quarters for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Here are six ways to entertain children of all ages over the holidays and into the new year:
1. Big Cat Habitat
Lions, tigers, bears, elephants, chimpanzees, monkeys, exotic birds, goats and dogs all have something in common at Kay Rosaire’s Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary: Most of them are rescues. And on weekends from December until about mid-May, some of them are talented performers. Rosaire, her son, Clayton, and numerous other members of the renowned Rosaire circus family perform under a huge tent with the animals, but the show is more than entertainment. Kay Rosaire, mistress of ceremonies, educates the crowd about trafficking in exotic animals. And during the dog act (all rescue dogs, of course), she urges: “If you’re looking for a pet, go to the animal shelter.”
7101 Palmer Blvd. 941-371-6377; www.bigcathabitat.org.
2. John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and Ca d’Zan
It’s hard to decide which is more dazzling —- Ca d’Zan, the Venetian Gothic mansion completed by the Ringlings in 1926 and restored in 2002, or the magnificent art collection housed in the Museum of Art’s 21 galleries. In the Ringlings’ time, the “House of John” mansion was a gathering spot for Sarasota society, and touring the home gives a sense of how lavish a Ringling party might have been. The museum was opened in 1931 to display the Ringlings’ extensive and priceless collection of paintings and sculptures; visitors today can see many more American, Asian and European artworks. The museum continues to acquire exceptional works, including the Koger Collection of Chinese ceramics in 2002. In 2007, the museum added 30,000 square feet of exhibit space. Current special exhibits include “Modern Masters of the Japanese Print: Tradition and Transformation,” through Jan. 4; “To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum,” through Jan. 11; and “Fashioning Kimono: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan,” through Feb. 8.
5401 Bay Shore Road. 941-359-5700; www.ringling.org.
3. Circus museum
A highlight of the Ringling Museum of the American Circus and the Tibbals Learning Center, located on the 66-acre Ringling estate, is the Howard Bros. Circus model, a 3/4-inch scale replica of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919 to 1938. Howard Tibbals carved and assembled this detailed, 3,800-square-foot model over more than 50 years. You’ll see ringmasters and performers under the little big top, viewed by tiny spectators; circus wagons and train cars; animals in and outside the ring; dressing rooms; and the mess where meals were served. If it happened in the real circus, Tibbals captured it for his miniature one. The Museum of the American Circus has much more, including costumes of famous circus performers, historic posters and prints, and a section on the 1952 Oscar-winning film “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Some of the movie’s scenes were filmed in Sarasota.
5401 Bay Shore Road. 941-359-5700; www.ringling.org.
4. PAL Sailor Circus
Grab a seat at a PAL Sailor Circus performance and see kids who know how to clown around, swing confidently on a trapeze or juggle more than just schoolwork and extracurricular activities. The Sailor Circus, a longtime program through Sarasota County schools, teaches kids ages 8-18 circus arts, from performing to making costumes, erecting rigging and working concessions. In 2004, the Police Athletic League took over operation of the program, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2009. The Sailor Circus will perform its Holiday Spectacular Dec. 27-29; tickets are $16 adults, $12 children 10 and younger, and $10 general admission. Spring performances are March 25-28 and April 1-4.
2075 Bahia Vista St. 941-361-6350; www.sailorcircus.org.
5. Circus Sarasota
Founded in 1997 by Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs, Circus Sarasota opens under a big top each winter to sell-out crowds. Reis is a trapeze artist who performed for years with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus; Jacobs, also an aerialist and performer with Ringling and the Big Apple Circus, is the daughter of clown Lou Jacobs. Circus Sarasota’s mission is to engage and encourage students through education, to improve the quality of life for individuals in institutionalized settings, and to present quality circus performances as an affordable family event. With the help of a foundation and volunteers, the circus keeps its ticket prices low while attracting headline circus acts.
Shows in 2009 are Jan. 30-Feb. 22 in the overflow parking lot of Ed Smith Stadium off Tuttle Avenue in Sarasota, and March 6-29 at Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers; ticket prices $10-$47. 941-355-9335; www.circussarasota.org.
6. Lipizzan Stallions
Herrmanns’ Royal Lipizzan Stallions aren’t circus performers, though they entertain at regional and state fairs during spring and summer, and at the Herrmann farm in winter months. The stallions are descendants of those bred for the Hapsburg Royal Family of Austria, and directly descend from the few saved during World War II by Col. Ottomar Herrmann Jr. and his father under the protection of U.S. Gen. George S. Patton. You’ll see amazing leaps and complicated maneuvers by these strong and talented horses, including Capriole, in which the horse soars high in the air and strikes out with its hind legs.
Shows during winter months on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. 32755 Singletary Road, Myakka City, about 20 miles from Sarasota. 941-322-1501; www.hlipizzans.com.
IF YOU GO
Where to stay
Hotel Indigo. This boutique chain of hotels, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, is always a sure bet for value and location; this one is near Palm Avenue’s art galleries and shops. Rates $140-$209 per night. 1223 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. 941-487-3800, www.hotelindigo.com
Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. Pamper yourself in this elegant resort on Sarasota Bay; it was named to Conde Nast’s Traveler’s Gold List of the World’s Best Places to Stay in January 2008. Even your dog can get a pet massage here. Rates from about $250 per night. 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Sarasota. 941-309-2000; www.ritzcarlton.com/sarasota
Where to eat
Roaring 20’s Pizza and Pipes. Order pizza or pasta at the counter, then take a seat and listen to a Wurlitzer theater pipe organ, circa 1931; evening sets on weekdays, lunch and evening sets on weekends. This is no ordinary organ —- it has 2,456 pipes and percussions powered by a 20-horsepower Spencer blower. Sandwiches, entrees, $8-$15. 6750 N. U.S. 301, Ellenton. 941-723-1733; www.roaring20spizza.com
Michael’s on East. This fine dining steak and seafood restaurant holds a AAA Four-Diamond Award and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. 1212 East Ave. S. in Midtown Plaza, Sarasota. 941-366-0007; www.michaelsoneast.com
Information
Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau. 766 Hudson Ave., Sarasota. 941-957-1877; www.sarasotafl.org
Amanda Miller Allen is a former Travel section editor for the Journal-Constitution; contact her at amandamillerallen@hotmail.com.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/11/02/sarasotanew.html
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