mates of state were awesome, as always. Kori was even rocking the dress from the pic above. she had her bangs in her eyes, and she and jason couldnt stop grinning. they played a great mix of the old and new (and gave me a newfound appreciation for "jigsaw"), and put on a solid show. i was a little sad that they were opening for Santi (wouldnt it make more sense for her to open for them??), but they graciously rocked it nonetheless.
from Re-Arrange Us, My Only Offer 

santi took the stage a little after 10:30, and the crowd went insane. she performed with a dj, and two backup singers / dancers in schoolgirl white and waist-high pants who wore shades, betrayed no emotions, and danced their pants off all night. put on a great show - tons of energy, genuine interactions with the audience (talk about all smiles), and fantastic execution. played some slower stuff i was surprised about, but the audience reacted pretty well. good crowd - a nice mix of indie kids and hip hoppers - santi sort of floats across the spectrum; thus her mass appeal. she even played some tracks from her mixtape with Diplo, including my favorite, "get it up" (ive posted it somewhere on this blog, i think...)

all in all, a stellar tuesday night show. except for the fact that i ended up sick as a dog on wednesday and thursday. luckily sleeping 12+ hours seemed to help a little.

oh, does anyone else think Santogold's outfit looks a heckuva lot like Kenley's "hip hop" outfit for Leanne on this season's Project Runway??!? The chick is crazy, and the outfit was certainly NOT Alicia Keys or anything remotely Li'l Kim or NWA.  Santi White, though, pulls it off somehow.  As Li'l Mama might put it, She be Kill'n it! You know?? she stabbed that chicken in the heart! 

oh, and here's the mixtape. it's all in one track, but it's well worth listening to all in one piece. think ive posted bits and pieces before...
Santogold & Diplo: Top Ranking - A Diplo Dub

Finally, I got to see them in person. Tickets were my birthday gift to Shelly (hey, she likes them too so this totally wasn’t a Homer gift), and since I got them back in July, I had literally been counting the days until the show.

The Cave Singers opened, and I really liked the music but didn’t care for the singer at all. It’s really hard to enjoy the music when the singer’s voice makes you kinda cringe. This was especially a downer because I liked Pretty Girls Make Graves so much… oh well.

While waiting for the main attraction, we sat on the bench at the top of the stair case and ate apples. I always make a point to eat an apple at a Fillmore show, and inevitably end up staring at the Bill Graham photo for a minute or three while doing so. And for some reason, people always end up asking me if I miss promoting concerts while I am consuming that apple. It’s really a bizarre thing (that will now forever be repeated since people who I go to shows with will be reading this).

After about 20 minutes of silence, I got antsy and drug Shelly out to the crowded floor and we made our way about 3/4 of the way to the stage. We were close enough that Shelly could actually see people on the stage (she’s short, but the fact that she was wearing platform boots helped make her taller too!).

Turns out I was too antsy because they didn’t come out for about another 15-20 minutes. Shelly’s feet were already hurting her. We made it through about half of their set before heading home, but I did get to see them play a handful of my favorite songs. The only song of any significance that we missed was Shelly’s favorite, “Alone Again Or,” but if they played it at all, it would have been at the very end… likely as an encore.

The show was quite memorable. This band is incredible live, and really cemented themselves as one of my favorite bands today. I cannot wait for them to come back through the Bay so that I can go and see them again.

Denver, CO

Fillmore Auditorium

Last night at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, CO, Common and N.E.R.D. performed to an excited crowd and left a number of fans yearning for more.

The N.E.R.D. performance was decent.  Maybe a bit cheesy for my taste.  Pharrell was pacing back and forth on stage picking girls out of the crowd to join him for an inpromptu performance up on stage.  Be keen to the climax of this clip, featuring a 200lb+ female grinding Skateboard P to the crowd's immediate approval.   Enjoy the vid:

As you can see, the N.E.R.D. set was entertaining and P grinding with the large lady was the icing on the cake!

As for Common, his set was short but sweet.  He did a lot of his classics, as well as a couple of new ones.  Overall, great show but we were ready for another hour of head bobbin' and funky lyrics.  Here's a little video for ya:

So, who made it out to the show and what did you think?

Next time you should come roll with me!

Holler.

T

I. Millard Fillmore (1800-1874)

II. Millard Fillmore (Whig) First Term-- (1850-1853)

III. Education and Occupation

A.  Fillmore grew up being self-educated and did not attend any university or college.  Fillmore did briefly attend an academy at New Hope for law.

B.  One of Fillmore’s first jobs was being an apprentice at a carder shop and a clothing shop.  After attending the academy at New Hope, Fillmore entered a law firm and in 1824 he became part of the New York bar.  Then, in 1833, he became a member of the House of Representatives until 1835, and then again from 1837 to 1843.  Before Zachary Taylor died and Fillmore became president, he was vice president for one year under Taylor.

IV. Opponents in Elections:

(Did not run in any elections)

V. Vice President

A.  First Term -  None

VI. Major Domestic  Events:

A.  Compromise of 1850 (Fugitive Slave Law) (1850) -  This law was part of a compromise between the Northern antislavery activists and the Southern slave holders.  Under this law, any slaves that had runaway and were found had to be returned to their respected owner.  This included the northern states that were opposed to slavery.  Many of the Northern states put up signs warning slaves of talking to police officers and others in Boston because of the risk of actually conversing with slave catchers.  This law was strictly enforced in the South, but not nearly as strict in the Northern region.

B.  Webster’s March 7 speech (1850) -  This was a speech by Daniel Webster during his final year in the Senate.  The speech warned the entire nation about slavery and how wrong it was.  Webster urged Northern activists to act and speak out against slavery and its evils.  Also, Webster warned the South what would happen if they continued to resist against the rest of the United States: Civil War.  Webster reasoned that civil war was the opposite of what the United States wanted since it could potentially separate the U.S. and disunite the population.

C.  California Admitted to the Union (1850) -  Because of the gold rush when thousands of prospectors rushed to California, the population was large enough for California to become a state.  California was admitted as a free state as part of the Compromise of 1850 with Texas being organized without any prohibition against the action of slavery.  Thus, it nurtured the wants of both the North and the South.

D.  Uncle Tom’s Cabin published (1852) -  This was a novel that spoke out against slavery.  Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a teacher at Hartford Female Academy, the novel was very influential in the abolitionist movement and the crisis over slavery.  The novel became the best selling book of the nineteenth century.

VII. Major Foreign Policy Events:

A.  Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850) -  This treaty was to settle a dispute over a canal built in Central America.  Both Great Britain and the United States had colonies and land here.  The treaty guaranteed that neither country would have more control on the canal, they would both protect the canal and the surrounding land, it stated that the canal was a neutral area and that neither country could colonize or gain any more land in Central America.

VIII. Major Social Movements or Events:

IX. Major Inventions or Technological Events:

X. Major Conflict:

A.  North v. South (over slavery) -  During the time that Fillmore was in office, the tensions were quickly growing.  It would only be eight years after Fillmore left office that the Civil War would begin.  The biggest argument was over slavery and its constitutionality.  The Compromise of 1850 was passed to try and quell the agravations, but it had litttle effect and the tensions only grew during Fillmore’s term of office.

XI. Presidential Evaluation:

A.  After Taylor died and Fillmore took over in office, one of Fillmore’s main goals was to settle to issue on slavery.  Unfortunately for Fillmore, his decisions to compromise on the issue of slavery was not favorable with many of the citizens of the United States.  The Compromise of 1850 only temporarily settled the issue, there was still arguments, and the North and South only got further and further apart from each other in term of political views.

B.  Fillmore was largely influenced by the large political figure Daniel Webster.  Webster, a Secratary of State, was a major Whig leader who helped established the eastern boundary of the United States.  Fillmore had many of the same beliefs as Webster as well as sharing the same career of law.  Also, Webster wanted to make sure that the nation did not get into a civil war.  Fillmore agreed with this policy and adhered to this idea by passing the Compromise of 1850.  Unfortunately, this proved uneffective.

C.  Fillmore was not much of a leader.  He was not a president who thought of ideas and followed through with them.  Fillmore was not forthcoming and often turned to his cabinet and Congress to make the major decisions.  As a result, Fillmore was unpopular among the citizens and was not voted to a second term as president because of his lack of leadership. 

D.  Fillmore’s successes were not numerous, and none were very substantial.  The only success that Fillmore had was stalling the confrontation between the North and South.  Though the Compromise of 1850 proved to be ineffective in the long run, it did quell the anger for a time and saved the nation from splitting at that moment.  Fillmore was careful not to publically state that he was with either the North or South so that he would not raise more commotion that could lead to civil war.

E.  Ironically, Fillmore’s one success was also his ultimate failure.  The Compromise of 1850 might have stopped the turmoil during his presidency, but Fillmore did not look into the future and what it would bring.  The Compromise was a hastilly put together bill to lessen the pressure on Fillmore.  He did not contribute to the cause at all, he only contributed to the further push toward a civil war.

F.  Previous presidents had strived to keep the nation united.  Fillmore did not put forth a consistent effort to keep the nation united.  He was not actively trying to keep the nation together in any way.  He was influenced by Daniel Webster and preached the same things, but he rarely put his ideas into action.  Fillmore also did not try and be popular or a leader at all.  Not only did Fillmore looks towards others for ideas, but he also did not care for the population or the what the United States thought of him.  Consequently, he was not elected to a second term.

G.  Presidents that came after the Civil War era would see the mistakes that Fillmore made and learn from those mistakes to keep the United States united.  Fillmore had failed to substantially stop the argument over slavery and future presidents would learn from this.  However, besides this one influential thing, future presidents would largely pass over Fillmore as a nothing president not to be analyzed or considered for very long.

H.  Because of Fillmore’s lack of leadership, interest, and for his failure to help the United States with the problem of slavery, Fillmore gets 4.5 out of 10 stars.  Fillmore passed the Compromise of 1850 which was the only bill that Fillmore ever really initiated.  And even then, the compromise was unhelpful.  Fillmore was an uneffective president who would not be highly regarded by future presidents and did not help the United States at all.

nelle sale americane nel corso del 1972, la pellicola viene ripubblicata il prossimo 11 novembre dalla Rhino in versione dvd: il lungometraggio contiene interviste con Bill Graham, leggendario gestore del locale, e con musicisti dell’epoca, più numerose performance dal vivo riprese nell’arco dei concerti d’addio organizzati nell’estate del 1971, protagonisti band e solisti come Grateful Dead (nella foto), Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Hot Tuna, Quicksilver Messenger Service, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Elvis Bishop Group e Boz Scaggs (registrazioni audio da quelle esibizioni vennero pubblicate anche in un omonimo triplo LP poi ristampato su doppio cd).
Il Fillmore West, localizzato all’intersezione tra Market Street e Van Ness Avenue sul sito precedentemente occupato dal Carousel Ballroom, non va confuso con il Fillmore originario che lo stesso Graham aveva aperto su Geary Boulevard e che da qualche anno è tornato in attività sotto la gestione della multinazionale Live Nation.

Rockol

The juggernaut known as capitalism becomes a steamroller when combined with the corporate entertainment history. All forms of artistic expression that break the barrier between the unknown and the popular are quickly co-opted by the industry, packaged, marketed, and force-fed to the willing masses.

Hip Hop hasn't escaped this truism. Born in the South Bronx, the DJ and rapper formed two of the four parts of the hip hop culture rising at the time (the other two being breakdancing and graffiti). Similar to punk and to rock'n'roll in the 1950s, hip hop was rebellion in musical form. From the deconstruction of the popular music of the day in which singing was overdubbed and manipulated, and instruments were numerous and played with by sound producers, hip hop stripped it bare by having a DJ with a turntable and an MC with a mic.

The golden age of hip hop was in the late 1980s with acts like Run DMC, Eric B. and Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, and EPMD. The rhymes and production grew increasingly sophisticated as the time progressed while the themes revolved around MC battles, parties, and black nationalism. The arrival of gangsta rap say the focus shift to the West Coast as hip hop was embraced by the larger white audience. The subject matter grew grittier as it shifted towards violence and gang culture.

The pendulum swung back in 1993 with the seminal release of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by the Wu-Tang Clan. Seen as a response to the domination of the West Coast and gangsta rap, the Wu-Tang release saw New York reclaim its title as hip hop's ground zero through the progression of the genre found on the album. The tone was darker, more streetwise, often more vulgar, yet the rhymes were tighter and the production darker and more advanced thanks to the skills of the Wu-Tang's RZA. New York was back in the pilot's seat.

Liquid Swords (1995)

The domination of New York was secured with the release in 1995 of Liquid Swords by GZA and produced by the RZA. The beats pounded harder, the music was darker, and the rhymes couldn't have been tighter. The GZA's material floated around drug deals gone sour, mafioso lifestyles, and of course their Ku-Fung muse. What separates GZA from the later MCs in regards to his subject matter is that he keeps a detachment from the subject while still being the subject. He doesn't flaunt the wealth as has become staple these days, nor does he engage in the crude, as would West Coast MCs. His product was tight, and matched up hit for hit, beat for beat with the RZA's production to produce the perfect hip hop album. Liquid Swords serves as a bookend for the Golden Age of Hip Hop as only months later the corporate vampires began to promote bling culture, thus fusing together hip hop with crass materialism throughout co-option and ending any real rebelliousness in the genre itself. Liquid Swords served as the high water mark for hip hop.

It's little wonder then that Liquid Swords has seen a resurgence in popularity. Disgusted with the dumbed-down hip hop lite feted by the masses, hip hop purists have reoriented themselves to the GZA, undoubtedly the Wu-Tang's purist. The GZA staged a revival of Liquid Swords this past Friday at the Fillmore in New York City. Much how rockers grew annoying with the hair metal explosion of the 1980s and turned the clock back to the punk of the UK and the West Coast, hip hop purists are rejecting the corporatist drivel being pumped out at them today. Whether they'll be successful in rerouting the course of hip hop remains to be seen.

While we ponder that, let's have a listen to the GZA's "4th Chamber" from Liquid Swords put to a clip of a film by Jean Luc-Godard. Hip hop purism meets film purism......

As a demonstration of his lyrical prowess, take a look at only the first few lines of "Hell's Wind staff/Killah Hills 10304":

Restaurants on a stake-out
So order the food to take out
Chaos, outside a spark steakhouse
Maintain the power, I feel the deal's gone sour
Nigga Mr. Wedding, late a fuckin half hour
And his man who bought land from Tony Starks
While he was contractin bricklayin jobs in city parks
he's a loan shark, bitches raise a grand to a finger
In a garment that's stretched, got it sewn like Singer
Cause all that talk blasphemy this kid after me
for the heist, in a Burlington Coat Factory

In only several lines, he manages to reference the John Gotti-led hit on Gambino Family boss Paul Castellano, the construction levy in Manhattan put out by Sammy Gravano, and the Genovese Family's tight grip over the Garment District. So many key references in only a few phrases delivered like quick jabs on target every time. Let's hope that the GZA's revival of Liquid Swords pays dividends for the genre as a whole.

What a gig.  The Cult have the catelogue to make sure their live show is always good, but they sounded great last night and Ian's voice was probably the strongest I've ever heard him.  If you were unfamiliar with the newer songs go check out Born Into This (their album from last year), the four songs from that merged seamlessly with She Sells Sanctuary, Fire Woman, Sweet Soul Sister etc.

I always admired The Cult, cos being a Brit who desperately wanted to move to America I liked the way they had some hits over here, moved to the States and never looked back - cos if you're English and you like Rock it IS better here!  The fact they're still as electric (sorry, couldn't resist that) in their adopted home 20 years is testament to the fact if you've got the songs you've got the longevety.

Those guys haven't lost a step in 20 years...just as heavy now as they were then...and a 3 piece to boot.

I think about all the bands that influenced me as a kid, and there are very few that are still around today... and fewer still that have stayed true to their roots.  Motorhead is one such band.

Ok..got a race in Vail in the AM..gotta get some Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

-C

First stop was Goodwill. I found a cake stand but not the right dishes to fit in the 2 racks. Polly bought 2 sweaters and a fine handpainted ceramic plate from Turkey.

We wandered into Japantown to get lunch. I was ready for cold buckwheat noodles and sushi on this unusually warm day. Polly had a bowl of clams in a delicious broth. Then we hit the stores again. The Gallery of Jewels held interesting treasures like a magnificently large clear orange garnet set with with diamonds in a ring. A gold necklace with small rough yellow diamond accents caught Polly's eyes. Perfect for casual modern day dressing.

Several stores displayed wonderful kitchenware and furniture but much too pricey. A lot if it all looked mid-century which is all the rage now. Unfortunately, I was born in the Sixties and have seen more than enough of that stuff.

We tried two consignment stores to end the afternoon. The Symphony's store had an rustic-elegant set of green glazed ceramic plates but again was too pricey for me. We certainly did not need another set of dishes for 8 in our tiny kitchen. As I had not bought anything all day except lunch and a couple of drinks, I consoled myself with a couple of auction catalogs in a smaller store a few doors away. I can dream about the fine museum quality furniture and jewels as I lie on our old sofa at home and flip through the catalogs.

Oddly enough, the best find of the day was what I found at the begining, and it was for free—The folding screen. I will start thinking of ideas for painting it. Perhaps grape vines graphically presented by bold, black brushstrokes.

Who is Millard Fillmore? As I have been keeping up with this election I have been wondering about "things".  I can speculate, but why do we only hear from the Democrats and the Republicans nationally? I understand that politics are media driven, and the chances of catching a third party convention are about impossible, but I really wonder if people know their options.

Aside from Democrats and Republicans their are many other party candidates and independents.  Millard Fillmore was the last man to hold the Presidency as a member outside of the Democratic and Republican Parties.  As a part of the Whig Party Fillmore succeeded Zachary Taylor.  1853 was the last time we saw something other than (R) or (D) next to our Presidents name. Are we really more than a two party system?

If you would like to learn about other candidates, or check out some fun facts look into these sites:

US Presidents

The Issues

Lafontaine também emprestou sua voz para desenhos animados de TV, como Fillmore!, Family Guy e American Dad. E gravou ainda promos também para TV, incluindo as clássicas “Next week on ER” (Na próxima semana em ER).

Em 2006, numa rara aparição diante das câmeras, Lafontaine gravou um comercial para a agência de seguros Geico, fazendo graça justamente com sua frase:

"Em um mundo onde todos os nossos carros foram totalmente inundados por água…"

Além do texto acima, você pode encontrar um vídeo clicando neste link.

At the beginning of this month. I'm a timely SOB.

I've scant little to say, sadly. They were awesome. The openers were not so great, but the main show was awesome. Todd Fink cosplayed as Dr. Horrible, a statement which is true because I have declared it as such. (Come on, he came on stage wearing goggles and a white lab coat. There are scant few places I can go with that at this moment.)

The songs that I liked on the album I loved live. The songs that I hated on the album suddenly came to life. They took an album that I was 'meh' about and put so much love and force into their playing that I suddenly enjoyed it all.

I'm willing to ignore the fact that the show didn't start until 11pm. Because at least it was worth it.

My Morning Jacket, Aug. 29, Fillmore Miami Beach.

I flipped for My Morning Jacket in 2005, when they put out Z. It was right when I had just purchased my XM receiver, and I think it was XMU that was playing "Gideon". My jaw just dropped.

It never quite recovered. I went to see them in Charleston, S.C., and they were even more brilliant live. Their older songs, which really never caught me in their recorded form, had a lot of resonance in a live setting.

This is the big ticket for this time of year. MMJ is regarded by a lot of folks, including myself, as the best live band going right now. The band is an incredibly tight unit, and frontman Jim James has one of the best voices around.

Currently, MMJ is touring in support of Evil Urges, their first studio album since Z -- though they did release the excellent live album Okonokos. A friend recently told me that he was really put off by the new LP's first two tracks -- hey, not everything is for everyone, and even Rolling Stone said Evil Urges has its WTF moments, but I happen to like it. It's a real stretch for the band, while putting out a more live vibe. Besides, songs like "I'm Amazed". "Librarian" and "Sec Walkin" are among their very best.

Watch "I'm Amazed" from this year's Coachella Fest (great sound, you just have to see between everyone else's heads -- just like a real show!!):

Also appearing: A night of rollin' with ja at Mizner on Saturday: Half Pint, Pepper, Slightly Stoopid and the always remarkable Sly & Robbie. ... Thank God It's Honey includes Ex Norwegians and Noble Rocket at The Lounge in West Palm. ... Kill Miss Pretty's CD release party with The Holy Terrors and Captain Dan & The Scurvy Crew on Saturday at Respectable Street.

Poster promoting the travelling burelsque and hobo cabaret act Yard Dogs Road Show. Offset, 12x18.

Listen to "Slavery Days": [audio http://www.frannysilverman.com/NewmRadio/01%20Slavery%20Days.mp3]

Photo from Ventura County Fire Department via the Los Angeles Times

There is a patch of ground north of Fillmore, California that is an interesting geologic location. The temperature just below the surface is over 800º Fahrenheit. The cause isn't known, but one explanation is that that hydrocarbon-rich rocks are on fire.  The fire may be more than 100 feet below the surface.

There is an area south of Fillmore, in Grimes Canyon, where you can see burnt shale along the side of the road. Click here for an explanation of how rock can burn underground.

Click here for the Los Angeles Times article and here for the Ventura Star article.

]]> http://highboldtage.wordpress.com/?p=1118 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:41:35 +0000 highboldtage http://highboldtage.it.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/800-degree-ventura-hot-spot-puzzles-experts/ From the Los Angeles Times

Ventura County hot spot puzzles experts

A two-acre patch of land north of Fillmore heated up to 800 degrees Friday, and firefighters and geologists are unsure why.

By Joanna Lin | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

August 5, 2008

 

 

 

The hot spot in Los Padres National Forest is attended to by firefighters, who first responded the area a month and a half ago when observers noticed a haze of smoke, but no flames, rising from the parched scrub. (Ventura County Fire Department)

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/la-me-hotground5-2008aug05,0,6090312.story

and:

Re: "Hot spot" in the Dick Smith wilderness

Posted by mike powers on July 15, 2005 at 13:22:17:

In Reply to: "Hot spot" in the Dick Smith wilderness posted by wes on July 15, 2005 at 10:28:45:

Fire-sparking hot spot stumps scientific team
7/11/05

A mysterious hot spot -- so hot it ignited a fire in a remote corner of Los Padres National Forest -- has stumped a dozen geologists who have trekked out to study it, amazed to see something they have never seen before.

The hot spot was discovered by Los Padres fire crews last summer after a hunter reported a column of smoke hovering over the ridgelines of the Dick Smith Wilderness in the rugged San Rafael Mountains. Fire crews were flown in to extinguish the fire, which had burned through about 3 acres of chaparral and piñon trees growing on a rocky canyon landslide.

It was a sunny day in the middle of August, void of thunder or lightning. What had started the fire? As the firefighters walked around, they noticed something strange.

"They saw fissures in the ground where they could feel a lot of heat coming out," Los Padres geologist Allen King said. "It was not characteristic of a normal fire."

A day or two later, the fire investigators went back to the canyon, this time armed with a candy thermometer. They stuck it into one of the cracks in the landslide. It hit the top of the scale, at 400 degrees.

The crew called Mr. King, and he made the three-hour hike into the badlands to see for himself. He dangled a long plastic strip into one of the cracks. Within seconds, it melted away into nothing.

So Mr. King called in Robert Mariner, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist who studies volcanic gas vents at Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier.

"When I heard about the candy thermometer, I was amazed," Mr. Mariner said, noting that the temperature of the volcanic vents he studies is typically 200 degrees, around the boiling point of water. "I thought these guys were pulling my leg."

It was no joke. Since August, Mr. King, Mr. Mariner and 10 other California scientists, including Jim Boles, a mineralogist at UCSB, have backpacked out to the hot spot looking for answers, lugging heavy equipment up and down the steep mountain slopes in 100-degree heat.

The scientists stuck long wire probes into the cracks and drove pipes into the ground to measure the hot temperatures. With the help of an air reconnaissance flight and thermal infrared imaging, they found that the hot spot patchily covered three acres, most of it overlapping the fire area.

The hottest spot of all was 11 feet underground, at 584 degrees -- a temperature that is hot enough to melt solder, an alloy of tin and lead. At just 4 inches down, the scientists found temperatures of up to 493 degrees. Paper and wood burn at 451 degrees.

The geologists began to joke about bringing in some tri-tip for a barbecue, instead of the granola bars and nuts they were eating. They wore hard hats and were careful where they stepped. Mr. King nearly lost the sole of one hiking boot because it came unglued on the hot rocks. He re-attached it with duct tape for the rough hike back.

The landslide itself was risky, too. It had probably occurred during El Niño rains of 1998 and was still active. New fractures recently opened around the top of the slide.

"It is still potentially dangerous to be walking on," Mr. King said. "And we think it could be a danger again in terms of forest fire. The grasses have grown back, and there still remains a potential for reignition."

The teams took the temperature of the hot spot in 22 locations, returning every couple of months to sample them all over again.

Surprisingly, they found that the rocks did not get significantly hotter, deeper down. During the past 10 months, the hot spot has cooled only slightly: The hottest sample has dropped from 584 degrees to 565 degrees.

Mr. Mariner visited the slide four times to study the composition of the gases coming out of the hot spot. He found carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, the by-products of combustion.

"I keep expecting it to change suddenly, as the source of whatever we're burning is consumed, but it's changing slowly," Mr. Mariner said. "We're getting more oxygen in there."

Gradually, the scientists started narrowing down the possible causes. They found no oil and gas deposits or vents in the vicinity and no significant deposits of coal. The Geiger counter readings were normal for radioactivity, and there was no evidence of explosions or volcanic activity. Hot springs, a sign of geothermal activity, exist elsewhere in Los Padres, but nothing like that was happening here.

One possible explanation still under study is that an earthquake fault may be the source of the heat, Mr. King said, adding, "We can't rule out anything definitely yet."

But the likeliest theory, though still unproven, Mr. King said, is that when the landslide occurred, the slide broke apart the rock, creating a chemical reaction between oxygen in the air and minerals in the rock.

The rock, a type of shale, contains iron sulfides called pyrite and marcasite. When they are oxidized, the scientists theorize, the sulfides give off heat, burning the organic material in the shale -- the remains of dead plants and animals that were deposited into the mud on the ocean floor, 45 million years ago.

"Oxidation is combustion, but it's burning without the flame," said Mr. Boles, the UCSB geologist.

Perhaps it has something to do with the way the air is circulating through the landslide, he said. One thing that is puzzling, Mr. Boles said, is that there seem to be only small amounts of pyrite and marcasite in the rock.

He said that elsewhere in the world, waste piles in mining areas have been known to heat up and cause fires, but that is only where the rock contains high concentrations of sulfides.

"If we had found a coal bed in the landslide or a huge mass of marcasite or pyrite, we would have been a lot happier."

Mr. Boles said. "But we don't see anything obvious. It's hard to explain."

In August, the hot rocks ignited the roots of plants growing in the slide area, causing the forest fire. But scientists are at a loss to explain why no fires have occurred on hundreds of other shale landslides in Los Padres.

"What's so different about this one?" Mr. Boles said. "That's the question we keep asking, every time we go out there."
On their last trip to the Dick Smith Wilderness, the geologists dug up some of the hot rock, let it cool for an hour and stuffed it in their backpacks to send to U.S. Geological Survey labs in Denver. There, it will be analyzed with an electron microscope.

"We'll be able to determine whether there's enough sulfide mineral to support our theory," Mr. King said. "For a geologist, this is a very exciting find. We're not aware of any other features of this nature, where a landslide has started a fire."

Follow Ups:

• Re: "Hot spot" in the Dick Smith wilderness fedak 07/15/05 (2)

  • Re: "Hot spot" in the Dick Smith wilderness OrganGrinder 07/18/05 (1)

    • Re: "Hot spot" in the Dick Smith wilderness Greg 09/08/05 (0)

http://www.ventanawild.org/forum/messages/1441.html

I am usually on the go needing to be somewhere at a certain time, but today I thought i'd take my time. With nothing really to do the whole day besides help one of my best friends Joseph move, I thought I should pass by the store and kill time. Oh and by the way, if you go to the Invisible Stripes Online Store, enter the code "J" at the checkout and receive 15% off! or holler at me for some flyers with the same discount, but in-store only.

I forgot that it was Sunday and MUNI takes hella long...they come every 20-30 minutes. Taking the M to Balboa Park Station, I wait for the J line. Good thing my phone has internet because I checked nextbus, which is really the best thing ever for public transportation, and it said the next J would come in 30 min...ridiculous right? So I was whatever about, I'm not in a rush. I was hungry so I passed by Roxies, which is really the best thing ever for sandwiches....haha like that? Simon Special was pretty good. Hot turkey, pastrami, and cheddar cheese on dutch crunch bread...bomb. Just when I finished eating my sandwich, I received a call from Joseph telling me that there was no more room in his car because he was accompanied by his dad, brother, and a bunch of clothes. So instead of him picking me up at around 5pm I just stayed at the store till late night.

All the other interns were off today, Tommy is off on weekends and Jonna went to visit her hubby. When I arrived at the store, Chris, Tom, and Gem were having a meeting and soon left me by myself at the store. There were customers during their absence so it wasn't too bad. I was happy when the guys came back because they had a present. They brought back delicious chinese food! It was fun helping out behind the scenes figuring stuff out for MAGIC and upcoming seasons. I have to say, look out though for Invisible Stripes.

It was calming and relaxing, taking my time today. I finished a bunch of online orders today, made an order form, and other things that would make things hectic, but surprisingly today was a day to meditate. Even though I may be busy, I do have moments during busy times where I can think to myself about life and what the future may hold. Anything can happen and we can't expect too much or else you'll end up disappointing yourself and/or others. I used to have expectations especially when planning my day and life, but when something doesn't fall through...the almost instant feeling afterward sucks. I learned though to not set such high expectations.

I didn't get a chance to watch Supreme Soul on Nickelodeon's Teen Choice Awards. If you saw it, how was it? Comments are greatly appreciated.

The tar spot os on Lightnings right fender. you can eyeball the spec in the lower right hand corner of the picture. Thats it, no ther "tar" blobs...