How to dress in New York - Bill Cunningham `On the Street'

Bill Cunningham has a great eye: the classic way to dress in New York - in Manhattan that is when the good, cold weather arrives, is a jacket, scarf, and gloves.  And for me, of course, a hat.  Bill Cunningham sees it On The Street.  

Southbound 650 reaches Peru

Pascale, Jesse's embarazada girlfriend, met Jesse and Andy in Colombia.  They headed out on the 650 for Quito.  Fortunately after more than 40 miles of bad road she hopped a glorious looking bus.  They did get to Quito without mishap - despite passing through the tail end of a Columbian riot and other hazards.

And Jesse and Andy, after Pascale flew back to N.H., headed south to Peru where this latest post was made.  Still southbound - and maybe splitting up - Andy to Bolivia, Jesse to Patagonia via Chile.  Here's the rest of a spectacular array of shots.

Diving 1,200 feet under the earth - The Rondout Tunnel

The Rondout branch tunnel which carries most of New York City's water from the Catskills, is now leaking 36 million gallons/day - and flooding a lot of people's homes, too.  The New York Times describes the lives and work of the men who are living in a diving bell - in a helium and 2% oxygen atmospere, so that they cann work in the tunnel, 1,200 fee below ground. Here it is.  

The photos depict the Delaware Aqueduct tunnel under constructoin in 1937, and the diving bell in which the men live full-time - except when they are diving in the tunnel.

VOR - It's really got a hold on me...

Volvo Ocean Race, leg 2 - Capetown to Cochin - the old fashioned way - under sail.

November 21, 2008    

6 days out of Capetown 

2,300 nm to Cochin

12 - 14 knots - Fleet Average Boat Speed   (8 boats)

78 nm - Distance from front to back of fleet 

Data from Team Data Centre

Team index page

There's email, audio, video, commentary.

There's passing footage to die for, mishaps and astonishing skill and competitive spirit.

Highlights of the week:

Video

Ericsson 3 passes Telefonica Blue - in rough seas in the Indian Ocean, November 16

Team Russia: Chinese Gybe 

Delta Lloyd: Hits a whale

Puma: 2d longitudinal frame crack video

Green Dragon: racing with no boom.

Email

Ken Read, skipper of Puma reports on day 17  out of Capetown, Tuesday 18 November 2008 10:57 GMT -  3,000 miles from Cochin:

"We got about as vertical in a sailboat as you would ever want to be when...we found another beauty of a wave, except this one had no face in front of it and ---whoosh. Take off!  

"The inevitable silence of a boat that feels like it is literally flying, followed up with a massive SMASH into the not very soft Indian Ocean. But this one was different than the other 10,872 smashes that have occurred over the past 48 hours or so. This one had a horrid CRACK along with it. I was working with Justin on the sail at the time and had on my headlamp and ran to the bow to quickly find several cracks in our longitudinal frames in the bow section. "

 See  Puma Team email for reports of fabricating carbon fibre splints underway, more damage, despair, and recovery.

Bonfire of the Vanities

Tom Wolfe, the right wing cynic, made the phrase famous.  But the people who deserve the appellation, the bull marketeers, have only recently gotten their comeuppance (at least on November 4).   (We now have to revive the fallen beast.)  Michael Lewis (Liars Poker) has this acccount of  'The End'  on Conde Nast Portfolio.  Thanks to Brad Meehan for the tip.

Volvo Race - mid-Indian Ocean mark

Torben Grael, the great Brazilian Olympian, and America's Cup sailor leads the fleet at the mid-Indian Ocean scoring gate - an imaginary point about 3,000 miles southwest of Cochin, at India's southern tip.  The VOR now takes the northerly trade route - not the traditonal southern ocean route.  Check out the  VOR site.  

Obama, Afghanistan and the `Yes, we can' Trap

My friend Russ Hoyle has a new, cautionary post on The Daily Beast, the new webzine edited by Tina Brown, with political editing by Sid Blumenthal, long-time Hillary friend and adviser.

Russ's message is: "The danger is that Petraeus’s full-blown, can-do, war-fighting doctrine will so dazzle the usually cautious but change-minded new president that Afghanistan policy could well turn into a “Yes, we can!” trap."  The essay is here.

The Araboolies of Liberty Street

The 1989 children's book by Sam Swope has been turned into an acrobatic musical - with music composed by Hudson Heights' Kim D. Sherman - a regular at Vicky's Diner, where I have breakfast practically every morning with James J.Muldoon tied up outside to the iron fence around the tree. Kim's website reveals a composer of amazing range - musical theatre, opera, choral music, and the somber, moving Bosnia-inspired Graveside.

Kim's music and the Araboolies (who speak Araboolean and don't follow rules) have gotten some play on NPR's ATC which gives you some snippets of Kim's music.

Issuma puts in to La Paloma, Uruguay for repairs, rest

Richard and George entered the Rio Plata, and are moored at La Paloma, Uruguay, next to a warship.  As you'll see from their post it was a bit of a rocky arrival - with the engine dying and the cable that pulls up the swing keel parting as they reached the dock.

Richard's post is a good example of his ability to describe in detail just how things go wrong - with apparent detachment.  Details are here

The Filibuster-proof Senate Trap

A 60-vote Democratic majority in the Senate (the number needed to close debate and proceed to a vote) - a fervent wish of many - presents dangers for Democrats. As the Stevens-Begich count, the Coleman-Franken recount, and the Chambliss Georgia runoff approach, I post a warning on Talking Points Memo.