ANWR: Too Little, Too Late

Source: Wikipedia

Based on some of the comments I've received recently, there seems to be some resistance to the idea that American oil production can be increased and gasoline prices lowered if only the U.S. will drill for more oil in various restricted areas, such as offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

This ain't gonna happen, folks.

Let's take the case of ANWR:

In May of 2008 the Energy Information Administration released the following report:

"The opening of the ANWR 1002 Area to oil and natural gas development is projected to increase domestic crude oil production starting in 2018. In the mean ANWR oil resource case, additional oil production resulting from the opening of ANWR reaches 780,000 barrels per day in 2027 and then declines to 710,000 barrels per day in 2030. In the low and high ANWR oil resource cases, additional oil production resulting from the opening of ANWR peaks in 2028 at 510,000 and 1.45 million barrels per day, respectively. Between 2018 and 2030, cumulative additional oil production is 2.6 billion barrels for the mean oil resource case, while the low and high resource cases project a cumulative additional oil production of 1.9 and 4.3 billion barrels, respectively." [Source]

The report also states:

"Additional oil production resulting from the opening of ANWR would be only a small portion of total world oil production, and would likely be offset in part by somewhat lower production outside the United States. The opening of ANWR is projected to have its largest oil price reduction impacts as follows: a reduction in low-sulfur, light crude oil prices of $0.41 per barrel (2006 dollars) in 2026 for the low oil resource case, $0.75 per barrel in 2025 for the mean oil resource case, and $1.44 per barrel in 2027 for the high oil resource case, relative to the reference case." [Source; page 6]

For the average case, drilling in ANWR would reduce crude oil by 75 cents, in 2025. The total production from ANWR would be between 0.4 and 1.2 percent of total world oil consumption in 2030. [Source; page 17]

So, let's review the facts. If the U.S. were to begin drilling for oil in ANWR today, the earliest it would start to increase American oil production is ten years from now. This isn't some overnight cure or even something that will help us within a year or two. This is a "solution" that will take a DECADE to implement. What are you going to do in the meantime? Your gas prices won't go down just because ANWR was opened up to drilling.

Then, in the best case scenario, oil pumped out of ANWR amounts to 1.45 million barrels per day. Sounds like a lot; it isn't. For 2007, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that a total of 82.501 million barrels of crude oil were pumped out of the earth every day. 1.45 million barrels compared to 82.501 million barrels is 1.76%. DROP IN THE F****** BUCKET, PEOPLE!

How much will oil prices drop when ANWR finally goes on line? At best, a mere $1.44 per barrel (in 2006 dollars) in 2027, nineteen years from now. Right now, as I write this, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is selling for $134.62. If we could apply that best case scenario of ANWR oil to current oil prices, then WTI oil might be down to $133.18 (at best). Wow, an astounding drop of... 1.07%. Such a bargain! NOT!

ANWR will not solve America's oil problems. Offshore oil drilling will not solve America's oil problems. It's all too little, too late. Only a massive conservation effort in which crude oil consumption per person goes down by a huge level (at a minimum 50%) is going to help solve America's oil problems.

Until then, you're screwed.

Movie Sunday: What's Up, Doc?

Yeah, another of my favorite movies. :) What's Up, Doc?, released in 1972, is actually a remake of another great movie, Bringing Up Baby (1938), which starred Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. This movie was the film debut for the great Madeline Kahn, who did a terrific job as Howard Bannister's (Ryan O'Neal) fiancé, Eunice Burns. Barbra Streisand actually didn't want to do the movie at first, and predicted it would be a flop. We're very fortunate she was wrong.

Trivia:

The fender bender Judy (Barbra Streisand) causes as she crosses the street to the Bristol Hotel was added on the spur of the moment. When no stunt cars were available, Bogdanovich instructed a crew member to rent two cars and make sure he got collision insurance. Then he staged the wreck before returning the battered cars.

It took a month to film the final chase scene (the second clip, below), and it cost $1 million - a quarter of the total budget. The segment with the giant pane of glass alone took four or five days.

The director, Peter Bogdanovich, didn't get permission from the city of San Francisco to drive cars down the concrete steps in Alta Plaza Park; these were badly damaged during filming and still show the scars today.

The long-haired blond delivery boy whose bike Judy steals is played by Kevin O'Neal, Ryan O'Neal's brother. The woman she sits next to on the plane in the final scene is Patricia O'Neal, their mother.

The line, "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard," said by Ryan O'Neal (see the bottom quotation) is actually a spoof on O'Neal's 1970 movie, Love Story, the tag line of which is "Love means never having to say you're sorry" (which O'Neal said in that movie).

Fritz: You will enter Mrs. Van Hoskins' room, through the adjoining room and you will take the jewel case to the basement.

Harry: What if she wakes up and sees me?

Fritz: You will tell her you are smitten with her, that you have have followed her all night, and you will make passionate love to her.

Harry: Couldn't I just kill her?

Judy: Love means never having to say you're sorry.

Howard: That's the dumbest thing I ever heard.

Questions Asked of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

Apparently, the following appears in the foreward of Ghulam Sarwar's book, "Islam: Beliefs and Teachings." I'm not able to find out which collection this hadith comes from, although it appears on a number of Muslim blogs and Internet forums. According to a comment on one of the blogs I visited, the "traveler" was a Bedouin. (I've edited the hadith slightly; e.g., adding some definitions, correcting spellings, etc.)

A traveler once came to the mosque to see the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). After greeting him, the prophet asked where the traveler was from. The traveler replied that he came from very far just to get a few questions answered.

What follows is the dialog that took place between the traveler and the prophet:

Traveler: I do not want adhaab (punishments) to be written in my account.
Prophet: Behave well with your parents

Traveler: I want to be known amongst people as an intelligent person.
Prophet: Fear Allah (swt). Always.

Traveler: I want to be counted amongst Allah’s favorites.
Prophet: Recite the Qur'an every morning and evening.

Traveler: I want my heart to always be enlightened.
Prophet: Never forget death.

Traveler: I never want to be away from Allah’s blessing.
Prophet: Always treat fellow creatures well.

Traveler: I never want to be harmed by my enemies.
Prophet: Always have faith in only Allah.

Traveler: I never want to be humiliated.
Prophet: Be careful of your actions.

Traveler: I wish to live long.
Prophet: Always do sile rahm (goodness towards blood relations, neighbors, etc.).

Traveler: I want my sustenance to increase.
Prophet: Always be in state of wudu (ablution).

Traveler: I wish to stay free of adhaab (punishments) in the grave.
Prophet: Always wear pure and clean clothes.

Traveler: I never want to burn in hell.
Prophet: Control your eyes and tongue.

Traveler: How do I get my sins forgiven.
Prophet: Always ask forgiveness from Allah (swt) with a lot of humility.

Traveler: I want people to respect me always.
Prophet: Never extend your hands of need at people (only ask from Allah’s Treasures).

Traveler: I want to always be honored.
Prophet: Never humiliate or put down anyone.

Traveler: I don’t want to be squeezed by fishare qabr (squeezing in the grave).
Prophet: Recite Sura Mulk (chapter 67 of the Qur'an) often.

Traveler: I want my wealth to increase.
Prophet: Recite Sura Waqi’ah (chapter 56 of the Qur'an) every night.

Traveler: I want to be safe and at peace on day of Judgement.
Prophet: Do dhikr (the remembrance) of Allah (swt) from dusk to night.

Traveler: I want to be in full attention and concentration during namaaz (salat, prayer).
Prophet: Always do wudu with concentration and attention.

Robert Reich: "No" to Further Offshore Drilling

The other day, in my update about how much oil the U.S. imports, I wrote:

...[S]hame on you ... if you believe either McCain or Cheney that drilling for oil offshore or up in Alaska will make a significant difference. Two reasons: "drop in the bucket" and "long-term projects," neither of which will lower your gas prices.

On the same day that I wrote the above, Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor during the Clinton administration and currently a professor at the University of California (and a blogger), had a similar post on why the U.S. should not do further offshore drilling for oil. His first and second reasons are identical to what I wrote above, just further developed:

First, the crude oil market is global. Oil companies sell all over the world. The price of crude is established by global supply and demand. So even if 3 million additional barrels a day could be extruded from lands and seabeds of the United States (that sum is the most optimistic figure, after all exploration is done), that sum is tiny compared to 86 million barrels now produced around the world. In other words, even under the best circumstances, the price to American consumers would hardly budge.

Second, whatever impact such drilling might have would occur far in the future anyway. Oil isn't just waiting there to be pumped out of the earth. Exploration takes time. Erecting drilling equipment takes time. Getting the oil out takes time. Turning crude into various oil products takes time. According the the federal energy agency, if we opening drilling where drilling is now banned, there'd be no significant impact on domestic crude and natural gas production until 2030.

Third, oil companies already hold a significant number of leases on federal lands and offshore seabeds where they are now allowed to drill, and which they have not yet fully explored. Why then would they seek more drilling rights? Because they want more leases now, when the Bushies are still in office. Ownership of these parcels would serve to to pump up their balance sheets even if no oil is pumped.

Last but by no means least, environmental risks are still significant.

HT: Economist's View

The Foreign Fashion Models' Employment Relief Act of 2008

An odd story out of The Economist this week: Apparently not enough foreign fashion models are able to get H-1B's, a temporary work visa the U.S. government gives to foreign nationals for specialized occupations. The H-1B, of which only 65,000 are allotted per year, is frequently given to tech workers; companies such as Microsoft and Infosys sponsor many of the H-1B employees, and even they are feeling the pinch from not enough foreign talent coming into the country. "Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman, testified to a Senate committee last year that the only way to solve the 'critical shortage of scientific talent' was to open up the country's doors."

This is causing the New York fashion industry to get their knickers in a twist. Coming to the rescue is Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY09), who has proposed a bill that would allow models to be reclassified into their own special immigration category. "This would free up more visas for the nerds; and it would allow 1,000 models to strut their stuff in America each year, compared with just 349 in 2007, half the annual number admitted between 2000 and 2005."

So why is Weiner sponsoring this bill?

Steve King, an Iowa congressman, thinks the bill should be called the “Ugly American Act” because it implies there are not enough beautiful people in the United States. But Mr Weiner, a bachelor accused by the tabloids and his fellow politicians of using the visa issue to get himself a glamorous date, says he's only thinking of New York's economy, which is heavily involved in the fashion industry.

The business generates thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue: the average photo-shoot costs about $100,000. If a foreign model is denied entry, he says, the production is likely to be lost to other countries. New York's skyline or California's hills can be easily photoshopped in later. This “beauty drain,” as the newspaper Politico calls it, affects make-up artists, stylists and photographers as well as media companies and advertising agencies.

In other words, if this bill becomes law, all those foreign models, who have such limited prospects for modeling in their own countries, would be allowed to model in the U.S. if they're to avoid working at a real job.

But what about the "supermodels," you ask? Fear not! There's some good news:

...[S]upermodels like Gisele Bündchen are in the clear. They are eligible for O-1 visas, given to those with “extraordinary ability,” like Nobel laureates.

Drum Corps Saturday: 1975 Kilties

Next is the Royal Crusaders of Finleyville, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh), who actually placed 7th in the prelims with a score of 84.85, but dropped down to 9th in the finals with an 82.40. This was their best season ever, having placed 16th and 17th in 1973 and '74, respectively, before dropping back down into the high teens-low 20s in the late 70s. I had the pleasure of competing against them a number of times in 1978 (in which they kicked our butts every time). The corps folded in 1981, although there was a brief comeback attempt in 1998.

In eighth place was the Cavaliers of Park Ridge, Illinois. The Cavaliers had placed eleventh in the prelims with a score of 81.40; however, they had a slightly better showing in the finals with an 82.95. There is a video of this corps available at Youtube, but due to their role in the disqualification of the Hawthorne Muchachos, I will never play it on this blog.

Which leads us to the Kilties of Racine, Wisconsin. The Mad Plaid, who were celebrating their 40th season in 1975, had placed eighth in the prelims with a score of 83.05; in the finals they moved up to seventh, with an 85.30.

One other note: The 2008 drum corps season starts today in the U.S. Support the corps! Go to some shows and help the corps out in any way you can, even if it's buying some souvenirs.

The Repertoire: The Third Hoorah * Carmina Burana * Roll Over Beethoven * Don't You Worry Bout A Thing * Auld Lang Syne

Bedtime Music: MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This

I'm not going to spend any time discussing the song; we all know the song. ;) But did you know how MC Hammer got the "Hammer" nickname?

From 1972 to 1980, [Stanley Kirk] Burrell served as a batboy with the Oakland Athletics under colorful team owner Charlie Finley, who lived in the Midwest and for whom Burrell was his "eyes and ears." Reggie Jackson, in describing Burrell's role for Finley, took credit for the "Hammer" nickname:

Hell, our chief executive, the guy that ran our team, uh, that communicated [with] Charlie Finley, the top man there, was a 13-year old kid. I nicknamed him "Hammer," because he looked like [Hammerin'] Hank Aaron.

Ron Bergman, at the time an Oakland Tribune writer who covered the A's, recalled that:

He was an informant in the clubhouse, an informant for Charlie, and he got the nickname "Pipeline."

According to Hammer:

Charlie said, "I'm getting you a new hat. I don't want you to have a hat that says "A's" on it. I'm getting you a hat that says 'Ex VP,' that says 'Executive Vice President.' You're running the joint around here." . . . Every time I come down to the clubhouse, you know, Rollie would yell out "Oh, everybody be quiet! Here comes Pipeline!"

(Source)

Bedtime Music: Was (Not Was) - Walk the Dinosaur

I'm not terribly familiar with Was (Not Was); in fact, this is really the only song of theirs that I do know, the 1987/8 hit, Walk the Dinosaur. The song reached #10 in the UK, and #7 in the U.S.

Update: How Much Oil Does America Import?

Currently, my most popular blog post by far is How Much Oil Does America Import?, written back in May 2006, two years ago. I thought it was time to update the figures and see how the U.S. is doing since I first wrote that post.

The U.S. gets its oil from two sources: either it pumps its own oil, called "Field Production" by the Department of Energy, or it imports oil from other countries around the world. In 2000, American commercial field production made up 38.69% of the total supply of crude oil, while imports made up 60.28%. In 2005, when I wrote the last post, those same percentages were 33.67% and 65.84%, respectively. (These numbers are different from what I wrote back in 2006 as adjustments have been made to the official statistics; these types of revisions are normal for economic statistics.) In 2007 (the most recent year), the percentages were 33.72% and 66.19%, respectively. While there has been an extremely slight increase in the amount of oil pumped domestically (0.05%), imports have also increased as well. (The reason why both numbers can increase is because a third number, "supply adjustments," fell.)

In 2007, the U.S. imported a total of 3,656,170 thousand barrels. Of those 3.66 billion barrles, the U.S. imported from a total of 46 different countries. The top 5 importing countries were: Canada (18.61%), Saudi Arabia (14.50%), Mexico (14.07%), Venezuela (11.48%), and Nigeria (10.80%), for a total of 69.47% of all American imports. In contrast, imports from countries six through ten (Angola, Iraq, Algeria, Ecuador, and Kuwait) made up only 17.95% of the total; countries 11 through 46 made up the remaining 12.58%.

Looking at petroleum imports in two other ways...

In 2007, imports from OPEC countries* made up 53.85% of all U.S. imports, compared to the 46.15% from non-OPEC countries. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. Since 1993, when the Energy Information Agency (EIA) started breaking out the statistics, non-OPEC countries have been the dominant exporters ten years out of the past fifteen. The year 2007 was the first time since 2001 that OPEC countries had sold more petroleum to the U.S. than non-OPEC countries.

With respect to the Persian Gulf, those countries** only made up 21.19% of the total imports. This is down slightly, one-half percent, from my 2006 analysis. Note that the U.S. imports no oil from Iran.

Conclusions/Predictions:
Two years ago, I made four points as to how I thought things would go with respect to American oil imports and consumption. We'll look at how good or bad those predictions were:

1. American field production will probably go below 25% of its total annual supply within the next five years.

I think we can write this prediction off; I don't foresee this happening within the next three years (or perhaps even the next ten).

2. In that same time frame, imports will probably be in the high 50s percentage (perhaps 58-59%).

On the other hand, I think this prediction is very much a lock at this time. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this number goes back up again, remaining in the 60-65% range.

3. America will continue to seek the majority of its oil from non-OPEC countries, such as Canada and Mexico, if only to avoid being as dependent on OPEC countries as they have been in the past. However, this will probably turn out to be a pipe dream in the long run unless Canadian oil reserve estimates turn out to be near the high end. (Estimates for Canada's proven oil reserves ranges from 4.7 billion barrels (World Oil) to 14.803 billion barrels (BP Statistical Review) to 178.792 billion barrels (Oil & Gas Journal). Obviously, this extremely wide range of guesses shows that no one truly knows how much oil Canada has.)

Since I wrote this, I've gotten a better understanding with respect to Canada's oil reserves. The problem with the Canadian oil sands is that it is made up of a very dense and viscous type of petroleum called bitumen. Bitumen is like molasses at room temperature, and needs heating just to flow. (The tar that we pave roads with is bitumen.) Oil refineries are set up to process certain types of crude oils, and bitumen is normally not one of them. So, while Canada has a lot of proved oil reserves, most of it is not in the form the refineries need to produce products like gasoline. In this respect, the lower reserve amount mentioned above is probably closer to the amount of crude oil Canada actually has. In time, more refineries may convert to take advantage of the Canadian oil sands, but that will probably be a gradual process.

4. Persian Gulf oil, which has ranged between 19.81% and 28.56% of all U.S. imports since 1996, will probably continue to hover in the high teens-low 20s, despite President Bush's goal to cut American consumption of Middle Eastern oil by 75% by 2025, per the latest State of the Union address.

I don't see this forecast changing at all. What President Bush said in 2006 about cutting the amount of Middle Eastern oil America consumes was complete and utter bullshit (and shame on you if you believed him). BTW, shame on you again if you believe either McCain or Cheney that drilling for oil offshore or up in Alaska will make a significant difference. Two reasons: "drop in the bucket" and "long-term projects," neither of which will lower your gas prices. I may post on this in the near future, insha'allah, but in the meantime I recommend that you read John McCain's Oil Scam over at Informed Comment (Juan Cole), and Drilling Our Way to... by Menzie Chinn over at Econbrowser.


References:
US Crude Oil Supply and Disposition (DoE)
US Crude Oil Imports by Country of Origin (DoE)

Notes:
* OPEC countries include Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Venezuela.
** Persian Gulf countries include Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. However, Iran and Qatar export no oil to the U.S.

Bedtime Music: Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out?

This song is an oddity in a number of ways. Who Let the Dogs Out? was originally written by Trinidadian musician Anslem Douglas for the Trinidad & Tobago Carnival season of 1998, except that he lost a lawsuit for having stolen the chorus, which was originally composed by Patrick Stephenson and Leroy Williams in 1995 as a radio jingle. The song was covered by the Baha Men, a Bahamian band whose only claim to fame is this song; their big break happened when WLtDO? appeared in the kids' movie, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie. The song made it to #1 in a couple of countries (#2 in the UK, #40 in the US), and won a Grammy for "Best Dance Recording" in 2001. Yet, the song is third on a Rolling Stone list of the top 10 "most annoying" songs. Still, the song (and variants) has become a staple at numerous college and professional sporting events worldwide.

Woof! :)

Bedtime Music: Los Del Rio - Macarena

I'd be curious to see what the overall memory of this song is. Did you like it? Hate it? Were you bored of it? Is there any other song that defines the mid 90s as well as this one? :)

Bedtime Music: Las Ketchup - Aserejé

AKA "The Ketchup Song." This isn't the original video, but it is a bit tamer. This 2002 release reached #1 on 26 different charts worldwide although, ironically, it peaked at a mere #54 on the American Billboard Hot 100 and #39 on the Billboard Top 40. Weird. The song tells the story of a pimp-like "afro-gipsy, rastafari" character named Diego who walks into a crowded nightclub at midnight. The DJ, as he sees Diego walk in, plays the "twelve-o'clock anthem," "the song he desires most," which happens to be the 1979 rap hit "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang.

As for why Las Ketchup calls themselves that, they are the daughters (Lucia, Lola and Pilar) of Juan Muñoz, a Spanish flamenco guitarist known as El Tomate (The Tomato).

Watts Zap Best of 2007, Part 2

And here's part two from Watts' Best of 2007.

Darn Baseball Terrorists!

Mark Liberman at Language Log notes that Faux News isn't too concerned about the fifth column of terrorist baseball players that has infiltrated our great country:

Pat Burrell (left) congratulates Ryan Howard on his first-inning home run, one batter after Chase Utley's solo blast. Burrell followed Howard with a homer of his own. Howard hit another shot later in the game in St. Louis.

Fox News has apparently let their semiotic guard down on this one, because a search of their site turned up no evidence of concern that the "terrorist fist jab" may have infiltrated the national pastime.

My question: Did E.D. Hill come up with this ridiculous assertion because she works for Faux News, or was it just because she's a blond? (Inquiring minds want to know.)


HT: Economist's View
Photo credit: TOM GANNAM / Associated Press

Update:


Turns out the old man (George H. W. Bush) is a terrorist, too, along with former tennis star, Anna Kournikova. More at Wonkette.

HT: Things More Muslim Than Obama

Watts Zap Best of 2007, Part 1

Here's the first of two parts for Watts' Best of 2007. There are a lot of funny moments here in a wide variety of sports. I'll have part 2 up tomorrow. Enjoy!

Movie Sunday: Lawrence of Arabia

This is another of my favorite movies (and one in which Milady finds something else to do while I watch it ;) ). And yet, as is frequently the case with respect to "historical" films, sifting the "Hollywood" away from the history can be a daunting task, especially for a film like Lawrence of Arabia in which there are serious debates not only about the accuracy of the historical events portrayed, but also about the man himself. Regardless, the movie has long been recognized for its excellence, and has frequently been listed among a number of "Top 10" lists of all-time movies. We also have this film to thank for inspiring a certain contemporary film director to go into film-making for his career.

Interesting facts about Lawrence of Arabia:

No woman has a speaking role in the entire movie.

While the movie was originally planned to be filmed entirely in Jordan, many scenes were filmed in either Morocco (desert scenes and the Tafas massacre, where the Morrocan army was used to play the Ottoman army) and Spain (the attack on Aqaba, the train attacks, the city scenes of Cairo and Jerusalem, and all the interior scenes).

Henry Oscar, who has a small role in the film and recites an English translation from the Qur'an, received permission from Jordanian authorities to do so only on condition that an imam be present to ensure that there were no misquotes.

During the filming of the movie, King Hussein of Jordan met and later married an English secretary working on the set, Antoinette "Toni" Gardiner (now Princess Muna al-Hussein). Her first-born son from this marriage is King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Well, I'll tell you. It's a little clash of temperament that's going on in there. Inevitably, one of them's half-mad - and the other, wholly unscrupulous.

Young men make wars, and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage, and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution.

Watts Next?

Milady and I finally upgraded our cable TV service last weekend. There was a free sports channel that I wasn't able to receive on our old analog set-box (Eurosports; a European version of ESPN), and Milady wanted to be able to watch a few channels for both herself (FoxCrime and Crime & Investigation) and the baby eventually (e.g., Disney Playhouse). We also picked up a Hubstation, which is one of those TiVo-type digital recorders.

So, this past week I've been watching the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, which is a French bicycle race over eight days in the mountainous Dauphiné region of France (the southeast corner of the country, below Geneva, Switzerland). To fill the time before the next program (because the Critérium broadcasts are live), Eurosports plays a series of "Watts" videos. These are clips from various sporting events and sports-related commercials, often wacky in tone. I've never seen anything like these before, but they're pretty interesting and I've grabbed a random "Watts" video off of Youtube for your viewing pleasure.

In this video (call it, "The Perils of Being a Ref"), I especially got a kick out of the boxer who gave the referee a standing eight count and the soccer referee who caught the hurtling glass bottle while he was giving the player a yellow card. I hope to put up more of these "Watts" videos in the future.

Drum Corps Saturday - 1975 Phantom Regiment

In 1975, the Garfield Cadets came in 9th for the prelims with a score of 82.35; however, they dropped down to 11th place in the finals with a score of 80.55. Unfortunately, I can't find a video of them on Youtube.

In 10th place for both prelims and finals was Phantom Regiment, who scored 81.95 in prelims and an 81.30 in the finals. Phantom had made the DCI finals for the first time the previous year, placing 11th in the finals. In '75, the corps came back with new uniforms that radically changed the corps' image, which remains to this day. From 1970 through 1974, Phantom had worn a cadet-style uniform with shakos; in 1975, the corps began wearing long white jackets with a black sash, a two-color cape (red on the inside, black on the outside, black pants, and the now-signature pith helmet.

The Repertoire: American Overture * Hungarian Dance No. 5 * Barber of Seville * An American in Paris * Tannhauser (Pilgrim's Chorus)

Note: The quality of the second video becomes rather "sticky" in "An American in Paris," and remains that way through the end of the video.

Bedtime Music: Beach Boys - Good Vibrations

The last multi-part musical collage I wanted to present this week is The Beach Boys' 1966 release, Good Vibrations. Brian Wilson's publicist, Derek Taylor, described Good Vibrations as a "pocket symphony." The song is known not only for its multiple thematic segments, but also for the wider range of instruments used than was normal for that time. One of those instruments was the electro-theremin played by Paul Taylor. The electro-theremin was similar to another electronic instrument known as the theremin, but allowed for greater control of pitch and attack, using mechanical controls such as a long slide bar for the pitch and a knob to adjust volume.

I've chosen this older, black-and-white video because I thought it was truer to the song's original sound than some of the newer videos available.

Bedtime Music: Paul McCartney - Band on the Run (Live)

After doing last night's Bedtime Music of Sowing the Seeds of Love, I thought I'd give two more examples of multi-part musical collages, one tonight and another tomorrow.

The first is Paul McCartney & Wings' 1974 release, Band on the Run. As Wikipedia notes, the song "...is composed of a three-part structure that revolves around the themes of escape and liberation." George Harrison contributed one of the lines in the middle section, "If we ever get out of here." This particular concert was done at the Paris Olympia Music Hall on October 22, 2007.

Odd-but-True Facts: (And this just goes to show you how weird 1970s musical tastes were at the time), Band on the Run, which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, was preceded by Ray Stevens's The Streak and was followed by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods' Billy, Don't Be a Hero.