Paul Bausch gives a heads-up on linking to Amazon.com wishlists.

(Thanks to kottke.org.)

posted: 9:15:46 PM  

Herndon Town Council clobbers special tax district plan to help fund Metro expansion to Dulles airport. It's tempting to blame the short-sightedness of the council, as well as the miserliness of ratepayers in the western part of the county. But I think they had a legitimate complaint that the plan was structured against them, and that there was a reasonable fear that they would pay for a system that was only extended to Reston. No, the villains in this piece are the voters who rejected a broad-based sales tax last year to pay for Metro expansion. A bad job all around.

posted: 9:11:41 PM  

I was helping a colleague figure out that the virus warning that his daughter had forwarded to him was, indeed, a hoax. In so doing, I discovered that Rob Rosenberger's virus myths site is on hiatus while he's overseas serving his country. Stay safe, Rob, and come home soon.

posted: 8:58:50 PM  

The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater, Washington

Chan Han Goh kicks off the evening of choreography by George Balanchine with a liquid opening solo in "Mozartiana." Alexander Ritter capers in the Gigue section, his cocked knees set off by garters in a costume design by Holly Hynes. Her effective costume plot for this dance suggests a gathering of the peasantry, albeit a well-scrubbed one. Jared Redick seems not to be in complete command in the Theme and Variations section. The tune for this bit does get old after a while.

Shannon Parsley dances the solo for the Waltz section of The Nutcracker with effortless joy. She finishes one passage with a leap and an exit as if to say, "Damn! this is fun!"

Jennifer Fournier and Runqiao Du deliver a sprightly "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux," with music from Swan Lake.

After the second break, we have the well-known "Serenade," which Farrell just manages to fit into the cozy Wrigley Field that is the Eisenhower. All those splendid arms are on display, but floor positions are not always impeccable. For the final section, she has her three principal ballerinas wear their hair down and loose, a detail that I don't think I've seen before. It's a good choice, as it raises the emotional temperature of the section, and clarifies what's going on.

posted: 12:04:55 AM