Monsoon's Weather Update for Thursday, 28 February 2008
Today: Much colder with light to moderate breezes. High 30, low 15.
Leap Day: Becoming mostly cloudy with snow showers developing after 4pm as a clipper system moves through. Snow showers and some periods of steady snow continuing on and off throughout the evening, perhaps mixing with rain, and ending overnight. Accumulation will be an inch or two, perhaps three in a few some places, but I think it will be primarily on grassy surfaces. Roadways will remain mainly wet (Roadcon 2) and I think driving hazards for Friday night will be minimal—but be alert for Roadcon 3 potential, especially later at night and overnight. High 36, low 28.
Saturday 3/1: Partly cloudy and clearing throughout the day; breezy and cool. High 38, low 24.
Sunday: Partly cloudy and a bit milder. High 43, low 29.
Monday: Partly cloudy and still milder with clouds developing throughout the day; rain arrives in the evening. High 53, low 38.
Tuesday: Cloudy with rain off and on, then clearing late. High 52, low 31.
Wednesday: Very windy and much colder with partly cloudy skies, becoming mostly cloudy. I’m watching the models, some of which are indicating a possible Nor’easter for later Wednesday into Thursday—but remember that we’re 144 hours away, so precise forecasting for a system like that isn’t possible yet. Stay tuned for updates next week. High 36, low 23.
Thursday: Cloudy with the potential storm mentioned above. High 37, low 25.
Friday: Mainly cloudy and cool with high winds diminishing throughout the day. High 31, low 17.
Next weekend: Clear and cold with highs in the low to mid 30s and lows in the teens.
Beyond: Trending warmer with highs in the 40s and lows in the upper 20s and low 30s.
Monsoon
Monsoon's "The Wire" episode 59 notes and analysis
“The Wire” notes and analysis for Episode 59 – “Late Editions”
Please note that this episode is available only at HBO On Demand and has not yet aired; it will premiere on HBO on Sunday, March 2nd. Also be forewarned that as “The Wire” contains adult language and themes, my post will reflect these elements; reader discretion is advised.
Finally, this post contains spoilers about episode 59; please do not read further if you have not yet seen it and do not want details about this episode.
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The penultimate episode of “The Wire” is one of its best ever. It opens with Lester carefully examining a large bulletin board with the city maps, overlaid and surrounded with images of clock faces taken from the cell phone intercepts. Soon he receives a transmission indicating map 44, grid G-10—and then another, and then another. Since this is an out-of-the way industrial area, it seems to signal a big meet. Lester calls Sydnor and sends him down there, then McNulty, and before long he’s out the door himself. The illegal wiretap, it seems, is about to pay off in a big way.
The episode’s tagline is “Deserve ain’t got nothin’ to do with it.” – Snoop. Now at the warehouse, several teams have gathered there and are assessing what’s going on. Marlo was there, but left. Chris just went inside a warehouse door opened by “some white boys.” Lester jumps in his car suddenly, realizing he’s going to need more police to take down the warehouse if it contains what he thinks it does. “Where you going?” asks Sydnor. “Time to ‘fess up,” answers Lester.
In the next scene we join a meeting in progress at Levy’s office, with Herc, Snoop, and a “Mr. Hill,” the young dealer who took a bullet in the leg and is now going to take the gun charges for the Stanfield organization. When the dealer complains about how much water he’s having to carry for Marlo—especially after having been shot—Snoop has a great line: “Go down Wal-Mart or some shit and see if they take care of you while you laid up for a while.” It’s a brilliant swipe at the retail behemoth’s abysmal record on benefits and living wages, and Herc offers an appreciative smirk (unintentional rhyme there).
At the warehouse, oblivious to the phalanx of surveillance teams (and soon, SWAT teams) that surround the building, it’s business as usual: three men who seem to be Russians open the back of a small delivery truck containing several iceboxes, each of which is filled with at least 40-50 bricks of heroin. The transaction is made with Chris, and the product is loaded into Monk’s trunk (rhyme unintentional, again), among other places.
Meanwhile, setting the stage for the show’s inevitable climactic denouement—the unmasking of McNulty’s bullshit, Scott Templeton’s reckoning, Marlo’s collapse—Gus is meeting in a pub with a former colleague named Robert Ruby (The Sun’s former Foreign Editor, who seems to be playing himself). They’re bemoaning the corporate culture at The Sun and so many other papers—“These newspaper chain guys just don’t give a fuck, do they?” Ruby asks—and Gus asks him to discreetly check out Scott Templeton’s body of work. Ruby knows instantly why Gus is asking him. “Man, I hope you’re wrong,” he says. “Of course you do,” Gus replies. Gus and Ruby adhere to the “old school” of the newsroom, for lack of a better phrase: loyalty to one’s fellow reporters to the bitter end. As we know, Scott’s lies are bound to—and in fact, are actually beginning to—come out. Soon Ruby is at The Sun greeting old friends and making a cautious inquiry into Scott’s articles.
Duquan , now working with the junk vendor, climbs over a barbed wire fence into the lot of a construction company, or a demolition site. Perhaps life as an apprentice junk man isn’t the glamorous existence it had initially seemed?
In Rawls’ office, Carcetti’s chief of staff Michael Steintorf (Neal Huff) is meeting with Rawls and Deputy Ops Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick) to carp about the record increase in violent crime during Carcetti’s tenure. He wants results—more police, more visible presence, etc.—and Daniels is deflated by his insistence that he preside over the same old political game. After all, Daniels says, “I was told by our mayor at the outset that there would be no more Band-Aids, no more stat games.” Not so, Steintorf informs him: the mayor wants to see a 10% drop in violent crime in the next quarter. Reform can be addressed, he adds, if Carcetti is in Annapolis (as governor), and he can’t get there unless he’s got more workable crime stats. It’s an endless cycle of manipulation, compromise and futility that, in “The Wire” universe (and, it would seem at times, in our own) will never end. Being privy to the “war room” discussions between Carcetti and his staff, we know he’s selling all but his soul to ensure a shot at the governor’s mansion—and there’s little reason, despite his fiery rhetoric and the high-minded ideals he espoused in the third season, for us to think he’ll suddenly make things right if he gets there.
Lester , for his part, is coming clean to Daniels—sort of. He doesn’t spill the grand duplicity, but lets Cedric in on enough of the detail—the surreptitious wiretap, the surveillance, the warehouse, Bunk’s delayed warrant on Partlow—to ensure that Daniels will provide him with the firepower he needs. As he’s talking to Daniels, Lester gets a call from Sydnor, who has just pulled over Monk with “eight keys of the raw” in his trunk—and his phone, with all its evidence. Daniels is taken back by Lester’s revelations, but seems more bemused than angry. He calls Rhonda Pearlman: “Ronnie dear, are you sitting down?”
Soon a SWAT team vehicle smashes through the gate and its members storm in to the warehouse, arresting everyone in sight. Lester arrives and sees the refrigerators loaded with heroin, then he’s off to the playground, where Marlo is among those arrested. (I have to admit, seeing Marlo and his crew manacled and kneeling on the concrete makes me feel in some small way that Omar may not have died in vain.) Lester picks up Marlo’s cell phone, looks the drug lord in the eyes knowingly, and strolls away. He finds the clock that had been used in the picture messages, holds it thoughtfully in his hands, and looks down the line of arrestees to Marlo, whose expression is memorable: “But just how in the fuck did he…?” he seems to be thinking. A great, gratifying scene.
It’s press conference time, and Carcetti is at his self-congratulatory best after a seizure of $16 million in heroin, all told. (A cute little throwaway line from the young Mr. Hill as he, Michael, Snoop, and the few other Stanfield associates not arrested watch the coverage on TV: “Does this mean I still gotta take that charge for y’all?”) Carcetti crows, “We did not give up on that investigation, just as we do not give up on trying every day to address ourselves to the task of making this city safe and vibrant again,” after which the camera shows Bill Zorzi rolling his eyes. He knows—though not in the detail available to us—what a falsehood that is. Carcetti has a stern warning for those drug dealers who still operate in Baltimore’s neighborhoods: “A day like this is coming for you.” Zorzi mutters sarcastically, “Oh, you are so butch.” The world-weary court reporter sees through is empty posturing—as do we.
After the news conference, Daniels will only give a perfunctory quote to Alma—“A good day for the good guys”—and when pressed, says he doesn’t like being misrepresented in the paper. “Something about stabbing someone in the back,” he says, referring to Scott’s fabricated quote attributed to Nerese in episode 53. Scott’s shenanigans not only will end up harming his own career—we can only hope and assume—but it harms the credibility of everyone else in the profession. Perhaps that’s a lesson with which both McNulty and Templeton will be forced to come to terms by the series’ end.
Marlo and his crew have been arrested and locked up for processing, and many of them sit in a large holding cell, trying to decipher what went wrong. (I wondered during this scene if it’s entirely plausible that these known associates—who did not seem to have been questioned yet—would have been placed together in a communal holding cell, given the possibility that they’d have the time and opportunity to get their “stories” straight.)
Monk angrily deconstructs recent events and mentions that Omar had been calling Marlo out on the street. Marlo’s reaction is pure rage: “He used my name? In the street?” The look on Chris Partlow’s face reminds us that Chris and Snoop had deliberately decided to keep this from him—“The man’s got too much on his plate,” Chris said at the beginning of episode 58—and so Marlo never heard of Omar’s repeated challenges. “My name was on the street? When we bounce from this shit here, y’all gonna go down to those corners and let those people know: word did not get back to me. Let ‘em know Marlo’ll step to any motherfucker—Omar, Barksdale, whoever. My name is my name.” The tightly controlled, bloodless Marlo believes intimidation is the only real power he has to wield, and if he was “called out” and failed to answer that call, his reputation is worthless. One has to wonder not if, but how Chris will be brought to account by Marlo for his sloppiness.
In the Homicide unit, McNulty sits working placidly at his desk when he is approached by Jay Landsman (Delaney Williams), who conspicuously praises Bunk for his solid, deliberate police work. Then he turns on Jimmy: “From everything we’ve given you, fire should be shootin’ outta your ass. But no. There you sit like a genital wart.” He wants results.
(A note here about Landsman’s locutions and manner of speech: it is possibly the most colorful and lyrical of any character on this show, or any show. His scatalogical and crude metaphors are magnificent. And his sentence constructions—“there you sit” instead of “you just sit there”—recall Shakespeare’s language. It’s a delight hear him speak, minor character though he is; it would be interesting and not a little bit amusing to compile some of his most memorable lines over the years.)
After Landsman stalks away, Kima asks a clearly tortured McNulty where this is all going to end. There will be no more calls and no more killings, he tells her, and the effort will all fade away. He tries to accentuate the positive by reminding her, “Marlo is in cuffs.” “Fuck Marlo,” she replies, and bores through him with a look of pure disgust. “Fuck you.”
(I guess I understand Bunk’s anger at Jimmy’s actions, as much as I understand why Bunk never told anyone what was going on. But I’m not sure Kima’s fiery reactions here necessarily ring true. She has undeniably given her life to police work—to the detriment of what seemed like a promising relationship with Cheryl—and most certainly her body, when she was shot in season one. But Greggs has been as stymied and frustrated at times by the bureaucracy and its ineffectual nature as much as McNulty himself. Surely she’s been shuttled around from one special unit to another enough to understand some of what McNulty’s motivations are. Would she reasonably have the extremely negative and lingeringly furious reaction she’s had—and would she reasonably take the drastic actions she’ll take later in the episode?)
The newsroom is humming along busily while Scott is in a meeting with Klebanow, Whiting, and Metro editor Steve Luxenberg (Robert Poletick) about potential Pulitzer submissions. Whiting, who reveals that he’s been on a few Pulitzer committees in his day, says the graphics have to be “clear and professional” for an article or series to be considered for the prestigious prize. Klebanow says it’s vital to cover the reaction (among city agencies, government, police, etc.) to the homeless coverage. But Luxenberg asks, “What do we want to say exactly with our coverage? What do we want to say about the homeless?” He adds that no one would argue that homelessness is terrible, “but isn’t it actually symptomatic of a much greater dynamic?” It seems here that Luxenberg wants the paper’s coverage to get into the societal and economic ills that lead to homelessness—like inadequate wages, disappearance of the manufacturing base, and flaws in the school system, to name a few.
But Klebanow, predictably, isn’t having any of it: they need to “examine the tragedy underlying these murders.” Scott, their willing lapdog, fawningly interjects, “the Dickensian aspect.” A broad, shit-eating grin spreads across Whiting’s face; it’s the self-satisfied smile of a man who’s been paid homage by having his own words parroted back to him. Besides being the title of episode 56, the phrase was used in a budget meeting in episode 52 to underscore the desired tone for the paper’s planned Pulitzer-baiting series on the school system. One wonders if Klebanow and Whiting will be drooling quite so heavily over Templeton when his fakeries are exposed—or whether their blind devotion will in fact prevent them from seeing the truth of his actions. One thing seems sure: either Scott Templeton or Gus Haynes will no longer be working for The Sun by season’s end.
McNulty and Lester are shown out by the railroad tracks—near where Jimmy and The Bunk had wound up many a late night earlier in the series—celebrating the arrests of Marlo and his crew. Well, at least Lester is celebrating, having had more than a few drinks. But McNulty stands aloof, empty and somber, refusing a drink. He’s unable to take any satisfaction from what his duplicity has accomplished in the long run, perhaps because he sees how many people he’s hurt in the interim; though he says little, his expressions convey it all. Lester insists that if McNulty will not join him for a drink, he needs to at least chauffeur him home. As Freamon dances drunkenly away, he practically sings, “Shardene better be awake, too, ‘cause I do believe Lester Freamon’s in the mood for love.”
After the holding cell conversation, Marlo is convinced that he has a snitch inside his organization who told the police about the cell phones. (After all, since the wiretap was illegal, the official police reports refer to a nonexistent “source” who told them about the picture messages.) In a later scene during which Marlo meets with Levy, Marlo insists that only he, Chris, Monk, and Cheese knew about the code. It’s ironic that because of the illicit manner in which the evidence was gathered, a CI (confidential informant) had to be invented, which will lead to chaos and more violence within the Stanfield organization. The newest member of his inner circle, the one always asking questions, seems to be the easiest scapegoat. It quickly becomes clear that Michael has a target on his back, and when Snoop visits him to ask that he kill Walter—telling him not to bring a gun because she’ll give him one later with the serial numbers filed off—Michael is instantly suspicious.
In a complete change of venue, we see a smartly-dressed, ponytailed young man at a podium speaking passionately about the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Behind him is a large banner indicating that this is a competition sponsored by the Baltimore Urban Debate League (BUDL), which is an actual organization that has been in existence since 1999. The voice is familiar, but its tone—erudite and persuasive rather than smart-alecky and coarse—is unmistakably different. It’s Namond Brice (Julito McCullum), and as he speaks, Bunny Colvin (Robert Wisdom) and his wife look on proudly. Bunny’s expression sours, though, when he notices Carcetti and his entourage enter the auditorium from the rear. Colvin has no love for Carcetti, who last season (as councilman and mayoral hopeful) made a scapegoat of Bunny and his Hamsterdam experiment in an attempt to expose the corruption of Mayor Royce and grease his path to City Hall. This is evident when Carcetti later breaks away from a news conference to talk with Bunny, who is standoffish and closed-off to Carcetti’s awkward attempts to reconnect with the disgraced former Lieutenant. (I’m not really sure what Carcetti’s motivation would be here, anyway. It could be that he’s genuinely sorry for the smear campaign he conducted to attain his position, but since so few of his actions or impulses seem authentic anymore, that’s hard to believe.)
Back to Gus’s quest to unmask Templeton’s lies, we see Gus having lunch with Nerese. He brings up Daniels (in a circuitous manner, so as not to arouse her suspicions that she’s being pumped for information) and asks Nerese if she thinks he’s ready to be commissioner given all the backstabbing he’d engaged in. Nerese answers, “Daniels wasn’t even on my radar,” and her responses make it abundantly clear to Haynes that Templeton likely piped, or fabricated, that quote.
The body of a beaten-to-death homeless man has been found, and McNulty must examine it for signs that would link it to his fake serial killer. The detective, to whom McNulty refers as “Rook,” says there are no bite marks or ribbons to be found. The ensuing exchange is classic David Simon:
Rook: “This fuckin’ guy stinks.”
McNulty: “He probably evacuated.”
Rook: “What, he left and he came back?”
McNulty: “No, he shit himself.”
This is not only funny on its face, but also because it recalls the scene in episode 51 in which Gus changes Alma’s “the people were evacuated” thanks to Jay Spry’s (Donald Neal) correction.
Gus is off to Walter Reed Medical Center to meet with the Marine whose hands were blown off in the Terry Hanning story. When Luxenberg asks what he’s doing, Gus replies, “scratching an itch.” When he arrives, he begins talking to the man who was in Terry’s unit, and he shows Gus his prosthetic hands, which have rotating thumbs and multiple grips. “Brave new world,” says Gus, marveling at the technology. (The phrase derives most recently from the 1930s Aldous Huxley novel Brave New World, which envisions a World State controlled by reproductive and conditioning technologies; it originates, though, from the play The Tempest by William Shakespeare, which contains the line, “O brave new world that has such people in it!” It’s almost certainly a stretch, but in some sense with this comment Gus might be mourning the loss of authenticity in the modern world.) Gus asks the man if Terry could have exaggerated his story to Scott, and the man says it’s not possible. “He ain’t lie, y’all did. Sorry to say,” he says, echoing Terry Hanning’s insistent statements from last episode, though in less strident terms.
Carver and Herc share a cigarette and some suds once again (with Tom Petty’s “Refugee” playing in the background), and Herc says he became “fully erect” when he heard of Marlo’s arrest. But it soon becomes obvious that he’s working Carver for information about the details of their investigation. This is confirmed when Herc later meets with Levy, his boss, and says Carver all but admitted there was an illegal wiretap used to gather evidence on Marlo’s crew. Herc, who has had moments of redemption this season, seems to have settled back down to the level of craven weaselhood here.
A nice update on Bubbles’ situation (aka, Reginald Cousins)—and, I suspect, maybe the end of his storyline altogether—appears later in this episode. In the first scene, Bubs and Fletcher are chatting in his basement when Bubs’ sister comes home with some items for him. He tells her his anniversary (of sobriety) is coming up and he wants her to attend the ceremony, but she declines. “My sister, she good people,” he explains to Fletcher. “She been through a lot, though, you know.” It seems harsh at first blush that she will allow him to inhabit only her basement and never come upstairs, but on plenty of previous occasions she allowed him to stay with her, he made promises, and then he stole and pawned her belongings for drugs.
Later on, Bubs arrives looking rather spiffy for his anniversary ceremony, Fletcher in tow. Walon (Steve Earle), Bubs’ sponsor, warmly greets Fletcher but reminds the reporter not to take notes or record the proceedings: “What happens in that room stays in that room.” Walon’s reaction when Fletcher says he’s doing an article on Reginald is priceless: “I’m his sponsor and I don’t believe I’ve ever gotten a Christian name out of him!” Inside, as Bubs walks to the front of the room and begins, we can sense something is different about him; he appears poised to break free of his shame and his guilt once and for all. “My name is Reginald,” he emphasizes, and we sense that he’s almost having a rebirth. “’Round the way they call be Bubbles.” He talks about a recent afternoon when he was walking down the street and a strong craving hit him; he tried to call his sponsor, Walon, but he wasn’t around, and no one else called him back either. (One woman says she would have definitely called him back, hinting at a possible romantic interest for Bubbles, which would be wonderful.) But he did not get high that day, he says, and the implication is clear: he’s learning to depend on, and control, himself. He also, finally, brings up Sherrod, and though he doesn’t go in to specifics about what happens, it’s cathartic for him to even utter his name again. “Ain’t no shame in holdin’ on to grief,” he winds up, “as long as you make room for other things too.” This is one of the most moving scenes I can remember in “The Wire,” which doesn’t often make room for redemption or hope among its crushing stories of hypocrisy, apathy, and betrayal.
The fruits of Lester’s threatening encounter with Clay Davis are clearly paying off, as we see the two having drinks and Clay spilling prodigious amounts of information about where the money leads. Clay insists that in “following the money,” Lester must focus on the lawyers—particularly Levy, who not only provides legal advice but also elaborate money laundering for his drug clients, routing the money through developers, community foundations, and politicians like Clay himself. Lester pushes Clay to reveal more, and he finally relents: Levy has a contact at the courthouse, who has been buying papers (sealed affidavits and other confidential legal documents) and “selling them to whoever needs an early look.” He advises Lester to focus on people “hanging around the Grand Jury” in his search. Hopefully this information will find its way to the State’s Attorney’s office, solving the mystery of the court documents found in Prop Joe’s desk.
As noted earlier, Kima is incensed by McNulty’s revelation that he conjured the homeless serial killer out of thin air. At first, it seems she’s going to tell Carver, but she just wants some advice. She asks him how he felt when he spoke up on Colicchio, who dragged a teacher out of his car and beat him in episode 54, then remained unrepentant. Carver admits he felt “like shit,” but in the long run, he’s “OK with” his decision. Kima feels it’s in her best interest, that of the department—and that of the city itself—that she tells someone what she knows. As the episode winds down, she appears nervously at the door of Deputy Ops Cedric Daniels, and their exchange takes place offscreen. Daniels then tells Pearlman, who cannot believe what he is telling her.
They go off to the evidence room—where Daniels bumps into someone from his past named “Augie,” or Augustus Polk (Nat Benchley), who I believe was involved in the season one wiretap detail—to examine the cell phone from the pier. As Pearlman dials the number in the wiretap and the cell phone rings, I’m left wondering why Sydnor would have entered that phone into evidence rather than destroying or hiding it. Whatever the reason, Daniels and Pearlman now realize they have a full-scale catastrophe on their hands, and it’ll be intriguing to see how they play it (bury it, realizing what could happen if they don’t, or allow it all to unravel) in the final episode.
Snoop picks up Michael as scheduled for the hit on Walter, and Michael is soon asking questions about why Walter needs to be killed. “Does he deserve it?” Michael asks. “Deserve ain’t got nothin’ to do with it,” says Snoop, providing the episode’s tagline. (I wonder if this has some larger meaning in terms of what will become of those most responsible for the messes this season: namely, McNulty and Templeton. Is there real justice, or even “karma,” that informs the outcomes of these situations?) Michael asks Snoop to pull into an alley, pulls a gun, and Snoop asks how Michael knew. “You always told me—get there early.” In a heartbreaking scene, Michael asks Snoop what he did wrong; why was he being targeted? “It’s how you carry yourself. Always apart. Always askin’ why when you should be doin’ what you told. You was never one of us. You never could be.” Snoop then calmly takes one last look in the car’s side mirror. “How my hair look, Mike?” she asks. “You look good, girl.” Such an odd, tender, and almost pedestrian exchange given what’s about to so unavoidably happen. The camera pans back from the truck and Michael fires the gun. Snoop is dead.
Michael then must deal with the aftermath of his actions, and his future is uncertain to say the least here. When he comes into the house, Duquan is watching Showtime’s “Dexter” and he enthuses to Michael that it’s a show about “a serial killer that only kills other serial killers!” Michael tells them to pack—they’re all leaving. He takes his brother, Bug, to his aunt’s house, along with a bag of money for her to use to raise him.
The goodbyes here are heart-rending, as is the (presumably) final scene between Duquan and Michael. Duquan tries to bring up a bit of mischief from last season—maybe to remind his friend that they were children, once, and can be again. The exchange made the “Wire” soundtrack CD (…and all the pieces matter: Five Years of Music from The Wire, track 34), and its poignancy is undeniable. Duquan says, “You remember that one day summer past, when we threw them piss balloons at them terrace boys? You remember—just before school started up again. You know, I took a beat-down from them boys. I don’t even throw a shadow on that. (chuckles) That was a day. Y’all bought me ice cream off the truck. … Remember, Mike?” After three or four full beats, Michael replies, barely audibly, “I don’t.” It’s a whisper suffused with so much meaning—Michael is stunned by his lost innocence, and how rapidly and inexorably everything has changed for him.
And we share his pain; despite ourselves, we hoped for positive outcomes for all four of the young men we met in season four—Namond, Michael, Randy, and Duquan. Now it seems that the most incorrigible of the four, Namond, is the only one whose future holds any degree of optimism: Randy is a cold, hardened teen at the group home, betrayed by a system that promised to help him; Michael has just killed someone and has nowhere to turn; and though it wasn’t clear at the end (at least to me), Duquan appears headed either to stay with the junk man or the drug-addicted family members who “raised” him.
The 90-minute finale—for which I will have to wait two full weeks, and watch it on Sunday, March 9th with everyone else!!—looks to be phenomenal. In the previews, it looks like heavy damage control is in order, a bearded Prez makes an appearance, McNulty and Scott seem to be arguing about who is more stunningly full of shit, and all hell generally breaks loose. Can’t wait for Episode 60, yet I’m really very sad about the end of this series that draws an array of superlatives from critics and fans alike, and rises above them all.
I guess I’ll spend the next couple of weeks thinking of questions to ask David Simon for the Q & A set up in March! I know it’s been said before, but thanks again to Jim King for moderating the Yahoo group, maintaining a kick-ass Wire site at http://members.aol.com/TheWireHBO/ and setting up Q & A exclusives with Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, Clark Johnson, and of course, Simon. (That’s Jim King on the left and Simon on the right in the picture below.)
END OF EPISODE 59 NOTES
Monsoon Martin's Weather Update for Monday, 25 February 2008
Monday: Plenty of sunshine with milder temperatures; becoming cloudy toward evening. High 44, low 29.
Tuesday: Some snow and sleet is possible very early tomorrow morning—beginning around 4am and mixing with freezing rain by around 8 or 9am, then changing over to all rain throughout the day. Rain ends in the evening as a cold front moves through. Travel could be compromised a bit in the morning: Roadcon 2-3 possible. High 41, low 30.
Chance of two-hour delay Tuesday: 35%.
Chance of cancellation Tuesday: 10%.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy and very windy with a few flurries possible. High 33, low 16.
Thursday: Breezy and cold with partly cloudy skies. High 31, low 14.
Friday: Cloudy with precipitation possible throughout the day: AM flurries, then scattered rain showers throughout the day, then sleet and freezing rain possible in the evening. High 36, low 25.
Saturday, March 1st: Partly cloudy, quite windy, and still seasonably cold. High 37, low 22.
Sunday: Cloudy. High 43, low 31.
Next week: Milder with highs in the mid to upper 40s through Wednesday, then colder with snow possible (maybe a doozy?) Thursday, March 6th or Friday, March 7th.
Beyond: Still cold. Then warmer, eventually.
Monsoon
Monsoon's "A Tall, Cool (Expensive) Drink of Water" Blind Taste-Test
In the past 10 to 15 years, bottled water has become as ubiquitous in our culture as cell phones, play dates, and Britney Spears. As George Carlin observed in an early-90s routine, “What happened in this country that now, suddenly, everyone is walking around with their own personal bottle of water? When did we get so thirsty in America? Is everybody so dehydrated they have to have their own portable supply of fluids with them at all times? Get a drink before you leave the house!” And yet, in more recent appearances, Carlin typically totes along a water bottle of his very own.
Much has been made of the fact that the human body (like our planet) is about two-thirds water, and we replenish up to 90% of our water each day. Undeniably, it is far more healthful to reach for water than for a cola or fruit drink to quench our thirsts. Given these factors, and the fact that convenience has been elevated to the status of a universal human right in our society, bottled water isn’t likely going anywhere anytime soon.
And though I try to be environmentally conscientious, I have taken a liking to a bottled water or two in my day. In the English planning room, we have a water cooler that uses Crystal Spring water in reusable jugs that are delivered biweekly. Encouragingly, the water in these jugs is bottled locally, cutting down on travel time and pollution.
It occurred to me, though, that this multibillion-dollar bottled water industry had sprung out of nothing in the past 20 years at most. It’s one of the rarest triumphs in free-market capitalism: creating a perceived need among consumers where none at all existed before. The question for most consumers is not “Will I purchase bottled water?” but “Which bottled water will I purchase?” Since one of my fondest pursuits in life is sticking it to The Man—or to thwart The Man in his efforts to stick it to me—I thought I’d conduct a blind taste test of various available waters and see if these bottled waters were all they claim to be. I have no illusions that I will be forever able to kick the bottled water habit, but maybe the results of my wildly unscientific study will give me (and, just possibly, you, dear reader) pause before grabbing for that next bottle of water.
I lined up six different water sources—some popular, some more obscure—and poured them in glasses so that I could not tell which water I was drinking. Then I forgot which water was in which glass, so I had to start over and label the glasses with a code, and I was on my way. The six contestants: Deer Park, Voss, Dasani, Iceland Spring, Fiji, and of course, good old municipal Adamstown tap water.
(I eschew flavored waters like Dasani with raspberry and kiwi and the like because if I want a freaking fruit juice I’m just going to get a freaking fruit juice, not some watery confection; vitaminwater, which is seen everywhere in my school—perhaps because there’s a machine selling it in the cafeteria—but has as much caloric and sugar content as a typical glass of fruit juice; and other permutations. I was only interested in water that claimed to be “pure” or unadulterated in some way. I am also aware that there are about 5,000 other brands of water out there, including Evian, Dannon, Aquafina, Pure Choice, and many more. Finally, I know there are products like the Brita filter that create purified water from tap water, but we used to have one of these and it was a pain in the arse. So I chose these as what I feel is a representative sample.)
Below are my findings…
VOSS artesian water from Norway, which sells at local Turkey Hill markets: $1.59 for a half-liter. (“Artesian” means simply that its source is an underground aquifier whose groundwater rises to the surface rather than having to be pumped out.) The label says it’s “naturally pure water, free of sodium, low in minerals, and incomparable in taste.” The sodium bit is an obvious swipe at the likes of Dasani, which adds sodium to its product (more on that later). It comes in an ingeniously designed bottle that looks like a hairspray canister with a red stripe and a gray top. One of the most outstanding design features is the bottle’s wide mouth, which seems to be about 50% bigger than standard bottles, allowing for bigger gulps and more comprehensive palate coverage.
I found Voss, in the blind taste test, to be clean, crisp and totally refreshing. There is a very slightly bitter aftertaste—the purity of the water is too much, no doubt, for my coarse palate—that I find eminently pleasing. When I take a swig of Voss, I feel as though I am gliding contentedly down the glacial fjords of Norway’s northern coast.
There is an internet rumor that Voss (as has been suggested about other “pure” bottled waters) is actually just Norwegian tap water. This is an ugly and unfounded allegation, and I reject it. Ranking: 2nd of 6
ICELAND SPRING natural Icelandic spring water, which also sells at Turkey Hill, among other places: $1.09 per half liter. It’s filtered through lava, says the label, in the mountains of Iceland, and bottled in Reykjavik. The label also trumpets its low mineral content and notes that Icelanders, who have the highest life expectancy of any nationality in the world, credit this water for their longevity. The bottle is of the typical contoured plastic design, but also includes opaque and craggy sections that call to mind mountainous terrain or an iceberg.
I found Iceland Spring to be fine, but not as smooth as Voss. On the second and third gulps I became aware of a harsh aftertaste, and actually a pretty unpleasant during-taste as well. The absence of flavor is jarring. When I drink Iceland Spring, I feel as though I am sailing down a glacial river in Iceland much like the idyllic fjord of Voss—but this time I am seized, my head is dunked violently underwater, and then I am returned to the safety of the boat. Ranking: 6th of 6
FIJI natural Artesian water can be purchased at many grocery and convenience stores, usually for roughly 99 cents for a half-liter (less per liter for larger sizes or cases). Fiji, which is bottled on the Fiji islands, takes great pains on its label to associate the water with an earlier, cleaner time. Fiji water flowed through the mountains before the Industrial Revolution, it insists, and is therefore untouched by pollution. (Despite my love for the product, I find this claim logistically dubious.) Fiji also trumpets its silica content, which is said to promote smoothness. Its bottle has flora and fauna to suggest a sense of place, evoking a tranquil, tropical paradise.
Fiji was my first dalliance into “exotic” bottled waters, and far and way my favorite. It’s got a nice, markedly softer taste than either Icelandic or Voss. It has some of the flavor of tap water without being gritty or unpleasant. Drinking Fiji makes me feel as though I am lounging blissfully on a tropical beach, utterly refreshed—OK, wait. No, that’s not a nice milieu. I’d be too hot on a tropical beach, and the sand (fine and milky though it might be) would throw me into a pissy-pants tizzy and a frantic search for a Wet-Nap, and set off my OCD in the most obnoxious way. So instead: it makes me feel as though I am in an air-conditioned room, looking out the window at a lush, tropical paradise. Ranking: 1st of 6
DEER PARK (“…that’s good water”) can be purchased at any number of places, and is also available for home or business delivery, much like Crystal Springs mentioned above. Its cost is considerably lower than the “exotics” above: $1.19 per gallon typically. It is bottled at a variety of locations, but primarily originates from springs deep in the Appalachian Mountains of western Maryland. Deer Park’s containers have changed of late to more “environmentally friendly” designs, and the largest available jug has recesses built into one side, making it much easier to pick up.
Deer Park somehow manages to be both more filling and more bland than the other contestants thus far. It has a silty aftertaste not present with the others. There are clearly more minerals here—and perhaps, more contaminants—but they don’t add to the taste appreciably. Ranking: 5th of 6
DASANI is Coca-Cola’s water, and easily the most popular of the “plain” bottled waters; it is for sale everywhere, and a one-liter bottle costs 99 cents. Dasani is tap water that has been purified using a process called reverse osmosis. The label also indicates that it’s been “enhanced with minerals for a pure, fresh taste” and contains magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and salt (for taste).
The sodium and mineral content in Dasani is evident from the first sip, though the label insists the salt is “negligible.” I can’t help but wonder if this is part of Dasani’s marketing strategy: consumers will drink Dasani to be refreshed, but that modicum of salt will leave them with a bit of unexplained lingering thirst, leading them to reach for another bottle of Dasani. The taste of this water is full-bodied, but also artificial in an indefinable way. Ranking: 4th of 6
ADAMSTOWN MUNICIPAL TAP WATER is available exclusively in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. The cost of this water for Adamstown residents is $21.85 for up to 3000 gallons, or less than a penny per gallon. It is gotten from wells in the Hammer Creek formation and is tightly controlled by the EPA (unlike most bottled waters), having been certified fit to consume. Tap water typically contains small amounts of chlorine, fluoride, aluminum sulfate, hydrogen sulfide, and nitrates.
This tap water is most definitely less “pure” than the likes of Icelandic or Fiji; it looks positively chunky by comparison. But there is a pleasing and unmistakable flavor here that’s missing from those waters that boast low mineral content. I can feel it on my tongue, and it is quite nice. Ranking: 3rd of 6
Over all, I am impressed with how well tap water stacked up against the spring and purified waters—and when the cost disparity is calculated, it’s staggering. Some bottled waters are more than twice as expensive per gallon as gasoline, and yet few us of turn on the tap (for a lousy penny per gallon) when we’re thirsty.
To be sure, there are those who would point out problems with tap water. Present in tap water are bacteria, radioactive isotopes, pesticides, and even antibiotic traces that have invaded our streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater. And libertarians get so indignant about the fact that fluoride is infused into municipal water supplies (ostensibly as a dentifrice) that anti-fluoridation movements have sprung up, calling the addition of fluoride “compulsory mass medication” and a governmental intrusion into our lives. Now, I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next schmo—probably a whole lot more—but god damn. I’m willing to believe that our government is tapping our phones, manipulating what we read—it may have even staged the moon landing, or faked a catastrophe or two. But messing with us by putting fluoride in our water? I just don’t see it.
The key to keep in mind regarding the argument about tap water containing bacteria and other contaminants is that independent studies have routinely found that some bottled waters contain more of these contaminants than municipal tap water! This is because the content of tap water is much more tightly controlled than that of bottled water, which has been tested and sometimes discovered to have higher (and actually rather dangerous) bacteria levels than tap water.
No matter if we choose tap or bottled water, then, it’s not easy to ensure that we’re getting a substance that’s “pure” or healthful at all. In this case, we have to look at other factors to break the tie. It all comes down to the environment.
A case in point is Fiji (where my favorite water in the world comes from). On these islands, clean drinking water is unavailable for a portion of the population, yet thousands of gallons of Fiji spring water are shipped away each day. And the Fiji water that’s made it from the islands to my grocery store has traveled roughly 6,000 miles by ship, plane, and truck—all of which use fossil fuels, and all of which have devastating effects on the environment. Using water like Crystal Spring or Deer Park at least can be defended on the grounds that it has a relatively short trip from source to your refrigerator. But keep in mind as well that only 20% of plastic beverage bottles are ever recycled, adding immeasurably to already-overcrowded landfills and releasing dangerous chemicals into the ground.
Many cities, notably the San Francisco bay area, have initiated programs like “Think Outside the Bottle” to educate people about the environmental impact of bottled water and encourage them to turn on the tap when they’re thirsty.
“Ever wonder about those people who spend $2 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water?” George Carlin once asked. “Try spelling ‘Evian’ backward.”
For my part, I’m going to start making an effort to kick the habit, but I’m not promising anything (sorry, Earth).
Below are some provocative articles on the bottled water controversy—well worth a read:
“Don’t Be Duped By Bottled Water” - http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1012-30.htm
“The Real Cost of Bottled Water” - http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0218-05.htm
$10 a gallon versus 49 cents a year” - http://www.argusobserver.com/articles/2008/02/24/news/us/doc47c13a11a550a689404593.txt
“Bad to the Last Drop” - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/01/opinion/01standage.html
Monsoon
Monsoon Martin's Imminent Winter Storm Update for Thursday, 21 February 2008
Weather Friends,
I’m sticking to my original forecast in general, but have been able to fine-tune some details about the storm…
Over all, I think the snow will be light to moderate, keeping accumulation totals down, but much will depend on temperatures at the surface and aloft, which is a matter that is still quite (pun intended) up in the air.
Driving hazards: To evaluate expected driving conditions, I have devised a road condition scale similar to the Defcon (Defense Condition) scale:
Roadcon 1: smooth sailing with no weather-related impediments to travel
Roadcon 2: wet roadways with the possibility of hydroplaning, but no icy spots; use some caution but not necessary to avoid travel
Roadcon 3: light snow pack or visibility problems impair driving moderately; use a great deal of caution when driving, especially on untreated or back roads
Roadcon 4: moderate to heavy snow and/or ice make driving hazardous; expect travel difficulties on untreated or back roads, and limit travel as much as possible
Roadcon 5: heavy snow or icing and/or very low visibility make driving nearly impossible or extremely hazardous; stay inside!
Accumulations: 2 to 4 inches of snow and ice accumulation generally in central and southern Berks and northern Lancaster Counties, with isolated spots reaching 5 or 6 inches.
School closing: Delay Friday 15% (it wouldn’t make a lick of sense); cancellation Friday 85%. I think it’s the timing of the snowfall, rather than an overwhelming amount or horrible driving conditions, that will lead most area districts to call the day.
The details…
Thursday overnight (10pm to 6am) – increasingly cloudiness with light snow developing by 4 or 5am. Temperatures in the mid 20s. Roadcon 1-2.
Friday morning (6am to noon) – steady snow. Temperatures in the mid 20s. Roadcon 3.
Friday afternoon (noon to 6pm) – snow falls fairly steadily throughout this period, with perhaps some breaks and mixing sleet toward late afternoon. Temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. Roadcon 3-4.
Friday evening (6pm to 10pm) – intermittent snow mixed with sleet and freezing rain; temperatures around freezing. Roadcon 3.
Friday overnight (10pm to 6am) – snow showers and flurries off and on; temperatures dipping into the upper 20s. Roadcon 3.
Saturday morning (6am to noon) – a slight chance of lingering snow showers and flurries; temperatures rising from the upper 20s to the low 30s. Roadcon 2-3.
Saturday afternoon (noon to 6pm) – still overcast with temperatures rising only to the mid 30s. Roadcon 1-2.
Have a great weekend, and be safe!
Monsoon
Monsoon Martin's "Ba-RACK the Vote" Campaign Statement
Hey again friends...
I just wanted to take a moment here on my weblog to congratulate Barack Obama for yet another win in the Democratic primaries and caucuses last evening (two, actually).
Since I endorsed Obama in my post of February 8th, he has won ten straight primaries and caucuses, most of them decisively: Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, U.S. Virgin Islands, Maine, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin and Hawaii. The evidence is overwhelming, therefore, that it was my endorsement that put him over the top--it was the "tipping point" in his campaign, if you will. You're welcome, Barack!
Notable upcoming primaries include Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont on March 4th and Pennsylvania on April 22nd.
Good luck, Barack!
Monsoon
Monsoon's Winter Weather Update for Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Today’s Clipper: Some areas saw a flurry or two this morning, but it’s not going to begin snowing until noon or 1pm. Expect intermittent light snow showers with some brief periods of steadier snow as this fast-moving system passes just to our south, continuing until about 4 or 5pm and tapering to flurries throughout the evening. As far as travel goes, I think heavily-traveled roads will be just fine, while side and untreated streets may have some slippery spots. High 33, low 19.
Accumulation: My call is a dusting (thinner than a coating) to an inch in isolated areas.
Chance of early dismissal from school today: 15%.
Thursday 2/21: Sunny to partly cloudy, breezy and seasonably cold. High 31, low 20.
Friday’s storm: Timing will be crucial for this event, and the storm hasn’t even formed yet, but model guidance is pretty strong for this one. Still, my forecast below should be regarded as tentative; I will finalize the forecast and send out an update with any changes tomorrow (Thursday).
Snow begins sometime between 4 and 8am, falling steadily throughout the morning and early afternoon. Sleet and freezing rain will mix in from late afternoon to evening, turning back to snow as precipitation tapers late Friday and overnight into Saturday. Travel will be potentially hazardous anytime from Friday morning to late Friday night.
Accumulation: 3 to 5 inches of snow (mostly) and sleet in our region.
Chance of two-hour delay on Friday: 20%.
Chance of school cancellation on Friday: 75%.
The weekend: After possible flurries or brief snow showers Saturday morning, expect clearing and a bit milder conditions, with highs in the upper 30s to low 40s and lows in the mid 20s.
Drive safely!
Monsoon
Monsoon's Weather Update for Tuesday, 19 February 2008
A note for those of you who may not be familiar with my little forecasts here: I am an amateur meteorologist (fumbling and self-taught, but nonetheless supremely confident); as I continue to learn more and more about meteorology, I am slowly becoming a nearly mediocre forecaster. My forecast area is central and southern Berks and northern Lancaster Counties (where I and many of my peoples live and work), sometimes addressing weather in surrounding areas such as central Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley, and Greater Philadelphia. Enjoy!
Tuesday 2/19: Quite windy and much colder; clear throughout the day with increasing cloudiness late. High 37, low 22.
Wednesday 2/20: Cloudy and cold with light snow showers developing by late morning, becoming more frequent and steady throughout the afternoon and evening. Perhaps an inch of snow will accumulate before ending by 9 or 10pm. High 34, low 19.
Chance of cancellation Wednesday: 10%
Chance of early dismissal Wednesday: 20%
Thursday 2/21: Sunny to partly cloudy, windy and cold with snow mixed with sleet possible in the evening. High 31, low 22.
Friday 2/22: Mostly cloudy and cold; some snow is possible Friday, but track and amount are still unclear. Stay tuned for updates (I’m going to hold off on more detailed predictions or delay/cancellation percentages for now). High 34, low 25.
Saturday 2/23: Cloudy with snow showers or flurries possible; clearing in the afternoon. High 37, low 28.
Sunday 2/24: Partly cloudy and a bit milder. High 44, low 29.
Next week: Highs generally in the low to mid 40s; lows in the upper 20s and low 30s. No real chance for winter weather that I see.
Next weekend: Cloudy and rainy with highs in the upper 40s.
Beyond: Colder the following week with perhaps our last good chance for accumulating snow around March 5th or 6th.
Have a great week!
Monsoon