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Trouble by the Gallon

Trouble by the Gallon

As I write, the cost of a gallon of diesel fuel had just topped $4.25 and crude oil is $130 per barrel, reflecting double-digit price spikes during some weeks in June and April. The rising cost of fuel has prompted the American Trucking Associations (ATA) to project a record high diesel fuel bill in 2008, with expenditures of $135 billion on fuel in 2008, up from the $112.6 billion spent by the industry in 2007. God knows what the price of fuel will be in July when you’re reading this, but at the current rate of increase, petroleum-based fuels are rising at about 92 times the national inflation rate.

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The donut table

  Every couple years I decide to go back on the road and live on a tour bus. It generally takes me about 72 hours to realize why I stopped doing this. But then I look at the money coming in and realize it’s a good thing.

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PowerLift Winch Series from J.R. Clancy

SYRACUSE, NY — J. R. Clancy, Inc. said its new PowerLift variable speed 0-20 feet per minute motorized winch can minimize “bouncing” at the start or end of a move. The new winch (product number 018-P0220V) has a load capacity of 2,000 pounds. The company is also introducing its PowerLift fixed speed 20 feet per minute motorized winch (product number 018-P0212), with a load capacity of 1,200 pounds.

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Bonnaroo 2008

            Recently I was acquired by a company based out of Omaha, Nebraska named Theatrical Media Services (TMS) to LD the comedy tent for Bonnaroo 2008. If you don’t know what Bonnaroo is then look it up. In brief, Bonnaroo is music festival that has been annually held in Manchester, Tennessee over the years. When it started it would bring bands in that were notably out of the jam band scene with an attendance of 60,000 people. Now it has evolved into a mainstream festival bringing acts like Pearl Jam, Metallica, and The Police with a force of 90,000 fans in attendance along with the jam bands still rocking out.

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The Massive Mass – Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium

Some baseball fans might say Yankee Stadium is already a place befitting worship. But as one of the highlights for Pope Benedict XVI’s six-day visit to the New York area in April, the hallowed baseball grounds needed to be transformed into an open-air cathedral including an altar, a performance stage and no billboards or other advertising in sight.  Along with the need to be prepared for inclement weather and to operate under strict security measures, those involved needed to coordinate the efforts of hundreds of crew members, set everything up within a two-day time frame between ball games, and take extraordinary measures to avoid trampling on the grass.

 

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Jill Scott at the Fabulous Fox

Jill Scott wanted elegance. LD Martin Thomas, as set designer, lighting designer, and lighting programming, delivered. Scott’s Live Soul tour had a lot of elegance, plus a lot of heart and class, when it rolled into St. Louis river city one recent rainy night. The sold-out show was well worth trudging through the wet weather, as the R&B singer provided a powerhouse of great music and showmanship. Scott is far from what all too often passes for a pop star these days: she’s a woman of experience and talent, and effectively and sincerely connects with the audience.

 

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Infusing “Cat” with New Life

Broadway revivals have become so commonplace that a creative theatre team must think outside of the box and indulge in new ideas to make an old chestnut both exciting and refreshing for modern audiences. Debbie Allen’s interpretation of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — starring Terrence Howard, Anika Noni Rose, James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad — faced such a scenario.  Beyond its powerhouse casting and acting and the overstated aspect of having an all-black cast, the show is a rarity these days: a three-act, three-hour show with one main set that does not change. Set designer Ray Klausen was up to the task of invigorating the look of the show to fit Williams’ cynical tale of a family whose sibling brothers — one an injured alcoholic and former athletic hero, the other a corporate lawyer — and their spouses are tussling over the inheritance of Big Daddy’s massive Southern plantation.

 

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