Down Comes the Facade

Here's a rockin' little record posted at Egg Salad Annie's blog.

She's a chip off the old cellblock!

I guess old stoners never die, they just . . . fall down!


The caption for the above A.P. photo, btw, reads:

"Kenya Wright, 12, right, and her friend Aleza D'Agostino, 14, left, both of Benicia, Calif., walk out to take a picture of marble that fell from the facade of the Supreme Court on Monday, November 28, 2005, in Washington."

Benicia is the "sister city" of Vallejo, California . . . and Vallejo is the boyhood home of yrs. troolie, little dynamo. The incorporated areas of the two towns are probably so built-out nowadays that they almost touch. Both Benicia and Vallejo surfaced in a prior Black Whole post concerning rock-impresaraio Bill Graham's helicopter crash concurrent with his attempt to build a major ampitheatre between the cities of Benicia and Vallejo. (See our post of October 5, 2005, "Ragna Rok and Man Son Role")

Also, in our post of July 4, 2005 ("War in Heaven, Dispatch #73: The Mugwumps Attack"), we reported that the Apostolic Pillar of the West crumbled like the aforementioned court. Here's a refresher

Piece of famous Australian landmark crumbles before onlookers

After withstanding the pounding of the sea for an estimated 6,000 years, the 45-metre (150 yard) rock pile tumbled into a collection of rocks and debris on Sunday morning before a bewildered Sydney family.

The collapse was accompanied by a noise compared to a loud wave.

"They said it sort of shimmered or shuddered and then fractured and collapsed straight down on itself -- it was almost like a building demolition," a spokesman for Parks Victoria told the Daily Telegraph.

"building demolition . . . ah hmm. . .


"All that remains now is quite a substantial pile of rubble, about 10 metres above sea level.

"The collapsed pillar was one of the bigger rock formations and "integral to what used to be the view," he added. The Twelve Apostles are giant rock stacks of varying heights in the Southern Ocean which began forming 20 million years ago when erosion gradually began whittling away the limestone cliffs of Port Campbell.

BTW, the collapse of the Apostles took place on the same day the U.S. fired a missile into Comet Tempel I.

Apologies for the detours. Here's the promised story:


Posted on Mon, Nov. 28, 2005

Pieces fall from Supreme Court facade

ANDREW BRIDGES Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A basketball-sized piece of marble molding fell from the facade over the entrance to the Supreme Court Monday, landing on the steps near visitors waiting to enter the building.

No one was injured when the stone fell. The chunk of Vermont marble was part of the dentil molding that serves as a frame for nine sculptural figures completed in 1935. The piece that fell was over the figure of Authority, near the peak of the building's pediment, and to the right of the figure of Liberty, who has the scales of justice on her lap.

Not much interp required here, eh folks?

U.S Supreme Court . . . supposed protectorate of American freedom, Consitutional guarantees, etc. . . . Authority itself crumbling . . . Lady Liberty disintegrating, her scales unbalanced . . . don't take a prophet to figger this 'un out.


A group of visitors had just entered the building and had passed under the pediment when the stone fell at 9:30 a.m. EST.

Jonathan Fink, a government attorney waiting in line to attend arguments, said, "All of a sudden, these blocks started falling. It was like a thud, thud."


Government Attorney Fink -- speaks for itself!


Ed Fisher, a government worker, said some of the marble pieces shattered, spraying the terrace four floors below the pediment with smaller chunks of stone. A group of students from Columbus, Ohio, tried to pocket some of the fragments as souvenirs, Fisher said.

"A few of us attempted to. The police officers were like 'you have to put that back,'" said Sarah Rosenblum, 13, a member of the 8th grade class.
A short time later, workers loaded the roughly 40 pieces into plastic fruit crates and carried them away. Architects estimated a 12 inch by 10 inch piece broke off from the pediment, Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said.

A structural engineer and photographer from the Architect of the Capitol's office planned to use a lift to inspect the pediment, Arberg said.
The weight of the chunk was not immediately available. However, a cubic foot of Vermont marble weighs 172 pounds, said Robert Pye, director of the Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor, Vt.

Earlier in the morning, dozens of people had lined up in hopes of getting a seat for arguments inside the court - a practice that is not unusual. Justices were back on the bench Monday following a two-week recess.
The fallen marble lay directly in the center of the path up to the court entrance.

Hmm . . . well, a random placement, no doubt.

:O)

Thank god America doesn't trust in god, otherwise we'd be hard-pressed to dismiss this little incident and all go on about our Business . . . which in the case of the Supreme Court this week, just happened to concern abortion.


The 70-year-old Supreme Court building is undergoing a $122 million, five-year renovation project, although it is unclear whether the accident was related to that work. The project includes an underground two-story police station.




It's so quiet in the ruins walking though the old town
Stones crumbling under my feet I see smoke for miles around
Oh it's enough to make you weep, all that remains of the main street
Up in the park on sunday, dogs chasing and the children played
Old man with his head down, can't see nothing more around...no

But he remembers how it used to be, back in the old days,
So nice to see you coming back in this town again
It's nice to see a friendly face come peeping through
having teaIn the afternoon,
so nice to see you coming back in this town again

Ah but it's all changed winter turned on a man
Came down one day when no-one was looking and it
Stole away the land, people running scared, losing hands
Dodging shadows of falling sand, buildings standing like empty shells
And nobody...helping no-one else

Young child with his hands high, ain't able to see no reason why...no
But he remembers how it used to be, back in the old days,
So nice to see you coming back in this town again
It's nice to see a friendly face come peeping through
You'd better know what you're going through now

You came back here to find your home is a black horizon
That you don't recognize, evil destruction has taken everything
You'd better walk on the side while you're still walking
Just keep on walking on down the street keep your distance
From the people you meet. oh lord and you'd better watch your eyes'cause if smoke gets in them, baby you won't rise again.

Where's it leading to? freedom at what cost?
People needing more and more and it's all getting lost
I want back, I want back
Back to the time when the earth was green
There were no high walls and the sea was clean
Don't stop that sun to shine, it's not yours or mine...no.


"Ruins" (Cat Stevens)