After this week, I officially put Albert Wahrhaftig on my list of Most Interesting People Ever Who Aren't Celebrities, Mythological Figures, Or Icons Of One Variety Or Another. I may even put him on my list of People I Would Like To Have Cook For Me, and the very short list of People I Envy For Being Able To Play The Clarinet. Now, he will definitely be on my longer list of People Who Are Much Smarter Than Me But Who Would Probably Still Cook For Me And Maybe Play The Clarinet If I Asked Nicely. He just seems the type.

Albert is just the coolest guy. As I put this together, I found myself reading every entry to my husband. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and add him to your own favorite list (as I'm sure you all have) of Cultural Anthropologists Who Also Enjoy American Idol.

His fellows RCGroups authors are the interviewers here.

iphone: hi-tech piece of technology or really expensive piece of plastic? Couldn't care less. To tell the truth, i wish cell phones had never been invented.

What is the one RC related thing you have wanted for the longest time? If someone would just produce a Mac flight simulator, I probably wouldn't get out of this chair for weeks at a time.

What is your dream job? Job schmob! I'm retired and loving it. And working on more things than I ever did when i was 'working".

What plane or type of plane would you most like to be assigned for review? I reviewed a Ripmax Spitfire, and I think it is the best behaved and most real looking in flight plane i have ever had, so anything that can match that is aces with me. I haven't done a scale biplane of the Waco persuasion, and I would like to build it, not have it ARF.

Have you ever flown gliders and if so slope and or thermal? Lots of sunny Sundays flying slope on the Sonoma County hills behind Sonoma State University where I taught for many years. There used to be a pleasant crowd there, too, but then a couple of officious types decided to enforce all sorts of questionably necessary rules, and now the membership has pretty much drifted away. Let that be a lesson to you, folks.

Where is the most unusual place you have flown? Many years ago all my planes were 1/2A pulse proportional single channel types, and I lived on a property surrounded by redwoods with no clear land for landings. Good landing = pluck it out of a manzanita bush. Bad landing = go by the next door neighbor's climbing spurs.

What is the best food dish you prepare? I love Thai food. and back when there weren't Thai restaurants all over the place, I used to cook Thai from scratch - made my own coconut milk, my own curry pastes, etc. Now you can get all that stuff ARF in any Oriental grocery. So probably what I'm best at is whipping up something fairly tasty from leftover and whatever else happens to be around.

Have you ever crash landed a RC plane in a grape vineyard? There's someone who hasn't?

What plane do you fly the most now? My Ripmax Spitfire and my Graupner Elektro Kadett with my Lanier SE5 in between.

What plane do you no longer have that you wish you still did? The Ace Tigerkitten that launched my celebrity here on eZone. I have a kit tucked away. One of these days I'll build it, replacing the Astro cobalt 05 with brushless and the nicads with lipolys (and adding some washout). It is a true classic.

What full-size plane do you wish someone would kit? The Grumman Skyrocket. Rabid Models does kit a profile foamy that I reviewed, but I would enjoy a more scale version, and I have never seen a model of a Bell Airacuda - twin pushers and three cockpits, what a hoot!

Do you build kits or is it all ARFs now? When is the last time you saw a kit? I build them when I can get them. Actually I am now building a Caudron Aiglon from a short kit. Look for a review one of these days.

What's your shop like? I'm lucky. I have a big one in a walled off portion of the back of my garage with a nice view from my workbench. It is overcrowded with stuff I should have junked years ago. How many Speed 400 motor in various stages of decomposition does a guy need anyhow? And never mind all the dead nicads.

What's the most ridiculous stereotype people have about California or Californians - and is it actually true? Well, there's the whole stereotype that everyone in Marin County passes their lives getting massaged with peacock feathers except when they are cavorting in their hot tub, but that's just Marin County. My wife was born in Brooklyn and to her, it is as though all Californians are in slow motion, but that's just because New Yorkers are all hyperactive.

What are your other hobbies / sports / enthusiasms? It used to be Aikido, but I'm too old and lame to do it now, though I dream of returning to the dojo. i like bike riding. I am skilled at hypnotherapy. I play the clarinet in three different bands (old fashioned bands that do band concerts, though I would love to play in a swing band). i am writing a book about a very unique charter school. At the end of the month I'll head for Oklahoma to a conference put on by the Cherokee Nation where I have been invited to talk about what it was like to do research there in the 1960's. And in my spare time....

What job other than yours would you like to have attempted? I used to have fantasies about opening a restaurant.

How you pronounce your last name? War-hof-tig. In German, the root "wahr' mean truth, more or less. We are a Jewish family and my relatives tell me that in the old eastern European communities there were marketplaces, and where there are markets there are buyers and sellers, and where there are buyers and sellers there are arguments. There used to be an official in the market whose job it was to resolve such disputes. He had to be a person who was honest and truthful, and he was the wahrhaftig. That is, wahrhaftig was a title like mayor or senator. Anyway, that's what the old folks told me.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Barcelona. Great city, great people, a rich culture, a feast of fantastic architecture (Gaudi!) and a delicious cuisine. Plus the climate is pleasant and the rest of Europe is at your doorstep.

Have you ever bought a latte from Peets or Starbucks? No. Just a plain cup of coffee is fine by me. I did buy some Peets stock though just because Starbucks annoys me. When it comes to investing I am a contrarian.

Where is your favorite place to get your RC supplies and such? Red Jensen closed his Hangar One Hobbies and I miss him. "Porky" (yeah, that is what he calls himself) just opened a hobby shop in Sebastopol and I wish him the very best of luck. I buy local when I can.

What was your first girlfriend's name? Sharon, everyone called the one I really miss "Buggs". Haven't seen her for something like 50 years. Maybe I ought to give her a call. Should we start a poll on that question?

Have you ever been ticketed for speeding? Too often, and I never thought I was going fast.

What is your favorite TV show, if you have one? I confess that I get hooked on American Idol. Mostly the wife turns the TV on and if it is something that is well written i'll watch (House is OK and I really liked Friday Night Lignts), but if it features chicks that talk with God, ghosts, or psychics, I'm off to the workshop.

Do you mind telling us a little about your immediate family? Well, none of them are in the witness protection program. One daughter, one son, both in their thirties, both are DINKS (dual income, no kids) so no grandkids so far.That aside, I couldn't be prouder of them or have more fun when I''m with them.

Do you love coconut or hate it? Licorice? I like coconut, especially as used in Thai dishes, but too much upsets my stomach, and I like licorice. Love I reserve for animate critters, and I think that is the weirdest question of the day.

How often, if ever, do you go down to San Francisco? Seldom, and shame on me. I'm getting terribly parochial. However, Sunday one of my god daughters is coming from Mexico for a visit. She is presently in the US for a year to learn English and video editing so she can work with us. So we'll will "do" San Francisco together.

Do you like a good burger now and then or can you live without them? Not only do I like a good burger, and In and Out is a bargain when it comes to that, but I admit to an addiction to McDonald's sausage biscuits.

Have you ever brought back anything from your trips to Mexico that you er...kinda smuggled in? Regardless of the retired lawyer's advice, I have er...brought in.... avocado leaves. They have a unique flavor quite unlike California avocado leaves and really sing a tune when used in Mexican barbecue and Mexican tamales.

Who is your favorite actor and why? Woody Allen. Why? He's the same age as me, he plays clarinet too ( but better than me), and he's almost as neurotic as I am.

What was your first vehicle? What vehicle do you currently drive? First, a '41 Ford club coupe. Present, 1999 Miata 10th anniversary edition.

Ever tried Spam? Tried it, liked it.

What kind(s) of music do you like? Grateful Dead, Ragtime, Swing, both classic (Count Basie, Artie Shaw) and contemporary (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Squirrel Nut Zippers).

Do you own any pets? No. The wife has four cats. I can't stand them!

What was the last movie you have seen at the Cinema? The one about the rat chef in the French restaurant. i can't spell the title. Ratatatatatatat or something like that.

What's the biggest plane you've ever flown? A Piper Cherokee 140 in 1:1 scale.

What's the greatest experience you've had in your career as an anthropologist?Not getting killed, but that's a long story.

If you could only pick one plane to have, what would it be and why? I think I would get out my old ACE Tigerkitten kit and build it. It is a beautiful design. Come to think of it, retro seems to be in these days, and it definitely looks like an airplane from the Golden Age. Flies realistically, too.

Do you have a favorite sport? Does poker count?

If you had a camaro, would it be "bitchin'" and would you paint it purple? Me with a Camaro? You've got to be kidding. How about a classic E type Jaguar with American mechanicals in it.

Tell us about your job. I'm a cultural anthropologist who retired after 36 years of university teaching, but am still active as an anthropologist. Some of my work is in this country (working on projects for at risk youth through Social Advocates for Youth, writing a book about a truly outstanding charter school, etc.) but I also continue a long term partnership with Pacho Lane, a buddy and a videographer. We have made a series of videos about indigenous groups in Mexico. Go to http://www.docfilm.com and look at the section on Mexico to see samples of what we have been up to.

The following pictures are from a fiesta in the town of Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Every year during the fiesta of the Holy Cross, a very large group of dancers come from the town of San Miguel Almaya in the State of Mexico, bringing with the huge quantities of gifts for the Tepoztecans. They dance virtually nonstop for three days and during their dances they give their gifts to the spectators. Why they do this is a long story, but at least you can enjoy the pictures.

Angela, thanks for thore great pictures, I am from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, the land of mariachi and Tequila, but my wife, Mini is from Santiago de Pochotitan, Nayarit, this small town is near the Sierra Huichola, and keep some ancient traditions.

Thanks again to share the pics of my people, I really love it.

And congratulations to Albert for his great work.

Alfredo Rubio

Moderator of regional forum of RC Groups Mexico

They are just fantastic aren't they? I come back and look at them every day or so just because they are so wonderful. I'm glad you liked it!