Ireland

My very first business trip "abroad" was to Ireland.  I had to visit a large newspaper there and I confirmed my visit some days before, as it entailed aircraft and other means of transport.  On the day I arrived I checked into a really nice hotel which I now believe has gone.  And the very next morning at 8:30 sharp a taxi took me off to meet my prospective customer.  Imagine my surprise when the receptionist told me she thought that the man was not in that day.  She checked with his secretary and was told he had gone to England and wouldn't be back until the morning!

For all that, Ireland is an interesting place and particularly Dublin.  Above is one of the thousands of colored doors in the city, and is very typical.  It is a Georgian city and has a certain elegance about it.  Unfortunately the same cannot be said of its climate!

Movies

My friend Paul, in England suggested to me that I might list over the next ten weeks, my favorite movies.  So starting next week, I'll list them in order from number ten to my favorite one of all time.

So you'll recognise the post with this little sign.  In the meantime however, we have recently been to see a couple of films which were not bad at all, although they don't make the top ten list.

As usual, when we go to the cinema, we get quite a few trailers ahead of the feature and they can mostly be divided up into three types: a) films designed for ten-year olds and which are mostly cartoons, b) films designed for 19 year-old youths who have just discovered sex, and c) movies starring creatures covered in slime.

None of these categories appeal to us so our jaunts to the movie theater are fairly limited.  We did however go to see Woody Allen's latest, Midnight in Paris and although it was rather fanciful, it was an entertaining movie and if you happen to like Paris, it has a lot of great cinematography.

The second film we saw was last weekend.  It was The Debt, and starred Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson.  It was an adult film, but not in the pornographic sense.  The plot was clever and the action kept you glued to the screen, which is not that easy to say these days.  Next week, number ten on the list.

V.A.T.

I heard a commentator the other day suggesting that the time had come for an additional tax on things we buy.  Surprisingly, this is a normally quite conservative fellow and I think he is very much misinformed on the matter.
A great number of countries have now introduced a Value Added Tax into their systems, and I did a little checking on the history in England of such a beast.  It began in April 1973 at a lowly 10%, I actually remember it quite well.  Not surprisingly, the government at the time was socialist as those boys really do like to tax the heck out of as many people as they can!
I'm going over there in November, and recently I checked on hotels in London - always a lot of sticker shock for a place where I used to live.  Apart from the overall cost, one now has to add on an additional 20% for VAT.  So, Mr. Commentator, be careful what you wish for, or start adding 20% onto everything you  buy.  As you know, taxes once levied are virtually never removed and only go up.  Out here, I'm sure such a tax would begin quite modestly, say 1% or 2%, but how long before it reaches European levels?  FYI in Greece, it's 23% - that should give Ms. Pelosi chills of pleasurable expectation!

Human Time Clock

This was sent to me by my friend Stan in England the other day.  It's a fascinating little clock - both digital and analog.  You click on the center to change the type.  It was suggested that the time was in British Summer Time but it worked for me out here on the Left Coast.
http://lovedbdb.com/nudemenClock/index2.html

Sunday's Column

This week is the first of two articles about our day trip to San Diego's Wildlife Safari Park.  We spent all day there and there was so much to see that the piece had to be split in two.

Our first tour was aboard some Segways, about which I've written before.  But it gave us a good chance to see around the perimeter of the park and learn about the various animals from our Segway guide, Laurel La.  The picture here is of a herd of Gaur Cattle from India.  They look pretty relaxed sitting out on the grass, but unlike most cattle, they are extremely dangerous.  You wouldn't want to just wander into their territory.  You can read the entire column at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

9/11

As with hearing about the death of JFK, everyone remembers where they were on 9/11.  In my case I was staying with my youngest son, Simon, in Los Angeles.  Evan was quite a small boy then, and used to eat his breakfast watching cartoons until he left for school at about 7:10 a.m.  As soon as he left we turned the TV channel to ABC, and immediately I knew that something was wrong as the late Peter Jennings was broadcasting.  They only used him at that time for serious stuff instead of the normal Good Morning America crew.  Within moments we saw the second plane crash into the buildings.  I knew we were under attack.
I had an appointment to visit Griffith Park Observatory high above the city that morning, but having seen what had occurred I thought it was best to get out of Dodge as soon as possible and, we hightailed it to the mountains.  My fear was that LA would also be on the target list, as we had no idea how big this would be.  I was quite certain that Big Bear was not on that list!
That evening we repaired to our local, and eventually things returned to normal, although none of us would ever be quite the same.
A week ago the date was September 3rd, the day that in 1939 Chamberlain declared war on Germany.  I was two weeks old, and I have to say that I am so very tired of war and all its horror.
At the bottom is a picture taken from Griffith Park when I eventually went there - it was about five years later.

Hollyhocks

We have very poor soil here; no doubt living in the mountains on granite is the reason.  However we have put upgraded earth on some of the beds and we have a nice range of flowers that come up every summer.

That is with the exception of the hollyhocks.  All over the area, hollyhocks grow in great profusion and often reach up to five feet high.

But not with us.  And it's not like we neglect the little beasts.  We water them and cosset them, but after six years of effort this is the best we have managed so far.  A poor stunted little thing but at least it has managed it's first flower this year.

She Who Must Be Obeyed is constantly aggravated by the sight of a group of them just up the road growing healthily with absolutely no care at all.  Go figure!

Music Track - Big Band

In a couple of weeks, S.W.M.B.O. and I are going off an a small cruise.  It's an interesting week and I'll report on the itinerary later on.  But one of the things we will certainly do while on board is to have the occasional dance.  As I've reported before, I consider our civilisation began its decline when people stopped dancing together - a point I'm quite happy to debate at any time!
Like most of our generation we were taught to dance in our teens, and the lessons mostly stuck with us over all these years.  So at some time we will find ourselves in front of a band like this and will happily do a few turns of the floor.  This is a foxtrot for those of you keeping score.  I have no idea who any of these people are, but they sound pretty good to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABJohvS0vyY&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL6DB835E4F9AABF29

Scully

We're coming down to the end of the baseball season.  We still have the playoffs to look forward to, although our team the LA Dodgers are well away from any glory this year.  They have not played particularly well although they have two wonderful players in the pitcher, Kershaw, and the center fielder, Kemp.  Someone said the other day that both of them were much too good to be Dodgers!  Rather a harsh comment, but true.

This is Wrigley Field in Chicago, I think.  Home of the Cubs.

 There have been few problems with the team this year.  Manny has long gone, and the new manager, Don Mattingly seems to know what he's doing.  The problems all have come from the unfortunate divorce proceedings of the owners, the McCourts.

These two overly rich people have milked the coffers of the team and although I don't know the entire story, Major League Baseball has had to come in and rescue the team, even though these two remain the owners.  It's been a nasty business, but someone has to pay for Mrs. McCourt's $5,000 haircuts.  And their many homes and private jets!  The fans have been staying away and the gate is down about 30%.

One great thing however, is that the broadcaster, Vin Scully, has agreed to stay on for yet another season.  He is 84 this year and has been calling the Dodgers for over sixty years.  Remarkable!  He brings an elegance to the game and a knowledge that is not just statistically driven.  He no longer goes beyond Denver to do his work and lets the other ones do it.  But they need two and they never stop gabbling.  Vin knows how to leave a little silence from time to time.  He is irreplaceable.

For my British friends with long memories he is the equivalent of John Arlott.  Irreplaceable!

Aging

I was on a long drive the other day and had to opportunity to listen to some radio.  On one program the host posed the question: Is the aging process tougher for men or women?  He began by saying that he thought that although there were many variables, he felt that women suffered the most, because of the looks aspect of their lives.

Over the course of an hour, several listeners called in with their views and slowly the host admitted that his opinion was beginning to change.  By the end of the hour, he said that he now felt that men suffered the most.  Of course, people are all very different as are their circumstances, but what do you think?

Wimpification

I heard a teacher talking on the radio the other day.  She was talking about the "wimpification" of her young boy charges.  I've been aware of this going on for several years and I don't think it's doing anyone any good.
Some years back I read a book called Iron John.  It talked about how we were one of the few societies that did not give their young men a chance of earning their manhood by performing some small act of bravery.
In my generation it was conscription, and although I didn't go into National Service, I was well affected by being surrounded by so many that did.
Today, young men join gangs to get that rite, or earn it on the sports field.  No matter how much "progressive" thinkers try to stop scoring, the kids know who won and by how much.  You can't stop the natural competitiveness of boys.
You may be wondering what the picture above has to do with this subject, but the teacher on the air used a phrase that I had not heard of before.  She said one of the problems she faced was that boys are not allowed to show their spirit, because many of their parents are "helicopter" parents.  They are hovering around the boys lives all the time.  I don't think it's a good trend to be texting their kids all the time, but that is what it seems to be happening.

Sunday's Column - Rte 66

Some of the exhibits at the Route 66 Museum in Barstow are quite funny.  However you view America's Mother Road however, it is always a fun trip to go in and have a look around there.  I've been several times and always enjoy my visits.
There is a constant stream of visitors to the museum and many of the come from abroad.  There is something about the road that draws people to it even though it's been closed for many years as an official highway.  Tourists still drive from one end to the other.  I stopped one day a few miles to the east and a crowd of Harley riders stopped as well.  Nothing unusual about that except they were all German and were riding the 2000 miles as a group.  You can read the entire column at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

Amsterdam

One of my favorite cities is Amsterdam, in Holland.  I was fortunate to spend quite a bit of time there in the 70's and the 80's.  This view is about as typical as you can get of the water, the bridges and the buildings.

The city is build around three semicircular canals and it's one of the most confusing places to drive a car.  Everywhere you look there is a canal, a church and a bridge.  It makes navigating pretty hard.

The city is crammed with little eateries, pubs and museums.  You can spend days and days going around the galleries of art, and they even have a red light district!

Just writing about it I'm thinking I could go a coffee in the American Hotel right now.

A few weeks ago on August 4th, it was the sad anniversary of the arrest of Anne Frank in 1944.  She was 15 and died eight months later in Bergen Belson concentration camp.  She and her family had been in hiding for two years in a secret annex above an office in Westerkerk, Amsterdam.  Like most visitors I have visited her museum and found it chilling to imagine her life locked away before they were all betrayed.  Her crime?  Being a Jew!

These houses are typical and the posts sticking out from the tops are for hauling up furniture as the stairs inside are usually very steep and narrow.  You could not build these types of houses these days as they would certainly not be up to code.
If I could get used once again to rainy gray weather, and wanted to live in a city, then Amsterdam would have to be near the top of the list.  I've got the bicycle which is the best form of transportation.

But I don't think I could go back to that weather, as I would miss the mountains so much.  And there are no mountains in Holland!

Touch Pad

This is not a Touch Pad but its main rival the iPad.

The perspicacious Mrs. Summons was on the phone the other day to Hewlett Packard to purchase some cartridges for our small printer. The rep offered her one of their now defunct Touch Pads for $99 (including shipping overnight).  At that price, she could not resist the offer, and I have to say it's a fine piece of kit.  We keep it on our coffee table and use it for looking up things on the 'Net.
Lots of people have bought, and are delighted with its main rival the iPad, and so far I can't see much of a difference, having used them both.  The Touch Pad has some odd procedures however that take some getting used to.
But there has to be someone at HP looking for a job.  How could you bring a product like this to market, go through the entire manufacturing process, advertise it on TV (no cheap deal) and then withdraw it after only 48 days?
I noticed the Touch Pad when it was advertised, and wondered if it might be a less expensive alternative to the iPad as I could see the use for it.  But it was priced about the same and also for some models a little higher.  This was not good marketing on the part of the firm.  My experience of American companies is that they are dynamite at getting all the sums right for this type of product.  What could possibly have gone wrong?  I would not be happy if I was a shareholder.
Now I'm no genius at this type of thing, but let's imagine that as they are selling off their entire stock for $99, why not start off selling a few thousand at that price as an introductory offer, then increase the price once you have got some market share.  They would have been no worse off and they'd not have to slink off with their heads hanging in shame.  You can be sure that some people there are changing their resumes to exclude any reference to the Touch Pad!