Video - Flagman

Some people think that patriotism's bad and some people think that patriotism is dead.  My friend Kevin sent me this video which in this case certainly proves both thoughts wrong.  It takes about 2 1/2 minutes to find out why.  http://www.youtube.com/embed/TNJ9umv10EM?feature=player_detailpage

Sunday's Column - Laband

The San Bernardino Sun is moving its headquarters to the center of the city.  In the process, they seem to have been unable to put my weekly column on line so you are unable to read this week's effort.
It was about a visit to the Laband gallery which is located in the Loyola Marymount University in Westchester, near LAX.  At the time I visited, they were hosting an exhibition by a Japanese artist who uses the entire floor area to make seascape designs of salt.
One of the interesting things about university galleries is that they do show some of the most extreme forms of art around, and this was no exception.

Moto Yamamoto producing his seascape out of salt

Right Track - Ineptocracy

Sent to me by my friend Jim in Pasadena.

INEPTOCRACY (in-ep-toc’-ra-cy)-a system of government where

the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of

producing, and where the members of society least likely to

sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and

services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing

number of producers.

Tirade - Petreus

Once again one of the powerful and influential has been caught with his pants down - literally!  General David Petraus has admitted to an affair and resigned from his post as chief of the CIA.  However having covered the story, the media now considers it fair game to dig and dig for more and more sleaze.  Would that they showed the same zeal in digging for information on our esteemed president!  But no, there is nothing titillating about an academic career and an odd birth certificate and old girl friends etc. etc.
So now for the next conceivable future we are to be bombarded about what went on between two consenting adults and what will happen to the wife who has shared 37 years of marriage with this man.  So a powerful man has had an affair!  Is this really news now that he's done the decent thing?  Come on People!

Music Track - Marlene

I saw an old WWII movie the other evening.  Marlene Dietrich was in it and during the playing of this song, she explained that although it was played by both sides in the war, the German version was far more poignant.  Here it is in German sung by the great lady herself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO0lUXnAs-U  If you care to hear the English version sung with her customary clear diction, try Vera Lynn's.  It's on the same U-Tube page

Collars

Having just written three posts about men's suits, I got to thinking about some of the other oddities that we used to wear when I was a lot younger.  So this post is about collars.  Most men up until the late sixties kept separate collars in their wardrobes.  Now in these days it's hard to imagine that shirts were often worn for several days at a time.  In fact often for seven.  In order to preserve the appearance of freshness the collars were removable and usually very stiff.  In the UK there was a company called Collars of Wembley, whose entire business was to collect a box of seven collars from a house, launder them and return them a week later while collecting another batch.  You therefore had to have 14 in order for the system to work.  The collars were attached to the shirt by a front stud - usually quite long - and a back one which was much shorter.  They were extremely smart, if a trifle restricting.  I can only image the horror if I were to try and get my 17 year-old grandson to wear one today!  I believe that separate cuffs were sometimes worn in the past too.  However even I, at my hugely advanced age, can't remember them.

The only wearers of collars these days!

Road Runners

We spent some time recently at our vacation home.  It's at the other end of the valley and is a totally different atmosphere from the pine filled alpine setting we normally live in.  At Baldwin Lake it's high desert and even the fauna changes.  We have rattlers there and the birds are different too.

A Road Runner on grass - not its normal surface

While I was there one day sitting on the deck I saw a Road Runner cross in front of me.  I've never seen one before up here, although they are often around in the lower desert locations.  They are funny looking.  About 2 1/2 feet from beak to tail end they are somewhat scruffy.  They don't fly much as they're not very good at it, but they can run with a top speed clocked at about 26 m.p.h.  The bird I watched ran one way and then another; I waited but there was no Wile E. Coyote behind him!

End of Summer

It may have happened officially some time back, but the real alert for the end of summer is when the boat comes out.  This year I decided to go mean and wrap it myself, after it was steamed cleaned.  Up here, we have to plan for snow and sometimes quite a lot of it, so there's no use throwing a tarpaulin over and hoping for the best.  So here is the first stage - a skeleton of wood and fiber tape.

Please note the little Styrofoam pads on the tops of the uprights as they stop the tarp from coming through.

Almost finished, we just need to put a little duct tape on some of the seams.  Other than that we're ready for winter.  Bye-bye summer!

Video - Lone Ranger

My friend Van sent this to me; I think it's pretty funny - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfpZsue5vas  It takes about 3 1/2 minutes.

Sunday's Column - Bus Rides

If you're tired of doing all the driving to reach some of the places I write about, then why not climb aboard a nice air-consitioned bus and have some else do all the work. The City of San Bernardino runs bus trips to interesting places about five times a year and they are very well organised.  There is one coming up next Saturday to the little town of Julian.  You can read all about the upcoming trips and get all the details at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

Tirade - parking lots

Is it just me or are parking lots becoming more and more dangerous?  Let's face it out on the highway we have a lot of rules that most of us obey.  But in the shopping parking lot, it's total anarchy.  It's every man and woman for themselves. Cars come at you from every direction and pedestrians who were a few moments ago motorists themselves, or about to become so, become enemies of vehicles, and walk aimlessly about in front of moving cars with impunity.
The other day I saw a man drive in front of another and both were determined it was their right of way.  It was quite amusing for us bystanders as tempers were lost and rude gestures thrown.  Can someone come up with some rules, please.  Come on People!

Right Track - Results

The results are in and it shows that the USA has decided it wants to join the other parts of western civilization and go socialist.  As a staunch conservative I naturally regret this having lived under socialist rule for some time.  I came to the USA to get away from it and yet now it has become the desire here.  More people now want to be taken care of than do it for themselves.  As the government expands, it is well to remember that it is only reducing the opportunity to grow the private sector and therefore its ability to produce wealth.  Eventually therefore there will not be as much money to go around and standards will fall.  As life is no longer like it was in the 50's and 60's it will never be the same again from now on for most people.  We shall wait and see.

Music Track - Barry

The other week I posted the theme song for the new James Bond Picture - Skyfall.  It had definite overtones of John Barry's original theme and got me to thinking about the great British movie composer who died in 2011 at age 77.  Here is a clip from a movie I've never even heard of, Fred and Cyd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baqwoXGwA3Q&feature=related

Suits - three

The final post about men's suits is about their care and handling.  It was generally believed that having the suits dry cleaned ruined them.  The best way was to have them "sponged and pressed."  This meant dabbing at them with a wet sponge and then applying a hot iron over a damp cloth.  It certainly revived any tired fibres.  But the truth of the matter is that over time, and this could mean years, the suit took on all the pollution that was in London's air.  Everybody smoked, including the wearer, there were coal fires and lots of exhaust fumes covering a suit every day it was worn.  But having it dry cleaned seemed to knock the stuffing out of it.  In truth all the pollutants were removed giving it an unaccustomed soft feel which men thought had altered it in some way.
One firm, University Tailors, had a business where they would call once a month, take away the suit, repair any small tears, replace any broken or missing buttons and care for it.  I used them for a year and they certainly helped with my suits.
I wonder what they did to stay in business, when everybody opted to wear jeans every day?