Video - Rainbow Mountains

This is not a real video but a series of photographs you have to click through. http://www.parade.com/63549/linzlowe/where-in-the-world-are-these-incredible-rainbow-mountains/
I'm grateful to my friend Kevin for these wonderful shots of a place I had never heard about before.

Sweeney Art Gallery - Sunday's Column

This week we visit downtown Riverside, which has become quite the center of culture with five sites to easily walk to.  This includes historic Mission Inn, but initially we begin with the Sweeney Art gallery, which is showing an exhibition by New York artist, Amy Myers, whose large scale paintings are worth spending some time with.  Unfortunately my stupid program won't allow me to rotate Ms. Myers so you'll have to twist your head.  You can read the entire column at http://www.sbsun.com/lifestyle/20131026/enjoy-the-art-in-the-heart-of-downtown-riverside

Right Track - Ben Stein

I'm grateful to my friend Bob on the East Coast for this piece of insight by the great Ben Stein. It says it all.  I was also sent the same cartoon by Denise down in Florida.  Also Geoffrey in S/Bernardino.

Tirade - Liberals

The other day I got into a discussion with a liberal.  I try to avoid this as much as possible but from time to time, in spite of keeping away from such nests one falls in.  It was extremely frustrating as he was very cross about my positions.  I didn't give it a lot of thought until I heard someone quote the late great William F. Buckley.  He said: "Liberals claim to want to hear opposing viewpoints; then they are shocked and offended that there are opposing viewpoints."  I shall try to remember that in future, in the meantime, Come on People!

Music Track - Adams

I don't put a lot of modern "Classical" music on the Music Track as it can be quite hard to tackle.  But this piece is quite good fun.  It's A Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams and it was written less than twenty years ago.  It's typical of Adams with its chugging rhythms - no doubt influenced by Stravinsky.  It lasts 4:27 mins and the animations are quite good to go along with it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi4A9bPDvTc

The Wall - part 3

The wall is arranged in order of the casualties.  In other words the height of the wall is greater in the middle of the war and less at the beginning and the end.  Here is the final panel of the dates when the conflict ended -  just five names.  How tragic for their families to have this sad notoriety.

Batteries

The other day a friend was having trouble starting his motorcycle.  "It's the damned battery," he said.  I assumed that soon we would be making a stop at one of those motor supply shops that sell stuff.  But no, it wasn't what I thought.  It seems that Harley now produce key fobs so sensitive that if they are more than five feet away from the bike, the machine will not start.  The battery he was referring to was in the key fob and when it runs down the bike is neutralized.  Fortunately he had a spare with him and it was only moments before he replaced the offending small disc.  Problem solved.  But what if he hadn't got a spare?

Video - Bear Hunt

My friend Norm sent me this video.  It's about 5 minutes long but if you've not seen it before, it's fascinating.  How did they film this? http://www.flixxy.com/bear-animal-nature-film.htm

Keller Peak - Sunday's Column

We're supposedly in the middle of the fire season, but I think with a very early snow - about ten days ago - we might have actually dodged the bullet.  But nonetheless we can be sure that the people of Keller Peak are hard at work watching down from their high towers up in the San Bernardino Mountains.  There are several of these towers around the area and all manned by volunteers.  You can read the entire story at http://www.sbsun.com/lifestyle/20131019/you-can-see-forever-at-keller-peak-lookout-station

Right Track - Notices

I'm grateful to my friend Denise for forwarding this to me.  The subject had only vaguely crossed my mind before I saw it, but it shows the power of the bureaucracy.  It doesn't even matter which lot are "in" as it could be on either side. 

I have worked in the government on and off for 40 years. During that time I became quite familiar with requisitions, bidding, awarding contracts etc. It is a time consuming process with bean-counters and pencil-necked bureaucrats every step of the way. The simplest request takes months not days or hours.

In less than 8 hours of the shutdown, miraculously, professionally printed 3X4 foot signs appeared all over the country in the tens of thousands saying-“this [park, facility, etc. with custom logos] closed due to government shutdown.

There has not been a government shutdown in 17 years. These signs were designed, specifications were determined, signs were then requisitioned, bids were posted and vetted, government contracts were awarded. The materials were then ordered and the signs manufactured then distributed U.S. Mails or freight companies. This shutdown was orchestrated and planned well in advance at least 6-8 months ago. Millions of tax dollars were appropriated and spent in this process.

Tirade - Hugging

One of the first Tirades I posted was about hugging.  It solicited a number of comments and most of them suggested that in some way I was not getting into the spirit of modern communications.  The fact is that I'm not alone, and to quote a recent article on the subject, like the writer I find it a deeply unpleasant experience.  It's an invasion of personal space and frankly it verges on a form of personal assault.  Furthermore I believe it achieves no more than the traditional handshake of previous eras.  I can tell you that having been grasped by a total stranger on the first meeting (the guy runs a wool shop so what can you expect) I have become very wary of people - particularly men - who believe it is their right to grab me at an inkling.  Within the aforementioned article was a note that the worst of these modern invaders of personal space is none other than Bill Clinton.  It seems that once he has your hand it is almost impossible to break free of the next move, the all enveloping man hug.  It is something to be experienced it was said.  How awful.  Perhaps I should form a society of non-huggers with a very prominent badge of two embracing people in a circle with a red line across them.  Come on People!

N.B. The same revulsion does not apply to young attractive females!

Music Track - Schubert

Here one of my favorite impromptus is being played by the late great Vladimir Horowitz. It's about nine minutes of effortless playing by one of the true maestros of the piano.  This was also a favorite of my father, but he used to stop when he got to the difficult bit.  I don't blame him! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YWcVO9Mncw

The Wall - part 2

Along with the Vietnam memorial wall on its visit to Big Bear, there were other reminders on hand.  Like this one...

Over 58,000 died in that conflict, but there was another grim reminder of the past...

Over 365,000 dead in the Civil War, but I think that was only the toll for the north.

Dodgers!



Good view from wonderful seats

Thanks to our friends, Jodi and Shayne from Ohio, we had some wonderful tickets to watch the Dodgers play the Padres the other day.  We were very close to home plate and it took a little time to reorientate oneself to the different aspect.  It's been about ten years since we were there and they have spruced the place up quite a bit.  Rupert Murdock bought it some time back and put expensive seats closer to the center of things, but he wasn't a baseball fan.  Then along came McCourt who owned car parks - he was a disaster.  Now we have a consortium of sportsmen led by Magic Johnson, who owns the Dodgers and it shows.  Baseball is not a business like newspapers or parking lots. It needs some soul in its owners.  It was a great outing and the Dodgers made it even better by continuing their winning ways and beating their San Diego rivals 2 - 1.  Go Dodgers! 

It got dark and we were still there.  Great Lighting!

The team have recently won their first game in the post season by beating the Atlanta Braves.  Is a World Championship possible?  Hopes are high! 
Sadly in the sixth game of the post season against the St. Louis Cardinals our team was thrashed 9 - 0.  Still there's always next year!