Reparations

On Sunday Oct 3rd, Germany will pay the last of its debt for WWI - yes World War One!  The original total amount of $20 billion was agreed by the victors at the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919.  The terms, and for then, huge amount were almost certainly a major contributor to the Wiemar Republic's financial difficulties in the Depression, and caused the rise of Hitler.

The reparations were originally designed to pay for the rebuilding of many towns and villages in Belgium and France, but today the notes are held by several US financial institutions.  The last payment will be for about $100 million.  You can read about it all here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315869/Germany-end-World-War-One-reparations-92-years-59m-final-payment.html

Incidentally England payed her final "Lend Lease" debt to the US on December 31st 2006 - so don't any of you Yanks try and tap me up in the local boozer any more!  It's over!

Zzyzx

For motorists traveling back from Las Vegas along Route 15, you pass the town of Baker (Home of the world's tallest Thermometer!) and then a sign to Zzyzx Road - a curious name and one many people must wonder about.  It's my job to find out about these types of places and so I made the turn awhile back.

Currently it is the home of the Desert Studies Center and run by the State Education Department, but its history is quite interesting. 



The man made lake at Zzyzx

It was originally called Soda Springs, and was bought by a Dr. Curtis H. Springer in the mid 40's.  He was one of those larger than life evangelist/entrepreneur types.  He didn't like the given name, and as he was know to have the last word in any argument he invented the last word in the dictionary - Zzyzx!

For thirty years, Springer manufactured ointments and other odd health products, and also produced religious broadcasts.  However he had bought the place from the Federal government as a mining operation, but because he never mined there, the Feds confiscated it from him.  He was in some trouble with his taxes anyway.

Today, the center is used to study wildlife and the over 200 species of birds that come here to the underground source of the Mojave River.  It is also home to the Mojave Green Rattlesnake - not a nice chap to run into.  The pronunciation of the name is Zy as in Sigh; Zix as in Six - the accent on the first syllable.

Octoberfest

One of the more distressing stories I have had to do for The Sun was about five years ago.  I was aware of this phenomenon, Oktoberfest, going on in some undesirable part of the Valley, but I had never been to it.  I had an almost prophetic feeling that it was not for me.

But the call came: Would I go and "do" it?  Naturally being a "team player!!!!!" I went along and interviewed the originator, who professed to have been brought over from Austria by his parents, and began this about 30+ years earlier.  I have noticed that we have enormous numbers of Austrians out here and virtually no Germans, which is extraordinary!  I did the interview in the morning, and agreed to return later in the day to take some pictures.

It was simply dreadful.  There were hundreds of Americans dressed in lederhosen, with their women trussed into in the sort of frocks where the bosom is pushed up and out.  In the somewhat overweight this can be disturbing to say the least.  But perhaps the worst part was the appalling oom-pah-pah music being played by so-called musicians.  I could take the swilling beer, the bosom laden dresses, even the lederhosen - well maybe not the lederhosen.  But the bloody oom-pah-pah was enough to make the blood curdle.  And I though we had stamped out that sort of behavior in 1945.

Anniversary

I'm amazed to discover that I've just published my 100th post on this blog.  I started it on June 11th this year and I was not sure if I would rapidly run out of steam.  It seems not, as verbal diarrhoea appears to be in the character.

The first post I did was on our local Zipline and soon after there were rumors that it was being closed down due to some local code being broken.  Fortunately the ruling classes were mollified and the zipline continued.  Long may they zip.

My post on Wolves earlier was in fact the 100th post for anyone who is counting.  There are another two anniversaries coming up over the next four weeks.

WOLVES

Sunday's column was about the Wolf Sanctuary in Lucerne Valley.  We've touched upon this visit earlier and been amused at my grandson's reaction to Istas when the huge animal was let loose.  Quite an intimidating experience. You can read the column at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

This picture is of Segoni, who is quite old.  He's seeing out his retirement at the expert hands of Tonya Littlewolf, who runs the sanctuary with its 14 resident animals.  Tonya is half Apache and half Sicilian and has run the sanctuary since 1976.  It's always an interesting place to visit.

MUSIC TRACK

I've always had a fancy for Jim Steinman's dramatic songs - Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Bat Out of Hell, etc.  This one is sung by Bonnie Tyler and Kareen Anton - two good looking birds belting it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ1UbQDtpdQ&feature=related  Great to hear French as well.

Lohan

OK, I'll admit it; I do feel a certain sadness for poor Lindsay Lohan.  I know, I know she's a spoilt little brat who deserves what she gets.  But the prospect of jail for 30 days is pretty bad for someone who has lived in luxury with no discipline for a decade.  I'm unaware of the girl's resume, except that she's some sort of "star," and a little of my bolshie side enjoys the spectacle of the rich getting their comeuppance.  But can't someone help this poor creature?

It did seem to work for Robert Downey Jr.  He certainly hit rock bottom and appears to have turned the corner.  As Oscar Wilde said: "When you're laying in the gutter, all you can look at are the stars."  Unless of course, it's raining!

At the time of writing this, I note that Ms. Lohan was released from jail on a technicality, and I'm forced to wonder if the rest of us would receive such benign treatment.

Conducting

We watched a BBC program the other day.  Called The Choir, it was about a conductor taking a group of people through to their first public performance - none of them had sung before.

It just so happened that the final performance for this group was at Watford Town Hall.  It's now called the Watford Coliseum, for Heaven's sake - you can put a pig in a kennel but it doesn't make it a dog!  I digress.  The point of this was that it brought back a long forgotten memory of my first and only trip onto the conducting rostrum - at that very same venue, and before it had the new lofty title.

At about aged 8, I was given the massive responsibility of conducting my prep school's percussion band in some local competition.  My mother watched as I mounted the stage, took my place at the brass railed rostrum, and gasped as I almost banged my head during my initial bow.  She was terrified that I might move my feet during the performance and get even closer to the rail.  Fortunately, I once again avoided it at my final bow.  We did not win, and I never again took hold of the baton.  The joy of "playing the big instrument," as I think professionals call conducting, was left outside my future resume.

McDonalds

Having just enjoyed the annual Rte 66 parade and celebrations in San Bernardino, many will have been in the vicinity of the very first McDonald's.  It's located on E Street and it was here that two brothers, Dick and Mac, had their small eatery hauled from Arcadia on a flatbed trailer in 1940.

Eight years later they tired of their diner type business, and switched to burgers and fries at 15 cents and 10 cents respectively.  The place really took off.

In 1954 a salesman, Ray Kroc, from Illinois, came by to sell them some equipment.  He was amazed at their business, and suggested to the brothers the idea of a franchise back in Des Moines.  Seven years later, he offered them $2.7 million for the entire operation, and the rest as they say is history.  Today the company says it sells 52 million burgers everyday in 100 countries; 70% of the businesses are independantly owned.  The current site however, is no longer a McDonald's restaurant.  It was bought and restored by a Mr. Albert Okura, who owns a fast food chain himself called Juan Pollo.  He wanted to keep the site open as a museum and a monument to the original company that stood here and was the catalyst for so many similar places.

The Queen

I see that The Pope is visiting The Queen at the moment.  What an interesting thing to witness if you were the proverbial fly-on-the-wall.  Firstly, who bowed to whom?  Did they embrace?  I doubt it very much; after all no-one is supposed to touch Her Majesty, even though a large black lady in New York did manage a pretty big hug a few years back.  That must have caused ructions in the security detail.

Considering the the history going back 500 years to Henry VIII when the King broke with Rome in order to acquire a queen capable of producing an heir (fancying Anne Boleyn) - choose whichever version you like - it's not always been easy being Catholic in the sceptered isle.

Nonetheless when the two heads had a quiet moment, did they use English?  Perhaps German, or even French.  What did they talk about?  They dress alike, so maybe they discussed dress fabrics, and poured over swatches.  Is it me or does it all seem a little anachronistic?

NEWS

A friend emailed me the other day that he was fed up watching TV news because it was so depressing,  I thought that was a little too strong a reaction until I turned on the BBC for an international catch up.

In the 20-minute broadcast they managed to cover a stern talking to from the Pope about the secularisation of the world, then a statement from an obviously well-fed Pakistani politician that his people were not starving - this mixed with pictures of people fighting for food following the recent floods.

An interview with a Rwandan head of state insisted that there wasn't any real genocide in his country came just ahead of a piece on the stabbing assassination in London of a Pakistani politician in hiding there.  It looks like the Israeli/Palestinian talks have broken down again - what is that, the thousandth time in my lifetime?

The UN General Secretary (Ban Ki-Moon is it?), dressed in an immaculate silk suit, shirt and tie, (which I doubt he got off the rack at J.C. Penney) admonished us about the fate of starving people all around the world; he implied it was somehow my fault.  He was followed by an interview of a rather large woman, who was a member of America's new one in seven poor.  All in all an exhilarating roundup of news items.  Turning to the local channel I did see a story where someone had mixed up the DMV's office number with a porn site, which was upsetting callers who wanted to make an appointment to take a test.  So it wasn't all bad I guess!

NIXON LIBRARY

This week's column was about the Nixon Library in Loma Linda, CA.  I have been there many times and this time I was able to look over the actual helicopter that flew President Nixon around - he made over 500 trips in "Army One."  I was also priviledged to meet the actual pilot of this restored plane - Col. Gene Bower.  Among the world leaders he flew were two British Prime Ministers, Edward Heath and Harold Wilson.

Col Bower at 81, was a most interesting and gracious host during my visit.  I asked him to pose outside the doorway where the famous photo of Nixon's exit from the White House took place.  He readily agreed, but he said he was not going to give the famous double "V" for victory sign that Nixon made his own.

It was a sad moment for the country when Nixon had to stand down as it created an atmosphere of distrust that we still endure today.

The Nixon Library is always an interesting place to visit as it is an entirely maneageable place to look around.  http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/

"I was born in a house that my father built," was Nixon's often said statement.  The actual house is erected on the grounds of the Library - it was built from a kit.  Nixon is also buried there alongside his wife, Pat. They are both in the Rose Garden.

You can read the entire column at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

TIRADES

There is a new small feature called Trevor's Tirade at the bottom of the blog.  She Who Must Be Obeyed (S.W.M.B.O.) regularly has to tolerate my outbursts at various things that occur.  Am I the only one who shouts at the TV during news items? She mostly says: "Don't get yourself worked up!"  But in fact, it's one of the more enjoyable aspects of living a pretty long time - most of us older ones have seen it all before; and heard it too.

I note that there is no comment box available if you are upset at my thoughts in the Tirades, but please email me instead.  I'm sure there will be sufficient weekly outrage to keep this feature going - we'll see.

MUSIC TRACK

When I first saw the Fantasia version of Night on a Bear Mountain back in 1957 I had no idea I would be living a mile or two from a Bear Mountain in my life; such are the journeys we all take if we're lucky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0h6H_vcSKc

The word Bear is sometimes translated from the Russian as "Bald," so there is a little confusion.  Halfway to Los Angeles is a Mount Baldy so we're pretty much covered with the naming.  I like the comments on the You Tube page where someone says it's 19th century heavy metal music.  Also someone said that it was playing in their therapist's office, and it was distubing.