Julia Childs from Architectural Digest

I had just watched the movie JULIE AND JULIA a week or so back, when I ran into this from ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST. I half expected Julia to look like Meryl Streep who played her to a tee. (by the way where does that saying come from?) Take a look at the article with pictures.

Photographers Eye

A good example of 'the eye of the artist'. I love the contrasts of colors and shapes. See it and read about the shooter here.

After Life

From the podcast RADIO LAB, I found this show which is one hour long about life or more precise leaving life to that other or next world if there is a world. Take a listen.

Try to cut some of the fear of cancer down to size.

17 Years Later, Stage 4 Survivor Is Savoring a Life Well Lived Read this and believe.

Hazel, my wife and the victim of this damnable desease is a stage one. Compared to some, she is very lucky. She is doing well, but she will agree that the fear that accomplanies the realization is immoblizing. Read this and the accompanying sites and you will see that you don't all of the sudden live in a vaacum. It will help some. God bless you and good luck.

Buddy Morrow's NIGHT TRAIN

Buddy Morrow's NIGHT TRAIN. Enjoy.

The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden

Birth of the Glenn Miller Sound

From The Glenn Miller Story. I've read that the story is not factual, but I don't care. It is dramatic and puts you there when the Miller sound was created. It's amazing, he has been dead for over sixty years and copy cat groups still tour the land playing the music, the sound. I still like it.

Two by CLAUDE CORBIN:

The could-be theory

What's My Line

One of televisions longest running game shows that premiered when I was a teen-ager in 1950 can be seen on youtube. Take a look. It was just a game for games sake. Try to spoof the panel of celebrites. WHAT'S MY LINE ran for seventeen years with basically the same panel and a guest. Here you will see the premier and the last show and about sixty or seventy more. It is enjoyable and nostalgic.

What other bloggers are thinking and writing about. A woman who writes DOGWALK MUSINGS and lives in Idaho is thinking about Hillary.



Buyer's Remorse?

Stranger things have happened! With Obama's poll numbers continuing to slide, one might say that even Democrats are becoming disenchanted with the way his administration is conducting the business of the country. According to the L.A. Times he's barely holding his own against potential Republican opponents, whoever they might be. Heck, he only leads Ron Paul by one percentage point!

It's still early, though it seems troublesome that none of the Republicans seem to be gaining any sort of foothold. So Obama really doesn't have to worry, right? Wrong. Who is out polling every name mentioned? Hillary!

I've been debating with myself about the likelihood of Hillary challenging Obama. I think she just might. Where the Times suggests she's "free of political tussles", I don't agree. As Secretary of State she is steward of a weak foreign policy even if it's not her own. They are spot on, however, when they say she now has an "enhanced resume burnished on the world stage".

The one thing she needs to heed. Being true to the dictates of the administration when she strongly disagrees. If she disagrees. A recent example is the credibility lost by Colin Powell, another who could have been President, by buying into the Bush administration's stand on Iraq's owning weapons of mass destruction. He wasn't sure of the evidence but caved to administration pressures. Had he resigned I think he could have challenged Bush and perhaps won. I would suggest the same could be true for Hillary.

This is political theater that is fun to watch. If she steps down after the 2010 mid-terms I'd expect to see her run. You can expect all the denials that go with the territory. She would want to resign on her terms; have it her show; not Obama's.

I have a hunch she still has a burning desire to be the first woman President. I don't know if she'd be good or not. I think she'd have a very different Presidency than what we're living through now. I think she might right the ship of state to a less precarious angle.

I wasn't a supporter of Hillary, but in a sentimental sort of way, I'd rather like to see her achieve her goal. Especially if Sarah Palin were to be her opponent. Hillary had worked her entire life toward getting Bill to the Presidency. By the time that was achieved the political climate in the country had changed to the point a woman could, too, be a viable candidate and she set for herself a new goal.

I think she's earned at least another chance at it. Unlike Sarah Palin who was plucked from obscurity for reasons that have always eluded me; who's strength is the ability to deliver stinging one liners. No. The first woman to reach that height, if it's to be in my life time, should be Hillary. No one else has come close to climbing that mountain!

Are immigrants still welcome?

Are we still the land of the free? Do we still feel the same about the huddled masses yearning to be free?

I know I think of immigrants differently than perhaps the majority now, and I probably always will. There remains those of us born in the last years of the Great Depression who until we die off will not change our thinking. When we hear the term immigrants we (I) think of my grandparents who were immigrants. They were good people who contributed to the building of this country in many ways. Speech is over.

Secret decoder ring

I was going to write a short post about serials to accompany this current comic strip, but Don Potter says it just great.

I grew up listening to lots of radio shows, as did most pre-boomers. Around dinnertime there was "Captain Midnight" and "Jack Armstrong the all-American Boy," plus many other adventure series throughout the early evening. Around eight o'clock the comedies like "Fibber Magee & Molly" and "The Life of Reilly" came on. At nine were the dramas such as the "Lux Radio Theater." And, there were scary programs too; every time I hear a squeaking door today, I think of the opening of "Inter Sanctum."

The only time I didn't like radio was when I was sick and couldn't go to school; those syrupy soap operas were the only things on during the weekdays. Saturday mornings had lots of great programs, which I listened to until it was time to go see the double feature matinee at the local movie house. Sunday afternoons and evenings were also a good times for radio.

There were programs the family listened to, but the ones I enjoyed most were the ones I heard in my room on the old Crosley radio. It sat on the nightstand next to my bed and looked like a toaster with knobs compared to the big, wood grained Philco console downstairs. With no distractions, these programs played vividly in the theatre of my mind. Yes, I actually could use my imagination to envision situations that were bigger than life, travel to places at the other end of the earth, and experience encounters so real that the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up.

The escape was thrilling, but there was a price to pay. To be the first kid on my block to have a secret decoder or the Lone Ranger's silver bullet ring with a hidden message compartment, I had to send fifty cents and two or more box tops from the cereal brands sponsoring the shows to a special Post Office Box, and then wait. I worked off the money doing chores around the house, but the family ate stale Cheerios and Wheaties for a long time - far longer than it took to get my magical toy from some distant location like Battle Creek, Michigan.

I can't say whether life was better back then, but it sure was simpler. There were good guys and bad guys, and the difference was apparent. Something was sad or it was not. A joke made you laugh or it wasn't funny. No, I don't want to return to the past, but I'm glad I had the experience of growing up when radio was in its prime.

Don Potter, a Philadelphia native, was born in 1936 and is a 50 year veteran of the advertising agency business. Now living in Los Angeles, he has written two novels in retirement, frequently writes on marketing issues, and has a blog dedicated to pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945).

The old man observes: "Cold blooded retort young lady."

An Old Man's Observations

why do we like corny jokes?

Why do we like corny jokes? I admit I do. Is it because they are usually clean jokes or perhaps because they appeal to the lack of sophistication that resides right under our public persona? They’re usually brief, but then again not always. Maybe it’s because simple is best. A psychiatrist could write a paper on it I suppose. A medical doctor would tell you it’s good for your health to laugh. As they say in the vernacular of the day, Whatever. Just for an experiment let’s read a couple cornies. This is just an experiment remember so if you laugh it will help medical and psychiatry science.



A turtle was walking down an alley in New York when he was mugged by a gang of snails. A police detective came to investigate and asked the turtle if he could explain what happened. The turtle looked at the detective with a confused look on his face and replied "I don't know, it all happened so fast."

Hazel's Feelings

Hazel's Feelings

February 22 was my first radiation treatment appointment. I've never been so scared in all my life. I wanted to bolt out the door, run home, get into my chair, cover up, and never leave the house again. Obviously I did not run away. As my radiation oncologist had promised, the treatments were painless---I survived.

Monday April 12 was my 36th and final treatment. My support person, AKA my loving husband Jim and I had been going there for seven weeks and one day, so I entered with a happy heart knowing that it would finally be over.

Imagine my surprise when the final treatment was over, 'the stiff upper lip' collapsed and upon leaving the building-I burst into tears! Instead of being elated I was depressed the rest of the day and part of Tuesday. Fortunately those 'blues' have gone and 'happy' has returned.

I think it was the stress of coping with a nightmare from Christmas Eve until April 12 was finally set free.

I'M IN A FORTIES KIND OF MOOD TODAY.

Grand Central Station 1941

Bushido

I served in the military overseas in Japan 1956-57. Being very young and not the brightest bulb in the package I ran up against a conundrum. How could the Japanese behavior in peacetime be so opposite of what it was during the war years? I know they were a defeated army, but their overt behavior towards the American military was not what I expected. It wasn't until later in my life that I discovered a simple answer, what you don't know, you can discover by reading. The Jekyll and Hyde of the Japanese war behavior and their postwar conduct was explained in one word, Bushido.

Japanese Military Culture

At the outbreak of the Pacific war, the Japanese armed forces combined modern technology -- including ships and aircraft equal to or superior to their Allied equivalents -- with a military spirit that remained feudal. Termed Bushido (The Way of the Warrior), that spirit gave rise to behavior that Allied soldiers found bewildering as well as barbarous and fanatical.

Based on peculiar perspectives on Confucianism and Zen Buddhism, Bushido demanded unquestioning loyalty and sacrifice. The Japanese soldiers' written code ordered them to keep in mind that duty was "weightier than a mountain," while death was "lighter than a feather." Indeed, death was idealized as something to be welcomed. Thus, soldiers, sailors, and airmen willingly sacrificed themselves in banzai charges, kamikaze aircraft, and kaiten submarines.

Japan's leaders now believed surrender as unthinkable for Japanese and contemptible in enemies, thus justifying abominable treatment of prisoners after prior years of very decent treatment of prisoners (also attributed to Bushido). In keeping with the samurai tradition, they also revered the sword, which led to the beheading of their captives. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East blamed Bushido as a contributing factor in Japanese atrocities.

Atrocities were part of every major Japanese land operation and were directed against both combatants and civilians. The demeaning training and disciplinary regimes in the Japanese services featured corporal punishment and probably contributed to the brutality of their personnel. The Japanese army employed ruses that their enemies considered unacceptable, including wearing enemy uniforms, booby-trapping corpses, and feigning surrender in order to kill would-be captors.

The atrocities could be blamed on other reasons. The Japanese were fighting a losing war, combating insurgencies, and trying to survive amid starvation. However, the atrocities had begun when Japan was winning the war.

Japanese servicemen were repeatedly told that their martial spirit was superior to that of their materialistic enemies, who would eventually succumb. Initially, the combination of Japanese ferocity and skill was frighteningly successful. However, the ultimate defeat of the Japanese discredited their cultural prejudice.

Key Largo

In the forties Key Largo was a big movie. Radio was still huge, so listen now to Key Largo on the radio, and your imagination will provide the pictures.

Undoubtedly the most macho looking fighter at the beginning of WWII was the Curtiss P40 Warhawk better known as a flying tiger. The group was a voluntary American group assembled in China, headed by Gen. Clair Chennault.

Best actress award

I rented a few movies the other day. George Clooney's UP IN THE AIR, Sandra Bullock's THE BLIND SIDE, and Meryl Streep's JULIE AND JULIA.

I enjoyed all of them, but particularly Julie and Julia. I am always amazed with the talents of Meryl Streep. She is a chameleon, she becomes the character. George Clooney I thought underplayed his character to a tee.

The puzzle was Bullock's film. It won her the best actress award in all the movie award shows up to and including the Oscar. I like Sandra, and I liked the movie, but best actress performance for the whole year and better than Meryl Streep's Julia Child, I don't think so. The epitome of a best performance would be Spencer Tracy in GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER. That movie was loaded with best performances.

Oh well I shouldn't carp, I liked the movie, I like Bullock, but it just seemed a little too little for all the hoopla it got. It seemed liked a good TV movie.

Mountaineer

I did not intend to post more than one picture, but this one from www.fotocommunity.com was too good not to show. It was taken by Csomor László

Extremists

Good shooters can find good subjects every time.

Crosswords

Crosswords, one of my favorite things.

Absolutely Wonderful

This is absolutely wonderful. Watch this man conduct this orchestra. He is into every note, every drum beat. It is great. The orchestra and the audience knew it was one of those great moments.

Baseball life at the top and the rest of the pack

Oh how sweet it must be.

I used to believe in fairy tales when I was very young. I always thought that the good guy would be rewarded in the end. I always thought that good guys finished first. I used to think that baseball was the great leveler, that the good baseball player would be appreciated and rewarded for his achievements.

Well there are the NEW YORK YANKEES, and everyone else after them. I am a fan of a very old franchise that was around at the beginning of organized baseball, and that's a long time. Shoeless Joe used to play for us before he became shoeless. We (I use the collective term because as you all know misery loves company) have won a grand total of two world series.

Read the piece about the Yankees without growling and then think of my team who goes out there everyday and toils hard and achieves what? Nothing much. My team has played seven games this brand new baseball season and has lost five of them. The start of another normal season for my team and the many other teams who are in the same boat. The best they can hope for is to share somehow in the glory their best player will achieve when he becomes a free agent and the YANKEES open up their checkbook and well you know the rest.

Well I feel better now, so click the hyperlink on the top and enter the world that my team only dreams about.

The ordeal of radiation therapy is coming to an end for Hazel. Monday will be her 36th and final treatment. She tells me that the whole experience for her was much less traumatic than what she thought it would be. The God who is in charge of the dreaded side effects department dealt kindly with her she believes. Yes she has radiation burn. Yes, she has occasional flashes of pain. But it has not completely sapped her energy nor effected her ability to carry out her daily activities. The amount of actual time spent at the radiation center is minimal, and the flexibility of the scheduling should accommodate most people so they can continue their daily schedules as close to normal as possible.

On a personal note, I must say she has been very brave and has throughout the whole ordeal kept as the Brits say, a stiff upper lip. I, on the other hand, am damn glad it's over. At least this portion is over. Now she will have to start a pill regimen that is scheduled to last five years with dozens and dozens of side effects. Each person of course is different and what side effects will effect the individual is of course different.

Apache Dance

Watched Dancing with the stars last night which reminded me of the Apache dance. I grew up when they had many variety shows on TV and they would have apache dancers on frequently. Kind of different.

Technology is great, isn't it?

Which reminds me, I want to visit my local tech store and look at one of the new 3D televisions in action.

Isn't technology great. They just keep developing something new year after year. I'm still pondering the IPAD. I'm sure it's great, but does it have any new applications that are not already out on the market? It could be a Kindle clone with color, I like that. I understand it is light and pretty easy to handle. It's bigger which makes it nice on the old eyes. What am I doing going over the list of pro's and con's, I don't want to pay the price they want anyway.

The Conservative