My first book, "HILLSIDE HOMES" was such a success, I lost thousands of dollars. I will let you in on my secret. I’m not sure why I did my first book but I think some sage said " Everyone should build his own house, have children and write a book". I rue the day I heard that one. Anyway, knowing no one would want to publish this kind of book I decided to do it myself. My friend Katheryn helped Gary Snyder with his books on poetry, she convinced me to do one for myself. We put it together, I got all the photos & text in the right format, found a shop to do the color covers, one to print the rest, someone to glue it together, etc, etc. paid $8000 for all that, then sold a few once in a while. While each book cost me $8 each, I sold a few for $10. After a few years Amazon got onto it and started buying a bunch for $6 each wholesale. This way, I got rid of them and only lost $2 each. (Langworthy economics). Now I find they are available in the internet for $280!
Now for some obscure reason I have written another book, "EDUCATION OF AN ARCHITECT", pretty much my auto biography. Lots of good dirty stuff in it. Same scene; I just wanted to do a mock up of it so I took my manuscript, separated it into odd pages & even pages to get copies made, only to find that the copy shop wants it all together, so I had to put it all back to the original format. Now it’s all ready to print but I don’t know what to do with it. I’m designing a cover for it now. I want to put this behing me.
At the same time, I am pretty much finished with putting together a C-D of all my work; My Architecture, My drawings (40 years of unbuilt projects), My furniture, My modular work. I plan to sell this for $35 each, but since it’s on Windows format (Photo Show) it may be limited to Windows users, Macs I don’t know about. Hopefully there will be somewhere I can translate it for them.
Meanwhile, I just heard I was published in a book about "Mid Century Architects" and also mentioned in a book on "Organic Architects". I’ll keep you posted on those items.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Religion kills
I am really upset.
Someone had the brilliant idea to pick the current "7 wonders of the world" by using the internet and have nerds vote on them, just like American Idol, the current cultural beacon. All of the original wonders , picked around 500 BC, are long gone, except for the pyramid at Giza. Guess what happened! The idiot catholics of Brazil got to e-mailing (or be excommun icated?) everyone and told them to vote for "Christ the Redeemer" idol, a 130' tall reinforced concrete statue, built in 1930. Actually, leaving the catholics out of it , the other six choices were not too bad. The Collosseum, Tasj Mahal, Great wall, Petra, Machu Picchu and Chitzen Itza.
However, there is nothing later than 1632 (Taj) other than Jesus. This is telling us that the greatest undertaking by mankind in the last 400 years that is full of wonder is this stupid statue? Roebling's Brooklyn Bridge? Some great tunnel project? The Petronis towers? Eiffel Tower? The greatest Gothic church? Maybe it's like Mel Brook's 1,000 year old man says "Saran Wrap!". Yellow stickies? How about duct tape?
Regarding the leader of the entire world.
I have heard that Christians, Jews, Catholics but mostly Fundamentalist Xians litterly believe that the world was made by Mr. God pretty much about 6,000 BC. However, during the last few hundred years scientists have kind of established the earth to be around 4.5 billion years old, give or take a few million years. My really serious question
is this; Does King Bush II really believe this and that Noah got all the animals, bugs, cockroaches, mosquitos, and virus together in a small boat to float around for 40 days. He must realise that the water would have to be 29, 997.5 feet deep to cover all the mountains. Where did that amount of water come from? More important, where did it go? There are serious people still spending huge amounts of Euros still looking for an Ark. There seems to be a serious gap somewhere between billions of years and 8,000 years in these peoples belief systems.
However, I'm encouraged recently to see so many aethiests coming out of the closet, not so much that they don't believe in a supreme guy but that religion is responsible for so much of humanities misery.
I've just finished a book about the Knights Templar, and the 200 years war the Christians waged in the middle east. I've always wondered how all those thousands of knights were enticed to throw away their lives to go on a long trip (Years!) to capture Jerusalem from a group who had a little different take on old Jesus. It turns out to be a stroke of genius on the part of the popes (Pope Innocent III!!) . Just sign up for a crusade and all your sins will be forgiven. (We don't seem to have 70 virgins in heaven). Also you may keep all the booty and rape all the young Muslem girls you can get your hands on. (Where do I sign?). I don't know if anyone ever had the patience to add all the live's lost on all sides for the 200 years, but in just one small chapter, I counted about 300,000 souls sent to Hell of Heaven by the Crusaders. We're talking men, women and children here. Of course this was what the popes had sent them to do.
Funny how things don't change much, isn't it? A thousand years later we're back doing the same thing to the Muslims (and vice versa) except instead of Jerusalem, our goal is sacred Oil. Well, how else do you expect us drive our guzzler Humvees around to the grocery store?
Someone had the brilliant idea to pick the current "7 wonders of the world" by using the internet and have nerds vote on them, just like American Idol, the current cultural beacon. All of the original wonders , picked around 500 BC, are long gone, except for the pyramid at Giza. Guess what happened! The idiot catholics of Brazil got to e-mailing (or be excommun icated?) everyone and told them to vote for "Christ the Redeemer" idol, a 130' tall reinforced concrete statue, built in 1930. Actually, leaving the catholics out of it , the other six choices were not too bad. The Collosseum, Tasj Mahal, Great wall, Petra, Machu Picchu and Chitzen Itza.
However, there is nothing later than 1632 (Taj) other than Jesus. This is telling us that the greatest undertaking by mankind in the last 400 years that is full of wonder is this stupid statue? Roebling's Brooklyn Bridge? Some great tunnel project? The Petronis towers? Eiffel Tower? The greatest Gothic church? Maybe it's like Mel Brook's 1,000 year old man says "Saran Wrap!". Yellow stickies? How about duct tape?
Regarding the leader of the entire world.
I have heard that Christians, Jews, Catholics but mostly Fundamentalist Xians litterly believe that the world was made by Mr. God pretty much about 6,000 BC. However, during the last few hundred years scientists have kind of established the earth to be around 4.5 billion years old, give or take a few million years. My really serious question
is this; Does King Bush II really believe this and that Noah got all the animals, bugs, cockroaches, mosquitos, and virus together in a small boat to float around for 40 days. He must realise that the water would have to be 29, 997.5 feet deep to cover all the mountains. Where did that amount of water come from? More important, where did it go? There are serious people still spending huge amounts of Euros still looking for an Ark. There seems to be a serious gap somewhere between billions of years and 8,000 years in these peoples belief systems.
However, I'm encouraged recently to see so many aethiests coming out of the closet, not so much that they don't believe in a supreme guy but that religion is responsible for so much of humanities misery.
I've just finished a book about the Knights Templar, and the 200 years war the Christians waged in the middle east. I've always wondered how all those thousands of knights were enticed to throw away their lives to go on a long trip (Years!) to capture Jerusalem from a group who had a little different take on old Jesus. It turns out to be a stroke of genius on the part of the popes (Pope Innocent III!!) . Just sign up for a crusade and all your sins will be forgiven. (We don't seem to have 70 virgins in heaven). Also you may keep all the booty and rape all the young Muslem girls you can get your hands on. (Where do I sign?). I don't know if anyone ever had the patience to add all the live's lost on all sides for the 200 years, but in just one small chapter, I counted about 300,000 souls sent to Hell of Heaven by the Crusaders. We're talking men, women and children here. Of course this was what the popes had sent them to do.
Funny how things don't change much, isn't it? A thousand years later we're back doing the same thing to the Muslims (and vice versa) except instead of Jerusalem, our goal is sacred Oil. Well, how else do you expect us drive our guzzler Humvees around to the grocery store?
Monday, September 10, 2007
Daphne, old friend
She wasn’t my dog. My wife always has a black Cocker spaniel and I inherited the problems of living with animals when I married her. She was really good about cleaning up after the dog (and cat) whenever they barfed or had an accident on the floor. Always cleaning up in the back yard. After all, Daphne wasn’t my responsibility. There was always the problem of how to get a house sitter to take care of her whenever we went on our month vacations to Europe. She was always underfoot, making sure to lick up any bits of food I would drop. She was very French in the way she would sit in the chair while we had our dinner, not saying anything, just kind of wishing she could be like us and eat all that good food. But, no, we always held out and fed her only in her little dish on the floor.
But all of a sudden she’s gone. Why am I all choked up and teary eyed? I never asked for her undying love and adoration. Her only ambition, other than breakfast, was to follow Joy around, up and down the stairs, her constant companion when she was close. Daphne never gave up trying to get me to show her some love or affection, but no, she wasn’t my dog, I didn’t need any of that.
But I miss her terribly. When I open the front door, her little white snout isn’t there anymore. When I’m in the kitchen, she’s not there to pick up little bits I drop . I kind of miss those big brown mournful eyes watching me, hoping I would show just a glimmer of appreciation of her.
Well, Daphne, I really appreciate all you’ve done for me, but kind of late, isn’t it?
But all of a sudden she’s gone. Why am I all choked up and teary eyed? I never asked for her undying love and adoration. Her only ambition, other than breakfast, was to follow Joy around, up and down the stairs, her constant companion when she was close. Daphne never gave up trying to get me to show her some love or affection, but no, she wasn’t my dog, I didn’t need any of that.
But I miss her terribly. When I open the front door, her little white snout isn’t there anymore. When I’m in the kitchen, she’s not there to pick up little bits I drop . I kind of miss those big brown mournful eyes watching me, hoping I would show just a glimmer of appreciation of her.
Well, Daphne, I really appreciate all you’ve done for me, but kind of late, isn’t it?
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
UNCIVIL WAR
Does anyone know that we lost the war (Civil war) in Vietnam? Has anyone projected out a thought of how ‘Nam would be different today if we hadn’t gone in to meddle with the "Noble idea" of staving off the Communist tide? Aren’t they a fairly peacefull country with a Communist government? Maybe the only difference would be the thousands of our soldiers would not have died in vain, to say nothing of the thousands of Asians who died. Of course, we don’t count those, you have to pay some price for Freedom! Or did the huge oil reserves in the nearby Indian Ocean have anything to do with it? Nah. We wouldn’t do anything like that.
Does any of this ring a faint bell? The war (Civil War) in Iraq will soon last longer than the World Wars. Fortunately, we will probably lose no more than five to ten thousand young men & women (plus countless arms & legs) by the time we manage to extricate ourselves out of this mess. By the same reasoning as above, how many more Iraqis will be killed than if Saddam was to continue his cruel regime? Would it be about the same? 100 to 200 thousand souls? "Collateral damage", right?
Let me see if I can 2nd guess our clever, expert International advisers and see exactly how we will be able to leave Iraq. The timing will make no difference. My inadequate understanding of the major problem is the three basic tribes or religions that will have to agree to run the country. The Kurds up north have most of the oil. The rest of this miserable desert is shared by the Sunnis & the Shiites, two branches of the same religion, Islam. ( I’m a little confused by the Kurds faith). How King Bush II plans to get them to agree on anything is unclear to me except to get them all to accept a democratic government and forget they hate each other’s guts.
The only solution I can forsee is to appoint one of the three as a Dictator for life with the proviso that we have access to their oil forever. Also that we must keep our multi million dollar military bases that we built there. Let’s see, Saddam was a member of the Sunnis so maybe we could give the power to the Shiites this time (Or was it the other way?). The first thing they would do would be to kill each other until order was established.
My other and much better solution is to outlaw all religions (Yes, Christianity too!) And share in the oil profits.
But then, sometimes the most obvious solutions are invisible to us.
Brother Lamont
Does any of this ring a faint bell? The war (Civil War) in Iraq will soon last longer than the World Wars. Fortunately, we will probably lose no more than five to ten thousand young men & women (plus countless arms & legs) by the time we manage to extricate ourselves out of this mess. By the same reasoning as above, how many more Iraqis will be killed than if Saddam was to continue his cruel regime? Would it be about the same? 100 to 200 thousand souls? "Collateral damage", right?
Let me see if I can 2nd guess our clever, expert International advisers and see exactly how we will be able to leave Iraq. The timing will make no difference. My inadequate understanding of the major problem is the three basic tribes or religions that will have to agree to run the country. The Kurds up north have most of the oil. The rest of this miserable desert is shared by the Sunnis & the Shiites, two branches of the same religion, Islam. ( I’m a little confused by the Kurds faith). How King Bush II plans to get them to agree on anything is unclear to me except to get them all to accept a democratic government and forget they hate each other’s guts.
The only solution I can forsee is to appoint one of the three as a Dictator for life with the proviso that we have access to their oil forever. Also that we must keep our multi million dollar military bases that we built there. Let’s see, Saddam was a member of the Sunnis so maybe we could give the power to the Shiites this time (Or was it the other way?). The first thing they would do would be to kill each other until order was established.
My other and much better solution is to outlaw all religions (Yes, Christianity too!) And share in the oil profits.
But then, sometimes the most obvious solutions are invisible to us.
Brother Lamont
Thursday, June 14, 2007
EUROPE 2007
Joy and I just returned from a month long trip to France & Spain. Under my expert tutelage Joy buys our cheap airline tickets when they are the lowest around fall, then we use our Miles to upgrade to Business Class and fly in and out of Paris. This gives us a few days at the beginning and end of our trip in Paris to hang out at Harry’s New York Bar (@ sank roo de noo) for a martini and other favorite sidewalk cafes (La Frigate). You probably didn’t know I am a member in good standing of the International Bar Flies (IBF) of Harry’s. At this point our dollar was worth about 75 cents.
Twas not all partying, however, as one of our noteworthy jaunts was to the Musee of Arts & Metiers where we watched Leon Foucault’s Pendulum and learned how he proved the earth rotated on it’s axis. The Orangerie was finally re-opened after a great renovation where Monet paintings are shown. It takes a whole room to show a couple of his 60' long renditions of water lily ponds.
Caught a TGV train to Bordeaux, whizzing through the French countryside in luxurious comfort on our rail pass. Stayed in our favorite Hotel Seze, complete with it’s neon sign outside our little balcon. It overlooks a large park , no grass but trees and decomposed granite only. Do you think the French are going to mow the grass?
Drove up to Cognac one day where we were shown around the Martell distillery, culminating in a tasting of a 100 year old special, and since it was nearly my 77th birthday, Joy bought me a taste of the good stuff. ($1000 per bottle!!). However, some vandals broke off all my rear view mirrors on our rental car one night so I had the opportunity to see how their Policia system works , needing a police report for the Hertz folks. Traded it in on another Renault and drove to St. Emillion and Pulliac to stock up on a case of wines for our bateau trip.
Drove to Castelnaudary to pick up our 27' boat , stocked up on food and shoved off for the week long trip down through 64 locks. Although this was our third boat trip, we had done it with another couple before, and handling the lines was a real challenge for us, as I had to drive it while Joy learned how to be the lone deck hand. We got pretty good at it until I fell into a lock, which wasn’t all that bad, except knowing that we’ve been pumping our shit into it with all the other boats, I tried to keep my mouth shut. The lock man retrieved me and we moored along the bank afterwards, for a good shower and some medicinal cognac. This particular section of the canal was one of the first ones built in the 1600's by the architect Pierre Riquet and had one series of seven locks hooked together in a stair-step mode (Fonserannes Steps). These are self drive barges (yachts) and are normally pretty relaxing just cruising the back country, meeting other pilgrims, complaining about the damn incredibly noisy motor bikes & motor cycles that are just ear splitting and the dogshit on all the sidewalks from those stupid little French dogs. As they say "There are always mosquitos in paradise". We had a problem with our domestic water tank that leaked into the bilges in just a few hours but we managed to keep enough to be clean.
Turned the boat in pretty much undamaged (These cost about $50,000 each), drove up the the Milleu Viaduct (me you bridge) that was recently finished for about $700,000 and in three years. It spans a valley with several tall pylons (Some as tall as the Eiffel tower, 1000'). It was pretty stormy, winds up to 40 knots and wondered if the bridge would be closed, but no, the English architect, Foster & Partners, had a very clever baffle system for just such occasion. We also drove under it to the little town and found a very cool Information center next to one of the piers.
Caught a train to Barcelona, with the border guards trying to outdo each other on being obnoxious. The Spanish train system has been upgraded since our last trip here when they had to change the trucks (wheels) at the border due to the difference in width of the French and Spanish tracks. Our hotel was on the main drag, the Passeig de Gracia, only a couple of blocks from two of Antonio Gaudi’s buildins,Casa Batllo and the Pedrara. We met up with our friends, the Dodson’s for the week, slurping up the great Sangria at Qu QU’s sidewalk café and searching for a tapas that was edible. Spent time in the Sagrada Familia, the great unfinished church of Gaudi’s, where workers are still trying to get a handle on how and when to finish it. The Catholic Church will probably be extinct before this building will be finished as what, it’s about 2/3rd finished after 125 years? The creativity of this architect is pretty humbling, as even his structural concepts are just as incredibly unique. Had to visit the Mies van der Rohe pavilion again, originally built in 1929 (Before I was born!) And recently reconstructed. This building looks more modern today than 95% of all new structures!
Flew back to Paris on EasyJet which is a lot faster and cheaper than a train nowadays, and guess what? Nobody has to take their shoes off at the European airports! A last visit to Harry’s , a little shopping at Printemps Department store with it’s fantastic stained glass dome, plus a day trip to Eperny to tour the Champagne works of Castlelane. Their caves were begun in 1818, hugely encrusted with dripping mold (Yes! All mold is not bad!). It was a great tour, with only us and five Australian guys. Ended with a full glass of their product. Unfortunately, Joy has begun collecting champagne ice buckets, of which they had one she couldn’t resist. Why couldn’t she collect stamps?
As you can imagine, this was all a great deal of work, and we were glad to return home to rest, working full time in our office.
Twas not all partying, however, as one of our noteworthy jaunts was to the Musee of Arts & Metiers where we watched Leon Foucault’s Pendulum and learned how he proved the earth rotated on it’s axis. The Orangerie was finally re-opened after a great renovation where Monet paintings are shown. It takes a whole room to show a couple of his 60' long renditions of water lily ponds.
Caught a TGV train to Bordeaux, whizzing through the French countryside in luxurious comfort on our rail pass. Stayed in our favorite Hotel Seze, complete with it’s neon sign outside our little balcon. It overlooks a large park , no grass but trees and decomposed granite only. Do you think the French are going to mow the grass?
Drove up to Cognac one day where we were shown around the Martell distillery, culminating in a tasting of a 100 year old special, and since it was nearly my 77th birthday, Joy bought me a taste of the good stuff. ($1000 per bottle!!). However, some vandals broke off all my rear view mirrors on our rental car one night so I had the opportunity to see how their Policia system works , needing a police report for the Hertz folks. Traded it in on another Renault and drove to St. Emillion and Pulliac to stock up on a case of wines for our bateau trip.
Drove to Castelnaudary to pick up our 27' boat , stocked up on food and shoved off for the week long trip down through 64 locks. Although this was our third boat trip, we had done it with another couple before, and handling the lines was a real challenge for us, as I had to drive it while Joy learned how to be the lone deck hand. We got pretty good at it until I fell into a lock, which wasn’t all that bad, except knowing that we’ve been pumping our shit into it with all the other boats, I tried to keep my mouth shut. The lock man retrieved me and we moored along the bank afterwards, for a good shower and some medicinal cognac. This particular section of the canal was one of the first ones built in the 1600's by the architect Pierre Riquet and had one series of seven locks hooked together in a stair-step mode (Fonserannes Steps). These are self drive barges (yachts) and are normally pretty relaxing just cruising the back country, meeting other pilgrims, complaining about the damn incredibly noisy motor bikes & motor cycles that are just ear splitting and the dogshit on all the sidewalks from those stupid little French dogs. As they say "There are always mosquitos in paradise". We had a problem with our domestic water tank that leaked into the bilges in just a few hours but we managed to keep enough to be clean.
Turned the boat in pretty much undamaged (These cost about $50,000 each), drove up the the Milleu Viaduct (me you bridge) that was recently finished for about $700,000 and in three years. It spans a valley with several tall pylons (Some as tall as the Eiffel tower, 1000'). It was pretty stormy, winds up to 40 knots and wondered if the bridge would be closed, but no, the English architect, Foster & Partners, had a very clever baffle system for just such occasion. We also drove under it to the little town and found a very cool Information center next to one of the piers.
Caught a train to Barcelona, with the border guards trying to outdo each other on being obnoxious. The Spanish train system has been upgraded since our last trip here when they had to change the trucks (wheels) at the border due to the difference in width of the French and Spanish tracks. Our hotel was on the main drag, the Passeig de Gracia, only a couple of blocks from two of Antonio Gaudi’s buildins,Casa Batllo and the Pedrara. We met up with our friends, the Dodson’s for the week, slurping up the great Sangria at Qu QU’s sidewalk café and searching for a tapas that was edible. Spent time in the Sagrada Familia, the great unfinished church of Gaudi’s, where workers are still trying to get a handle on how and when to finish it. The Catholic Church will probably be extinct before this building will be finished as what, it’s about 2/3rd finished after 125 years? The creativity of this architect is pretty humbling, as even his structural concepts are just as incredibly unique. Had to visit the Mies van der Rohe pavilion again, originally built in 1929 (Before I was born!) And recently reconstructed. This building looks more modern today than 95% of all new structures!
Flew back to Paris on EasyJet which is a lot faster and cheaper than a train nowadays, and guess what? Nobody has to take their shoes off at the European airports! A last visit to Harry’s , a little shopping at Printemps Department store with it’s fantastic stained glass dome, plus a day trip to Eperny to tour the Champagne works of Castlelane. Their caves were begun in 1818, hugely encrusted with dripping mold (Yes! All mold is not bad!). It was a great tour, with only us and five Australian guys. Ended with a full glass of their product. Unfortunately, Joy has begun collecting champagne ice buckets, of which they had one she couldn’t resist. Why couldn’t she collect stamps?
As you can imagine, this was all a great deal of work, and we were glad to return home to rest, working full time in our office.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
...BUT FEAR ITSELF
I have been observing the reactions of our leaders since the terrible events of 9/11. I also am somewhat perturbed that we have been swept up in a wave of fear that it appears that we are doing exactly what these intelligent monsters had planned as a result of their hideous acts. One only has to watch the fast demise of our airlines due to the restrictions we have burdened them with as a result of our panic to wonder will we eventually accept the fact that these kinds of things can and will happen more and more. No amount of banning knives from airport restaurants, taking away my nail clippers or taking my shoes & belt off will put an end to it. Time only will tell if what the outcome of the war with Afghanistan that the military State of Russia called "Their Vietnam"and our invasion of Saddam’s Iraq will damage our world respect. I believe most our frustration is due to the fact that this "New Kind of War" is against individual groups and not countries. Surely our leaders have been studying this type of warfare for decades and have an intelligent response to it. (Don’t they?). After all, they must have been reading the books and watching the movies long enough to know that such actions are possible and are here and now. Although some of the terrorists are home grown (McVie), too many are religious fanatics who are willing to die for those infinite number of virgins in heaven. How is banning bags and coolers going to affect that Great American Church, The Ball Game? Will we be required to allow a complete body search when we attend our churches? Let’s be careful, yes, but let’s lighten up and alleviate our fears. After all, we are not immortal and are all destined to die, some sooner than others. Meanwhile, let’s not fall into the terrorists’ hand and make it so difficult to do business that we destroy our economy.
Patriot Act!
Freedom Tower!
Homeland Security!
"Yee Haahh!" (Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove.
Patriot Act!
Freedom Tower!
Homeland Security!
"Yee Haahh!" (Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
FACIAL HAIR
I first grew my beard around 1960 and although it's difficult to believe now I had a pretty strange time of it in the business world I was just entering as a young architect. Once in awhile I was able to understand how a black person felt being in a hostile environment because I was not clean shaven like all the rest of the fellows,( except for a mustache or two).
It's a funny concept, having a beard. Most people seem to think you are hiding but in reality I believe guys who shave are hiding behind a face that is supposed to represent eternal youth. In other words, if you have no beard you are still a youngster, but you really have to work at it, shaving once or twice a day. Of course, since the advent of the safety razor and especially the electric razor, it doesn’t take very much time anymore.
It's interesting to study the cycles of beards in, beards out. At certain times men almost have to have a beard to conform with everyone else. Remember the giants of industry, past presidents and everyone who was a mover and shaker had a beard or at least a giant mustachio in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. But can you imagine a presidential candidate today with a full beard? Can you imagine one with even a mustache? Ha!
However, there is a strange manifestation occurring that I have noticed regarding the facial adornment of policemen and firemen. I don't know what the reason but just take a look at the next officer or fireman you see and notice that more than likely he has a robust upper lip cover(this, of course only applies to males).
However, if you are a member of our esteemed armed forces, just try a little facial adornment and you'll end up doing extra KP. I've been there. I see other nations sailors and fighting men sporting some good hair and it seems such a natural thing. It's a sad commentary on our times, but nothing so sad as finding out that chain stores such as safeway have a POLICY that no male employee may indulge in a beard. Now this really got to me and I was considering organizing a boycott of them by all of us who sport facial hair. However, if you belong to the Cuban National Guard it may be best to grow the longest, scraggiest beard you can if you are looking for a promotion. It's a funny world.
One area in the US that seems to accept beards are the academic institutions of higher learning. A distinguished professor is not distinguished unless he has a good beard. As a matter a fact, I've been accused of being a professor lots of times, especially when I wear my tweed coat, baggy corduroy trousers and act like I own a Volvo.
Another bastion of the baby cheeks has been the sports heroes of our time. However, there is a crack in the wall as I’ve recently seen small increments of facial hair creeping in among the filthy rich players. Since all of our youth emulate these players, it may be the single benefit of our sports syndrome. Maybe next they can get rid of those stupid baggy pants the NBA wears. Who designs those dumb outfits, teenagers?
It's a funny concept, having a beard. Most people seem to think you are hiding but in reality I believe guys who shave are hiding behind a face that is supposed to represent eternal youth. In other words, if you have no beard you are still a youngster, but you really have to work at it, shaving once or twice a day. Of course, since the advent of the safety razor and especially the electric razor, it doesn’t take very much time anymore.
It's interesting to study the cycles of beards in, beards out. At certain times men almost have to have a beard to conform with everyone else. Remember the giants of industry, past presidents and everyone who was a mover and shaker had a beard or at least a giant mustachio in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. But can you imagine a presidential candidate today with a full beard? Can you imagine one with even a mustache? Ha!
However, there is a strange manifestation occurring that I have noticed regarding the facial adornment of policemen and firemen. I don't know what the reason but just take a look at the next officer or fireman you see and notice that more than likely he has a robust upper lip cover(this, of course only applies to males).
However, if you are a member of our esteemed armed forces, just try a little facial adornment and you'll end up doing extra KP. I've been there. I see other nations sailors and fighting men sporting some good hair and it seems such a natural thing. It's a sad commentary on our times, but nothing so sad as finding out that chain stores such as safeway have a POLICY that no male employee may indulge in a beard. Now this really got to me and I was considering organizing a boycott of them by all of us who sport facial hair. However, if you belong to the Cuban National Guard it may be best to grow the longest, scraggiest beard you can if you are looking for a promotion. It's a funny world.
One area in the US that seems to accept beards are the academic institutions of higher learning. A distinguished professor is not distinguished unless he has a good beard. As a matter a fact, I've been accused of being a professor lots of times, especially when I wear my tweed coat, baggy corduroy trousers and act like I own a Volvo.
Another bastion of the baby cheeks has been the sports heroes of our time. However, there is a crack in the wall as I’ve recently seen small increments of facial hair creeping in among the filthy rich players. Since all of our youth emulate these players, it may be the single benefit of our sports syndrome. Maybe next they can get rid of those stupid baggy pants the NBA wears. Who designs those dumb outfits, teenagers?
Saturday, March 03, 2007
ANYTHING WITH A BALL
I’ve been reading about the controversy of pre-game prayers at high school football games. Hey, why not? The great ball triad; Football, Baseball & Basketball have become America’s new religion. How many new three hundred million dollar churches are being built in every major city in the US? Take a look at these monster covered stadiums with their own shopping malls and their vast acres of parking. Instead enticed spending Sunday at your local church or synagogue, most seekers of truth are now spending their time at the ball-park. When I hear how much these fans (that’s short for "fanatic") pay for the privilege to participate in an exercise in mass hysteria for a few hours, I am absolutely flabbergasted. $50?, $100? Wow! And be sure to take the kids to initiate them into the mysteries of shouting obscenities at the umpires or referees.
I actually heard the religious music "Hallelujah" played as a prelude to a basketball game recently. And isn’t "God Bless America" de rigeur before any game starts?
The clincher came during the Super Bow game where a Christian church enticed their wayward flock with a huge 12' TV (High Def?) Screen in order to get them into the church somehow.
Praise the Lord, and Play Ball!
I actually heard the religious music "Hallelujah" played as a prelude to a basketball game recently. And isn’t "God Bless America" de rigeur before any game starts?
The clincher came during the Super Bow game where a Christian church enticed their wayward flock with a huge 12' TV (High Def?) Screen in order to get them into the church somehow.
Praise the Lord, and Play Ball!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
MY MONEY PROBLEMS
One of the side effects of the failed war on drugs is the disappearance of the five hundred and one thousand dollar bills. If you’re under forty, you probably don’t know that such a thing even existed not long ago. Or, if so, wonder why we don’t have them in circulation any more? Whenever I have to transfer a grand from one bank to another, I end up with a fistful of dollars, 20's and 100's if I’m lucky. There doesn’t seem to be any 50's around either. I suppose the Feds believe that if you have to carry around several million dollars , at some point it will just get too burdensome and you will give up, stop selling drugs and get a real job.
In the 60's I was building a house in West Covina for the guy who invented the Go-Cart. He was kind of grumpy, carried a gun in a holster under his hawaiian shirts he always wore. He insisted on paying me in cash whenever I billed for our work every month. We would go over to his bank and he would withdraw nine or ten one thousand dollar bills and hand them to me. I had mixed feelings about carrying around all that cash in the Los Angeles area.
I say bring back the large bills and let the Feds find other ways to fight their pathetic little war, like maybe with an educational program or just let us have a little fun once in a while..
When you see a price listed as $79.99 is it possible you don’t know it is one penny short of $80? This practice is so ingrained in us now that every aspect of business world practices it, at least in the USA. Selling a car? $23, 995. 95. Selling a house? $897,995.99. How often do you see something advertised for $50,000? $600,000? Are we really that stupid? Don’t answer that.
The one business that has taken this to an extreme is the gas station folks. I can’t remember when this started but they were not satisfied with merely $1.99 per gallon, where they could increase the price to $2/gal in one cent increments. Oh, no! They had to break the penny down to it’s lowest denominator, the MILL! Now, a mill is one tenth of a cent. This type of marketing is the kind that drives me crazy! Think about how that differs from just the penny price. Since all prices are set in mills, the increase is still only by the penny. Do you ever see a mark-up from $2.09.to $2.10.4? No, it is always only the penny. See the logic, here? I don’t. Actually, there is no waste of man hours as the 9 mills always stays the same on the signs.
In theory, you are saving one mill for every gallon you purchase. When you fill up with 20 gallons, you have saved 20 mills, or two cents! Wow! How about rounding up to the penny (add one mill!) and do away with all this bogus pricing.
If you youngsters don’t believe any of this, I can show you an actual mill coin. Come to think of it, it may be worth a lot of money due to it’s rarity.
Speaking of pennys, why do we even use the damn things? Seventy years ago there was a lot you could buy with a penny. But these days, I won’t even bother to pick one up off the street, it’s just not worth the effort. I don’t know what it’s made of but I know it costs more than a penny to make, costs more than a penny for businesses to handle it. Get rid of it!
DESIGN OF OUR MONEY
Whenever I return from Europe and begin using our miserable currency and coins again I am appalled at the lack of design we have allowed to happen. We are so inferior to the rest of the world when it comes to our money. Before the Euro(e) was introduced a few years ago, the best money designs without a doubt were the Dutch Guilders. The golden brilliance of their 50 Guilder note was an incredible work of art., with golden color to it’s graphics. Fortunately, the Union hired the Dutch to design the new e, almost as good as their old stuff. Handling such money is almost a joy to pay someone with it.
The French also had a beautiful currency, mostly featuring poets and artists in many colors. The Romanians have a micro chip imbedded in their currencies. Maybe they can keep track of the drug smugglers that way.
The new e is a design tour de force, each bill a different color as well as a slightly different size. Wonderful abstract computer generated designs. The coins are the same in their own way, simple abstract designs of different sizes, some made of two types of metal. We must be a laughing stock of the world when we undertake a "new" design of a bill. It must cost a bloody fortune for the Feds to take out full page adds in newspapers throughout the US letting us all know that the new $20 bill is so superb and is not a bad counterfeit so it’s OK to use. Or how about our new quarters. Everyone gets into the act and you end up with 52 types of ugly coins. I won’t even embarrass you by mentioning the Susan B. Anthony quarter. And ehere in hell is the fifty cent piece?
Let’s give the Dutch a contract to redesign all our money so we can catch up with the rest of the world..
In the 60's I was building a house in West Covina for the guy who invented the Go-Cart. He was kind of grumpy, carried a gun in a holster under his hawaiian shirts he always wore. He insisted on paying me in cash whenever I billed for our work every month. We would go over to his bank and he would withdraw nine or ten one thousand dollar bills and hand them to me. I had mixed feelings about carrying around all that cash in the Los Angeles area.
I say bring back the large bills and let the Feds find other ways to fight their pathetic little war, like maybe with an educational program or just let us have a little fun once in a while..
When you see a price listed as $79.99 is it possible you don’t know it is one penny short of $80? This practice is so ingrained in us now that every aspect of business world practices it, at least in the USA. Selling a car? $23, 995. 95. Selling a house? $897,995.99. How often do you see something advertised for $50,000? $600,000? Are we really that stupid? Don’t answer that.
The one business that has taken this to an extreme is the gas station folks. I can’t remember when this started but they were not satisfied with merely $1.99 per gallon, where they could increase the price to $2/gal in one cent increments. Oh, no! They had to break the penny down to it’s lowest denominator, the MILL! Now, a mill is one tenth of a cent. This type of marketing is the kind that drives me crazy! Think about how that differs from just the penny price. Since all prices are set in mills, the increase is still only by the penny. Do you ever see a mark-up from $2.09.to $2.10.4? No, it is always only the penny. See the logic, here? I don’t. Actually, there is no waste of man hours as the 9 mills always stays the same on the signs.
In theory, you are saving one mill for every gallon you purchase. When you fill up with 20 gallons, you have saved 20 mills, or two cents! Wow! How about rounding up to the penny (add one mill!) and do away with all this bogus pricing.
If you youngsters don’t believe any of this, I can show you an actual mill coin. Come to think of it, it may be worth a lot of money due to it’s rarity.
Speaking of pennys, why do we even use the damn things? Seventy years ago there was a lot you could buy with a penny. But these days, I won’t even bother to pick one up off the street, it’s just not worth the effort. I don’t know what it’s made of but I know it costs more than a penny to make, costs more than a penny for businesses to handle it. Get rid of it!
DESIGN OF OUR MONEY
Whenever I return from Europe and begin using our miserable currency and coins again I am appalled at the lack of design we have allowed to happen. We are so inferior to the rest of the world when it comes to our money. Before the Euro(e) was introduced a few years ago, the best money designs without a doubt were the Dutch Guilders. The golden brilliance of their 50 Guilder note was an incredible work of art., with golden color to it’s graphics. Fortunately, the Union hired the Dutch to design the new e, almost as good as their old stuff. Handling such money is almost a joy to pay someone with it.
The French also had a beautiful currency, mostly featuring poets and artists in many colors. The Romanians have a micro chip imbedded in their currencies. Maybe they can keep track of the drug smugglers that way.
The new e is a design tour de force, each bill a different color as well as a slightly different size. Wonderful abstract computer generated designs. The coins are the same in their own way, simple abstract designs of different sizes, some made of two types of metal. We must be a laughing stock of the world when we undertake a "new" design of a bill. It must cost a bloody fortune for the Feds to take out full page adds in newspapers throughout the US letting us all know that the new $20 bill is so superb and is not a bad counterfeit so it’s OK to use. Or how about our new quarters. Everyone gets into the act and you end up with 52 types of ugly coins. I won’t even embarrass you by mentioning the Susan B. Anthony quarter. And ehere in hell is the fifty cent piece?
Let’s give the Dutch a contract to redesign all our money so we can catch up with the rest of the world..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)