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There is not nearly enough cynicism available on the www these days. I have pounced onto the information superhighway,
albeit a little late to the party. With so many ahead of me who have actual talent, I intend to stay behind the leaders and draft.
That puts me in the slipstream and I am not so much here to protect.
I am here to serve, baby.
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August 30, 2006 Where Did I Leave My Heart?
You might have noticed a couple of these before in a more conventional form. If you page down through the August
Slipstream, you will see a few of the original photos to compare. I have reworked them and am pleased that the mood is now
set properly with this set. Have a look and see what you think.
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August 24, 2006 Conspiracy Theories
I am not generally a fan of conspiracy theories. Some of my natural skepticism is rooted in my general belief in the limited
mental capacity of us humans. We are mostly incapable of pulling much of a conspiracy off because we are simply too stupid,
too ignorant, too incompetent and/or disinterested or because we can’t keep a secret, not even from now until after lunch. Do
you really need evidence from me to support my beliefs on this subject? Another time.
Remember the movie “Thomas Crown Affair”? Not the newer one with Pierce Brosnan and the extremely attractive Rene’ Russo
quite naked on the stairs…the old one when Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen were at the peak of their powers. These were
two very cool, very beautiful people in their day. This was one of the great conspiracy stories ever written. And before we move
on, the scene of them playing chess…both fully clothed…was one of the sexiest movie scenes of all time. You can look it up.
One of many twists in the story was that only Mr. Crown knew the whole story. All the participants in the conspiracy to steal great
works of art only executed a very small part of the entire theft. If caught, none of them were capable of telling the story and, in fact,
each knew barely anything at all. Thomas Crown outwitted them all and got to have some satisfaction in that fact. Ultimately it
was revealed that his life, full of the trappings of arrogance and wealth was actually quite morally bankrupt and emotionally
empty. Story-wise, it was really good stuff. Even if you saw the Brosnan/Russo version, go and get the McQueen/Dunaway
movie and watch it. You will be glad you did.
I recently watched the Oliver Stone directed film, “JFK.” I am not a fan of film director/producer Oliver Stone. I find that he appears
to be personally arrogant and self-righteous. His films are preachy and self-indulgent, generally oriented to imposing his fairly
extreme opinions on the viewer in the most heavy-handed manner possible. I do not know Oliver Stone. From his films alone it
appears that he certainly feels strongly about subjects for which he feels passion. If I must try and say something nice about
him, it must be that he unquestionably has made films dealing with strong human emotions and that he seems to strive to make
what he believes are quality movies.
"Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) was one of the better quality Vietnam era films but had a predictably narrow point of view. I
have always objected to Hollywood's overwhelming depiction of the Vietnam vet as a wild-eyed radical, barely able to function in
the world. It simply is not true. I gave this enough thought that I included a Vietnam plotline in my own novel specifically to not
present veterans of that war in that light. "JFK" (1991) explored one of the more famous conspiracies in American history and
only spent about 1/3 of the film preaching venom about it. Stone was executive producer of “The Joy Luck Club” (1993) which
was a masterpiece film and story. It was really beautiful. “The People vs. Larry Flynt” (1996) revealed Woody Harrelson to have
more talent than any of us thought, but didn’t really reveal anything new about Oliver Stone except that he is probably a member
of the ACLU. Quite a shock. “Any Given Sunday” (1999) and “Alexander” (2004) were two of the worst films ever made by
anyone. Do not rent either of these movies. You may not be able to lift them off the Blockbuster shelf because they suck so
much that they may have adhered themselves to the shelf. I am not exaggerating about these two movies.
I have not decided whether or not to ever see “World Trade Center” (2006). You see…I know what happens and it is not good. I
still get teary at replays of the real deal on the news. The emotions of that story are just awfully raw for me to agree to allow
Stone to manipulate me in his usual manner.
There is one real life conspiracy that I am convinced by evidence is real. You don’t have to agree with me but my confidence in
this conspiracy is unshakable. President Kennedy’s murder was a conspiracy participated in by many people. There it is.
Confirmation that I agree with Oliver Stone on something. Oh, the agony!
It is with great reluctance that I reveal to you that I agree with Mr. Stone in the belief that President John Kennedy was murdered
in Dallas, Texas in 1963 by a conspiracy of many people and that conspiracy has been purposefully hidden from us all. Efforts to
keep the truth hidden will continue long after I am gone. If I agree with Mr. Stone about anything else, it has not yet been revealed
to me, and I remain hopeful that is our only common ground. Mr. Stone will not tell you but I will, that the Kennedys were a
powerful family who ran with some very tough company. I do not infer that they deserved any of the pain that the family suffered.
But there were many enemies of the Kennedy family throughout the years. That “Camelot” image was one that was nurtured by
the press and by Hollywood and my opinion is that it was hardly accurate.
One of my favorite lines from Stone’s JFK movie is when the New Orleans DA, Jim Garrison, played by Kevin Costner, sees the
news reports about the killing of President Kennedy and says, “Today I am embarrassed to be an American.” The whole story is
embarrassing to any American.
On the Kennedy assassination, there have been more nutty efforts at misinformation over the years by sad and/or lonely people
than you could ever imagine. I am not an expert. But if you spend as much time as I have reading and wading through stuff
looking for actual facts, I believe any reasonable person can only conclude that our government has purposely tried to hide the
truth on this matter. This is a statement based on the facts. The actual participants in the murder of the President and the
purpose(s) of their conspiracy may never be known. I am convinced that Oswald did not act alone and it is entirely probable that
he never fired a single shot at the President. He may have been every bit the “patsy” he claimed to be in the matter. I believe he
was. Oswald did kill Officer Tippett with his pistol about an hour after the President died. There is no doubt of that.
The Warren Commission Report tells you there was one shooter of President Kennedy who was Oswald and he fired three
shots from the sixth floor of the Texas School Depository Building where he worked. Now we know...we know... that before the
Warren Commission began their work they were charged with the purpose of sculpting that story even if it meant
misrepresenting the facts. There is irrefutable proof that there were at least five shots fired. That is a fact. I believe there were at
least seven shots from at least three shooters and all were in different locations. That is not fact, but that is my belief. The
President was hit by three shots. The first shot hit him in the throat and came from a location other than where Oswald is
supposed to have been. The second shot struck the President in the back between the shoulder blades. That bullet is the
source of Senator Spector's 'Magic Bullet' theory that has been proven to be completely false (the theory that the bullet went
through President Kennedy & seriously wounded Governor Connally.) The third shot was to the President's head which certainly
killed him and it came from the direction he faced. He faced the grassy knoll at the time of that shot – not the sixth floor of the
Texas School Depository Building. This is also fact. Plenty has been written on the subject. If you are interested, you can find it.
This week I took a tour of the Kennedy assassination sites in Dallas conducted by Ken M. Holmes, Jr, who directs such tours for
a living. It was fascinating and reasonable in approach and result…and very, very sad. Ken dispelled many of the theoretical
notions that have ignored facts over the years. The tour didn’t change my mind. It reinforced many of the things I already
believed on the matter.
One of the more entertaining stories surrounding the assassination is from fairly recent years. The longtime attorney of mobster
Jimmy Hoffa told the press from his own deathbed the story that Jimmy Hoffa had ordered the hit on the President and that is the
main reason Hoffa was eventually killed. The facts of this story are surprisingly reasonable and fairly believable, although
impossible to confirm. Maybe.
Maybe the Cubans were involved. There is some evidence. Maybe others in the mob were involved. There is some evidence.
There is even some evidence that members of our own government were involved.
The assassination of President Kennedy is a complicated and messy story. We will never know all the facts. It is at once
compelling, frustrating and completely unsatisfying.
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August 16, 2006 City Greatness
I have seen a few cities in my day. San Francisco is one of the greatest cites anywhere. Unquestionably, I am influenced
by the Uncle Pete Fun Factor. That is that any city containing Uncle Pete automatically advances several rungs up on the
funometer. You could not possibly win an argument with me about that. But he doesn't live in San Francisco. He resides
just kinda sorta in the Northern California area. I'm going out on a limb here and declaring that San Fran is a pretty good
place anyway. I checked with Uncle Pete. He agrees.
Returning from San Francisco to Steamboat Springs is no punishment. Steamboat can ride any wave of greatness you
want to throw out there. But it is not really a city. New York is a city. Chicago is a city. Boston is a city. Paris and Rome are
cities. All are greatness. Steamboat is greatness, but not really a city.
Speaking of which (??), at the end of the month me and Bunny will commence the anniversary extravaganza associated
with being married for thirty years. We have discussed the matter at great length. Our public statements will reveal the
belief that this particular long marriage is due to: 1. A shared interest in sarcasm and mean spirited mockery; 2. There is
no number two. Number one pretty well sums it up. Some attribution has to go to the fact that we spend lots of time in
separate cities. Well, Bunny is in a city. I'm in Steamboat.
Bunny went from San Francisco to Dallas where it is 110 degrees. I think she had a bad plan. It is August. She reports
that her 7 a.m. walk this morning was conducted in air that measured 88 degrees Farenheit and about 79% humidity. She
likened it to a stroll through a Phillipine jungle. I told her to hold on the phone for a minute because I had to close the
window. At 44 degrees Farenheit in Steamboat Springs, it was getting uncomfortably cold in the house.
Bunny said a bad word.
I love Dallas. I do not love Dallas weather in August.
Here are a couple of shots of San Francisco. We managed to take scarce volumes of liquid with us and only in the
checked baggage. This presented some difficulty for the wine purchasers we saw, but we were not among them. Airport
security was tighter than usual and slower, but pretty much the whole deal was a shrug and a shuffle.
The rest of the photos are on Flickr. Link on the bottom left of this page.
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August 3, 2006 Audio/Visual Giggle Extravaganza
Two entries this week to the giggle Hall of Fame.
First up is a glimpse of how we Americans are sometimes viewed from outside America. It is a commercial made by
The Silva Group who is HQ'd in Sweden. They are manufacturers and developers of compasses, GPS based outdoor
instruments, headlamps, binoculars and electronic navigation equipment. Set in the Irish Sea and subtitled in Swedish,
the commerical is in English. Feel free to laugh in any language you choose. Click on the picture of the sailor above.
Secondly, we have a dance troupe named "OK GO" who seems to make videos and post them on YouTube for all to
enjoy. It is a big file, so be patient while it loads. Do not even consider it if you are on dial-up. Not that these guys need
more hits on their video! While we were laughing at this video, me and Bunny were secretly hoping that Evan's new job
has nothing to do with these guys. We live with our fears. Click on the extra-double bad photo below and enjoy.
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August 3, 2006 But, It is Rocket Science
All four of you regular visitors to this spot on the www already are vaguely aware that I participate in an online photography
community called "Flickr." Well, that depends on how much of this drivel you actually read. The other two of you should go
to the bottom left side of this page and click on the little box of photos to go to my Flickr page where I post photos. The best
part does not even include my photos. Go to lucky e's Favorites which are my favorite photos taken by other Flickr
members. There are about 1,000 photos there now. All are special works of art. I continue to find them inspiring and
absolutely magical. I am continuously blown away by the immense talent shown by the Flickr community.
Many of my favorites come from the handsome young man on the left above. He is a Flickr member and, within the Flickr
community, he goes by the name "serac." I met the Serac pictured above today for the first time. He is the only member of
Flicker I have ever met in person. Besides a few emails about me admiring his photos and our mutual surprise that there
are two of us in Steamboat within the Flickr community, we have now spoken to each other for the sum total of about an
hour. The point is that we do not know each other well. Serac may or may not be pleased that I have written about him. If
not, my apologies to him. But he can write his own story. This story is more about me than him anyway. Let's face it, you
all knew it would be.
The word "serac" has a couple of meanings:
1. serac: "An isolated block of ice that is formed where a glacier surface is fractured."
The Serac pictured above hails from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He grew up in the mountains. Besides being a
talented photographer, this Serac is an accomplished mountaineer, an interest he shares with his friends and other
members of his family. The boys climb mountains. Many of his photos are breathtaking landscapes resulting from his
adventures.
2. sérac: "A crumbly white cheese."
The Serac pictured above is not that. I suspect he enjoys the comedy of this virtually opposite definition of the word "serac",
and I suspect he particularly enjoys that the word has two such opposite meanings. I also suspect he knows that
definition #2 has no application to him. He would never say so. It is just my impression.
The Serac pictured above is a graduate of LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas and completed his graduate studies
at Georgia Tech University. His work since college has included focus on neurophysiology and motor control. He is about
to begin a new job far away from Steamboat working for the US of A on rockets. Not kidding. The man is a rocket scientist.
He will be focusing on guidance, navigation and control of missiles. Serac tells me that there are many more parallels
than I might think with neurophysiology and motor control vs. the missiles he will work on.
Uh-huh.
Serac tells me that almost all the rocket simulations are done using hardware-in-the-loop simulations.
Well, crap in my sock.
Not only is he a smart guy, an accomplished mountaineer and photographer, he has the grace to not acknowledge that I
was a glassy eyed troll at the coffee shop when he spoke.
Look. When I was the age of Serac, the personal computer had not quite been invented yet. My main interest in life was
what time reruns of "Branded" with Chuck Connors came on my black and white TV. The VCR was still just a figment of
Mr. Betamax's imagination. If you missed "Petticoat Junction", you might never see it again. Record it? Couldn't be done.
My job was waxing cars at the Mr. Lustre Car Wash for $1.10 an hour and I had a college degree. My dreams included the
hope of one day being named assistant manager of the salad bar at Azar's Big Boy. Hey, their hot fudge cake is one of the
factors that got me in the physical condition that I am in today. I dreamed big.
I asked Serac if he could possibly explain to an old fat guy how to use Photoshop. He smiled as if such an explanation
could actually be understood by me and proceeded to try and give me some guidance. My eyes definitely rolled back in my
head before he had completed a whole paragraph. Serac forged ahead. Photoshop will remain a mystery to me. I don't
have enough years left to figure it out.
The ruddy, gray haired, baffled looking, grizzled fat man on the right above with the words "Bite Me" on his chest whose
biggest accomplishment today is posing in this picture in order to make Serac look like about a million bucks, is me.
Sad, but true. Photo credit to Bunny.
Serac...you are a handsome, delightful, accomplished man. You would have looked like a million bucks even if I hadn't
been in the picture. If I could actually operate Photoshop, I would have taken me out of the photo altogether...or at least
shaved about 20 lbs. off me. Old people's hopes are on your shoulders and you are up to the task. I look forward to
seeing you again soon as well as your wonderful photographs in the meantime. Be safe my friend.
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