Today's Tids (#2.625)
Opening Stuff
Well, the Tid's Sailing Editor blew it big time yesterday. If forethought had been part of this laggards repertoire, he would have thought to bring his camera while visiting the America's Cup World Racing Series operational village yesterday. Words will not convey the beauty of these catamarans; highly complex and yet at the same time, amazingly simple. And then their that mainsail, a sleek high modulus carbon airplane wing hoisted aloft by a 100 foot high crane towering above the hubbub aland and asea. Then, standing upon a seemingly barren point of land neath the shadow of the magnificent 1840's Fort Adam, the boats whisk away as if carried gently upon the backs of graceful mermaids. Ouch! Tis a beautiful sight, and not a picture to be had. Rats.
Sculptor's Block? Find a Rock,
Department:
Did you see that piece of public sculpture out in LA called "Levitated Rock" . "I felt like I was on another planet," remarked one woman after walking under the rock. (So this another planet idea is new in LA?) But, I digress. Michael Heizer, a famed sculptor had this idea for a giant rock over a walkable trench for, get this, 40 years!, But, he says, "I could never find the right rock."! Huh? What is it with sculptors and rocks. Aren't they supposed to carve them? If you think I'm overreacting, I refer you to 1977 when the City of Hartford, CT paid sculptor Carl Andre $77K for a public sculpture in a prominent, very historical section of town on Gold Street across from the venerable Wadsworth Atheneum. Carl didn't just tote in one giant rock, be brought 36 assorted boulders to a narrow strip of land and arranged them in a triangular formation. He called it "Stone Field". Brilliant -- Stone Field. (Sounds like he had a brilliant copywriter too!.) This actually shows you that people may not have changed much after all in 35 years. In both cases half the people were feeling vibrations form the earth while the other half was standing there with tier mouths agape and scratching their heads, saying as if in a chorus, "What the hell is this?"
"Let's have a moment of silence for the Gristmill, just over the RI line in Seekonk. In a Rube Godlberg accident the other night, a large truck carrying bananas tipped while manipulating a severe curve, slid across the road crashing into the restaurant, gashing it's gas line while simultaneously severing electric wires that ignited a horrendous firestorm. The 240 year old local institution, next to the shimmering lake with the Runnin River flowng, moving its old wooden paddlewheel, lay in ruins. Neighbors, customers and towns people stood by in tears. It was that kind of place. One of my favorite places for old fashioned fattening food.
You never know what's in the mind of your Newspaper delivery boy. My smiling little guy with the glasses and the devil in his eyes has the job everybody with a Kreative mind wants -- President of the Brightest Advertising Agency for the Internet businesses. Check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLvGat__LKM
The Question:
Name Five great product brands still made in the USA.
The Headlines:
--WS Opens Higher After Monday Sell-off; Caution About Spain Mess Still Governing Stock Flow.
--Turkey Vows Retaliation Against Syria.
--Northwestern Florida Recovers from Debbie Soaking, Tornado Damage.
--RI's Gov. Chafee-Lite Rises To Occasion Vetoing Inane Car Body Shop Law; Governor Also Reluctantly Allows "Monument"* Law To Pass.
--President Booed In Liberal Bastion Boston For Making Unflattering Pro White Sox Over Red Sox Joke.
--Sandusky Insists He Is Not Guilty.
--Scalia Blasts Evil Effects Of Illegal Immigration; Very Critical Of Obama Immigration Dictate.
--"X-Factor" Visit To Providence Has Sate Atwitter.
Of all the drugs I take to keep alive or invigorate some part of my aging body, the only one I notice that works perfectly each morning of every day is coffee.
Apparently my "Lowest Common Denominator" Spell-Check has never heard of a snooty word like Atheneum. Is this the new mantra...Dumb down Spell Check and bring up the illiterate. Fairness to all, eh Mr. President.
Ain't nothin' at all snooty 'bout them fastest growing segments of the food service business known as "Breastaurants"! Yup, no spelling error there. Restaurants like the one with a mountaineering theme called "Twin Peaks" are following the recession beating success of Hooters. And oddly, more and more families attend these stimulating food joints. Well, at least dads who go there with children when mom's at Bridge or a Rachel Ray Party. Dads think they are family places, becasue as one father says. "My kids keep on asking me to take them because they enjoy eating more when dad has a smile on his face. Dad thinks they'd uplifting.
I asked if the designers and builders of High Speed EZ Pass lanes received a % of the tolls in addition to their contractual construction income. I was told that all the companies ask for is the right to chase down lawbreakers and collect the fines. Yikes! There must be an awful lot of scofflaws out there! Says a lot about the character of a nation, doens't it. Maybe this same company could track down illegal aliens and charge for returning them to wherever.
In case anybody is interested,
I definitely don't feel even a tinge of guilt at being white. I only feel guilty if not using my brains, my talent (whatever that is) to it's fullest extent. Not taking advantage of every opportunity. Taking that extra step.
Considering the magnitude of all of the off-home kids very expensive birthday parties at always newer and more complex venues and primarily for the benefit of competitive parents, you have to wonder how thoroughly enjoyable and utterly adventurous a backyard event featuring three-legged and wheelbarrow races might be for the kids. "Hey Mom, Dad...you'll never believe what we did today...".
You know that I often rant about the disappearing charm of beachfront homes and cottages that actually looked as though they are part of the ocean and the surrounding environment. But, I am also coming to the conclusion that plastic, it seems, is everywhere, And the prospects of an entirely superficial world going forward is as inevitable as overpopulation. The TV program Simon Cowell's X-factor is in town (Providence RI) this week to produce one of the Fall segments. I relate to you this excerpt from this morning's story about the made for TV event: "...this week's round will have an audience of 3,500 people, selected by a contractor for their telegenic qualities from people who registered online for their tickets. They'll be positioned for their optimal facial camera angles on Sabin Street as the four judges out of their SUV's. So, it's a reality show with the exclusion of your average real person.
The Conscience: Chapter 2 continues. --
Willie noticed a cute girl from last night, and Jason was talking to a group trying to organize something. He was good at that. I, I was still a mess. I could barely move my legs forward after my friends left me, but if there ever was a time for me to be courageous it was now. I was thinking that slinking away would be easier than walking forward, shoulders back with confidence. So I slinked sideways, constantly looking over my shoulder. The cute girl was stroking Willies shoulder, and Jace was sitting down writin' on paper. I would never be missed. I turned and started walking slight faster than a slink. I stopped just short of the woods, took one more look over my shoulder and then stepped into the trees near the bushes. Funny how I keep calling them "The Bushes".
My heart was going crazy. My stomach was rolling over like a football after a punt. As I neared the Bushes I wanted to cover my eyes. Why am I here. What am I going to do when I get there, I asked myself. Maybe it's what you have to do when you are on the threshold of becoming a fugitive to assure it wasn't all a dream.
I pushed apart a couple of the bushes and stepped forward. I looked down with my eyes closed. Took a gigantic inhale. I opened my eyes wide. Then wider. And even wider again. My head starting jerking back and forth. She was gone! I collapsed sitting on a rock. There was a lot of bent grass. I saw a blue barrette she had worn in her dark black hair. She was gone and it wasn't a dream. I looked around quickly. No one was there, watching and the next person who wouldn't be there was me. I got to my knees and crawled speedily to the lakeside of The Bushes. Shit.
The Answer:
An editror friend of mine with his finger on the pulse of manufacturing told me Monday night that US factory production is going great guns and everybody in the manufacturing industries quite happy. The problem is confusion. Execs in businesses big and small are worried about the future and are still holding onto cash. They are improving productivity which always negates the need for good people...if they can find the skills they need. But that wasn't the Question! Check out these great American brands still made here: Zippo, Airstream, Kitchen-aid, Harley-Davidson, Sharpie, Crayola, Gibson Guitars, Slinky, Louisville Slugger, Wilson Footballs, Wiffle Ball, Hersey Chocolate and at the top of the list Smith & Wesson.
Once peoples start accepting little bits of illegality as legal, then over time what's legal will become ill.
*The Monument bill establishes a committee that would list historic and public monuments that have attained secular status even if they display what are considered religious elements. In other words it is a common sense law that understands monuments aren't honoring religions but events such as wars or people of note.
As I wander around I found that one single irritant common to many people is that they feel they have "Civil rights" too, and theirs are often violated by the ACLU.
But don't wallow in misery, just enjoy the cool crisp day.
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