Passive Aggression?

California’s Highway 1 is one of my favorite roads.

Absolutely spectacular scenery with generally the mountains or a cliff on one side and the ocean on the other.

The Sopranos

Hard to believe that it is been 20 years since its debut on HBO. The series held America’s fascination, at least for those who were on Cable TV and subscribed to HBO. It’s about the head of the New Jersey Mafia and his family.

With this program critics talked about the beginning of a new Golden Age for the small screen.

And there have been some great programs since then. Just a few off the top of my head – Battlestar Gallactica (not the silly one from the 70s), Dexter, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Deadwood just to name a few…

Chinese Copies

The Chinese are shameless at copying Western products. Some of the copies are comical and some sinister, with their pilfering through the Internet highly-classified technical documents. (which I have wondered why we put some of the most sensitive documents on the Internet, but what do I know?).

Apparently with at least one weapon, they somehow got the ingredients wrong, although the Jordanians aren’t saying much.

Life’s Predictability

As I have gotten older, I have become aware of the sudden changes we all have in our lives – all coming unforeseen and unexpected.

Perhaps our lives are more like a raft ride down a strong river – you can usually  guide your course but you can’t dictate it…

 

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“The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we’re not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.”

 Paul Auster

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“Everything’s subject to change”

Drill Sgt Claiborne

Ft Ord, CA 

Sep 72 

The World as a Petting Zoo

Over the years in my travels, I have been perplexed at the behavior of some people towards wildlife. Is it a naivete? Lack of respect for what they are capable of doing?

Ignorance? Arrogance?

All of the above?

Bob Lutz

Among the higher echelons of management of auto manufacturers, I believe Lutz is a near anomaly. He knows the auto business from the top, and he is a consummate car guy.

He grew up in Europe but became an American, and was a Marine Corps aviator. He’s held senior positions at Ford (Germany), Opel, BMW, Chrysler and his last station, GM.

He is an avid car enthusiast, who also flies his own L39. Just some of the cars he was a force in developing are the Opel GT, the first BMW 3 and 6 series (late 70s) , and the Dodge Viper.

Killing The World’s History

Just read an interesting article in the Doctor’s office a few days ago – and  being a Doctor’s office, it was a 3 year old magazine. I was aware of the Taliban’s intolerance of the twin 1,700 year old Buddha statues – 165 feet tall –  dynamiting them in 2001 – (and others have tried to rebuild to the best of their ability).

What I didn’t realize was the extent of the world’s heritage – mainly in the Middle East – radical Islamists have destroyed since 2001. Take a look at the widespread destruction (.pdf file; starts on page 35). They have even destroyed historic mosques for not having their own brand of radical Islam.

Father’s Day

By lex, on June 19th, 2006

Weather perfect of course, and the only thing to be lamented was the all-too-frequent reminders from th’ingrateful children that school was out, summer was here and what had I planned for Monday?

Leadership

I believe that I learned more about leadership- – good and bad – during my short time in the Army. There was one Army captain that we’d have followed off a cliff if ordered to do so; knowing he’d be right there with us. He wasn’t a “pal” but we respected him to the hilt. He was an ex-Marine (I know, I know), and a Green Beret in Vietnam who had been a sergeant, if any of that matters.

There was also one staff sgt most of us would have been glad to push off a cliff.

The good and the bad – I saw it all. Most of those above me were good people. Like anything there were both ends of the bell curve.

Pretty Much True

About all I have in common with the World War II ace Bud Anderson is that we live in the same vicinity.

The foothills around Sacramento are rife with recent history.

Take a 45 minute drive out to my favorite shooting range and you will see hills left by hydraulic mining, used during the gold rush.

There are dozens of former gold rush towns along California’s Highway 49.

Some of them are near dormant while others are bedroom communities to Sacramento.

A bedroom community of Placerville, just 30 miles or so up the hill from Sacramento, used to be known as Hangtown.

Anyway, Bud Anderson grew up in Newcastle California.