Tag Archives: history

Thoughts

Restoring planes is one expensive hobby

Paul Allen, one of the Microsoft co-founders, turns out to have more up his sleeve than the X Prize, although it’s related to it. He loves restoring old war planes. I’m not talking about painting them up so they can be placed in a museum, I’m talking about getting them up in the air! Just the idea sends shivers down my spine. I’d love to see a 1918 Curtiss Wright, or a Messerschmitt take flight, and he’s done it! What’s more, no expense is spared to restore them to their exact state when they were in flight, with the same materials and look. This is amazing restoration work, and it’s also very costly, bringing the price to hundreds of thousands of dollars per plane.

He’s purchased about three dozen airplanes since 1998, and about half of them are on display in two hangars at the Arlington airport outside Seattle. Once a year, he holds a flight day, where these old planes take flight for a public audience. His collection is open for viewing on Fridays and Saturdays, and the fee is $20. Definitely worth it!

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Reviews

The Fog of War (2003)

Just saw The Fog of War (2003), a documentary of Robert S. McNamara’s time as US Secretary of Defense, and was blown away by the behind-the-scenes look at what goes on during troublesome times. What strikes me is how lonely, how isolated, these people who hold key positions of responsibility must feel. Sure, there are plenty of people advising you, but in the end, if you’re the one making the decision, it’s an utterly heavy responsibility that is solely yours.

How do you decide to kill 100,000 people, or even less than that? Could you live with yourself afterward? Can you make a decision like that even when there’s a chance the data is faulty and/or its interpretation is wrong? How many politicians currently vying for top spots would be ready to make these decisions? Do they know that’s what they might have to do? Do they know everyone else around them will fade into the background and the decision will hang, like a millstone, around their necks? When do you decide to cut the cord?

I’m also impressed by the need to be more forgiving of the decision-makers of today. I can’t imagine the pressures of power have changed. If anything, they’re even more stressful nowadays. Yet so few people take the time to understand the issues before they start criticizing. I’ve been guilty of it myself. Robert S. McNamara makes a very good point in the documentary. One of his principles is that you should empathize with your enemy, in order to understand him. I’m not saying politicians are our enemies, but I think we should take the time to really understand where they’re coming from and the situations they’re facing before we, too, declare war against them, and yell for a change of office. The fact is, everyone makes good and bad decisions, and when the pressure of office is on, it’s even harder to sort through all of the conflicting information and do what’s right. You’re going to get some things right, and some things wrong, no matter what. We’re human, and we err. We can’t trust our senses and our perception of events is often wrong. It’s a wonder we don’t mess up more often.

What’s also true is that war as we know it is no more. It’s been evolving into some shapeless mass that rears its ugly head here and there, only to disappear before we can bonk it on the head and dispatch it. The frontlines of war are non-existent. We can no longer point out the enemy by their uniform, and Iraq is a perfect example of it. I say this because some people say there are plenty of “lessons learned” that could be applied. Perhaps, in some aspects of war, they prove useful. But when war has changed so much, and we still don’t know our enemies like we should, can we fault our leaders for making the wrong decisions? A lot of criticism out there is mere political posturing. We, as responsible citizens, should do our homework before we pick up the next critical catchphrase and hurl it at whoever’s in power.

I’m left with a feeling of surprise after watching the movie, and it’s because of this: political and world events are so complex, and wars are such ugly beasts, that I’m amazed we haven’t bombed ourselves out of existence yet. I’m thankful that calmer minds have prevailed, and that we’re still alive.

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Thoughts

The world wouldn't be the same without Romania

This video will show you why Romania is a wonderful and inventive country. Yes, it was sponsored by some beer companies, but it’s very nicely put together, and the things it talks about are all true.

The subjects presented in the video are listed below in the order of appearance:

  • The invention of the fountain pen, by Petrache Poenaru
  • The invention of the cybernetic model, by Stefan Odobleja
  • Insulin, invented by Nicolae Paulescu
  • The first jet-powered aircraft, invented by Henri Coanda
  • The first History of Religions, written by Mircea Eliade
  • Defending four penalty strokes in a row – done by Helmut Ducadam, in the soccer World Cup of 1986
  • The second most spoken language at Microsoft is Romanian
  • The Maramures Gates – some of the most beautifully sculpted wooden gates in the world
  • Romanian girls are some of the most beautiful in the world – I should know, I married one!
  • The sculpture of Constantin Brancusi
  • Brancovenean Architecture
  • Baseball (its grandfather, anyway – the sport got started all the way back in 1364)

In case you’d like to learn more about Romania, ICI.ro has a great collection of illustrious Romanians right here. Use the link menu on the right hand side to brows by subjects like Geography, History, Politics, Culture and Tourism.

(Thanks, Cristina!)

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Reviews

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

I saw Gold Diggers of 1933 last night. It’s a great musical from – you guessed it – 1933. It was part of a series of Gold Digger movies that WB put out during those years. This was the second in the series. It, and the first, Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929), were very successful, due in large part to Busby Berkeley‘s choreography. An interesting tidbit about the 1929 Gold Diggers is that it was the second full-length color sound feature film ever made.

Back to the 1933, version, which as I said, is made memorable by Busby Berkeley’s choreography. One of his trademarks was the chorus girl close-up. Well, you’ll get an eyeful of that right at the start of this picture, when he zooms into Ginger Rogers’ face so much you’ll think he’s going to go into the nose. I kid you not, the movie’s worth watching just for this uncomfortable shot. At the very least, you’ll be startled. Now, imagine how Ginger must have felt when she saw her teeth gracing the entire screen…

Incidentally, she has a supporting role in this movie, popping in and out of scenes here and there. The main roles are held by Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell. If you want to see real plaque in action on the big screen, watch for Guy Kibbee’s teeth on the close-ups. Yuck! How often did they do dental cleanings in those days? Ned Sparks plays the role of Barney Hopkins, the shows’ producer, in his own cranky, yet lovable way. Remember him from One in a Million? Well, he’s thinner in this movie.

A memorable quote from the movie occurs when Joan Blondell reconciles with Warren William: “Cheap and vulgar!”, she quips sarcastically and repeatedly, as he kisses her.

What’s interesting to me is the way they could squeeze glamour out of the everyday muck that was the 30’s, in particular during the depression. Let’s face it, they didn’t have the modern conveniences and hygiene that we now take for granted, yet they managed to make people, in particular women, look great. And when people like Busby Berkeley choreographed, people and things looked even better. The songs were better, the movie was better, because someone’s talent was allowed to shine. To me, that’s just amazing.

Nowadays, we’ve got a reverse trend. Instead of wanting to make things look better in the movies, directors and script writers choose to make them look worse. Take Spanglish (2004) for example. How does Tea Leoni look through most of that movie? Sure, you can argue that the realism adds to the role, but I think we’d have gotten the message without debasing her. If you don’t believe me, take a look at My Man Godfrey (1936). Carole Lombard gets the point across about her character without looking horrible in the process.

(This review was also published on BlogCritics)

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A Guide To A Good Life, Reviews

Mister Ed and Me, by Alan Young with Bill Burt

Mister Ed and Me(1994, St. Martin’s Press, New York)

The TV show “Mister Ed” is my perennial favorite. My wife and I love it, and we watch it regularly. I was thrilled to discover that Mr. Young had written a book about the history of the show – and also included a short autobiography. The book proved to be a wonderful read. I couldn’t put it down until I finished it! Mr. Young revealed himself to be the same nice person in real life as in the TV show. I highly recommend buying this book. If you do, get it directly from Mr. Young’s website, where you can get an autographed copy!

Recommended: Yes

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