Phil's Folderol

Tennessee, the Best Basketball State ?

2008-02-23T16:58:00.002-06:00

Who would have thought that the State of Tennessee would have three Division I college basketball teams in the top 20 in the nation (or even the top 16 depending on the pole you like).

Tonight my alma mater, the University of Memphis is #1 and takes on the University of Tennessee which is ranked #2. Vanderbilt University is either #16 or #20 depending on the pole.

Its a great night for basketball in Tennessee!

Beihai Park in Beijing

2007-09-25T08:01:00.000-05:00

I took a Saturday afternoon and made a trip to Beihai Park in Beijing in early September 2007. Beihai means "North Sea" but it is really a lake. There is a Buddhist temple on an island in the middle of the lake. There is also a fancy Chinese restaurant.

There is a boat ride across the lake to the island.

Approaching the island.

The sign said there are 435 images of Buddha.

Images of the lake on the other side of the island. Note the many lily pads.

Dr. Strangelove in Beijing

2007-08-31T23:33:00.000-05:00

The Beijing Hilton has some interesting Cold War-era Chinese porcelain on the second floor. This one reminds me of the scene in the movie Dr. Strangelove in which Slim Pickens rides the H-Bomb down to global destruction.

Perhaps on e of Chinese friends can tell me what the Chinese writing says on the side of the missile.

This one is a little tamer but the happy workers raising the Little Red Book seem out of place in the increasingly capitalist city Beijing in a five-star hotel catering to Western business travelers like me.

The Great Wall at Simatai

2007-07-22T08:45:00.000-05:00

I did not climb the wall at Simatai but the bus I was on drove over there to pick up hikers who made the four-hour trek from Jinshanling. Here are some pictures from the bottom of the mountains there.

This section of the wall is away from Simatai and away from Jinshanling towards a section which as not been restored. At some point in this direction the wall is closed because of safety concerns. A few climbers at fallen to their deaths where the wall was in disrepair and it was only a couple of feet wide on a steep cliff.

A zoom shot of the same section

There is a nice area of restaurants and shops at Simatai and I took this shot from the second floor patio.

Another zoom shot.

The Great Wall at Jinshanling

2007-07-22T08:12:00.000-05:00

I had the good fortune to get to go climbing on the Great Wall of China on Saturday. I had been once before back in January to a different section of the wall but I must say the view was better this time. We got a nice day albeit a hot one and the mountains on the Jinshanling section of the wall were beautiful and green.

Here's a picture of me sweating under the July heat after hiking uphill for about an hour.

Here's the view of the wall back behind where I'd been climbing.

Here's the view up ahead of me about where I stopped climbing and turned around to go back to the bus.

another shot back in the direction I came from.

aaaaaaaaaaa

The view way out in the distance ahead of me.

This is close to where the trail from the parking lot joins the wall from the right-hand side.

A lovely Chinese bride was getting wedding pictures taken on the wall. At one time the photographer was trying to get a shot with the wall and tower in the background and yelled at the tourists (in English) to please move on up the wall to get out of her picture.

A view along the wall.

A few pointers and suggestions for tourists who might make this climb in the future.

Buy a hiking stick before arriving at the wall. The steps are steep and sometimes difficult and putting a stick into the rocks can help your footing. However, they were 100 RMB near the parking lot and I was able to buy one 3 hours away in Beijing for 30 RMB.
You don't have to carry too much food and water. There was a tower with a snack and drink vendor about 1 hour into my climb. I was told there was someone selling drinks about every five towers between Jinshanling and Simatai.
Don't be surprised if a Chinese person follows around. One of the shops at the foot of the trail assigns a person to each Westerner. They help you know where to step. Help you get up the steepest sections, fan you to cool you off when you stop to rest, and hope to sell you a picture book of on the Great Wall, a "I climbed the Great Wall" teeshirt, a fan, or something. Several in my party tried to give tips instead of buying something but they seemed only interested in selling something.
It is possible to hike/climb from Jinshanling where I started to Simatai, the next starting/ending point for Great Wall tourists. I didn't try to do that but five of my party did and it took them about four hours.

Rock-n-Roll, Burgers, and Being a Target Market in Beijing

2007-06-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

I walked down the street from my hotel to the Beijing Hard Rock Cafe. I was approached on the way by a 35ish looking Chinese woman who wanted to know if I wanted a massage in pretty good English. I guess I looked like a Western businessman with money in his wallet spending a Friday evening alone. (For the record I love my wife and I am a Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher.)

My hotel is in a good part of town believe it or not. Many diplomats and Western executives on international assignment live on the east side of Beijing. I guess that means the woman selling massages was figuring her odds of success were pretty good if she walked up to every Western-looking man walking alone in the area.

When I declined she persisted to tell me she had a "younger girl" nearby and that "she looks good". I kept walking and went inside. I was pleasantly surprised to see there was no wait for a table at about 8:30 pm on a Friday night.

Sitting alone inside the Beijing Hard Rock Cafe under a replica of Billy Idol's Gold Record for his album "Whiplash Smile," I listened to a Chinese rock band (I think called "Tiger") singing American "top 40" type rock oldies in English. They had pretty good voices but very un-Chinese looking frosted hair. After a while, the band took a break and a projector showed several music videos and I found myself singing along to one of my favorite songs as a teenager, Lynard Skynard's "Free Bird." I ate a very respectable bacon cheeseburger and fries in the process. The price of the bacon cheeseburger was a little steep at 86 RMB or about $11.50. With a Diet Coke and chocolate ice cream for dessert to total bill came to 126 RMB or about $16.80.

As I left the Hard Rock Cafe I was approached by a second 30-something Chinese woman who repeated the same "massage-younger girl" script in English. I continued to the hotel and right before I got there, I was approached at the street corner by two young Chinese women together who also asked me if I wanted a massage. As I declined, they tried to push business cards with color pictures of a scantily clad Chinese girl and a phone number to call. "She's a beautiful girl." I guess they get a commission if they refer a paying customer. I quickened my pace to get onto the hotel property and they returned to their street corner.

Corrupt Chinese Official Gets Death Penalty

2007-05-30T10:23:00.000-05:00

My hotel in Beijing gives me a free English lanaguage newspaper, the China Daily. The front page story this morning is "Ex-official gets death for graft". Apparently the former head of the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration was convicted of taking bribes equivalent to $850,000 from eight pharmaceutil companies for "approving untested or substandard drugs and medical devices."

An American's Recommendations in Beijing

2007-04-25T15:07:00.000-05:00

Beijing Hotel Recommendations

Loong Palace Hotel and Resort – Large, luxurious hotel with large rooms and several restaurants. On the northern edge of Beijing near the 5^th ring which can be a long distance from tourist areas downtown. Relatively close to the Badaling portion of the Great Wall. Slow internet connection. Has normal amenities plus a bowling alley. Free breakfast that is very good. The hotel disables the AT&T calling card access number in China to try to get you to pay for their expensive international phone service.

Beijing Hilton – I have not stayed there myself but a friend says it is great and I hope to try it on next trip to Beijing. This is within walking distance of the Hard Rock Café in Beijing.

(added May 31, 2007) I've spent two nights in the Hilton and it is very nice. The staff has been great and there is live music. As a Hilton Honors Gold member I get a free breakfast. The internet has been good, especially early in the morning. The American restaurant has steak but it is expensive.

Shangri-La – Northwest Beijing near the 3^rd ring and close to the Summer Palace. Just feels luxurious and has great service. Even the bathroom mirror was heated to keep it from fogging up. Rooms are smaller than the Loong Palace Hotel and Resort but the internet is faster. Nice walking area in nearby park along a canal behind the hotel. The canal goes all the way to the Summer Palace. The only option for breakfast is a wonderful breakfast buffet for 197 RMB. Near the Beijing zoo. Has a relaxing walking path around a hotel garden.

(added 5/26/2007) I have been told you can get breakfast for half price if you join the Shnagri-La frequent stay program.

Crowne Plaza Parkview Wuzhou – A very nice hotel on the north side of Beijing near the site of the construction of the Olympic Stadium. The breakfast buffet was 143 RMB but it was possible to order from the menu. I had good success with the internet connection. Several restaurant choices including Brazilian cuisine.

InterContinental – A luxury hotel near the financial district. I have not stayed there but my friends have and enjoyed it. They also reported a fast internet connection. Breakfast buffet was wonderful but over 300 RMB.

Chinese Food for Westerners in Beijing

Southern Beauty – An elegant Sichuan restaurant on the 3^rd floor of the Pacific Century Plaza. Kung Pao Chicken made with cashews.

Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant (Wangfujing Branch) - Very nice, mult-story restaurant with good service. We were able to get in on a weeknight without a reservation. There are several branches under the same chain.

Western Food for When You’re Really Tired of Chinese Food in Beijing

Peter’s Tex Mex – More than just Tex Mex. Also has steaks, burgers, apple pie, and milkshakes.

Hard Rock Café – I had a very good slab of pork ribs. A Chinese band was playing American top-40 hits from the 70’s and 80’s.

Outback Steakhouse – I had nice rib eye. In the Beijing Hotel near the famous Wang Fu Jing shopping district

TGI Friday’s – Good American food and if I remember right it is close to the InterContinental.

Cell Phone Service

GSM phones will work but you will have to get a SIM card to have a local phone number in China. SIM cards are sold in baggage claim at the Beijing airport.

CDMA phone service is relatively new. in China. My Verizon phone worked great calls to my cell would forward to China. However, you had to get Verizon customer service to turn on international roaming before you leave the US. My cell phone service cost $1.29 per minute in international roaming charges. Incidentally, this cell phone international roaming was cheaper than the Loong Palace's international dialing with better sound quality.

English Language Church Services

Beijing International Christian Fellowship – 3000 members, 70 nationalities, and 10 languages with English being the biggest service. Must have a foreign passport to enter. The congregation meets in the auditorium at the 21^st Century Hotel. The 11:30 am Sunday service features a different speaker each week and contemporary Christian music. See also Beijing International Christian Fellowship.

Beijing Haidian Christian Church – Recently started an English language service at noon on Sundays

Starbucks in the Forbidden City

2007-04-21T21:25:00.000-05:00

On my recent trip to Beijing, I heard about a minor contreversey. It seems that Starbucks, the American chain of upscale coffee shops was allowed to open one of its coffee shops in the Forbidden City. Apparently, a fair number of Chinese felt that a foreign company had no business being in business on the grounds of their national landmark. It isn't obvious, but the Forbidden City Starbucks is below. If you click on the picture to get the larger image, you should be able to make out all the people with coffee cups in their hands. I guess not everyone is that upset of about it.

Lama Temple, Beijing

2007-04-09T21:30:00.000-05:00

I visited the Lama Temple in Beijing, China on March 31, 2007. Here's a picture of sign giving some of the history of the Temple.

Summer Palace, Beijing, China

2007-04-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

I got to visit the Summer Palace in Beijing on March 31, 2007. It was a beautiful but slightly chilly day. The trees were just starting to bud and bloom.

Freezing in Toronto

2007-02-23T22:38:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I made a trip to the Toronto, Canada area. It was 7 degrees farenheit the night I landed and no telling how cold it felt with the wind chill. Here's the view taken the next morning from inside the Hilton in Markham.

I'm Podcasting!

2007-02-06T11:58:00.000-06:00

I have enjoyed listening to podcasts on the iPod I got for Christmas so much that I've begun an audio version of this blog. Check out the links down the right-hand sidebar.

Olympic Panda in Beijing

2007-02-04T21:15:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of a Panda figure in the parking lot outside of one of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic stadiums under construction. Picture taken in January 2007.

Bug on a Stick at the Night Market

2007-02-04T21:04:00.000-06:00

One night on my recent trip to Beijing, China we wandered around downtown at night and took a peek at the food offerred at the Night Market. Here's a picture from my cell phone which is blurry but I think you get the idea. It had many different booths selling food to people walking by.

Here is a sample of some of the more unusual foods for sale... not for the faint of heart.

In the upper right you see pretty normal looking fresh strawberries and kiwi. Other items include some kind of grub or other insect larva, locust (grasshopper), seahorses, beatles, lizzard, and some other stuff I don't recognize. One of the vendors saw my white face and yelled out in English "deer".

Pictures taken in January 2007.

Phil's Random Observations and Commentary on China

2007-01-23T07:21:00.000-06:00

Just in case you're planning your first trip to Beijing, here is what to expect.

Yes, there are young men who play guitar and sing for money in Chinese subway stations.
I heard that approximately 40% of the worlds concrete and steel are being consumed by China’s construction boom.
China is not producing dull, boring, utilitarian new buildings. The stadiums being built for the 2008 Summer Olympics are extremely modern and unusual looking. One technology park building catering to software companies features a UFO-looking structure covering the open space between buildings.
There are churches in China but they are supposed to be registered with the Bureau of Religious Affairs. Registered Protestant churches are called the “Three Self Partriotic Movement “
You are expected to bargin with shop keepers and street vendors. There is no bargining at Government operated shops, however.
The Chinese will still line up to view Chairman Mao’s body and leave flowers.
Thousands of bus drivers, taxi drivers, and people with other tourist-facing jobs are studying English to prepare for the many tourists coming for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The new money in town can buy million dollar American-like luxury homes in gated communities with golf courses.
Hyandai cars are very common but I also saw many VW Jetta’s, a few Buicks, a Jaguar, a few Mercedes Benz, a few mini-van looking vehicles, and a couple of SUV-type vehicles.
The technology workers coming and going from the new technology parks in the northern suburbs seem very young and are high educated
You do see people who appear to be squatting on property on the side of the highway in shacks made of whatever material they could find.
There are some beggars on the streets.
I was approached to see if I wanted to buy bootleg copies of pornography DVD’s.
Aggressive entrepreneurs will try to sell you watches with the image of Chairman Mao, copies of Mao’s Little Red Book, and Red Army Hats.
The air is quite polluted. The air pollution hangs like a fog on winter nights.
The Chinese carry fancy cell phones.
The mens restroom in large buildings will often have both a western-style toilet and the hole-in-the-floor type.
Well educated and otherwise brilliant Chinese professionals really do eat duck feet but they are de-boned first. They also eat duck tongues, farm-raised bullfrog, eel, and more.
There are enough Muslims in the Beijing area that it is common for company cafeterias to have a separate line for their Muslim workers. I believe this is so they have meal options which do not include pork.
You can buy cigarettes from the same vending machine as Coke and candy bars.
It appears that most vending machines take one yuan coins, five yuan bills, and ten yuan bills. Why do they not take the one yaun bills?
Every restaurant I stopped at had either regular Coke or regular Pepsi. Almost none of them had Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi available.
When I ordered a pizza in an Italian restaurant in my hotel (which caters to western business travelers), the waitress brought me a bottle of traditional American Tobasco Sauce from the McIlhenny Company, Avery Island, LA to go with it. I've never eaten Tobasco Sauce on pizza but there it was.
Paper napkins are usually small.
"Hole in the wall" restaurants that locals frequent seem to cook a portion of their food on grills on the sidewalk out in front of the restaurant.
You can get bread in Chinese restaurants much like the bread in Indian restaurants back in the US.
Bicycle mechanics will set up shop on the sidewalk along busy streets.

Life Outside the 5th Ring

2007-01-19T10:02:00.001-06:00

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Originally uploaded by gville_architect.

Outside the 5th ring (highway loop) around Beijing, China there is construction everywhere. Most of the vehicles on the roads out here seem to be trucks carrying construction materials. China is making a huge investment.

The Most Capitalist of Purposes

2007-01-18T16:31:00.001-06:00

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Originally uploaded by gville_architect.

Chairman Mao's image is now on souviniers aggressively hawked by Chinese entrepreneurs. These were available from a street bazaar but I was also followed down the street as I walked in front of Tiananmen who just wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

Me at Tiananmen

2007-01-18T16:24:00.001-06:00

0701180032-1
Originally uploaded by gville_architect.

I was in China 3 days before I saw the first picture of Chairman Mao.

UFO Over Beijing

2007-01-18T16:20:00.001-06:00

0701170027-2
Originally uploaded by gville_architect.

Just an example of the dull, boring buildings being produced by the Chinese economy outside the 5th ring of Beijing in the northern suburbs. Is this really a communist country?

China Day #2

2007-01-17T05:22:00.000-06:00

I was in a meeting this morning in a conference room at my client. We had some interesting discussion (in English) about various software issues then suddenly one of my clients switched over to Chinese. Within seconds, there were about three different conversations going on between the client and my co-workers who are all Chinese living in the US or Canada. Suddenly it dawned on me... I was the only non-Chinese speaker in the room. I didn't interrupt as it seemed the client knew the topic of discussion was important and it was just easier to discuss in their native language. I got an update later from my co-workers. It was probably the fastest way to get the issues settled.

I decided to eat in the hotel tonight and tried the hotel's Dragon Court Chinese restaurant. It was a little early for dinner in China and when the hostess seated me, it looked like I was the only one in the restaurant. I was quickly surrounded by four pretty young waitresses in traditional Chinese silk jackets. They all looked to be maybe 18 to 22 years old. They didn't seem to understand my English as well as the front desk staff. The menu had both English and Chinese but the familiar Chinese dishes I was used to back home were nowhere to be found. I asked about Kung Pao Chicken and got a quizzical look. "Chicken and peanuts?" I settled on a friend prawn dish with some steamed rice. The girl looked puzzled, took the order, and went away. Shortly later she returned to tell me that this was "only one prawn" and "I don't think that is enough food for you." I didn't remember seeing the word "appetizer" anywhere but apparently that is what I ordered. I looked for another chicken dish and ordered some more food.

They brought my appetizer which resembled a work of art. It was both tasty and crunchy.

Then they brought my chicken dish still sizzling in a covered clay pot. It smelled great and looked. When I started trying to eat it I realized the chicken was not boneless. In fact, it was made from the ends of chicken wing bones. Each bite of chicken contained a joint between two bones in the wing. It tasted good but it there wasn't much meat around the bones. It was hard to separate the meat from the bone with a knife and fork. I one point I gave up on trying to be neat. I figured the Chinese eating with chopsticks would have to put the whole piece in their mouth and separate the meat from the bone with their teeth and tougne and spit out the bones. It was a lot of work to eat and I only ate about half of it.

I turned on the television in my hotel room for the first time. There are a couple of English language news shows available such as CNN. While channel surfing I found the "Charlie's Angels" movie with Chinese voice overs and Chinese subtitles.

My First 24 Hours in China

2007-01-16T07:41:00.000-06:00

I arrived in China at the Beijing airport. I made a "pit stop" at the mens restroom right after getting off the plane and when I got ready to wash my hands I could find no paper towel to dry my hands. There was a tall young man in a uniform whose job I surmise was to keep the mens restroom clean. He came to me with a paper towel and when done, it was not obvious even where to throw it away. He held out his hand that he would take it from me which he did. He then motioned to me that he wanted a tip. I just got off the plane and had not exchanged any currency yet so I told him "I only have American money." (I had emptied my pockets of American pocket change to get by the metal detectors.) He then told me in broken English "one dollar." This I had and I decided I could part with one dollar for the guy whose job it was to keep my restroom clean.

Clearing customs/immigration was uneventful. There was a question on one of the forms about whether I was bringing a radio transmitter or radio receiver into the country. I was carrying a cell phone. I was pretty sure a cell phone didn't count so I answered "no" and put a note at the bottom "cell phone." When I turned this form in the guy almost didn't look at it. When he did there was an immediate puzzled look on his face. I pointed at my cell phone and he smiled as if to say "Oh... is that what you meant" and he waved me on. I noticed a mural of the Great Wall of China on the wall.

American companies were advertizing all over the airport as I noted in my previous post

I exchanged some dollars for Chinese currency.

I needed a cab to my hotel and luckily, my client had given me a card with the address and driving instructions writen in Chinese. I showed this to the driver and the airport employee matching newly arrived passengers with cabs. The two of them together figured out where I wanted to go.

I was amazed at how many big, dirty trucks were on the road at 10 PM. I guess they all must deliver construction materials to construction sites. There was obviously construction going on all over the place. There was some traffic jam in which it appeared the police were pulling over trucks about the same time a stalled vehicle was blocking the right hand lane. My taxis driver was pretty aggressive with his horn and managed to dart around and get through the traffic jam without to much wasted time.

There was basically no scenary along the route from the airport to the hotel at 10 PM. Just a big, wide, interstate-like highway with exits and signs I couldn't read. There did seem to be a haze around all the bright streetlights and spotlights. I don't think it was fog. It must have been pollution, smoke, or dust (or all three).

My client can sure pick a great hotel, the Loong Palace Hotel & Resort.

The bellman, desk clerk, and everyone I talked to spoke pretty decent English. My impression was that they were all very handsome or pretty and perky as if the upscale hotel where I was staying could be pretty picky about who they hire. The broadband internet connection from my room was pretty slow, however. I noticed that rather than a flat rate like most hotels in the US, the hotel charged by the minute for broadband connectivity... up to a maximum of 80 minutes.

I am pleased to report that I checked with Verizon Wireless prior to my departure and they assured me that if they enabled my international roaming and I did a *228 and selected option 2 to update my roaming after they did their magic... that my CDMA phone would indeed work in Beijing. (Meaning I did not have to have a GSM phone like used commonly in Asia and Europe.) For anybody who cares, I have an LG-VX8300 phone. They also told me to do a *228 when I arrived in China but that did not seem to work. However, when I dialed 00-1-area code-number I connected with the number I dialed in the US with crystal clear clarity. It sounded just like I was around my home town. There was no voice delay either so it had to be traveling to the US via fiber optic cable and not satellite. All this wonderful communications for what they promised me was $1.29 / minute in international roaming charges. (I haven't gotten a bill yet though.)

I hooked up with three of my co-workers, all of whom spoke Chinese. I had a free buffet breakfast at the hotel. I had my first taste of dragon fruit. My co-worker told me it was not native to China but came from Thailand. The restaurant staff all spoke enough English.

The weather was bright and sunny but not nearly as cold as I expected. Nothing was green on this January day. My co-worker told me Beijing is very dry in the winter.

The four of us took a cab to the office. The cab was small and crowded with our group of four and the driver. I wasn't complaining though as I'd rather get around town with three friendly Chinese speaking co-workers than venture out on my own. We pulled up to a set of very modernistic buildings. There was a huge line of taxis cabs waiting for clients out front. The heat was running full blast in our conference room. The internet connection was locked down pretty tight. I did manage to get into my work email via my employer's VPN, but the connection was even slower than the hotel. My co-worker told me he thought a recent earthquake had ruined a key undersea fiber optic cable and affected much of Asia's available internet bandwidth and that might be the problem.

Later in the day we decided to go another building for a meeting we heard about. Since there was a big line of taxis out front, we had no problem just walking up to the first one we came to. We drove over to another modern looking technology building. The network connectivity was much better there.

The four of us then took a taxis to get something to eat for lunch because our meeting took us past the time the building's cafeteria closed. We wound up a small "hole in the wall" type place which probably did not get many Americans. My friends helped me order and I wound up with a huge bowl of tasty beef and noodles, a couple of spicy chicken wings, and some bread which reminded me of the bread I get in Indian restaurants back home but with spicy seasoning sprinkled over it. The bread was cooked on a grill outside the front door on the sidewalk. One of my co-workers pointed out that the family that ran the restaurants were Muslims. I noticed a tapistry of a Mosque on the wall. I remarked that I didn't know China had a Muslim population and he told me there were 60 million Muslims in China. A couple of the waiters who brought our food looked to be 12-year old boys. I wondered how many years kids were required to attend school.

We walked from lunch to the original building we went to this morning.

We had a key person we wanted to meet with who could not meet with us in the afternoon until 4 PM. We wound up talking until well after 6 PM. When we went outside, the long line of waiting taxis cabs was gone. It took a few minutes to get a cab as the driver was dropping someone else off at our location.

We got back to the hotel and by this time the jet lag was getting to me. I decided to eat in at the hotel rather than go out with my co-workers. I shot a couple of emails and then walked down to the Italian restaurant of my fancy hotel. I had penne fettichini. I almost knodded off waiting for my food.

After dinner, I felt more awake and decided to return to my room. For some reason I decided to bang out this post and try to go to bed a little later so I don't wake up too early tomorrow. I wonder if anybody will read it and will enjoy it enough to leave me an encouraging comment? :-)

Capitalism Alive and Well in Beijing, China

2007-01-15T22:45:00.001-06:00

I arrived on my first trip to China at the Beijing airport Monday night. Look at the American corporations that greeted me: The United Parcel Service (UPS) Coke, Starbucks, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. I have not seen a single picture of Chairman Mao yet. I've been very well treated and enjoying my first trip to China. Luckily, I have several co-workers who speak Chinese!

Historic Venice in Pictures

2006-11-14T20:18:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures taken of Venice, Italy in the 1989-1990 time frame. First is a picture taken from St. Mark's Bell Tower.

A view of one of the canals.

Paddle Bell Memorial to Submariners

2006-11-13T21:28:00.000-06:00

I found this memorial to submariners lost at sea on the U.S. Naval Academy campus. See also a previous post of mine, "Courage Runs Deep."

Picture taken in May 2006 in Annapolis, Maryland

Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee

2006-11-03T19:15:00.000-06:00

View from the 18th floor of the Hilton in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee in late October 2006. I was in town to interview University of Tennessee students for jobs. Picture taken through the window so there are some reflections of lights in the room in the picture.

Memphis World War I Memorial

2006-10-30T21:09:00.000-06:00

I found this memorial to Memphis, Tennessee and Shelby County soldiers who lost their lives in World War I just outside the entrance to the Memphis Zoo in Overton Park.

Chattahoochee River near Atlanta

2006-10-22T22:29:00.000-05:00

The Chattahoochee River as seen from a park on the northwest side of Atlanta, not far from where I75 meets I285. Picture taken in late September 2006 on a recent business trip.

Egyptian-Flavored Zoo

2006-10-08T22:02:00.000-05:00

I got to visit the Memphis Zoo with my nieces and nephews a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful September Saturday. I hadn't been to the Memphis Zoo in probably 25 years or more. I was struck by the Egyptian theme taken from the "other" Memphis... Memphis, Egypt on the Nile River.

There is also a Chinese themed area where the Pandas are.

Complete with coy

Some of the animals of the Memphis Zoo

Surprising Pittsburgh

2006-08-16T20:58:00.000-05:00

I had the good fortune recently to have my employer send me to Pittsburgh for some training. I don't know what I expected, but I must say I've been pleasantly surprised. The weather in mid-August has been wonderful. Downtown where the class is and where I'm staying is clean. People mill around like they're enjoying themselves and I've felt completely at ease walking around. As an amateur photographer, I carried my digital camera along and took a few pictures.

Here's a picture of a tour boat making its way upstream at the mouth of the Allegheny River where it joins the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River. Just to the right and out of the picture is Heinz Stadium where the Pittsburgh Steelers play. The Dequesne Incline goes up the cliff along the opposite riverbank.

A view up the Allegheny River showing some of the many bridges of Pittsburgh as seen from Point State Park. You can see the lights of PNC Park where the Pittsburgh Pirates play home games.

The fountain at Point State Park and a view of downtown. I was staying at the Hilton just left of center.

Park benches along the Allegheny at Point State Park.

I got up and went walking before class in the mornings and caught this shot of a barge entering the Monongahela River from the Ohio River. This shot reminded me of my hometown of Memphis.
The view up the Monongahela River from the break room where I was taking my class.

Sunrise over Pittsburg from near the base of the Duquesne Incline.
Looking down the Duquesne Incline
The confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela Rivers at Pittsburgh as seen from the top of the Duquesne Incline, over 400 vertical feet above the river.

Backyard Butterflies

2006-08-07T22:56:00.000-05:00

Here are some shots I took in the backyard. Butterflies are harder to catch in a good picture than I expected. About the time I would get a good shot framed they would fly to another flower.

Why You Shouldn't Plant Bradford Pears

2006-08-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photographs of storm damage in my yard to discourage anybody who might be considering planting some Bradford Pear trees. The damage below happened about 3 weeks ago during some high, straight-line winds associated with a thunderstorm which occurred after a long dry spell.

Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge Vacation Recommendations

2006-07-18T23:34:00.000-05:00

It has become a family tradition of sorts to venture off east of home to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Tennessee at least once a year. Some of the family have been doing this for decades and have strong opinions on their favorite restaurants, things to do, places to shop, and more. Parking places are all important in Gatlinburg as well. I have decided to share some vacation photographs and reveal some of the family recommendations.

Family Fun

Chimneys Picnic Area – Great Smokey Mountains National Park – We like to take KFC to the park for lunch and climb around the moutain stream. Our picnic table was right up against the creek bed. There hadn't been a lot of rain so there wasn't as much water flowing as in previous years but it was still pretty.

Roaring Fork Motor Trail – Great Smokey Mountains National Park – Got people in the group who can’t exactly go hiking? This trail lets you ride in your car. Many historic cabins, historical markers, some foot trails you can take to waterfalls, and more.

Dollywood – Pigeon Forge – Theme park with kid’s rides, thrill rides, water rides, carnival games, shows, arts & crafts, steam engine train, food, etc. Bigger and nicer than you think. One of the best wooden roller coasters around!

Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Adventure Park – Pigeon Forge – Water park associated with Dollywood. Water slides, lazy river, wave pool, and other excuses to get wet.

Davy Crocket Mini Golf - Gatlinburg - A well maintained mini golf course popular with youngsters.

Favorite Places for Breakfast

Pancake Pantry – Gatlinburg - A must for breakfast at least one morning each trip. Very extensive breakfast menu with almost every flavor of pancake you can think of. (i.e. lemon-apricott, pecan, blueberry, M&Ms, buckwheat, and more)

The Old Mill – Pigeon Forge – Also great for breakfast and has a historic grist mill next door on the river. Massive wood beam architecture inside. See my picture of the mill.

Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant – Pigeon Forge (more commonly called “The Apple Barn” in my family) – Country style cooking in country style building with apple orchard behind it. Homemade apple fritters. Has several gift shops, candy stores, etc. next door.

Favorite Places for Lunch and Dinner

The Peddler – Gatlinburg – Great steaks and huge salad bar. Waiter brings around steaks for you to look at before you order.

The Park Grill – Gatlinburg – Interesting assortment of menu items and an absolutely beautiful building made of massive wood construction also worth seeing.

The Brass Lantern – Gatlinburg – My family always shares a “tureen and skillet” (soup and a skillet of corn bread) any maybe several of them.

Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant – Pigeon Forge (more commonly called “The Apple Barn” in my family) – Country style cooking in country style building with apple orchard behind it. Homemade apple fritters. Has several gift shops, candy stores, etc. next door. There is now one open in Gatlinburg too but I’ve never been to that one.

Best Italian Cafe and Pizzaria – Gatlinburg – We love the pizza and the wonderful garlic rolls. Can’t see it from the main drag. You have to turn in a driveway into the Elks Plaza Shopping Center. Not a lot of parking places but we always seem to get one somehow. There is often free bluegrass music in the Elks Plaza in the evening.

The Wild Plum Tea Room – We always stop here for lunch when driving through the Great Smokey Arts & Crafts Community.

Favorite Places to Shop

The Village Shoppes of Gatlinburg – Gatlinburg – Right on the main drag. Many smaller botique-type shops and a few eateries for desserts, coffe, donuts, etc. Behind the Pancake Pantry mentioned earlier. You generally have to pay to park, however.

Here's the entrance to The Village Shoppes from across the street from my parking secret at the bottom of this post.

Tanger Outlet Center – Sevierville, TN – Many upscale outlets. Sevierville is adjacent to Pigeon Forge.

Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community – An 8-mile loop where local artisans, demonstrate and sell their arts and crafts. Stop by the Wild Plum Tea Room for lunch. I aways poke my head into watch the glass blower on the far left of this stretch of shops.

I saw some beautiful handmade rocking chairs on the front porch of this shop for $275, though I didn't buy one. They had a similarly beautiful handmade porch swing.

Ely’s Mill – Antique shop at the end of the Roaring Fork Motor Trail. The Roaring Fork stream is behind the mill with lots of green moss-covered rocks. See the picture.

Gatlinburg Parking Secret

Phi Beta Phi Elementary School on Cherokee Orchard Road – The school charges $5 to park in their parking lot during the summer. If you leave and come back you have to pay again. Within easy walking distance of The Village Shoppes of Gatlinburg and the Pancake Pantry. Earlier in this post is a photograph of the flower-lined back entrance to The Village which is just across the street from the school parking lot.

Back from a Long Blogging Hiatus

2006-07-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

I am hopefully back from a long blogging hiatus. Things just got a little crazy for a couple of weeks at work and at home. I spent a lot of extra mental energy at work for a couple of weeks on a special project. It was fun and I learned a good bit while I was at it but it suffocated my blogging-related brain cells. I also spent numerous weekend hours braving the June and July heat in Nashville to scratch a couple of items off my “honey do list.” These items were however only belatedly off the list as I was reminded “if you’d done it earlier in the year it wouldn’t have been so hot.” Also during this time I have been trying to take better care of myself and get some much needed exercize on weeknights. Put those three things together and you have very few discretionary hours left for blogging. Surely, I am not the only blogger to have this problem? Oh.. our old cocker spaniel died, too.

Copenhagen, Denmark

2006-06-18T21:35:00.000-05:00

This picture of a frozen Copenhagen taken in the winter of either 1984 or 1985. Note the footprints on the frozen wanter.

Images from the USS Texas

2006-06-18T21:18:00.000-05:00

I took the following pictures onboard the USS Texas in the summer of 1985 somewhere northwest of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The USS Texas is a Virginia class guided missle cruiser.

The sea for this Pacific ocean sunset was glassy smooth, smoother than I thought possible on the ocean.

Conservative Rock Songs ?

2006-06-11T17:02:00.000-05:00

I have a pair of headphone-style noise protectors with a built-in FM radio that I wear while mowing the grass and weedeating. When I was working in the yard this week I heard about a conservative journalist named John J. Miller at the National Review who came up with a list of The 50 Greatest Conservative Rock songs.

The third song on the list was the one that amused me the most. The journalist picked "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones as the 3rd greatest conservative rock-n-roll song of all time. The reason? He calls the song The Screwtape Letters of rock, a reference to the classic book of Christian apologetics by C.S. Lewis (also of The Chronicles of Narnia fame.)

John Miller made some good points on the radio about how in the songs lyrics, the Devil took credit for such things as Pilate sending Jesus to be crucified, the Nazi blitzkrieg and the killing of the Czar and his family which came with the start of communism in Russia.

The Other WWII Memorial

2006-05-14T16:16:00.000-05:00

On a recent visit to Annapolis, Maryland I stumbled across the Maryland World War II Memorial. I posted pictures of the National WWII Memorial a while back. The memorial is located immediately across the Severn River from the U.S. Naval Academy.

The memorial has the names of Maryland residents killed in the armed forces during WWII.

Thurgood Marshall Memorial

2006-05-10T22:02:00.000-05:00

While strolling around historic Annapolis, Maryland (I got to combine a few hours of pleasure with a business trip to Baltimore), I stumbled across a memorial to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Its across the street from the Maryland State Capital as is shown on this photo below. All pictures taken in April 2006.

The memorial from the front.

A close-up of the memorial plaque.

Remember the Maine!

2006-05-06T20:19:00.000-05:00

The USS Maine was blown up in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. The foremast of the USS Maine was recovered on October 6, 1910 and errected as a memorial on the campus of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on May 5, 1913.

US Naval Academy campus

2006-05-06T20:08:00.000-05:00

United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on the banks of the Severn River. Picture taken from the opposite side the river in April 2006. The large dome to the right of center is the US Naval Academy Chapel. The second and smaller appearing dome-like structure a little farther to the right is the top of the Maryland State Capital building just a couple of blocks up Marland Avenue on the back side of the campus.

Stad Amsterdam

2006-05-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

The tall sailing ship "Stad Amsterdam" docked in Baltimore, Maryland in the Inner Harbor. Picture taken the first week of May 2006. The USS Constellation is docked on the right hand side of the picture as well.

The "Stad Amsterdam" is of recent manufacture and is both a symbol of the heritage of the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and is used to train young people in how to run a sailing ship. For more information on the ship, click here.

Baltimore Inner Harbor

2006-05-05T21:28:00.000-05:00

A picture of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. Picture taken in May 2006.

Annapolis City Dock

2006-05-04T21:48:00.000-05:00

The City Dock in Annapolis, Maryland. Picture taken in April 2006. The dome in the left center background is the Maryland State Capital building. See also Annapolis was the US Capital for About 9 Months.

Annapolis was the United States Capital for About 9 Months

2006-05-04T20:36:00.000-05:00

Below is a picture of the Maryland State Capital building, the oldest state capital still in use. It was also the US capital for about 9 months before Washington, DC existed. This picture taken in April 2006.

Here's a historical marker with more detail

A huge painting of George Washington resigning his commission as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army to Congress in Annapolis hangs in the rotunda of today's US Capital building. Click here for more details.

The other side of the Maryland State Capital.

Courage Runs Deep - Submariner Memorial

2006-05-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

Below are some pictures of a memorial to the 3000+ WWII submariners who lost their lives in the line of duty on 52 submarines "still on patrol". I took the pictures in April 2006 on the campus of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The view behind the memorial is out into the mouth of the Severn River where it joins the Chesapeake Bay at Annapolis.

close up of the brass plaque....

the back side...

Around the World Sailboat Race

2006-05-02T18:10:00.000-05:00

I visited Baltimore, Maryland on business and discovered that sailboats and crews participating in the "Volvo Ocean Race" were in town with all the yachts docked at Inner Harbor. This around the world ocean race started back in November in Spain and is still going on. How does Spain to Sweden by way of a South Atlantic/South Indian/South Pacific route around Antartica sound? (See the picture below.) They just ended a racing leg which started in Rio di Janerio. The race is expected to end in Gotenborg, Sweden in mid June. For more information see the official web site.

US Naval Academy Campus

2006-05-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

A squadron of sailboats used by the Midshipmen at the US Naval Academy to race against each other and learn seamanship. Picture taken from the US Naval Academy campus along the Severn River in Annapolis, Maryland in April 2006.

The sailboats have names like Challenger and Resolute.

Politically Incorrect Tax Dollars at Work: US Naval Academy Chapel #1

2006-05-01T21:05:00.000-05:00

The entrance to the United States Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland. Picture taken in April 2006.

Washington, DC Surrounded by the Confederacy?

2006-04-30T23:19:00.000-05:00

I find the historical marker below on the campus of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland really interesting. It isn't necessarily well known that owning slaves was legal in Maryland when the Civil War broke out in the United States. However, Maryland and a few other "slave states" did not secede from the United States of America (the Union) to join the Confederate States of America. (Missouri was another example of a slave state which did not secede.)

If you don't know your geography very well, you may not realize that Maryland is immediately west, north, and east of Washington, DC. Virginia which was part of the Confederacy was to the west, south, and east. Therefore, if Maryland had sided with the Confederacy in the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln and the United States Capital in Washington, DC would have been surrounded by the Confederacy.

Based on the historical marker below, it appears that the Union did not want to allow this unpleasant possibility to occur. Union troops took over the Maryland capital of Annapolis and physically prevented the Maryland Sate Legislature from convening and even considering a motion to secede from the Union.

I'm not advocating this should have happened... I'm glad we no longer allow slavery. However, just imagine how United States history might have been different if Washington, DC had been surrounded by the Confederacy at the beginning of the Civil War.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make Big Difference

2006-04-17T23:48:00.000-05:00

Only once and a while does a book I read really make a significant impact. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference was one of those books. I’m not sure I’ll ever look at the world the same way again.

Ever heard of a American Revolutionary War historical figure named William Dawes? Ever hear of Paul Revere. Would it surprise you to know that William Dawes and Paul Revere played the same role in trying to alert anti-British colonists of an impending attack? Why is it everyone remembers Paul Revere and not William Dawes?

The author uses this and many other examples to explain why some information spreads by word of mouth like wildfire, how fads get started, how epidemics spread, why some messages are “sticky” (easily remembered), why anti-smoking campaigns aren’t working, and more.

He proposes Three Rules which control epidemics or the rapid, viral spread of information (or disease).

The Law of the Few
The "Stickyness" Factor
The Power of Context

Just a few people can make a big difference in spreading rumors, starting fashion trends, spreading disease, or making a product “cool” – but only if they’re the right people:

“Connectors” – People who know lots of people. People other people want to know. They are “social glue”.

Paul Revere is remembered in history because he was a connector. He knew who to tell in each village along the way on his midnight ride. He knew who would spread the word quickest. William Dawes was not connected and the people he told about the impending British attack were not able to get their militia gathered together to be effective participants in the battle.

“Mavens” – People who provide us with new information. People who accumulate knowledge but are not passive collectors. They want to share what they know. They educate and help without persuading.

People like the lady you always ask which store has the cheapest price for an item

The guy you ask for a restaurant recommendation

The road warrior who knows which hotel in Chicago is undergoing noisy renovations and which is close to live blues music.

“Salesmen” – They persuade us when we are unconvinced. They get us to make decisions or change our minds. They build trust and rapport quickly. They infect others with their emotions.

If you’re a direct marketer, trying to get a public health message out, or trying to teach pre-schoolers you want your message to be easily remembered or “sticky”. The trick is to figure out how to package your message in a way that it is not part of the majority of information we encounter in a day we simply forget or ignore. The information needs to motivate us to action to spread.

When Yale University wanted to encourage students to get tetanus shots at the campus health center, they found little difference between using a “high fear” brochure showing gruesome pictures of suffering tetanus victims and “low fear” brochure with toned down verbiage and no pictures. Only 3% actually took the time to get inoculated. By simply republishing the two brochures with a campus map with the location of the health center circled and giving inoculation hours increased the inoculation rate to 28% of the campus. With the possible exception of new freshman, most of the students probably already knew where the campus health center was and didn’t actually need the map to know where to go to get the shot. Something about the presence of the map they didn’t need made the tetanus information “sticky.”

At the insistence of child psychologists, the creators of educational kids show Sesame Street originally intended to never mix real actors on street scenes with The Muppets. Psychologists did not want to confuse kids with what was real and what was fantasy. However, when they studied pre-school age children they discovered they stopped paying attention to the adult actors in the street scenes and went back to their toys. Against all professional advice, they found that their “epidemic” of educational information was “sticky” when human actors and Muppet actors where mixed in the same scenes.

Rapid spread of information, rumors, opinion, disease, etc. is also heavily dependent on Context – the conditions and circumstances of the time and place.

An article of fashion becomes a trend when the people others consider “cool” adopt it first.

Syphilis spread in Baltimore when the city simultaneously tore down crime-ridden housing projects (causing those people most at risk to disperse throughout the city) and cut the staff of the free clinic in half to save money (it took victims longer to get treatment)

Paul Revere was arguably more successful spreading the word of an impending British attack because the people who needed most to receive his message were at home asleep instead of out running errands.

Bernhard Goetz became an unlikely urban hero when he shot subway muggers at a time New Yorkers were most afraid of violent crime in their city.

The leadership of the city of New York attribute much of their success in driving down violent crime to an emphasis on rigorous prosecution of those painting graphitti on subway trains, breaking windows, jumping subway turnstalls without paying, etc. They believe that if residents see others get away with the “little things” that context encourages others to see what they can get away with in an escalating fashion.

I highly recommend this book. It has made a difference in how I evaluate events in the world, how I view changes in culture and opinions, how I respond to marketing, and the way I look at supposedly “hot” trends.

2006-04-14T00:23:00.000-05:00

The view from the Redondo Beach Pier looking across the water towards Palos Verdes.

Redondo Beach Jetty #2

2006-04-14T00:19:00.000-05:00

Picture taken from the pier in Redondo Beach, California in April 2006.

Redondo Beach Jetty

2006-04-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

Picture taken from the pier at Redondo Beach, California in April 2006.

Sailboats in the Sunset - Redondo Beach, CA

2006-04-14T00:07:00.000-05:00

Picture taken from the pier at Redondo Beach, California in April 2006.

Great Season Ends for Tigers

2006-03-25T20:46:00.000-06:00

The Memphis Tigers Men's Basketball team ended a great season tonight. They lost to number 2 seed UCLA in the Elite Eight.

Memphis Advances to the Elite Eight !

2006-03-23T21:59:00.000-06:00

My alma mater, the University of Memphis defeated Bradley tonight 80-64 to advance to the "Elite Eight" of the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament. Memphis will play the winner of the UCLA and Gonzaga game next. Memphis beat both of these teams in the regular season. Gonzaga has a pretty big lead as of the time of this post.

After all the questions about whether Memphis deserved a number one seed, it was the highly venerated Duke that was the first number one seed to fall. Duke was beaten by LSU tonight.

Go Tigers!

Memphis Advances to Sweet 16

2006-03-19T16:03:00.000-06:00

Memphis defeated Bucknell to advance to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA. They face Bradley next who defeated Pittsburg. Go Tigers!

Memphis Advances

2006-03-18T17:13:00.000-06:00

The Memphis Tigers (31-3 and #1 seed in Oakland bracket) advanced in the NCAA tournament by defeating Oral Roberts. They play Bucknel (27-4 and #9 seed in Oakland bracket) next who defeated Arkansas. Memphis and Bucknel play tomorrow in Dallas. "Go Tigers! Go! Go on to victory..."

Memphis Tigers Clinch C-USA Championship & Get #1 Seed in NCAA

2006-03-12T21:04:00.000-06:00

My alma mater, the University of Memphs won the Conference USA Championship and currently have a record of 30 wins and 3 losses. They also got a #1 seed in the Oakland region of the Men's NCAA tournament. See: Memphis Rolls Past UAB to Win First-Ever C-USA Title and Depth Charge.

Go Tigers!

View Down the Mississippi River

2006-03-12T20:40:00.000-06:00

I shot this picture looking south down the Mississippi River from Confedate Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The bridge in the distance is the railroad bridge across the Mississippi. There is another older bridge for cars behind it.

View Up the Mississippi River at Memphis, Tennessee

2006-03-12T20:35:00.000-06:00

I took this picture looking north up the Mississippi River from Riverside Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee.

Why Courage Matters

2006-03-07T20:05:00.000-06:00

Here's another great book from Senator John McCain. Why Courage Matters is a collection of inspiring stories of people who took great risks for causes they believed in. Examples include a Medal of Honor Winner, a civil rights leader in the deep South during the 1960's, opposition political figures in an Asian dictatorship, and even a virtuous ordinary citizen in a crime-ridden, inner city housing project. These stories of courage to stand up for what you believe in were humbling to me and I bet they will be for you too. I highly recommend it.

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Senator John McCain - Faith of My Fathers

2006-03-07T19:35:00.000-06:00

As I’ve mentioned before I am an avid “reader” of audio books. My most recent book was Faith of my Fathers by US Senator John McCain and Mark Salter. I must say I learned a great deal about the men that shaped the life of one of my favorite politicians.

Senator McCain’s Grandfather

Annapolis graduate
A US Navy officer who rose to at least 3-star Admiral but I think he made it to, reporting directly to Admiral Halsy. He might have been a 4-star.
Involved in numerous naval battles in WWII as commander of squandron of fast carriers.
Was present at the Japanese surrender ceromony in Tokyo Bay.
Had one major incident of adversity. He was relieved of his command near the end of WWII not for failure with the enemy but for damage to ships and for men washed overboard and lost at sea during a typhoon.
Died just a few days after returning home after WWII.

Senator McCain’s Father

Annapolis graduate, graduating in the bottom 25%
Commanded submarines during WWII
Eventually rose to 4-star admiral.
Was appointed to the US Navy’s second highest position, Commander in Chief Pacific (CINCPAC) during the Vietnam War.
Henry Kissinger told future Senator McCain after the war that whenever he felt President Nixon was losing his resolve to fight the North Vietmanese, he would arrange for Senator McCain’s father to brief President Nixon on the war and miliary options.
Died like his father, shortly after fighting his nation’s war.

Senator McCain

Annapolis graduate, graduating near the bottom.
Naval aviator.
Volunteered for combat assignment off Vietnam.
Asked to be part of a particularly dangerous mission over Hanoi.
Shot down over Hanoi.
Injured in the shootdown, denied medical treatement for a long time until the Vietmanese realized his father was CINCPAC.
Could not move his arms or walk for months.
Beaten and tortured in prison.
Was once beaten so severly he signed a war crime “confession” and made an audio recording which was played over the loud speaker at the prison camp, humiliating him.
Offered early release from POW camp in Vietmanese attempt to embarase his father was a “big admiral” but he refused to leave before others who had been imprisoned longer.
When released from POW camp, he could barely walk without crutches due to untreated injuries. After some surgery and physical therapy, he eventually got flight status back but was eventually dischardged.

Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool

2006-03-03T18:17:00.000-06:00

I took this picture of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and its reflection on a pretty warm December day in 2004.

Eagle's Nest

2006-03-02T19:38:00.000-06:00

This picture of me taken in the summer of 1989 at Hitler's Eagle's Nest retreat in the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden, Germany and Saltzburg, Austria. It was actually pretty chilly up there. I think the tour guide said that a political hack had built the retreat at great expense to impress Hitler and gain his favor. Little did he know that Hitler was afraid of heights and only spent a very few nights there.

Old Mill - Pigeon Forge, TN

2006-03-02T19:31:00.000-06:00

Old Mill in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee not too far from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is a restaurant behind the trees which is a good place for a family breakfast. Picture taken in the summer of 2005.

(Added 12/11/06) For vacation recommendations see Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge Vacation Recommendations.

Chicago River

2006-02-23T21:14:00.000-06:00

Here's a shot looking north up the the South Branch of the Chicago River by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Picture taken in downtown Chicago, IL in February, 2006.

Palmer House, Chicago

2006-02-23T21:08:00.000-06:00

I hope you enjoy this shot of the restored lobby of the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago. Look at the detail in the ceiling.

Shadow Warriors

2006-02-20T22:19:00.000-06:00

I’ve finished reading another book. (Well, actually I finished listening to an audio book.) I’ve always been a Tom Clancy fan and I just finished Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces by Tom Clancy with General Carl Stiner (retired) and Tony Koltz.

The book is basically a collection of stories, experiences, and anecdotes about those members of the United States armed forces who belong to special forces units such as the Green Berets, the US Navy SEALs, the pilots who fly their special mission planes and helicopters, etc. From this I learned more than I expected to learn about world history since the World War II years.

The precursors to today’s special forces who parachuted in behind enemy lines into German-occupied France to work with French Resistance fighters had to walk quite a political tightrope between the monarchists, the Gaulists, and the communists. The communists were the most troublesome. Near the end of the war, one group of communist aligned resistance fighters stopped cooperating, captured a munitions factory, and began making weapons to be used in an armed revolution they wanted to start as soon as the Germans were expelled from France.

President John F. Kennedy was a big supporter of the concept of “special forces” because he anticipated low intensity conflicts and guerilla led fighting.

The entrace requirements to the Army Special Forces were raised sometime during or shortly after Vietnam to include a minimum IQ of 120. Language, cultural, and political skills became extremely important. “Rambo” types were not really what they wanted. They wanted men who could work to gain cooperation of native guerilla and tribal forces.

General Stiner was assigned as a liason with the armed forces of Lebanon prior to the bombing of the Marines barracs that killed 220 US Marines in 1983. He describes in great detail the friction, animosity, political agendas of the the Christians supported by Israel, the Druze supported by Syria, and Hezbollah supported by Iran. I also learned how the Lebanese constitution set up by the French used the resuls of an out-of-date census in 1930 to distribute political offices by religion. For example, the top leader of Lebanon was designated to be a Christian because the Christians were the largest ethnic group in 1930. By 1983, Muslims outnumbered Christians but the allocation of political offices had not changed. No wonder the Middle East is such as mess!

General Stiner led a response team to the TWA Flight 847 hijacking in 1985. He described how delays in getting lift aircraft affected their ability to try to mount a rescue while the plane was on the ground in Beruit. When the plane flew to Algiers, the government there would not allow a rescue attempt. When the plane returned to Beruit, the terrorists were reinforced with heavily armed men and some 40 of the passengers were removed from the plane and taken to different locations making rescue difficult if not impossible. This experience led to the assignment of dedicated lift aircraft to support special forces activities.

General Stiner was also involved in US actions to capture the terrorists who hijacked the Achille Lauro in 1985 and killed a wheelchair-bound Jewish-American passenger. The terrorists were forced to land in Sicily where there was quite a political standoff about whether Italy or the US would get to prosecute the terrorists. Italy got to prosecute the terrorists but they let the hijacking mastermind Abu Abbas escape via a plane to Yugoslavia because of supposed diplomatic immunity.

A huge amount of effort went into the American invasion of Panama to capture the corrupt President Noriega in 1989 and support the lawfully elected government. A few interesting facts (or trivia depending on your point of view).

Because of their bombing accuracy, the F-117 Stealth Fighter was used to drop 2000 pound bombs on a very precise location so as to create a diversion without harming civilians as US paratroopers were landing to take over a shared US-Panamanian army base. The shared base had housing for the family members of both Panamian and US troops. This may have been the first use of the Stealth aircraft in combat. The aircraft were still a “black” secret prior to the first Gulf War with Iraq.
To gain refuge in the Vatican Embassy, Noriega apparently told an embassy official that if he was not allowed sanctuary, he would go into the mountains to lead a guerilla war.
Evidence was found in Noriega’s homes that he practiced witchcraft. Understandably, this did not sit well with representatives of the Catholic Church while he was hiding in their embassy.

A small group of four US soldiers were inserted well behind Iraqui lines during the first Gulf War to observe troop movements along a major highway. They were initially sent out by helicopter, recalled, and then sent out again. They used so much fuel they had to return to base to refuel before going out the second time. As a a result they did not have enough time before daylight to dig a good hole to hide in. Their less secure hiding place in a ditch was discovered soon by a couple of little girls and a little boy. The troops apparently had authorization to shoot the children to protect their mission but the warrant officer in charge, having little girls of his own, decided against it. The children did indeed bring an adult who they also refused to shoot. They quickly moved to a new position but later had to hold off an attack by an entire company of Iraqui soldiers who luckily were not great fighters. The US troops theorized they were deskbound soldiers called hurriedly into action because the company of soldiers attacking them did not wear combat boots but instead had street shoes on despite the rugged terrain. Eventually, they got air support from Air Force jets and were extracted by a helicopter while under fire.

There is much good information about recent history in this book that I think is valuable. Check it out!

Jokes Heard Today

2006-02-19T18:47:00.000-06:00

If a mute kid swears does his mother wash his hands with soap?

Isn't it unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"?

If a man stands in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?

For more of the same, check out One Liners.

Get Twice as Much Work Done

2006-02-15T18:56:00.000-06:00

We all get twice as much work done on the day before vacation....

Zig Zigler, “Get Motivated” seminar, 4/26/2005, Nashville

Tiger - Bannerghatta National Park

2006-01-26T19:16:00.000-06:00

Picture of tiger taken from bus tour in Bannerghatta National Park near Bangalore, India in October 2004.

Peking Acrobats

2006-01-22T22:40:00.000-06:00

Picture taken aboard the General Jackson showboat during a dinner cruise on the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee.

American Flag as a Symbol both of Freedom and Overwhelming Force

2006-01-22T22:32:00.000-06:00

A quote from General George C. Marshal on the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.

"We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming force on the other."

Rebel Against Authority and Survive Terrorist Attack?

2006-01-22T22:14:00.000-06:00

Check this out: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.06/start.html?pg=3 It describes who got out of the World Trade Centers on Sept. 11th.... and why... they ignored authorities who advised waiting for rescue and avoiding elevators.

It is sobering for "good boys" and "good girls" who always did what our parents and teachers said without question. It seems that on September 11th at least, having too much respect for authority worked against you and increased your chance of being killed. It is also a lesson in how the speed of information travel can alter the rules in an emergency. For example, those who got out by ingoring authorities often had gotten more recent and better information by cell phone, text message, or instant message. Armed with this, many of the survivors made their own decision to get out of the building immediately rather than wait.

So... what do we “good boys” and “good girls” do now?

The Dog Ate my Homework!

2006-01-21T23:06:00.000-06:00

Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog.

Doug Larson

Pig Wrestling

2006-01-20T23:36:00.000-06:00

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get all dirty and the pig likes it.

Unknown

The Klosters, Switzerland

2006-01-16T15:36:00.000-06:00

Taken on a road trip thru Switzerland in the 1989-1990 timeframe while living in Germany. I never got to go skiing there (heavy sigh).

Strasbourg, France

2006-01-14T15:44:00.000-06:00

Shot taken in Feb 1990 from an outdoor cafe on an unusually warm day.

A Last Vestige of the Cold War

2006-01-14T15:39:00.000-06:00

This shot of the Berlin Wall was shot on a visit there about two weeks before the wall "fell" from the West Berlin side.

Note the guard tower.

St. Moritz

2006-01-14T10:20:00.000-06:00

A picture of St. Moritz, Switzerland taken in the summer of 1989.

Venice, Italy

2006-01-14T00:48:00.000-06:00

Venice, Italy - Canal shot taken in the summer of 1989

Saltzburg, Austria

2006-01-13T22:15:00.000-06:00

Taken on a cloudy day in 1988.

Attempt the Absurd, Consistency, Comfort, Peace, Silence

2006-01-12T19:34:00.000-06:00

Only those who attempt the absurd achieve the impossible.

Unknown

Being stuck in a rut is a form of consistency

Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning,
“Get Motivated” seminar, 4/26/2005, Nashville

The job of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Finely Peter Dunne

The things that will destroy America are peace at any price, prosperity at any cost, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living, and the getting-rich-quick theory of life.

Theodore Roosevelt.

In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

View from the Zugspitze

2006-01-11T22:46:00.000-06:00

While visiting Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria sometime in the 1988-1990 timeframe, we spent a couple of days skiing on the Zugspitze. This picture was shot from near the top of one of the ski slopes. I believe the mountains in the distance are in Austria.

Neuschwanstein

2006-01-08T23:41:00.000-06:00

Neuschwanstein Castle near Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria. Picture taken in 1988.

View from Neuschwanstein into the Alps

2006-01-08T23:37:00.000-06:00

The view from one of the windows of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. Picture taken in 1988.

Boys Love Mud Puddles

2006-01-07T21:04:00.000-06:00

I caught this shot at family gathering in southwest Georgia, just north of Panama City, Florida. A toddler plays in a big mud puddle caused by tropical storm Arlene in June 2005. His Mom was well prepared with a change of clothes and just let him have fun in the rain and mud!

Blue Water

2006-01-07T20:58:00.000-06:00

Picture taken at Crystal Lake, Florida in June 2005.

Mansker's Fort

2006-01-06T22:28:00.000-06:00

A reproduction of Mansker's Fort which was originally built in 1779. Picture taken in Moss Wright Park, Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

My Favorite Room in Nashville

2006-01-05T22:21:00.000-06:00

This is the Grand Reading Room of the new "main" public library in downtown Nashville. I love the high ceilings, the wooden bookshelves, the natural light coming through the tall windows, the view of the State Capital , and the lovely quiet.

New Year's Resolutions for 2006

2005-12-31T16:31:00.000-06:00

After much soul searching I have come up with the following list of New Year’s Resolutions for 2006

Listen to more biographies (audio books). I have really enjoyed the biography of John Adams and have learned much more about history than I expected.
Take more photographs for my own enjoyment and not just at special occasions or when traveling
To devote time and energy to things which I feel passionate about.
To tell myself “no” more often, especially to snacks and second helpings.
To train myself to combat stress in healthier ways than indulging myself in my favorite comfort foods
To improve my spiritual disciplines by being more regular in my Bible study and prayer
To err more on the side of taking action instead of “wait and see” or “maybe now isn’t a good time.”
To improve my health and level of fitness thru both aerobic and strength training as well as more stretching for flexibility.

Technorati Tagged: 2006resolutions

How to Become More Creative in Solving Problems

2005-12-30T14:08:00.000-06:00

Check out my post on my I/T Architecture Blog: How to Become More Creative in Solving Problems.

Politics as Usual in Early American History

2005-12-29T17:06:00.000-06:00

I have been continuing to listen to the 26-CD long, unabridged biography of John Adams when driving in my car. I am at about CD number 21 now and I must admit I have enjoyed it much more than I ever expected. There has been so much interesting detail and tidbits of American history I never knew.

In the early days, the man with the second most votes in the Electoral College was elected Vice President. John Adams served two terms as Vice President under George Washington. He would later find out that Alexander Hamilton worked diligently to get Electors to withhold votes from Adams. After Washington served two terms, Adams was elected the second President despite much effort on the part of Hamilton and Madison to get Thomas Jefferson elected. By this times, sharp party lines had developed and as a result, the Vice President Thomas Jefferson held many different views than President Adams and he frequently conspired with Alexander Hamilton to undermine John Adams’ policies

Philadelphia was the early capital and it often hit by Yellow Fever epidemics in the summer months. On several occasions, most high officials left the city to escape the disease. Much government business was done by mail, which traveled slowly in those days.

Relations turned sour with France after the French Revolution. We had stopped supporting an army and navy, and France used its sea power to exclude us from trade from the French West Indies. France was at war with England and would intercept US shipping with England as well. Most of the North, including John Adams reacted with horror to the mass executions during the French Revolution and distrusted the new French government. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and much of the South had more distrust of England and looked at the French revolutionary cause as similar to our own and wanted to align ourselves with France. They blamed the problems with France on John Adams’ insulting the French years earlier when Adams served in Paris with Benjamin Franklin and later as one of the negotiators of the Treaty of Paris.

John Adams made the mistake of asking George Washington’s cabinet to stay on rather than choosing his own. (No precedent had yet been set as to cabinet level officials stepping down and the newly elected President picking his own cabinet.) In fact, most of his cabinet officials were really loyal to Alexander Hamilton.

Alexander Hamilton is presented in the biography as constantly trying to maneuver behind the scenes to control events. He was also found out to be in an adulterous relationship with another man’s wife.

Relations with France got worse when the new government refused to accept an American delegation sent by Adams to seek peace. As a result, Adams proposed to Congress to begin building an American Navy again and begin building an American Army just in case peace could not be negotiated. John Adams nominated George Washington, the former President, to come back to be the highest ranking general in the new army. Adams also nominated other influential men including Alexander Hamilton and his own son-in-law (who had rank of Colonel during the Revolution) also as generals. Washington would only accept his new commission if he could name his own generals under him. Alexander Hamilton was up to his usual behind-the-scenes maneuvers again, and Washington appointed Hamilton as second in command.

So... the plot continues to thicken. After going through high school and receiving a “rose colored glasses” view of history, it is interesting to see get this rather unvarnished version of events.

Me With a Beard?

2005-12-29T16:06:00.000-06:00

Here is one of only a few pictures I know of showing me with the beard I grew in the summer of 1985. Taken at Sea World in San Diego petting a pilot whale.

This was the one and only time I seriously tried to grow a beard. It had a lot of red mixed in with the blonde. I never felt like it got thick enough to look good and it itched. So... I got rid of it after 8-12 weeks of trying.

My Favorite Tree

2005-12-26T23:08:00.000-06:00

Below is my favorite tree in the whole world. It is a huge old oak tree in a pasture next to my Aunt's house in southestern Georgia, near both Alabama and Florida.

The shot above shows lightening damage from several years ago.

The tree has provided shade from the Georgia heat to cattle for well over a hundred years.

Christmas 1987 ?

2005-12-26T13:54:00.000-06:00

Christmas 1961

2005-12-24T11:27:00.000-06:00

Nashville

2005-12-22T10:55:00.000-06:00

Nashville at night from the "General Jackson" paddlewheel showboat on the Cumberland River.