St. Frank's Infirmary

Being Resolute

2010-01-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

Some people make New Year's resolutions....not me. I just write a ranting, incoherent blog post about the state of the economy. That and take the family to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco.And why not? The weather is great(sorry rest of the country) and I had time off of work.

One of the most famous sites in the Tea Garden is the Drum Bridge (Taiko Bashi). As a kid I remember the one time my parents took me there and I immediately had to climb over the bridge when I saw it. I had no real appreciation for the work that went into it, nor the beauty of the arc reaching over the tiny stream below.

At that time, I'm sure there was no plaque in place explaining the origins of the bridge, but today there is. I made it a point to read it, as so often I pass by these things or just give them acursory glance. I was truly amazed at what I read(and very disappointed afterward that I could find so little on the subject online).

The story goes like this: Shinshichi Nakatani was
commissioned by the government of Japan to create a Drum Bridge for the 1894 San Francisco Midwinter Fair. He came to San Francisco in the early 1890's and found that he did not have the materials he needed, so had to travel back to Japan, where he built the bridge. It was blessed and disassembled, then shipped to San Francisco. The project ran out of money however, so Nakatani-san went back again to Japan to sell his family's rice fields to raise the needed funds.

OK, stop there. Travelling between Japan and the U.S. in the 1890's isn't like a Jet Blue trip to Miami. It's grueling days at sea, with no guarantee you'll even arrive. On top of that, he sold his family farm to complete this job he was entrusted with.

He then asked his son to remain in the U.S. for nearly fifty years in order to work and save enough money to buy back the family farm.

Why had I never heard of this?? I was was honestly dumbfounded after reading that. I ran to catch up with my wife and kids and led tham back to the plaque and read the story to them. I felt like this man and his son needed a lot more recognition for their contributions than just this sign next to tthe bridge. I could not find the words to explain to my daughters the level of responsibility, honor and perseverance this man had. I will never look at that the bridge the same
...I will always think of Shinshichi Nakatani travelling half way around the globe, twice, to ensure the bridge found its rightful place as promised.

Please visit the Nakatani Family web site for more detailed and better researched information.

In searching online for information, I ran across these San Francisco Recreation and Parks Commission Minutes. See page 2 for some of the controversy surrounding the placement of the plaque.

Holly Jolly

2009-12-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

I know I shouldn't do this, what with Christmas and all, but I've kept my trap shut for a,long time about this. "This" is the situation we all find ourselves in today: An economy in the tank, a worthless Congress that can't pass a real piece of game-changing legislation, and a public that is increasingly being led to believe our country is on the verge of becoming the next Cuba.

What brought me to this lowly state? It was...soap poisoning! Oh wait, wrong movie. I have had a few reminders of the political/economic state we're in. First, was the eerie deja vu feeling I got while watching "It's a Wonderful Life"...as Mr. Potter gobbled up all the businesses in town and went on a tirade against the "discontented, lazy rabble" who want home loans. Potter wasn't a miser, not at all, he used is money to monopolize(read: Destroy competition) all the businesses in town. This in conjunction with the news that good ol' Wells Fargo was paying back their government money. Gee, didn't they do well by grabbing up some struggling banks? Thanks for the loan Uncle Sam! What's that? Someone needs to modify their mortgage so they don't lose their house? SCREW ' EM! Oh, and Merry Christmas.

The next was an article my friend sent me. He sends me a lot of things like this, it keeps me balanced I suppose. But this one in particular really drove me nuts. The guy starts out with a biblical quote, I guess we are to believe the Bible is now an expert source on Economics, but ultimately, it's a moral issue. He goes on to say that Entrepreneurs (he tends to mix capitalism and entrpreneurism freely) are actually driven by an altruistic desire to help, not money. You silly Lefties, see? It's all about taking care of peoples' need. OK, great, I might buy that on a limited scale, but the article ends with the author bemoaning the cap on pay and bonuses for bankers! What? A. Are investment bankers really entrepreneurs? And B. What about their altruistic drive to help others? Oh yeah, that was just a load of crap to make greed more palatable.
Don't get me wrong, I know that competition and risk are necessary for innovation and ultimately we all get rewarded in one way or another, but these articles that stop just short of praising greed and selfishness? Too soon? Yeah, maybe. The mere hint of a Public Option for medical care sets off alarm bells around the country! "They'll raise taxes!" they say. Yeah, about that...see, one of the mainstays of Conservatism(or Libertarianism, which seems to be invoked more often in light of the previous administrations destruction of our country's economy and liberties) is the idea of responsibility. Like, being able to pay for what you buy. So, yeah, they want to raise taxes to PAY for Health Care, unlike running two wars simultaneously and not raising taxes...you know, so the next guy will have to.
Anyway, this drive to convince you that your government, any government, is essentially the enemy, is really getting out of control. Do these Republican Senators not see the irony that they decry a "socialist" health plan, when they themselves take advantage of one? And how about the constant comparisons to the Post Office? You know, the veiled threat that your health care will be run like the U.S. Postal Service. Really? OK, you might be able to argue that that wouldn't be so bad. The few PO's I've used in my neighborhood aren't that bad, certainly I have patronized private businesses that were definitely run worse, but OK, fine let's let them keep that one. My question is this, why is it that the Post Office is always used as an example? Why not NASA? They do some pretty cool things...would you like your health care run like that? Or, how about the U.S. Military? Sure, Senators are always using the "troops" for political points or photo ops or any other "use"...except their health care. Why? Because then you'd be denigrating the troops and that is a political no-no, but let's face it folks, they are government workers, are they not? Of course they are, and they all get the dreaded government health care(as did I until I was a teenager, and it wasn't the end of the world).

So to sum up: Wall Street Investment Bankers are just altruistic entrepreneurs, who only care about the People's needs(But let's not regulate their bonuses, eh?).
The government is useless and possibly even your enemy, except the guy telling you this, who seems to always have an "R" after his name.

Here's a great Frontline episode on comparative health care systems around the world.

And some light reading...how the whole "The Government is your enemy" thing all started: The Man Who Sold the World

Happy New Year.

RIP Liam Clancy

2009-12-04T16:15:00.000-08:00

Liam Clancy passed away today. My sister-in-law,whose mom had the pleasure of meeting the Clancys, alerted me and this is the first song that came to mind.
RIP Liam

Ohne Mauern leben

2009-11-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

It's been twenty years since that momentous day when the unthinkable happened: The Berlin Wall came down. I remember the first time I visited Berlin and was in awe of this monolith, this insane testament to man's warped sense of reason. The citizen's of East Berlin were told the wall was thee to protect them from the evil West.
I was obsessed with the Wall. I spent days just walking along it, looking over the into the eastern side at the tanks traps and razor wire...the soldiers staring down at me through binoculars, until i raised my camera to take their picture, which sent them scurrying away from the window of their tower.

In light of the anniversary of the Wall's demise, I'm recommending a few movies that capture some of the essence of that time;

First is Das Leben der Anderen(Lives of others). This captures the oppressive control the Stasi had over the people of East Berlin and the ultimate futility of the whole system.

Second, a comedy: Goodbye Lenin. An hilarious comedy of errors, where a son tries to convince his good Socialist mother that everything is as it always was, despite the wall coming down.

Last is only remotely related to East Berlin/The Wall, but is worth a watch: Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It's a loves story...boy/girl meets boy, boy/girl loses boy, boy/girls goes on a quest to find boy.

Here's a link from good ol' Paracelsus that shows some pics of the wall. Be sure to click on numbers 13,14 and 15 to see a Before and After...stunning.

And Sid Vicious' observations...

It's Not Like It's Written In Stone

2009-11-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

Are you thinking of getting a tattoo? Maybe you've been out with your friends and have had a drink or two...or seven or eight..and think to yourself, "Hey, let's go get a tattoo!(hic)".
Or maybe you're really hip, or the silent, brooding, mysterious type. Maybe you just want one because everyone else has one. All good reasons of course, I mean who the hell am I to say what you should do to your body? It's not like it's written in stone.
Wait. No, really, wait. Go look at some of the Ugliest Tattoos on the face of this Earth...or face even.

Some are dopey typos that just make you wonder "How?"

Others make you wonder about the "skill level" of the "artist". Yeah...or if maybe the artist drank as much as the customer.

Some just make you cringe

Some are NSFW...that is Not Safe For Work OR the World!

Almost forgot: The obligatory Chinese Characters

Still want that ink?

Heroes

2009-10-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

"Hero: n., 1.a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. 2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal".

When you think of heroes, what typically comes to mind are soldiers who throw themselves on grenades to save their comrades or New York Firemen who, without concern for their own safety, entered the World Trade Center buldings to save the lives of those trapped inside. These are indeed heroic acts, but there are other heroes in this world...A lot of them, like Brooksley Born, are of the unsung variety.
Until now that is...Check out this Frontline Special on the history of the economic meltdwn we are experiencing now.

Even after saying "I told you so" in the late '90's, she was still ignored...then villified and eventually run out of town. But she never gave up...and she was right the whole time.

There's also an Interviewwith her on the Frontline site.

Tom Hanks, your staircase is ready

2009-10-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Or, how to battle obesity.
Would you take the stairs rather than an escalator if it were more "fun"?
Well, some people in Stockholm wanted to find out, so they created the The Piano Staircase. Not too surprisingly, more people chose the stairs over the escalator.
Honestly though, if you were to put one of these in Grand Central Station, the resulting sound would be one, big irritating mess of notes.So it's back to the escalator and a big bag of chips to munch as you slowly ascend.

This just in: A local resident in Stockholm, Sweden was severely injured when he tried pounding out Chopin's "Polonaise" on the stairs in the Odenplan.

People Who Died

2009-09-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Jim Carroll is dead
He died Last Friday and was only 60 years old. Although maybe "only" isn't the right word. He managed to survive most of his childhood acquaintances by several years and considering his early years, it's a wonder he made as far as he did.
I remember having a cassette tape of Catholic Boy and wore the damn thing out in a nihilistic frenzy of non-stop play. Unfortunately, its raw, brutal style was its attraction for me at a young age and I think a lot of people were drawn to that seedy tableau Jim painted with music and words.(He also wrote the autobiographical "The Basketball Diaries"). Wasn't until later in life I realized that it's easy to romanticize the junky/misfit life when you're not living it.
If you haven't read The Basketball Diaries yet, you really should. I think it's a must for everyone....it definitely takes away the glamour of drug use and now that poor Jim is dead, it's that much more powerful.
RIP Jim.
Here's a video of "People Who Died". I chose this one despite the clips of Leonardo DiCaprio in it from the movie of "The Basketball Diaries", mainly becuase this was the version of the song I knew and loved.

Write much?

2009-08-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently not.....that extended vaction thing really took its toll on me. I lost all motivation to do anything except swim, ride my bike and lay around in the sun.

But, now that I'm back to the real world, I've fallen into my old routines: Still not writing and watching too much TV at night. Which brings me to this little gem. Out on the West Coast we have an ice cream chain called Baskin Robbins(Some people call it 31 Flavors, I guess it's kind of like how some people call Kentucky Fried Chicken "The Colonel's"....what is that all about?).
So they have this really annoying or catchy(depending on your tolerance level)commercial on TV that everyone just calls "Ice Cream and Cake":

Now, the first time I saw this, I thought it must have been something created by the Writers of Saturday Night Live. In fact, I defy anyone to tell me that isn't Justin Timberlake singing...
Turns out it's the Buckwheat Boyz who, evidently, excel at really annoying riffs like this and the Internet meme Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Wow...yeah...I kinda like my original idea that it was SNL writers who came up with it, because now we have to face the fact that someone out there is writing this and taking it seriously!

Man, I've listened to it far too many times...I think I need a vacation.

Auf Ferien

2009-07-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

Out of commission for the last few weeks(and a few more to come)...I'm on an extended vacation.

Honda Hypocrites!

2009-06-11T21:28:00.001-07:00

I found it! Finally, thank you Internets for keeping all of our embarrassing past acts preserved forever.
Maybe you remeber me Railing against the new Hond Insight...Now I have proof of their..their..what is this, duplicity? I don't know, but here's Honda making fun of the "cheese-wedge" shaped Prius...and, oh what's that, your new Insight looks just like a Prius!!!. Gah, it makes me so mad that they'd think we'd forget.

W.W.E.W?

2009-06-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

Huh? Yeah, it's a stretch, but "What Would Einstein Write?"
Before I go any further, apologies for being AWOL for the last who-knows-how-many-weeks...We're tasting the fruits of the economic downturn at home and it is NOT good. So rather than blog about lay-offs, our precarious housing situation, general malaise and depression, I did the sensible thing and shut the hell up.

So, what's all this about Einstein? I'll tell you what, he was a smart guy, but don't you think you could do better? Sure you could, come on, the guy worked in a Patent Office! If you feel up to it, you can go HERE and change history! No more of that boring ol' E=mc2 crapola, no way, we're talking "That's what she said!", huh? Am I right?
Here's my bit...lifted from the wall of a bathroom in Goettingen Germany...truer words were never spoken(written)!

OK, here's another, cuz it's just that much fun...

The Hybrid has no clothes

2009-05-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I get so angry over this commercial for the new Honda Insight. Maybe it's because the last eight years of Bush's smirk-filled lies that I'm overly sensitive to bullshit.

I can't find the commercial from about a year ago, but Honda was advertising their Civic Hybrid, and the gist of it was that the Prius was a "cheese wedge shaped" car...and who wants to be seen in that? Well, now look at them...I mean ,when I first saw this ad, I thought it was for a Prius. Could they be any more blatant?
I suppose Toyota can feel good though, you know, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that stuff. Still, it really chaps my hide that they think they can get away with this.
What exactly they are getting away with, I don't know....

Elvis Lives

2009-04-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Of course, not that Elvis. I'm talking about Elvis Perkins, son of Anthony Perkins of "Psycho" fame. I heard him interviewed on NPR(you can check it out here) and was immediately taken with his music.

They made a point of focusing on the tragedy he has faced in his life and after hearing his music, you understand how it had to have an influence. I really don't know how you would classify this music, or if you should classify it, but check it out...I bet you like it.

I like "Doomsday", but wish I could here the more dirge-like version he later changed to the current one on the album.

UPDATE: Just read all that up there..man, how sloppy and disjointed. Well, I'm just trying to download his music and enjoy it, so I kind of threw all that together really fast. Sue me.

OK, I'll stop now, but I found this great video of "Doomsday"

Vegan cats

2009-03-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

"I can't haz cheezburger??"
Almost too funny to be true...

Poblacht na hÉireann

2009-03-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Pat's

R.I.P. Lux Interior

2009-02-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

I saw that scrawled on the wall of a bike tunnel at UC Santa Barbara way back in 1986. To my shame, I didn't know who Lux was, but found out soon after and whoa, was I happy I did. I suppose that was a running joke at the time, fake death reports, etc., who knows, but today the inevitable happened, Lux Interior died

Here are a couple of videos, the first a slick, MTV product, the second is a live video, and you can see how Lux put everything into his songs.
Enjoy, go buy some Cramps music, you'll be glad you did and STAY SICK!

Coolest...Bridge...Ever

2009-01-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

Just so you don't think I'm totally out of touch, I did watch the Innaguration today. Awesome. All I can say. Oh, and thank GAWD Bush is gone.

In other news, I found this via Jalopnik, The coolest bridge in the world!

I used to room with a Physics Grad Student and he and his freinds laways would rant about the horrible Engineering students who had to take classes like "Physics for Engineers". Whatever, after seeing this, you gotta love Engineers.Because a regular drawbridge just isn't good enough!

Dodging Bullets

2009-01-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know it's been a while. I can blame part of it on the Holidays...But that only goes so far.
Lately I've been getting over what too many people in this country have been going through: Layoffs. Thankfully, I was spared. I still have my job, but a colleague of mine was not so lucky.
The most disturbing thing was, the other morning as I was going to get coffee,(I already knew what was slated to happen that day)and I walked past the printer/copier room. Stacked on the floor, in a tidy pile, were hundreds of neatly folded moving boxes. The kind you use to clean out your personal belongings. I was truly astounded...I think the only thing that would have floored me worse than that, would be if they had stacked a bunch of coffins in there.
In any case, it's nealry the same thing. Good luck to all of you who were not so lucky and may we see better times.

The Messiah!

2008-12-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas.

Dear Marketing Genius, ...

2008-12-22T23:20:00.000-08:00

I went to the Motorcycle Show this weekend. It's an annual pilgrimage for me this time of year...sort of the adult equivalent of Ralphie's quest for the Red Ryder BB Gun in A Christmas Story.I, like Ralphie, must have the object of my desire in order to make my life complete. But unlike our hero, I, alas, never find my motorcycle carefully hidden behind a piece of furniture on Christmas morning.

What DO I get? I have to deal with the ever-changing whims of the guys who make up the various Marketing groups who name the motorcycles every year. Normally, I'm not a fan of names per se, I prefer an alpha-numeric designation. Unfortunately, names can be evocative and thus, more powerful. Who can forget the Vincent 'Black Shadow', the Norton 'Commando' or the Kawasaki 'Ninja'? The problem is, every Marketing hack thinks his idea will be the next 'Ninja' or 'Super Duke, but we wind up with something like the Aprilia 'Shiver'.Shiver? Are you kidding me? Shiver...really...What is that supposed to evoke? Fear? Draftiness? I mean, Aprilia shares the same cachet as its fraternal company Ducati, which has the awesome 'Monster' in its lineup. The Shiver is an excellent bike, but what self-respecting biker could hang around Zeitgeist talking about his SHIVER?? The 'Shiv' maybe....

Suzuki also gets a thumbs down on their new model that essentially replaces the SV650. As soon as I laid eyes on this it, I was on it faster than an auto exec on a Gulfstream 250! I reached over the bar and grabbed the tag and nearly fell off: The Gladius.What in the name of...GLADIUS? Jesus, it's like the lead in to a raunchy joke. How did they come up with that name. What does it mean?? Its like a Latin test.."Damn, how do you conjugate the verb gladius?" Or was Gladius a famous emperor? It's too bad, because it's a great bike, a possible Monster-killer even, but with a name lime Gladius...Good luck.

That being said, if any of you high-level Suzuki corporate types are reading this and want to prove me wrong, just drop an email and I'll send you a delivery address.

I Love The Internet By Cracky!

2008-12-13T11:11:00.001-08:00

You know, you really have to wonder how we got along before the Interwebs came along. I caught myself the other day telling my daughters how, when I was their age, we didn't have the Internet. God, I sounded like my Mom when she'd talk about growing up before they had televisions in every house.

Beside the obvious advantages of the Internet, like online shopping, music downloads, and as Paracelsus points out, learning to play the paino, there are people out there who will share the most specific information. Let's go back about two weeks, when I was driving and inserted my favoriteMary Gauthier CD in the ol' Camry's CD player. Nothing. I pushed Play, FFWD, you name it. In despair, I hit the Eject button. No disc magically slid out. I was depressed and not a little mad that yet another vintage Japanese car had eaten a favorite musician's work(I had an old Infiniti G20 whose tape player gobbled up a Who tape, but at least let me play it).
I finally had some time on my hands today and went online to see if some other hapless soul had experienced the same thing. What I found was a godsend...Removing the radio from your Camry. Hurray! Not only did I get the radio out, I found my CD and 2 others!(The car used to be my sister's). The weird thing, none o fthe CD's were in the player, but resting on top. Oh well, one day I'll have a car with an iPod jack and never have another problem!

Trabivergnuegen

2008-12-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

Paracelsus sent me this amusing, yet amazingly real, link for the Trabi Safari.
Now on the face of it, I thought, "Hell no!!!" You see, years ago when I was in Germany, we visited then-East Germany with some friends. We actually rode in a Trabant Taxi, and let me tell you, I think I would change that old saying about foxholes and Atheists, because there were a lot of prayers being whispered in that car. Most were coming from the driver! The supposed Godless Eastern Bloc...Yeah, well, when your Taxi has a huge fire extinguisher strapped to the floor, it stalls at every red light and there are more holes in the floorboards than O.J.'s alibi, you know you're in for the ride of your life.

I'm sure at ~$50 for a 2 person joyride, these Trabis are in top condition. I'm pretty sure there are mountains of spare parts all over Germany. Still, I think half the fun of this Safari is the inherent danger of driving what an Americanm car is slowly becoming!(Just kidding Big Three junket boys...Keep begging for money!).
But seriously, remember This Guy I wrote about before? See, that's the "Safari" part of this trip: The whole panic-inducing, omnipresent anxiety of "Will this break down and leave me stranded?" Man, what have we bceome as a species that we have to pay for what was, for our ancient forerunners, every day life? I mean without the stinky smoke -belching 2 stroke motor and fine German beer of course.

Anyway, I say kudos to you, you crafty, enterprising Germans. Why, think of the possibilities of this kind of thing here, with a Pontiac Aztek!.
Doesnt work so much here, but I wonder if these same Germans are thinking of a full blown East German Land amusment park(?)...

Imagine, travelling back in time to the Cold War era. Your stay will be at a luxurious 1 star, Warsaw Pact Hotel, with cold running water, straw filled matresses and a continental breakfast consisting of gray, unidentifiable meat, stale toast and lukewarm, greasy coffee. Hop in your Trabi for a trip across town. Be sure to purchase fuel from a man under the overpass for the best deal. You are then free to wander the shopping districts of East Berlin, marvel at the complete lack of consumer products available to you. Wonder at the loathsome treatment you receive from the shop owners, public works employees and just about anyone else you meet on the street who notice your nice clothes and holeless shoes.
Up for some adventure? Try the "Berliner Mauer" obstacle course(NOTE: Those in 'B' class hotels, this is listed as "In-House Gym". 'A' Class hotel residents are not eligible). Try to make your way through concertina wire, mock mine fileds and crack border guards. Make it to Checkpoint Charlie unscathed and recive 10% off your visit!

Yeah, very funny. Check out Das Leben der Anderen for a stark portayal of the time.

Change You Can't believe...in

2008-11-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

Things look a little weird around here. I gave up and chose the "new" template from Blogger. And by "new", they mean kiss all your old links goodbye. Gah!
Well, it's off to the Wayback Machine to see if I can recover them.

UPDATE:I was able to get my links back from a saved source of my old template...I had to use the Blogger.com half-assed "tool" to do so...I still can't get my Feedjit tool back on the page and sent a nasty note to blogger about their idiotic new tamplates....May be time to find a new host.

Oh, and PS, the "Tom Waits Library" site is hosed...trying to find out what's up.

Why GM is Failing

2008-11-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

Oh, and it really doesn't help when you fly to D.C. in your Private Jet to beg for money...