Memorial Day, 2008

In remembrance of all who sacrificed everything for all of us....

At Green Hills Memorial Park today was one of the largest Memorial Day services in the country. The guest speaker was Captain Charlie Plumb, who was POW from the the Vietnam War. Until nearly the end of the time of his service, Capt. Plumb flew 75 missions, 74 of them were successes. He was captured, imprisoned and tortured for six years alongside fellow prisoner, John McCain.

There were presentation of Color by various honor guards. including the a horse-drawn carriage honoring POW-MIA.

Flyby of C-14s, a Black Hawk helicopter, and biplanes were part of the ceremony.

Also this year, there was the Vietnam War Memorial Moving Wall. Even though I've seen it in Washington, it still an emotional experience to see this. I have seen lists and honor rolls, but this design still stirs up a lot of emotions. The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the original in the Mall in Washington DC.

Indiana Jones

He's back and he has a funny feeling about this...

It is 1957 and ten years later than "... And The Last Crusade." However, "...The Last Crusade" was released in 1989 and Harrison Ford is now 65, and you do the math. On the other hand, we last saw Marion Ravenwood in "...Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1936, and sometime before they broke up before they were to get married, Marion gets pregnant and hen later married Orville Williams 3 months after her son was born.


Mutt needs Indy's assistance to help his mother Mary Williams who was kidnapped and taken to Peru.

Needless to say, this Indiana caper takes place up in the Andes, and the opening scenes take place in Area 51.

Outside the MP outpost, you see a diner, "Atomic Cafe." There could be a real Atomic Cafe in Nevada, but any flm student from the 70s and 80s knows that this sign is from Nancy's Atomic Cafe in Little Tokyo. I think the sign is with the Neon Museum in Los Angeles. George Lucas and Frank Marshall and friends may have eaten at this 24-hour cafe.

Indiana is taken to a warehouse to find something he left there years ago. No, it's not the Ark of the Covenant, however, the Ark does show up in the ensuing chase around the secret military warehouse.

Our hero finds himself in a test blasting site for an atomic bomb, and runs into a fake 50s town. I didn't check to see the license plate of the bel air convertible to see if it reads THX 338 - but it did have a resemblance to the one used in "American Grafitti."

Strangely, Indy speaks Mayan, even though the location is clearly Incan. But in the storyplot, they could be related.

The film is exhausting as it reaches its climax. It exsplains everything and nothing, as you shall see in its storyplot.

Before the film, Indy had lost his father, Henry Jones, and the College President, from the earlier films.

And should "Mutt" or Henry Jones III come back to take on the new adventures? Why not?

Knowledge is treasure.

Food, Fashion and Furniture: Commodities in the Global Economy

Tonight was the first class for the Summer. Not only is it about the globalization of economy but also how it impacts things like the environment. It should be an interesting class. What does "made in China" mean? What does the transnational companies do?

We also decided to move our class to start at 5:30 pm, instead of 6:00 pm. I know I will forget if I don't make that change in my calendars...

Walt Disney's California

The future revampment of Disney's California Adventure is something to look forward to. Originally developed as a 'theme park' of California, which wasn't a bad idea, but if you live in California why not see the real places? Instead, presenting California as Walt Disney found it makes sense. It is that atmosphere that led to the development of imagination as we see today.

It also helps provide a thematic environment that California Adventure needed.

The Heat Got To ME!

On Saturday, I wasn't prepared for it but I ended walking the Armed Forces Day Parade with the Saxon Regiment - they, looking sharp in the new uniforms, I, well, had on whatever.

What happened was I was on uniform detail, having been the uniform manager for the Trojan Marching Band may have qualified me for this job, and there was a group that performed earlier as the #10 Tin Can Band Steel Drum Band from North HS and they ended up returning to the school without their uniforms to aboard the Regiment busses. So we were able to get them on a separate bus, but it meant finishing putting their uniforms together on the bus. So there I went.

I must have had something from the day before, and because of the heat and the sun, I was really six later at home and the next day. So today, I spend the day at home to recuperate.

Commencement at USC

Congratulations Graduates! Today is USC's commencement exercises and I'm in my office working. Its quiet since many are not here.

Today starts the Graduation Season.

I was thinking that typically one is graduated, which would means one completes on level, as in education, and embarks on another level. At the same time, I was thinking that the word as used as in "graduated cylinder" does not mean the same, yet are similar. True a graduated cylinder as markings for different levels and is uniformed to be used as a measuring device.

Does graduating from college or high school is the same? Could it be used as measuring device? Everyone talks about starting a new beginning, but what does graduating measures? Ok, you have to qualify to graduate, but what does it mean?