“45 Years” was Oscar Nominated in 2016

We, my wife and I, usually watch a recent movie once a week unless we are out on a Saturday night. We read the Netflix DVD jacket and no other information before the movie.

Charlotte Rampling was nominated for best actress in 2016 for the role of Kate Mercer. All nominated movies are part of my list of must see movies.

The description reads: “Geoff and Kate Mercer’s plans for a 45th anniversary party are upset by some unexpected news: A body found in the Swiss Alps has been identified as Geoff’s long-ago love Katya, who perished in an accident 50 years earlier.”

We are guessing this will be a mystery. Instead it is a well-acted but slow moving story about a happily married couple about to celebrate their 45th anniversary who are troubled over the death of Geoff’s long forgotten love.

I won’t reveal the story line or the ending. I will say that like many English movies the best and most intriguing part of the movie is the last 15 minutes.

It did remind me of my old girl friend who said No to my proposal. I had not met my wife then. We are married 48 years.

On a five star scale the movie is about a 2½. If the movie is to be graded on acting alone it is 4.

First Air Conditioning in a Car

The Goldberg Brothers – The Inventors of the Automobile Air Conditioner.

Here’s a little fact for automotive buffs, or just to dazzle your friends.

The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram, and Maxwell, invented and developed the first automobile air-conditioner. On July 17, 1946 , the temperature in Detroit was 97 F degrees.

The four brothers walked into old man Henry Ford’s office and sweet-talked his secretary into telling him that four gentlemen were there with the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter.

Henry was curious and invited them into his office.

They refused and instead asked that he come out to the parking lot to their car.

They persuaded him to get into the car, which was about 130 F degrees inside, turned on the air conditioner, and cooled the car off almost immediately.

The old man got very excited and invited them back to the office, where he offered them $3 million for the patent.

The brothers refused, saying they would settle for $2 million, but they wanted the recognition by having a label, ‘The Goldberg Air-Conditioner,’ on the dashboard of each car in which it was installed.

There was no way that Oldman Ford was going to put the Goldberg’s name on two million Fords.

They haggled back and forth for about two hours and finally agreed on $4 million and that just their first names would be shown.

And so to this day, all Ford air conditioners show —

Lo, Norm, Hi, and Max — on the controls.

Remember Slow Food?

Someone asked the other day, ‘What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?’
‘We didn’t have fast food when I was growing up,’

I informed him.

‘All the food was slow.’

‘C’mon, seriously. Where did you eat?’

“It was a place called ‘at
Home,” I explained. !

‘Mom cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn’t like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.’

By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn’t tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.

But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it :

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, never wore Levi’s, never set foot on a golf course, never traveled out of the country or had a credit card.

In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears & Roebuck.
Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.

My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer.

I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow)
We didn’t have a television in our house until I was 11.

It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at midnight, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God; it came back on the air at about 6 a.m. And there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people.

I was 19 before I tasted my first pizza, it was called ‘pizza pie.’ When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It’s still the best pizza I ever had.

I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn’t know weren’t already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk was.

All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers–my brother delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which he got to keep 2 cents. He had to get up at 6 AM every morning.

On Saturday, he had to collect the 42 cents from his customers. His favorite customers were the ones who gave him 50 cents and told him to keep the change. His least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything offensive.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren

Just don’t blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Growing up isn’t what it used to be, is it?

‘new chapter of American greatness’

The Washington Post offered the following on line article summarizing President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of the Congress of the United States. The summary was a strictly non-partisan report. It is not “fake news.”

Trump lays out plan for ‘new chapter of American greatness’ in speech to Congress

by Philip Rucker, Sean Sullivan, Abby Phillip

President Trump sought to repackage his hard-line campaign promises with a moderate sheen in his first joint address to Congress Tuesday night, ushering in what he termed “a new chapter of American greatness” of economic renewal and military might.

Seeking to steady his presidency after a tumultuous first 40 days, Trump had an air of seriousness and revealed flashes of compassion as he broadly outlined a sweeping agenda to rebuild a country he described as ravaged by crime and drugs, deteriorating infrastructure and failing bureaucracies.

Trump’s speech touched on his plans to overhaul the nation’s health-care system and tax code, but was short on specifics. Struggling to steer a bitterly divided nation with his job approval ratings at historic lows, Trump effectively pleaded with the American people to give him a chance and to imagine what could be achieved during his presidency.

“We are one people, with one destiny,” Trump said quietly near the end. “The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us. We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts.”

Trump extended olive branches to his opponents. He called on Congress to pass paid family leave, a reference to a long-held Democratic Party priority that brought liberal lawmakers to their feet to applaud. And he pledged to work with Muslim allies to extinguish Islamic State terrorists, going so far as to acknowledge the killings of Muslims as well as Christians in the Middle East.

Still, Trump did not back away from his most controversial policies. He used typically bellicose language to describe the fight against the Islamic State, calling it “a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women and children of all faiths and all beliefs.”

The president forcefully defended his travel ban — an executive order that was halted in federal court — as necessary to prevent the entry of foreigners who do not share America’s values.

“We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America,” Trump said. “We cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.”

Pulling from his campaign speeches and others since taking office, the president ran off a list of accomplishments since taking office and issued promises for the year ahead.

“Above all else, we will keep our promises to the American people,” he said.

He touted “billions” in new investments by American companies in the weeks since his inauguration, seeking to highlight the actions his administration has taken to keep his campaign promises.

He vowed to usher in “historic” tax reform, as he appeared to nod to a House Republican “border adjustment” plan, but did not explicitly endorse it.

“Currently, when we ship products out of America, many other countries make us pay very high tariffs and taxes — but when foreign companies ship their products into America, we charge them nothing or almost nothing,” said Trump.

The “border adjustment” is shorthand for a House GOP proposal to tax imports, which some Republicans oppose. Trump didn’t use those words in his address. But his remarks could be seen as a hopeful sign for those Republicans hoping he will back it unequivocally.

Trump’s comments were received with some bipartisan applause and some jeers from Democrats, especially during his mention of a lobbying restriction that some feel does not go far enough.

While his speech pulled upon many of his earlier themes, the president seemed more subdued in his delivery, sticking more to the teleprompter and avoiding the bombastic rhetoric of the campaign.

Reiterating a much-repeated campaign promise, Trump vowed midway thorough his speech to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act but stopped short of resolving disagreements among Republicans about how to do that.

While Trump did not explicitly endorse a specific step-by-step approach to repealing and replacing the federal health-care law, he did say that a replacement plan must utilize “tax credits,” which is a victory for House Republicans leaders who have looked at replacing the Obamacare subsidies with such credits.

“We should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts — but it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by our government,” said Trump.

Some House and Senate conservatives oppose the idea of creating tax credits. But supporters of it can now turn to Trump’s words as they seek to build support for the idea.

In one of the speech’s tenser moments, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who was seated in the audience, looked on, shaking her head as Trump criticized the law. Pelosi helped then-President Barack Obama pass the law and has sharply criticized Republicans for trying to undo it. Trump appeared to be pointing someone out in the crowd when he called the law a “disaster.” It was not immediately clear whether he was singling out Pelosi or someone else.

Trump told a series of stories to highlight his calls for reforms to the Food and Drug Administration and public education.

He pointed to two women who sat in the gallery as a guest of first lady Melania Trump. One who was diagnosed with a rare disease and treated with a new drug. A second who was able to attend a private school and become the first person in her family to graduate from high school and college.

Both anecdotes drew bipartisan applause from members of Congress in the audience.

He also pressed his policies on immigration, including his controversial proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“We want all Americans to succeed —- but that can’t happen in an environment of lawless chaos. We must restore integrity and the rule of law at our borders,” said Trump. “For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great wall along our southern border. It will be started ahead of schedule and, when finished, it will be a very effective weapon against drugs and crime.”

Trump challenged members of Congress who disagree with him: “I would ask you this question: what would you say to the American family that loses their jobs, their income, or a loved one, because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders?”

He did call for Republicans and Democrats to work toward reforming the immigration system into a merit-based program focused on the “well-being of American citizens.”

Trump argued that the country’s current focus on low-skilled immigration hurts American workers and strains the country’s finances.

The comments come hours after Trump said in a meeting with journalists that he would support comprehensive immigration reform efforts with a pathway to legalization for law abiding immigrants.

At his remarks before Congress, Trump did not specify the parameters of a compromise he would be willing to accept. But he outlined a preference for a system that favors immigrants who are able to support themselves financially.

“I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation’s security, and to restore respect for our laws,” Trump said.

Trump also vowed to take on “radical Islamic terrorism,” a divisive term that many have taken issue, arguing it unfairly singles out the Muslim religion.

He also pledged to announce new steps to bolster national security and “keep out those who would do us harm,” weeks after his executive order barring immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries was halted by a federal judge.

Pointing to statistics on terror convictions by foreigners from the Department of Justice, Trump said that it was “reckless” to allow foreigners into the country who could then perpetrate attacks on Americans.

“We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America — we cannot allow our Nation to become a sanctuary for extremists,” Trump said.

The comments drew mixed reaction from the gathered lawmakers.

Though Trump did not specifically mention the travel ban, he suggested that new efforts to put in place “improved vetting procedures” would be forthcoming.

Later in his speech, there were some audible groans in the crowd as Trump announced that he has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create on office to address victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. The office is called “VOICE” — which stands for “Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement.”

As he often did on the campaign trail, Trump mentioned Jamiel Shaw, whose teenage son was killed by an undocumented immigrant.

Central to Trump’s promise to strengthen the nation’s security is a proposal to massively infuse the military with new spending, including eliminating the defense sequester, which had put caps on military spending.

Trump this week announced that his budget would include a request for a $54 million increase in military spending accompanied by corresponding cuts in other parts of government.

“To keep America safe we must provide the men and women of the United States military with the tools they need to prevent war and —- if they must —- they have to fight and they only have to win,” Trump said.

In a highly emotional moment, President Trump lead an extended tribute to a U.S. Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens, the first U.S. service member to die in the line of duty during Trump’s administration.

With Owens’s widow, Carryn, sitting in the audience, Trump called him “a warrior and a hero” who gave his life for his nation.

“Ryan’s legacy is etched into eternity,” Trump said. “For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

“Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom — we will never forget Ryan,” Trump added.

The comments, which were received with protracted applause, come in the midst of a tense time for Trump. Owens died during a raid in Yemen that left him and civilians dead, prompting a series of investigations by the Defense Department.

Owens’s father, William Owens, has also spoken out against the raid, questioning why it was authorized so quickly after Trump came into office.

Trump defended the raid on Tuesday, saying that his Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recently told him that it was a “highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies.”

As Trump spoke, Owens’ widow stood and wept openly as the room applauded her.

While not delving too much into foreign policy during his speech, the president said the United States was willing to “find new friends” and noted that the U.S. has forged relationships with former enemies.

The comment came as growing intrigue rises about possible ties his campaign had to Russia and its efforts to influence the election.

While he did not mention Russia explicitly, the comments were reminiscent of what Trump often said on the campaign trail — that it would be a good thing for the United States to have a productive relationship with Russia, even as many U.S. lawmakers in both parties remain deeply skeptical of the Russian government’s intentions.

Trump began the night by strongly denouncing recent threats to Jewish community centers across the country and condemned a recent attack on Indian immigrants in Kansas.

“We are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms,” Trump said.

His speech quickly turned, however, as he declared that the “earth shifted beneath our feet” in 2016 as he took a victory lap over his election victory and nodded to his signature campaign themes.

“The chorus became an earthquake — and the people turned out by the tens of millions, and they were all united by one very simple, but crucial demand, that America must put its own citizens first,” said Trump.

The president closed his speech with a call for unity and an end to “trivial fights,” a comment that, coming from a president known for carrying out small feuds with his detractors on social media, elicited groans from some lawmakers.

Trump seemed to indicate that his speech represented a dawning of a new phase for the country and for his presidency.

“We will look back on tonight as when this new chapter of American Greatness began,” Trump said. “I am asking all citizens to embrace this Renewal of the American Spirit. I am asking all members of Congress to join me in dreaming big, and bold and daring things for our country.

“And I am asking everyone watching tonight to seize this moment,” Trump concluded.

Mike DeBonis and Kelsey Snell contributed to this report.

Firefall returns to Yosemite National Park

The last Firefall was on Thursday, January 25, 1968. Since it was winter, no crowd was present. The cameras I owned in those days could not capture the image. The Firefall was a daily event that occurred in Yosemite Valley. Traffic stopped and so did everything else at 9 PM every night. It took an hour for the traffic to clear. It was a pollution problem for Yosemite National Park,

The Yosemite Firefall was a summer time event that began in 1872 and continued for almost a century, in which burning hot embers were spilled from the top of Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park to the valley 3,000 feet below. From a distance it appeared as a glowing waterfall. The owners of the Glacier Point Hotel conducted the firefall. History has it that David Curry, founder of Camp Curry, would stand at the base of the fall, and yell “Let the fire fall,” each night as a signal to start pushing the embers over.

Now to replicate the past artificial lighting has brought back the effect. It is a challenge for photo hobbyists. It is claimed that it is a natural phenomenon.

The High Cost of Disneyland and California Adventure Theme Parks

The price to visit Disneyland and California Adventure is going up.

Disneyland and Disney California Adventure price increases are shown in this graphic from between 2000 and 2017.

ANAHEIM >> The price to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure – for either a day or with a year’s pass – is going up again.

Effective today, Sunday, it will cost $97 to go to one of the parks on Value days, the lowest-priced days of the year, up $2.

A visit on a Regular day will be $110, while a Peak day will cost $124, both up $5. Tickets are more on days when demand would be higher.

Parking is going to $20 from $18.

The price to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure – for either a day or with a year’s pass – is going up again. Effective this Sunday, it will cost $97 to go to one of the parks on Value days, the lowest-priced days of the year, up $2.

Since 2000, a single-day admission price to Disneyland has tripled on Peak days, with ticket prices going up at least once a year since 2002.

“Our pricing provides guests a range of options that allow us to better manage demand to maximize the guest experience and is reflective of the distinctly Disney offerings at all of our parks,” said Suzi Brown, a Disneyland spokeswoman.

Reaction to the announcement was swift on Saturday.

“Four hundred dollars for a family of 3 to get into the gate (on peak days),” said Tony Diamante, 57, of Temecula. “I can afford it, but this is a week’s pay for someone making $15 to $18 an hour, depending of course on taxes.”

James H. Carter II, 40 from Huntington Beach, who runs a podcast called Creepy Kingdom, said tourists will continue to pay.

“As a traveler, it doesn’t matter how much it cost. You booked the hotel, you flew down or drove down, an extra $10 is not really going to deter you,” he said. “It’s unfortunate for the consumer but Disney raising tickets a few dollars is not going to stop people from coming.”

Jay Valles, 31, of Whittier said he was a former annual pass holder but discontinued and stopped visiting the park last year because of price increases and overcrowding.

He said while Disneyland is still a better value compared to other live entertainment options, Disney needs to get rid of the monthly payment options for annual pass holders to really lessen the crowds at the park.
Disney officials said the monthly payment option that makes their annual passes more financially bearable will continue.

“If they really wanted to control demand, they would do away with monthly payments,” Valles said. “Also, a one day, one park ticket is still a good price compared to a concert ticket or a show on Broadway…[But] If the pricing was high and the crowds were moderate I would return to visit.”

Last year, in an effort to spread out the crowds, Disney introduced its three-level pricing. Some observers say the tiered pricing structure has worked, with less people flocking to the park, for example, on the highest-demand two-week period including Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Prices for some annual passes will go up, too.

The Southern California Select and Southern California passes will be $339 and $469, respectively, $10 increases. Both passes have blackout days. The monthly payment option remains.

The Deluxe pass, with some Saturday and peak-holiday-period blackout days, is getting boosted by $20 to $619. The prices for the higher-end passes will remain the same.

In 2015, Disneyland posted an all-time record with 18.2 million visitors, an increase of 1.5 million from the previous year, according to the Themed Entertainment Association, an industry group that tracks theme park attendance.

Meanwhile, neighboring Disney California Adventure also reached record attendance with 9.3 million visitors.
However, according to Walt Disney Co.’s latest fiscal report, overall recent attendance is down 5 percent but revenue is up at Disney’s domestic theme parks. The company does not publicly break that number down for individual parks, though.

But with the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction opening this summer at Disney California Adventure, and a “Star Wars” land at Disneyland expected to land in 2019, demand should continue to be high for the Anaheim theme parks.

BY THE NUMBERS
Here’s what it cost to enter Disneyland between 2000 and now:
• 2000: $41 and $43 (price went up twice)
• 2002: $45
• 2003: $47
• 2004: $49.75
• 2005: $53 and $56 (price went up twice)
• 2006: $59 and $63 (price went up twice)
• 2007: $66
• 2008: $69
• 2009: $72
• 2010: $76
• 2011: $80
• 2012: $87
• 2013: $92
• 2014: $96
• 2015: $99
• 2016: $95, $105, $119 (depending on the day)
• 2017: $97, $110, $124 (depending on the day)

Source: Orange County Register archives; Los Angeles Daily News

How about a Trip to Europe Before You are Too Old!

Look! You cannot take all you have saved with you to the next dimension. I know, you want to leave your children and grandchildren an inheritance. Unless your children are seniors themselves, they are more likely to spend that inheritance than save it for a rainy day.

Consider just one or two splurges before your time to check out has come. I am not suggesting you spend your money at a casino. I know, Las Vegas makes an enticing place to spend a few days. There is more than that spending trap.

You can still walk, although slowly. You can still appreciate beautiful art and architecture.

Trafalgar offers some easy walking tours of London and Paris. Actually they take you to the door of many of the most famous places in those cities. Seven day cruises on the Mediterranean Sea can take you to some of Europe’s most famous cities.

Careful planning will not break the bank on those tours.

Bring you camera or smartphone and capture the memories.

Some of the Best Photo Spots in the world are in Europe.

Claude Monet’s Garden near Paris

Taking some of the most iconic shots is a snap when you book your one trip.
• London Eye, London
• Eiffel Tower, Paris
• Trevi Fountain, Rome
• Lagagrada Familia, Barcelona
• Santorini, Greece
• Tower of Pisa, Pisa

5 Tips for Taking the Best Vacation Photos
With a few tricks up your sleeve, the kids will be fighting over who gets to see your photos first.
1. Aim for natural light and try to avoid using flash
2. Don’t pose every shot – make candid photos of people having fun your aim
3. Capture the atmosphere by photographing food, street scenes, and the locals
4. Don’t be self-conscious – these are your memories!
5. Get a good photo editing app for your smartphone and lose the bulky camera bag

We took the Trafalgar tour in 2012 and now we are planning the cruise this coming summer.

Betty White celebrates her 95th Birthday

Betty White calendar pose

Happy Birthday Betty White! The actress is best known for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Golden Girls” and “Hot in Cleveland.”

“The Golden Girls” is still being broadcast on cable television.

Here is a photo of Betty White at age 28. It was 1950. The beautiful brunette co-hosted music roundup Hollywood on Television for a whopping five hours a day, six days a week. “We were one of the only games in town,” she has said of her show with DJ Al Jarvis. “It was like television college.”

betty-white-at-28