Keep an eye out for suspicious packages!

Have a look at Kevin’s new book:  http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-CEO-of-the-Cockpit/Kevin-Garrison/e/9781440138171/?itm=1&usri=kevin+garrison/

Visit Kevin’s Site:

http://www.kevincreates.com/

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The Christmas season is a time of dreams, bright colors, and high hopes. We pilots are no different than the cute jammie-clad children we see on various TV commercials. We have a love of toys as strong if not stronger than the average seven year old kid.

When was the last time we settled for looking out the windows and following highway signs to our destination? When I  flew an Aeronca Champ back when I was a lot younger the only navigation instrument I had on board was a whisky compass. My navigational database was a road atlas. Now, even the smallest of LSAs offered for sale have at least one GPS unit and some sort of moving map. I am sure that for pilots who don’t have such a thing, a moving map is right up there on their Christmas wish list.

Bigger toys that you can find at fly-ins are those impossibly beautiful aerobatic planes. They have enough horsepower to do a vertical climb all afternoon and can pull enough gees to make even the tightest face-lifted movie star’s jowls sag.

These toys lose their allure for this heavy jet pilot. I’ve pulled enough high gees in my life to know that I’m not interested in doing that sort of thing anymore. A simple one gee aileron roll or gentle three-turn spin is just fine with me, thank you. No more internal organ crushing show-off maneuvers for this cowboy.

I wonder how many pilots have spent the extra money on a three television screen avionics system for their airplane that on its best day could only do 100 knots only to realize that they really didn’t need all that technology to go fifty miles for a hamburger on a sunny Saturday.

When I flew the ancient DC-9 with its total lack of televisions and computers, we would just start the engines and point it in the direction of Little Rock (or wherever) and book.

The moving map displays are certainly nice and I am sure that soon they will be the only thing you can get for your cockpit’s instrument panel but a good mental picture of your location, in my never to be humble opinion, is far better than the best color display.

In December 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts had a visitor during their pre-mission crew breakfast. Charles Lindbergh dropped in for some steak and eggs with the guys before they blasted off for the first manned round trip to the moon.

During their breakfast conversation, Lindbergh mentioned that when he planned his historic mission from New York to Paris he had used a long string and a globe to measure the distance. Using this simple measurement he also calculated how much fuel he would need. It turned out later, according to Lindbergh, that even after all the highly scientific calculations that were done by the Ryan aircraft company and him later to figure out the fuel load, they came within a few pounds of what he predicted he’d need using a string.

This talk of low-tech was to have a further effect on the mission. Astronaut Jim Lovell had to re-load the navigation computer by hand and in a hurry during the Apollo 8 mission. Later, on the Apollo 13 mission when he was mission commander, he had to know the “string” basics yet again to reload the computer after power-up so they could re-enter the atmosphere without burning up.

I have a fun and inexpensive holiday activity for you to try. Instead of buying an expensive toy this Christmas like a hand-held GPS or DVD player for your back seat passengers, I suggest you buy a bunch of paper aviation charts, a “whiz-wheel” flight computer, a pencil and an old-style plotter.

Imagine the delight at your next hangar confab as you watch old pilots try to remember how to draw a wind triangle on a chart with that pencil! Giggle at the hilarity that ensues when you have to do simple time-rate-distance problems with no more than a piece of paper and a writing stick!

Seriously, when was the last time you drew a course line on a chart?

 In the aviation world there is nothing closer to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory than the display floor of the NBAA convention. Everybody has to wear a suit and tie, and the Christmas toys are to die for. Mock-ups and real examples of every kind of expensive gee-gaw, VLJ, high-priced service and shiny new pilot toy is all there to see and touch.

Most of the items on the NBAA floor really are toys. They don’t exist yet. Many of the most popular VLJs and new aircraft haven’t flown, been produced or even have a factory made yet to produce them. Some of the Christmas toys the people were lining up to buy aren’t coming out for three or four more years. Some, like the giant executive blimp, will probably take longer.

Remember, all the aviation toys in the world can’t out do the simple pleasure of watching the people and the buildings get smaller as you climb out.

While MARTA does not extend into Gwinnett, you can connect to the Gwinnett County Transit System from the Doraville Station.  As the last stop on the MARTA yellow line, the Doraville Station provides access to GCT Route 10 that travels up Buford Highway through Norcross, ending at the Gwinnett Transfer Center/Gwinnett Place Mall.  The transfer center allows connections between all five local GCT routes and seven express routes.

There is also GRTA Express Route 410 that goes directly from the Lindbergh Station to Discovery Mills.  And GRTA Express Route 412 goes to Discovery Mills from the Civic Center and Arts Center Stations in addition to several other midtown stops in between.

GRTA Express is $3 one way or $5 roundtrip.  GCT rates vary by route, from $2-$4.  Transfers to/from MARTA are free and you can use your Breeze Card for Route 10.

Charles Lindbergh describes the heart of a Champion around one word…

Beginning to count down to surgery time. Be glad when I can start counting hours after surgery. Had a reflexology treatment today from my wonderful therapist and that helped me relax and get mind/body/spirit prepared. We’ll follow up about a week after surgery with another treatment to help healing. I’ll add a link when I have the time.

Had a rain yesterday and a bit of cool down — very welcome in this drought stricken central Texas. The effects of the prolonged dry are starting to show up as large trees are turning brown and dropping leaves/needles all over the forest. Very sad but we small human beings are powerless against these natural cycles. I can only compost and recycle and be conservative in my use of resources as I try to be a good steward of the land and the planet.

Migrating hummingbirds are here in force, draining our 4 feeders almost daily. I look forward to observing them more closely as I rest and recover.

Book group I belong to has chosen “Gift from the Sea” (Anne Morrow Lindbergh) to read for September. I’m taking it to hospital with me in hopes I may be able to enjoy a few reading moments during my day or two there. I’ve read it before and it’s a small little enchanting bit of inspiration from Charles Lindbergh’s wife (written in the 50’s! but timeless). If you are looking for a gift for someone  – think about that book! Check it out.

Speaking of reading – I usually have at least 1 or 2 books going and an additional book on tape or CD for driving. Those audio books come in VERY handy for recuperating time.  I could write a whole blog on books so expect to hear a lot about that as this blog progresses.

Thank modern society (big cities and small towns) for public libraries! They help keep me out of the book stores and do wonders for my budget.

I hope my surgeons are having a good relaxing weekend so they can do their best work on Monday.

Lori

Perhaps like me, food, fashion and wine get you giddy. If so, Urban Flats at Lindbergh Center is the place to be tonight when Atlanta Fashion Incubator welcomes all to their Project Runway watch party at 8p.

The event is ticketed and is a fierce way to support Atlanta Fashion Incubator, a non-profit organization charged with supporting emerging fashion businesses and brands in the ATL, as well as promoting Atlanta’s involvement in the industry at large.

Indulge in one of six wine flights being paired with an all you can handle buffet of Urban Flats very delicious fare. More importantly-NETWORK with Atlanta’s real fashion community over season six of PR, which so far, looks like it will be the shows best yet.

Meet Your Next Mayor:

My attempt to get educated about the 2009 mayoral candidates begins at 7a today, when SEABA or Southeast Atlanta Business Association hosts a mayoral forum at ZooAtlanta from 7:30a-9:30a.

All lead candidates, Lisa Borders, Mary Norwood, Kasim Reed and Jesse Spikes will all be engaging a very tough crowd of  business and community leaders.

Founded in 2006, SEABA was created through a merger of Reynoldstown/Cabbagetown Business Association and the Grant Park Merchants Association.

Doors will open at 7:30, with remarks beginning at 8.

Coca Cola World Studio at  Zoo Atlanta.

800 Cherokee Avenue, SE, Atlanta, Ga. 30315.

Enter through the C-5 entrance on the southwest end of the Cherokee Avenue parking lot.

McMenamy for Peter Lindbergh at Harper's Bazzar

Peter Lindbergh has been taken by his no make up, not re-touching concept. Lindbergh believes fashion has gone too far with ‘Photoshop’, artificially changing how we perceive models.

Recently in the trailer of ‘The September Issue’ documentary by RJ Cutter, which follows Anna Wintour and her editors as they prepare for the most important issue of the year, we see Mario Testino discussing a way to make Sienna Miller more presentable. He decides to Photoshop her head onto a different photo of her body !!!

In an interview with The New York Times he told “My feeling is that for years now it has taken a much too big part in how women are being visually defined today. Heartless retouching should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century.”

More and more we see perfect women in magazines. Perfected to a state we, mortals, cannot relate to. We are now used to believing they are perfect humans, with more than perfect skin and features. As Eric Wilson explains in The New York Times.

“Gwyneth Paltrow’s skin is indeed made of Silly Putty, as it appeared to be on the May 2008 cover of Vogue, or that Jessica Simpson’s body comes with only one hip, though her left one was suspiciously missing on last September’s cover of Elle, or wonder how the shape of Reese Witherspoon’s chin, dimples and eye color could change so drastically from her angelic Marie Claire appearance in February 2008 to her polished Vogue cover in November to her kittenish Elle pose this April.“

They look real. Human. Maybe that is why the Supermodel revival is happening. They are all real women, living real lives with children, husbands, ex-husbands, and real problems. They are all over 40. People are likely to relate more to these women, and that is why they are in the most important issues of the year, the September issue.

Amber Valletta, Helena Christensen, Claudia Schiffer, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Kristen McMenamy, the Vogue Italia legends. Leading the charge against all the madness of retouching, Peter Lindbergh captures the supermodels for Harpers Bazaar’s September 2009, Supermodels Supernatural.

Rosane Ribeiro

Amber Valetta

Cindy Crawnford

Claudia Schiffer

Helena Christensen

Tatiana

Dans le cadre du Off des Rencontres d’Arles, on a déjà évoqué une expo se déroulant dans un hôtel à l’occasion d’une revue des galeries présentes mais ce n’est pas tout.

Je passe sur l’expo de l’Hôtel de la Muette (15 rue des Suisses) qui ne ressemble à rien: cela s’intitulait, dans le dépliant, le “Chapeau dans le monde, 22ème salon international d’art photographique” et on voit quelques malheureuses photo amateur de types un verre à la main. A oublier. Je passe aussi sur Vincent Guis (série Shooting Barbie) à l’Hôtel Rhodania tant les séries sur Barbie sont nombreuses, c’est presque un exercice de style que pourrait financer le fabricant.

L’Hôtel de amphithéâtre (5 rue diderot, après 14h) montre quatre auteurs et la sélection est de qualité même si on reste un peu sur sa faim avec François Burgun (ici) car il s’agit de trois diaporamas sur de tout petits écrans LCD (séries exempté, face à la mer et une série sur New York). Frank Boulanger (ici) nous livre une typologie de barbus en petits formats et Vincent Mallea (série fueria) montre également une certaine attirance pour les hommes virils avec des scènes vaguement mythologiques mettant en scène des éphèbes musclés : il s’agit de montages photos marouflés et vernis qui donnent ainsi l’illusion d’un tableau et le rendu est stupéfiant (son site, périmé, est ici). On termine avec une esthétique plus classique et un changement de génération avec Yvette Troispoux (morte en 2007 à 93 ans) et ses petits noir et blanc de scènes de Paris et ses portraits de photographes.

L’Hôtel nord pinus ne montre pas une exposition à proprement parler mais plutôt quelques pièces de grands photographes (Dominique Isserman, Peter Beard, Peter Lindbergh pour un extrait de sa série sur Beauduc exposée à Arles l’an passé) et une une série de Harry Gruyaert (rivages) qui est moins connu mais membre de Magnum (l’illustration ci-dessous fait le couverture de son livre, Rivages).

L’Hôtel du forum invitait le Museo Ken Damy de Brescia (leur site ici) qui présentait un elogio della bellezza (éloge de la beauté) avec un pot-pourri de photographies de femmes réalisées par les plus grands noms (Robert Mapplethorpe, Peter Beard, Bill Brandt, Joel Witkin, Desiree Dolron, Flor Garduno, Helmut Newton, Irina Ionesco, Mario Cravo Neto, Saudek, Betttina Rheims). Il s’agit parfois de vintages, parfois de copies numériques. Une salle contenait aussi un grand nombre de livres et la revue éditée par le musée (photonews – 4 euros). Mais en fin de compte, je me suis demandé si le musée vendait ou pas, sachant qu’il y avait quand même deux filles du musée qui assuraient la présence. Quoi qu’il en soit, l’expo était un beau condensé.

«Mystères d’archives est une collection conçue pour découvrir et redécouvrir des images connues ou inédites qui témoignent de notre histoire. Le document audiovisuel devient une pièce à conviction qu’il nous appartient d’interroger, de faire parler. L’image est scrutée, disséquée, et souvent, Mystères d’archives emmène notre regard loin de ce que l’opérateur avait vu ou prévu. Chaque épisode de vingt-six minutes est construit comme une enquête. Certains portent sur des sujets légers, amusants d’autres sur des événements graves, sérieux Une seconde collection de 10 films est en cours de production.» Source : www.arte.tv

DVD «Mystères d'archives» - Boutique Arte

Directeur de la collection Serge Viallet

Une coproduction ARTE France, INA 10 épisodes de 26 mn

Award for Best Use of Footage in a Training or Education Production au « Focal International Awards » (Londres – mai 2009)

Mystères d’archives – ARTE

Critique:

«Une image d’archives n’est jamais neutre. Du 10 juillet au 28 août, la collection documentaire Mystères d’archives examine quelques cas mythiques comme les premiers pas de l’homme sur la lune et décrypte ces éléments clés du grand récit audiovisuel. [...] Grâce à un travail rigoureux d’exposition du contexte historique, Serge Viallet célèbre la richesse de l’outil télévisuel comme moyen de connaissance, mais incite également à une nécessaire prudence dans son usage. Une salutaire invitation à la réflexion sur le statut des images pour téléspectateurs actifs.»

par Jean-Marie Durand. “Mystères d’archives”, une épopée télévisuelle sur Arte à partir du 10 juillet. Lesinrocks.com

-Niemeyer, il nonno dell’architettura lascia ancora il segno nel futuro

L’ultimo dei moderni quest’anno farà centodue anni, ma ogni mattina alle nove si tuffa nel suo mondo fatto di matite e ci resta fino alle nove di sera, tracciando segni, coordinate, fantasie. Ha qualche problema solo con la vista, ma i medici non gli piacciono, non li vuole intorno, gli tolgono la concentrazione. Vive a Rio, affacciato sulla spiaggia di Copacabana. Fuma sigari, cubani, piccoli. La volontà però non è mai invecchiata. Progetta ancora il futuro lui che aveva vent’anni, quando Lindbergh attraversò l’Atlantico in solitaria, Nicola Sacco e Bartolomeo Vanzetti salivano sul patibolo, e a Marktl am Inn nasceva Joseph Alois Ratzinger, futuro papa Benedetto XVI.
Oscar Niemeyer ha progettato più di cinquecento edifici sparsi in tutto il mondo, compresi, tanto per dirne qualcuno, la sede della Nazioni Unite di New York, il palazzo Mondadori di Segrate, la torre della Défence a Parigi, lo stadio Maracanà di Rio de Janeiro. Ma è diventato famoso per aver progettato una capitale intera, Brasilia, che doveva diventare la città più bella del mondo e che oggi più che altro è il centro di centinaia di sette religiose. Una città messa al mondo su un altopiano desertico nello Stato di Goias: misero insieme un cantiere gigantesco, migliaia e migliaia di operai, in meno di tre anni presentarono al mondo la realizzazione di un sogno: «Ho sempre cercato di fare un’architettura diversa. Brasilia può piacere o no, ma non somiglia a nulla di già visto».
Un’operazione costata più di due miliardi di dollari, per dirigere la quale l’«engenheiro arquiteto», così giurano, percepì lo stipendio di un normale impiegato. Oggi i conti li fa solo col presente, non ha tempo e voglia di rassegnarsi: «I bilanci non sono importanti. L’importante è uscirne come una persona che sa che la vita è un minuto, niente di importante». Dice di pensarla come Schopenauer: «Tutta la vita è espressiva: vedere, ridere piangere… ».
Uno dei suoi ultimi contributi è stato per un’opera italiana rimasta ferma per quasi nove anni bloccata dalla burocrazia e dalle polemiche: l’auditorium di Ravello, sulla costiera amalfitana, un gioiellino disegnato su trentasette tavole, che dovrebbe essere inaugurato il prossimo 25 settembre, alla fine del festival di Ravello, forse con un concerto di Riccardo Muti. Vicenza poi gli ha appena dedicato una mostra, Gucci si è ispirato a lui per la sua ultima collezione fatta di uomini candidi, Philippe Daverio è andato a intervistarlo per la Rai nel suo studio di Rio de Janeiro con la troupe di Passepartout «e l’ho trovato più lucido di me…»… (vedi l’articolo originale)

Fonte: il Giornale.it

Altre notizie:

-Piano casa Regione Lombardia: prime critiche dell’Ordine degli Architetti di Milano

Prime critiche al piano casa della Regione Lombardia da parte dell’Ordine degli Architetti P.P.C. della provincia di Milano. In seguito alla deliberazione n. 9544 della Giunta lombarda recante “Proposta di progetto di legge Azioni straordinarie per lo sviluppo e la qualificazione del patrimonio edilizio ed urbanistico della Lombardia”, gli architetti di Milano hanno evidenziato le loro perplessità in merito ad un progetto di legge che, avendo al sue interno delle innovazioni normative già presenti nella strumentazione urbanistica comunale, rischia di non assumere il rilievo desiderato, ossia quello del rilancio dell’attività edilizia in Lombardia…(vedi articolo originale)

-Un giapponese a Venezia. Restauro di Punta della Dogana. L’arte trova casa in laguna mettendo insieme Francia, Italia e Sol Levante

Changes happen, ovvero: le cose cambiano. Raramente in Italia, ancor meno a Venezia. Almeno se si parla di architettura. Si perché la lista degli architetti traditi dalla laguna è lunga. E comprende nomi illustri come Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn e Le Corbusier, autori tra il 1953 e il 1969 di capolavori mai realizzati (il Masieri Memorial, il Palazzo dei Congressi, l’Ospedale). Fatto singolare per la città che ospita la Biennale di Architettura, luogo da sempre di importanti sperimentazioni. Ne sanno qualcosa stranieri come Robert Venturi, Steven Holl, Ben Van Berkel e italiani come Francesco Cellini: vincitori, invano, di più recenti competizioni internazionali…(vedi articolo originale)

-Architettura grandi firma. Così Salerno diventa museo a cielo aperto

Il sindaco De Luca annuncia un grande progetto: l’Archivio dell’architettura contemporanea. In piazza della Libertà una torre della cultura, e poi le conferenze: inizia Santiago Calatrava. L’edificio a forma di anfiteatro sorgerà nella piazza sul mare più grande d’Europa. Si succederanno gli incontri con i maggiori protagonisti del cambiamento cittadino. Le grandi firme dell´architettura contemporanea siglano un nuovo e importante accordo con Salerno, confermando il loro impegno a cambiare il volto di questa città, sempre di più destinata a diventare un museo a cielo aperto. Ricardo Bofill, Santiago Calatrava, David Chipperfield, Zaha Hadid, Oriol Bohigas, Massimo Pica Ciamarra, Jean Nouvel, Nicola Pagliara, Dominique Perrault, Raul Ruisanchez, Tobia Scarpa e Maria Aubock… (vedi articolo originale)

Kensington Publishing has just leased rights to publish Master Detective to the Chongqing Publishing Company in Chongqing, China. That’s mainland China, or the PRC. You know, the BIG one. The rights were sold to Taiwan last year, so the Chinese language market seems to be pretty well covered at this point. I’m not sure exactly what appeal the Lindbergh kidnapping has in the far east, but I love it!
(If you’re wondering about the rather cryptic title of this post, it means “hello” in Chinese.)

Here’s a book trailer for Master Detective. Note that there is a second book trailer by someone else. Hey, the more the merrier!

When Master Detective was first released, I was interviewed by Channel 13.  Marty Bass latched on to the CSI connection, even though Ellis Parker never heard of DNA and seldom even used fingerprints. Still, it was a good, professional interview. I got a free Channel 13 coffee mug out of the deal, and a good jolt of free publicity. Anyway, see for yourself. http://wjz.com/video/?id=20341@wjz.dayport.com

   When Master Detective came out in a paperback edition, Kensington Publishing duly sent me a box of them. We weren’t home so FedEx left the box on my doorstep in plain view of the neighbors for the afternoon. Apparently Kensington is economizing by recycling book boxes, because the box they sent was printed with the name of another book. There in bold black letters on the box was the title: NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY.

While Emory University is not near a MARTA station, there are two fairly easy and frequent bus routes that go the the Emory campus.

The best option is bus 6, which departs from the Inman Park and Lindbergh MARTA station. This route goes completely through campus on Clifton and North Decatur Road and has a stop at the Emory Village as well.

You can also ride bus 36 from the Arts Center or Avondale Stations. This bus travels on North Decatur Road.

In addition to access to the university and Emory Village, both routes also provide easy access to the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts and the Marco C. Carlos Museum.