Join us at Casa Ybel Resort, Sanibel Island on December 12th for the 1st Annual Sanibel Slam Tennis Exhibition featuring ATP Tour Player Robert Kendrick.

Complimentary Tennis Clinics for Men, Women and Children!

Advanced tickets $7 for adults, children are free. General admission includes a chance to win a 3 day / 2 night Tennis Weekend at Casa Ybel Resort – including deluxe accommodations, dinner for two and private tennis instruction.

Click on the flyer below for more information.

The biographical information below was compiled by Alan Renga, Assistant Archivist, for the 2009 International Hall of Fame Gala. For more information on the Museum’s Library and Archives, click here.

Clay Lacy Hall of Fame Portrait

He has more flying time than anyone walking the earth today. He founded the most respected jet charter service in America. He has made incredible contributions to aerial cinematography. He is Clay Lacy.

Clay Lacy was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1932. From as early as he can remember, he has been interested in aviation. He built his first flying model in 1940 when he was only 8 years old, and had his first flight at age 12!

In 1968, Clay Lacy established the first executive jet charter service west of the Mississippi, using a leased Learjet and then bought his first Lear two years later. Today, his fleet has grown to include Learjets, Gulfstreams and Boeing 727s. Lacy strives to offer the best possible support and accommodations to the executive traveler and is personally involved with all aspects of this operation. All flight crews are trained to the most demanding airline standards, and factory-trained mechanics keep a watch over the fleet. It is Clay Lacy’s attention to detail which sets his company apart from other charters.

The rest of his time spent as part pilot, part director, and part videographer. Lacy has conducted over 2500 air-to-air photography flights! He has shot commercials and Hollywood blockbusters, including scenes for Top Gun and The Right Stuff. Lacy films with an Astrovision camera system-a concept he developed. Astrovision provides the smoothest, clearest and most efficient aerial photography available. If you are watching a air to air scene, there is a very good chance it is shot with Astrovision and Clay himself might be doing the shooting!

Clay Lacy carries has spent more time in the pilot’s seat than any other human: over 50,000! To place this accumulation of flight time in perspective, it would take over five years of non-stop gear-up to touch down flying to equal this feat. In addition, he is an accomplished air race champion!

For his being one of the most accomplished pilots on the planet and creating one of the most significant charter services in the world, the San Diego Air & Space Museum takes great pride in inducting Clay Lacy into its International Aerospace Hall of Fame.

Hill Auditorium designed for glorious sound ... designed with David in mind?

It is not yet daybreak on a rainy morning as my daughter, Cathy, and I head away from Hamilton to the highways – 403 to 401 to 402 to the border.  We have travelled this route over several years to visit my son, Gary, in the Sarnia area to attend family events, happy occasions.   Gary has made the trip back and forth for the same several years but more recent ones were not the pleasant kind – three years ago it was for my husband’s (his Dad’s) funeral.  Four months after that very sad time Gary was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his visits to and from Hamilton almost weekly were for treatment.  In late summer this year his trips ceased as he entered into palliative care in his own home.

Our family then travelled those roads constantly to be there for Gary and his wonderful wife.  Our last trip was for his funeral just this past September.   Please know that this preamble is meant simply to explain the mixed emotions – sadness, loss, grief and happiness, anticipation, excitement – that we are experiencing in travelling these “400” roads again.

We are on our way to Ann Arbor to see and hear David Archuleta, that most amazing young man whose beautiful voice, positive messages and faith have been sources of comfort to me over the past couple of years.  Now I will see him in a live performance for the very first time!

The rain has stopped and we approach the Bluewater Bridge where we will cross into Michigan.  We have arrived early as we expect there will be long lines due to Black Friday traffic.  Instead we find it is clear sailing and we are over the bridge and into Michigan in minutes.  Ah, this is definitely the start of all good things.  Now we are travelling different highways, traffic is light, GPS is our friend.  We are heading for Destination David, new memories and happy times.

We have time to shop so off to Target.  We pick up a few gifts – another good thing today.  Time to check into our hotel and then head out for Panera to perhaps meet up with some other fans.  I am shy and am hesitant to approach people to see if they are part of the David fan group so I don’t get to see everybody.  I find out later they are all downstairs and I don’t know there is a downstairs.  I meet TOfan, Refnaf and angelfanofDA(? oh, I’m not sure) in the washroom line.  After I ask if they are going to see David, they say yes and ask where I’m from and then they know who I am so that was fun.   TOfan gave me a David keychain – so very kind.  We wave Canadian flags at each other before the concert starts.

We go to ‘will call’ to get our tickets, wait for inside doors to open and then are escorted to our seventh row seats.  Gradually the musicians come on stage and begin their warm-ups.   An executive of the symphony speaks and then the Disney Radio person says a few words.  The symphony plays a medley of Christmas songs.   And we wait.  Oh, I am impatient but I know the wait will be more than worth it.

Credit: anoonan17/ArchuletaAvenue

David Archuleta is introduced and he strides out, a smile on his face and a wave to the audience.  He is small in stature but quickly becomes a giant on the stage.  It is impossible to take one’s eyes off him.  He actually does glow, yes he does.   No spotlight required.  Then he starts to sing, his voice soaring.  How is it possible for anyone to be that perfect?

The piano is out of my line of sight it being behind a bank of musicians on my side, so I’m unable to see David’s fingers flying over the keys on “1000 Miles.”  So I watch the musicians, their instruments at rest.  Their eyes are all on David; a couple of lady violinists crane their necks to see his performance; the maestro simply stands with arms folded, eyes on David, and smiles in approval and obvious admiration.

Oh my, the glorious symphony – glorious David deserves this glorious accompaniment.  This is simply beyond special.  Every song, every carol, each so heartfelt.  Standing ovations, so deserved.  I have to clutch my hands together under my chin to keep from shaking but tears do fall.  No need for me to comment on each perfectly sung song as others have already done that so well.  After all, how many more superlative adjectives are there?

After the concert, I wait outside for my daughter who is several steps behind me in the crowd.  I watch as people come through the doors and I see so many smiles in the aftermath of such a special performance.   David has made everyone feel so good.

First time seeing David live and it just happens to be at this magical concert. This is indeed an evening to remember.   My daughter and I both enjoyed it so very much.  How fortunate and blessed I am to be here to experience it.  It has meant the world to me.  Thank you, David.

P.S. Edit: Stealth Fields of Gold & WCIT youTubes … audio is incredible. (Thanks ZanessaEfgens!)

…or like the time blake lewis lost to jordin sparks in a.i.

all photos lifted from fijitimes unless otherwise specified.

miss fiji, merewalesi nailatikau wins miss south pacific 2009

in summary: she deserves the crown for how she answered the last question. but i think other contestants deserve the special awards.

when they were reduced to five finalists, grand slam pageant style, scores were erased and judging for honors was based solely on answers to the last questions. yes, i mean to pluralize that. because unlike other international pageants, they still had to fish for a “surprise” topic from a pool instead of the typical one final question where as one contestant attempts to answer, the others are either in a soundproof isolation booth or wearing noise-reduction headphones with elevator music playing. a dip in many topics for your question i think is a little skewed. how can you compare the answer to, say, “if you win this title, how can you help the youth in their battle against drugs?” to “how can society promote corporate social responsibility?” one question will naturally be more difficult than others and the competition vastly increases the element of luck.

not that i think a one-final-question format would have dramatically altered the outcome. because despite my above ideas, miss fiji still makes a runaway winner; she, after all, delivers the paradoxical “prepared impromptu speech” leagues better than the others. but even with this glaring reality, i was still hoping that my favorite girl miss cook islands, who happens to be articulate herself, throws us a curveball and snags the crown. in other words, like the l.a. lakers some western conference finals ago, i expected miss fiji to win over miss cook islands’ sacramento kings, but up to the last minute, i was crossing my fingers for an upset.

my favorite miss cook islands, engara gosselin bags first runner-up.

what really pops my snare though is miss fiji also winning the special awards for best talent and best traditional costume (my complete thoughts in this entry). there might be other criteria we are unaware of that upend my shamelessly frank opinions or the judges just might have preferential views that are strange to me, but i still can’t quite put a finger on how a “talent” as puerile as declamation randomly coupled with an amateur dance routine beat an obviously classically trained, well-choreographed performance. or how a drag-and-drop costume design whose cut and workmanship is as common as a budget outlet wedding gown beat a conceptualized, well-planned production of a dress. it’s like charlene gonzalez winning best national costume during the philippines-hosted miss universe when, upon ambush interview, the other contestants didn’t even attempt to conceal their aversion of the results.

i hope miss aotearoa somehow reads this so she finds out how ado and i were extremely impressed by her talent! i hope miss samoa somehow reads this so she finds out how my father-in-law’s and my jaws dropped at the sight of her dress!

miss aotearoa (new zealand), paretaunu randal's dance was in a class of its own. miss samoa, tusisaleia pomele's traditional costume was a work of art.

other special awards and brief thoughts:

miss photogenic: miss american samoa (judged by professional photographers)

miss personality: miss american samoa (chosen by the other contestants like miss congeniality or miss friendship)

miss internet: miss papua new guinea (most internet votes. here’s a crazy notion: miss png was nowhere around the top of internet votes for more than half the duration of the voting period. when i posted this entry in my other blog, she suddenly shot straight to number one. it’s most probably coincidence, but i’d like to think that some of my 1000+ readers that day helped boost her stats. i can indulge myself, can’t i?)

miss aotearoa (new zealand) and miss papua new guinea in a fun pose at the arts tent.

miss (forgot the category name of “most text votes”): miss fiji (host country, duh)

miss interview: miss fiji (as the name suggests, best in interview portion)

best in sulu/sarong: miss cook islands (that dalo planting sure paid off. and who would object to her figure.)

miss elegance: miss tonga (selected by sponsors, wins a modeling contract, therefore imho the one truly relevant special award. very well-deserved.)

for winning miss elegance, miss tonga, paea williams gets a modeling contract. it couldn't have gone to a better candidate.

a full two minutes after announcement of winners, i have gotten over the loss of my favorite candidates. so i went on to browse online for photos. i wrote this entry a few days ago saying i couldn’t find any picture of miss aotearoa doing the maori pukuna. well i just found one:

miss cook islands, engara gosselin blows a kiss as miss aotearoa, paretaunu randal does the pukana.

miss south pacific 2008, niue's vanessa marsh with some of this years candidates. she has been a very worthy representative of the region. and i still think she's a dead ringer for sarah geronimo.

i'm posting sarah geronimo's photo here just to prove my point. i bet some of you thought this was vanessa marsh at first glance! this is sarah about to sing the pna before the pacquiao-morales fight.

as we called it a night, i suggested to ado that greenscape ltd. sponsor a special award in next year’s pageant. in keeping with the nature of the landscaping business, it should be the best in hair foliage award.

 
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Inconstant Moon cover art

What I said was,

“No, I don’t have time…. because the novel isn’t done yet.”

He went on to express surprise that I wasn’t as predictable as he thought. Hah! Thought he had >me< pegged, did he? Well.
Uh. Here I am, writing a blog post.

[It's rough to be so predictable. But I should have learned by now that the greatest kid in the world is pretty much always right.]

I think I’m about half way through the outline (although it’s hard to tell since its so badly in need of rejigging just now. The characters have been asserting themselves with some force.)

But I plan on working my fingers to the bone for the rest of the month and see how much I can get done. Hey, its the weekend, and I vow not to do another blog post (after this one) before December.

Really.

I will be back to blogging (guilt free) come December, but I will keep going on the novel until it’s done. Because this is what I REALLY want to do.

[Besides, I need to finish this one so I can start on the next one.]

please excuse the lack of more recent photos. there is limited coverage online of last thursday’s and friday’s festivities. calling on miss south pacific official website… typically, official websites update promptly and comprehensively with almost real-time accuracy…

all photos lifted from fijitimes.

i’m in a bit of a testy mood today because i didn’t have enough sleep. so i’m going to be stricter than usual and say, in general, i wasn’t impressed. and i can’t believe how after a bad night’s coverage, i’m reading stuff like “a tough act to follow”. i don’t know what their standards are, but i wish they at least won’t settle for below average and call it “a tough act to follow”. it’s an international event, for crying out loud, other countries would think we are satisfied with mediocrity. all right, cutting some slack, this is the first time fiji hosted the miss south pacific. but aside from the highlights, points for improvement should also be emphasized.

day to day, night to night, live coverage is interrupted by one technical difficulty after another. from mics not working to videos taking too long to load to a complete power stoppage altogether. during the sarong/sulu competition, for instance: a power outage should not hinder the program at all. there should be plans b and c for things like that. don’t even make me start with the mic and how one emcee tucks it into his armpit as he unfurls the question scroll during interview portion. not that it dramatically changed my viewing pleasure. the overall quality of the lights, sounds and pictures weren’t doing it for us to begin with, so much so that ado can’t stand watching it and many times had to get up from his seat and walk away. having been educated in film, poor coverage is his pet peeve. on top of that, by a serious oversight, the committee failed to include the message from samoa’s prime minister into the handout program. and to think samoa is the home country of this pageant. these among other major setbacks.

but poor coverage is not my pet peeve, so i have to admit i still do enjoy watching the event. because a pageant is a pageant and that’s my guilty pleasure.

national costume

by a long shot, miss samoa’s costume wins this in my books. her outfit depicts a species of parrot fish known to possess habits that are beneficial to the environment. the mermaid-tail cut was perfect for her frame and the color complemented her skin tone (or i might just be biased towards teal. it is, after all, my favorite color). the “scales” were a mosaic of mother-of-pearl discs, clearly assembled with painstaking effort and excellent workmanship. the bustier top was actually the fish’s head and the eye is a jewel brooch. it demonstates the parrot fish about to consume the corals strung around her neck which i think is just a brilliant way to mix education with a work of art. the dress would make an absolutely fantastic museum piece. if she doesn’t win this portion, i’d probably say the contest is rigged. or i just have a dramatically different opinion.

miss samoa, tusisaleia pomele's marine-inspired costume (not shown here) blew the competition out of the water. i made a pun there.

stage interview

like many other pageants i’ve seen before, this one most likely let the ladies anticipate what possible questions and issues would be raised during the q&a, giving them the chance to formulate answers and practice how to deliver them (believe me, many pageants do this. my club used to train beauty contestants for interview portions). i may be wrong, but all answers seemed canned, several of them were gazing up as they were talking, a strong indication that they were trying to recall certain key words or phrases. all in all, it struck me more as if it were a prepared speech contest than an interview portion. not that i have anything against it. i’ve seen much worse in bigger pageants. remember bb. pilipinas 2008 and that question from vivian tan? i don’t mean to remind you, but i’m assuming it has occurred to you already.

ok, i wouldn’t even choose one i think stood out from the rest, because no one really did imho. but if some alien race suddenly pressured me into choosing one, i’d have to choose miss fiji. i do not doubt that she is intelligent and she practiced her lines well. while simply based on content, all of them said the right and relevant key points, only miss fiji was able to deliver her “piece” without faltering, pausing or repeating herself. on that, i’d say she did a far better job than anyone else. i believe she would do well to speak in front of international audiences if she wins and is sent to represent the south pacific in conferences. i’m sure she’s smart, she’s personable and she won’t embarrass the country by talking nonsense. but, frankly, i’m not really rooting for her. go figure.

miss fiji, merewalesi nailatikau, seen here during the sarong/sulu competition, is smart and articulate.

talent night

was it too much for me to hope? that someone comes up to a mic stand with a guitar to sing “harvest for the world”? or someone takes her place by a baby grand to sing “heal the world”? ok, now i think i’m too badly influenced by american idol, everything i see is david cook and david archuleta.

in between contestants, the show goes on commercial break. so why do they take so long cuing the contestants during their respective turns? the stage hands and assistants still grope in the dark setting up props and backdrop while the viewers look into pitch black nothing. what did they do during commercial break? take a break? i know how difficult it is to organize and to implement a talent night, but please more effort for an international event where people from different countries get the chance to scrutinize the show.

now that that’s out of the way…

oh my, props for miss cook islands for dramatizing, singing and dancing! of all three, i think she should stick most to dancing. i mean she isn’t a terrible singer, she can carry a tune, but i don’t think she’ll make it to hollywood week with that performance… unless of course she makes like this season’s bikini girl and both simon cowell and randy jackson move her on to the next stage. again with the a.i. reference…

one opinion i just have to voice out: there ought to be an age limit for when declamation can still be considered a talent. i think the limit should be 12. unless of course you are ralph fiennes or someone around that calibre, then you can get away with monologue and soliloquy until you run out of shakespearean verses. some ladies declaimed. and they are not ralph fiennes.

i was very disappointed with miss tahiti, i had such high expectations of her. she belongs to a family of professional dancers and we’ve seen her do the tahitian tamure (the polynesian dance that involve rapidly thrusting your hips in all directions while your shoulders remain solid) with exceptional skill. this lady has tremendous talent for sure, but her number was ruined by overthinking. whoever suggested that she perform about five different dance styles and wear all five different costumes should be locked in a barrel. she spent more time with her back towards the audience trying to put one costume after the other. such a waste of opportunity.

i had the same expectations of miss tonga and she delivered. she’s an entertainer in hawaii. her performance was a dramatic end to a polynesian legend (narrated by one of the emcees before miss tonga took to the stage), where as a goddess about to perish, she danced her last dance before finally succumbing. someone should make a west end musical out of this story. any producers out there?

miss tonga, paea williams gave a performance filled to the brim with emotion.

but i placed my highest bet on miss aotearoa (new zealand). she’s a choreographer by profession and performs traditional maori dances. what really makes you want to see how she fares is the fact that she aspires to one day dance with janet jackson in concert… people, please keep passing this message until it reaches janet herself. miss aotearoa has some mad skills. hers was a modern interpretation of a maori number (a fusion dance of sorts, a genre famous in nz and oz for traditional dance troupes). she pirouetted, bent over backwards, did leg extensions and went down on all fours, done with flawless grace and very emotional choreography. she could represent as a solo performer in superstars of dance. i swear. if she doesn’t win best talent, i’d say art is hopeless.

miss aotearoa, paretaunu randal, seen here during the sarong/sulu competition, is limber, graceful and definitely showed the best talent.

tonight’s the coronation night! let’s see if any of my favorites win the title. if not, i think i would be very frustrated. this is personal…

Tonight we are featuring one of our 3 Fabulicious first dishes:

Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing & Candied Beats

Actor and aviator Cliff Robertson (Uncle Ben to Spiderman folks) was unable, for health reasons, to join us for his induction into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Luckily he felt well enough (Must have been a spider bite! Sorry, I had to) to call us on the phone and tell us what aviation has meant to him and his life. Listen below:

The biographical information below was compiled by Alan Renga, Assistant Archivist, for the 2009 International Hall of Fame Gala. For more information on the Museum’s Library and Archives, click here.

Cliff Robertson Hall of Fame Portrait

He is a pilot, an Academy Award and Emmy-Award-winning actor as well as the founder of a very popular youth program within the EAA.  He is Cliff Robertson.

Robertson was born in La Jolla, California in 1925 and it was here that he developed a love for aviation. He would ride his bike several miles each day to work at Speer airport, where he would clean airplanes in return for flights in a piper cub. However, Cliff would leave the area to serve his country during World War Two and attend Antioch College in Ohio. After college he went to New York and started work acting on stage, film and eventually television, working in such varied shows as the Twilight Zone and Gidget.

His acting career then took off, and he was personally chosen by John F. Kennedy to portray the president in the motion picture P.T. 109 —the story of Kennedy’s heroic World War II exploits as a P.T. Boat skipper. Perhaps he is best known for starring in Charly, an adaptation of Flowers for Algernon for which he won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor. Other films included Picnic, Sunday in New York, Autumn Leaves, Too Late the Hero, Three Days of the Condor, Obsession, J. W. Coop, Star 80 and Malone. More recently, Robertson’s career has had a resurgence. He appeared as Uncle Ben Parker in the first movie adaptation of Spider-Man, as well as in the sequels Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

Yet with all his success and fame, Cliff’s love for aviation has never waned. While filming in England, Robertson decided to join the Fair oaks Flying Club and soloed in a De Havilland Tiger Moth…he enjoyed the airplane so much he bought one of his own, and eventually owned three of the type. This lead Cliff to purchase another British legend: a Supermarine Spitfire. Over the years he owned other aircraft, including a Messerschmitt Me-108 and a Beech Baron 58.  In addition to powered flight, Robertson enjoys gliding and owns a two place glider, a Grob Twin Astir.

However, aviation for Robertson is not strictly a leisurely affair. In 1969, Robertson helped organize an effort to fly food and medical supplies to war ravaged Biafra, Nigeria. For this effort he was presented with AOPA’s Sharples Award, given for “the year’s greatest, selfless commitment to general aviation by a private citizen.” When a famine hit Ethiopia in 1978, Robertson again organized relief flights of supplies to that country. In addition, he is dedicated to helping others experience the joy of flight. Robertson takes an active part in the Cliff Robertson Work Experience Program. Each summer, two youths, 16 or 17 years old, are invited to Oshkosh, through the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Air Academy, where they work for ground and flight instruction. The EAA’s Young Eagles program began in 1992 with Robertson as its first honorary chairman. In 1999, he helped kick off the EAA’s campaign, “Vision of Eagles”, a unique set of initiatives designed to educate, motivate and provide direction to young people through aviation-based activities. As if this wasn’t enough, he has received the EAA’s highest honor, the “Freedom of Flight Award,” for his role in the organization’s “In Pursuit of Dreams” presentation.

For his being one of America’s most influential ambassadors of flight, the San Diego Air & Space Museum take great pride in inducting Cliff Robertson into its International Aerospace Hall of Fame.

McCloud & Associates Public Relations Agency specializes in Public Relations Consulting, Promotional Marketing, Special Event Organizing & Entertainment Manager/Promoter.
It is time to begin planning for your company/corporation Christmas Party. Also since we are at the beginning of a new fiscal year, remember to plan for the seminars or conferences that you want to host to strengthen your company. Allow McCloud & Associates PR Agency assist with your planning.

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FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

Firstly , my parents have successfully flown to Saudi Arabia for Hajj (muslims’ pilgrimmage) on Sunday 15th of November and they are doing well.
As a consequence, I am now the temporary chief of the house This directly translates into: I can cook whatever I want!

The other great thing: I got my MSc dissertation result. 84%! Thus another milestone has been reached and successfully jumped over I wish to seize this opportunity to thank God and EVERYBODY (even those who are sure they have not helped me…but trust me, you all have, unknowingly :p). I am now looking forward for my PhD which I am planning to start next year. (If you are an academic and you have funds for a project related to Computer science – Web Science -Social Computing, do get in touch ).

And another good news: a new experimental blog from the presidential media department: webnewsmoris (web news for mauritius) http://webnewsmoris.wordpress.com aimed at delivering news about blogs, twitter and other places on the web by fellow mauritians in the mauritian local dialect (creole) was launched. Despite a small controversy over the content of one of its post, the new blog has been largely accepted as a first of its kind among mauritian blogs and the experiment was a success. From the response of readers, we have positively identified a demand for such type of news collected from grass-root Mauritian Web users. Unfortunately this positive experience could not be sustained for a longer time period due to a lack of personnel and the time-commitment required. However we are open to suggestions and are willing to recruit volunteers to work on webnewsmoris.

Hope you are all preparing yourself for the year 2010 which will be indeed a challenging one for many among us. Enjoy yourself guyz!

It’s a nostalgia trip again this coming Wednesday when we screen HARE RAMA HARE KRISHNA (1971) at MadAboutMovies. That cult film.  You probably have the DVD at home but Zeenat Aman in Dum Maro Dum just has to be seen with friends. Over a drink. Starring Dev Anand, Zeenat Aman. Free for MadAboutMovies members. $20 for non members.

December 2, 2009, Wednesday. 7.30pm at Screening Room, 12 Ann Siang Road

Have you got your MadAboutMovies membership card? Call +65 2211694 ext 2.

The University of Iowa actually offers a course on popular Hindi Cinema. Prof Philip  Lutgendorf of the Department of Asian Languages and Literature has written a detailed background and summary of the film that you can check out. http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/HareRama.html

SPECIAL EVENT: TEA WITH FAROOQUE SHAIKH, NOV 20, 2009, FRIDAY.

We, collectively, fell in love with FAROOQUE SHAIKH (again!), this time for his sheer felicity with language and his utter humility. It was an intimate evening at The Esplanade with the actor fielding diverse questions on his life, his works, his persona. When asked about working with Satyajit Ray, the self-effacing Farooque Shaikh said his role in Shatranj Ke Khilari was so brief it was over in a blink! He then went on to talk about the genius of Ray – how he had every nuance, every micro detail of the film worked out in his head and what a complete auteur he was, handling every aspect of filmmaking, from the script, the music, the costumes, the camera, everything. “Which was both a good thing and a bad thing,” he added. “Ray worked everything out to a mathematical perfection. He gave the actor an equation, but spelt out the answer. So it was 2+?=4. You could put nothing there but 2. So there was little elbow room for an actor but you knew that the end result would be perfect.” Farooque added that this irked some of the creative people who worked with him like his brilliant cameraman.” (referring of course to Subrata Mitra).

Inspired by his visit, MAM members watched Sai Paranjpye’s delightful comedy CHASHME BUDDOOR on Saturday, November 21.

NOVEMBER 11, WEDNESDAY. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s evergreen comedy GOLMAAL.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s niece joined MAM members to talk about her uncle and what it was like watching him at work.

NOVEMBER 4, WEDNESDAY, MANORAMA SIX FEET UNDER

OCTOBER 28, WEDNESDAY, KHAMOSH PANI. Samiha Sumer’s award-winning film was screened.

MADABOUTMOVIES kicked off on October 21 with RAMCHAND PAKISTANI, the powerful film based on a true story about a boy who inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India and the ordeal that his family suffers. This award-winning film by Mehreen Jabbar stars Nandita Das.

i believe (and this is just me) in lieu of a swimsuit competition, miss south pacific has a sulu/sarong category which states among its conditions “worn in such a way that it can be used in the beach for swimming” or something to that effect. that’s almost like a pc term for swimsuit, right? i’m just comforting myself.

if i’m not mistaken other conditions state: it must be no longer than three (3) meters and should provide enough coverage to be deemed as modest.

now, modesty has always been such an extremely subjective value to me (please note that traditional dress in many pacific cultures involve topless women), but i must say fiji has evolved to become an ultra-conservative society. i just hope the male judges in the panel gave the highest marks to miss cook islands and miss tahiti (who both certainly have the goods to bare their legs and their midriffs). because men are men and if they choose to be prudish now, i enjoin all their male friends to pick on them until they own up to having zero hormones.

miss cook islands in her sarong

and they didn’t simply walk across the stage and back. part of the criteria for this category is how the ladies interpret the story behind their sarong. a voice-over narrates the significance of their attire to the island culture.

in terms of that, i also like miss cook island’s interpretation best. she depicted planting dalo using environment-friendly materials. towards the end, the voice-over tells us that planting dalo is no easy task especially for a beauty queen, on which cue she gamely wipes imaginary sweat from her face, “inadvertently” rubbing mud on her cheeks and forehead. the story culminates in a nice dip in the sea after a hard day’s work. cute, right?

i’m glad it’s not one more of those cloying “save the earth” orations. i know environment awareness is crucial, but stop ramming it into our ears, we get the point already. just tell us about how ordinary people like me can actually make a difference without being all al gore on us. let’s just talk about planting dalo and hitting the beach after work.

The biographical information below was compiled by Alan Renga, Assistant Archivist, for the 2009 International Hall of Fame Gala. For more information on the Museum’s Library and Archives, click here.

Frank Robinson Hall of Fame Portrait

He produces the best selling, non military helicopter in the world. He outsells all other North American manufacturers put together. He produces an aircraft which hold most world records in it weight class, including speed and altitude. He is Frank Robinson.

The youngest of four children, Frank Robinson was born in Washington State. Always interested in aviation, he worked his way through college and received his BSME degree from the University of Washington in 1957, with graduate work in aeronautical engineering at the University of Wichita.

Robinson began his aviation career in 1957 at Cessna Aircraft Company working on the CH-1 Skyhook. He then continued work with rotor aircraft at Umbaugh Aircraft Co., McCulloch Motor Company and Kaman Aircraft. During a brief stint at Bell Helicopter he earned a reputation as a “tail rotor expert.” In 1969, he moved to Hughes Helicopter Company, designing a new tail rotor for the Hughes 500 helicopter and working on the “quiet helicopter” program.

Robinson repeatedly tried to interest his employers in his own concept for a small, low-cost helicopter but to no avail, so Robinson resigned from Hughes in 1973 and founded Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC). RHC’s first business address was Robinson’s home where the two-seat R22 helicopter was designed. The first R22 prototype was built in a tin hangar at the Torrance Airport, and Robinson himself flew it on its first flight in August 1975 and the R22 received its FAA Type Certificate in 1979. The first production R22 was delivered in late 1979, and the R22 soon became the world’s top selling civil helicopter! The helicopter is so popular because it is relatively inexpensive and very reliable. In addition, the R22 holds most world records in its weight class including speed and altitude. The company also produces the very popular four seat R44. Close to 6,000 Robinson helos sit on flight lines around the world! In addition, Robinson oversaw development of the fuel injected R44 Raven II and the five place turbine driven R66.

Robinson is also very concerned about helicopter safety. He lobbied the FAA to quadruple the minimum number of hours of training needed to get an instructor’s license, as well as double the hours before a pilot could solo. In addition, he started a safety course that has become the gold standard of helicopter training, open to all pilots — today it has a five-month waiting list and is required by most helicopter insurers.

Robinson is an experienced helicopter pilot and flies the R22 and R44 helicopters regularly for personal and business purposes, including experimental test flying. He is a full member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a Fellow of the American Helicopter Society. He has been presented numerous awards and honors, including the Howard Hughes Memorial Award, The Doolittle Award from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington. His philanthropic activities include donating large sums of money to the University of Washington and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

For his invaluable contributions to aviation technology and his dedication to making helicopter flight more safe, the San Diego Air & Space Museum takes great pleasure inducting Frank Robinson into its International Aerospace Hall of Fame.

Surrounded by its 100 acres of gardens, fields, woods and original outbuildings, Sweet Home transports all who visit to Georgia’s Antebellum South, evoking the beauty, grace and charm of the Old South Legend. This National Historic Register 1840 Greek Revival Home is a virtual mid-19th century time capsule, beautifully furnished with period furniture. Sweet Home Plantation is ideally suited for weddings and receptions, private parties, corporate events, barbeques and picnics. The spacious grounds offer the perfect setting for large or intimate events. The elegant home is a wonderful spot for teas, luncheons, cocktail receptions or small seated dinner parties. For more information, visit the Pine Mountain Destination Guide

The biographical information below was compiled by Alan Renga, Assistant Archivist, for the 2009 International Hall of Fame Gala. For more information on the Museum’s Library and Archives, click here.

Sean Tucker Hall of Fame Portrait

He is one of the most talented and famous aerobatic pilots the world has known Sean Tucker.  Born in Eagle Rock, California Sean earned his pilots certificate at the very young age of 17 even though he had a fear of flying.  He quickly realized the only way to conquer that fear was to attack it head on. So he took an aerobatics course…and soon was performing in air shows. Very quickly Tucker earned a reputation for being a highly gifted performer. Many of his maneuvers are original and have never been performed by another aerobatic pilot. Sean has flown in more than 425 air shows, in front of more than 80 million spectators!

Thirty years ago, Sean’s first aerobatic plane was a Pitt’s Special. Striving to push the edge more than the Pitts could deliver, Sean’s team designed the one of a kind Challenger II which produces more than 400 horsepower, weighs only 1,200 pounds, and is considered the most high-performance aerobatic aircraft in the world. Today, the Challenger II is one of the most recognizable small aircraft in the world. To endure the extreme physical demands of aerobatic display, Sean maintains a rigorous physical training schedule by working-out over 340 days per year in a routine of jogging and weight-lifting on alternating days.

Tucker has received numerous awards and recognitions celebrating his career in aviation. He has been named one of the Living Legends in Aviation, is the recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award, was an inductee at the 2001 USAF Gathering of Eagles, and was named one of the Living Legends of Flight. And in 2008 he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, joining such famous aviators as Jimmy Doolittle, Chuck Yeager and Bob Hoover.

Expanding on his love of flying, Tucker created the Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety, a world-class flight training institution dedicated to setting and spreading the standard for aviation safety in aerobatics and aviation at large. The Academy offers a variety of courses including stall/spin recognition and recovery training, aerobatic proficiency training, a low-level aerobatic mentorship program, and formation aerobatic flight training, which can be found no-where else in the world.

Tucker’s self-proclaimed goal is to “share the magic of flight with Team Oracle’s guests by inspiring and thrilling them. I want them to go away saying that the air show was one of the most engaging days of their lives.”

For his incredible enthusiasm for flying and his strong desire to pass this passion on to as many people as possible, the San Diego Air & Space Museum takes great pride in inducting Sean Tucker into its International Aerospace Hall of Fame.

i watched the opening ceremony of the miss south pacific pageant the other day and one of my favorites, miss tonga, didn’t make it soon enough for the inaugural festivities. but the last-minute entry did make it and i like her a lot for doing that maori pose of flicking hands and bulging eyes. people who are not familiar with that expression might find it alarming. as for me, i think it’s absolutely cute. too bad i can’t find a photo online of paretaunu randal doing it.

miss aotearoa pacific (new zealand), paretaunu randall

aotearoa pacific is new zealand. for miss south pacific, the new zealand contender has to be of maori descent in order to participate in the traditional showcase and presentations.

yesterday morning, they covered the activities in the arts village and the tent where contestants gave viewers a brief “tour” of their respective displays. they explained crafts, indigenous materials, native languages and their country’s culture in general. they performed traditional dances and even gave dance workshops to interested audience. last night, among the performances, hosts interviewed each candidate onstage.

after watching how the ladies presented their displays in the tent and how they handled themselves during the interview in front of a live audience, i found another favorite in miss papua new guinea, antonia singut.

miss papua new guinea, antonia singut. she looks like brandy or mary j. blige to me.

some were clearly nervous in front of the camera, can get a little disoriented against the lights, others sounded canned and contrived, as if parroting answers from a script (there is such a thing as overpreparation). miss png, on the other hand, was confident and spontaneous and obviously knew her craft very well. in her country’s art display, she confidently explained what her costume was made of, was even able to compare it with fiji’s similar materials. when asked about the design on her dress, without batting her long curly eyelash, she named the source of the dyes, how they were painted on and how the entire design actually tells a story. if she practiced this answer (which i think she did), she was able to deliver it without sounding as if she already knew the question beforehand. when eventually asked what other items viewers can find in her display, she nonchalantly strides around the booth, expertly describing each piece of work, looking at the camera (which the others didn’t or barely did at all), talking to the viewers, making you want to be friends with her or something. when by accident she dislodged one item off its hook, sending the piece to her feet, she didn’t even flinch nor slacken her momentum; she quipped a little apology and moved on. that’s poise for you.

in the night’s interview portion, she was the only one who enunciated her greeting beauty pageant style (“insert mother tongue here… my name is antonia singut, proudly representing papua new guinea!” higher decibel and stress on name of country), others sounded more like they were addressing a student body or a business convention. her voice had clarity and her delivery was effortless as she told the audience how her name means bird-of-paradise in her native language, that’s why her dress and her accessories depict that species. again, if she practiced this answer (which i think she did), she has clearly mastered the art of seeming spontaneous. she is, after all, a journalism student. on top of that, she is the granddaughter of the illustrious veteran journalist ian boden, to whom she dedicates her participation in the pageant.

to recap the day, my vote for most photogenic is still miss tonga. best in evening wear (if you can call it that. they don’t even have this category, but what the heck) is miss cook islands. and best in interview is miss png.

i am excited to watch tonight’s coverage and see who will shine this time.

There is only one thing that would have stopped Sally Ride from joining us for our 2009 Hall Of Fame Gala – a call from the White House asking her to come to Washington DC. Sadly (for us) – that is what happened. But before she left town, Dr. Ride was kind enough to send us the following video message:

The biographical information below was compiled by Alan Renga, Assistant Archivist, for the 2009 International Hall of Fame Gala. For more information on the Museum’s Library and Archives, click here.

Sally Ride Hall of Fame Portrait

She is the first American Woman in space.  She is a world renowned physicist. She is dedicated to interesting young women in science, technology, engineering, and math. She is Sally Ride.

Born in 1951 in Los Angeles, California, Sally graduated High School in Westlake, where she was a Nationally Ranked Tennis player. She attended Swarthmore College and then transferred to Stanford University where she eventually received a doctorate degree in Physics in 1978.

While a doctorate candidate, Ride was one over 8000 people to answer an advertisement seeking applicants for the space program and was accepted! After joining NASA, Ride underwent an extensive training period that included parachute jumping, water survival, gravity and weightlessness training, radio communications and navigation. For the second and third Space Shuttle flights, Sally served as the ground-based Capsule Communicator between On June 18, 1983, she became the first American woman in space as a crew member on Space Shuttle Challenger for STS-7.

During the mission, the STS-7 crew deployed satellites for Canada and Indonesia and conducted the first formation flying of the orbiter with a free-flying satellite, along with many other important tasks. The mission lasted over 6 days before landing on a lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 24, 1983.

Dr. Ride took to space for a second time in 1984 on STS 41-G, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 5, 1984. After the tragic Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, Dr. Ride served as a member of the Presidential Commission investigating the accident. She later served on the accident investigation board for the space shuttle Columbia tragedy, the only person to serve on both boards. Upon completion of the Challenger investigation she was assigned to NASA Headquarters as Special Assistant to the Administrator for long range and strategic planning.

In 1989, Dr. Ride joined the faculty at UCSD as a Professor of Physics and Director of the University of California’s California Space Institute. Because of her passion for motivating girls and young women to pursue careers in science, math and technology in 2001 Sally, founded her own company, Sally Ride Science, which creates entertaining and informative science programs and publications for upper elementary and middle school children. In addition, she has written numerous science books for children.

Dr. Ride has been a member of many prestigious organizations including the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and the National Research Council’s Space Studies Board, and has served on the Boards of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and the NCAA Foundation.

Dr. Ride has received numerous honors and awards. She has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall and has twice been awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal.

For her incredible courage for being the first American Woman in space and her desire to instill in young women a love for the sciences, the San Diego Air & Space Museum takes great pleasure in inducting Doctor Sally Ride into its International Aerospace Hall of Fame.

This December, Punk’s will be hosting two classes on how to make holiday cocktails!

The first will be held on Saturday December 12th at 2:00pm, where we’ll be making Punk’s Winter Punch.  We will be mixing up a party size pitcher of the cocktail, which combines citrus fruits, rum, brandy and spiced simple syrup for a festive holiday drink. Just in time for the holidays, this drink is great for entertaining.

The second seminar will be held on Saturday December 19th at 2:00pm and will have a New Year’s Eve theme. We’ll be pouring champagne cocktails and house-made bitters, showcasing a number of flavored bitters that are easy to make at home.   We’re certain you’ll be able to impress your fellow party-goers with these techniques.

Registration is open until the Friday preceding each class at 5:00pm. Cost is $10 per seminar or $18 for both, which includes a cocktail and light food.  We imagine it will be quite a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Space is limited, so call or email us at the restaurant to make your reservations today.

Meet Milliner Jasmin Zorlu, Saturday December 5th, 2-5pm

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Heavily inspired by the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s, Jasmin Zorlu Millinery employs innovative materials such as fishskin (tanned fish leather), upcycled leather, abalone shells, and fruit bags to create futuristic headwear which transcend traditional notions of design and time. Mostly eschewing employment of trims like flowers, ribbons, and feathers, her hats reveal their form simply and sculpturally.  Jasmin Zorlu Millinery aims to create exciting headwear which will achieve heirloom status and still look fresh 100 years from now.

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All images Copyright Jasmin Zorlu Millinery

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