Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Reelin' in the Years

2011-11-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

The excellent, Seattle-based, Steely Dan tribute band, Nearly Dan perform, virtually note-perfect, the classic "Deacon Blues" at the Triple Door Theatre.

I'll learn to work the saxophone
I'll play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel...

Sounds like an epitaph for somebody.

Usual caveats about the picture and sound quality with a Canon point-and-shoot.

On the Waterfront

2011-10-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Phew, it's been awhile...! Anyway this clip, cobbled together by yours truly, is axiomatic. Just press the 'Play' button and enjoy. Many thanks to Paul Murphy of Claremont 56 records for permission to use the excellent album track by Almunia (if you like it, you can download it here).

Lights, Camera, Auction

2011-05-29T23:15:00.000-07:00

The original post has been removed (possibly ordered removed) but this hilarious advertisment was recently posted on Ebay's UK site. Read right to the very end and don't contact me if you want to buy any of this stuff.

You are bidding on a collection of 50 (approx) 12" singles and LPs of crap music.

My sister found these in her attic last weekend, where they has been sat gathering dust for the last couple of decades. They used to belong to her ex-husband, who is one of the biggest arseholes ever to draw breath. I never liked the wanker, and based my initial antipathy towards him on his taste in music. Not to put too fine a point on it, he was that most contemptible form of pond life, a Jazz Funker. This meant that as well as shit taste in music, he had appalling taste in clothes too. Pringle jumpers, pleated Farrahs, shoes that looked like pasties, white socks, revolting shirts and a comical wedge-cut hairdon't. Add to this 80s fashion horrorshow a Ford Capri and Super Mario-style moustache underlining his bulbous nose, and you get an object lesson in twatdom. No wonder Northern Soul fans (and everyone else) treated the Jazz Funk fans with sneering comntempt.

I couldn't comprehend what on earth my usually sensible sister could possibly see in the pillock. In vain I pleaded with her to send him packing. My argument that his hankering for Earth Wind & Fire records and attendance at soul weekenders made him a poor choice of mate was waved away as the rantings of a callow youth. She felt my reasoning was unsound.

Reader, she married him.

He made her life miserable for a few years with his moping, moody belligerence (and playing horrendous records like these). He told her lies and generally behaved like a platinum c*nt. Then he dumped her for his mistress when my sister was four months pregnant.

It's now nearly 20 years later and I would still like to take a meat tenderizer to his face. But his most horrendous crime, worse than wiring up my granny's shower so it was electrically live, worse even than his infidelity or the awful way he treated my sister, was the fact that he actually liked the abomination known as Jazz Funk. Here is the evidence. What a bastard.

Well, I suppose I'd better tell you what's for sale, though why you would actually want to own this dreck is beyond me. It's basically music for people who have a deep-seated hatred of music and want to inflict their pain on the world. But here goes nothing.

First the 12" singles.

ARTIST A B Label No Comment Year Condition (visual)
Beggar & Co (Somebody) Help me out b/w Rising Sun Ensign ENYT201 1981 VG++
Bob James Sign of the times b/w Westchester Lady ; Tappan Zee CBS 1608 1981 VG
Central Line Nature Boy (full version) b/w Nature Boy (83 mix) ; You've said enough Mercury MERX131 PS 1983 VG++
Change Searching b/w Angel in my pocket WEA K79156 Company bag 1980 VG+, small WOL
Chi Lites feat Gene Record Have you seen her b/w Super mad (about you baby) 20th Centry Fox 2481 1980 NM
David Joseph You can't hide (your love from me) b/w You can't hide (acapella/Instr) Island 121S101 PS 1983 NM
Debra Laws On my own b/w Long as we're together Elektra 12529 1981 VG++
Eddy Grant Do you feel my love b/w Symphony for Michael, opus 2 Ensign 4512 Company Bag 1980 VG++
Eddy Grant Can't get enough of you b/w Neighbour Neighbour ; Time Warp Ensign ENYT207 Company bag 1981Ex
Fantastic Four Bring Your own Funk (BYOF) b/w Sexy lady (remix) Atlantic LV14 1978 NM
Galaxy feat Phil Fearon Dancing Tight (dancemix) b/w Dancing Tight (instr) Ensign 12ENY501 Co bag 1983 Ex
Gap Band Burn Rubber on Me (Why you wanna hurt me) b/w Nothin' Comes to Sleepers Mercury MERX52 PS 1980 VG+
Heatwave Gangsters of the groove b/w Someone Like you GTO GT13 285 1980 Ex
Johnny Bristol Love no longer has a hold on me b/w Til I See you again Ariola Hansa AHAD567 1980 VG++
Kid Creole & Coconuts I'm a wonderful thing (baby) b/w Table manners (remix) ZE 12WIP 6756 PS 1982 VG++
Level 42 Love Games (full length ver) b/w Forty two Polydor POSPX234 1981 VG+
Light of the World Time (remix) b/w I'm So happy Mercury MERX64 PS 1980 VG++
Light of the World I shot the sheriff (ext mix) b/w Painted Lady; A new soft song Ensign 4612 Co Bag 1980 VG+ small WOL
Love Unlimited Orchestra Lift your voice and say (united we can in peace live today) b/w My Fantasies Unlimited Gold ULGA 13 1496 1981 VG++
Lynx So This is Romance b/w So This is Romance (Rio mix) Chrysalis 2546 PS 1981 VG-
Machine There but for the grace of God go I b/w Get your body ready RCA PC1456
Co bag 1979 VG++
Melba Moore Love's comin' at ya b/w Let's go back to lovin' ; Love's comin' at ya (instr) EMI America 146 1982 NM
Odessey Inside Out b/w love's Alright RCA 266 1982 Ex
Patrice Rushen Never gonna give you up (won't let you be) b/w Don't blame me Elektra 12494 1980 VG+
Players Association Turn the music up (remixed disco ver) b/w Goin to the disco (remixed disco v Vanguard VSL5011 PS 1979 VG+
Roberta Flack Don't make me wait too long b/w God Don't like ugly Atlantic K11555 1979 NM
Seawind What cha doin' b/w I need your love A&M 7575 1980 Ex
Shakatak Brazilian Dawn b/w You Never Know Polydor POSPX282 1981 VG
Shalimar Dead Giveaway (ext ver) b/w I don't wanna be the last to know Solar E9189T PS 1983 Ex
Sharon Redd Never Give you up b/w Beat the Street (instr & vocal) Prelude 13 2755 1982 Ex
Sugarhill Gang Rappers Delight (long version) b/w Rappers Delight (short version) Sugarhill SHL101 1979 VG+
Yarborough & Peoples Don't stop the music b/w You're My song Mercury MERX53 1980 VG+
Unlimited Touch I hear music in the streets b/w In the middle Prelude PRL D 605 1980 VG+
Fantasy You're too late b/w You're too late (instr) Pavillion 4z8 6408 1980 VG+
Kid Creole & Coconuts Annie I'm not your daddy b/w You had no intention Island 6801 PS 1982 VG+
MFSB Mysteries of the world b/w Manhattan Skyline CBS TSOP 9501 1980 VG++
Kool & the Gang Let's go dancin' b/w Stand up and sing De Lite DEX9 PS 1981 Ex
Third World Dancing on the floor (hooked on love) b/w Who gave you (Jah Rastafari) CBS 1214 1981 VG+
Sharon Redd Can you handle it b/w Leaving you is easier said than done Epic 9572 Cobag 1980 VG++
Shakatak Dark is the night b/w I lose myself Polydor POPSX 595 PS 1983 VG+
The Whispers It's a love thing b/w Girl I need you Solar SOT 16 WOL 1980 VG++
Donald Byrd Love has come around b/w loving you Elektra 12559 1978 VG+
Roberta Flack feat Donny Hathaway Back together again b/w Only heaven can wait Atlantic 11481 1979 VG++
Now the LPs

ARTIST TITLE Label No Year Sleeve Disc Comment
Linx Intuition Chrysalis 1332 1981 No sleev VG
Level 42 World Machine Polydor POLH 25 1985 VG++ Ex two copies!
Earth Wind & Fire Raise CBS 85272 1981 Ex VG
Odyssey hang together RCA 13526 1980 VG++ VG+
Summer Flying Home Touchstone BBT 113 1979 VG++ Ex
Earth Wind & Fire I Am CBS 86084 1979 VG++ VG+
Earth Wind & Fire Best of vol 1 CBS 83284 1978 VG++

VG++

I mean, Shakatak for fucks sake. What a prick. And surely he must have realised that buying anything by Shalimar would open him up to ridicule. Even those bands' mothers couldn't bear to listen to that stuff. I know I couldn't. None of this is play graded, only visually. I just could not bring myself to dirty my stylus with this bollocks.

Boring stuff: - I grade conservatively, particularly when I don't like the records. Don't ask me to split this lot. You buy it, you buy all of it and pay the shipping. I'm not keeping it in my house any longer than strictly neccessary. For the same reason, no returns. I don't want it back. Shipping in UK is £15 because the weight is approx 10kg. I'm willing to ship overseas at cost, but it's likely to be expensive (maybe £45 in europe) and frankly this crap isn't worth the stamps. If you want to collect from Croydon, that's OK but I will look at you with a contemptuous sneer as you stand in my doorway, proving by your purchase that you are tone deaf and tasteless.

Good luck, and God help you for liking this drivel.

A Right Royal Affair

2011-04-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

Nearly 30 years ago, on 29th July, 1981, I sat glued to a little television set in my flat in Finsbury Park, London, and watched Charles and Diana get married. Three decades have gone by in the twinkling of an eye. Now I'm awake in the middle of the night, 6000 mile from Westminster Abbey watching Prince William and Kate Middleton (a "commoner" -only in the UK can class stratification be so overt) take the plunge. These events seem to have an effect on me as here I am coming out of my blogging hiatus to comment. Curious as I'm not really a Royal fan; "go figure" as they like to say on this side of the Atlantic. Anyway these goings on have given me cause to reflect on the Then and Now.

In 1981, at the dawn of the computer age, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister (I'm still traumatised) and Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and Colonies (somethings never change). The country was reeling from race riots in Brixton and elsewhere. The Irish troubles were very prominent and IRA detainee, Bobby Sands, died while on hunger strike. Tottenham Hotspur won the FA cup in fine style after a replay (Yay, Ricky Villa!) and John McEnroe won at Wimbledon. The Specials' "Ghost Town" was #1 and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" was also in the charts (surely pop music really was better back then). On the technology front, Germany launched its TGV, Europe's first high speed train and IBM started producing the first PC. It wasn't a good year for assassinations: Anwar Sadat was killed in Egypt and attempts were made on the lives of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. Elias Canetti won the Nobel prize for literature -I bought Auto-da-Fé at the time and it still resides, unread, on my bookshelf. The first case of a peculiar skin cancer (Kaposi's Sarcoma) in a gay man was diagnosed in Britain, although other cases had been observed in California -little did I know that this disease was to keep me employed for many years after.

Since then the tragicomedy of the Royal Soap Opera proceeded in a way that could not have been made up. In other areas we've witnessed wars (Falklands, Gulf I and II, Afghanistan) and diseases (AIDS, SARS, H1N1, Mad Cow to name but a few). Technological triumphs have taken place in space (the shuttle, international space station and Hubble telescope), medicine (statins, Prozac, Viagra, anti-retovirals) and communications (FAX machines, personal computers, cell phones, the internet, iPods, email and Facebook). Global warming has worried us and the Irish Troubles largely ceased. Video games have kept us entertained to the point of addiction. Cars have acquired catalytic converters, crumple zones, computers and airbags. Football (soccer) has become a global marketing opportunity although cricket is mercifully (mostly) unchanged. Popular music now mostly consists of people I haven't heard of although fresh talent like Adele, Joss Stone ~~and bloody Coldplay~~ still emerges. Britain now has great food (it was never that bad) and the US makes good beer. London has acquired The Eye, the Erotic Gherkin, the Millennium Bridge and Dome, the Lloyds building, the Assembly building, Docklands, Canary Wharf, the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. Transport developments include the Jubilee Line extension, bendy buses (boo), bike lanes, Boris' bikes and congestion charges. Smoking, which was even permitted on The Tube back then is now banned just about everywhere including pubs, thank goodness.

Like it or not, William and Kate's wedding is the kind of event that causes reflection. I suppose this is a good thing -at the very least it's snapped me out of my blogging stasis. So today I'll put a small placemark in history as well as my own life events. I'm now looking forward to the next 30 years and wondering what the wedding of the Royal Couple's first offspring will look like and of course what will occur on the World Stage in the intervening years.

On Sabbatical

2011-02-09T03:23:00.001-08:00

It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes' powers of observation to notice the paucity of posts over the past year. The reasons for this slowdown are multifactorial and I'm not sure that even I understand them all. The simple fact is that after six years of fairly regular commentary, I no longer have the inspiration or inclination to produce copy with the same frequency as I did a year or so back. Thus I've decided to take a sabbatical until the summer. In this time I intend to pursue personal and business projects and maybe even take time to smell the roses. So thank you all, gentle readers, for your patronage of this site -I hope we can resume our relationship in the not too distant future.

Chimes at Midnight!

2010-12-31T23:23:00.000-08:00

Well there goes another one...

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Mumford & Sons "Little Lion Man"

2010-11-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

In previous posts I may have opined to the effect that contemporary popular music is inferior to that of my youth (60s and 70s). Well I went to see this lot in Seattle last week (Thanks, Olivia) an am delighted to report that they've gone a long way to redeeming this current generation's penchant for dire, milk-toast pop and heinous rap. Great job guys -keep up the good work. A brilliant concert all round.

Where There's a Will There's a Way

2010-08-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

I'm excited. Soon I shall be going to see this production at Ashland Shakespeare festival:

"Shakespeare?" you ask. Well, yes. I should point out that the clip above is the stage adaption of this film (I'm not responsible for the wretched music that starts playing halfway through):

Still not getting it? Don't worry, it's a bit tricky. The second clip is from the film is Throne of Blood, by Akira Kurosawa and it's an adaption of the play in the clip below -a very entertaining film version of the original, if you see what I mean. Note that these last two clips are different interpretations of the same scene.

Brilliant or what...? Old Bill is great in any language!

Something Wrong with this Picture

2010-07-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

Last summer I was going to the gym 2-3 times per week. This year I'm going to the physical therapist 2-3 times a week to fix the damage to my musculoskeletal system (L frozen shoulder if you must know) I incurred in last year's activities. According to my doctor, the problem should resolve in about a year whereupon I can go back to the gym. There's something strange about this cycle of events...!

Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife

2010-06-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Bass player extraordinaire with The Kinks. You really got us and influenced a generation of guitarists. Requiescat in pace.

Customer Service

2010-06-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Now here's an insight into some local salesmanship tactics. The other evening, sometime after 6.00pm, I was settling down to an early dinner when there was a knock (or rather a pounding) on my front door. I felt disinclined to answer as such intrusions are usually made by someone trying to sell me something. It may be a sign of the times but I can't remember when a friend or neighbour just showed up without giving prior warning. Anyway the knocking, or perhaps I should say hammering continued along with additional ringing of the doorbell. I was even more disinclined to answer but frankly disturbed by the aggressive nature of the intrusion. Later on I happened to go outside and noticed a flyer attached to my door. Across it was a hand written note -see above. Perhaps not the kind of sentiment that is conducive to customer relations in a depressed and competitive market! Interesting that the company concerned is hiring only people of the highest integrity.

PS Snark aside, hostile and abusive behaviour from frustrated salespersons with anger management issues is not acceptable. I informed the company concerned and sent them a scan of the above note. They replied that the individual in question was being invited to discontinue his employment. Ugh! No matter how rude, I don't like to see people losing their jobs. Overall I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth...

Kyudo

2010-05-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

Does anybody else like the look of this...?

Film Review: Saving Private Robin

2010-05-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

Devotees of this site will be aware of my penchant for low-brow entertainment. Normally I don't complain when my pursuit of lowly art forms causes disappointment but on this occasion I'm going to make an exception. At the weekend I had a need to disengage my brain from reality and following the voice of my inner child, trotted off to see the latest remake of Robin Hood. It sounded great on paper: a failsafe historical plot with one of my all-time favourite boyhood heroes, a cast of stellar actors and a director with a terrific CV and a string of highly entertaining, well-made box office successes to his credit. As it turned out the whole was quite decidedly less than than the sum of the parts. The actors struggled with an historically absurd Francophobic plot that made Plan 9 from Outer Space look like an Oscar winner and relegated the Sheriff of Nottingham to a comic relief bit part. In general the whole production was turgid with cineamatic clichés, looked lazy and to this punter conveyed the impression that artistic direction had been more than a little compromised by too many glasses of after dinner cognac.

So, Sir Ridley, here are a few suggestions for future projects:

• Avoid those shaky-cam battle scenes shot through a blue filter to maintain aesthetic distance as they are getting more than a little old.

• Likewise is the overuse of CGI which do not suspend my disbelief.

• Find a location other than Bourne Wood for photographing battle sequences as the good people of Surrey are getting fed up with siege engines, Romans, Gauls, Visigoths, English yeomen, cavalry horses, sundry actors painted up in Kensington Gore as well as armies of cinematographic production people traipsing past their front doors every year or so.

• Don't use silly one-liners that are supposed to be movie industry in-jokes: they instantly kill the realism for which you are renowned. I didn't spend $10 to see something that looked like it was derived from "Men in Tights" or a production involving Kevin Costner...

• Don't be lazy and filch scenes from your peers (including Kurosawa and Spielberg) as we do notice and anyway you can do better than that...

I hope that helps a bit -please feel free to contact me if you need a consultant for "Alien Prequel"; my rates are very reasonable.

And finally (I do hope I'm not rubbing your nose in it) the all time gold standard for Robin Hood can be viewed below:

Looks Like a Glazed Donut

2010-05-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you who voted for them, I'd like to say (respectfully) that you have short memories. Well shorter than 13 years. And I hope you know your place. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off for a stiff drink...!

Friday Music Blogging: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

2010-04-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've been reminded of this jolly bunch in conversations elsewhere. The late great Alex Harvey and his sensational band -1970s British rock at its best. I saw them in Cardiff c1973. Excellent stuff!

An Apple a Day

2010-04-28T00:52:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Apple Computer since my first purchase of a "Fat Mac" back in 1985. Indeed said computer still sits in my basement although I think it will be awhile before before it becomes collectible enough for me to recoup the $2500 I paid for it 25 years ago. But I digress. Although I've never been a particularly early adopter (I've seen too many 1st generation products with major design flaws for my liking), new products from Apple always pique my interest. So last week I read avidly the specifications of the rumoured 4G iPhone at the online technology site, Gizmodo. This scoop was made possible not by a pre-release of the phone but by an unfortunate incident. Apple employee, Gray Powell, left his phone in a pub in Redwood City, California after a celebrating his birthday. The phone was found and despite some considerable effort to return it to Apple (the customer service dept did not appear to take the finder's phone calls seriously) it found its way to Gizmodo. $5000 exchanged hands and Gizmodo published a highly detailed technical analysis of the device. Apple's culture of product development secrecy is well known and it was a pretty sure bet that CEO, Steve Jobs, was not amused by these goings on. Apple duly wrote to Gizmodo and requested the return of the phone: Gizmodo complied promptly. Was this the end of the story? Hell, no. On return from dinner one evening earlier this week, Gizmodo editor, Jason Chen, found his house swarming with police from the multi-agency Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team (REACT). They had a search warrant, had knocked down his front door and seized Mr Chen's computers, digital cameras, servers and other equipment. Understandably, this heavy handed approach has caused lawyers to be involved and the outcome of the saga will probably involve a lot of litigation and millions of dollars. One thing is clear, don't mess with Stevie unless you want a fight...(vid below says it all: don't play it loudly at work or in the presence of children):

The Song Remains the Same

2010-04-19T13:26:00.001-07:00

The UK's Independent newspaper reports that Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" is the country's favourite rock song. I have to confess, I've been quite partial to this ditty myself ever since I heard it back in 1971. Dinosaur music indeed! But there should be no doubt that the song is an enduring modern classic that has spawned a million covers and to the chagrin of guitar shop owners everywhere, the opening riff must have been copied by just about every garage band member on the planet. Some of these covers are in themselves near works of genius and I thought it worth mentioning them here:

First up is this neo-classical rendition by Australia's Benaud Trio which is possibly the most emotional version I've ever heard:

This interpretation by Dread Zeppelin is brilliant: a reggae band with an Elvis impersonator for a lead singer. What's not to like...?

If the Dublin-based Mexican duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela, ever come to Seattle I shall be sprinting for tickets. Attacking rock rhythms naturally convert to percussive flamenco guitar:

Any compilation such as this needs a jazz version: here's the amazing Stanley Jordan.

Australian tribute bands are the greatest. No spoilers here -I'll let this performance by The Beatnix take you by surprise:

And if your not impressed by any of this here's the definitive performance:

Black Belt

2010-04-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

My iaido shodan certificate (menkyo) has arrived. I think it looks rather fine and am quite proud. It felt like earning a degree which in some ways it was. A trip to the framers is warranted...

A Place in the Sun -Sort Of

2010-04-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

I need some time off. This place sounds nice (anybody remember 1977?):

Streets of San Francisco

2010-03-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the late Steve McQueen's 80th birthday. Hard to believe he was only 50 when he skipped out to the Great Macho Dude Ranch in the Sky. It's also 42 years since the release of Bullitt, possibly the best cinematic car chase of all time. It never gets old and had quite an effect on me at the time; for awhile I started double de-clutching when shifting UP. This muscular technique sounds great in a muscle car with a high displacement engine but slightly silly in a 425cc, 2 cylinder, Citroen 2CV. And back in the 80s when I was a resident of San Francisco I failed quite miserably in an attempt to make my Pontiac Firebird jump down Chestnut Street (to be fair, I was probably 200 horsepower short of Mr McQueen's tuned and modified 6.4L fastback Mustang GT. I did however get pulled over by a policeman who gave me a lecture (fortunately no ticket) for chirping my tires...

Embedding codes for this YouTube clip are not published so to view click here.

Wearing of the Green

2010-03-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a photo of something green to celebrate the day and I found this. Irish Racing Green? Well not exactly but it'll do. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody! And drive safely, too.

My thanks to either Chuck Goolsbee or Olivia Morrow for the photo and my apologies to both for not remembering who took it in the first place.

Debts of Honour

2010-03-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

Michael Mackintosh Foot, 23 July 1913 – 3 March 2010.

I was very saddened to read of the death of one of my political heroes, Michael Foot, yesterday, at the grand old age of 96. He was an old style, Old Labour, politician of the highest integrity and a terrific intellectual. A was also a fantastic orator with great depth and unashamed campaigner for peace. He was not, unfortunately, a master of image management or snappy soundbites and was thus an easy target for the right wing media. A case in point was his choice of coat for a memorial service at the Cenotaph in 1981. Shame on them for their superficiality. Neither was he a miracle worker and when leader of Britain's polarised and fragmented Labour party in the early 80s, suffered a humiliating defeat. But he should be remembered as an inspirational politician of principal and courage. Requiescat in pace.

Douglas A26 Invader

2010-02-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

As a long time enthusiast of historic military aircraft, I couldn't pass on a visit to the newly opened Lyon Air Museum on a recent trip to Southern California. Among the many excellent exhibits this WW2 vintage, Douglas A26 Invader light bomber stood out from the pack. The Invader mostly served in a ground attack role. It wasn't as pretty or as innovative as the iconic DeHavilland Mosquito from which it drew some inspiration but had great longevity. The US military retained the aircraft through the Korean and Vietnam wars and and was used by various airforces around the globe until the 1980s.

Douglas A26 Invader beautifully restored and looking quite menacing with its black paint and shark's teeth nose.

Poster from the exhibit. I'm not sure if you can see this but some of the forward firing machine guns were mounted in the cockpit by the co-pilot's (right seat) legs. Firing them must have been unbelievably noisy for the crew and the cabin would have become very hot and smoky.

Head on view of the plexiglass nose showing the famed Norden bomb site.

This particular aircraft survived 22 missions: its targets included three convoys and a train.

A Drop of the Hard Stuff

2010-02-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

At dinner with some colleagues the other night I dredged up this memory from the recesses of my grey matter. Every word of it is true, honest.

Some years ago I was at Heathrow waiting to catch a flight to San Diego. It was Christmas and the airport had a festive atmosphere. I'd been extremely busy getting ready for my flight and the journey out on the Tube had been a scramble so I was looking forward to an hour of relative calm browsing mindlessly through the huge Duty Free shopping area. While I was shuffling around, a pleasant lady with a tray full of small plastic glasses containing amber liquid said,

"Would you care to try a Scotch, Sir?"

Now I wasn't shopping for whisky and rarely buy the stuff. Besides it was 11.00am and really a little early in the day. But then I told myself I'd been up most of the night packing, I was about to undergo an 8 hour time zone change and I could sleep on the plane. This was a time to relax. So I took one of the samples. It was fairly ordinary, cooking grade, blended malt. I knocked it back, thanked the lady and told her I wouldn't be buying a bottle.

"Oh", she said, "I have some much better stuff here, try one of these"

She produced another tray and I remember clearly it was Laphoraig of quite a decent vintage. But slamming back Scotch before lunch time is not really my thing and I hesitated...

"Go on" she said "you look a bit stressed, this will help you relax before your flight, and besides there's no obligation to buy anything"

It was hard to resist this logic. I agreed that I was a bit tense and accepted the second dram; it was much nicer than the first.

"I know what it's like" continued the lady, "I have a lot of stress at home"

"Oh", I rejoined, "why's that?"

"It's my husband, he's quite unwell", she said gravely

"What's the nature of his illness?" I asked, thinking I might offer some words of sage advice

"Oh, he's an alcoholic; would you like to try another?

I ran for my flight....

Johnny Dankworth

2010-02-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

So it's farewell to stalwart of British jazz, Sir John Dankworth who departed for the big-gig-in-the-sky yesterday. Sir, you were amazing, not only for your virtuosity on alto sax but for numerous compositions including the theme for The Avengers. Requiescat in pace.

Next Year in Monte Carlo

2010-02-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

A shot of the Col de Turini in the Maritime Alps that towers above Monte Carlo. The mountain is known for a series of severe hairpin bends and is a notorious, classic stage of the rally. The photo here doesn't look too bad but imagine driving this route flat out, at night, with fog, snow and ice to contend with...car attrition is always high.

I suffered severe withdrawal symptoms by not competing on this year's Monte Carlo Historique. As I write, the competitors will be getting down to some serious partying in the Sporting Club and celebrating their victories or drowning their sorrows. All with have epic stories to tell. Next year Mad Dog rallying will be back with a vengeance. In the meantime here's a nice clip of Paddy Hopkirk (winner, 1964) and Rauno Aaltonen (winner, 1967) explaining why the Mini Cooper was such a good rally car as well as talking about the unforgiving nature of the Col de Turini.
And as Mr Aaltonen states (talking about the run over the mountain):

"Certainly we had many memorable moments...because if you don't have them you're too slow".

Precisely!

P.S. Despite the fact that Mr Hopkirk and Mr Aaltonen are now both in their seventies, they are still evidently certifiable maniacs when they get behind the wheel.

Tao Drummers

2010-01-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

The Tao Drummers on stage performing an encore. Apologies for the shaky camera work but the audience were very mobile at this point in the proceedings and you can't expect too much from a hand held point-and-shoot. If you want a more professional view, take a look here.

If you've never seen Japanese taiko drumming before, I can highly recommend it. I saw this jolly troupe in Seattle last night. Occasional clowns, sometimes samurai, in part anime characters, always fantastically exciting musicians, they didn't fail to entertain for a second in their two 50 minute sets. Fantastic! Am I too old to take up drumming?

Rallye Monte Carlo Historique

2010-01-29T12:31:00.000-08:00

A classic photo of the E type Jaguar of Merrick and Merrick in opposite lock across the top of the Col de Turini on the 1962 MCR. They appear to have driven over the mountain in the reverse direction from La Bollène Vésubie and instead of heading down to Sospel and back to Monte Carlo, look to be going straight ahead to Peira Cava and then facing the Col de Braus and the Col de L'Orme before getting any rest.

As I write, the Monte Carlo Historique rally has just started. This year, unfortunately, I am not seated in my trusty Mini Cooper at Reims waiting for the off. There are too many other things on my "to do" list. Even so, I feel left out and I don't make a good spectator. Next year Bill and I will be back with a vengeance. 2011 is the 100th anniversary of the event and it will be a serious party. And needless to say we expect to be on the winners' podium at the end!

Comments

2010-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

I received this message in my email today:

"Haloscan is being shut down on: Feb 10, 2010. The Haloscan software and hardware is physically failing and we have no choice but to discontinue the service".

Another headache! I can revert back to Blogger's system which is clunky and not very elegant but I'll lose all the accumulated comments. Alternatively I can upgrade to Halo's replacement, Echo, which is a paid service and has, apparently, all sorts of stuff I don't want, like integration with social networking sites (!). My other choice is to ditch Blogger altogether and move the entire site to WordPress. This is a move I've been considering for a long time but involves a lot of fiddling and frustration (as I've said on several occasions, I should have paid more attention to the HTML class I took back in 1998). However WordPress offers visually stunning templates so the effort may be worth it. I'll keep you posted...

Kate McGarrigle, RIP

2010-01-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Kate McGarrigle yesterday at the all too youthful age of 63. While she performed throughout her life, the Canadian folk singer was particularly popular in the 70s and 80s and frequently played with her sister, Anna. So in honour of her memory, here's a clip of Kate singing with her sister, son Rufus Wainright, EmmyLou Harris and others, the lovely "Hard times come again no more".

So U Think That 2?

2010-01-15T08:19:00.001-08:00

Despite a few reservations about both their music and antics in recent years, I posted a YouTube clip of U2 a week ago as I thought it was appropriate for a New Year greeting and besides I quite liked them in the early 80s. However Ohara, Andrew and Chuck have expressed reservations about my choice and I've noted rancor and discontent expressed by other writers. A more systematic search of the interweb has revealed a very large number of individuals for whom this band represents the musical equivalent of chewing aluminium foil. I have thus compiled a list of reasons why Bono and the Boys are not everyone's favourite combo. Here are 10* that I find the most amusing:

They still haven't found what they're looking for? Would it kill them to ask someone for directions?
"The Edge" sounds like a disposable BIC product.
In the name of love? How about in the name of God?
Bono is an anagram of Nobo, Noob, and Pompous Dickhead.
Bono would take a meeting with Pol Pot if it would get him on the BBC.
James Joyce counseled his fellow Irishmen to adopt "silence, exile and cunning." In Bono's case, we'd have settled for the silence.
The Edge actually calls himself The Edge (hahahahahahahaha).
Bono’s sunglasses look like those hideous disposable things the optometrist gives you after a pupil dilation procedure.
When they write lyrics like "Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head", I’d rather take oppression.
Their shameless hawking of high-end electronic products from Blackberry and Apple is inconsistent with their image of anti-enstablishment rockers.

*This compilation is from various diverse sources, my apologies for not acknowledging each one individually. Also note these views are not necessarily my own so please don't send me hate mail.

Climate Change

2010-01-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

I don't want to sound smug but while the UK and large portions of the US have become tracts of permafrost interspersed with snowdrifts, here in Seattle the weather is unusually mild. This Camellia bush in my garden has been in flower since New Year's day -about a month earlier than usual. I like the idea that Spring is just around the corner...

Friday Music Blogging: U2

2010-01-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

U2 are not my favourite band but this song is is a classic from their early period and it seems appropriate for the first official post of the 2010.

The Noughties: a Decade in Review -Sort Of

2009-12-31T16:35:00.001-08:00

Fireworks on The Thames: New Millennium Eve 1999

I spent New Year’s Eve, 1999, by the Thames at Tower Bridge, London. It was a great party attended by seemingly millions of pleasantly inebriated people. I drank champagne, let off fireworks in St Saviour’s dock, counted out the old year and looked forward with eager anticipation to the New Millennium. The year 2000 eventually arrived along with much merriment and fusillades of fabulous fireworks. As a slight disappointment, the much trumpeted “River of Fire” did not apparently materialize and to my considerable relief, neither did any panicky phone calls from work with the dread news that the Millennium Bug had struck and the lab (or worse, The World) was in meltdown.

Now, ten years later, I feel that those two emotions, relief and disappointment, heralded the "Noughties" (dreadful word). The decade was been dominated by 9/11, subsequent military engagements and a trans-global theo-cultural conflict that will not be resolved until everybody learns to talk to each other and renounces violence as a problem-solving technique. Relief came from the fact that no one actually deployed weapons of mass destruction and geopolitical matters could have easily been a lot worse. Disappointment because things could have been a lot better.

Instant Information
As well as conflict, the Noughties were surely the era of instant information. With ever increasing access to more and more powerful personal computers and broadband connectivity, we witnessed the advent of Google, Wikipedia, Facebook and other social networking sites, blogs (ha!) and micro blog feeds such as Twitter. Just about anything could be sold on eBay and Craig’s List while on YouTube video clips of all manner of interesting things could be found (not to mention a vast load of rubbish).

Gadgets and Technology
All sorts of new technical gadgetry appeared: USB flash drives killed off floppys disks and ZIP drives (can anybody tell me what to do with the case load I have in my basement?), iPods destroyed the Walkman, downloadable digital music files have nearly wiped out the CD and only people of a certain age remember record shops. Electronic readers such as Amazon’s Kindle hope to do a similar thing to books, newspapers and magazines. Curiously vinyl records have made a bit of a comeback, although I can’t imagine why. Digital cameras have become disposable consumer items and we said goodbye to Polaroids and much of camera film. While in the nineties, the mobile phone became ubiquitous, the Noughties saw the introduction and widespread adoption of the smartphone with the charge being led by Blackberry and Apple. As individuals we are now always expected to be accessible and being out of town or out of the country is no excuse for not answering emails. Texting has become so popular that laws are being enacted to prevent individuals indulging in this form of communication when driving (ssshh, but I recently saw an email that the author had written while driving: do NOT try this at home). Furthermore these SMS messages have given rise to a whole new language that is entering common usage. Lord only knows if the apostrophe will survive until 2020. The almost universal incorporation of digital cameras in mobile phones gave rise to a vast population of budding paparazzi with just about any public event being filmed and sent around the world. And not only pubic events were captured; “sexting” became an official new word and if you don’t know what it means just ask Tiger Woods!

Moore’s Law continues to hold true and it’s interesting to note that more computer power is contained in an iPhone than on the Apollo spacecraft that went to the moon in 1969. A few FAX machines are still around as are landline phones but I doubt either will survive another 10 years. Wi-fi, Bluetooth and other forms of wireless connectivity are so common, I fear for the safety of our bone marrow. I don’t miss wires, though!

Television is bewildering. Bulky cathode ray tube sets have disappeared and now everybody seems to possess a digital, high definition, plasma/LCD/LED widescreen TV screen fed with an almost unlimited number of channels, Blu Ray DVDs, hard disks and TiVO. Gone are simple VHS tape recorders and video rental stores -the latter given the coup de grace by any number of download services. Unfortunately, despite all this technology, the quality of programming has declined and the Noughties saw the emergence of reality TV. I don’t understand the popularity of this dumbed down entertainment. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with reality but then maybe I’m showing my age…!

It was no longer enough to have an FM radio tuner (especially in one’s car) -it had to be digital satellite radio and preferably in high definition. As yet I’ve avoided both these items. Furthermore I’ve noticed a trend for car manufacturers to advertise their products as having music servers -I anticipate a lot more of this kind of thing in the next decade. GPS navigation systems or "SatNavs" as they like to say in the UK, went from being high-end luxury accessories to relatively inexpensive consumer items. They really do work (I confess to owning one) but I fear that map reading will become a lost art.

People
Sadly we said goodbye to quite a few luminaries. Musicians who played their coda in the past decade, include Michael Jackson, George Harrison (The Beatles), John Entwistle (The Who), Syd Barrat and Rick Wright (Pink Floyd) Johnny Cash, Bo Diddley, Luciano Pavarotti, Isaac Hayes, Perry Como, Peggy Lee, Herbie Mann (jazz flautist), Nina Simone and Les Paul.

From theatre and film Patrick McGoohan, Marlon Brando, David Carradine, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze, Charlton Heston, Sir Peter Ustinov, Heath Ledger, Christopher Reeves, Paul Newman, Sir Alec Guiness, Sir Paul Scofield, Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, David Hemmings, Katharine Hepburn, Cyd Charisse and James Doohan (Scotty in Star Trek) acted their finale. Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Berman directed their ultimate productions.

From literature Saul Bellow, Hunter S. Thompson, Arthur C. Clarke, Harold Pinter and John Updike wrote their last chapters.

Among the world at large Pope John Paul II got promoted, architect of the Northern Ireland peace process, Mo Mowlam, along with US Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan as well as that great old Lion of the Left, Ted Kennedy, all went to the great-parliament-in-the-sky. Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother reminded us that even The Royals are mortal. Yasser Arafat who survived all manner of disasters and physical violence succumbed to a mystery disease in Paris, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi transcended and it was checkmate for Grand Master Bobby Fischer.

Words
We saw a lot of new vocabulary. Computing brought us gigabytes, terraflops, Web 2.0 and enhanced reality. Climate science gave us global warming and carbon footprint. Medicine and microbiology gave us SARS (which came and went) and the molecular nomenclature for naming flu strains H1N1, H5N1 etc as well as bioterrorism. Social trends gave us the Chav and ASBO (which for now appear to be a uniquely British phenomena). Banking, unfortunately, gave us toxic assets as well as providing the concept that entitlement to reward, in the form of six figure bonuses, is an inalienable right, even if said bankers have, through a process of incompetence and greed, rendered the economy into such a moribund state that it required a massive injection of taxpayers’ money (many of whom lost their jobs, houses and credit ratings along the way) to sort it out. I guess capitalism is fine while profits are being made but when it come to losses, socialism is preferable.

Summary
I could go on but I think I’ve said enough and further ramblings may require me to take medication. In summary, I suspect we’ll look back on the Noughties and remember it as an era when people still smoked in public places and air travel was a reasonably pleasant experience. If we haven’t reduced ourselves to radioactive white ash by then, please check back in 2020 for my review of the Teenies.

What We Did on Our Holidays. Part 5: Enter The Dragon

2009-12-31T16:34:00.001-08:00

MD in the mouth of the dragon, Showa Kinen park, Tachikawa City, Tokyo

Oh my, it's nearly the end of the year and I really should put up a couple of posts before we enter a new decade (or is that next year?). Anyway, I've mentioned on a few occasions that I practice martial arts. I don't talk about it a lot as the techniques are arcane and meaningless to most people and somehow it seems undignified to bang on about and my expertise (or lack, thereof)*. However in 2009 I achieved a significant milestone in my practice. This is the last of my summer adventures in the "What we Did on our Holidays" series: here's the story.

My training in martial arts started when I was an undergraduate. Since that time I've followed "the path" in a somewhat discontinuous and haphazard manner and as a result am a great example of underachievement in terms of rank and physical skill. Nevertheless I have persisted over the years and more recently have been training in the art of iaido or sword drawing. Just over 12 months ago my Sensei (teacher) suggested that it would be appropriate for me to take the shodan (1st degree black belt) examination and that I should plan my preparations accordingly. The test would be held in Tokyo in September (of 2009) and I was quite elated by the prospect, so at the beginning of the year I began training in earnest.

MD in training

While I thought I was capable of making the shodan grade, the reality was that I had something of a mountain to climb: every aspect of my technique needed extensive polishing as did my mental conditioning. Furthermore my equipment needed fettling and my uniform was sub-standard. Iaido puts an emphasis on quiet grace, confidence and absolute correctness of form. Thus sub-optimal appearance, posture and deportment is judged negatively. And so around the beginning of 2009 I began a programme for systematic improvement of all these facets of the art.

At first glance the grading requirements appear quite straight forward. Perform five out of a set of twelve standardised kata or forms as directed by the All Japan Kendo Federation (ZNKR) within six minutes. But this to be done with precision and style in front of a panel of four hachidan (8th dan masters -supremely accomplished individuals) at the mecca of martial arts, the Tokyo Ayase Budokan hall. Very cool: but what sounded like a straightforward task at the beginning of the year became an increasingly intimidating prospect as the test approached.

I increased my formal training to three times a week -this included at least one session of intense personal instruction from my Sensei. I took copious, detailed, notes (something very new to me, even after years of training) and even tried practicing with a metronome to get the correct rhythym and timing (for those who are interested in the technicalities of all this, 66 beats per minutes is about right).

As Spring approached, I realised that I needed to improve my physical conditioning. I thus embarked on a supplementary gym regimen that involved cardio training, weights, yoga, balance exercises, core routines etc. My trainer was Michael Schauble, who was not only an outstanding football and track athelete in his college days but also Washington State taekwondo champion. With his martial arts background, Michael very quickly picked up on what I was trying to achieve and designed a custom set of exercises for me.

So with physical training of some type going on every day, I continued other preparation at home. I reviewed videos of the techniques, purchased a new de luxe uniform with a nice secure obi (belt) and organized my equipment. My Sensei lightened my sword by more that 100 grammes (no sense getting a repetitive strain injury -I spent half of 2008 in acupuncture for tendonitis) by swapping my lovely wrought iron tsuba (hand guard) for a plain but much lighter aluminium item. I carefully added some decorative patination with a Dremel tool and finally treated the sword to a new silk sageo (retaining cord) that matched my obi.

This lovely tsuba was replaced with a more prosaic but much lighter and more functional item

Overall the preparation and training took on the feel of a full time job; this was no hobby. September arrived astonishingly quickly. I was feeling somewhat nervous but eager for the trip. The flight to Tokyo was long and uneventful and my dojo mates and fellow test candidates and I arrived at our hotel on a Wednesday evening. We had dinner and turned in: we had two full days to polish our techniques and get over the jet lag before the ordeal of the test. Our Sensei had arragned for us to practice in the Tachikawa City Municipal kendo dojo. The building had a very nice, traditional ambience and after several prctice sessions over the next 48 hours I was as ready as I could be.

MD at the Tachikawa Shrine

The morning of the test arrived. I got up early, took a long hot bath, arranged my equipment and lightly oiled my sword. I didn't want to feel rushed or harried. In iaido composure is everything and I tried hard to be internally quiet. It also happened to be my birthday which I felt was auspicious and this gave me confidence.

Fresh uniform and equipment carefully laid out and checked on the morning of the examination

Our group made its way across Tokyo (the public transport system must be the most efficient and orderly in the world) and arrived with time to spare at the Budokan Hall. The doors were not to open until 9.00am and by the time we were allowed into the building there must have been several hundred iaidoka waiting outside. I've never seen so many swordsmen (and women) in my life. I duly registered at the front desk and presented my essays (formal writing on theoretical aspects of iaido is part of the test) and found a place to get dressed. With around 500 students testing at various levels, nobody bothered with the changing rooms and space was at a premium. I pulled on my uniform: Sensei was there to ensure our sartorial elegance. While shodan ranking semed like a lofty goal, it's the most lowly of the yudansha (black belt) ranks and the examiners conduct these tests first. My number was called quite quickly: I bowed to my group of fellow examinees and lined up on the edge of the arena. At the command of "Hajime!" (begin) I started my kata. I began a little anxiously and then muscle memory took over. This was certainly no time to be thinking through techniques. Then it was all a blur. Even immediately after the test I could remember very little about it other than (i) I'd slightly over oiled the blade of my sword and I was very conscious that I had to be careful not to lose contact with my left hand on the noto or re-sheathing movements (ii) my super new hakama (voluminous pants worn by certain martial artists) was about 1" too long and I should avoid tripping over it at all costs and (iii) the candidate in front of me was performing way too quickly and I felt very confident that I could complete the test safely in about five-and-a-half minutes of the six minutes allowed (if this time is exceeded, the candidate will fail: no clock is visible and practitioners must use their internal timing to gauge the duration of their performance). And then, after almost a year of training, it was all over. It retrospect it seemed like the blink of an eye. There was nothing to do but hang around and wait for the results to be posted.

Fortunately we weren't kept in suspense too long. The results were tacked up as each rank block was completed. I had passed along with most of the shodan candidates although it is worth noting that the failure rate became quite severe around sandan (3rd degree black belt). I was now a black belt in a traditional Japanese martial art. I'd finally accomplished an important objective and was elated. Now it was time to celebrate before facing the long trip back to Seattle.

MD outside the amazing Ayase Budokan hall, happy in the knowledge that he is now part of The Dark Side

Post Script. So now, nearly four months after this test, it's important to retain a sense of perspective. Attaining the rank of 1st degree black belt does not make me any kind of expert. It's simply a demonstration of basic competence in the art. Many practitioners refer to it as an "official beginner" -the point at which real training and understanding starts. But more than this, rank is just an artifical system of categorizing students. The objective of training in a martial art is training per se and not material achievement. Nevertheless it's nice to have got to this point and at least I know that I will never again have to change my belt colour. Finally, I must acknowledge all the efforts of my martial arts teachers, particularly those who have instructed me in sword techniques. These include Sensei T.K. Chiba, Dee Chen, Len Bean, Aniceto Seto and notably Jonathan Bannister, Kaicho of Tsubomi Dojo, Seattle, who spent a year preparing me for this extraordinary trip to Japan. Domo arigato gozaimashita!

*As I write, I'm thinking that some of my stories from this long journey are worth few column inches of blog so if you are interested, watch this space.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T22:20:00.000-08:00

Compliments of the Season to All!

Fivolous Friday: The Flying Finns

2009-11-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

Just a quickie today. I've borrowed the idea from Chuck Goolsbee. It's a YouTube clip of Finnish rally drivers attempting deforrestation with their cars. Be warned, the wholesale destruction of some classic machinery, not to mention trees, telegraph poles and spectators, is sometimes hard to watch. But I guess this is what happens when you live through winters where there are only four hours of daylight every day. To avoid depression you can either drink industrial strength potato vodka or go rallying. Having seen Finnish rally drivers attack stages at 11/10 in the most atrocious conditions I confirm that they are fearless maniacs when it comes to competitive driving. Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen were both products of this system. By the way, did you notice that the only car to come through that carnage unscathed was a Mini Cooper…? Enough said, enjoy the clip.

Side Bar Tidy Up

2009-11-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

I've just had nother of my periodic clean ups of the side bar menu and removed a number of dead links. Caratacus has gone as have Jon Swift, Larry Ayers, Mingshi's Kendo and Green Ink. All have stopped blogging, apparently. The Postman has gone private. Guy Fawkes has taken himself off to another site which I can't be bothered to find. Wonkette has gone too wacky since Ana Marie Cox left. Iraq War News seems a little out of date. Lab Rat has closed his site and is now writing for Nature magazine and Tangled Bank has petered out. A few others are looking precarious but I'll leave them alone for now. I'll be happy to reinstate anyone who reappears or feels that I have been unjust.

What We Did on Our Holidays. Part 4: Sailing to San Juan

2009-11-15T06:56:00.000-08:00

OK, I couldn't resist the alliteration and poetic connotations in the title but I didn't really sail -I used the Washington State Ferry system instead

Back in the dog days of this summer the heat became too much. The mercury on my driveway indicated 106°F and the temperature inside my house was higher. Despite deploying every available fan the cloying calidity of the air became unbearable. It was time to get out of town and find a more temperate environment. After a little pondering I decided to visit San Juan Island here on my doorstep in Washington State. A few days later I drove the 90 miles or so out to Anacortes and took the ferry to SJ Island.

A schooner sets sail in the straits of San Juan de Fuca

Magnificent sea and landscapes

Ferry Terminal, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect when I disembarked in Friday Harbor but I ended up being captivated by the town and indeed all of SJI. It seemed like the American equivalent of a Greek island and was quite enchanting. For nearly three days I ate, drank, kayaked, obeserved the resident Orca pod, seals and other marine life and also learned about the Anglo-American Pig War of 1859 (the only casualty was a pig). I also cooled down. Below are a few pictures which convey some of the feeling of the island. With any luck I'll be back again next year...

Kayaking -Vancouver Island is visible on right

Huge kelp beds were visible everywhere

A salmon boat getting ready for work

Gorgeous wooded shoreline

View across the straits of San Juan de Fuca

Can you spot the seal...?

By popular request, here's the seal. There were actually two playing although I can't see the other one, even at hi-res, maybe you can do better...?

Large jellyfish were omnipresent (ugh, no likee!)

MD, self-portrait

The Captain of this "vessel" isn't lacking a sense of humour

Postcards from The Road. 4. Humming Birds

2009-11-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

I captured this image of a busy little hummingbird when on my travels in California. Not quite professional quality but not too shabby for an iPhone camera...

Thought of the Day: Carbon Paw-print

2009-11-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

According to an article in New Scientist, the carbon footprint of my resident feline is the same as a VW Golf. I can't help wondering if this is with or without a catalytic converter...!

NW Classic Rally

2009-11-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

As an addendum to previous post on the NW Classic Rally, here's a couple of YT clips. The first is a photo montage of the event made by the rally organizers. The second is a short segment shot by me through the windshield of the car as we blasted through the beautiful Oregon countryside. Enjoy!

Montage of the 2009 NW Classic Rally; the Dave Matthews Band provides a pleasing soundtrack

Co-driver's view as we push on hard: the inline 6 provides an even more pleasing soundtrack

What We Did on Our Holidays. Part 3: The other "Monte"

2009-10-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading my previous posts, you will know that I spent much of July of this year preparing for the NW Classic Rally. This event is run by the Oregon Alfa Romeo club and has established itself as one of the most popular Time Speed Distance or Regularity rallys for classic cars in the US. The objective is not to race but maintain precise average speeds (although I can't deny a little, er hum, spirited driving does occur). Overall, while being a serious event, it's great fun and has none of the brutal challenges of something like the Monte Carlo Historique. Interestingly the rally's major sponsor is Portland Jaguar dealer, Monte Shelton, so I came to refer to it as "The other Monte...". Below is a photo essay of this year's 21st NW Classic. The less said about the results the better, but it was Olivia's first rally and our first together as a team. In addition the rules are a lot different from the Monte Carlo and we were on a steep learning curve. But we had a great time, made new friends and most of all zoomed about with the spectacularly beautiful Oregon countryside with great panache in our Great Green Cat...

Note: additional photos from Chuck Goolsbee, Olivia Morrow and the NW Classic Rally organization.

The "Shaguar" dressed up to prior to leaving for Portland

We meet up with another E type custodian and blogger from the Seattle area, Chuck Goolsbee, along with his co-driver father, and drive to Portland in convoy

MD applies stickers prior to technical scrutineering. Olivia supervises

Mel Muzio and team did a great job in preparing the car -thanks again, Mel

Stickered up and ready for the start

Olivia is excited

The Start in downtown Portland

Off and running at last -the E type is moody and purposeful

Fighting the elements and motoring hard behind the clock

Olivia is determined to make up time

Her right foot is well in...

Getting ready for a loop around the high desert on Day 2

Clipping an apex

Lunch stop (i)

Lunch stop (ii) -that gorge is spectacular

Lunch stop (iii) -how many cars can you name? [Not you, CG]

Waiting for our off time at the start of yet another regularity section

If a train leaves a station and travels at an average speed of 50mh and a car driving in the opposite direction leaves a checkpoint at 47mph, at what time will they...?

MD team happy: we'll be back next year!

Denial is not Just a River in Egypt

2009-10-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

I swear that if I read another story about Influenza Denial, Vaccine Denial, Climate Change Denial or HIV/AIDS Denial my brain is going to explode!

Please pass the ibuprofen...I'm trying to remain functional!

Friday Music Blogging: Ray Brown Trio

2009-10-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

Before we disappear into the depths of winter take a listen to this -possibly one of the finest renditions of "Summertime" ever. Have a great weekend everyone.

What We Did on Our Holidays. Part 3: NW Classic Rally -Final Preparations

2009-10-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

Friendly old cat ready to leave California, July 2009

At noon on Wednesday 29th July the E type was delivered to my humble abode by a nice man with a huge truck. And if you hadn't guessed, it turned out splendidly. Mel and Gary and Tina down in sunny Southern California had done a terrific job and the car looked and sounded fabulous. A quick drive around the neighbourhood put a huge grin on my face. The new suspension had improved the handling immeasurably and I felt that I could throw the car into corners with abandon. Gone was the awful understeer, woolly steering and poor braking. It also sounded magnificent. Fantastic! Now I had one week to prepare for the rally.

It turned out splendidly after its re-restoration

It had come along way from this condition when I first acquired it in 1992: believe it or not the previous owner was driving it around in this state!

At a local automotive accessories store I loaded up on some basic tools, engine and hydraulic fluids and repair items. I then thrashed the car around for a few days looking for any post-restoration problems to emerge. The only problem was a clutch slave cylinder that appeared to be on the way out but this was quickly rectified by a visit to Seattle area independent-Jaguar mechanic and E type racer, Rick Korn. Rick also provided a set of essential spare parts. I pulled out my navigator's bag from the basement. This rally would be very different from the Monte Carlo Historique but demanding nevertheless. At least I wouldn't be needing maps of France, pace notes or road book thus co-driver clutter could be greatly reduced. I did need an additional set of speed tables, however as the ones I had were in Km and didn't cover the range of speeds we would be likely to encounter on the NW Classic (generally faster on open straight roads) -a quick call Don Barrow in the UK and the engagement of FEDEX remedied this situation.

Finally I picked up daughter, Olivia, from the airport.

Now Mad Dog rallying was ready for another adventure.

There's nothing like a well-sorted E type to put a smile on your face!

What We Did on Our Holidays. Part 2: Getting Ready to Rally

2009-10-17T04:51:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was delighted to to be reunited with an old feline friend at the end of July. The 'cat' in question was a 1966 Jaguar E type, or XKE as it's know in the US, that sojourned in a garage in Southern California for a decade. The reason for the Jag's hibernation are complex and I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say that about 18 months ago I made the decision to wake it up from its overly long slumber and prowl around with it on the roads of the Pacific North West.

Now when a car has been laid up for such a long time, even when it's been kept warm, dry and started on occasions, it can't just have a battery charge and be off and running as normal. Rubber and plastic parts go brittle and degrade, metal to metal components get gummed together, fuel degrades, hydraulic systems leak and fail, tyres harden and generally everything becomes stiff and creakey. So back in the spring of 2008 I asked friend and ace Jag mechanic, Mel Muzio, to bring the car back to life. My intention was to compete in the 2009 NW Classic Rally held in Oregon every August. I though this would be a good goal to aim for so work was duly started. The process was meticulous, methodical and turned out to be much more involved that I imagined. Here's an abridged account of the story:

Exterior
The first job was to replace all the sealing rubbers which had become brittle and useless. The general consensus is that they last for four years. Great! I sourced a supposedly superior brand in the UK but now, a year and a half after being fitted, are already showing signs of degeneration. Oh well...! The chrome bullet mirrors and roof antenna had become quite tarnished and were replaced with new shiny items.

New mirrors looked fantastic and unlike the originals which could never be adjusted correctley, these actually worked

Brakes, Suspension and Handling
Truth be told, the Old Girl never handled that well. It didn't corner impressively, the steering was as vague as a politician making election promises and the brakes were mediocre at best and had a tendency to fade horribly. But now there were more problems. All the suspension bushes had cracked and broken up: this meant that both front and rear subframes had to be taken down and rebuilt (in the case of the rear, twice -I'll get to that): long and laborious jobs on the complex mechanisms. So while everything was apart I thought it sensible to make a few upgrades. I added much more efficient Wilwood four pot calipers to the front brakes and XJ6 series I front calipers and vented discs to the rear. Braided stainless steel hydraulic hoses were added to give a firmer feel to the pedal and in theory should last forever.

Oversize Wilwood four pot alloy brake calipers now pull up the car at the front

The rear brakes received an upgrade too: to balance the Wilwoods, Jaguar XJ6 front calipers were fitted. The disks are vented which helps keep heat away from the differential. The complexity of the rear subframe IRS suspension assembly can be seen -this is no haycart back axle as were most British and American sports cars of this vintage.

Now the car could stop properly, attention was turned to the suspension. Apart from new bushes throughout, I fitted a stiffer, adjustable, front anti-roll bar. When I first restored the car in the early 90's, I'd equipped it with much superior Koni shock absorbers. They were still in good condition so no modifications were needed in that department. After talking to numerous experts I declined to fit hard polyurethane bushes, uprated torsion bars or heavy duty rear springs as they can render the car undriveable by making it too stiff. This was a good decision as the overall feel came out just right. Solid aluminium rack mounts replaced the standard floppy rubber items: these parts vastly improve the precision of the steering and while they transmit a little more road noise back to the driver, I think this is a good trade off.

Solid aluminium rack mounts give the steering a much more precise feel. Parts and photo from Ray Livingston. Unlike claims by others, these items actually fit correctly and are truly 'bolt on' replacements.

The last item in the handling department was an adjustable torsion bar reaction plate that allows the front suspension to be lowered with relative ease (we dropped the front about 1" which gives the car a very mean look). There is a long, painful and expensive saga about this part. I can't relate it here as ultimately it's a tedious story and I'd run the risk of being sued. All I'll say is "Shame on you for selling junky dangerous products" to a California based purveyor of aftermarket Jag parts -you know who you are and karma will take its course. If you want to fit one of these parts, get an original from Rob Beere Racing in the UK. Finally a new set of Pirelli P4000 tyres was purchased to replace the barely worn but dangerously hardened Avons that I had originally obtained back in 1992.

Under the Bonnet
I did a few things under the bonnet, too. In addition to a general tune up, replacement of plugs and dodgy looking HT wires (it seems rats have an appetite for the plastic insulation -don't ask me why), the always marginal cooling was improved by fitting an aluminium radiator and matching header tank.

Aluminium radiator and header tank keep the cool cat cool

The unreliable contact breakers (points) were junked and a Pertronix electronic ignition system was fitted unobtrusively in the distributor. Engine breathing was improved with a ceramic coated (JetHot) exhaust manifold ("headers" in the US) and much more efficient ITG air filter. The latter does not look particularly period correct but I always hated the huge ugly 'dustbin' filter fitted by the factory and besides, the ITG system reveals some very cool looking ram stacks if the cover is popped off. The SU carbs were rebuilt and uprated neeedles were fitted to deal with the improved airflow. Finally, the center expansion boxes of the stainless steel exhaust system were removed and replaced with less restrictive Cherry Bomb glass pack mufflers which in addition to improving gas flow, give the exhaust a wonderfully deep sonorous note.

Ceramic coated headers improve exhalation and sound fantastic

Contemporary high efficiency air filter. It will not be loved by purists but I always hated the OEM setup

In any case if the foam cover is removed for display purposes, some very purposeful ram stacks are revealed

Interior
The interior also received a few modifications. The most significant was the fabrication of a retaining bar that permitted the fitting of competition 4 point quick release harnesses (design courtesy Chuck Anderson, Port Orchard, WA). The old lap only belts were downright dangerous and offered little or no protection. In addition the new Simpson belts look wonderfully retro.

Interior viewed from rear showing custom fabricated harness attachment bar

The Simpson 4 point competition harness is a huge safety improvement over original equipment lap belts; they look great too

The original British Radiomobile AM/Long wave (remember that, anybody?) radio was sent off for a service -up to then I could only receive religious stations on the AM band -perhaps somebody was trying to tell me something! It came back with FM replacing the defunct long wave band and a small input jack plug (subtly concelaed in the ash tray) that allowed for an iPod connection. All this is mostly academic as beyond 30mph all anyone can hear is the lovely song of the straight six motor but at least I can have a few wafts of music as I drive around town. The final touch to the interior was another safety feature: a nice period looking fire extinguisher installed in the passenger footwell.

Original British Radiomobile radio subtly converted to FM and now has an iPod connector

Fire extinguisher in passenger footwell is another safety feature

So how did the finished product turn out? You'll have to wait until the next post to sate your curiosity.

To be continued...

What We Did on Our Holidays. Part 1: Rocking Out

2009-10-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm still breathless after my summer's non-stop running around but as promised I'm going to dedicate a series of posts to my frolics of the past few months. My first trip was to the UK at the end of July. It was only for six days and included some business, a family reunion and party, a night out in London's West End and a rock concert. Even casual readers of this blog have probably realised that I've been a lifelong fan of Jethro Tull. So I took myself off to one of their gigs in Doncaster (yes, I know...!). JT were one of the acts in a stellar line up of dinosaurs that included The Strawbs, Steeleye Span, and Curved Air. Back in my youth, these were some of my favourite bands and it felt like 1972 all over again. Almost. Well it was quite a good concert. The music was excellent although the frailty of the flesh was very evident in some of the aging musicians and to say they had lost the bloom of youth was an understatement at the very least. Jethro Tull, however excelled. They had some temporary new blood in the form of the lead guitarist and drummer who seemed to invigorate the band. I seem to be collecting performances of their old warhorse, Bourée, so here's the latest for your enjoyment:

Jethro Tull at the Doncaster Dome, July 25th, 2009

Postcards fromThe Road. 3.

2009-10-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Sign spotted just off Interstate-5 between Tacoma and Seattle.

I'm still a bit backed up in other areas to complete a full post today, so here's a snapshot to make you smile. Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!

Rehydration

2009-09-30T23:56:00.001-07:00

I'm so far behind on posting material it's ridiculous. Now autumn has arrived and I have a summer's worth of adventures to write about. I'll get to them all in due course. First, I'm pleased to say that my renal function has now normalised. Nothing to be alarmed out, it's just that on a recent trip to The Orient (you'll have to wait a day or so for the details) a combination of the temperature, humidity and salty food caused my body to modify the way aqueous fluids were excreted. Despite all my efforts, renal function slowed right down and I was grateful for having a good deodorant! Now I'm back in Seattle, my kidneys have started to do their job again. They were stimulated by a few bottles of this I bought at Narita airport:

Japanese sports/electrolyte drink that, despite its unappealing name, is infinitely better than Gatorade

And then of course a few units of my favourite beer helped things along:

Now why would I like something with a name like this...?

Problem sorted!

Postcards from the Road. 2.

2009-09-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

Spotted on the way to a wedding (the bridegroom's name was "Love")

We wish the happy couple a peaceful and stable life together...!

About Time

2009-09-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Alan M. Turing, National Portrait Gallery, London.

I returned from another trip yesterday and to my amazement I found this email in my scarily overloaded inbox:

Thank you for signing this petition. The Prime Minister has written a response. Please read below.

Prime Minister: 2009 has been a year of deep reflection – a chance for Britain, as a nation, to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before. A unique combination of anniversaries and events have stirred in us that sense of pride and gratitude which characterise the British experience. Earlier this year I stood with Presidents Sarkozy and Obama to honour the service and the sacrifice of the heroes who stormed the beaches
of Normandy 65 years ago. And just last week, we marked the 70 years which have passed since the British government declared its willingness to take up arms against Fascism and declared the outbreak of World War Two. So I am both pleased and proud that, thanks to a coalition of computer scientists, historians and LGBT activists, we have this year a chance to mark and celebrate another contribution to Britain’s fight against the darkness of
dictatorship; that of code-breaker Alan Turing.

Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. The debt
of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ – in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence – and he was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison - was chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his own life just two years later.

Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can't put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and
the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted under homophobic laws were treated terribly. Over the years millions more lived in fear of conviction.

I am proud that those days are gone and that in the last 12 years this government has done so much to make life fairer and more equal for our LGBT community. This recognition of Alan’s status as one of Britain’s most famous victims of homophobia is another step towards equality and long overdue.

But even more than that, Alan deserves recognition for his contribution to humankind. For those of us born after 1945, into a Europe which is united, democratic and at peace, it is hard to imagine that our continent was once the theatre of mankind’s darkest hour. It is difficult to believe that in living memory, people could become so consumed by hate – by anti-Semitism, by homophobia, by xenophobia and other murderous prejudices – that the gas chambers and crematoria became a piece of the European landscape as surely as the galleries and universities and concert halls which had marked out the European civilisation for hundreds of years. It is thanks to men and women who were totally committed to fighting fascism, people like Alan Turing, that the horrors of the Holocaust and of total war are part of Europe’s history and not Europe’s present.

So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan’s work I am very proud to say: we’re sorry, you deserved so much better.

Gordon Brown

Way to go, Gordon! I'd signed the Turing petition several weeks ago and forgotten about it. And news of the UK Government's contrition hadn't reached me while I was in foreign parts. While some would have liked the apology to go further, it's a start at least. Furthermore I'm astonished that the official response included writing to the individual petitioners who must have numbered in the tens if not hundreds of thousands. Nice work.

Still Crazy After All These Years

2009-08-27T00:00:00.001-07:00

By some some combination of circumstances I can only attribute to such things as chaos theory, psychokinesis and Divine Intervention, MD&E is still posting after half a decade and is celebrating its 5th birthday. Yay!

Postcards from The Road. 1.

2009-08-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Seen on a car in Washington state (photo Olivia Morrow)

Now why do I doubt the veracity of the above statement (and I can assure the ladies the driver was not Brad Pitt)...?

Woodstock Again

2009-08-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

To continue today's leitmotif, here are a few clips from Michael Wadleigh's Woodstock. Enjoy them before they are taken down from YouTube (or alternatively buy or download the movie).

Woodstock: Four Decades On

2009-08-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

Forty years ago this weekend nearly half a million people of my generation assembled in the fields of Max Yasgur’s farm, Bethel, upstate NY, for an “Aquarian Exposition” of peace, love and music. The rest, as they say, is history. I wasn’t there. I was however running around the home counties of the British Isles in my pre-undergraduate year absorbing as much popular music culture as possible. News of “Woodstock”, the Mother of all Festivals, travelled quickly across the Atlantic and when the eponymous film by Michael Wadleigh was released a few months later (actually I think it was 1970 in the UK) I rushed up to see it at one of the large screen cinemas in Leicester Square. To this day I still have some reservations about the musical choices made by the director but there is no question about the pioneering and cineamatographic techniques which are still stunning and also that film accurately captures the zeitgeist of that time.

Now, when I watch Woodstock I must confess to feeling quite emotional. The music defined an era and it's wonderful that many of the performers are still going strong viz Paul Kantner and various Jefferson iterations, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Alvin Lee, Carlos Santana, Townsend-Daltery et al. While our lustrous locks and youthful looks are long gone, I hope that some of the values of my generation -societal awareness, peace, social justice and the belief that the status quo can be changed, still exist and that we have passed successfully the baton of idealism to our children.

The image above is from the end credits of the film (the Director’s cut) -it’s great advice and I feel a strong sense of obligation to heed it closely.

We may be greying but there’s plenty of life in us yet. Hell, yeah!

Peace!

World Events

2009-08-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Mad Dog reunited with Cool Cat after 10 year hiatus

Wow it’s been a funny old month in the Silly Season. More blog material around than ever and no time to write a thing. In the last 30 days or so I’ve attended a concert, been reunited with a very cool cat (see above), participated in a rally (the automotive kind -report pending), wielded a sword almost every day and dropped 15lbs. And all this gainst a backdrop of unbelievable 106°F heat (sorry, I’m still stuck in Imperial measure out here in the Colonies) and all sorts of notable world events including swine ‘flu fever fever (100,000 cases in one week of July in the UK), the death of Grasshopper, the lunacy of the lunar landing’s 40^th anniversary, the realization that even with space age technology we still can’t build a reliable toilet. And this weekend it’s the 40^th anniversary of Woodstock (more on that tomorrow). Oh my, where did the time go?

Peace!

Catatonic

2009-07-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

Minim prepares to drive companion human crazy by relentless luxurious purring until he receives tuna flakes!

The BBC, quoting on an article published in Current Biology, notes that cats manipulate their human companions by purring. This seminal finding is the work of Dr Karen McComb and colleagues from the Centre for Mammal Vocal Communication Research, University of Sussex, UK. Now really! I've no wish to denigrate the work of Dr McComb who, judging by her publication record, is a highly respectable scientist, but the axiomatic nature of this paper is staggering. What's next, I wonder? Parents give in to demands from perpetually whining children for a bit of peace, perhaps? I need to know where she gets her grants...!

The Cat Came Back

2009-07-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Mad Dog's new wheels, c1992: since then some TLC has been involved as well as a bit of a sleep

Much has happened on the world stage in my minor blogging hiatus and it's hard to know where to begin. So I'm going to follow the maxim (mine) that when all else fails post about something automotive. Well it's too early for the Monte Carlo but I am getting ready to do some rallying next month. Hopefully nothing too demanding, just a nice Time-Speed-Distance event around Oregon for a couple of days with my very enthusiastic daughter. No Mini this time as I have a new rally weapon. Well not exactly new; I've owned it since 1992 but it's been in hibernation for nearly a decade and undergoing a major refit for the past year. I'll post the story of how this cheerless cat was brought back to life over the next day or so.

I've Been Busy

2009-06-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Woo -it's been ages since I posted anything. Well, I haven't been asleep I can assure you. Hopefully some of you are still checking the site. I'll be writing about all sorts of stuff very soon so please stick around...

24 Hours at Le Mans

2009-05-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

Like many other petrolheads, I've always been fascinated by the Le Mans 24 hour race. As a schoolboy I was spellbound by the epic duels between Ferraris, Ford GT40s and Gulf Porsches. Some of the mystique and atmosphere was captured in the eponymous Steve McQueen film (which must have the best race start sequence of all time). More recently a new and very compelling documentary, Truth in 24, has been made which chronicles the fabulously successful Audi Sport team. The photography is stunning and the narration by Jason Statham is surprisingly good. Best of all this 98 minute long film is downloadable free of charge from the iTunes store.

Hat tip to Chuck Goolsbee for this one.

Holier than Thou

2009-05-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

A recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has found that the more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists.

Why am I not surprised by this...?

One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2009-05-02T00:08:00.000-07:00

"Candleing" eggs on which influenza virus is grown for vaccine preparations (photo from CDC image library).

A couple of weeks ago I jokingly remarked that I thought I had bird flu. Then after the emergence of the H1N1 variant about 10 days ago I speculated (again with tongue in cheek) that the infection was swine flu. Now I think it was more likely Mad Pig Disease. The 24 hour news cycle seems to have created more journalistic craziness and hysteria than I would have believed possible. Over the past week I've seen more column-inches and heard enough hours of broadcast media devoted to the topic to last me a lifetime. If-it-bleeds-it-leads journalists, dull-as-ditchwater talking heads (often not very knowledgeable), hysterical citizens and even a nasty little cabal of right wing wingers who attribute the outbreak to a combination of illegal immigrants and a ploy by President Obama to push a national health care agenda have been driving me to distraction.

No question, flu is nasty, indeed I believe the 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic (also an HINI variant) which may have killed up to 50 million people holds the dubious distinction of being the most deadly infectious disease in human history. However we are not in the post WW1 era and current indications seem to suggest that this current iteration of swine flu is not particularly virulent. While there is a need for vigilance, I just hope this trend continues. In the meantime, maintain droplet precautions, keep washing your hands and taking that vitamin C...

RIP Pontiac

2009-04-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

MD with Pontiac Firebird on California Big Sur coast road, November, 1982

The woes of General Motors seem interminable. Today they announced the phasing out of their Pontiac "excitement" division with the loss of 21,000 jobs worldwide. The loss of great automotive names always seems sad especially when one has a personal connection. The first car I bought when I arrived on the shores of California back in 1982 was a Pontiac Firebird. Truthfully it wasn't a great car but it had a nice V8 motor and transported me around San Francisco as well as the California coast and mountain roads for 7 or 8 years. It survived a head on collision with a stolen VW Beetle (suffering a mere scratch to its bumper -the VW was destroyed) and an on another occasion after having had a door dented in an accident (again not my fault) the insurance cheque helped pay for my first Apple Macintosh. I never did get the door fixed and the car acquired a wonderfully battered Mad Max look. The transmission failed the night my daughter was born and having lost reverse gear I remember physically heaving the thing backwards in order to get it our of its street parking slot so that I could make my way to the hospital. Eventaully it was sold in San Diego to make way for an outrageous Trans Am (remember them?) but that, as they say, is another story...

Postcard from Alaska

2009-04-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

Over the Easter weekend I had occasion to visit Alaska. My itinerary included a couple of nights in Anchorage and a brief road trip down the Kenai peninsula. What an amazing place -quite possibly the USA's final frontier. Despite the spectacular scenery, I don't think I have the fortitude to ever live there. Anyway here are some photos:

Glacier run off from the Chugach Mountains.

Blatting down the Seward Highway. Traffic is sparse to say the least.

Hungry teenage Moose didn't object to me taking his photo. By the end of the year this animal will have grown a full rack of antlers.

The Long Good Friday

2009-04-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

I'm still feeling pretty groggy but at least I'm up and about -there was a time at the beginning of the week when I thought I might be found in few weeks with the cat eating my carcass. What a nasty little bug that was. Anyway until my creative juices start flowing again I'm going to leave you with a clip from The Long Good Friday, a classic British gangster flick which apart from being 30 years old features a menacing Bob Hoskins in just about the only character he's ever played, a young Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan's in his debut role, some great photography of London's Docklands before it became yuppified, a terrific soundtrack by Francis Monkman and source material for just about all of Guy Ritchie's films. A true classic.

Best wishes to all for a happy Good Friday.

P.S. Inexplicably, the above clip credits Debra Winger for appearance in TLGF. As far as I know the closest she got was a 1978 offering entitled "Thank God It's Friday" which was about disco!

Psittacine Cain

2009-04-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

African Grey Parrot (image from Wikipedia and used under a creative commons license: original photo by Tournon)

Dear Readers,

I'm sick as a parrot and feel like hell! Everything hurts including my hair. I think I might have bird flu. Doubtless it's some filthy bug I picked up on my travels in the UK last week. Normal blogging will be resumed when the drugs begin to work...

MD

A Long Time Coming

2009-03-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

Match hero Ronan O'Gara -from this side of the Atlantic it seems fitting that he was born in San Diego

Ever since I was an undergraduate in Cardiff in the early 1970s I've wanted to see an Irish Grand Slam. Back then the horribly partisan nature of the crowd at the (now defunct) Cardiff Arms Park made me pray for Welsh annihilation although I have to confess my vehemence may have been fueled by the fact that the average Taffy took me for an Englishman. Well anyway it was a long wait but worth it. Saturday's victory not only put paid to the Welsh in thrilling style (I was glued to BBC's Radio 5 Live -the best reporting I could find over here) but ended a 61 year drought for the Green -let's hope a second Grand Slam won't take so long.

As an aside, I've actually met, albeit briefly, the father of match hero Ronan O'Gara, who happens to be a prominent microbiologist. Oh well, so much for name dropping...

P.S. Just one more thing...for in case anyone thinks I'm being more cryptic than usual, I'm talking about Rugby and specifically The Six Nations Championship and Ireland's dominance of the competition this year.

Vanishing Point to Zabriskie Point

2009-03-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

MD drives through Death Valley, California, Spring 1983

Today I'm going to take the leitmotif on Vanishing Point that has been swirling around several blogs recently in a slightly different direction. The Antonioni film Zabriskie Point was another early 70s cult classic that featured sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll packaged in an anti-establishment theme. Perhaps a little more arty than VP (heck, this is Antonioni for goodness sake -did anybody understand anything that went on in any of his films?) but it had its share of explosions and a fabulous soundtrack featuring Pink Floyd.

Both films were set in the California desert. Specifically, Zabriskie Point is located in Death Valley. Philippe Picavet has just reminded me of this amazing place. The photograph above was taken on my one and only visit twenty six years ago. Unfortunately I didn't get to drive it in a muscle car. I must revisit. Maybe next time I'll be in an E type Jaguar....

Going Green

2009-03-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

Clonakilty, Co. Cork

Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody!

Oh, and here's an essay I posted on my "Irishness" awhile back.

Is it Fun Being a Billionaire?

2009-03-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

As I've said before, I don't usually do politics on this site although I can barely contain myself with the current misuse of bailout money. However, I'll let legal process and karma deal with the rapacious scoundrels of AIG, RBS and their ilk and save my rants for other time. In anycase I could hardly express myself better than Jon Stewart whose delicious annihilation of bloviating finance pundits is a joy to behold. And his eloquence in summing up the egregious Sir Allen Stanford is more than refreshing.

Vanishing Point Revisited

2009-03-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

I know, I've just posted on this 1970s cult flick but a delightful piece of irony has come to light. Chuck Goolsbee keeps drawing my attention to this terrific piece of nonsense and in my usual nostalgia-driven obsessiveness I noticed something quite hilarious. If you the watch the above clip, you will notice a few frames from a scene (at 37 secs) in which our hero, Kowalski, is offered "anything" by an attractive young blonde lady who appears in the middle of nowhere, stark naked and riding a motorcycle (as I recall he was the consumate gentleman and declined). Well it transpires that the actress, one Gilda Texter, did little further acting but went on to have a very successful Hollywood career in Wardrobe Management and as a Costume Supervisor. It's a funny old world...!

Bucking the Trend (1)

2009-03-09T01:56:00.000-07:00

Nescafé Classic squares off against Starbucks' Via

Ah, Starbucks. I'm not sure how it's possible to screw up a business plan based on unrestricted sales of legal addictive stimulants to consenting adults but somehow the company has got itself into difficulties. And now some (doubtless overpaid) marketing whizz kid within the organisation has come up with a grand plan to save it from extinction. Or at least protect the obscenely large bonuses of the upper echelon Fat Cats (better not get me started here -I'll save some material for a another post). Anyway the answer to SBUX's current woes is not, as you might reasonably think, a new distribution and roasting system to stop the coffee tasting stale and burned* or perhaps a fair and equitable compensation system for all employees. Oh, no. It's...pause for drum roll...Instant Coffee! My goodness this is pure genius. I mean all the customer has to do capture the "Starbucks Experience", as I once saw it described, is add water. And here's the best bit. A 4 gram sachet of Via, enough for 1 cup is only $1.00. Yes, that's right a measley dollar. SBUX executives are calling this landmark devlopment a "Game Changer". I'm sure that in a recession people will be queuing up around the block to buy their packets of Via. Personally I'm going to stick with my Nescafé Classic as old habits die hard. And a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation tells me that a 4 gm spoonful of this old standby equates to 10 cents a cup.

*A quick test of a free sample has revealed that Via does indeed accurately mirror the "Starbucks Experience" in the comfort of your own home: it tastes stale and burned just like the real thing!

Mad Dog International: Site Visitors

2009-03-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

MD&E is in it's 5th year and this is my 500th post. I've come a long way since noticing my first visitor (it took a month or so). Over the past week I've been recording the countries of origin of my visitors. The results are quite astonishing -see below. All the US states and 58 countries (61 if you count the constituent dominions of the UK). This is truly an international site. Welcome everybody, thank you for visiting and please keep dropping by. Oh, and this is where you are from:

1. Algeria
2. Argentina
3. Australia
4. Belgium
5. Bolivia
6. Bosnia and Herzegovina
7. Brazil
8. Bulgaria
9. Canada
10. Chile
11. China (mainland)
12. China (Hong Kong)
13. Colombia
14. Croatia
15. Czech Republic
16. Denmark
17. Egypt
18. Finland
19. France
20. Germany
21. Greece
22. Hungary
23. India
24. Indonesia
25. Iran
26. Ireland
27. Israel
28. Italy
29. Japan
30. Korea (South)
31. Latvia
32. Lithuania
33. Luxembourg
34. Mexico
35. Netherlands
36. New Zealand
37. Norway
38. Phillipines
39. Poland
40. Portugal
41. Romania
42. Russia
43. Saudi Arabia
44. Singapore
45. Sweden
46. Slovakia
47. Slovenia
48. South Africa
49. Spain
50. Switzerland
51. Taiwan
52. Thailand
53. Trinidad & Tobago
54. Turkey
55. UK (inc. Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland)
56. Ukraine
57. USA (all 50 states)
58. Venezuela

Update: As of 31st March, I've also had visits from Bahrain, China (Macau), Costa Rica, Estonia, Iceland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Tunisia and Vietnam.

Vanishing Point

2009-03-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

Goodness, I can't believe it's been a week since my last post but life has once again caught up with me and insisted that I do things other than blogging. So forgive me for this placeholder even though it's quite an entertaining one. I blame Chuck Goolsbee, friend, fellow petrolhead and "road scholar" (geddit?) for reminding me about this piece of early 70's nostalgia. I mean what formula for a cult film works better than sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll set against an anti-establishment backdrop and combined with a suicidal car chase? Fantastic stuff, indeed.

Incidently the music is by the excellent Bob Segarini and Randy Bishop who must be one of the most under-rated combos of all time.

Adrenaline Junkies

2009-02-25T06:12:00.000-08:00

This is probably the most insanely elegant activity I have ever seen. Now I wonder where I can get one of those suits....??

Update: Actually you can get them here. $1000. Hmmm...

The Long and Winding Road

2009-02-24T13:18:00.000-08:00

Chuck has been waxing lyrical about different kinds of roads. Well how about this one for a nice winding effect...?

And on that note, I'm going to wind up my posts on the Monte Carlo for now, although I'll probably write occasional snippets from time to time. Just watch out for the full story in the April issue of Mini Magazine (it's great -I've seen the proofs already). So all that remains is to say a big heartfelt "Thank You" to all those individuals and organisations who helped The Team in any way. Special appreciation goes to:

Minispares, Hertfordshire, UK, for extremely generous sponsorship
Piper Cams, Kent, UK, for our camshaft and ancillary parts
Mini Magazine, and in particular Craig McBeth, for agreeing to publish our story,
Marilyn Connell, Houston, Texas for graphic design work

Thanks everyone! Now let's raise a glass to "Next Year in Monte Carlo"!

A Guru

2009-02-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

Willy Cave celebrates his 82nd birthday in fine style with a Mini -shaped cake

Somebody once described Willy Cave as "...the greatest living Englishmen...". Generally I dislike such characterisations but in this case it's pretty accurate. For five decades he has been a legend in European rallying and has occupied works seats for Standard-Triumph, Rover and BMC in the role of co-driver and navigator. Together with Peter Barker he was 2nd in class in this year's Monte Carlo Historique rally and 2nd overall over the infamous Col de Turini stage. Willy's other achievements include flying Spitfires and Vampire jets in Korea for the RAF and winning a BAFTA when working for the BBC. He is also an active skier and snowboarder. I should point out that Willy is now 82, having celebrated his birthday on the rally.

I first met Willy 10 years ago on a course where he was teaching rally navigation and I've used him as a sounding board for my silly questions ever since. He's always been the consummate, old-fashioned gentleman and displays one of the rarest combination of attributes, namely great knowledge with humility: a refreshing contrast to the bloviating, self-important alpha-males so commonly encountered today. So a belated Happy Birthday, Willy. You are a model to us all and I only hope I will be winning rallys and surrounded by attractive, adoring ladies at the same age.

Monte Carlo Historique 2009

2009-02-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

The Minispares-Mad Dog Rallying team race through a wintry France towards the Haute Alpes in a 1965 Mini Cooper S

I'm not going to do a full report on the Monte Carlo Historique this year. At least not just yet. I've promised a UK car publication, Mini Magazine, an exclusive. Although they haven't asked me not to blog about the event I think it only fair that they get first dibs.

What I will do instead is make peripheral commentary and add some video clips to convey a sense of realism. The first one is above. It's a simple transit or road section (not a stage) out of Valence. I wasn't calling times or corners so had time (just) to pull out the camera. While we are proceeding at a fairly orderly legal pace, the need to push on is evident and Bill blasts past two non-competing cars in grand style. I recorded this footage with my little Canon point-and-shoot in hand held mode. We did have a proper video camera fitted to the car but it tended to obscure the rear view and also access to the rear seats so it was removed. The straight cut gearbox whines like an overtired two-year-old who has dropped his ice-cream and the noise is very evident. Note also that we have lost 3rd gear at this point so changes are from 2nd to 4th. As you can imagine, I'm always hunting for ibuprofen after a day in the car!

Cashing In One's Chips

2009-02-16T02:19:00.000-08:00

While on the subject of pommes frites yesterday, this entry on the Dakar rally is nothing short of genius (commentary is in French but you'll get the idea even if you can't speak the language):

You can read more about Team Ch'ti Friterie here.

The Perfect Bacon Sandwich

2009-02-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

The perfect bacon sandwich. Yum! Photo courtesy Wendy Harrison*

This post is in response to accidental conversations with my daughter, Olivia (who holds dual American/British nationality) and Philippe Picavet, a resident of Belgium and like-minded petrolhead. Now I have to be tread very carefully here as Olivia is not short of opinions (genetics) and an astonishingly good cook (not genetics, at least from my DNA) and has been fortunate to have been exposed to a broad spectrum of world cuisine. Philippe lives in Belgium and I have long maintained some of the best food on the planet can be found in his country -witness moule, beer, chocolate (2000 chocolate shops in a country just 1/6 the size of Washington state -that's probably more than they have gas stations!), gaufres, frites etc. Anyway, somehow the topic of bacon sandwiches and their construction came up. In my view a well-made bacon sandwich, or sarnie in English patois, is in the top 10 comfort foods in the universe. But they have to made correctly and they must not be confused with BLTs, club sandwiches or other such offerings containing various meats or vegetables. While these other constructions are delicious and quite legitimate they are not true bacon sandwiches. A bacon sandwich should contain just hot bacon. Here are the parameters for a perfect sandwich:

Bacon: it should be back rashers or slices. American bacon which is mostly pork belly-derived is too fatty
Cooking: slightly crisp but the bacon should not be overdone or leathery
Bread: soft large fresh rolls are the best. Open and put face down in the skillet before serving so the inside is slightly fried/toasted
Serving: should be hot. Can only be eaten with brown sauce. Should be accompanied with tea containing milk (sugar optional). Coffee doesn't work

If you can believe it some scientists got a grant to study the features of the perfect bacon sarnie and came up with the following formula:

N = C + {fb (cm) . fb (tc)} + fb (Ts) + fc . ta

where N=force in Newtons required to break the cooked bacon, fb=function of the bacon type, fc=function of the condiment/filling effect, Ts=serving temperature, tc=cooking time, ta=time or duration of application of condiment/filling, cm=cooking method, C=Newtons required to break uncooked bacon.

* The above photograph was kindly provided by excellent Scottish blogger, Wendy Harrison, and was originally posted on her site "A Wee Bit of Cooking". I don't usually do this but I'm so charmed by Wendy's site that I'm adding her to the blog lists on my sidebar.

Nepotism

2009-02-12T06:34:00.000-08:00

MD's 15 year old daughter prepares to knock one out of the park: inexplicably she now appears to be in her 25th year (somewhere along the line I blinked)

This is a shameless plug for my daughter who seems to have a talent for penmanship. Last summer she started a blog to document her travels in Korea but has now caught the bug and is writing about life observations. You can her find her at Vive La Liv. In many ways her style has a worrying resemblance to my own. I don't suppose this could be down to genetics or environmental/cultural conditioning? Naaah!

Land Rover Woes

2009-02-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

Mini tow starts Land Rover at Monte Carlo

In previous years our trips to the start and from the finish of the rally have been almost as eventful as the event itself. This year, with a fantastic sponsorship deal (thanks again, Justin) we were thinking that we would simply load the Mini on a trailer and drive back to Blighty in the relative comfort of long wheelbase Land Rover*. A prosaic but low stress journey was welcome after the rally but it was not to be. The Land Rover turned out to be about as reliable as a drunk on New Year's Eve. After suffering the indignity of being tow started by the Mini on the quayside at Monaco after it refused to fire up, it threw a major tantrum on the motorway at Aix-en-Provence and refused to proceed. As far as I know it's still there awaiting repair and my fingers are crossed that the Mini and trailer haven't been stripped bare like like a dead wildebeeste on the Serengeti plain. I used to drive the exact same model as a student 40 years and I thought it was an antiquated, wallowing, alcoholic back then. Clearly nothing has changed since those days: a reflection of the £1000 development budget that Leyland, Rover, British Aerospace and Ford have lavished collectively on the vehicle in four decades. If I had my way I'd have the bloody thing melted down and made into garden gnomes. Oh, well! Next year we'll get a panel van and possibly a 4x4: both will be of German or Japanese descent.

* MD wishes to stress that the choice of the Land Rover was made collectively by the team and was nothing to do with the sponsors who suggested a different and entirely more sensible vehicle.

We Made It!

2009-02-09T01:45:00.000-08:00

PRX 720B at the finish in Monte Carlo

I'm back in Seattle and am delighted to report that the Minispares-Mad Dog Rallying team completed the 12e Monte Carlo Historique rally in fine style. Despite a broken gearbox (no 3rd or reverse), a sheared rear suspension knuckle and the loss of one headlight PRX 720B made the finish podium on the Quai d'Albert in fine style. We finished in the middle of the pack (209 out of 333 starters and were 5th in class (I'll have to verify that). And of course if we hadn't had the above problems we'd have been among the front runners. The attrition was amazing: 25% of all crews either failed to finish due to mechanical failure or the dreaded altercations with street furniture. Full reports will be forthcoming when I've had time to collect myself and put out all the usual fires that have ignited in my absence.

Ready for the Off

2009-01-30T01:07:00.000-08:00

The Minispares-Mad Dog Rallying team is now safely at Reims and ready for the start tonight. Now we are about to do the technical and administrative scrutineering and prepare for the long drive to Monaco. By the time we get there we'll have been up for 36 hours. Daily progress reports can be found on the Bill Richards Racing website. I'll try to cross post here but I may not have time. I will however write a full report of the event when I get back.

Wish us luck...!

The Riviera Calls

2009-01-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

Monaco awaits. I'm heading off to the airport in a couple of hours and frantically trying to remember all the bits and pieces of my equipment and hoping I don't forget anything critical. British Airways says I won't be allowed on the plane with more than 71lbs. Seems like I have 71 tons. Hardware, software, treeware. Roadbook, pacenotes, chronometers. Helmet, suit and gloves. Tuxedo, white silk scarf, bow tie (Hell, we're going to Monte Carlo after all!). Funny thing is it's snowing in Seattle. By the end of the rally I'm pretty sure I'll be sick of winter.

I'll try to post from the road but this will depend on my overall condition and access to wireless internet. However check the Bill Richards Racing website for daily positions. In addition, I understand that Minispares UK will be mirroring the reports.

Bill "Stig" Richards

2009-01-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

Bill "Stig" Richards at Monte Carlo

"Some say he leaves tyre tracks instead of footprints...."

I want to introduce the Minispares-Mad Dog Rallying team's driver, Bill Richards, who in the past few years has carried the nickname "Stig". No, he's nothing to do with the anonymous, race suited individual associated with the odious Jeremy Clarkson. In fact I only became aware of the Top Gear character about a year ago when I was watching TV in the UK. Nevertheless I am actually responsible for Bill's monniker. Back in 2005, I was marvelling at the manner in which he blasted, mostly sideways, through an infamous snow covered stage over the Col de Echarasson. Such was his skill and panache that I speculated that he must have some Scandinavian rally driver genes in body and that he should really be called "Stig". I had absolutely no idea about the mythological Top Gear personality at the time: I was thinking more of Swedish rally driving giant Stig Blomqvist and his ilk. I mentioned this in one of my rally reports and somehow the name stuck. Indeed the term has found broad use including in our pace notes e.g. "...very tight dangerous section for 500 metres, caution, no Stigging..." (meaning no racing heroics).

Anyway enough of all this. Simply put, Bill is one of the hardest charging, focussed and determined drivers out there. He can physically dominate a Mini like no one else. If you have any doubts just watch the video clip here in which he gives a masterclass in slipstreaming and uses the technique to beat a faster, lighter car (ignore the first minute, the action is a little slow to start but then really heats up).

Now Bill, let's kick arse next week and no Stigging unless I tell you...!

Marketing

2009-01-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

Only the Aussies could get away with this bit of opportunistic marketing in the Sydney Daily Telegraph. And if you don't know what Veet is (I didn't) you can find out here.

Fnarr! Fnarr!

Hat tip to reader Gilly for the viral email with this scan.

Irish Blog Awards

2009-01-21T07:01:00.000-08:00

I appear to have been nominated in the "Best Personal Blog" category of the Irish Blog Awards. Interesting! I owe somebody a pint of Murphy's. Or a glass of chardonnay. Competition is stiff so keep your fingers crossed for me when the votes are cast on February 21st.

To mark this development I'm going to re-post my essay on Irishness that I wrote a few years back. You can read it here.

Presedential Inauguration Day: Obama-mania

2009-01-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

Celebrations for Barack Obama's presidential inauguration are in full swing as I write and the mood in the country is quite amazing. Nobody does optimism like Americans. My own feelings are more detached. As a white man I cannot experience the emotion of Black Americans who have lived to see the day when a African American is sworn in as the Chief Executive of the country. And as an ersatz American (read mere Green Card holder) I can't help but feel somewhat set-apart. Nevertheless this is truly an historic day and as a world citizen I'm delighted that the people of the US have elected as their 44th President an intelligent, articulate, mild mannered-centerist who can pronounce "nuclear" properly. Please enjoy the day Mr Obama; unfortunately the bumpy ride will start tomorrow.

Conflict Resolution

2009-01-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

This story of conflict resolution is not as poetic as Miyamoto Mushashi’s duel at Ganryu Island but at least nobody died

Yesterday the spurious firing of some circuits in my neural network had me recalling an incident from a decade ago and giggling like an idiot. It's quite the funniest "how-not-to-do-it" management /conflict resolution story I know. Let me start at the beginning…

In the nineties I served for several years on the Council of a well known British learned professional society and for one year I was Chairman. During this period there was a backdrop of low-level ideological friction. The society was modernizing and had appointed a full time CEO who was continuing to prosecute an agenda of change. However this was not to the liking of many of the old guard council members who wanted to see the society remain as a low cost organization in its traditional style. Tensions increased over a period of years and finally it was decided to discuss the issues over a council meeting dinner to be held one evening at the annual congress.

Probably all the council members were aware that trouble had been brewing and this was going to be a difficult meeting. Nevertheless they all duly trooped in to dinner with not much joie de vivre one chilly December evening. Discussions started over the meal and wine was served. My job as Chairman was to maintain orderly proceedings in an impartial manner and minimise any conflict. In retrospect I would have done things a lot differently but then hindsight is always 20/20. As we skirted around the peripheral issues, the alcohol consumption increased substantially, maybe even alarmingly. Even so you’d think that a group of highly educated and allegedly sophisticated individuals could hold their liquor and conduct themselves in a mature, gentlemanly, manner. Well the events of the evening certainly blew that hypothesis to shreds. As the core agenda items were brought up discussions became a succession of bloviations, accusations and insults. Despite some entreaties by me, logic and politeness went out of the window and all attempts at constructivity were in vain. Finally tempers became so frayed that the CEO announced to the Council “you’re all a joke” to which one member, a combative American who was about as subtle as a lead pipe retorted “FUCK OFF, FAT BOY!”.

Now that level of sophomoric insult was the end of the dinner. Instantly! There was a momentary silence while the gravity of the epithet sunk in. Then the society’s secretary shrieked “MD, stop them, they’re going to fight”. As it happened I was sitting between the two protagonists so I put my hands around their shoulders and “Gentlemen, I suggest we adjourn” (or something equally jejune) and we moved outside and the proceedings were concluded.

The aftermath of the meeting was profound. Immediately afterwards there was a lot more drinking: most of the members were traumatized by the events of the evening and tried to anesthetise themselves from reality. One individual who had given up smoking a decade previously went off in search for cigarettes. But the resonances of the FOFB slur continued for a long time. The CEO went very quiet and eventually resigned invoking an interesting legal sequelae which took a year or so resolve. Other members disappeared back to their labs and were eventually replaced in the society by new blood. At a personal level it was my swan song as I was due to rotate off the council at the end of that year and my work there was done, constitutionally speaking. To this day the FOFB meeting is discussed by society alumni in the same way other generations talked about The Blitz. In retrospect it’s actually a hilarious story. Throwing around terms of revilement like FOFB in usually polite (and quite repressed) British society is so outrageously shocking that a humorous aspect becomes apparent. But other than the fact that my attempts at conflict resolution were an abject failure, the incident also taught me two things: (i) if a contentious issue ever arises between two parties, the likelihood of it being resolved while the consumption of alcohol occurs is minimal and (ii) lurking behind the urbane veneer of many academics and intellectuals there is an aggressive neanderthal waiting to go on the rampage -so don't be surprised when one pops up.

FOFB indeed!

More Horsepower

2009-01-17T02:59:00.000-08:00

Engine tuning guru Bill Richards tries to coax more horsepower out of our car

On our rally reconnaissance route in December I was reminded of the beauty of rural France and its wide diversity of flora and fauna. Here is some of the wildlife we observed en route:

Eagles (x2 -magnificent)
Hawks (multiple)
Rat (several)
Shrew/vole (x1)
Pine Martin (x2 -might have been Alpine Marmots)
Mountain sheep (a whole family with bells -poetic)
Deer (x2)
Hare (x1)
Rabbits (several)
Wolf (x1 -exciting)
Wild boar (x1, deceased; apparently hit by car -distressing)
Pony in middle of road, miles from anywhere, with no apparent owner (x1)
Random dog, off leash in middle road, miles from anywhere with no apparent owner (x29; a peculiar French phenomenon)
Random person walking/standing in road, miles from anywhere (x17 -comments as for random dog)

I mention this now because there will be no time for sightseeing next month!

About Time This Was Said (at High Level)

2009-01-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

"...waterboarding is torture..."

Eric Holder (Nominee, US Attorney General)
Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
January 15th, 2008

Thank you, Eric; the civilised World applauds you!

Be Seeing You

2009-01-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

On no, another of my heroes has sloughed the mortal coil. Patrick McGoohan, who as Number 6 in the astonishingly brilliant series, The Prisoner, had me glued to the television set in my youth departed for the big Village in the Sky earlier today. RIP, Patrick (but damn, now we'll never find out the identity of Number 1).

Incidentally the show had me positively lusting after a Lotus 7. And in more recent years I always imagined myself handing in my resignation to pompous/incompetent boss in this fashion.

Musical Interlude: Sound Familiar?

2009-01-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

My life story: 40 years of "Getting my motor running..."

It's very strange. I must have blinked and missed something. Like the past 40 years. Has it really been that long since I sat in a cinema in Leicester Sq., London, and watched Easy Rider? Apparently the answer is yes. Anyway in a moment of unashamed nostalgia I was listening to the movie soundtrack the other day and in doing so noticed something curious. Specifically this track from the album, a song by The Blues Magoos written in 1967 caught my ear:

Sound familiar? Maybe? Then listen to this track by Deep Purple:

Black Knight was a hit for the band in 1970; you can do the maths. Now I've commented on DP's apparent use of other artists' material in the past. But on this occasion things may not be as they seem. Listen to this 1962 rendition of Summertime by Ricky Nelson:

I suppose there's not much new under the sun: that bass riff has certainly been around for some time and it's a really great one, too...

Rally Recon

2009-01-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

An oncoming snowplow on a road in the Ardeche: these conditions are good!

Ten days before Christmas, Bill Richards and I set off on EasyJet to the south of France with the intention of driving the entire route of the Monte Carlo Historique. Or so we thought: the reality was somewhat different. Central and Southern France had a very significant snowfall and only about 75% of the so called ZR sections were passable and only then after we'd gone through the wretched process of fitting chains to the wheels of our little Nissan rental car. So we bumped around where we could and made notes. The Col de Turini was closed due to a rockfall. This must have been bad as the organisers have subsequently modified the rally route around this blockage. Overall it's going to be a very tough event. Some of the stages are old familiar opponents; others are new (to me, at least) and look very nasty. Very tight and slippy -some with 1200M drops to one side and no crash barrier. Scary to say the least! All of them were covered in snow and some had unplowed drifts of 2 metres. And I can't imagine the situation improving in the next four weeks -typically the snowfall is greatest in the first week in February. It's going to be interesting. Here's a brief video clip of one of the easier sections in the Ardeche:

Why Do I Do This...?

2009-01-02T02:18:00.000-08:00

MD and Bill Richards storm through Provence, 2005.

In precisely four weeks' time I will strap myself into a 44 year old, 10' long, flimsy steel box, alongside another individual of questionable sanity and set off on a 2500Km high speed race through the mountains of France. I'm never quite sure why I partake in this crazy activity and I thought I'd reflect a little here on how I got started.

Since my teenage years when I followed the exploits of Mäkinen, Hopkirk, Aaltonen and Carlsson with rapt attention, I have always been interested in rallying. And shortly after acquiring a driving licence I discovered the fun of driving a Mini. At the time there was really nothing like it and to this day no vehicle has been able to match the Go Kart feel of these little beasts (OK, OK, before any of you start to harass me from the peanut gallery, I'm not talking about reliability or comfort -just handling ability).

Sometime around 1997, I was living in London and my daily driver was a 1992 Rover Mini. Back then I was constantly making trips to Bill Richards Racing in Ashford, Kent, UK, in a rather futile attempt to turn the Mini into a Porsche. It was on one of these visits I met a charming Frenchman, Partick Hesnard, who was campaigning a delightful 850cc Mini on the now defunct Monte Challenge rally. I quizzed him a lot about rallying and his reponse was "But you must try it: if I can do it anybody can". Well, Patrick, there are a lot of caveats that need to be attached to that statement but you certainly started something. I found advertised in the "For Sale" section of MiniWorld a very disreputable 1964 Mini Cooper offered for a mere £750 and the rest, as they say, is history.

It took a couple of years to get PRX 720B and me ready for rallying (which in the end neither were but that's another story) and on a raw January day at the beginning of the new Millennium I set off from Brooklands race track for the south of France. Pretty much everything about that event was a disaster. Neither my co-driver or I knew what we were doing and the car was ill-prepared and broke down at every opportunity. Heaven knows how we made it to the Riviera but somehow we did and finished 5th in class. Despite the debacle I was hooked and entered again in 2001 with a much better prepared car. To my complete astonishment we finished second in our class and I have a large piece of silverware in my basement prove it.

From there on I've enjoyed a post-Christmas ritual of mapping the route and attending to a mountain of organisational and logistical minutiae prior to setting off on the rally. I don't what it is about the Monte that makes it so alluring. Certainly the spectacle of 350 classic cars being used in anger is part of it. The breathtaking scenery of the Jura, the Ardeche Plateau, the Haute Alpes and Alpes Maritime is undoubtedly a factor as is the juxtapositon of the hideous weather encountered en route with the Mediterranean sunshine in Monaco. It all adds up to a very addictive formula and I shall probably keep attempting the event until either I'm too decrepit to be seriously competetive or I win it outright in which case I'll quit while on top. But then the Mille Miglia, the Carrera Panamericana and the Targa Florio also beckon -I suppose I'm a hopeless case!

PS By an amazing coincidence, Monsieur Hesnard, having disappeared for many years, has resurfaced just this evening and as it happens he lives just outside Monte Carlo. Patrick, it's a fine mess you've got me into: the least you can do is buy me a beer when we arrive in The Principality next month.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

Well it seems we are in for an interesting ride in 2009 if the pundits and talking heads are to be believed. What with global financial meltdown, climate change and several countries ready to nuke each other, it's all too much to absorb. My answer to the above is to keep a sense of humour and a bottle of cognac handy. And continue blogging, of course...

It seems fitting to note that today MD&E has had its 100,000th visitor. It took three years and four and a half months to get the first 50,000 and one year for the second tranche of 50k. My thanks to you all for dropping by: please continue to visit and I'll do my best to keep you entertained.

Peace and prosperity to all: my very best wishes to everybody for a fabulous 2009.

BUÉK

2008-12-30T00:40:00.000-08:00

The site seems to be getting a lot of hits from Hungary in the last week so to all you Magyars out there: Boldog új évet kívánok!

Oh and here's some Freddie with Dr Brian and the boys:

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T02:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Stay warm, don't eat too much and travel safely.