And Never the Twain Shall Meet

The recent tragic news from Mumbai, formerly Bombay,  regarding the terrorists attacks, has again turned my thoughts toward the world’s largest democracy. Apropos of Bombay, long ago, Rudyard Kipling, the British writer, who was born in Bombay wrote:

 

Mother of Cities to me,
For I was born in her gate,
Between the palms and the sea,
Where the world-end steamers wait.

m01_171741471.jpg

73993457ypuiez_fs.jpg

So Bombay was not only Kipling’s birthplace, but was also the port of entry for most of the Europeans who emigrated to India in the times when one traveled to India by ship. Bombay Gate, likely where those steamers  Kipling refers to made port, is just steps from the stately and regal Taj Mahal Hotel which was a target of those recent attacks. More

Three Faces

As you know, noted actor Paul Newman passed away recently. Newman had been married to actress Joanne Woodward from January 1958 until he died.

paul_newman_j_woodward_1958_1128_fi.jpg

They weren’t your standard version of a Hollywood couple. In fact, at the time of his death, they had lived in Connecticut for many years.

7114a.jpg

More

Rio Natsume – Rio Bravo

475.jpg

Rio Natsume – Rio Bravo (November 20, 2008)
Line Communications/I-One
Catalog # LCDV-40343 – Region 2 Disc – 4:3 Aspect – MPEG-2
Running Time: 60 minutes

01riocoverlcdv-40343.jpg

02horizbravoposterunder-riocover.jpg

Nearly 50 years ago, in April of 1959, Academy Award winning director Howard Hawks released a Western or cowboy movie called Rio Bravo. It starredJohn Wayne as a Texas town Sheriff who has locked up a bad guy on a murder charge. The bad guy’s family hires a score of thugs. They intend to bust this guy out of the local jail no matter what.

03bravoposter02redletters.jpg

More

Buckaroo

Recently I watched the movie, The Hunt for Red October (1990). This is a real man’s movie filled with submarine warfare, geo-politics and its offspring – political brinksmanship, as well as great heaping gobs of pure testosterone. There’s no sex or romance in this tale, in fact there may not even be any speaking roles for women in the movie.

poster.JPG

As the movie begins, we learn that the Captain of The Red October, which is the USSR’s newest and most technologically advanced nuclear powered submarine, has disobeyed his orders, and is heading for the United States. The question is – is he defecting or is he a madman who will bring about Armegeddon by firing nuclear war heads at major US coastal cities?

021.JPG

Sean Connery portrays the Russian submarine Captain Marko Ramius whose real mission is to defect to the United States and bring with him the invaluable submarine and most of its officers. We learn this from a discussion at a dinner in the Captain’s Mess aboard the Red October.

More

A Look at Africa

For the longest time, here at AoV, we’ve been visiting various Pacific and Asian beach resorts with a plethora of lovely Japanese Gravure Idols.

485.jpg

Bangtao Beach, Phuket, Thailand

We’ve been to locations from Phuket in Thailand to Palau, from The Philippines (Cebu) to Pattaya, and with assorted stops in Saipan, Guam, Bali, Hawaii, Okinawa, Cairns, and even Vietnam. We’ve discussed Art in Asia and Europe. We’ve talked about our favorite films, and some of our own travel destinations.

2869227760038077508lhyxyx_fs.jpg

But you know which place hasn’t gotten any coverage in AOV? Africa is the answer. More

On The Road Again

Ah, it’s good to be home again. Transoceanic travels tend to wear one down; more about my travels later on in another article. Do any of you like that grizzled songwriter and singer named Willie Nelson? Have a look at some of the lyrics from one of Willie’s classic songs:

On the road again,
Goin’ places that I’ve never been,
Seein’ things that I may never see again,
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.

Old Willie isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. but his words are in tune with my desire to go where I want to go.

 

c10qnelson0729.jpg

More

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries