STUDEBAKER VINTAGE 1852 STUDEBAKER VINTAGE 1952By Lois Lindstrom
As published in the Sun Sentinel, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on May 25, 2007
Commentary and Opinion: A McLean Driver Hits the Skids in Sweden
If you meet a Swedish driver on the road, get out of the way, especially if you're an elk—and I don't mean the kind that congregate in lodges. Since I've moved with my family to Stockholm (my husband took a job here), I have found myself yearning for the good old days of innocent driving along the streets of McLean, where my roughest test was whether to stop at the yellow light. Now my biggest challenge is passing the Swedish driving test or, to be more accurate, the Swedish driving tests.In addition to taking a difficult written exam on driving theory and a road test, in Sweden applicants for a driver's license must take the Swedish Slippery Driving Test, hereafter referred to as the SSDT.
MORE FROM SPEC ... HE SHARES THIS STORY FROM A YOUNG WOMAN:
I was privileged to take a photo of 'Five Generations of Women' shortly before my 93 year-old Grandmother passed away last year. The photo, shown below, features the hands of my Grandmother, Mom, Sister, Niece and Great-Niece. While I can't take credit for the idea, I was so happy to have had the suggestion & capture this moment. It inspired a friend of mine to do something similar which turned out so beautiful and a special keepsake prior to her father's passing. Grandma's Hands
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was okay. Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was okay. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said in a clear strong voice.
'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were okay," I explained to her. 
"Have you ever looked at your hands," she asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making. Grandma smiled and related this story:
Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse. They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face. When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to you, and watch God's answer to prayer work in your life. Let's continue praying for one another. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both..
Passing this on to one not yet considered a friend is something God would do.
1950 CHEVROLET COUPE
(437 original miles as of June 2009)
photos contributed by Donald "Spec" Campen
CATTOONS
PHOTOS STORED IN AN OLD BROWNIE CAMERA
Thought you might find these photos very interesting; what quality from 1941. Pearl Harbor photos found in an old Brownie stored in a foot locker. And just recently taken to be developed.
THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A SAILOR WHO WAS ON THE USS QUAPAW ATF-11O.
I THINK THEY'RE SPECTACULAR!
PEARL HARBOR DECEMBER 7, 1941
IF THIS IS EARTH ... CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT HEAVEN IS LIKE?
Place your cursor at the top of the photo. You will notice it is 6:10 PM.
Bring the mouse down slowly over the photo without pressing the button
on the mouse. Do not right or left click.
Night time appears, the lights come on, and at 7:40 PM, it's dark!
THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE REAL AND UNALTERED
NATURE AT ITS BEST TAKEN AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY
A miniature city made out of millions of toothpicks
It took 38 year old Stan Munro 6 years to build this toothpick city. He used 6 million toothpicks and 170 litres of glue. He can spend up to 6 months to create a building, and each of his creations is built to 1:164 scale. He works at the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse, New York. Look at the amazing works of one of the most patient men in the world.
CLICK EACH THUMBNAIL TO VIEW MORE TOOTHPICK MAN HANDCRAFTS
SPEC CAMPEN
CLICK PHOTO FOR VPA WEBSITE
The Chapel of St. Gildas sits upon the bank of the Canal du Blavet in Brittany, France. Built like a stone barn into the base of a bare rocky cliff, this was once a holy place of the Druids. St. Gildas appears to have traveled widely throughout the Celtic world of Corwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. He arrived in Brittany in about AD 540 and is said to have preached Christianity to the people from a rough pulpit, now contained within the chapel.
The Hallgrímskirkja (literally, the church of Hallgrímur) is a Lutheran parish church located in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74.5 meter's (244 ft), it is the fourth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 to 1674), author of the Passion Hymns. State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of the church was commissioned in 1937; it took 38 years to build it.
CUBIC HOUSES
THE BASKET BUILDING
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
1937 FORD House Car
CLICK PHOTO FOR FULL STORY
CLICK WOODIES TO ENJOY A COLLECTION OF THEM
NANA MOUSKOURI
INSTRUCTIONS: After you link on the site above and select an image and it appears, then HOLD DOWN THE LEFT MOUSE BUTTON AND SLOWLY MOVE THE CURSOR AROUND THE ROOM
The Bookman's Corner
Hosted by Lois Lindstrom
CLICK PHOTO TO GO TO THIS WEBSITE
The Bookman's Corner began airing in September 1988 on Channel 33 on Arlington Community Television (now Channel 69 on Arlington Independent Media.) Producer Charles Goolsby hosted the series until 2008. The Bookman's Corner is committed to books--the people who write and the people who read them. Through two decades it has featured a range of authors, whose works ran from philosophy to banjo playing; from poetry to politics; from faith to fiction.
The current host of The Bookman's Corner is Lois Lindstrom, who co-hosted a cable TV show, "Metropolitan Magazine" on Channel 10, a public affairs program reaching viewers in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the early 1990's. She wrote a book titled: "Memoirs of a Swedish Nurse: A Life of Adventure, A Journey to Spirituality" and she is currently a freelance writer in Virginia.
So sit down and relax with a good book on another edition of The Bookman's Corner!
Interesting anecdotes and commentaries from Philip Winfield Anderson, his wife Yuriko and family
Just pick and click your favorite link
Anderson Anecdotes
SPEC'S SPECTACULAR SPECIFICS
TWO STUDEBAKERS OWNED BY BOB KUZYN OF NEW HYDE PARK NY 1951 Commander/ 1960 Lark
Come with me to a third grade classroom ... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives. The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this
is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.' He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.
As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!' Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule,
the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other
children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that
should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you
klutz!' Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'
WHO IS THE SUSIE IN YOUR LIFE? an inspirational story entitled WET PANTS
May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good. Remember, Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith. Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Where there is need, I ask you to fulfill their needs. Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings. Amen.
YouTubes by GWENDOLYN GLENN for you to enjoy
CLICK EACH RAINBOW BORDER TO VIEW A DIFFERENT VIDEO
RICHMOND ROCKIN' REBELS BAND: JEFF DEWEY – BASS, PAUL FOREMAN – DRUMS,
MICHAEL ANDREWS – VOCAL, WYATT NUCKOLS – GUITAR, HOWARD HARPER - GUITAR & KEYBOARD
All are ORIGINAL SONGS www.newsongsandmore.com - ©Copyright 2010 Mariana Evans
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY MARY GWENDOLYN GLENN
WHILE YOU ARE AWAY
By Mary Gwendolyn Glenn
God send an Angel
To walk by your side
To hold your hand
To be your guide;
God send an Angel
To calm your fear
To let you know
He is always near;
God send an Angel
So you won’t be alone
To keep you safe
To bring you home;
All these things
To God I pray…
To feel God’s blessings
While you are away.
©Copyright 2004 M. Gwendolyn Glenn
NEW YORK MOMENTS: “It Could Be Me”
By Mary Gwendolyn Glenn 9-11-01
A large man weeps with eyes set
Luminous tears form fingers of wet
Etched on a face of alabaster stone,
Ghostly bodies sway and stumble
Blindly staggered by swirling debris;
A small doll, with limbs askew
Lies silently, avoided, in full view
More ghastly sights abound yet…
This holds us and we crumble
At the tragedy we all see;
An act of terror completed
A memory to be repeated
To generations in disbelief,
Echoes of past wars rumble
As our parents relive history;
All are brothers, heroes in a senseless war
Our husbands and fathers search the gore
Today there were no strangers lost
Every person is touched, humbled
Knowing inside, it could be me…
©Copyright 2001 M. Gwendolyn Glenn
by Lois Lindstrom
The American Civil War grips the American curiosity and imagination almost as much as World War II. Current books on the Civil War note that Americans are still having debates 146 years later on the displaying of the Confederate flag. However, what is remarkable is this: Most civil wars do not end with reconciliation and reunion, but rather with hostility and permanent bitterness.
In my view, this is why President Lincoln is truly great. He convinced General Grant and other Union generals to choose forgiveness over revenge and endless violence. And, General Lee, representing the defeated Confederates, became convinced of that spirit of forgiveness when he met General Grant at Appomattox at the conclusion of the war. So, it is with those thoughts that I recently visited Old Blandford Church, which became a Confederate shrine in 1904.
Built in 1734 by President Thomas Jefferson's father, Old Blandford Church served as a hospital to thousands of wounded soldiers during the 10-month Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864. Many dead soldiers were later buried in the surrounding 189-acre graveyard, whose oldest gravestone dates from 1702.
In 1903, a women's club in Petersburg--the Ladies Memorial Association—wanted a public monument that would show the world that “healing” was taking place in the South following the Civil War. And, they successfully raised funds from 11 Confederate and two border states to create a memorial dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who perished in the Civil War.
The "wow" factor of this Memorial is this: American glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of the famous jewelry store magnate in New York City, was commissioned by the Ladies Memorial Association to design 15 glass windows--each having a spiritual theme and each dedicated to one of the participating Confederate or border states. The 14th window--a tympanum window showing the Confederate flag was commissioned by Ladies Memorial Association itself. And the 15th window was given by glass artist Louis Tiffany to the memorial in the form of a magnificent cross or "Cross of Jewels" that is beautifully illuminated at sunset.
As part of the Petersburg National Battlefield park program, Old Blandford Church is near the 2,659-acre park that encompasses landmarks associated with almost 10 months of battles between Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War. It was during this conflict that the famous Battle of the Crater occurred.
While the battle grounds surrounding Petersburg are interesting, Blandford Church is truly one of America's art treasures. Yet, many Americans are unaware of this magnificent memorial.
Unlike many Anglican churches in America, Blandford Church was not closed after the Revolution in 1776. It was abandoned around 1791, but services were held occasionally until 1803. In 1818 John Grammer bought the abandoned church, and in 1819 he donated it to the city of Petersburg. Unfortunately left without proper maintenance, Blandford Church fell into disrepair and was vacant until the Civil War.
In 1901, stain glass artist Tiffany agreed to design a memorial with each window depicting one of Jesus Christ's disciples. For instance, the window commissioned for Texans who died in the Civil War is a glass painting of St. Luke. Unlike the other Blandford saints, Saint Luke's hair is trimmed close to his head, and he looks like a 20th Century man.
In a technique used sparingly by Tiffany, the details of the St. Luke's hair, hands, and feet have been added in paint. Although Tiffany succeeded in producing believable flesh-toned glass, which had not been done before, he also used paints and glazes for delicate features and fine shadings to give faces and limbs a three-dimensional effect.
The window commissioned by Virginia depicts St. John. The window has a background that symbolizes the Island of Patmos where the exiled saint wrote Revelations--a book in the Christian Bible. Interestingly, the original draft agreement by Tiffany specified a sum of $350 for the Virginia window, with an additional charge of $35 for "sash protection, freight, and setting."
All the saints in the windows at Blandford Church are dressed in long, flowing garments, differing from one another in style, color and texture. Drapery glass was manufactured by Tiffany in a way that set it apart from other decorative glass. All glass, before finally hardening, passes through a phase where it can be shaped, pushed, pulled or folded
Interestingly, the gold used by Tiffany came from actual melted-down gold. The law forbidding the mutilation of United State currency wasn’t passed until March 4, 1909, after some of the Tiffany windows had been erected.
Every stained glass window by Tiffany is an individual creation, and no two windows are the same. The Blandford windows reveal Tiffany's innate sense of beauty, color, harmony and proportion. This church/Confederate Memorial, say many art experts, rivals some of the small, beautiful churches in Europe. I believe President Lincoln would feel a deep sense of satisfaction upon visiting Old Blandford Church—a major Confederate Memorial.
Note: One can visit the surrounding graveyard on your own, but the only way to see the inside of the this church is on a 45-minute guided tour. It's open 10 am-5 pm daily,with a small entrance fee as part of the Petersburg museum system.
Lois Lindstrom hosts a TV talk show, Bookman’s Corner, in Arlington, VA.
President Obama reminded us earlier this year that the nation needs a transition to renewable energy in the short term. "We need to find safer ways to use nuclear power and store nuclear waste." But, while Obama has paid lip service to expanding nuclear power and not much else, other countries are busy building nuclear power plants. The United States has not built a plant since the 1979 accident at the nuclear facility at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. M eanwhile, there are 160 nuclear power plants under construction in China, India, Russia, and Europe. With 20 percent of this country's electrical power provided by the existing 110 nuclear power plants in the U.S., our policymakers have decided not to make a decision to go forward with the nuclear option. That is shortsighted! Congress needs to think more creatively in terms of a stopgap measure to produce nuclear energy until renewable sources like wind, solar, and geo-thermal are cost-effective and contribute more than 50 percent to our electrical supply. Currently, renewable sources produce only 3 percent of the U.S. electrical supply. And, we are still heavily dependent on imported oil and gas for our energy needs. We need a different approach, along the lines of what a Lynchburg company, Babcock and Wilcox, is developing but instead of designing small nuclear units to be placed on land, put them on floating energy platforms. We should embrace the Babcock and Wilcox concept of developing smaller, scalable, modular designs that are one-tenth the size of existing nuclear reactors (which eliminates the need for large cooling towers and massive amounts of water.) But, to speed up the process, we should put these small nuclear reactors on safe, floating platforms. The plan would be similar to the existing technology that has been developed for our nuclear-powered Navy ships. President Obama and Congress should consider the floating nuclear power option. It would permit an earlier start toward fixing a potential cities in the event of a national or regional blackout or power failure. In fact, it could be incorporated under homeland security, because we must have power! shortfall in U.S. electrical production.
We need to study the feasibility of building ships or barges that could be used to house nuclear power plants that are capable of delivery to existing power plants or backup sites on our nation's waterways. This type of project would be beneficial in two ways: It would provide jobs for the American shipbuilding industry, and it would sidestep the heavy costs and environmental delays associated with building new nuclear reactors on land. Having a standard-sized and specific-shaped ship that could be floated on a permanent or semi-permanent site would not be as politically contested as installing a nuclear reactor on land. Congress would be motivated to fund and support this project if it were seen as a source of electric power for Washington, D.C. and other cities in the event of a national or regional blackout or power failure. In fact, it could be incorporated under homeland security, because we must have power!
Nuclear power doesn't contribute to carbon pollution. And, the Europeans are starting to solve the nuclear waste problem. Their methods and ideas need to be tested over here. We have a national oil reserve system for emergencies. Now, we need a national electrical power reserve system with small nuclear modules which can be built on ships/barges.
this article was published in the Virgnia Pilot on President's Day 2008
NUCLEAR POWER: SAFETY CONCIOUS SWEDEN CHANGES COURSE
BY LOIS BENTON LINDSTROM
PRESIDENT LINCOLN WOULD APPRECIATE THIS CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL
THE GM TUNNEL OF LOVE
THE CLAPBOARD CRITICS
MOVIE REVIEW: LINCOLN
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as
Abraham Lincoln (up for Best Actor by The Academy Review Board for Oscars)
Sally Field as his wife Mary Todd Lincoln (whose outstanding performance smashed typecast Gidget and The Flying Nun)
Tommy Lee Jones (who might just rob Day-Lewis of receiving the Best Actor Oscar)
The most exceptional outstanding performances of EVERY ACTOR and even the Extras is the very reason this motion picture is nominated for 12 Academy Awards in spite of, in my opinion, a mediocre screenplay. In my seminars I echo the masters that the first ten pages of script that translates in the first ten minutes of the movie should be BEST to enthrall the audience which in the first hour of LINCOLN was a lack luster yawner. Had I not been a Lincoln admirer I might have walked out or catch up on my sleep for the cost of a $15.00 ticket. Then again, I would have glued my eyes to the silver screen by the sheer talent of thespians which aptly transcended time. And for the latter, Mr. Steven Spielberg gets the credit and should take home the gold plated statuette as BEST DIRECTOR. Also, I believe Tommy Lee Jones gave his best performance as a cinema artist which only gives us all hope that some of the finer things in life actually improve with age!
In short, you must not wait for this biographical drama goes to DVD ... Waste not a moment and treat yourself to a four star film and see for yourself how Daniel Day-Lewis channeled the spirit of America's beloved president Abraham Lincoln.
This movie review by Richard C. Burriesci inaugurates a series THE CLAPBOARD CRITIC on www.TheLincolnStudio.com (INTERMISSION page) that invites fellow associates to contribute their opines.
TheLincolnStudio@yahoo.com
(516) 360-8100
Of the multi thousands of film used in the "LINCOLN" production, only that magnum about congressional debate was used extensively. Obviously, the movie could have been extended into a three hour or two part movie, if all the background authentic interior/exterior scenery, battles, parades, riots, multiple chats by major players in Goodwin's book, of which there are about seven stories, including the house disturbing rebel yellers being manhandled out of house gallery, the four singing female activist that interrupted the floor debate in the house, all the calvary, Petersburg events and others involving hundreds, at times, of valued background extras in the grandest period costumes, including scenery so documented for periods involved, plus other touching emotional scenes involving varied principals, all in the most modern night time lighting equipment. Having been a background extra, with several others for so many days for long hours, this was an extraordinary viewing of the "MASTER" SPIELBERG intense efforts to create each of the scenes greatest impact via the sounds, lighting, emotions and scene's occupant's reactions timely and engrossed in each scene. SPIELBERG expressed regularly his appreciation to all daily and after specific scenes for the sincerity of involvements therein. His decree for exactness in beards, hair, makeup, costumes, all of highest quality from around the world, was enforced daily by inspections before entering the scenes. His warehouse of exquisite background props, scenery and unusual specific events production equipment, the daily laundering and safety explicits prevailing all were more extensive than has ever been used in movie produced in VIRGINIA. His secretive shooting scenes were very intense around each shoot site, such as during the inauguration scenes, when he had cranes with walls of canvas curtains to prevent downhill and office complexes high office to be used by onlookers' cameras from windows. Again, he shot so much quality to any movie scenes that were edited out and could be aggregated into another movie.
THE production's cinematographer, sound director, all were so well coordinated and compatible throughout and contributed to the great final production. An aside, Congratulations to ANDREW EDMUNDS, CURRENTLY DIRECTOR OF THE VA. FILM OFFICE, while location manager of that office, under then Director RITA McCLENNY's enthusiastic support, for over 8 years cultivated encouraged and finally got a commitment from SPIELBERG to produce this "LINCOLN" movie here in it's original production title "OFFICE SEEKERS"
Rah! Rah! Jones, Lewis, Spielberg and Others!
BY SPEC CAMPEN
MOVIE REVIEW BY SPEC CAMPEN
SPEC GREW A BEARD FOR ROLE IN "LINCOLN"
