Camilla Belle's Art Deco Elegance

Check out Camilla Belle's ultra-glamorous gown for Oprah Winfrey's Evening With Ralph Lauren.

John Burns' Pessimism on Iraq

John Burns of the New York Times is one of the real reporters left at the newspaper, and his reporting on Iraq over the past ten years has been essential.   He was interviewed last week by Hugh Hewitt about the Obama Administration's decision to withdraw American troops by the end of the year, and his assessment on Iraq's future was dire, to say the least:

HH: Do you see a potential for the return of the hot war of 2006, a civil war at least as brutal as that period of time, John Burns?
JB: I do. I do see that potential. I just noticed this evening a piece on the New York Times website saying that one of the Iraqi groups, insurgent groups, al Qaeda-linked groups, is claiming that they killed 60 people in Baghdad in the last ten days. The tempo of atrocities is on the rise again. And I think a lot of guns have been holstered, waiting for Americans to go. Everybody knew that they were going to go. The fact that they’re not going to leave a residual presence behind now, of 3,000-5,000 troops that the Iraqis had been talking to Washington about keeping, a sort of tripwire presence, it was certainly a question of time. Even they would have to come out, you know, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months down the road. So a lot of groups of ill intent have been waiting for the Americans to go. And it seems to me that yes, there is a real, real risk of a resumption of widespread violence. And I think American have to brace themselves, and I’m a bit pessimistic about this, for the possibility that the American period in Iraq, which has accomplished some good things, it’s also been a source of, of course, a great deal of unhappiness, and certainly a great deal of resistance within the United States, not to mention Iraq. I think that Americans have to brace themselves for the possibilities that the accomplishments that the United States will be leaving behind, which is a natant constitutional system, may in time suffer the fate that, for example, the British did after their period in Iraq during and after the First World War. The sands of Iraq will simply blow over them, and the American presence in history will amount to, to have accomplished, sadly, rather little.

We are still in Germany and Japan sixty-six years after the end of World War II.   We are still in South Korea fifty-seven years after the end of the Korean War.   We fled Vietnam in 1975.    The countries where we stayed are democracies and allies.   the country we fled is still communist and authoritarian to this day, and holocausts occurred in our wake (the killing fields of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge).   Now we are proposing to flee Iraq.   God help them. 

Birthdays Today

Two great artists have birthdays today, one who is very famous, one who is not.   The famous one is Pablo Picasso, born in 1881.   The date surprises me... that means that Picasso was very young when he started creating great art in the early years of the 20th Century.   Here is one of Picasso's most beautiful early works, called "Motherhood," from 1903, when he was only 22.   It's a work from his "celebrated Blue Period":

The great jazz guitarist of the 1920s, Eddie Lang, was also born today, in 1902, which also means that he was quite young when he was making his revolutionary music in duets with the violinist Joe Venuti.   Here's a great cut from 1927, "Four String Joe," which I think also features Frankie Trumbauer on the sax:




It interests me that both Picasso and Lang were creating their greatest works in the 20s as very young men.   The Regular Son is already a remarkable artist (as you'll see this year on our Christmas card).   And he's also a tremendous guitarist for his age (more inclined toward Bruce Springsteen and Mark Knopfler than jazz).  I'm not sure I'm too thrilled with him trying to make a career in either art or music.   But if you don't try when you're young, you end up a blink or two later in your 50s wondering what happened.  

Mugged By Reality II

Here's another example of how the Occupy Wall Street protesters are getting mugged by reality.   You might think that young students, including a lot of young women, living in a commune in the middle of an urban area sharing food and beds wouldn't attract... well, let's just say an unsavory element.   You might think that... if you somehow reached adulthood with no common sense and not even the most rudimentary understanding of human nature.   Yet it seems to be a surprise for some of the Occupy Wall Street organizers that their little protest camp is being infested by homeless and ex-cons:

"We have compassion toward everyone. However, we have certain rules and guidelines," said Lauren Digioia, 26, a member of the sanitation committee.

"If you're going to come here and get our food, bedding and clothing, have books and medical supplies for no charge, they need to give back," Digioia said. "There's a lot of takers here and they feel entitled."

It's just a guess, but I'd say that 100% of the "99%" at the Occupy Wall Street protests are "takers" who "feel entitled."  

Occupy Wall Street Gets Mugged By Reality

Here is a quote from an Occupy Wall Street protester that captures for me the utter naivete of these children (whatever their ages might be).   It comes from a 38 year-old man who is upset that the "rich" bankers he wants to protest aren't available at convenient times:

It’s weird protesting... You get there at 9 a.m. and the rich bankers who you want to hurl insults at and change their worldview have been at work for two hours already. And then when it’s time to go, they’re still there. I guess that’s why they call them the one per cent. I mean, who wants to work those kinds of hours?

One might comment that an intelligent observer, thinking logically, could conclude that there was a connection between working "those kinds of hours" and becoming "rich," just as there's a connection between sitting outside protesting at age 38 and not being rich.   But it's all too easy, isn't it?

Girls of the Day - Anniversary Edition

Today is the one-year anniversary of The Regular Guy Believes.   And, although I often have offered "cheesecake" photos of actresses or models as my girls of the day -- OK, so maybe I have a little bit of the dirty old man in me, so sue me -- the most important girls in my life are, of course, the Regular Wife, the Regular Daughters, and the Regular Mom.   Here they all are together last summer on vacation at a wonderful Beaches Resort in Turks & Caicos.   Man, do I wish those little girls could stay little forever.   

Kick a FRESH corpse, why don'tcha? Dan Wheldon didn't have to die!

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 31 Oct. 2011

The Enquirer, classy as always, picks over the freshly buried bones of Indy 500 champ Dan Wheldon, who died this month in a horrific accident on a track in Las Vegas. Here are the headlines.

• Tragic Indy ace didn't have to die!
• Dan Wheldon's chilling warning
• Dramatic photos inside
• Terrified Danica quitting