Traveling companions

          Good evening, 919 Gang. The roads around us -- some paved, some dirt --are not heavily used by cars so they are often used by people walking or riding bikes or horses. As we drove home today we saw a woman on a bike with a goat trotting to keep up. Don't know if it was her goat or merely one enjoying her company. It was not leashed. I don't think there is a leash law here, and even if there is I suspect it does not apply to goats.

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          REBER: We have some good news as a followup to last night's report about new bank fees.

          DAVID OGUL writes:

          Regarding my post the other day about BofA issued debit cards needed to collect uninsurance, and the new BofA debit fee of $5 per month to access your money...I've been told by our reporters at the U-T that BofA will not impose the bogus monthly fee on any government issued benefits that are received through BofA debit cards, such as unemployment or disability. As Rossannarossannadanna used to say, "Never mind."

          MICHELE DAVIS writes:

          Response to Dave Ogul re Bank of America and unemployment debit cards: They also did this with the disability payments. You can have the money automatically transferred from B of A directly into your own account at whatever bank you choose at no cost. You can have this set up on a permanent basis.
          I will say that B of A was helpful in getting my funds transferred immediately; but some B of A employees will tell you that you MUST have an account with them. This is not at all true.
          The issue of having B of A get all of these accounts was never put up for bid to other banks. When I approached my bank about what to do, they had never heard of this before.
          Also to Jimmy Thornton: Hang in there Jimmy! We are keeping you in our prayers!

          CHUCK BOYD writes:

          Wow. Interesting times.
          Now it appears Bank of America will be in the forefront of a movement to stop people from using plastic ATM cards and instead have customers physically come into a branch bank, walk up to the window and withdraw their own actual cash. Haven't some banks already started charging if you wish to speak to a live person teller?
          Merchants will have to retrain staff to take wrinkled and crinkled money (God only knows where THIS has been). $100 and $50 bills will continue to be stored under the cash drawer until more spaces are provided. Of course, robbers already know this. McDonald's will have to reconfigure its cash register to show symbols of actual money on the keys instead of pictures of French fries and burgers.
          Once the Government sees this return to cash transactions, the idea of replacing $1 paper bills with Susan B's or gold colored coins will probably finally happen. The seldom seen "Two Dollar Bill" will become a 2-metal coin similar to the Canadian Loonies and Twoonies as is done in the rest of the world. The Australian concept of eliminating pennies and rounding sales up to a nickel will become a U.S. thing, and copper miners will be forced to leave Utah and go to West Virginia young man to dig coal.
          Lines in convenience stores to pay cash for gas and doughnuts will be longer than for those buying lottery tickets. Mattress stores will start to sell padded covers to place over lumpy beds stuffed with bundles of cash. Especially troubling will be those metal coins.

          KENT FREELAND writes:

          The 919 discussion of bank fees reminded me of two recent experiences with state agencies.
          1. On Sept. 15, my girlfriend checked her credit union account online and discovered that the Franchise Tax Board had withdrawn -- WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE -- $1,175 to cover back taxes. The withdrawal left her overdrawn, but the credit union covered some subsequent checks. On the 26th she received a notice in the mail informing her that she owed $1,182 and urging her to pay that amount. We called and were told that the debt had indeed been settled by the withdrawal and the difference in the two amounts was interest levied by the left hand which did not know that the right hand had collected the money. When I asked why the notice came AFTER the levy instead of before, the answer was "I don't know."
          2. She received her registration renewal notice from the DMV in August and sent a check to renew. On Sept. 28 she received a notice in the mail that her renewal had not been received and billing her for a new amount including penalty fees for late registration. But THE NEXT DAY she received the registration and sticker in the mail. Apparently another left-hand, right-hand situation.
          P.S. While I was writing the previous message, she checked her mail and found a note from DMV saying she was overcharged for her renewal and enclosing a check for $33!
          The poor DMV appears to be in total disarray.

---------------------------------------------

          JOHN McLAREN writes:

          Just four days before my 77^th birthday, I had a new civic experience: testifying before the Portland City Council in support of a proposed bikeway that would run through my neighborhood. My participation was sought by project sponsors -- certainly not because of my limited speaking ability or minimal knowledge of transportation issues. Although no one said as much, my main credential was my ripe old age – so the council would not assume the young and fit were the only beneficiaries. If that was a strategy, it worked, because the 4.3-mile bikeway was approved. I’ve been pedaling a long time and, with the help of projects like this, hope to carry on for at least a few more years.

-----------------------------------------

          JOHN KERN writes:
          On the issue of advice to others, I am working very hard to resist offering unsolicited advice to those around me so I will resist your kind solicited offer with this exception: I survived more than 35 years in politics, government and the newspaper business following these two rules which I offer (and have kept) to all those in the same line of work: "Keep your fly zipped and your hand out of the till." Kept me out of trouble for more than 30 years.

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          REBER: Last night we referred you to Don Bauder's report in The Reader about a rumored buyer for the U-T. Don't piece was accompanied by a photo of Doug Manchester.

          DAVID POLLER writes:

          I believe Roni Galgano shot that photo of "Papa Doug" for the U-T. Can Roni confirm this? If so, someone needs to contact The Reader and let them know how costly copyright infringement can be.

-----------------------------------------

          REBER: Today the 919 Gang sends Happy Birthday (Oct. 1) wishes to Jim Goldsborough and Ruby Layson.

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          JERRY WINDLE writes:

          EDDIE ADAMS: For those of you with access to EPIX (Cox Cable Advanced TV) I highly recommend a documentary titled AN UNLIKELY WEAPON. Great film on former AP photographer Eddie Adams (1933-2004), known for the photo of a Viet Cong being shot in the head and the little naked girl running down the road away from a napalm attack and thousands more. Chronicles his war years and afterwards when he established his own studio. Great comments from fellow photographers and journalists from that era. Offers insight into this era of journalism as seen from the photographer’s and reporter’s, both print and television, viewpoint. (Maybe you can find it in the ON DEMAND section of Cox Cable TV.)

-----------------------------------------

          TIM WILSON forwards:

          This is a high quality video of a young man doing things on a bicycle that I would have thought impossible.
          It was produced by Red Bull and goes beyond amazing. Filmed in Scotland with beautiful scenes of the countryside as a backdrop, the video features some great music as well. Here is the link:
http://tinyurl.com/42btlb4

Jack Justus Reber

P.O. Box 2239
Ramona, CA 92065
U.S.A.

Another U-T sale rumor

          Good evening, 919 Gang. Preston Turegano mentioned the other night there was talk of the U-T being sold. As Don Bauder stressed in a phone conversation today, all this is just rumor at this point. Don wrote about the rumored prospective buyer for The Reader, and I think you will be surprised by the name.

          DON BAUDER wrote for The Reader:

http://tinyurl.com/5w4dbgm

-------------------------------------------

          REBER: Last night Jimmy Thornton mentioned he had a stroke about eight days ago.

          NICK CANEPA writes:

          My very best to Jimmy "Thunder" Thornton, who often imparted these words of wisdom: "Don't eat yellow snow, swim away from the warm spots, and don't eat anything that can reach your stomach before you have a chance to swallow it."
          Best advice: "Dare to be great."

          JOE HOLLY writes:

          Jimmy Thornton, last week I was sitting in my sunroom looking out on the deck when this red dragonfly landed on a twig. Slowly, I got my camera, went over and sat down in the doorway. He was still there. We looked at each other for a while, and I started shooting.
          I'd swear this guy posed for me. You know how dogs tip their heads when looking at something interesting? He did that. Didn't seem bothered by me in the least, even when I moved to get a different angle. Then, when I managed to get him against a dark shadow I noticed how beaten and battered he was. This is a dragon warrior that has been through it. But I'd swear he is smiling.
          Reminded me of you. Take care, my friend.
          Yes, I know they might get worse, but I'm hoping things get better.

----------------------------------------------------

          JOE BROWN writes:

          I don't remember a lot about J. Edgar Hoover's visits to San Diego in the Sixties, but those by his shadow, columnist Walter Winchell, are memories as fresh as yesterday. Both stayed at El  Charro Hotel (or Del Charro) in La Jolla, then visited Scripps Clinic for their annual physicals, and both spent time betting on the ponies at Del Mar.
          Winchell in addition paid almost nightly visits to the Union newsroom and also to the Press Room bar across the street on 2nd Avenue. At the latter, if he spotted a newsie crony who had imbibed too heavily, he would buy that guy a room for the night at the U.S. Grant Hotel so he wouldn't have to drive home. Winchell had tremendous power. One night he asked if we could recommend some entertainment in town. I suggested he attend a gig of a musical couple named Deedie and Bill who performed on the Bahia Belle in Mission Bay. Impressed, Winchell gave them a two-sentence laudatory mention in his column, after which they received job offers from all over the country.
          In the newsroom, Winchell ranted constantly against "the commies," and "how they are after me." But, he said, "they'll never get me because I carry this," whereupon he pulled a pistol out of his pocket and waved it excitedly in the air. I can still see one staffer after another dividing under his desk at that.
          "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. North America and all the ships at sea let's go to press......"

-----------------------------------------

          REBER: The 919 Gang sends Happy Birthday (Sept. 30) wishes to Ann Jarmusch.

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          BOB LAURENCE writes:
          Preston Turegano reminded me the other day that not all the 919 folks may be up to date on what's up with Susan and myself. (Although maybe they are. I have great faith in the efficiency of the rumor mill.)
          First, we are back from Brooklyn, back in our Morley Field home, the one with the view that never fails to enchant and surprise, known in the neighborhood as The House With The Yellow Awning. We pulled away from the curb in front of our Brooklyn brownstone on June 10, drove across the country with the dog, Duke, and the cat, Bix, in the back seat. The trip was a repeat performance of our move from San Diego to Brooklyn in 2008, except this time we were traveling westward. (And this time we stopped in Lexington, Ky., for a dinner with Susan's old pals from her days at the Herald-Leader.)
          We drove into San Diego Saturday, June 18, just in time to attend a party of U-T folks in Cheryl Clark's back yard. We didn't sell our house when we left, but instead rented it out, with generally positive results. The move back into the place was long and tedious, as one might expect. There was also an element of weirdness to it, walking into our empty house after a three-year absence and moving back in all over again. But that was the plan from the start: We're going to New York for three years, then we'll return home.
          Susan left her job at ProPublica in New York, but has a new job now. She is Executive Editor of insideclimatenews.org, a nonprofit online publication that focuses on news in the world of climate change and energy. Inside Climate has staff members in New York, Washington, Boston and Jerusalem, plus Susan in San Diego, but it's a true Internet operation, with no main office anywhere.
          As for me, I haven't written much lately, but I'm riding my bike a lot, usually attaining my 100-miles-a-week goal. The results so far: weight down a little, pulse and blood pressure both down considerably. And we're happy to be back in a place where the weather never makes the national news.
          And, for anyone who's interested, the letters I wrote from Brooklyn are still posted at:
lettersfrombrooklyn.com.

          REBER: In addition to my interest in long-time friends Bob and Susan, I appreciate this message because it gave me info to update the 919 Gang Directory. And it prompts me to nag Susan (yet again) for a more extensive bio for the directory.

-------------------------------------------------------

          REBER: Here's a good entry in our string about what single bit of advice would you like to share with the world.

          GINA LUBRANO writes:

          Others have said this in different ways, but the advice I would give people is to remember that no one is promised tomorrow.

---------------------------------------------------

          DAVID OGUL writes:

          Here's an item that should outrage everyone. This past summer, the state of California, in its infinite wisdom, decided it would be convenient to everyone involved that rather than continue its practice of sending unemployment checks straight to the jobless, it would instead deposit unemployment funds in Bank of America accounts that could be accessed through debit cards. Debit cards were sent to the jobless and accounts for every eligible unemployed person was created, whether or not that person wanted anything to do with a bank that was at the forefront of the mortgage crisis and is now on the brink of financial ruin.
          Then this story comes along, http://nyti.ms/qTQJ4H, detailing how Bank of America will now charge $5 per month for account holders to use their debit cards. Now, if I'm reading this correctly, that means Bank of America will charge the 2.2 million unemployed Californians a $5 monthly fee to access their money that comes not from Bank of America, but from the state of California. Here's another way of looking at it: The state of California is giving Bank of America some $11 million in free money every month, or $132 million every year.

          REBER: I am a bit uncomfortable about defending banks, but I urge folks to restrain their outrage until they have read the story to which David provides a link. The article points out that new federal rules reduce how much the banks can charge merchants when you use a debit card for purchases. The $5 fee is an effort by the banks to recoup lost revenue. Whether they will make or lose money on this deal remains to be seen. My guess is they have structured it in hopes of making  a profit or at least breaking even. My daughter-in-law raised this matter the other night, and I suggested she go to her bank, withdraw cash to make purchases and not use her debit card, thus avoiding the $5 fee. The idea of using cash apparently was new to her.

 

Jack Justus Reber

P.O. Box 2239
Ramona, CA 92065
U.S.A.

J was for John

          Good evening, 919 Gang. Carl Larsen asked if anyone remembered J. Edgar Hoover's visits to Del Mar. The answer is definitely yes.

          JACK GREGG writes:

          When J. Edgar came to town, he would call the Tribune's Vinnie Dunn and ask Vinnie to see him for an interview. These talks were all on the same subject -- Commies. Vinnie began to hate these calls and avoid J Edgar. I had the desk next to Dunn's and answered his phone. Is Vincent Dunn there? He's away. Can I help you? Tell him Mr. Hoover called. Herbert or J. Edgar, I asked. J. Edgar, he said -- and then he hangeth up.

          TOM BLAIR writes:

          I remember the Hotel del Charro and J. Edgar very well, I think. And I think the hotel was in La Jolla Shores. Best salad dressing ever made, and the former manager took the recipe with him to the Executive Hotel, where it was lost, I believe. Would pay dearly to have it now. J. Edgar, on the other hand? Eh.

          NOEL OSMENT writes:

          He apparently shopped at Jurgensen's, the long-time-ago fancy foods store in La Jolla. Ed Hutshing told me about seeing him there.
          A correction: Del Charro was in the village of La Jolla, not up on the mesa. It was torn down in, I believe, the late 70s, to become condominiums.

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          REBER: Joe Holly invited us to share words of wisdom we might like to leave for the world.

          JIMMY THORNTON writes:

          Words of wisdom. A friend of mine who stammered at times stuttered as he talked with the late Scott Stewart, newsroom humorist, TV writer and such, and after a long time trying to say just the right thing, he waited for Scott’s response, which was a terse rebuttal: “That’s easy for you to say.” My pal shook his head and smiled. Last Thursday I was felled by a stroke, and I am writing this at about 10 words per minute. Yeah, that’s easy for me to say.
          One philosophy Joe H might appreciate is this: “Things are  never so bad that they can’t get worse.” I’d like to think I originated that.
          I’d also add that it is true, as previously stated in the 919 scroll, we should live each day, each hour, as if it were our last. And it is also true that no matter what health problem you experience you will see others who are in much worse shape, and you thank God for what you have.
          While killing time in La Jolla Nursing and Rehab Center a couple of days I found a 1947 collection of current short stories written by famous authors of the day. I refreshed myself on Hemingway’s snowy mountain as he reflected on dying from an infected scratch while remembering how tough he had been. Then I tried to read a sassy little bit of fluff by S Fitzgerald, but gave up because it was about the type of people who don’t interest me.
          One bit by Steinbeck was excellent about a family’s reaction to an old grandpa who had outlived his welcome except to his grandson.
          Then I decided to read Dorothy Parker for the first time to say I’d read her. The story, “The telephone call” was grand indeed. She had me laughing in almost every sentence. O I needed her. Now I crave to read more of Parker.
          It’s true.  Just when things seem a bit dim, somebody clicks on a bright light.    
          Hope Mr. H finds wisdom in that.

          REBER: Sorry to hear about the stroke, Jimmy. Obviously, your writing skills have not been diminished. The fellow who stammered was a good friend, and worked for me for a while. He finally decided to get treatment to cure the stammer. Everyone was always patient with him, and he decided that was not the right thing. At one time he told me, "Jack, if I start stammering. Stop me and tell me to start over." It did not help.

          CRAIG MACDONALD writes:

          "Life is a roller coaster ride. Hang in there."

          STEVE STIBBENS writes:

          Words of wisdom: Semper Fidelis.

          JOHN SWEENEY writes:

          Two words come to mind in the advice thread: Greed kills. These words were relevant to me when I amended the 1960's admonition "Speed kills" eons ago, and perhaps they're even more meaningful today.

          JAMIE BRYSON writes:

          Chuck Boyd said it for me, only better. I loved my work when I was a San Diego Union guy and I was proud of the profession and the newspaper, warts and all. I thought a finished newspaper every day was a miracle, probably because it was. Newspapers cannot just dry up and float away -- can they? Tell me it ain't so, Joe.

---------------------------------------------

          REBER: Interesting how often David Farmer brings up a subject which prompts a lot of discussion. The latest was his comparison or cork stoppers vs screw-on caps for wine bottles.

          TOM GABLE writes:

          On the discussion about screwtop wines, I blogged in May 2010 about the screwtop being the best closure based on a study from the Australian Wine Research Institute. To summarize:
          Wine lovers probably won’t see this in the next few decades or centuries, but sealing almost all wines with a screwtop closure will be better for wineries, restaurants, retailers and ultimately every wine drinker on earth. Two reasons: studies show screwtop closures endure over time better than other closures. and in some 35 years of buying and cellaring wines I’ve found about one in four bottles of wine over 15 years old have cork problems.
          For more details:
http://tinyurl.com/3nfy76g

          JERRY WINDLE writes:

          WINE CORKS: Recent discussion here of wine corks prompts me to write of something I saw recently on one of the DIY shows I watch. Love those home improvement projects – watching more than doing. Anyway, they used a new product for floor covering. It is wine corks! The corks are sliced into thin pieces and attached to a backing of some sort, just like small tiles that can be laid in squares. Then it was grouted like regular tile. I question durability but there are such things as cork flooring but wine corks! Ideal for a wine cellar!

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          JOHN MARTIN writes:

          The exchanges by Jim Box, Rex Salmon and Roger Conlee about fog-boumd Aztec football and Don Coryell's first (or was it second) press conference, revived memories of The Aztec.
          As managing editor in 1960, I had been recruited by Jeff Fishel, a political science major, who took command and promptly turned it from a broadsheet to a tabloid. Campus newsstands had sagged with 7,000 or 8,000 unwanted copies when we arrived. When we started covering crime on campus ("Toltec Thefts; Cops Baffled"), the Journalism Department quickly disowned us. It wanted no part of our coverage, which included sending me to cover the San Quentin execution of Caryl Chessman, a notorious rapist/murderer whose appeals for a lesser penalty became an international cause celeb. When a San Diego State professor was arrested protesting outside the prison, we heard about it in a wire story and splashed my interview with him across the front page. Our interview with American Nazi Party provocateur George Lincoln Rockwell, conducted as an angry crowd of students gathered outside our office, caused more Aztecs to read The Aztec (can't remember if we were still a weekly or twice-weekly). The newspaper racks emptied quickly in those days, even after we increased the press run to about 10,000-11,000. Our odyssey ended with Fishel's graduation at semester's end. He went on to a career as a respected analyst of American politics, teaching at Indiana University and American University. The moral: News sells.

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          REBER: Today (Sept. 29) we wish Happy Birthday to Logan McKechnie/

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          JOHN PRICE writes:

          Jack, I too have become interested in genealogy in the past couple of years. Is that becoming almost a common thing? If anyone who is looking for their ancestors is near a Latter-Day Saint or Mormon Family History Center, you can access Ancestry.com and several other subscription sites there for free. There is a whole world of information about a whole world of people on these Internet sites and at those Centers. I have become fascinated with finding "who" my great-great grandmother Isabella is. I knew her name but little more. I quickly found that digging into research in England is a game of detective that goes way beyond Agatha Christie. From census records, I found that Isabella lived on Mercy Street in Leeds England in 1841 when she was 16. The Mercy Street neighborhood was demolished in 1931 and is now covered by a freeway interchange. But in 1931, some inspired photographer wandered up and down the neighborhood and photographed the whole area of row-houses before it was bulldozed. The city of Leeds has posted those photos on the Internet. From a copy of the census records and an 1875 map, I could extrapolate within three doors, which house in which photograph Isabella lived in. I also found that the church where she was married in a little town called Pudsy is still active and has a website with photographs of the chapel and the interior. This seems to be a hobby that can easily become addictive, but then you knew that, didn't you?

          REBER: The Mormon family history centers (there's one in Mission Valley) are a great resource. And there is absolutely no problem if you are not a Mormon. The signin sheet will ask that question. After that, nobody cares.

          Last night I passed information that Ancestry.com was making some of its databases available for free from Oct 1-15. Later I learned that one database will be free each day. Fifteen databases in 15 days.

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          REBER: Here's a correction to an earlier message.

          BILL ARBALLO writes:

          Trivia: The Tippett Estate ocverlooking the Pacific at the north end of Del Mar and the Snake Wall property are not related. in any way.

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          BILL CALLAHAN writes:

          The reference of Mushy is Okay in your last blast brought back to mind the nickname Rick Smith handed me back in the 2nd Avenue days. As has been well documented here the Silver-Haired Teenager had a nickname for everyone in the newsroom. The "Mastodon" tag on Lynn Bailey was the best. I walked by Rick and the sports department each morning, and I knew he was struggling to drum something up for me, probably because of my bland appearance. Finally, one morning I heard him shout out, "Hey, Mush" Seems there was boxer named Mushy Callahan who had achieved some level of notoriety in the distant past. I'd been tagged.

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          REBER: Last night Preston Turegano mentioned reality TV shows.

          WELTON JONES writes:

          An observation by an  experienced (and always paid) television veteran:
          "Of course producers love reality show. You don't have to pay the actors, you can feed them bugs and they fire themselves."

          REBER: Which reminds me of a quote attributed to the publisher of Screw magazine. He was asked if he tried the gizmos advertised in his magazine. "Heck, no. That's what free-lancers are for."

--------------------------------------------

          BILL BIRCH forwards:

          Texas drought -- 2011 is worst in Texas history.
          Never thought I'd see this in the Lone Star State.
http://tinyurl.com/6ju8vzr

          GENE CIECHANOWSKI forwards:

          You're going to love this idea.
http://tinyurl.com/3szsc59

          BOB ELLEDGE forwards:

          LATimes' take on Pew report from yesterday
http://tinyurl.com/6govljz

          BOB ELLEDGE forwards:
          Story doesn't say, butduring a red tide, why is the luminescence blue? Is it sad because so many had to die, hence the red tide that they have the blues? And no, I did not major in science. And yes, this is poorly written, but it's free. So there.
http://tinyurl.com/3m6ennc

Jack Justus Reber

P.O. Box 2239
Ramona, CA 92065
U.S.A.

Mushy is okay

          Good evening, 919 Gang. More members respond tonight, telling what words of wisdom they would like to share with the world.

          DAVID OGUL writes:

          My single tidbit of advice:
          No matter how bad things are for you, somebody is is suffering even more.

          PATRICIA DIBSIE writes;

          Once on a Tribune travel trip to Montreal, when I was very young, I partied all night with a flight crew. Next morning, 30 or so journalists gathered in the hotel lobby for a three-hour bus trip. I ran past our group, promising to be right back and grabbed a pillow and blanket from my room. The bus waited for me and as I rushed to the back of the bus, a Burl Stiff lookalike grabbed my arm and said. "Sip life, little one, do not gulp it." It took years and a few puppies for me to understand what he meant but I think it was to live in the moment. I have found that people who are always in a hurry really have no place to go. No lectures from me, I step aside and let them pass. This goes for cars on the freeway, too.

          JAMIE RENO writes:

          Jack, my single bit of advice is pretty easy, given the fact that I’ve been fighting incurable stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer off and on or 15 years and was supposed to be dead 12 years ago: life is the greatest of all gifts, enjoy EVERY SINGLE DAY. And while you’re at it, hug your kids and kiss your wife (or husband) every day and tell them how much you love them... even if they think you’re being too mushy, do it anyway. :)

----------------------------------------------

          MIKE BURGE writes:

          I want to extend my best wishes and a bon voyage to Lee Grant as he leaves for a Peace Corps stint in Vanuatu. I served nearly two years in Kenya, East Africa, in the late 1970s, and it's an experience that shapes me to this day. I was a young man when I served, and I think it would be interesting to do as an older, allegedly wiser person. Unlike Lee, however, I'm not tempted. Lee, I admire your courage.

          PRESTON TUREGANO writes:

          68-year-old Lee Grant, who is off to the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu to teach English for two years, says he looks forward to still receiving his "daily dish" of Rebergrams. Named "Notorious Yenta" by Lee, I will do my best to feed that desire for gossip. Why, just last week I heard managers at the UT were saying the paper had been sold, or is about to be sold. BTW, the earthquake-prone Vanuatu was the site of TV's "Survivor" during the 2004-5 season. Maybe CBS should set that "reality" show at the UT.

          REBER: Hmmm. I don't recall Lee mentioning a thirst for gossip. And am I the only person in the world who has never watched a single minute of any reality show? My barber says she loves them. She says she knows they are not reality, but she still watches.

---------------------------------------------

          CARL LARSEN writes:

          The Hollywood publicity machine is gearing up to inundate us with promos and TV guest appearances tied to director Clint Eastwood's latest effort, the biopic "J. Edgar," which will be released in early November. Starring Leonardo Di Caprio (it's hard for me to imagine him playing a 70-year-old man, but, hey, he's the "king of the world"), the film already is receiving some buzz as to how it will portray the real J. Edgar's long-time relationship with ever-present aide Clyde Tolson. All this got me to thinking. Hoover was an annual fixture at the Del Mar racetrack, where he cavorted with "the stars" and some low-level mobsters. He hung out at the nearly forgotten Hotel Del Charro on Torrey Pines Mesa, an influence-building creation of Texas oilmen Sid Richardson and Clint Murchison. The Reader had a pretty good rundown on Del Charro a while back. Anyway, does anyone in our group who may go back a bit have any stories about J. Edgar's regular visits to San Diego? Did he "hang" at any local restaurants -- (are there any photos of him here?). I don't think 919 has tackled this one. One of the issues confronting a newspaper editor is how much should he/she alllow their paper to be "hijacked" by the Hollywood spin meisters, with spin-off stories on their latest "blockbusters." I can remember being assigned to do a story on panic rooms tied to a film I never saw, "The Panic Room." It got me onto A-1 after I found on deadline such a room being built in a custom home in North County. I don't go to the movies much these days (last one was The New York Times documentary -- "Page One," where another "newsie" in attendance told me that former U-T editor Karin Winner also was in the audience.) You can see the promo trailer for "J Edgar" at:
www.jedgarmovie.com

          REBER: A good question. Some of our members must have encountered Hoover, at least at Del Mar. I recently added a book to my Pogo collection. Reading it today, I encountered two characters who have an amazing resemblance to Hoover and Spiro Agnew. If you recall Walt Kelly's comic strips, you know it is not mistaken identity.

------------------------------------

          CHUCK BOYD writes:

          Every time I read an article about the demise of newspapers -- and now television news -- and the substitution of the Internet, blogs, tweets and even Facebook, I stop and remember the steps involved in producing "news."
          Stories are uncovered and nurtured by news people who are paid for their expertise. One didn't go into news to make dollars but to make a difference. We all felt good when the public was served.
          When a bad guy was exposed. When a good deed was rewarded due to someone digging into the details and sometimes turning over rocks to expose the writhing mess underneath.
          When the internet splashes a big story, it's originally based on someone doing what news people do. Somewhere an editor nudged or nodded or re-directed. I think that is crucial. I'm glad I was part of that process.

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          DAVID FARMER writes:
          The photogs in our midst may know this term: undercranking. In the making of movies, it means exposing the film at a slow camera speed. When the picture is projected, the action appears much faster than it really was.
          I was reminded of the term today while watching a 1941 Western on TCM. One scene depicted horsemen and cattle stampeding through a town. The director wanted the animals to move faster than they're willing to do for oats, and probably even hemp. So the cameraman undercranked. The result is quick motion, but it can be jerky, especially when people are walking or running. They tend to hop in a slightly comic fashion.
          You can notice the technique in films made from the 20s into the 50s. It was used for car chases, fight scenes, anything in which the director wanted more speed than his performers could or would deliver. I haven't seen undercranking in movies made recently. Probably, viewers won't accept the artificiality. Possibly, computer-generated images and digital editing can increase speeds in a completely realistic manner.

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          REBER: Last night David Farmer wrote about his preference for corks in wine bottles.

          BOB WEAVER writes:

          For David Farmer:
          Ah for the cork, most of which are either not cork or of a composite makeup -- both of which are wont to send funny little pieces of cork and non-cork into one's glass or the glass of another.
          Today's screw tops are not limited to Thunderbird, Ripple or Annie Greensprings -- or even Ripple.
          Many are first-class wines, some from Australia, some from Chile and some from right here in the U.S.A. Not all are emblazoned with the Gallo logo,
          The only wines which seem to eschew the screw-top caps come from places with foreign sounding names, i.e., France, Italy, Spain and occasionally Portugal.
          Fine vintages from California, not limited to those from Lodi, Modesto or Madera, can be topped with a screw top.
          Those who doubt the expertise of this writer should consider that for a couple of years he was the wine editor for the now consolidated Daily Report in Ontario, which covered the Cucamonga winemakers -- all 16 of them. Not to mention the hundreds, if not thousands of screw tops he has opened while his assortment of corkscrews have lain idle in the drawer.

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          JIM BOX writes:

          I’m always impressed with Rex Salmon’s recollections of our days at San Diego State. But how in the hell did he remember my middle name after all these years?

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          REBER: The 919 Gang sends warm Happy Birthday (Sept. 28) wishes to Greg Gross.

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          REBER: Several members have written that they are pursuing genealogy. I received a message today from Ancestry.com which invited people to visit that site Oct. 1-15 "to search some of our favorite collections for free and enter for a chance to win the prize of the day in the 15 Days of Discovery Sweepstakes."

          Note that it says SOME collections are free. Ancestry.com has thousands. The 1880 census index (not the complete census) and a couple of other collections are always free. I don't know how much more will be available during that period without a subscription.

Jack Justus Reber

P.O. Box 2239
Ramona, CA 92065
U.S.A.