(The Pahlavi Crown was the crown of the Shahs of Iran.  It was originally crafted for the coronation of Reza Shah on 25 April 1926. To quote Wikipedia, “A staggering 3,380 diamonds, totaling 1,144 carats (229 g), are set into the object. The largest of these is a 60-carat (12 g) yellow brilliant that is […]

(“Reza Pahlavi was born in Tehran, Iran on October 31, 1960 to the late Shah of Iran and Empress Farah Pahlavi. As Crown Prince of Iran and the oldest of four siblings, he left Iran at the age of 17 for Air Force training, during which time the establishment of the clerical regime in Iran […]

(“Hi, Mom!” Members of the Free Syrian Army in the town of Zabadani. Photo Rueters.) U.S. sources familiar with the matter told press sources that President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing US support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his brutal government. I don’t know if the ink […]

(Former Saudi Ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar in happier times, before becoming Saudi Intelligence Chief and possible murder victim.) The Presumptive Republican Nominee for President and the sitting (or standing) SECDEF Leon Panetta have been trooping around the Middle East lately. Mitt just got back after a colorful trip to demonstrate his credentials in […]

(Guo Wenjun takes aim at Gold in London. Image courtesy ESPN.) I have yet to see anything from the Olympics on the tube. It is not that I am not aware of it, nor about all the crazy story lines: limbless sprinters, aging swimmers on the brink of immortality, strange sports with marvelous athletes of […]

(The hemline index. I am suspicious, since Schick Quattro Razors have a vested interest in more skin. Image courtesy Schick Corporation.)   I know it is stupid to waste any time at all about the train-wreck that is coming in January. I mean, if no one else in town is taking the double-whammy of tax […]

(Admiral James D. Watkins as Chief of Naval Operations. Photo USN.)   My pal Joe shipped a note to me this morning, which he does regularly about issues in the Community, either government or contractor. This was different. It was an obit, and it was one of a famous guy. I looked at it with […]

I thought the story was so cool when I saw it that I had to clip it electronically and review in detail. It was a candidate for yesterday’s story until I got off on other technologies that don’t deliver on what they promise. I suppose I should reserve judgment until the new washers and dryers […]

(The Coinmach empire began with a single row of front-lading machines in Long Island in 1947. Now it is coming after me. Photo Coinmach.) I am starting to panic. The issues cascading over us- the nonsensical tax bills wending their ways to nowhere in the Senate and House, the controversy over whether there is an […]

(Russian fast attack submarine in the Barents Sea. Photo Provda online.) I know I have at least two people that read this drivel, since they wrote to ask whether I had got tired of assaulting the sensitivities of my friends and fellow travelers. In my defense, yesterday was the day from hell. I had to […]