Thursday, June 28, 2007

When the hell do I get to go back home!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_fasteners

A brass fastener, "brad", or split pin is a stationery item used for securing multiple sheets of paper together.

The fastener is inserted into punched holes in the stack of paper and the leaves, or tines, of the legs are separated and bent over to secure the paper. This holds the pin in place and the sheets of paper together. For few sheets of paper, holes can be made using the sharp end of the fastener.

A split pin may be used in place of staples, but is more commonly used in situations where rotation around the joint is desirable. This lends split pins to use in mobile paper and cardboard models.

It is shaped somewhat like a nail with a round head and flat, split length. Brass fasteners are made of a soft metal such as brass and the tines are typically of two slightly different lengths. This allows easy separation of the tines.

Brass fasteners are often used as modern scrapbooking embellishments. Brass fasteners are also used for door hardware.



http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/brass

Informal. a. high-ranking military officers.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_carrier

As "runways at sea," modern aircraft carriers have a flat-top deck design that serves as a flight deck for take-off and landing of aircraft. Aircraft take off to the front, into the wind, and land from the rear. Carriers steam at speed, for example up to 35 knots (65 km/h), into the wind during take-off in order to increase the apparent wind speed, thereby reducing the speed of the aircraft relative to the ship. On some ships, a steam-powered catapult is used to propel the aircraft forward assisting the power of its engines and allowing it to take off in a shorter distance than would otherwise be required, even with the headwind effect of the ship's course. On other carriers, aircraft do not require assistance for take off — the requirement for assistance relates to aircraft design and performance. Conversely, when landing on a carrier, conventional aircraft rely upon a tailhook that catches on arrestor wires stretched across the deck to bring them to a stop in a shorter distance than normal. Other aircraft — helicopters and V/STOL (Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing) designs — utilize their hover capability to land vertically and so require no assistance in speed reduction upon landing.




This is the scene where she is walking down a runway that reminds me of career as a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier aviator.























http://gallery.phoebe-cates.com/v/movies/bright_lights/bright11.jpg.html



I don't ever recall seeing this movie, but there are some interesting details relevant to me to note. The first is that it released about a year after I returned home after my escape from Africa. I recognize the date 4/14/1986 as when the prison I was being held at as a Prisoner of War in Libya was bombed and I escaped captivity. My family thought I had been killed that day and they had a funeral service for me on 11/25/1986. Phoebe portrays a character named "Amanda" in this movie and in my artificial and symbolic memory of 1988, I had a girlfriend named Amanda. In my artificial and symbolic memory, I returned from the Persian Gulf in 1988 and Amanda broke up with me about 3 days after I got back. I have written about those artificial "memories" many times over the past years.

From 4/14/1986 to 4/1/1988 is: 718 days

718 / 2 = 359

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094799/

Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

Release Date: 1 April 1988 (USA)

Plot Outline: A disillusioned young writer living in New York City turns to drugs and drinking to block out the memories of his dead mother and estranged wife.

Phoebe Cates ... Amanda


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_Lights%2C_Big_City

Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 film staring Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland and Phoebe Cates.



I have noted several times that the image of the woman in the logo reminds me of a girlfriend named Rhonda Rochelle Ramsey. I think I "remember" that detail of her because her initials R.R.R. make me think of three R's, which sounds similar to TriStar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American division of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). SPE is a part of Japanese electronics giant Sony.

The Coca-Cola Years and Tri-Star

With a healthier balance-sheet, Columbia was bought by Coca-Cola in 1982 (they had also considered buying the struggling Walt Disney Productions).[citation needed] Coca-Cola management announced there would be no X-rated films from Columbia, yet in 1984 the studio released Body Double, which came close to receiving the rating. Studio head Frank Price mixed big hits like Tootsie and Ghostbusters with many, many costly flops. Under Coke, Columbia acquired Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio's Embassy Pictures division Embassy Television (included Tandem Productions) in 1985, mostly for its library of highly successful television series. Expanding its television franchise, Columbia also bought Merv Griffin's game-show empire the following year, including the rights to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!.

TriStar Pictures was founded in 1982, as a joint venture between Columbia, HBO, and CBS.