Tag: Heroes

Renaissance Man

Architecture, Beauty, Classic Beauty, Culture, Fine Art

What do you call a man who was a professor of Architecture at Turin University, photographer, writer, skier, inventor of engines and designer of race cars, acrobatic pilot and mountaineer?  Carlo Mollino.

I have to say that I’m not enamored of his exterior architecture designs — there’s way too much Gropius and not enough Athens, never mind art nouveau;

…although not all the time:

His interiors are a little too Scandi and not enough Edwardian:

…although his Teatro Regio in Turin is incredible:


…from the inside;  the outside?

…and of his furniture we will not speak.


(Follow the link above for a full exposition of all these, and more.)

But how can you not enjoy his design of something as mundane as a bus?

And then there was his Basiluro race car, which at Le Mans 1955 (yes, that Le Mans race) managed to reach 135mph with a 750cc engine (!) until it was forced off the track into a ditch by a Jaguar:

However, it was Mollino’s photography which first caught my attention (guess why):

And my favorite:

His ultimate expression was this statement:

“Humans matter only insomuch as they contribute to a historic process; outside of history, humans are nothing.”

And Carlo Mollino sure left his mark on the historical process, in so many fields.  Che uomo!

Dept. Of Righteous Shootings

Righteous Shootings

Reader Mike L. asks if this qualifies as a Righteous Shooting.  Why yes, yes it does:

Cecil Batiz, 16, died from a gunshot wound during the incident, which unfolded at the 8400 block of the South I-10 Service Road in New Orleans East.  The robbery occurred shortly before 8 p.m. when Batiz and another suspect, 18-year-old Teony Juarez, entered the store armed and demanded cash. 

Surveillance footage revealed the moments leading up to the fatal shooting.

The video shows Batiz brandishing a gun with an extended magazine at the store employee behind the counter. The employee complied, handing over cash, while the suspects stole items. 

As the suspects’ attention shifted, the employee retrieved a firearm and opened fire, striking Batiz, who collapsed to the floor.  The footage also shows Batiz moving slightly on the ground. The employee then fired additional shots. Batiz died at the scene, officials said. 

Juarez was also shot but survived. He was later arrested and booked into Orleans Parish Prison on multiple felony charges, including armed robbery, illegal use of a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm. 

No charges have been filed against the employee at this time. 

I should bloody well hope not.  Also note that Our Hero did the proper thing by shooting until the threat was ended.

It’s too bad that he didn’t smoke both the choirboys, but let’s not quibble because the wounded asshole is going to face murder charges anyway.

Does Louisiana still have the death penalty?  Asking for a friend.

Common Thread

Good Stuff

Getting a little sick of all the “look at the Left exploding, aren’t they a bunch of fuckwits” videos and such.  They sucked (and still do), they lost, they don’t deserve our attention, fuck ’em, time to move forward.

Like Oz commentator John Anderson has done with Victor Davis Hanson in this podcast.  Now go and spend a couple hours to a) see how a real interviewer approaches a topic and b) bask in the clear wisdom and analysis of VDH.

By the way — and this next isn’t a political interview — go and watch Rick Beato talking with maestro keyboardist Rick Wakeman of Strawbs, Yes, etc.  As with Anderson, Beato only asks a few questions — I think it’s fewer than half a dozen over the entire 90-minute interview — as Wakeman walks us through recording techniques, musical history and how Yes put their wonderfully-complex songs together.

And finally, even if you aren’t at all interested in Formula 1 racing, spend some time as former team principal Otmar Szafnauer (American, not German) shows his considerable managerial capabilities in an interview with some guys I’ve never heard of, but who also give the interviewee the extreme courtesy of asking only a few questions, not interrupting his answers, and basically giving the audience the benefit of his insight.

It’s a common thread running through all three, and I don’t want to hear any bleats of the foul “tl;dr” genre.  Knowledge isn’t gained from bumper stickers, but from knowledgeable people giving us the benefit of their wisdom and experience.  And the more time we give them to share with us, the deeper our understanding becomes and the more our lives are enriched.

I happen to know a great deal about all three topics, and I still learned a whole lot from all three interviews.

You’re welcome.

Human Interest

Drive Time, Good Stuff

When people so often ask me why I read the horrible Daily Mail newspaper, I can point to stories like this one, which somehow always escape being covered by U.S. newspapers:

A grandmother and son embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime road trip in a vintage Caddy.

Annie Koehler, 79, and Jamie Hutchins, 60, completed the cross-country excursion last month – traveling 4,200 miles in nine days with the windows down. 

The duo traveled across the US — from Illinois to Santa Monica- – in a Cadillac he custom-made.

Despite dating back to 1957, the De Ville made it an astounding 4,200 miles in nine days, Koehler said in an interview – noting how the trip was all done with ‘the windows down.’

The retired trucker also said she needs a new set of tires – after making the journey at 90 mph and winning a couple ‘burnout’ competitions on the way.

Wait… she’s the “retired trucker”?  Could I love her any more?

Lemme tell ya:  among my several posts about doing a long-distance trip in an old car, I’d never have thought about having someone like her as a companion;  but I would now, in a heartbeat.  (But is there anyone “like her”?  I doubt it.)

And by the way:  4,200 miles in nine days, with a couple lengthy stops for the “burnout” competitions… you work out their average speed — in a rebuilt ’57 Caddy.

Fantastic stuff.  Thanks, DM — you made my day.

So Much For Paradise

Anti-Gun Nannies, Righteous Shootings

I know, I know:  Hawaii is anything but Paradise, that’s just PR.  In fact, when it comes to the mucky business of everydqy life — e.g. protecting your family from scumbag neighbors, it’s closer to Hell.  So we’ve all heard about this sorry little tale:

Only in Hawaii* would prosecutors arrest an armed homeowner who stopped a violent neighbor who had just rammed several cars with a front-end loader, shot and killed three women, wounded two others, and posed an immediate threat to shoot more. Yet, that’s exactly what law enforcement officials did…

Until some vestige of common sense (not to say to protect their asses from a lynch mob) set in:

…before ultimately deciding not to pursue charges, citing “issues related to self-defense and defense of others.” Even anti-gun officials, as much as they might have wanted to prosecute the man, had to acknowledge this was a clear case of justifiable self-defense.

When you read the details, it’s not only “a clear case of justifiable self-defense”, but also a confirmation of the old “he needed killing” saying.

The good part of all this?

Local lawmakers are now discussing the possibility of strengthening the state’s self-defense laws in response to the incident. Democratic state representative Darius Kila (that’s right, a Democrat!), whose district is near the scene, is among those pushing for changes. Kila has expressed interest in making Hawaii’s laws more clear-cut by shifting toward a “stand your ground” framework, rather than the current “duty to retreat” standard. He believes residents should be assured that they can defend themselves and their loved ones without fear of legal repercussions, especially in situations as dire as the one that unfolded in Waianae.

Yeah, forgive me for being skeptical, but I’m going to wait until actual laws have been passed before singing hallelujahs.

This is Hawaii, after all.

*not just Hawaii;  I can think of at least three states where the hero homeowner would have been arrested if not prosecuted for his perfectly-justifiable actions.