04/28/06

Arbor Day: go plant a tree!

Posted by admin

Today is National Arbor Day, even though a number of state Arbor Days have been set at other times to coincide with the best tree planting weather. [Click thumbnail photo to enlarge.] You may be asking yourself: "But what are the origins of Arbor Day?" Never fear, that's why I'm here... to answer your question:

Nebraska was once a treeless plain. But J. Sterling Morton set out to change all that. He figured that trees were needed...

Posted at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/28/06

Current Terror Alert Level

Posted by admin

...is Bert. We'll be in deep doo-doo if it moves up to Ernie or, Heaven help us, Elmo.

Posted at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/28/06

Grave matters: John Edmond Andrew Phillips

Posted by admin

30 August 1935 - 18 March 2001 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Forest Lawn at map site 4, facing south.

Singer and composer: The Mamas & The Papas.

[

Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/27/06

Giant white boxes invade Palm Springs!

Posted by admin

Here's an interesting local story from The Desert Sun:

A new Web site depicting boxy white warehouses where the Desert Fashion Plaza now stands in downtown Palm Springs had the Wessman Development Co. crying foul Tuesday.

"We would never build something like this in downtown," said Michael Braun, vice president of Wessman Development Co. "It would be a crime to do something like this. It would never be allowed."

The Web site, www.pswhereareyou.com, was created Monday night by Palm Springs resident Sheryl Hamlin.

Reached Tuesday, Hamlin was...

04/27/06

Whatchawannadothisweekend? (27Apr06)

Posted by admin

Tonight: At 7:30 and 9:30pm, catch the Concert Series at Peter's, featuring "So It's Spring — So What?" That kind of enthusiasm is darn infectious.

Friday: Desert Youth Ballet presents "The Seasons" at the Performing Arts Building in Rancho Mirage, 7pm. Tights and tutus are necessary and sufficient prerequisites for an evening of civility and...

04/27/06

Grave matters: Charles ''Buddy'' Rogers

Posted by admin

13 August 1904 - 21 April 1999 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Forest Lawn at map site 3, facing east.

Actor: Wings, My Best Girl.

[more graves]

Posted at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/26/06

Billion? With a ''B''?!

Posted by admin

The latest case of logorrhea, as reported by AP:

A massive language research database responsible for bringing words such as "podcast" and "celebutante" to the pages of the Oxford dictionaries has officially hit a total of 1 billion words, researchers said Wednesday. Drawing on sources such as weblogs, chatrooms, newspapers, magazines and fiction, the Oxford English Corpus spots emerging trends in language usage to help guide lexicographers when composing the most recent editions of dictionaries. [...]

Related: the recent

Posted at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/26/06

Turn your 6-pack into 5-and-change

Posted by admin

This is the kind of news that makes me proud to live in the land of the free, home of the brave... yup, our country's good old-fashioned know-how, can-do spirit has come up with yet another way for sports fans to get really, really stupid (from Sky News, UK):

The Beerbelly is a strap-on drinks holder disguised as a big beer gut. It consists of a four-pint plastic container [approximately 5.3 twelve-ounce cans] with waist and shoulder straps. The wearer uses a straw to suck beer from the holder. Its American designers came up...

04/26/06

Grave matters: George Montgomery

Posted by admin

27 August 1916 - 12 December 2000 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Forest Lawn at map site 3, facing south.

Actor, Director, Writer. Note: George's cremated remains were divided and now rest in two locations, the other being

Posted at 08:10 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/25/06

China or bust

Posted by admin

Something tells me these stories are related: Hooters opens in China (Reuters video) and Chinese women 'need bigger bras' (BBC).

Posted at 05:19 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/25/06

Mascotti

Posted by admin

Desert Hot Springs High School is the home of the Golden Eagles. In fact, it says so, right on their website. The eagle is a wholesome, all-American mascot. Go DHSHS. Rah. Rah.

La Quinta HS also favors the avian category: go Blackhawks.

Cathedral City High School's site welcomes us to Lion Country. I must say that I was quite impressed, and even a tiny bit scared. Go Lions.

The students at Palm Springs High call themselves Indians, presumably in tribute to the Cahuilla tribal lands...

Posted at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/25/06

Grave matters: Harold Robbins

Posted by admin

21 May 1916 - 14 October 1997 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Forest Lawn at map site 2, facing east (inside gates).

Author: The Carpetbaggers, The Betsy. Quote etched on glass: "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die."...

Posted at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/24/06

Grave matters: Alice Faye

Posted by admin

5 May 1915 - 9 May 1998 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Forest Lawn at map site 2, facing east (inside gates).

Actress: Rose of Washington Square, In Old Chicago. Wife of Phil Harris.

[

Posted at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/24/06

Down & Out in Palm Springs

Posted by admin

Everybody in the world knows we're crazy about golf out here. [Click thumbnail photo to enlarge.]

I hear that any potential homebuyer is now required by law to demonstrate unbridled enthusiasm for the game by having his/her forehead permanently tattooed with a stroke-handicap number.

So it's not really surprising that someone would make a comfy home, accessorized with festive Christmas lights, inside this golf cart recently spotted at the corner of

Posted at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/24/06

The Blogging Goldbergs

Posted by admin

At Saturday's PS Book Fest, I had the rare pleasure of meeting two brothers who both have enormously successful writing careers. Lee Goldberg claimed to be the younger and handsomer one, even though his brother's blog contradicts this. Later, I met Tod Goldberg, a CV resident engaged in the thankless task of popularizing an eight-letter word I can't repeat here. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it. Both Goldbergs are charming and witty and talented, so naturally my reaction was one of overwhelming envy... the highest compliment that one writer can extend to...

Posted at 08:10 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/21/06

Earth Day + 36: tomorrow

Posted by admin

April 22, 1970: twenty million people take to the streets, parks and auditoriums, to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. In addition to massive coast-to-coast rallies, thousands of colleges and universities organize protests against the deterioration of the ecosphere.

July 9, 1970: President Nixon declares his intention to establish the Environmental Protection Agency. After the bill passes through Congress, the EPA comes into being on December 2, 1970.

December 31, 1970: P.L. 91-604 goes into effect - Congress has...

Posted at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/21/06

Happy birthday, Queen E!

Posted by admin

The Brits have put up an official birthday website for their queen. Isn't that precious?!

Queen Elizabeth II turns 80 today, which means she's just twelve days younger than Hugh Hefner. If they'd let me interview Her Majesty, I would ask her if she's done the nasty with Hef.

That's probably why they won't let me interview her.

Useless QE2 facts: (#53) she sent her first email in 1976, and (#74) she's got a gold record - for Party at the Palace.

PS:...

Posted at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/21/06

Grave matters: Phil Harris

Posted by admin

24 June 1904 - 11 August 1995. Current location: Forest Lawn at map site 2, facing east (inside gates). Husband of Alice Faye. Singer, bandleader and comic.

[more graves]

Posted at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/20/06

Happy Incorporation Day!

Posted by admin

The record indicates that Palm Springs, a city of the sixth class, was incorporated on April 20, 1938 with a population of 1,780. Philip Boyd was the first mayor.

Today, the population has grown to approximately 45,000 (42,807 in the 2000 census), and Ronald Oden is the mayor.

Posted at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/20/06

Reel Pride 2006

Posted by admin

Cinémas Palme d'Or hosts Reel Pride 2006: The Desert's Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, tonight through Sunday. Good clean fun for the whole family.

Posted at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/20/06

Whatchawannadothisweekend? (20Apr06)

Posted by admin

Tonight: Bill Cosby returns to the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino at 8pm. "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight."

Friday: Gilda's Club Desert Cities presents Bob Newhart Live! at 8pm. "Fo' shizzle, ma' izzle."

Saturday morning: The second annual

Posted at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/20/06

Grave matters: Dinah Shore

Posted by admin

1 March 1916 - 24 February 1994 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Forest Lawn at map site 1, facing west.

Actress and singer. Note: Dinah's cremated...

Posted at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/19/06

Avanti

Posted by admin

The Avanti Owners Association is holding its annual meet here next week to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the design and development of the Avanti in Palm Springs under the direction of Raymond Loewy.





[PSL covered the introduction of the Avanti back in 1962 with a

Posted at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/19/06

Grave matters: Coins for the boatman

Posted by admin

Cemetery visitors have placed coins on some of the markers in our series (examples: A, B, C), and several blog readers are now asking about this custom. Here's what I dug up:

In Greek mythology, Charon was the ferryman who took the newly dead across the river Acheron (or Styx, in some modern reinterpretations) to Hades (or one of its subdivisions, like the

Posted at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/19/06

PS Book Fest

Posted by admin

The second annual Palm Springs Book Festival will be held in Francis Stevens Park this Saturday, from 10am to 6pm.

They're planning to offer "literary theatrics for your viewing pleasure."

One of my old writing buddies, Genie Davis, has been scheduled for an interesting panel:...

Posted at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/19/06

Grave matters: Forest Lawn Memorial-Park

Posted by admin

Forest Lawn is in Cathedral City, at 69855 East Ramon Road. The remains of many celebrities are located here: Dinah Shore (partial), Papa John Phillips, Harold Robbins, Alice Faye, Phil Harris, Buddy Rogers and George Montgomery (partial), among others.

[more graves]

Some of the wall crypts and urns might be hard to find, so subsequent postings will refer to this rough map:

[

Posted at 08:08 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/10/06

Celebrity encounter: John Havlicek

Posted by admin

John "Hondo" Havlicek is widely regarded as the best sixth man in NBA history.

He was also my father's favorite basketball player.

Boy, he's tall...

[Click photo to enlarge.]

[more encounters]

Posted at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/10/06

Gwyneth, Gwyneth, Gwyneth

Posted by admin

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow gave birth to her second child over the weekend, and named the poor little guy Moses.

Sigh. I guess we can't expect much from a mother who saddled her first child with a moniker like "Apple."

You just know these kids are gonna have trouble in school... especially Moses, in swimming class.

Posted at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/10/06

Grave matters: Francis Albert Sinatra

Posted by admin

12 December 1915 - 14 May 1998 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Desert Memorial Park, section B-8, #151.

Singer and actor: Frank Sinatra was also known as "Ol' Blue Eyes."

Posted at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/10/06

Hef on aging

Posted by admin

Hugh Hefner, who created Playboy magazine 52 years ago, celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday. Although it took a bevy of buxom blonde bimbos to prop him up, he still looked quite lecherous. When asked about his advanced age, he scoffed, "80 is the new 40."

Does this mean 40 is the new Anklebiter?

After Hef's momentous pronouncement, one of the bimbos pulled out a monogrammed lace hankie, wiped some drool from his lips, and muttered, "If this old goat doesn't make me a centerfold soon, I'm gonna stop fakin' it."

Posted at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/07/06

Monkeying around with Cheeta

Posted by admin

Birthdays for Sunday, April 9:
Cynthia Nixon turns 40
Dennis Quaid turns 52
Hugh M. Hefner turns 80
Cheeta turns 74

Cheeta holds the Guinness record for being the world's oldest chimpanzee, and began his movie career by co-starring...

Posted at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/07/06

My desktop's bigger than yours

Posted by admin

How I Work: Bill Gates (from Fortune):

"If you look at this office, there isn't much paper in it. On my desk I have three screens, synchronized to form a single desktop. I can drag items from one screen to the next. Once you have that large display area, you'll never go back, because it has a direct impact on productivity.

The screen on the left has my list of e-mails. On the center screen is usually the specific e-mail I'm reading and responding to. And my browser is on the right-hand screen. This setup gives me the ability to glance and see what new has come in while I'm working on something, and to bring up a link that's related to an e-mail and look at...

04/07/06

Grave matters: Desert Memorial Park

Posted by admin

Desert Memorial Park (Palm Springs Cemetery District) is actually located in Cathedral City, at 69920 East Ramon Road (click thumbnail photo to enlarge). But this address is only an exit; the entrance is around the corner, at 31705 Da Vall Drive.

Many celebrities are buried here: Frank Sinatra, Sonny Bono, Busby Berkeley, William Powell, Frederick Loewe, Cameron Mitchell and Magda Gabor, among others.

Note: simple maps are usually available in a bin outside the cemetery office, but the section numbers (set forth in subsequent postings) are clearly marked.

[

Posted at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/07/06

Celebrity encounter: Wayne Rogers

Posted by admin

Along with Jamie Farr, Wayne Rogers was also in M*A*S*H.

For three seasons, anyway.

Great hat.

[Click photo to enlarge.]

[more encounters]

Posted at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/06/06

Celebrity encounter: Jamie Farr

Posted by admin

Jamie Farr (who played Corporal Max Q. Klinger on M*A*S*H) is very gracious, a great guy.

But I couldn't resist imagining him in a dress. ;-)




[Click photo to enlarge.]

[more encounters]

Posted at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/06/06

Whatchawannadothisweekend? (6Apr06)

Posted by admin

Tonight: Australian classical guitarist Karin Schaupp appears in the final Palm Springs Community Concert of the season at 7:30pm, PSHS Auditorium. "Very rarely does an artist come along that seems to become one with her instrument and is able to transport her audience into another world through the sensuality of her sound." She's cute, too.

Friday: At 8pm, Jeff Beck brings his virtuoso rock-guitar licks to the McCallum. Ssssssssssssssmokin'.

Saturday...

Posted at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/06/06

Rainbow aftermath

Posted by admin

Yesterday's drizzle dropped a light dusting of snow on the upper elevations of Mt. San Jacinto, even though the front range was left untouched.

Today's high is expected to hit 78°F.

This was the view on

Posted at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/05/06

South Park wins prestigious Peabody Award

Posted by admin

"South Park" was praised as a show that "pushes all the buttons, turns up the heat and shatters every taboo," Peabody Awards Director Horace Newcomb said. "Through that process of offending it reminds us of the need for being tolerant." (AP)

More details: the Peabody site, and Comedy Central.

Rumor control: Yes, the temperatures in Hades are dropping precipitously... but sources close to Tom Cruise flatly deny that

Posted at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/05/06

DST update

Posted by admin

Indiana changed to DST for the first time in more than 30 years, but it didn't seem to help much...

Posted at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/05/06

Celebrity encounter: Cheech Marin

Posted by admin

In many circles, Richard "Cheech" Marin will always be inextricably linked with Tommy Chong.

"Dave's not here, man." Priceless lowbrow dope humor.

But Cheech has done a lot of other stuff, too. And he likes to hold court from the comfort of his golf cart.

Posted at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/05/06

2006 Blooker Prize winners

Posted by admin

A "blook" is a book developed from a blog, web-comic or other website, and the first Blooker Prize winners were announced on Monday:

Overall Winner (Non-Fiction): Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, by Julie Powell [site]

Fiction:

Posted at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/05/06

Grave matters: Charles D. Farrell

Posted by admin

9 August 1900 - 6 May 1990 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Welwood Murray Cemetery section 10-3, #G (southwest).

Actor: My Little Margie, Old Ironsides.

[

Posted at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/05/06

Pot o' gold in the Santa Rosa Mountains

Posted by admin

During my commute this morning, the rainbow kept playing peek-a-boo. First one leg would appear, then the other.

[Click thumbnail photo to enlarge.]

But later, when I entered downtown Palm Springs, the entire arch displayed its magnificent glory for a second or two. It's hard to be an atheist when confronted with something like that.

Posted at 08:17 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/04/06

Celebrity encounter: David Leisure

Posted by admin

David Leisure seems like a very sweet guy.

Not at all like his Joe Isuzu character.

[Click photo to enlarge.]



[more encounters]

Posted at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/04/06

Inbox: space-time continuum

Posted by admin

Darby Larson recently pointed this out: tonight, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00am, the time and date will be...

01:02:03 04/05/06

To our European friends, who have the odd habit of switching months and days when writing numerical dates: you'll have to wait until...

Posted at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/04/06

Time flies when you're goofing off

Posted by admin

A decade of wasting time with blogs developing online communication skills:

On April 4, 1996, I started posting journal entries on HTML pages that I hand-coded with a basic text editor. Then I uploaded those webpages online with a rudimentary piece of FTP software.

Back in those days, none of us realized our silly little diaries would be called "blogs" by future analysts.

The term "weblog" was finally coined on December 17, 1997, and automatic blogging software appeared...

Posted at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/04/06

Grave matters: Hugo Mario Montenegro

Posted by admin

2 September 1925 - 6 February 1981 (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).

Current location: Welwood Murray Cemetery, section 11-3, #G (southwest).

Latin inscription: "Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord - and let perpetual light shine upon him."

Composer: The Good,...

Posted at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/03/06

Celebrity encounter: Kevin Sorbo

Posted by admin

Kevin Sorbo ("Dylan Hunt" from Andromeda and "Hercules") is very hip, very kaaazzhh.

When I asked for a pic, he flashed the "peace" sign. Right on, bro.

[Click photo (KNC, 28Mar06) to enlarge.]



[

Posted at 03:37 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/03/06

Cryptic signs...

Posted by admin

...and mysterious trucks...


...and the food wagon?!


Oh yeah, I remember reading about this: "On Monday afternoon,...

Posted at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/03/06

The intricacies of DST

Posted by admin

Time is on my side. No, it's on MY side.

Silly Season, a.k.a. Daylight Saving Time (DST), is upon us yet again.

Residents of the European Union switch to Summer Time at 1:00 a.m. on the last Sunday in March, and all time zones change at the same moment (under the Universal Time system). It's very efficient and well organized. Bravo, Europe!

But here in the continental U.S., time-changing is a little wonkier. For most of us, DST begins at 2:00 a.m.—local time—on the first Sunday of April. So each American time zone "springs forward" at a different hour. However, things don't get really strange until we start dealing with the exception states of Arizona and Indiana.

77 Indiana counties are in the Eastern time zone and never...

Posted at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

04/03/06

Grave matters: Welwood Murray Cemetery

Posted by admin

Welwood Murray Cemetery (historic plaque) is located at the western end of Chino Drive, in Palm Springs. [Click thumbnail photo to enlarge.]

Several well-known celebrities are buried here: Hugo Montenegro, Albert Frey and Charlie Farrell, among others, and their grave markers will be posted during the next few days.

Posted at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0