Nick Ut

Huỳnh Công Út, known professionally as Nick Ut (1951), is a photographer for the Associated Press (AP) who works out of Los Angeles. His best known photo is the Pulitzer Prize-winning picture of Phan Thị Kim Phúc, who was photographed as a naked 9-year-old girl running toward the camera to flee a South Vietnamese napalm attack on the Trảng Bàng village during the Vietnam War.

Born in Long An, French Indochina, Ut began to take photographs for the Associated Press when he was 16, just after his older brother Huynh Thanh My, another AP photographer, was killed in Vietnam. Ut himself was wounded three times in the war. Ut has since worked for the Associated Press in Tokyo, South Korea, and Hanoi and still maintains contact with Kim Phuc, who now resides in Canada.

Before delivering his film with the Kim Phúc photo, he took her to the hospital. The publication of the photo was delayed due to the AP bureau's debate about transmitting a naked girl's photo over the wire:

“	...an editor at the AP rejected the photo of Kim Phuc running down the road without clothing because it showed frontal nudity. Pictures of nudes of all ages and sexes, and especially frontal views were an absolute no-no at the Associated Press in 1972...Horst argued by telex with the New York head-office that an exception must be made, with the compromise that no close-up of the girl Kim Phuc alone would be transmitted. The New York photo editor, Hal Buell, agreed that the news value of the photograph overrode any reservations about nudity.	”
	— Nick Ut

Audio tapes of then-president Richard Nixon in conversation with his chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman, show that Nixon doubted the veracity of the photograph, musing whether it may have been "fixed." Following the release of this tape, Ut commented:

“	"Even though it has become one of the most memorable images of the twentieth century, President Nixon once doubted the authenticity of my photograph when he saw it in the papers on June 12, 1972.... The picture for me and unquestionably for many others could not have been more real. The photo was as authentic as the Vietnam war itself. The horror of the Vietnam war recorded by me did not have to be fixed. That terrified little girl is still alive today and has become an eloquent testimony to the authenticity of that photo. That moment thirty years ago will be one Kim Phuc and I will never forget. It has ultimately changed both our lives"	”
	— Nick Ut

"Forgiveness made me free from hatred. I still have many scars on my body and severe pain most days but my heart is cleansed. Napalm is very powerful, but faith, forgiveness and love are much more powerful. We would not have war at all if everyone could learn how to live with true love, hope and forgiveness. If that little girl in the picture can do it, ask yourself: Can you?"


(Alex - many thanks for getting me in touch with Nick!)

Gauchos on Al Jazeera

Being one of the 200-something people in the world who doesn't watch television, I had no idea that one could find an interesting item on beret-wearing-gauchos-on-the-Argentinean-pampas on Middle Eastern TV station AlJazeera. Pleasantly surprised by this video (and the discovery that not all television is as bad as I thought...). 

Carlos Mottino - Argentinean Sculptor

Carlos Mottino was born in the Campana province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, a self-taught sculptor in wood and epoxy. He started his career making murals of large sizes in wood, developing from there to the use of epoxy. Mottino took courses of sculpting in clay at the "Estímulo de Bellas Artes" under the direction of professor Aldo Caponi.

The expressiveness and the delicate finishing of his works have drawn the attention of
specialists, critics, professor and public in general winning a number of international prizes. 

Marcos Gustavo Carámbula Volpi

Marcos Gustavo Carámbula Volpi (1947) is a medical doctor (pulmonologist) and has been the mayor of Uruguay's Department of Canelones since 2005.

Being a devout catholic didn't stop Carámbula  of becoming a member of the Socialist Party of Uruguay, before he graduated as Doctor of Medicine. In 1968 he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Medical Students. In 1973, shortly before the coup, he was expelled from the Socialist Party, along with five other leaders, due to form a body of opinion which proposed the merger of the party with the Communist Party (PCU).

In November 1979, in the period of dictatorship, he founded with his father , brother Gonzalo and the Jesuits Luis Pérez Aguirre and Juan Luis Segundo the Plaza magazine. 

After the civil-military Carámbula joined the Communist Party leadership and was elected deputy from Canelones in 1984 and 1989. 

Alongside his parliamentary activity, he became secretary and later president  of the Medical Union of Uruguay. He was also chairman of the Juventud de Las Piedras.

In 1992, he left the Communist Party and joined the Frenteamplista Confluence (CONF).

Since 2005 Carámbula is Mayor of Uruguay's Department of Canelones.

Don Matteo

Don Matteo is an Italian television series that has been airing since 2000 on Italian national television, Rai Uno. 

Protagonist of the series is father Matteo (portrayed by Terence Hill), a Catholic priest in a parish of the town of Gubbio (PG), who is also known for his unrivaled talent in investigating local crime stories. 

Father Matteo is a wise and respected person who understands people's problems and always appears to be willing to help. Thanks to his charm and positivity, he often helps criminals on their way to redeeming and he always convinces them to confess their crimes and to accept their responsibilities.

Again, thanks to Massimo

Bike Series #5 - Tornado Smith

More on the Wall of Death (see previous post Bike Series #1). 

Tornado Smith, the Wall of Death rider from Southend, and his wife having tea with their pet lion and lamb.  

George “Tornado” Smith brought the Wall of Death from America to England in 1929, and featured such spectacles as ”Briton the Wall-riding lion” and “Gymkhana Girls and Girl Protégées” in his billing.  Check out the skull-and-crossbones badge on his beret, he’s nowhere near as mild-mannered as he looks.  –Derek Berwin/Hulton Archive

Tornado Smith posts a letter while riding his penny farthing bicycle. He is wearing a learner plate and his bike is advertising his Wall of Death act. –Derek Berwin/Hulton Archive

* 

(above) Circa 1935, Earls Court, London — Tornado Smith, who entertains the crowds at Olympia with his Wall of Death ride, is seen riding a penny-farthing on the Earls Court Road. — Image by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection

(below) Circa 1936, Southend-on-Sea, England — Mr. “Tornado” Smith, a stunt motorcyclist, clips the toenails of his pet lion, at home. — Image by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection.

Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo

Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (1864 – 1936) was an essayist, novelist, poet, playwright and philosopher from Bilbao, in Spain's Basque Country.

Unamuno served as rector of the University of Salamanca two periods: from 1900 to 1924 and 1930 to 1936, during a time of great social and political upheaval. Unamuno was removed from his post by the government twice, first in 1924, banished to Fuerteventura on the Canary Islands, from where he escaped to France. 

Unamuno returned after the fall of General Primo de Rivera's dictatorship and took up his rectorship again. It is said in Salamanca that the day he returned to the University, Unamuno began his lecture by saying "As we were saying yesterday, ...", as Fray Luis de León had done in the same place four centuries before, as though he had not been absent at all. After the fall of Rivera's dictatorship, Spain embarked on its Second Republic. He was a candidate for the small intellectual party Al Servicio de la Republica.

The Republic was squashed when a military coup headed by General Francisco Franco caused the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. 

As a result of his opposition to Franco, Unamuno was effectively removed for a second time from his University post. Also, in 1936 Unamuno had a brief public quarrel with the Nationalist general Millán Astray at the University in which he denounced both Astray and elements of the Francoist movement. He called the battle cry of the rightist Falange movement—"Long live death!"—repellent and suggested Astray wanted to see Spain crippled. One historian notes that his address was a "remarkable act of moral courage" and that he risked being lynched on the spot. Shortly afterwards, he was placed under house arrest, where he remained, broken-hearted, until his death ten weeks later.

Naughty Paris

The silhouette of a naked woman with beret and shopping bag is meant to symbolize the pleasures of visiting Paris.

Naughty Paris is a guide book to Paris for women, by women. I quote:

Naughty Paris: A Lady’s Guide to the Sexy City is the first guidebook that presents the city’s erotic underside in a sophisticated yet accessible tone that appeals to both the innocently intrigued and daring divas alike. Whether you want to be titillated by erotic art or seduced at the city’s most exclusive swingers’ clubs, this guide is the key to choosing your own adventure.

Despite the promising cover, I didn't find any reference to berets inside the book...

Mt Ruapehu, Plato Grandes and Swannies

After a summer of wearing cotton Tolosa Tupida berets, a long Easter weekend away in the mountains was a great opportunity to wear my TT Plato Grande, a 34cm wide giant, the Argentinean answer to the Spanish made txapelduns. 

And it felt good, that large piece of felt on top of my head, crossing one of the lower passes on the old volcano in a fine drizzle.

Of course, I had to cope with the smirks from real Kiwi blokes, baseball-capped and dressed in shorts and wearing jandals, but... one get's used to that, being a beret aficionado living in New Zealand.
Fortunately, I did wear my Swannie bushshirt as well.

Txapela's or Boinas Plato Grandes

The Txapeldun is the quintessential Basque beret, the most perfect embodiment of a tradition that goes back centuries, a symbol for champions (the Txapeldun is often used as a trophy in competitions of sports and the brain), the ultimate protection from sun, rain and snow for the Basque shepherds in the Pyrenees mountains, a hat widely adopted by artists with a reminiscence of the Renaissance and generally, a fantastic beret to wear.

South Pacific Berets now sell two sizes of Txapelduns, the 15" and the very-very large diameter in 16" (which is respectively 13.7" and 14.6" in US sizes and 34.9cm and 37.2cm in the Metric system).

For those who want a very large diameter beret, but find the Txapeldun a bit too much - have a look at the Elosegui Plato Grande, a Super Lujo beret in 14" (12.8 US" or 32.6cm). 

EU Berets vs UN Turbans

Everyone his or her own taste, of course, but I can't help not seeing any beauty, or considerations to fashion in any way, in these European Union Monitor berets.

Sure, they may perform a noble job (in theory, at least), in a world that can do with a lot more monitoring, but personally, I'd much rather see a Sikh in his UN-blue turban at a checkpoint.

Pierre Labric's Bike Ride down the Eiffel Tower

Found on Vanessa's Joie de Vivre blog, a tribute to Parisian organist, and later mayor of Montmartre, Pierre Labric:

In 1923, as France was in the throws of recovering from the first world war, Pierre brought some much-needed entertainment to the city by riding a bicycle down the Eiffel Tower from the first level (out of three). Some accounts say that he rode down the stairs, others suggest the exterior of one of the tower's four legs which slope outward. 
The man himself (with the beret and dog on the right):



And just to show how far off the ground the first level is:

Bike Series #4 - Bicycle Matchmaker: Woodstock’s Michael Esposito

This article comes from The Faster Times, by Tusha Yakovleva.

Michael Esposito is built like a bicycle. Tall, lean, and graceful. He glides, vigilant and stern, his expression softened by a maroon beret. In the morning, you can find him at any one of the town’s cafes. With a hot drink in hand and his bike parked outside, he is greeted with multiple  “Good Mornings!” at every swing of the door. He has a separate response to each, as anyone who has spent half a century in this one-street town would.

The town is the legendary Woodstock, New York. A 6,000 person community just like any other according to Michael,  only that “we’ve had more famous people per capita.” Michael first came up to record with Happy and Artie Traum. He stayed, leaving behind the whirlwind of New York City.

Forty years later, things have changed. “Now, Woodstock’s just your average tourist town, with that little twinge of being famous a few times in the last hundred years. But, the old feeling of the artists and musicians is still here,” he says. And the town has a stronger hold on him than ever, a bond that Michael decided to preserve by purchasing a plot at the Woodstock Artists’ Cemetery. After all, Woodstock has been his home through all his various incarnations, from landscape painter to Western Orthodox Priest, to local bicycle savior at Old Spokes Home.

Twenty-six years ago, Michael inherited some bike tools. “They sat around for a while and then people started coming to me.” Then, someone offered him a beige, slightly asymmetrical garage, right behind the main street. Ever since that day, Michael has been Woodstock’s most successful matchmaker, pairing up thousands of feet to pedals.

Michael’s own bicycle has a large industrial flashlight strapped to the front, in lieu of a headlight. In the back, he has attached a miniature novelty plate that spells “MICHAEL.” He hasn’t driven a car since ’77, and generally stays within a 10 mile radius of Woodstock, biking, or, when defeated by wind-chill, walking.

The inside of Old Spoke’s Home has the diluted smell of an aired out mechanics shop, a mixture of rubber and whatever magic ointments Michael concocts to bring his old rusty friends back to life. The bicycles hang limply from the ceiling, or sit in piles in corners like shelter pets, trying their best to look appealing.

When one is chosen, Michael carries it outside and goes to work. It may take an hour, or a couple of days, but by the end of the operation the bicycle breathes anew. The vehicle is then appraised and joins the row of other rescues parked proudly in front of the shop. Michael’s favorite moment is when someone brings in a bike they haven’t used in years. He fixes it up and then watches the happy customer ride it about town, every day. “Once you discover the bike again, it’s a lifetime thing. Our councilman is in his 80s and he’s still riding.” His one ulterior motive is sustainability. A biker on the road means, “that much less time that there is pollution in the air.”

What makes Michael’s service truly unique is that he is in the resurrection business. Most places will offer a new bicycle rather than dealing with the old because that is how the world works these days, he says. And, since all parts are donated, it only costs him time, for which he charges so little. Michael would likely go hungry before denying someone a set of wheels.

He almost did, too. He was far behind on his mortgage. Woodstock people, however, quickly wrangled up Michael’s friends and now he is fine. “I was screaming, ‘No, I don’t want a benefit, it’s embarrassing!’ They said, ‘Sorry, it’s already under way.’” John Sebastian, Happy Traum and many other players from all over town showed up to help.

Michael would like painting to be his next livelihood. He does about 20 painting every winter (the bike garage door literally freezes shut till April, so the bike business hibernates). He would also like a nice steady job. When it comes to that, though, Woodstock’s offers are slim. There just isn’t much work, and $7.50 an hour or less isn’t very appealing.

From the coffee shop windows, Michael looks out onto the cyclists passing by the window as a proud grandfather looks at his young flock. He is celebrating seventy this year and is rarely seen without his maroon beret.

Gauchos con Boina (2)

Some of the best pictures of beret wearers come from the South American pampas. Gauchos from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay widely adopted the beret, or boina as their preferred (and most practical) headgear.

 Whether cotton berets from Argeninean manufacturer Bonigor SA and the Fabrica Nacional in Uruguay (the 3 top pictures),




or the merino version in small diameter Italian style, or Plato Grandes and Txapelduns, Argentinean and Spanish made.

Postcards

www.delcampe.net is a web site for collectors of stamps, badges, pins. documents, the occasional old beret and, among other collection-able materials, postcards.

From a pre-email era, I found an enormous collection of beret-related postcards, mostly from the early 20th century, a few from the second half of that century. 
Beautiful scenes, the berets as interesting as the backgrounds and environments; whether it is the street without traffic, the fishermen on the beach

or a Basque Frenchman making soup,

or photographs in Paris' Jardin du Luxembourg,

they are evidence of a bygone era.

Baldness and Berets

A major complaint of soldiers in the US armed forces at the introduction of the beret as part of their uniform was that a beret would increase baldness - a story I have heard often and still hear from people who'd like to wear a beret, but fear their already bald spot may grow bigger. 
I always dismissed this belief as nonsense, but research at the University of Castillo-La Mancha in Toledo (Spain) confirmed that there actually is some truth in this. 

Enrique el Mentiroso de Abril, lecturer at the Dept. of Organic Chemistry explains that the interaction of the "rough" wool with the human hair of the scalp, creates a low-tone electric field that diminishes, and in the end completely stops, the growth of hair. This is especially valid where there is frequent movement between the two entities - an active soldier runs a higher risk than an office worker sitting behind his desk. 
Ironically, many soldiers instantly rip out the satin lining in the belief that it looks better and more macho to have an un-lined beret; Rastafarians, on the other hand, generally line their berets with a bamboo based liner, similar to satin.

The good news is that when a beret has a satin lining, the trend is actually reversed! The gentle rubbing of the smooth satin against the scalp stimulates the growth from the follicles found in the dermis and can actually increase hair-growth by up to 2 mm per week! Boinas Elosegui, a participant in the study, immediately announced a stop of un-lined berets sales.


South Pacific Berets managed to get hold of 100 loose satin liners from Hills Hats NZ, which are available for postage cost only to existing customers (drop me a line with desired number of liners and I'll get them on their way).