1967 Ford Falcon Brochure

A brochure for the 1967 Ford Falcon line.

1956 Azalea Week in Norfolk Pamphlet

A little background history from the Norkfolk NATO Festival (Azalea Festival) website:

Norfolk NATO Festival is the longest continuously running Festival in the Hampton Roads region, and the only one of its kind in the United States which honors the NATO Alliance and its member nations.

In 1951, the Women’s Club of Norfolk and a number of Norfolk’s garden clubs embraced an idea espoused by Fred Heutte, the city’s Superintendant of Parks and Forestry, to promote the city’s floral beauty through an annual Festival. Named the Norfolk Crape Myrtle Festival, it took place in Stone Park, located at the north end of The Hague, in the heat of the August sun. However, after the 1952 Festival, city business leaders from the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the 21st Street Business Area Association, and the Retail Merchants Association revised the Festival’s theme and season, choosing a springtime Azalea Festival to highlight the beauty of the one-hundred acre Norfolk Azalea Gardens (now called Norfolk Botanical Gardens). The Festival was operated and financed as a Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the City of Norfolk, from 1953 to 1998.

In 1953, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) established its first and only Command in North America, Supreme Allied Command, Atlantic, in Norfolk, Virginia. America, Supreme Allied Command, Atlantic, in Norfolk, Virginia. Aligning the city’s Azalea Festival with the newly formed NATO command helped it to stand out from the multitude of other azalea festivals in nearly every state south of Mason-Dixon line. One year after NATO’s arrival, Norfolk city leaders renamed this event the International Azalea Festival, which served the dual purposes of a salute to the allied forces and celebrating the beauty of the city’s gardens.

Today, the Norfolk-based NATO command is known as Allied Command Transformation (ACT), and serves as the think tank or futures organization for the Alliance. In 2009, NATO celebrated its 60th Anniversary, with 28 full member nations and 22 Partnership for Peace nations as part of the Alliance, providing an ever-increasing and dynamic international community here in Hampton Roads.

May All Your Days Be Circus Days, or: How I Started Worrying and Learned to Fear The Clown

I have no idea why I am doing this. I am sure it's going to lead to nightmares for most of you. I am not generally afraid of clowns but some of these make me question if the devil does exist. I was going to type the details of every photo but decided that it broke up the horror. Instead, all images link back to their flickr source.
Now, with out further ado, a bunch of pictures of clowns:

Cara Claudia...Fan Letters to Claudia Cardinale

"Cara Claudia" is a 1966 book edited by Giovanni Grazzini and is a book featuring fans' letters to Claudia Cardinale. A lieutenant wants to know Claudia's chest measurement, a farmer wants to marry her, etc. Special thanks to Jorge Borg for the book. See all 19 pages after the jump.

1991 Pro Set Desert Storm Trading Cards

A few months ago I went to a yard sale and found an entire box of Desert Storm trading cards for $1.25. I couldn't believe my eyes. I hadn't seen or thought about those cards in years. I remember, for no good reason, buying some as a kid and being less than thrilled with the results.

Cut to twenty years later and I decided to open one of the packs and see if they were more interesting now that I am adult. I am opening the pack, scanning, and commenting as I go. Here's hoping they are at least entertaining.

#134 Conserving Energy

OK. The first card out of the pack and it is not some sort of missile or tank. I got a light bulb and the exiting action of not doing something. Wow.
The cards reads:
Dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf can be reduced by conserving energy. Some simple energy saving steps include keeping tires inflated to recommended pressure, shutting fir place vents, closing curtains during summer and opening them during winter, and changing or cleaning furnace/air conditioner filters regularly. 
You know what makes trading cards fun? Lectures on tire pressure and furnace filters. Off to a lousy start.

#24 Islamic Republic of Iran

Oh boy! A map. I can at least so why this card is in the deck. I would wager dollars to donuts that most kids/adults collecting these cards had no idea where Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia or any place in the Middle East actually was. The back features all the pertinent facts about Iran. Still doesn't make for that interesting of a card.

#92 Canadian System

Wow. Just wow. I can only imagine 12 year old boys all of the world rushing to the phone to call their friends and brag to them that they finally got the Canadian System card! This has got to be one of the most boring cards to ever have been printed. I love Canada, don't get me wrong, but I cannot believe that any one, even Canadians, need a trading card about their system of government.

#154 Courtesy

Oh my God. Courtesy? What is going on here?
The card reads:
Courtesy takes many forms in the U.S. military. The most noticeable military courtesy is the salute to a superior officer. When saluting, assume the position of attention, have thumb and fingers extended and joined, keep hand and wrist unbent, incline the forearm at 45 degrees, hold upper arm horizontal, bring heels together,and look squarely at the person being saluted. In general, do not salute when at work indoors, guarding prisoners or under battle conditions.
This card isn't really about courtesy at all. This card is about saluting. Why not have the card say saluting???? I was going to go a rant here but, being the courteous sort, I will just give this card the one finger salute, politely of course.

#104 U.S. Constitution

I can see the point of this card. The U.S. Constitution is the end all, be all of American living. I am just tired of getting vague ideas, maps, pieces of paper and lectures. The 12 year old in me in getting bored very quickly. I want weapons and I want things to explode.

#203 AMX-30 Tank

I finally get a weapon and it's a French tank? I guess I cannot complain too much. At least it blows stuff up real good.
The card reads:
The AMX-30 main battle tank, made by the French, was used by both coalition and Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm. It carries a crew of 4 and has an infrared light system for night operations. Designed in the late 1960s, it has 1 105mm gun and a turret-mounted 7.62mm machine gun.
Sounds kind of kick-ass. This is the first kind of cool card in the pack so far.

#72 Sheik Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah

The Emir of Kuwait card. He was an important player in the war. Let's have Pro Set teach us some facts about Sheik Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah:
Becoming the emir of Kuwait in 1977, Sheik al-Sabah is the 13th ruler of his nation's Sabah dynasty. He began his career as Kuwait's first minister of finance. In 1965, he became prime minister, then crown price and heir apparent in 1966. Kuwait supported Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. The emir escaped a suicide car bomber's attack in May 1985. The emir and his people were jubilant the day the coalition forces liberated Kuwait, Feb. 27, 1991.
The Sheik died January 15, 2006 at the age of 79. The last two cards have been better, or at least more war-like. Let's hope the streak continues.

#161 Health & Hygiene

The streak is over. There is nothing that gets my patriotic juices flowing more than a canteen, a towel, a mirror, a razor, and some deodorant. I think it's time for us to be amazed about all the things that health & hygiene do for the United States Armed Forces:
Soldiers in the field learn quickly that staying clean keeps them in fighting shape. A clean pair of socks every day and proper bathing wards off athlete's foot, trench foot, and other painful conditioning. Underclothing loses its insulating qualities after use and must be changed. Combat soldiers often use their helmets as a basin to sponge bathe and have orders to brush their teeth at least once a day. Cleanliness and health add up to top performance ever day.
Did my mom write this card? I love spending money on trading cards only to be reminded that that I need to bathe. Thumbs down.

#76 John Major

Another key player in the war, so there is that. Too bad he looks like a very polite accountant or your uncle. I really don't feel like typing the information on the back of this card. I am growing bored with this cards and Google exists in case you really want to know about John Major or John Mayer.

#190 USNS Hospital Ship (TAH)

The last card in the deck is a hospital ship. The card states that it is also a fighting ship. Let's learn how fighting this ship really is:
There are 2 U.S. Navy hospital ships in Arabian waters. Both the USNS Comfort (TAH-20) and the USNS Mercy (TAH-19) have approximately 1,000 beds and 12 operating rooms (ORs) The Comfort's home port is Baltimore, MD, and the Mercy is out of Oakland, CA. The medical staffs of these ships are augmented by personnel from naval hospitals on both coasts of the United States.
Doesn't sound too scary to me. This sounds like the opening scene of show new show coming this fall to the CBS Network. It's a cross between M*A*S*H* and The Love Boat. The cast stars your favorite washed up actors from the 1980s.

I am really disappointed with the lack of things exploding in this set. The only weapons I got were a French tank and a hospital ship. They really needed to make this more exciting. Maybe every fifth pack should have randomly exploded. Maybe some packs could have been filled with genuine Kuwait sand. They could have had a contest where Pro Set gave the winner a Scud missile. That would have been awesome. These cards are not awesome.

I cannot believe how tired I am. These cards sucked the joy out of me. I would like to go back to 1991 and give myself a hi-five for not continuing to collect these war "prizes".

Recipes from Old Cookbooks: You're Really Cooking When You're Cooking With Seven-up!

"Seven-Up can be an exciting new ingredient for those housewives who are always alert for ways to put "something extra" intro their favorite recipes."

This particular 7up cookbook, published in 1957, features a wide range of recipes from glazes, grape juices, melon balls, something called 7-Up Emerald Isle Fluff, Cheese Aspic, 7-Up Broncos (?) and legendary:

7-UP DATE NUT LOAF
This one is simply delicious - and as simple as it is delicious. You'll find that the subtle 7-up lemon-and-lime flavor adds to the taste appeal of the loaf and, at the same time, brings a lightness to this unusually heavy but delectable dessert. You can serve it with a whipped cream.

1 cup chopped date
1 7-oz. bottle 7-Up
1 tsp. baking soda

ADD:
1 cup sugar
2tbsp. butter
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Beat very well - pour into loaf pan (5x9x3). Bake 1 hour in a 350° oven.

Bring dates and 7-Up to a boil, add baking soda and set aside to cool.