Harlan Ellison has passed away today at the age of 84. Who is Harlan Ellison you are asking. An extraordinarily talented and visionary science fiction writer who was actually the imagination that brought us the Terminator and some of the most iconic episodes of Star Trek, the Outer Limits and Babylon 5. https://bit.ly/2Msx4NN
He was also just vicious as a businessman protecting his creative rights as in this video. Concepts that I truly embrace and a video I have not been shy about sending to companies who have asked me for something for free.
Have you been watching all of my aviation photography and video work with the Palm Springs Air Museum. Here is the USS Missouri in Long Beach from the mid 1980’s when most of my flying was in a Cessna 172.
Quick video interview with Karen about her Zumba classes at Palm Springs Fitness Center. Great fun doing these videos, she has such a great smile and laugh and enthusiasm!
I have photographs, videos and features published in bodybuilding and fitness many thousands of times over. But I find doing these video features for Palm Springs Fitness Center among my very favorites. Such wonderful people!
I really enjoy the purpose when my videos and photos get to share both excitement and history. Here with the Palm Springs Air Museum.
The Berlin Airlift 70 years ago started on June 24, 1948. From our Palm Springs Air Museum friend, Brooks Wachtel, Emmy Award Winner and Co-Creator of the epic History Channel series “DogFights”. More below…
“The Soviet Union began the Berlin Blockade. It was an attempt to gain control over the allied sections of the city by preventing food from reaching the inhabitants.
The allies answered with the largest airlift in history, flying in supplies on the gamble that the Soviets would not launch an overt and provocative attack on these aircraft.
By April, 1949, they were flying in more supplies than had previously been delivered by rail. In May the humiliated Soviets gave up and opened the land routes.”
In total, the USAF delivered 1,783,573 tons and the RAF 541,937 tons, nearly two-thirds of which was coal, on 278,228 flights to Berlin. The Royal Australian Air Force delivered 7,968 tons of freight and 6,964 passengers during 2,062 sorties. The C-47s and C-54s together flew over 92 million miles in the process, almost the distance from Earth to the Sun. At the height of the Airlift, one plane reached West Berlin every thirty seconds. Pilots came from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.
The C-47 “What’s Up Doc?” is a veteran of the Berlin Airlift. And right now in the air-conditioned hangars of the Palm Springs Air Museum where you can watch “Doc” undergoing it’s routine annual inpsection. That is something you will not see everyday. Check it out!
A quick and simple video story for Palm Springs Fitness Center. Great fun doing these! Torso twisting with fitness trainer Aaron and his client Ken who has lost 40 pounds!
I like it when they like it! I shoot Hasselblad digital camera systems and Broncolor lighting. Only the best! But even better when the wonderful Catherine Kwong likes it!
Met this great model on a photo excursion yesterday. Never talked too much at all, but can really strike a pose and has an amazing sense of style.
Been so busy lately and not keeping up with my blogging. So I am just starting here from yesterday. One of the stops on this photo excursion was Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner in Yermo CA. An original Route 66 roadside stop built in 1954.
Truly outstanding… The Fujifilm X-H1! I am really liking this camera the more I shoot it. Image quality is incredible, viewfinder is breathtaking! It does it all. I use it with a very serious camera strap from Vulture Equipment Works. I don’t get the idea of using those pretty straps unless you are shooting babies and weddings. Just not for me. I like my gear tough!
Yesterday I was shooting something simple enough but in not great lighting. Behind the scenes at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Michael Ripley was “Air Cav” and flew AH-1 Cobra helicopters 50 years ago in Vietnam. Here being interviewed by Dominik Radwanska from DIGICOM Learning. DIGICOM teaches teachers and here he was showing elementary and middle school teachers how to make movies with simple equipment. Skills that they then take back to their classrooms in the Fall.
Next I was off to the BMW Performance Center at the Thermal Club. An incredible facility where you learn and drive the “Ultimate Driving Machines”, high performance BMW’s. We drove various models all out on three different tracks and I had the chance to do some quick shots as our instructor Christopher Hill took some students on a very exciting run around a track. As Chris said; “If the tires aren’t squealing you are not going fast enough”. I did make them squeal myself and then some! The X-H1 camera did not squeal and handled it all!
Demo ride at the BMW Performance Center at the Thermal Club yesterday. The guys in the back seat were pretty excited at the end lol. I did get to drive on different tracks, an M2, M4, M5 and an X5M. An amazing experience and these are incredible cars. WOW! I am very impressed! Turn your sound up!
From my photo shoot with Mark Ebinger and a Social Media post from it…
Lifting weights, a little or a lot, it all makes you stronger, no matter how old you are. For your body and your mind, working out has always been shown to be one of the best things you can do for yourself ever!
Come on in and give it a try at Palm Springs Fitness Center! For A Free 7-Day Pass, text PSFC to 95577. All in air-conditioned comfort and fun! And any questions, just check in with one of our trainers to get you going on your fitness journey. Thanks!
It was Friday and Saturday night for me at the Palm Springs Air Museum. This was fun!
Thousands of people got a whole different look at the C-47 “What’s Up Doc?” for Splash House. People who had never seen incredible military aircraft like ours before got a look at many of them. The typical reaction… Wow this is great, we have to come back!
Splash House is a multi-venue music festival hosted poolside at hotel resorts in Palm Springs and right here at the Palm Springs Air Museum for their huge night time after-party. A great way to introduce people to the fun of Palm Springs and to the Air Museum. Thanks!
This is where you will find me on Father’s Day June 17th. At Hangar 24 Brewery & Taproom at the Redlands Airport. Flying with people in the Palm Springs Air Museum C-47 Dakota. Strapping people in the P-51 Mustang. Shooting photos and video. Then having some food and a beer myself too! Come on out…
This is a Father’s Day! Take a flight in our C-47 Dakota “What’s Up Doc?” and our P-51 Mustang “Bunny” and enjoy a Prime Rib or Chicken Brunch, great Hangar 24 Craft Beer and live music!
Father’s Day Warbird Rides and Brunch at Hangar 24 Brewery & Taproom at the Redlands Airport at 1710 Sessums Dr, Redlands, CA. Sunday June 17th
In our C-47 you will experience what it was like for Paratroopers to fly into battle behind enemy lines on D-Day. Even get right up in the cockpit with the pilots. Only $225 per person including one free Brunch. Five people on a flight so you can make it a family flight too.
Fly in our P-51 Mustang and you will experience one of the most iconic fighter aircraft ever built. Roar into the sky behind that powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine. $1995 per person including Brunch for four.
To reserve your flight, give a call to Hangar 24 Brewery & Taproom in Redlands at the Redlands Airport at 909-389-1400. Or give us a call at the Palm Springs Air Museum at 760-778-6262.
You can also come and enjoy the day with Brunch for only $15.95. Buffet style with carving station. Rosemary Prime Rib or Chicken, Green Bean Almandine, Roasted Red Peppers, Rolls, Dessert and a Pint of Hangar 24 Craft Beer. Kids meal of Tenders & Fries. Live music starts at Noon. That is a great Dad’s Day Brunch!
Plan on approximately 45 minutes for your flight experience with wheels up to wheels down in the air flight time of 20 minutes. Flying will begin after 11:00am and will continue until sundown as demand requires. Some restrictions will apply. Children 13 years and older. Thank You!
NEWD GYM! Not here anyway, we have a keep your clothes on policy. But we can help you look and feel much better this time of year in those shorts and bikinis or less!
Come on in and workout for Free! For A Free 7-Day Pass, text PSFC to 95577. All in air-conditioned comfort and fun! Thanks!
Some people call it “Art Photography”, I don’t. Want to know why I love photographing beautiful naked or scantily clad women? We talked about it today and you can listen to the broadcast soon… at https://bit.ly/2sDqCLJ
“Chatting With Sherri welcomes back photographer; Ian L Sitren!” “Award winning author Sherri Rabinowitz chats with writers, actors and other artists about their work. A fun relaxing chat with exciting creative people. The home of The Chatty Award for most live listens and downloads!”
Training tip from IFBB Pro Figure Champion Ava Cowan…
Delts- The love of training them, and that I certainly do!
I prefer to explore all angles, hand positions and planes of motion. My goal is to target every single fiber, front to back equally, creating beautifully developed symmetrical shoulders.
In this exercise, the dumbbell front raise on incline bench, targets the anterior delts.
Incline front raises, using a pronated hand position (palms facing the floor) may be alternated with a semi-supinated (palms facing each other) grip.
-Start this exercise by lying supine on an incline bench set to 45 degrees.Â
-With the elbows slightly bent, raise the dumbbells using your shoulders until your arms are parallel to the floor or slightly higher.Â
-Keep a slight bend in the elbow and raise the weight.Â
-Stay in control of the exercise with a tempo of a count of two up and four on the way down. -Lower the weight under control to a dead stop before repeating.
I greatly enjoy putting these historical posts together for the Palm Springs Air Museum. Please take a moment and watch and also “Like” the Air Museum page for me. “One of the best Air Museums in the world” – CNN. I am the Social Media Manager so a big audience really helps me out. Thanks!
June 6th will be the 74th Anniversay of D-Day when the Allies invaded Western Europe in World War II in the largest amphibious attack in history.
Part of the preparation for the invasion was planning how to tow the Waco CG-4A combat glider carrying men, armament and cargo into battle. This original film shows the gliders being towed with aircraft from the P-38 Lightning to the mighty B-17 Flying Fortress, and even a PBY Catalina.
Come on in to the Palm Springs Air Museum and see our own Waco combat glider and D-Day exhibit. They flew into war with “no motors, no parachutes, and no second chances”. It is history up close and real. Thanks!
I am also the Social Media Manager for the Palm Springs Air Museum. And it is with great pride that I have the opportunity to share not only my own photographs and video created for the Air Museum, but also stories like this from very important times in history…
05:34 Japanese ships detected by a United States Navy Catalina PBY from Midway Island June 4, 1942, 76 years ago. And so began the most decisive naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II. You will soon be able to join with us in our ongoing restoration to flying of our own PBY Catalina. But for now…
The Battle Of Midway described by our Palm Springs Air Museum friend, Emmy Award Winner, Brooks Wachtel, co-creator of the iconic History Channel series “DogFights”…
The Battle of Midway began. It was the first major victory for America over Japan during World War II. The battle ended on June 6 and blunted Japanese expansion in the Pacific. The Japanese navy never recovered from the loss of 4 fleet carriers and their highly trained aviators. Walter Lord called it, “the incredible victory.â€
For the Japanese, losing the carriers and their irreplaceable pilots and aircrews was symbolic of the insurmountable problem that would doom them to defeat. The Japanese economy was less than 4% of the world’s industrial output while the United States was near 30%. It was estimated that the United States had 10 times the war making potential of Japan.
A war of attrition would be fatal to Japan.
Their only hope was a quick victory. Admiral Yamamoto, who had been to America, told his superiors that the Japanese Navy could run riot for six months and then he could promise nothing. Midway was six months to the day after Pearl Harbor.
Before Pearl Harbor the chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Stark – with great prophesy – warned the Japanese Ambassador, “If you attack us we will break your empire before we are through with you. While you may have initial success due to timing and surprise, the time will come when you too will have losses but there will be this great difference. You not only will be unable to make up your losses but you will grow weaker as time goes on; while on the other hand we not only will make up our losses but will grow stronger as time goes on. It’s inevitable that we shall crush you before we are through with you.â€
It was a blueprint of what happened in the course of the war.
Just saw “Always At The Carlyle” in the theatre. A wonderful documentary! Great stories, beautifully photographed, great music. For a New Yorker at heart like me, it just feels so good!
My favorite supplement has always been Iron! Lifted, pushed, pulled, and curled. Typically in as much weight as I could handle. One of the reasons I have always liked Palm Springs Fitness Center as my gym… 150lb dumbbells. Always needed them for one arm back rows.
Pro Bodybuilder and United States Marine Xavisus Gayden from one of our photo shoots. Thanks!
Some of the fun I get to have with the Palm Springs Air Museum. Worried about it being too hot in Palm Springs for the Summer? Almost 100,000 sq ft of four hangars all fully air-conditioned. You really have to come visit.
SecondFocus Blog 