Walter E. Lara

If you’re the average person out there doing average work, there’s going to be someone else out there doing the exact same thing as you, but cheaper. Now that the industrial economy is over, you should forget about doing things just because it’s assigned to you, or “never mind the race to the top, you’ll be racing to the bottom.”

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/if-youre-an-average-worker-in-this-forever-recession-youre-going-straight-to-the-bottom-2012-1?utm_source=twbutton&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=warroom#ixzz1kOc6AQky

Pacific Palisades 1978

Well here we are in 2012, and all the ingredients for a good picture are on my shelve.  Time, place, and inspiration will make the best shots of 2012.  I will keep working hard as I rebuilt my studio and continue thinking in how to solve problems.

As I was scanning slides, I found this shot taking near Malibu Beach with my first Canon- I still remember the sunsets, the waves, and the interesting people I met daily, those bright days are now gone- and this Kodachrome 25 still looks good.

Cabot Oil and Gas Corp.Industry: Oil exploration & productionTotal return: 128.8 percentOn Oct. 27, Cabot (COG) reported that gas and oil production was up 39 percent from a year ago. The company also estimated production could expand 45 percent to 55 percent in 2012
El Paso Corp.Industry: PipelinesTotal return: 84.2 percentEl Paso (EP) shares rose in January when the company forecast “double digit” earnings growth in 2012.
Biogen Idec Inc.Industry: BiotechnologyTotal return: 68.9 percentThe world’s largest maker of medicines treating multiple sclerosis, Biogen Idec (BIIB) saw its biggest share gains of the year — driven by studies showing the effectiveness of the experimental MS pill BG-12. Analysts estimated the product could bring in annual sales of as much as $3 billion.
Mastercard Inc.Industry: Commercial services-financeTotal return: 69.2 percentMasterCard (MA) is the world’s second-largest payment network, processing $2.1 trillion in credit- and debit-card purchases in 2010. In 2011, the company’s rising profit and market share boosted the stock. On Nov. 2, the company reported that net income rose 38 percent amid a 21 percent rise in credit-card spending.
Intuitive Surgical Inc.Industry: Medical instrumentsTotal return: 68.3 percentIntuitive Surgical (ISRG) said in October it expects sales to rise as much as 23 percent this year. The company’s main product, the robotic “da Vinci” surgical system, converts doctor’s hand motions into tiny movements inside a patient.

Source: Ben Steverman | Bloomberg >>>

When I watch a good Clint Eastwood film, like  High Plains Drifter, or Dirty Harry, I notice between scenes and sequences  familiar faces- this time with a moustache, or a Sherif outfit. This no coincidence, I can visualize Clint, asking his buddies: ” hey guys, let the crew know, we have a western gig next month”.

Find and surround yourself with smart people you like and who complement your strengths, and good things will follow.  Then map out a simple action plan and work diligently to implement it.  Keep it simple, Charles Revson, founder of Revlon, always used to say he sold hope, not makeup. Some airlines sell friendly service, while others sell on-time service. Neiman Marcus sells luxury, while Wal-Mart sells bargains.

Walter

NASA’s Kepler mission has confirmed its first planet in the “habitable zone,” the region where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface. Kepler also has discovered more than 1,000 new planet candidates, nearly doubling its previously known count. Ten of these candidates are near-Earth-size and orbit in the habitable zone of their host star. Candidates require follow-up observations to verify they are actual planets. MORE >>>

JUST AMAZING! BE READY FOR YOUR BODY TO VIBRATE

Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park

Accompanied by the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of music director Alan Gilbert, the spectacular event was Bocelli’s special gift to New York City. The program is the New York-based offering of the multi-city PBS Arts Fall Festival, which includes four Great Performances productions. Award-winning journalist Paula Zahn is the evening’s host.

Widely regarded as the most popular Italian tenor in the world >>>
Continue reading on Examiner.com Tonight: Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park – New York TV | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-new-york/tonight-wnet-to-present-andrea-bocelli-live-central-park-1#ixzz1fTrCbg1D

Lonnie Resse, IT director for FCC made me aware of  The Microsoft Surface platform. It changes the way people collaborate and connect with a 360-degree interface. And, with PixelSense™, Microsoft Surface sees and responds to touch and real world objects—supporting more than 50 simultaneous inputs.  http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/whatissurface.aspx

Woody Allen Documentary aired this week on PBS-American Masters.  It was very inspiring to watch Mr. Allen’s cinematographic  career on TV.  For me, it was captivated, mostly by the process,  and the attitude he presents to his cinematographic work.  As he finishes a film, he starts writing the next script- mostly comedy.  The process is very simple: short days to shoot (4-5 scenes per day), lets actors improvise (although they realize Allen is the best comedy writer in the business, they want to memorize their lines and please Allen), simple camera takes, super lighting, no special effects, short editing times, and no expectations; yes, no expectations: Allen does not care about immediate outcomes or the press; quantity matters, you make some some bad ones, and if you are lucky, you hit a big one on the screen, never aim for the perfect picture…
Here are some of the highlights of this documentary:
1967     Casino Royale
1971     Bananas
1978     Interiors
1977     Annie Hall
1979     Manhattan: Allen decided to direct this romantic picture, shot in black and white anamorphic widescreen by cinematographer Gordon Willis (well known for the high-contrast lighting used at the opening scene of the Godfather).  Allen photograph each shot perfectly, and artistically composed -to-bring the grey city of new York – as he saw it.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/woody-allen-a-documentary/clip-woody-allen-vs-manhattan/1913/
1984     Broadway Danny Rose
1992     Husbands and Wives
2005   Match Point
2008    Vicky Cristina Barcelona

More >>>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/tag/woody-allen/

It’s the sort of world where you can walk into a hotel room and the television immediately displays your favourite channel; the alarm clock sets itself to your preferred time to wake up; the coffee machine works out whether you prefer black or white coffee and begins making you a cup; and the nearest tablet becomes your own personal computer, complete with all your files.
Much of the video is based on the idea that powerful computers will be embedded in the world around us. These will be imbued with software-based intelligence to respond to the user’s needs, according to Microsoft. In this scenario, a business traveller’s glasses translate the audio announcements in a foreign airport to help them find the taxi rank and get a car sent for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6cNdhOKwi0&feature=player_embedded

My Fair Lady Classic Musical at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre

My Fair Lady Classic Musical based on the 1938 film adaptation of the original stage play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.

Eliza Doolittle, a coarse little peddler of flowers in Covent Garden who agrees to take speech lessons from phonetician Henry Higgins in order to fulfill her dream of working in a flower shop. Eliza succeeds so well, however, that she outgrows her social station and even manages to get Higgins to fall in love with her.
Great acting, music, funny, very enjoyable!
http://www.alhambrajax.com
October 19 – November 27, 2011