My father was a U.S. Army Private in Korea in the early 1950s. I was always fascinated by the photos he took of the barren landscapes and war-weary women and children, and I hoped that someday I’d have a chance to see this part of the world. A USO tour gave me just such an opportunity.
I must say Iʼm disappointed that my two favorite Apples have been engaged in legal haggling for the past 25 years. Apple Corps has been battling Apple Computer over the use of the Apple logo since 1981. In 1991 the two entities reached an agreement in which each side agreed not to enter the otherʼs field of business business. Apple Computer paid the Beatlesʼ company $26.5 million in an out-of-court settlement, and in return received “a considerably expanded field of use.” In the latest litigation, Apple Corps filed a suit against the computer company, claiming that the iTunes Music Store violated the 1991 agreement by using the logo to sell music.
The guys who run the local video store must hate me. The other day I brought back "The Usual Suspects," its entrails crumpled, shredded and hanging from the cassette due to excessive play-pause-slow-motion-rewind-search action during scenes featuring the sexy, sultry and talented-as-all-getout Benicio Del Toro. It’s been said that I really know my way around a multi-function remote, but my fascination with his awesome Fred Fenster character really just drove me into freeze-frame frenzy. I hoped to placate said store owners by finally forking over $19.95 for my own copy that I could rough-house through my four-head VCR to my heart’s content.