Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Camouflage...Part II



Deceived and Angry
(from a loyal reader)

I have thought of the word to use when someone pretends to be someone else. The word camouflage is perfect to describe that individual.  Annoying...but true!  When it occurs, I feel deceived and angry, but sorry too.  Camouflage is used in so many forms.

Camouflage Techniques Employed by Businesses
submitted by Emily...an encouraging friend

Misrepresentation and ruses are frequently used in the form of advertised “leader items” inviting the public to purchase. Retailers, then to offset this special discounted item, I've observed, have then increased prices on other purchase necessities.  I've also noted that over the past year or two, articles or items I normally buy have been reboxed  (same colour) with lesser quantities in the box (at same or  even increased price); with similar packaging, you may note even, a lesser weight.
Unless the buyer is ALERT...he is conned!
When I am swindled, I burn with anger!  When I complain to management(?) the trained personnel are skilled with “cover-up” tactics!  All I can say is...BUYER BEWARE!
And here's another beef from me:
Vehicle purchases and leases are complicated transactions.  A “big carrot” is offered for enticement.  Many fall for this, believing it to be a “good deal”.  I've had first hand experience in purchasing a new car...when the dealership offered a special.  Yes, I became the owner of a stunning new red car.  However, this supposed loss  is gained back by the dealership when additional costs are added…for example: interest rate on the loan (and no doubt, the lease as well)…even selling an additional package to enhance the vehicle.  This “deal” still puts $$$ in the pockets of the dealership...since some disclosures have not been made to the buyer.  Well...that's a good word for this guy...DEALER! 
Consumer Days have been long gone!
Remember that...things are not always what they seem!

Thank you, Merle, for this platform upon which to voice my frustration!

Camouflage in Clothes and Fashion!
Sherrie writes from her business experience.

Personally, I have never camouflaged my behaviour  or true feelings, but since I was previously in the world of high fashion and glamour…camouflage was and is very important to my life in fashion.

A wrinkled neck and décolletage is one of the effects of aging…accelerated by excessive sunbathing  which also affects the chest in some people.  This is because the skin is thinner there than other parts of the body, such as the outer arms.  There are several ways you can hide (camouflage) your neck or detract from it:                                                                    Scarves or pashminas
Polo-neck tops, cowl-neck tops or turtlenecks
Shirts with collars
Necklaces
Men camouflage with beards and moustaches, even long hair!

Make beautiful scarves a feature of your style.  Collect them in colours, complementing your wardrobe and in a range of fabrics …so that you can wear them year-round.

And don’t forget…A smile is just as good as a facelift!
It’s the best camouflage in the world!

Military Camouflage
written by George...an interested reader

My uncle who served as a soldier in World War II told me of many experiences
which impressed me awesomely as he related them to me.

Camouflage uniforms and helmets have been an integral part of war exercises and manoevers  with the sole purpose of protecting personnel on the  field and equipment and often land vehicles.

Most impressive to me as a boy was Operation Camouflage (told by my uncle)...which many of you readers may not recall or never knew.  I referred to an authentic article to ensure my facts were correct.

During the afternoon of December 7, 1941, as word of the attack of Pearl Harbour reached California, some 53,000 Lockheed employees spread across 150 Southern California communities, stepped outside their homes to watch as countless P-38 fighters and Hudson bombers streaked across the sky.  In the wake of the attack, orders  had been given to get every aircraft that could fly into the air.  Some flew west to protect the nation against a potential Japanese attack on the coast.  Others were guided inland to protect against strafing runs .  And still others patrolled the skies to provide the nation with a sense of security in a time of crisis.

Three days later, while company officials gathered at Lockheed's Burbank plant to decide how best to ramp up production, the Army began setting up barricades around the facility and placed an urgent call to Col. John F. Ohmer stationed at March Field...70 miles away. Ohmer's Mission?  Find a way to disguise Lockheed's plant  ~ now one of the most strategic military facilities in the United States ~ to look like an ordinary California suburb.

 In the wake of Pearl Harbour, he was given authority to use whatever means necessary to protect the Lockheed plant.  With a camouflage engineering battalion under his command, he began recruiting artists, set designers and painters from nearby Disney, Paramount and 20th Century Fox. At the Lockheed plant, Ohmer began implementing his grand illusion.  Air fields and parking lots were painted green and lined with plants to make them look like fields of alfalfa.  The main factory was covered with a canopy of chicken wire netting and painted canvas to blend in with the surrounding grass.  And fake trees were erected with spray-painted chicken feathers for leaves, some painted green to represent new growth and some brown to represent decaying patches.

An elaborate system of underground walkways was constructed to allow for free movement across the plant, while the installation of air ducts provided proper ventilation.  Employees continued to do their work, encouraged by the placement of new bomb shelters and huge anti-aircraft guns, but were expected to play along with the illusion during their breaks...often walking back to their burlap bungalows to take down the laundry they had placed on the clothesline earlier in the day.

The Ultimate Masquerade!  Once completed, Ohmer decided to test his team's work by taking a War Department General on a reconnaissance  flight at 5,000 feet.  He asked his guest to identify the plant.  But all the General said he could see was...suburb after California suburb.

.It should not surprise anyone that camouflage patterns became popular in trendy fashion and in art since the early 1900's.  Worn today (by both sexes)… “camo” clothing may also symbolize political protest.

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...April 10, 2014
Comments are welcome...send to

No comments:

Post a Comment