August 14, 1957 – Interstate Highway Sign Design Adopted

On August 14, 1957, the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) adopted the familiar red and blue shield design for interstate highway markers. During his time in Europe during World War II as commander of Allied Forces, President Eisenhower had been impressed by Germany’s well-engineered Autobahn. He could see the value of a system of high-quality roads for the United States, as well, and through persistent efforts persuaded Congress to approve and fund the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The initial mileage to be constructed with federal funds was set at 41,000, which was later increased. Currently, the interstate system covers 46, 876 miles of American countryside.

ArtWork of Carol Wells

Utah's Delicate Arch

2012 Oscar Nominees -- The work of Chris Morris

Top row, from left: Max von Sydow, Rooney Mara, Michel Hazanavicius, Jessica Chastain and Kenneth Branagh.

Second row: Terrence Malick, Gary Oldman, Janet McTeer, Viola Davis and Jean Dujardin.

Third row: Nick Nolte, Meryl Streep and Martin Scorsese.

Fourth row: Alexander Payne, Jonah Hill and Michelle Williams.

Fifth row: Woody Allen, Christopher Plummer, Melissa McCarthy, George Clooney and Glenn Close.

Bottom row: Demian Bichir, Berenice Bejo, Octavia Spencer and Brad Pitt.

A neo-classic film "winner" ?????

With its swooning lovers, glamorous 1927-set L.A. scenery and charming score, the Oscar-buzzed silent film The Artist, now in theatres, is the quintessential date movie. To make a full throwback night of it in appropriate style, secure a reservation at one of the Deco-minded restaurants boasting retro fare.

"the largest housing development west of the Mississippi"

Conceived 70 years ago, Park La Brea has managed to remain relevant in a city that seems to grow ever-young. Perhaps that is because the apartment complex still inspires extreme reactions. One is either in or out of Park La Brea's gates, a resident or a ranter, and sometimes both.

Troll the Internet and your nets will sag with a tonnage of opinions, not unexpected for a place with 4,255 units, still the largest housing development west of the Mississippi. Ardent emotions swirl about its 31 two-story garden apartment buildings and 18 towers, each 13 stories high.

Closed until "who knows when?"

Kevin Forrester, a superintendent with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, walks inside Mitchell Caverns at Providence Mountains State Recreation Area. Since the remote park's closure, intruders have cut fences, kicked doors off of hinges and shattered windows and display cases at the visitors center. Critics say it might be a harbinger of what's to come when 70 more state parks are closed because of budget cuts.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times / February 22, 2012)

The Man Who Gave the Trojians Their Name

It was just one word, one brief thought from a dreamy kid about an upstart university, seven taps on a rattling typewriter, one word stuck deep in the first sentence of a thick first paragraph.

But for both the school and the sports columnist, it was one word that changed their worlds.

His name was Owen R. Bird, he was 25, and he had been with the Los Angeles Times barely five months when one of his influential readers made an unusual request. He was asked by Warren Bovard, USC's athletic director, to end the circus of monikers given the school's athletic teams — Methodists, Wesleyans and Cards — and find one powerful nickname that would stick.

One hundred years ago, Feb. 24, 1912, in a track preview in this newspaper, Bird began referring to USC as the "Trojans."

It was one word that eventually defined an institution, created a culture and fostered an attitude that has endured for a century.

It was also one word that cursed the man who concocted it.

Since being named the Trojans, USC has won 116 national titles and 363 individual NCAA titles while using athletics to help build the school into a institution of worldwide influence with endowments in the billions.

After naming the Trojans, Bird spent the rest of his life wildly and vainly trying to replicate the stature of that achievement while barely being remembered for it.

He fought in one skirmish and one war, married three women, worked at least a dozen jobs, lived in at least a dozen homes and continually sought greater thrills, until one day making the only memory more compelling than his Trojans creation.

On a winter evening in 1929, Bird returned to his Silver Lake home to find his wife, Laura, conversing with his best friend, Percival Watson. Bird pulled out a revolver and killed Watson with shots through his face, arm and abdomen.

Bird was convicted of manslaughter and sent to prison with a farewell that would serve as a template for the rest of his life. In its stories on the incident, the same Los Angeles Times that decorated its pages with nearly 800 of his bylined pieces during Bird's three years as sports editor and columnist never once mentioned that he had worked there.

“The Forgiveness of Blood’’

Welcome to 21st-century Albania, where an ancient code of justice persists alongside the latest technological gadgets. In “The Forgiveness of Blood,’’ teenager Nik (Tristan Halilaj) finds himself a marked man after his father kills a neighbor in a land dispute. Under a custom dating back hundreds of years, the dead man’s family is entitled to kill a male from Nik’s family as retribution.

This means that Nik is confined to his home for his own protection while his younger sister, Rudina (Sindi Lacej), leaves school to take over the family business — delivering bread in a horse-drawn cart. (Talk about old-fashioned.)

Nik (Tristan Halilaj) lives in fear in this thriller.

This is the second feature by Joshua Marston, who studied film in New York and has helmed an episode of “Six Feet Under’’ and other TV shows. His debut movie was the highly praised “Maria Full of Grace,’’ about a 17-year-old Colombian girl who smuggles drugs into the US. “The Forgiveness of Blood,’’ a suspenseful work using nonprofessional actors and co-written with an Albanian filmmaker, shows Marston is no one-hit wonder.

"Chez Jay"

When piped-in music and a bar's history perfectly align, it makes for a sweet cocktail of synchronicity, a besotted wink from the intimate interior that makes all the drinkers lean into their liquor just a little bit more.

On a recent Sunday night, the ramshackle Chez Jay, a beachcomber bistro in Santa Monica with a legendary past, was packed. Glasses twinkled, waiters rushed through the room delivering steaming steaks, and the Doors' "L.A. Woman" played overhead. "Driving down your freeways," Morrison growled, and it seemed like the room was right there with him, careening down Pacific Coast Highway.

Morrison was known to frequent Chez Jay, as well as a host of other famous regulars in its 53 years of business. Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin, Lee Marvin, Judy Garland and even Marilyn Monroe would get seated in the curtained-off booth in the back, Table 10.

The restaurant, and that table in particular, is reported in the unpublished memoirs of now-deceased owner Jay Fiondella to have been the birthplace of many a screenplay, including work by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, as well parts of Warren Beatty's "Shampoo."

"Powerless Structures"

The newly-unveiled sculpture by artist duo Michael Elmgreen, of Denmark, and Ingar Dragset, of Norway, is seen on the Fourth Plinth in central London's Trafalgar Square, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. The 4.1m high golden sculpture of a young boy riding a rocking horse is entitled: 'Powerless Structures, Fig. 101'. The plinth was originally built to house a bronze equestrian statue of William IV that was never installed. The project is commissioned by the Mayor of London as part of the rolling programme of contemporary art commissions for the empty Fourth Plinth. AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis.

"On the Ice"

Shot entirely on location in Barrow, Alaska, On the Ice is the engrossing and suspenseful film debut by filmmaker Andrew Okpeaha MacLean about two teenage boys who have grown up like brothers go about their lives in the comfortable claustrophobia of an isolated Alaskan town.

Early one morning, on a seal hunt with another teenager, an argument between the three boys quickly escalates into a tragic accident. Bonded by their dark secret, the two best friends are forced to create one fabrication after another in order to survive. The shocked boys stumble through guilt-fueled days, avoiding the suspicions of their community as they weave a web of deceit. With their future in the balance, the two boys are forced to explore the limits of friendship and honor.

It took 50 penalty kicks and two days

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A high school soccer game in California came to an end after 50 penalty kicks spread out over two days, officials said.

The game between San Diego Crawford and The Bishop's School of San Diego (above)was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation time Tuesday and 42 penalty kicks were executed -- with each team making 18 and failing on three -- before officials halted the game due to darkness, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

The penalty kicks resumed the following day and Bishop's eventually won after scoring a goal on the 49th penalty kick and watching Crawford miss the 50th kick.

"All of us were so nervous after every (penalty) kick," said Matt Harris, who kicked the winning goal. "Any kick could have been the end. All of us were holding our breath."

Carnival of Binche

The carnival of Binche is an event that takes place each year in the Belgian town of Binche during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. The carnival is the most known of several others that take place in Belgium at the same time and has been proclaimed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity listed by UNESCO. Its history dates back to approximately the 14th century.

Events related to the carnival begin up to seven weeks prior to the primary celebrations. Street performances and public displays traditionally occur on the Sundays approaching Ash Wednesday, consisting of prescribed musical acts, dancing, and marching. Large numbers of Binche's inhabitants spend the Sunday directly prior to Ash Wednesday in costume.

The centrepiece of the carnival's proceedings are clown-like performers known as Gilles. Appearing, for the most part, on "Shrove" Tuesday, the Gilles are characterised by their vibrant dress, wax masks and wooden footwear. They number up to 1,000 at any given time, range in age from 3 to 60, and are customarily male. The honour of being a Gille at the carnival is something that is to be aspired to by local men. From dawn on the morning of the carnival's final day, Gilles appear in the centre of Binche, to dance to the sound of drums and ward evil spirits away with sticks. Later, during the day, they don large hats adorned with ostrich plumes, which can cost upwards of $300 US dollars to rent, and march through the town with baskets of oranges. These oranges are thrown to, and sometimes at, members of the crowd gathered to view the procession. The vigour and longevity of the orange throwing event has in past caused damage to property – some residents choose to seal windows to prevent this.

New Orleans Celebrates Mardi Gras

Riders in the Krewe of Rex parade through the city during Mardi Gras day on February 24, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Mardi Gras celebration ends at midnight, when the Catholic Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday and culminates with Easter.

(February 24, 2009 - Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America)

Lamas perform a traditional Buddhist dance at Yonghe Temple in Beijing yesterday, as part of the celebrations for the Tibetan New Year

The buzha, or cham in Tibetan language, is a masked dance used in Tibetan Buddhism to exorcize devils. Wearing masks of skulls and various demons, the lamas of Yonghe Temple performed buzha to the accompaniment of traditional Tibetan instruments.

At the end of the dance, the lamas walked in a procession with a model of the devil and threw it into a fire, symbolizing the exorcizing of the devil and pacifying of the world. After the ritual, the lamas continue to chant sutras, while people got a small bag of sacrificial fruits and candies before leaving the temple.

Would you eat lab-grown meat?

A Dutch scientist is hoping to create the world's first 'test-tube burger' after growing strips of muscle tissue in a laboratory from stem cells. Would you be happy to eat lab-grown meat or should science stay out of food production?

Stealthy Supersonic

The F-35, the military’s next-generation fighter jet that's currently under development, has begun its first flight tests carrying external missiles at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert.

The stealthy, supersonic fighter, built by Lockheed Martin Corp., has been undergoing tests since its first flight in late 2006.

The F-35, known as the Joint Strike Fighter, will be used jointly by the Navy, Marines and Air Force. Three versions of the F-35 are being built -- one that can operate off aircraft carriers, one capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, and a conventional fighter jet.

All three F-35 variants will be built on the same production line at Lockheed's plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The center fuselage sections will be made by Northrop Grumman Corp. at Plant 42 in Palmdale.

Currently, the F-35 order is the Pentagon's costliest program going; the Defense Department has plans to buy 2,443 of the aircraft at a cost of $382 billion.

"The bloodshed underscored a new kind of cruelty in Egypt"

A woman passes a mural in Cairo depicting unidentified soccer fans slain at this month's riot in Port Said. The bloodshed underscored a new kind of cruelty in Egypt.

(Nasser Nasser, Associated Press / February 21, 2012)

"a passion for natural landscape"

In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Ansel Adams combined a passion for natural landscape, meticulous craftsmanship as a printmaker and a missionary's zeal for his medium to become the most widely exhibited and recognized photographer of his generation.

His photographs have been published in more than 35 books and portfolios, and they have been seen in hundreds of exhibitions, including a one-man show, ''Ansel Adams and the West,'' at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1979. That same year he was the subject of a cover story in Time magazine, and in 1980 he received the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

In addition to being acclaimed for his dramatic landscapes of the American West, he was held in esteem for his contributions to photographic technology and to the recognition of photography as an art form.

"two of the top pitchers in the nation"

Life couldn't be better for Lucas Giolito (above) and Max Fried (below), the right-handed and left-handed standout pitchers for Studio City Harvard-Westlake.

They recently signed letters of intent with UCLA and took a moment to celebrate.

"UCLA is my dream school," Giolito said. "When I walked on campus, it clicked."

Said Fried: "Just knowing I have a place going to college and get a great degree and have fun playing baseball under one of the best coaches in America ... "

Yes, UCLA Coach John Savage will be excited knowing that two of the top pitchers in the nation have signed to become Bruins, but the big question is: Will they show up for classes next year?

Giolito is considered a candidate to be the No. 1 draft pick in the nation in June. Fried is a possible first-round draft choice.

Too old to win Oscar? Never !!

Here are two who won Oscars late in their careers . . .

Henry Fonda

The veteran superstar had largely been ignored by the academy, earning only a lead actor nomination for 1940's "The Grapes of Wrath"and a nod as producer of the 1957 best picture nominee "12 Angry Men."He finally won a lead actor Oscar at the age of 76 and 317 days for his role as the husband of Katharine Hepburn's character in 1981's "On Golden Pond." Fonda, though, was too frail to attend the 1982 ceremony, but his daughter Jane, who was nominated for supporting actress for the film, did. "Oh, Dad, I'm so happy and proud for you," she said. Henry Fonda died in August of that year.

Katharine Hepburn

Fonda's "Golden Pond" costar also won the lead actress Oscar for the drama. It was her fourth win — she was 74 years and 275 days old. And just as with the other three times she had won, Hepburn was no where to be found at the ceremony to pick up her Oscar. Hepburn continued to work in films, TV and even theater until 1994. She died in 2003.

George and Gracie

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, which premiered on 12 October 1950, was one of the first comedy series to make the successful transition from radio to television. Similar to the format of the radio program in which George Burns and Gracie Allen played themselves, the CBS domestic comedy was set in their home, the first television series to depict the home life of a working show business couple.

The half-hour series was broadcast live for the first two seasons. The first six episodes were broadcast from New York, but the show soon moved to Hollywood, making it only the third CBS series to emanate from the West Coast (after The Ed Wynn Show and The Alan Young Show). On Burns' insistence, the show was broadcast on alternate weeks in order to provide sufficient time for rehearsals and alleviate some of the pressures of live broadcasts. During its bi-weekly period, the series alternated with the anthology series Starlight Theater and, later, with Star of the Family. After two seasons of live performances, the series switched to a weekly filmed broadcast. Although not filmed before a studio audience, the final filmed product was previewed to an audience and their reactions recorded. At a time when many series relied on mechanically reproduced ("canned") laughter, Burns claimed that his series only "'sweetened' the laughter when a joke went flat and there was no way of eliminating it from the film. Even then we never added more than a gentle chuckle."

"The Good the Bad and the Ugly!"

An amazing artist by the name of Juarez Ricci created this amazing illustration of one of my favorite films of all time: Sergio Leone’s The Good the Bad and the Ugly! If your loving this then be sure to also checkout more of Juarez Ricci’s artwork over at his deviantart:juarezicc

"design concept for the Eisenhower Memorial"

On March 25, 2010, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission unanimously selected the preferred design concept for the Eisenhower Memorial created by architect Frank O. Gehry.

1937 postcard of Fern Dell in Los Angeles

A copy of a postcard from 1937 shows Griffith Park's Fern Dell in its former glory -- once a must-see attraction with fern gardens, footbridges and serene pools. Efforts at restoration are underway.

"Hey Frank, we took first place in the technology category!!! Kim"

Properly assembled, the bridges in the above plans can carry 1,000 times their own weight but they are not the ultimate design. Use them as a starting point. The parts are few and easy to duplicate, so you can use your time more efficiently evaluating different configurations. Make several bridges and test your ideas.

When you test the load limit of your bridge, catastrophic failure is unlikely. As soon as the first glue joint pops, repair it and think how you can reinforce that weak point.

You can scale the measurements of the parts for longer building material.

What can you lighten? What needs reinforcing? Does doubling the thickness of the sticks increase the efficiency? Does the truss railing increase efficiency? Do 3 or more arches in a bridge increase the overall efficiency?

Some things you might consider:
- An arch needs fixed feet to carry a serious load. If you just place it on a flat surface, you'll have to tie the feet together with non-stretching string or wire, else you'll just have a weak beam bridge carrying less than 50 lbs.
- Sand the surfaces to be glued. Boards might be rough, warped or have splinters around the holes or a glaze on them.
- Don't clamp pieces together too quickly. Let the glue soak in for a few seconds or prime the surfaces with a thin glue solution first.
- Leave your glue lots of time to set. Read the glue instructions.

Have fun :-)

"Renascer de Jacarepagua"

Performers from the Renascer de Jacarepagua samba school parade during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday Feb. 19, 2012.

Photo: Silvia Izquierdo / AP

Rio Ruiz: A star taking shape

Rio Ruiz, out of Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) is not only the Lancers' starting quarterback, but he is also one of the nation's top baseball players. The third baseman was instrumental in the Lancers' CIF-Southern Section Div. IV title last year over Palm Desert (Palm Desert, Calif.). Ruiz has a strong arm and is one of the best hitters in the 2012 class.

Ruiz was selected to play in the 2010 Area Code Games (Yankees) and the 2011 Area Code Games (Brewers). He would have been on the 18U Team USA national team headed to Columbia for the Pan Am Games. When those games got postponed he jumped back into football. That is up until he was sidelined by an injury.

Expect Ruiz to make a full recovery and have a solid 2012 season for the Lancers. They are going to be one of the better teams in Southern California next season.

"Gang Green Welcome"

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is the latest - and hottest - addition to Gang Green. The first rookie quarterback in Jets history to start on opening day, Sanchez wowed fans by playing like a seasoned veteran.

"Nik Wallenda is set to walk a 1,800 foot tightrope across Niagara Falls"

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario — Daredevil Nik Wallenda is set to walk a 1,800 foot tightrope across Niagara Falls this summer, a feat the seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas said has been his childhood dream.

"I feel like I'm on top of the world," Wallenda said Wednesday after the Niagara Parks Commission, which months ago refused even to consider the idea, voted unanimously to allow the walk between the United States and Canada.

Approval from the Canadian panel was Wallenda's largest remaining obstacle after he convinced the New York Legislature to pass a bill allowing the walk last year.

Wallenda plans to run a custom-made 2-inch wire 60 to 70 feet above the 160-foot gorge, which will dip down in the middle, meaning he'll walk downhill during the first half of the 30- to 40-minute walk and uphill until the end.

"My dream really is to walk down through that mist and walk back out," he said.

Wallenda has until the end of March to work out details of the walk, including its start and end points. He has a deal with Discovery television to broadcast the spectacle live.

"The Flying Wallendas"

The Flying Wallendas of Sarasota, Fla., perform their seven-person Grand Pyramid at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit during a full-dress rehersal on March 5, l998. It was the first time for the Wallendas to perform the stunt which killed two members and injured three others in the same spot in Detroit Jan. 30, l962.

"Litter Art"

Billboard, with "art" constructed from litter removed from the beach at Redondo Beach, California. Image from the Deep Fun blog.

While doing some image research, Richard Layman came across this, from the Bernie DeKoven's Deep Fun blog's October 2005 archive:

"This billboard is right around the corner from my house. It is depressingly beautiful. Depressing, because it is composed totally of litter found on the beach (can you find the shopping cart). But beautiful. By day. By night. A glorious piece of art. A testimony to the human capacity for both sensitivity and insensitivity."

"Ocean Steps"

These steps leading up from the International Boardwalk in Redondo Beach (sorta) to the Village Condos were installed in 2010, when 50 volunteers worked with designers Patti Linnett and Debbie Collette who finished up the work of attaching ceramic pieces to mesh that was then mortared to the steps. The project took four months all told. Looks like they're calling it "Ocean Steps."

"Artwork from Edwin Duterte's Facebook

"It's not so easy to predict a Broadway flop"

The Aerospace Players present the 12-time Tony Award-winning musical hit “The Producers,” based on the 1968 film of the same name. Adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, with music by Brooks and Glen Kelly, the musical comedy follows two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. Complications arise when the show unexpectedly turns out to be a hit. Jon Sparks (above) plays Roger DuBris. With a live orchestra. Where? The James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. Performances today and tomorrow at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. Also next Thursday through Saturday. Tickets, $22 for adults and $18 for seniors, military and students. The show contains adult themes. (310) 781-7171 or visit aeaclubs.org/theater. Photo by Kris Maine

"Turtles finding Sanctuary"

The Turtle Rescue Foundation’s sanctuary in Redondo Beach, California contains ponds and waterfalls surrounded by grass, a “beach” area and a dog-sized tent that houses Little Louis, a 70-pound Galapagos tortoise that is estimated to be 120 years old. He was rescued from a poacher.

When Manhattan Beach was young . . .

When Daysie Hall and her children reached Manhattan Beach in 1927, the area had just begun to come into its own as a popular resort. Much of the shoreline with its massive coastal sand dunes was still undeveloped and flyers eagerly promoted “the safest beach in America.” The 928 foot long pier had been a big attraction ever since its completion in 1920; a large neon sign that spelled out “Manhattan Beach” welcomed visitors after dark. As many as 360 people at a time could rent bathing suits and change in the large bathhouse available on the land end of the pier. Out on the ocean end they bought tackle and fished or enjoyed the restaurant in the lighted stucco octagonal pavilion. When the weather cooperated, men, women and children in modest bathing wear or fully dressed set up tents or umbrellas and shared picnics on the sand. And there were still rules of decorum. A sign proclaimed that no bathers were allowed on the streets without a robe."

Environmental artist Wyland, who is known for painting whales painted this mural.

"Dolphins dancing"

Dolphins dancing at sunset. Taken in Hermosa Beach, California, on 4th street.

Photo Credit John Ehrenfeld

"Epic sunset"

"Epic sunset" (January 8th, 2012) at 30th Street, Hermosa Beach, California.

Photo Credit: Duke Noor

Mira Costa Mustangs

Josh Huttinger and the Mira Costa Mustangs host top-seeded Laguna Beach in the second round of the CIF Southern Section/Ford Division 3 championships.

Photo by Ray Vidal

Volley: World Cup, l’Italia torna a stupire

Matura, convinta, consapevole dei propri limiti ma anche del proprio talento, e per questo capace di sfruttarlo al meglio anche con avversari più blasonati. E' questo il ritratto dell'Italia nella Volley World Cup maschile 2011, in cui la squadra di Mauro Berruto, dopo l'iniziale passo falso con la Russia, ha inanellato quattro vittorie consecutive mettendo al tappeto, tra gli altri, i fortissimi brasiliani e i campioni olimpici statunitens

Former England and Lions centre Jeremy Guscott

"Dagg is an incredibly gifted young rugby player who has all the skills - handling, passing, off-loading, a big boot, good under the high ball, speed, a side-step, a swerve. You name it, he's got it. The next superstar of New Zealand and world rugby."

1890's Los Angeles

This bucolic scene was Los Angeles in the 1890s, Third Street looking west, past Hill Street. A church on the northeast corner is within walking distance of the residences. That’s the Crocker Mansion at the top of Bunker Hill.

1920's Los Angeles

Angels Flight took passengers to the top of Bunker Hill, a short but dramatic climb.

A View to Take Your Breath Away

When you’re dining at a revolving restaurant 250 feet above Cape Town, you expect the views to be fantastic. The real surprise is when the food appears — and it’s excellent.

What better way to savor a beautiful city than from this vantage point: a window seat at a revolving restaurant where the shifting views complement the gourmet courses. At Cape Town’s Top of the Ritz, that means pairings of just-caught mussels with a view of iconic Table Mountain, spicy curry-butternut soup with the sandstone Twelve Apostle peaks, rack of lamb with beaches, and dessert with the sunset dipping below the Atlantic.