Lord Westover: The Wisdom of the Lord -- Memo to the 1 Percent: N...

Lord Westover: The Wisdom of the Lord -- Memo to the 1 Percent: N...: By His Grace, Lord Westover The recent events by your youthful (and dare I say spirited) hoi polloi to “occupy” Wall Street and other local...

SS United States on CNN Live July 7, 1999

Thought to have been lost, this rare footage from a 1999 CNN Live broadcast was found in the SS United States Foundation archives. The footage is grainy and flows more like a movie from the silent screen era, but some wonderful footage remains! This footage is the only known national news broadcast featuring maritime legend Frank O Braynard. The short interview with SSUSF Chairman Robert Westover is also (to date) the only known Big U engine interview to appear on national prime time TV.

SS United States

This tribute video of the SS United States was commissioned by the former SS United States Foundation on the occassion of the vessel's 50th year.

Lord Westover: The Wisdom of the Lord: Economic Pandemonium is th...

Lord Westover: The Wisdom of the Lord: Economic Pandemonium is th...: "By His Grace, Lord Westover, (obviously) For some unexplained reason, top investors in America seem to take great pride in panic selling on..."

His Grace, Lord Westover (obviously)

American Monarch Trailer

Lord Westover: The Wisdom of the Lord: You Americans…

Lord Westover: The Wisdom of the Lord: You Americans…: "From time to time I have been asked to comment on American political issues. As a Lord..."

His Grace, obviously

The Day I Met His Royal Highness, Charles, The Prince of Wales (updated Nov 2020)

Prince Charles with the author in the background, (Courtesy photo.)

Prince Charles on a visit to Washington, DC. (Photo Credit: Robert Westover)

On an official royal visit, His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales visited a local DC farm, the Common Good City Farms, (the only such farm in DC). My husband, Tom, had told me The Prince would be there, so being not only a royal enthusiast, but also a climate change advocate, I had to try to meet His Royal Highness as he too is a proponent of global warming issues.

I was not disappointed. He shook my hand and we spoke for about a minute on climate change issues. He then said, "But is anyone listening? [about climate change]" to which I replied, "We're making progress. They will listen..."

God bless the Prince of Wales!

Robert Hudson Westover

Washington, D.C.

Royal wedding coverage: Americans watched and sighed

I'm quoted extensively in this post royal wedding article in the Christian Science Monitor. They really make me sound smarter than I am!!! God Save the Queen!

Royal wedding coverage: Americans watched and sighed

Royal wedding coverage: Americans watched and sighed

Americans who watched the royal wedding coverage say they appreciated the elegance and traditions of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge.

Britain's Prince William and and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, travel to Buckingham Palace in a 1902 State Landau carriage after the royal wedding at Westminster Abbey, London, Friday.

Peter Jordan / AP

By Gloria Goodale, Staff writer / April 29, 2011

Los Angeles

William and Kate are wed. Half a world away, Americans from Washington to Los Angeles roused themselves to watch the hour-long ceremony broadcast live and in HD from Westminster Abbey. While denizens of the former colony sometimes carp about oppressive British traditions, those who breakfasted on the event showed a genuine sense of appreciation for the restrained elegance that ran through the moment.

“It was really beautiful,” says Nathalie DeWulf Miller, a naturalized US citizen born in France. She turned on the TV while her husband slept in their Southern California home. “I knew Kate would have long sleeves because every royal wedding dress has had them,” says Ms. Miller, “but it was so elegant and modern.” The choice of gown was decidedly not what Diana and Fergie chose, she adds, “not over the top at all.”

On the other coast, third-generation ex-Marine Robert Westover fired up his wide-screen, high-definition TV to enjoy what he calls a celebration of the best parts of royal traditions. “It encapsulated a thousand years of British history from William the Conqueror – who was crowned in the Abbey – all the way through Chaucer and Milton,” says the Washington, D.C., resident. “I am not a monarchist or even a royalist,” he says, but “this is the country that gave the world the Magna Carta, laying out the rights of man for the whole civilized western world.” Respect is due this heritage, he says, “even if I firmly believe in electing all my own leaders.”

Being of British descent, Mr. Westover says, it’s the least courtesy he can accord his mother country. Besides, he says, as a former Marine, respect is a professional courtesy. “When British Marines set fire to Washington in 1812,” he says with a laugh, “the one building they did not torch was the Marine commandant’s home.”

Watching from her Detroit-area home, author and social scientist Terri Orbuch says she was impressed with the lack of ostentation. “No big-name celebrity performers or modern vows written by the bride and groom,” she says, although she does concede that walking out of a church to see a crimson-lined carriage drawn by white horses “may just be every little girl’s wedding dream.”

She says she was struck by the obvious connection between William and Kate. “Their body language – small looks and glances between them – spoke volumes about how united they feel in this union,” says the author of "Five Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great."

While the Bible verses and traditional passages from church officials suffused the ceremony with a traditional hue, the relationship at the heart of the wedding is completely modern, “a paring of equals,” she says, very unlike the distant, somewhat tense relationship on display in the Prince Charles and Diana nuptials.

She hopes that watchers will absorb the importance of a calm and mature bond at the heart of the wedding. Nonetheless, she adds, a more likely take-away will be yet another upgrade for any self-respecting modern wedding: “No doubt, we will see some brides demanding their very own horse-drawn carriage complete with footmen,” she adds with a rueful laugh.

Royal wedding: Women see romance, men see history. Both like the story.

I'm quoted in the CS Monitor about the royal wedding...please don't tell Lord Westover!

Royal wedding: Women see romance, men see history. Both like the story.

Royal wedding: Women see romance, men see history. Both like the story.

Royal wedding pageantry around William and Kate's big day is here, and men and women are focusing on different aspects. But the appeal of the basic story line means both will be watching.

· Royal wedding: A flag showing a picture of Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton flutters in the wind. Men and Women in the US are both interested in the royal wedding, but their reasons are very different. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

By Gloria Goodale, Staff writer / April 28, 2011

Los Angeles

Will and Kate’s big day is almost here. But while Americans of all ages and professions have beenfeasting regularly and deeply on this banquet of public pageantry, one thing has become quite clear – men and women are sipping from decidedly different cups.

Women have a slight edge when it comes to celebrating the event. According to thehotlist.com, a “social decision engine” that tracks the activities of some 100 million users across social media such as Facebook and Twitter, women make up some 57 percent of those planning social events to watch the wedding broadcast.

For the men who are tuning in, their interest is more geared to the externals – historical details and symbolism – says Thomas Smith, an Atlanta-based public relations professional.

“I’ve been following the coverage in print and online,” he says, adding, “I’m very intrigued by the pageantry and processions and preparations.” Adds Robert Westover, a 40-something ex-Marine from Washington, D.C. “I’m very keen on the symbolism of who sits where and the remarkable history of the buildings and all the ceremonies.”

Head/heart split

There are powerful evolutionary and social reasons for this head/heart split between men and women, says Patrick Markey, director of Villanova University’s Interpersonal Research Laboratory.

Social learning reinforces the message. “Think about what we expose daughters to,” he says, adding every day “we read them a fairy tale about a prince or they hear a Disney story about Prince Charming or watch a movie about Cinderella.” These two combine for a very powerful influence both conscious and not, he says.

However, that said, many women are relieved to know that this time around Prince Charming isn’t looking for an aristocratic, pretty virgin 13 years his junior, says Stephanie Coontz, professor of history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., via email.

Rather, he is looking for an equally educated, same-age mate that he's known for 8 years, she says. “I am seeing more interest from these women this time around – they find it reassuring that the heir to the throne picked a real-life person with a mind of her own rather than a cartoon fairy-tale princess,” she adds.

Women from coast to coast are gathering in groups of girlfriends and multiple generations. From quiltmaker Roberta Levin, who watched Diana and Charles wed thirty years ago and wants to see her son come full circle, to public relations professional Elizabeth Anderson, who will watch surrounded by a bevy of female relatives, from her daughter to her mother and a slew of in-laws and nieces.

In the end, though, the story draws in both men and women, says Beth Amorosi, president of Ammo Communications.

Thanks for the memories...

March 28, 2010 – Dan Trachtenberg, Chairman of the SS United States Foundation, recently announced the organization would cease operations “in order to present the most unified, concise vision possible regarding the future of our beloved vessel…” The Foundation website will now direct visitors to the SS United States Conservancy site and will encourage its membership to support Conservancy efforts on behalf of the ship.

It’s safe to say that the Foundation re-introduced the American public to the history and plight of our great national flagship and for that, true believers in the SS United States should be deeply thankful.

“They really did a lot to kick-start the movement to save this irreplaceable national icon,” said Dan McSweeney, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Conservancy. “Dan Trachtenberg has been a part of the SS United States preservation movement for well over ten years and he’s never waivered in lending an encouraging word to those who share his vision for saving the ship at any and all costs.”

The Foundation scored major media placements in the late 1990s and early 2000s under the leadership of Robert Hudson Westover, who founded the organization.

“Robert’s efforts will not be forgotten. His enthusiasm attracted many supporters who went off to pursue their own efforts on behalf of the ship,” said McSweeney. “He was a resonant voice in support of a deep and strong vision to ensure this great ship is not lost.”

The Conservancy thanks the Foundation for its many years on behalf of the “Big Ship.” We are glad to be combining the different organizations that have worked to ”Save Our Ship” and understand the importance of unified effort, both in order to maximize impacts and minimize confusion about how members of the public can join the cause of ensuring the SS United States is not lost to future generations of Americans.

“This is a time for unity,” said Conservancy Board President Susan Gibbs. “There is much hard work to be done.”

China: The Sword, the Purse and the Word

The Sword, the Purse and the Word. No, this is not the title of the next Harry Potter book. It is the simple formula as to how Western nations have managed to prosper and hold the levers of world power for over 500 years. The simplistic breakdown of this formula is roughly: The Sword (military power and empire). The Purse (the bootie and accompanying wealth of empire). The Word (the philosophical principles and laws—the governance of a people).

The third, the Word is the most crucial. Without a system of just and humane laws a nation, no matter how wealthy, will collapse in on itself through its own corruption and ineptitude.

Since Magna Carta the West has managed through fits and starts to bestow upon the common man the rights and privileges once afforded only to a tiny and elite aristocracy throughout the great expanse of human history. This is the Western world’s Word. And this is why the Western powers will continue to prosper and control those levers of international power. (I remember how Japan was supposed to be the next superpower—speak of collective intellectual amnesia!)

As many American companies are learning (the hard way) China has the Sword (for sure) and now a lot of Purse, but it has very little of the Word as it applies to the rights of the common man and for this reason it will fail.

It would behoove American companies (and other international companies that are based in human rights-oriented political systems) to sparsely invest in countries, institutions and/or cultures that repress the Rights of Man. And those that do not tread lightly in these totalitarian systems, despite their misguided convictions of some elusive political stability, will eventually regret such investments—just ask Google.