Category: True Stories

Yoneji Inamura’s Contribution To The World: 20,000 Beetles

Although [Yoneji] Inamura created several sculptures out of beetles, he spent 6 years in the 1970s constructing this one, which has become his masterpiece and the largest sculpture he ever made. When it was done he donated it to the city.

The sculpture, made from rhinoceros beetles, winged jewel beetles, drone beetles, longhorn beetles and other types of local beetles, depicts the senju kannon bosatsu (1000-armed bodhisattva), a popular Buddhist deity in Japan.

[Click on the smaller images to enlarge. More here, found here. Somewhat related posts here.]

Meretricious Rhadamanthine Hot Links

Johnny Rotten weighs in on Briexit… and Donald Trump.

Roger Daltrey weighs in on Briexit… and Donald Trump.

Luke and Sean share a shirt.

Earliest known definition of “cocktail” as a beverage appeared in 1803. The actual origins of the word are disputed; here’s one analysis.

Groucho Marx once hawked cocktail napkins.

Ever wonder why cocktails are served in different glasses? Me neither.

No idea what the 1927 Jiggling Chair was supposed to remedy.

Attempted Escape of the Maniac from The Wild Witch of the Heath, 1841.

This is mildly amusing. Move your curser, then do it real fast.

From the You Gotta Be Kidding Me Department:
Cloned Woolly Mammoths are planned to be introduced to an Arctic Siberian park in order to stop “global warming climate change.”

Horrific April Fools Day pranks of the 19th Century, and some were lethal. More pranks here.

[Top: Original image of the TV-HiFi console hottie found here.]

Stuff like this makes me wanna puke.

Apparently it was an exercise required of applicants to a government job. The woman who posted this on Twitter said she was asked to leave after she voiced her disgust about the “I’ll Bet You’re A Bigot” test. (Note that they couldn’t even spell “Nostradamus” correctly.) I wouldn’t hire ANYONE who chose to participate in such an idiotic exercise, and walking out is the appropriate response, IMO.

And that’s exactly what she did.

Reminds me of this ill-conceived mind experiment, and the work of photographer Jill Greenberg (whose claim to fame is making toddlers cry as a political statement).

Puke.

[h/t @paperghost]

Johann Friedrich Fleischer’s Contribution to the World: Lunar Humidity Distiller

lunar-humidity

“I will tell you this much however, that the rays of the Sun and Moon and Dew must be collected in a clean Jar or Vessel, separated from Rain and dirt, stench, smoke, and also from flying and wandering animals. The ways of attraction are many, but it is as well at home, as in an open place in the wind. As also a most fit and convenient Receptacle.”

Alchemist Johann Friedrich Fleischer‘s invention is described in his paper Chemical Moonshine, published in 1739. A subsequent publication in 1797 included the illustration above, by Sigismund Bacstrom, for its frontispiece

[Image found here.]

Block Parties Here Are Incredible.

“Hey, Bob! What’s going on this weekend?”
“The Stones are coming back again.”
“Aw, crap.”

“The [Nankai] Hawks were sold and moved to Fukuoka City in 1988 or 1989. Since the stadium was abandoned, the City of Osaka, working with a trade group, turned it into a giant outdoor home show with rows of various model homes from several construction companies.

“If I remember correctly, the houses were a failure, as most Japanese in the greater Osaka area were not interested in western style housing and the quality of construction was not up to their expectations. I think the stadium was finally demolished in the late ’90s.”

[Found in here, additional images and story found here and here.]

Corned Hot Links on Rye with Sauerkraut & Swiss

From the Fun Facts To Know & Tell Department:

“On my first trip to Ireland I was told how the fisherman’s sweaters were woven to indicate origin so washed up bodies might be identified.”

Wanna chip in and buy a town? Tiller, Oregon is up for sale.
Let’s do this.

Vitiligo is a non-fatal yet incurable disease that causes patches of skin to lose pigmentation. This young woman pwns it with markers.

The U.S. Navy’s “Fat Leonard” corruption scandal investigation is still ongoing with more indictments. Here’s the timeline.

Lost your Official Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon Ashtray again? Get a replacement here.

Guy nailed himself with a bear tranquilizer and lived [via].

Amazing door lock from 1680 tracks the number entries [via].

I forgot to ask. How’s your mesentery doing?

Did your Samsung TV stop showing program listings? Ours did, so we unplugged it, plugged it back in. No dice. Did the same with the antenna. Nope. Replaced the batteries in the old remote. Didn’t work. Bought a new remote. No success. Samsung tech support couldn’t suss it out either. The Missus figured it out – we’d had a power outage, and when she reset the date and time, she missed resetting the year. PROBLEM SOLVED.

[Top image:  Napoli amusement park, 1950.]

“What the hell’s a two-lane Highway? OuttaMyWay, Butthead!”

wide-ride

Cadillac prototype illustration by automotive designer Wayne Kady. [Found here.]

Vinsamlegast skila þessu til Danmerkur konu sem vinnur í matvörubúð

iceland-address
In Iceland, drawing a map works just as well as an address.

[Found here. Reminds me of the letter to MAD Magazine that had only the image of Alfred E. Neuman on the envelope, yet it still got delivered.]

The Apache Revolver (ca. 1869)

apache-revolver-1 apache-revolver-2

“The Apache Revolver is the Swiss Army knife of guns. Designed in the early 1900’s by the french gang Les Apaches this weapon was easily concealed and it is said that one bullet would always be left out of the chamber so as to not shoot yourself while it was in your pocket. Its range was very limited due to its lack of a barrel but it was an effective tool due to everything it could do, this weapon could shoot, cut and hit and could be easily folded up and placed in your pocket. Sheer Genius.”

The Wikipedia entry contradicts that description. This multi-purpose weapon was presumably designed by Louis Dolne of Belgium in 1860, went into production in 1869, and was discontinued by 1900. Here’s a quick video.

[Top image and caption from here; 2nd image from here.]

These poor destitute women and children fleeing persecution have been temporarily barred from entering the U.S.

immigrants

Just look at those starving and suffering poor crippled souls who are so impoverished that they had to leave their families, girlfriends, wives, children, parents and grandparents behind to fight and die for the countries they escaped from.

Via Executive Order, President Trump suspended immigration from 7 countries that support violent jihad: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria & Yemen. There are 50 muslim-majority countries (Pew Research Center, 2010) so…

86% of all muslim-majority countries are NOT affected by the immigration suspension.

For those who think this edict is outrageous, un-Constitutional and unprecedented, please read Article 1. Read the rest of the U.S. Constitution while you’re at it, including the Amendments. Sure beats watching “The View” for American history and practical math.

[Image from here.]

UPDATE:

nancy-pelosi-sanctuary-state