Category: True Stories

Hot Links To Chu

Chu Berry Album Cover CHU

The Argument Of The Beard goes like this:

“…For if once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination. Once [one] begin[s] upon this downward path, you never know where you are to stop. Many a man has dated his ruin from some murder or other that perhaps he thought little of at the time.”
–Thomas DeQuincey

Yet another way to win at Rock Paper Scissors.

It’s 11:22 according to the ferrofluid clock.

Mare brings horseyhubby a sammich [via].

Haka for Mr. Dawson Tamatea’s funeral.

Ever wondered what people do with clam saliva? Here you go.

BREAKING NEWS: The Antarctic ice cap is reportedly melting due to Anthropogenic Global Climate Change™. That means the temperature at the South Pole has risen at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s all your fault. [More here]

Chu Berry & His Stompy Stevedores with “ChuBerry Jam” from 1937 [via].

11 September 2001 – Never Forget.

9-11 WTC

Every one of those innocent people in that photo were doomed on 11 September 2001.

In the aftermath of the catastrophic attacks on the WTC, the Pentagon (and on United Flight 93) by muslims, the largest evacuation by flotilla in history began on 9-11-2001 with one call for assistance. The spontaneous response by private citizens was amazing, and this short documentary gives thanks to all who responded and helped to evacuate Lower Manhattan.

“…Never go through life saying ‘you should have’… “

And never forget THIS.

Discovered By Kangaroos In Canberra – The World’s Largest Calcified Dog Poop

SHEEP

[Story found by the missus. More here.]

Blues Legends Illustrated

Blues Legends

Every one of those images were derived from B&W photos, and if I’m not mistaken, they were created by Robert Crumb. You’ve heard their songs covered by others (like this one by Memphis Minnie & Kansas City Joe McCoy).

[Image found here.]

Smokin’ Hot Links

HEMPY

Page images from a 1965 edition of the Boy Scout’s Handbook bring back memories.

The Blob: 1,000 cubic feet of squid eggs discovered over 70 feet below the ocean surface (video at the link).

Puppy vs. Doorstop.

There’s a reason for wrapping your cabin in foil.

Hitchbot mugged in Philadelphia, is recuperating from injuries.

Top image from here [via]. Very cool graphics.

1920s Selfies

Selfies-1920s

Note that two pricey photos were taken simultaneously, suggesting promotional photos. Original source unknown because we were too lazy to hunt for it, but we’ll link with credit if you find it.

[Received via email. Tip ‘o the Tarboosh to A.U.]

The Wreck of the Aircraft Carrier USS Macon

USS MACON INSIGNIA

The USS Macon was an aircraft carrier that sank stern-down off the coast of Point Sur California during a violent storm in 1935. There were surprisingly few casualties, and those she sustained were due to human error. One jumped to his death, another returned to the sinking wreck to retrieve his personal belongings. All other crew members survived.

The Macon was not an attack vessel. Its purpose was to provide long-range surveillance of the Pre-WWII Japanese navy, and it sunk because this aircraft carrier was not designed to float on water. Some of her aircraft had no landing gear either, because the ship had no landing deck.

TRUE.

Puzzle this one out for yourselves before you click.
[Explanation, images and source links below the break.]

Continue reading “The Wreck of the Aircraft Carrier USS Macon”

Saturday Matinee – (Hg(SCN)2) Decomposition, The Electric Prunes, The Count Five & The Seeds

Mercury(II) thiocyanate decomposition is kinda cool, but some of the U Toobage comments amused me more (posted verbatim):

Imagine a 50 tons asteroid made of this thing … it would enter the atmosphere, get in flame, expand like the whole africa and kill us

This was filmed in a North Korean secret science lab where they are trying to build their next president.
How cool would it be to pretend to be a wizard in the medieval ages, just go into a kings throne room and threaten them by summoning satans dick tentacles, pop this experiment down, and as everyone is screaming, command the dick tentacles to stop, and then they all be like. Oh you so great wizard telling satans dick tentacles to stop, and then you would be like muahahah – ill stop, and yes, there is something wrong with me.
Why is he using a little tiny golf club to put down the powder?
Why did watching this bring Hillary to mind ?
and that’s how they grow kale! now you know

i’d smoke that

poke it with a stick…

BTW, the word is spelled “Weirdest.” I before E except after W…

Okay. Enough of that, so let’s go eclectic. How ’bout some 1966 retro?

Here’s The Electric Prunes on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, circa 1966, lip-synching “I Had Too Much To Dream.”

“Psychotic Reaction” by The Count Five, circa 1966.

The Seeds‘ “Pushin’ Too Hard” circa 1966.

For me, 1966 was a great year because I got a small transistor radio for my birthday. It ate up my allowance money in batteries because I’d fall asleep listening to WSAI into the wee hours on school nights.  It was also the year Dad ordered a complete set of the World Book Encyclopedia. That was the edition that had frog dissections and human anatomy on overlapping clear celluloid layers. Very cool.

Have a great weekend, folks. Be back here tomorrow for stuff.

Amasunzu (circa 1923)

Rwandan man with Amasunzu hairstyle, 1923.
Rwandan man with Amasunzu hairstyle, 1923.

It’s like a giant brain-sucking leech. I want one.
Oh wait…

[Image, caption, and more about the hairstyle here.]

The Saturday Matinee – To All The U.S. Cubano Families Who Just Got Chumped

Yep. The American Flag now flies over the U.S. Embassy in a country dedicated to the abolishment of the one form of government that is guaranteed to bring its denizens out of poverty, i.e., capitalism.

I pity those who think that capitalism is a bad thing, for they’ve been deceived and lied to, and the people who suffered under Castro’s brutal and oppressive regime are unable to speak.

Except for a very few, and I’ve met some of them. They’re not happy about this at all because they remember what happened to themselves and their families when the communists took over.

So where do we go from here?

¡MUSICA CUBANO!

The Cuban sound is a mixture of Spanish, African and European styles, an eclectic mix that blends well. Meanwhile, here’s another great Cuban:

Steven Stills & Manassas. Stills wanted to become one of The Monkees prior to his days with CSN&Y, but he was rejected for contract conflicts. It probably had something to do with being a Cuban, like this orchestra:

In case you didn’t click the link last time around, that’s Prague’s Talichova Komorní Filharmonie in 2012 performing a classic song by the late Cuban composer Frank Zappa.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow.