November 9, 1989-The Atheism That Failed

Ross Douthot encapsulates many of my views on the end of the Cold War. It seems like yesterday, but college freshman were not alive when the Soviet Union existed. The President of the United States thought begging for the Olympics and picking up a Nobel Prize worth a trip to Europe, but not the celebrations over the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall.

I don't think Douthot is right about permanence. Europe, in particular, does not seem permanently in the camp of liberal democracy to me but overall he is correct. Islamicism threatens us with nuclear strikes that will destroy cities but not the West. Russia can immiserate many on its borders but cannot export its pathologies anymore.

November 11 now commemorates the end of the war to end wars. November 9 truly is the day the credible threat of Armageddon ended. Those of us who thought the day would never come are now amazed it was so long ago.

Interest'n Fact Thea Nahmmie...

My last vote (other than strategic voting in primaries) for a Democrat was for Joe Lieberman against Lowell Weiker in 1988. I then switched parties and have never pulled the Democratic lever again in earnest.

Mr. Ratzenberger, a staple of Pixar voice overs and seen wherever Cheers still runs, is contemplating challenging Senator Lieberman. Under no circumstances will he win in the state wher I went to high school. Joe Lieberman is considered right-wing there. I only wish he had challenged Chris Dodd, because then he could have been a Senator.

Nawmi, a Republican will beat Lieberman right after you don't order the all you can eat buffet at the hungry heifer.

Manna vs. Machine

Earth got yet another reprieve from the Large Hadron Collider after it apparently choked on a baguette. You would think the mad scientists would make their doomsday device impervious to baked goods, but no.

A further complication is the difficulty of procuring enough dental floss for a 17-mile-circumference ring.

Please, For God's Sake, Visit Cleveland

I have been to Cleveland three times so I cannot be swayed by this (NSFW sound) promotional video:



This is equally, uh, compelling and makes a good point at the end:



Now this makes me want to visit Cleveland just a bit more:



In terms of openings, though, nothing tops this:



I remember seeing that and thinking it weas the most amazing opening credits sequence I had seen on TV, but what followed was kind of disappointing, although it picked up in later seasons and I really liked "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?"

The Anzac Cove* of Marketing?

The Australian makers of Vegemite came up with a blend of Vegemite and cream cheese and, as part of the product launch, ran a contest to name the new spread, with generally predictable consequences.

Money quote: "We asked people to vote on a name, and then we left the room and picked a name that wasn't the most popular, and that's where we lost the online consumer in particular." Gee, ya think?

The article mentions the mid-80s New Coke "debacle" repeating the myth of the latter as a failed experiment. I, and others, remain convinced that it was a carefully planned intentional failure to mask Coke's switch from sugar to high-fructose corn syrup in the original recipe.

H/t to J, a fine blogging Sheila.

*Refers to this

Pointless, Yet Cool

In case you haven't seen it, today's XKCD comic is major geek accomplishment, apparently leading to a punchline about a movie I never saw.

Once you're at XKCD, it's worth clicking on the picture for the larger version.

We Happy, Albeit Possibly Less Outnumbered, Few

In news sure to delight JJV, revisionist historians have been messing with the legacy of the Battle of Agincourt, fought this St. Swithin's Day in 1415.

But enough historical squabbling. Roll tape!



H/T to PT

It Never Felt So Good, It Never Felt So Right, But By God That Song is Awful

Noted music aficionado and hostess sans pareil EMM commented on a recent post about "Total Eclipse of the Heart" being one of the greatest 80s songs ever. She is right, if not in the way intended, in that it is one of the greatest bad 80s songs, if not the greatest. It would be bad enough if it did not already include the single most gratuitous use of sleighbells in all of recorded human history, but that latter "accomplishment" puts it out of reach of mere dreck.

It is serial over-producer Jim Steinman's Ishtar.

And hey, I admit it, I like a lot of (what others consider) crap. Behold:



Or:



Incidentally, one reason I can't get behind the Go-Gos' cover of "Cool Jerk" (sorry EMM) is HSR's definitive treatment, with or without visuals:



Speaking of Jim Steinman, I also performed "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" as part of Four on the Floor, an intentionally bad barbershop quartet in college that played one show (by our choice, mind you). Among other things I got to do the Phil Rizzuto play-calling. Good times.

Appalled O' Creed

Slate paraphrases Gordon Gekko, declaring that Creed is Good. No, I don't buy it either. (No no no, not that Creed - he's awesome in his own way.) It doesn't help that the author draws parallels with Journey's Don't Stop Believin', a truly awful song that resonates with a certain demographic. It's true, I just checked with a mirror.



What better time to revisit Creed than with this Literal Video:



Bonus track!

No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Run a Farm with Eva Gabor or Possibly Samwise's Dad!

RIP Joseph Wiseman, the eponymous villain of Dr. No; and Vic Mizzy, the stranger-than-fictionally named composer of the themes for The Addams Family and Green Acres. Fun fact: for Green Acres, the studio refused to shell out money for singers so Mizzy did it himself.

In other news, Carrie Fisher turns 53 today. "Help me blow out these candles, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're our only hope!"

Update 10/22: Green Acres was the show for which Mizzy sang the theme himself.

Hey

The Department of Spare Time, which appears to have branch offices everywhere except my own house, presents this Eisenstein-esque montage of every Kramer entrance into Jerry's apartment on Seinfeld:



H/t Pufferfish

Not That I Wouldn't Look Good with a Pencil Mustache...

The decline in daring jewel heists since my temporary retirement from competition is the merest coincidence.

Where Are These Lizards?

Recently one of my sons asked me "Daddy, What lizards live in Virginia?" I was taken aback for a minute as I assumed there were salamanders, and felt there had to be skinks but I had never seen one in the 10 years I've lived here. I did not have the answer.

The internet has everything however. There are indeed six lizards native to Northern Virginia (with three more further south). Mostly skinks. This summer we will find a live specimen or know the reason why!

The snakes of Virginia are also interesting including one that apparently only lives in one county in the center of the State. I do not know why this is? Zoning laws? Only the copperhead is venemous in our neighborhood but I could have sworn cotton mouths were closer than a 100 miles from DC as the National Zoo exhibits say.

Apple Pie Throwdown!

Last weekend, as a certain miffed segment of Facebook users is aware, we spent a long weekend in Vermont. While there we picked apples at an orchard surrounded by mountains at just-past-peak foliage color, and I made sure to get some Cortlands, my favorite (although they don't keep very well).

This is also the time of year when my parents send me a box of apples, also Cortlands, from upstate New York. The first box appeared to have met with a terrible fate, as the apples arrived in a replacement box, jammed in with their original packing material, with none intact. Fortunately, a second box arrived this week without incident, and the stage was set for Apple Pie Throwdown! Finally the age-old question would be answered: How many times can one listen to the soundtrack to "The Music Man" while driving up and down the East Coast? No, wait, that was answered last weekend: Oh God I lost count.

No, I decided to see which pie would be better, Vermont or New York, assuming relatively similar conditions for both.

So today I made two pies following my mother's time-honored recipies for the pie and crust. Conditions strayed somewhat as I found it necessary to add a bit more water to the Vermont pie dough to get it to proper consistency, and those who know me and my frequent resorting to "Frankencrust" methods know not to set the aesthetic bar too high, but both pies came out looking and smelling pretty good.

The winner? Both were very tasty, but I have to give the edge to the New York pie. This may be because the Vermont pie crust did not seem to vent as much steam during baking. As a result, there was about a third of an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pie dish, making it a bit difficult to serve. It's also possible that the Vermont apples were a bit juicier. The New York crust, meanwhile, was the best I have ever made, meaning that it can just see Mom's crust from its relatively lofty vantage point.

Testing will continue over the next several days, and our temporary family motto is "For God's sake have an apple."

What's that you say? Pictures? Sadly our camera died right at the start of our Vermont sojourn. And I thought I didn't need a cellphone with a camera...

Update 10/17: Fraud at the polls! By a 3-2 vote the Vermont pie won the three-generation taste test this evening. Bryan voted with me but then declared he doesn't like pie, which is almost on the same level as Fiona telling me she doesn't like steam trains.

Cakes, Ailing

It's a cake!

It's a wreck!

It's... CakeWrecks!

This sort of goes back to the title of this wonderful birthday post, which in turn refers to the inscription on a cake some of my college friends got for me when I turned 21. (It would be churlish of me to note that the inscription actually read "Happy Bar Mitzvah Irving" so I consider myself bechurled.) Apparently they picked it up at the Unclaimed Cakes counter at a local bakery.

It also reminds me that most of the masthead may recall that, in the midst of our very fun wedding reception, Laura and I almost forgot to cut our cake. In turn, Laura was the one who forwarded this link to me.

JJV may now lead the masthead in a rendition of "Circle of Life." Thank you.

Layout Update #7: Slow But... OK, Just Slow For Now

Over the past couple of weeks I've managed to get a bit of work done on the layout. I have begun measuring and cutting the foam insulation to cover the plywood surfaces, and at this point the whole first layer has been measured. I also got out the Liquid Nails and glued down the first layers of the Transition section and the West Yard section, i.e., the upper left corner of the layout diagram (see below). However, the other layers will need some cutting out of sections to provide a gradient for raising the track from the first layer of foam to the second layer.

That, in turn, requires that the track plan be overlaid on the foam. Fortunately, the software I am using to design the layout allows one to print a full-size version of tracks, buildings, notes etc. Unfortunately, the largest paper size allowed (as far as I can tell) is 8.5" x 11", so even a modest layout like mine requires about ninety sheets to print out a single copy. So far I have printed out the Transition and part of the West Yard sections, and the complete Engine Terminal section. I will tape together the individual sections and go from there.

A first printing of the Transition section and subsequent test-fitting of tracks, bridges etc. indicated that I did not have enough clearance between the bridge abutments for the main and interchange tracks on the lower level. So, I went back to the drawing board and adjusted the track positions, all the while keeping within the relatively strict guidelines of 12" minimum radius and easements on curves.

Here is the original "final" plan:


Now here is the updated "final" plan (best to keep that word in quotes):


Note the closer alignment of the main and interchange tracks going under the bridge. In addition, I have upgraded the interchange track to incorporate a bit of hidden staging; it won't really be a tunnel, more likely a short backdrop concealing the track as it makes its way to the outside world. The industrial spur tracks are a bit shorter, but are still eight and nine inches long, plenty of room when a forty-foot boxcar measures about three inches.

No pictures this time as there is no way I could Photoshop all of the debris and "temporary storage" out.

4 out of 5 Doctors Agree...

Did someone decide that the daily deluge of health care reform news is too much for the masses? Is the message going to be diluted and presented now as a cute photo-op?

The lab coats were a bit much. Having doctors appear with the President did not change my opinion on the matter.