2/16/03
Holy cow...nice piece of reproduction. I had the Donkey Kong Jr. LCD game way back when.

Newt a Year ago


What sweets did people eat at the fair before cotton candy? Pie? Fruit? Cotton Candy was invented in 1897, and sold as "fairy floss" at the same fair with the first ice-cream cone if memory serves. I'm guessing before that, the popcorn and peanuts were the thing... maybe peanut brittle? Cracker Jack wasn't until 1893. I'm not sure how old funnel cake is... maybe that's the stuff.


Random Scotto Factoid - We actually had sporks as part of our silverware (made from stainless steel) when I was a kid. I also enjoyed eating with my scout knife's spoon and fork.

The photos are chilling.

"On January 7th, 1942, one month after Pearl Harbor, T.W. Smith, Jr., the owner of the Sun Rubber Company, and his designer, Dietrich Rempel, with Walt Disney’s approval introduced a protective mask for children. This design of the Mickey Mouse Gas Mask for children was presented to Major General William N. Porter, Chief of the Chemical Warfare Service. After approval of the CWS, Sun Rubber Products Company produced sample masks for review. Other comic book character designs were to follow, depending on the success of the Mickey Mouse mask. The mask was designed so children would carry it and wear it as part of a game. This would reduce the fear associated with wearing a gas mask and hopefully, improve their wear time and, hence, survivability."

"Very few of these Mickey Mouse gas masks survived. The US Army Chemical Museum at Fort McClellan, Alabama, has a hand-made prototype. The 45th Infantry Division Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has a production specimen on permanent display with other gas masks in the combat support area of the museum. The Walt Disney Archives, Burbank, California, has a face piece without ears, lenses, or a canister, and a mask owned by the founder of the Sun Rubber Company was on display at the Summit County (Ohio) Historical Society’s "Toys Made in Summit County" exhibit in 1982."

Hmm... What would it be today? Yu Gi Oh? Hamtaro?

Wow... Google bought blogger! I wonder if that's good or bad news for LJ? I know that LJ isn't fond of being indexed by Google, for fear of bandwidth issues. Here's a perspective that might make LJ come out on top.

Okie... got to go shoppin'. Going to swing by the bro's place, see if he wants to join me, and then it's off to get some new duds.

Got a mega-keen valentine from meredith today, for being fast on the aim draw.

Very spiffy... all hand drawn... witty and beautifully done. I'll scan it sometime soon. :)

Today's shopping venture was a success! And look! More than two colors (Well... more than just black and white... some mid-tones, too, for fun)

A pair of Dressy black sneaker-shoes, two pair of fresh boxers. Four new Undershirts, four polos and two regular nice collared shirts. I'm stylin'. Just about everything in my wardrobe mixes and matches... with a few exceptions. (White socks and black shoes, for example)

I wore the sneaks out of the store, and they did well.

After big and tall, I waited at the stop for about ten minutes... I realized I was across the street from the Solid Gold building... it's closed, but it was worth taking a snapshot of someplace that was very educational and lucrative at the time.



The voodoo lounge - Hindustan Times
"From ‘soft’ Hindutva to ‘softer’ Hindutva? Just when it was believed that the Gujarat debacle has awakened the Congress to the perils of imitating the BJP, it appears to have decided to indulge in more of the same with a vengeance. And who is joyfully marching backwards? None other than Digvijay Singh, one of the Congress’s most promising leaders."

Two killed for "practicing witchcraft" Press Trust of India
"A 40-year-old tribal and his minor daughter were allegedly beheaded by their relatives for reportedly practicing witchcraft at Burudih Tola in Kendua village of East Singhbhum district, police said here today."

Mourners raped, murdered at funeral - South African Press Association
"A gang dressed in ninja-style outfits raided a funeral in Papua New Guinea, murdering two mourners and raping another two as they attempted to prove the man being buried was a victim of sorcery, it was reported."

Statehouse gives up its ghost - Associated Press
"The paranormal researchers who set up shop in the state Capitol in November have released their findings: photos of floating orbs of energy, a recorded whisper -- and, yes, a ghost."

Ghouls give landlord a Burke and scare - Edinburgh Evening News
"A PUB landlord has been spooked by ghostly goings-on at one of the Capital’s oldest bars after he started digging into its macabre links with Burke and Hare."

Haunted house to get makeover - BBC News
"One of Britain's spookiest building projects is about to get under way."

Controversial cleric carries out Dáil exorcism - Ireland On-line
"A controversial cleric who once ordained singer Sinead O’Connor today carried out an exorcism of the Dáil."

New 'Brain Fingerprinting' Could Help Solve Crimes - Reuters
"A technique called "brain fingerprinting," which seeks to probe whether a suspect has specific knowledge of a crime, could become a powerful weapon in national security, its inventor believes."

A word before dying - Melbourne Herald Sun
"THERE'S no shortage of options for communicating with deceased loved ones, but ouija boards are passé, séances plain creepy and as for channellers, well, how's one to sort the crooks and cranks from the real thing?"

Eat This - North Bay Bohemian
"Best known today for his inadvertent invention of corn flakes cereal--occurring when a pan of baking grain was left unattended during a medical emergency--Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was 43 years old when he wrote the above lines. He had never partaken of the connubial pleasures of his wife's bed, believed masturbation to be a sin best cured through copious enema treatments, and sought to cure his patient's ills through daily applications of yogurt--introduced at the body's two ends--aided by colon-wracking machines that could ably pump 15 gallons of water into a hapless behind in just a few seconds."

Therapist Says Technique Can Cure Phobias - WCVB
"Anyone who has suffered from a fear of flying, heights or public speaking knows the paralyzing effect phobias can have. One local woman says she can cure phobias -- within one hour."