Tom McMahon

1861 Slave Map vs 1990 Black Population Census Map

1861 Slave Map (left) vs 1990 Black Population Census Map (right)

From The Buck Stops Here, which has larger maps and links.

I Must Be In The Front Row!

I Must Be In The Front Row!

YouTube video of the famous Miller Lite commercial. Just in case you didn't know what "Uecker Seats" were..

Giving My Readers What They Want

Giving My Readers What They Want

Hey, you're the one who's always wanted this.

I've Wondered About That Too, Eugene

Eugene Kane:

I have a longtime sneaky suspicion that some enterprising small-business owners actually call into TV stations with cancellations during snowstorms just to get a little added publicity. (I had a friend who once claimed to make up phony names for fictitious workplaces and submit them to the TV stations for broadcast during snowstorms.)

To-Do Tattoo: The Perfect Solution For Your Shoddy Short-Term Memory

To-Do Tattoo: The Perfect Solution For Your Shoddy Short-Term Memory

The blurb:

Here’s a tongue-in-cheek tribute to anyone who’s ever scribbled a reminder on their hand or wrist. Err, that would be about everybody, right? Our To-Do Tattoo kit includes 12 graphic “To Do” forms that you can apply to your body wherever it’s most convenient (or creative) and a skin-safe, washable-ink gel pen. You’ll never again have to make lame excuses for missing bowling night or your mom’s birthay. Nifty peggable blistercard packaging.

Batteries: Rechargeable Alkaline vs NiZn vs NiMH

Rechargeable Alkaline: Believe it or not, these things are still around. Most of you remember the now-discontinued Rayovac Renewal Recharageable Alkalines, but rechargeable alkalines are still available from Pure Energy and EnviroCell, among others. Here's what Michael Bluejay says:

Even the special rechargeable alkalines, like the Rayovac Renewal, have the same problem: very few recharge cycles, and ever-decreasing capacity.That said, there is exactly one circumstance in which charging alkalines might make sense for you:

You need the extra voltage an alkaline puts out. Some devices that take multiple batteries won't work with NiMH because the voltage is too low. (more on this problem) And with LED flashlights, even though NiMH will work, you'll get a brighter light with RA's.

For most people and circumstances though, charging alkalines is pointless.

Nickel-Zinc (NiZn): Startup PowerGenix has introduced their new line of NiZn Rechargeable batteries. As you might guess, you'll need their special charger to recharge them. Some folks really like them.

NiMH: The new low self-discharge NiMH batteries are all the rage now, and the Gold Standard of these is the Sanyo Eneloop.

Sanyo Eneloop

Lots of info on the internet. Start here.

Cotton Watts, The Last Blackface

Cotton Watts, The Last Blackface

Note that date on the bottom: 1967! This fellow actually saw Watts in action:

I saw Watts by default. A friend of mine, a stripper, had taken me to see a competitor. We had left in an aesthetic huff (hers, not mine) when the performer came onstage and proceeded to remove her long white gloves. "Amateur! F*cking amateur!" hissed my companion. "Any professional knows you take the gloves off last. When they see your arms, the show's over." So we had wandered around the block and into another club to watch the aging Watts gamely fend off hecklers, armed with nothing but material at least fifty years old ("I thought I told you to stay in the truck!").

Writer Ken Brooks gives us a little perspective on Watts:

The best that can be said of Cotton Watts, the Florida Panhandle's last professional blackface entertainer, is that he was the product of an unenlightened age. From 1947 to 1959, Watts was a staple of Panama City Beach summer nightlife, appearing at both the 98 Club and the near-by Surf-and-Sand Club. Watts, a white entertainer, would perform parodies of the traditional songs, dances, and speech patterns of southern rural African-Americans, his face darkened with burnt cork.

Watts' career dated to the 1920s when he and Bud Davis formed a blackface duo that toured the nation's leading vaudeville circuits. It was Davis, manager of Panama City's Ritz Theater, who brought Watts to town. Watts performed three shows nightly, with his wife Chick--also in blackface--acting as mistress of ceremonies.

You can watch Cotton Watts for yourself on the internet. He shows up for about two minutes in Ed Wood's 1954 film Jail Bait:

Cotton Watts in Jail Bait

A quick review of those two minutes:

There is one scene i can't forget to mention... about 15 minutes or so in the movie, it cuts to a minstrel show with one of the most hilariously racist characters i've ever seen named Cotton Watts. But this scene is unrelated to anything before or after, and this comical scene is in stark contrast to the deadly serious mood of the rest of the movie. No one mentions it at any point of the film. It's like it's a scene from another movie, that was accidentally added in.

Cotton Watts passed away on March 5, 1968.

Ipana For The Smile Of Beauty, Sal Hepatica For The Smile Of Health

Ipana For The Smile Of Beauty, Sal Hepatica For The Smile Of Health

And now you know:

Radio’s golden age has seen a number of programs sponsored by the Bristol-Myers duo of Ipana Tooth Paste and Sal Hepatica. Since Ipana provided its users with a healthy mouth and Sal Hepatica provided its users with proper nature calling functions, smiling was the theme with these two products. On the radio, the listeners knew Ipana as "The Smile Of Beauty" and Sal Hepatica as "The Smile Of Health."

Weird Festivals and Strange Celebrations

Weird Festivals and Strange Celebrations

Another great photo collection from Dark Roasted Blend

Rat Poison Wanted

Rat Poison Wanted

World War II Conservation Public Service Ad

Another Proud Moment for NBC

Another Proud Moment for NBC

That’s A Stunning Observation, Sherlock

An excerpt from Jay Nordlinger on The One:

Did you hear what President Obama said the other day about the Middle East? In an interview with his fan Joe Klein, he said, “I’ll be honest with you. This is just really hard.” Oh? That’s a stunning observation, Sherlock. He went on, “This is as intractable a problem as you get.” Again: Brilliantly observed, Sherlock.

As a senator and candidate, Obama was very hard on George W. Bush & Co., where the Middle East was concerned (and where everything else was concerned). You remember his rhetoric? The administration really wasn’t trying, they really didn’t care, they were indifferent to the Palestinians, blah, blah, blah. The reality was totally different: Bush, Condi, and the rest peace-processed their buns off. To no avail (as is usually the case).

Yes, the Middle East is “just really hard.” Yes, the Arab-Israeli conflict is “as intractable a problem as you get.” Nice that Obama has realized this, in his late 40s. And if the experience of the presidency makes him a little humbler, so much the better.

Primordial Soup

Primordial Soup

New Research Rejects 80-Year Theory of 'Primordial Soup' as the Origin of Life

Baseball Rubbing Mud

Why it exists:

But a new baseball is a gleaming white orb of perfection that’s slick to the touch. The cowhide ensures that. For a pitcher to get a good grip, something has to be done to make the ball less glossy. Spit, nicks, gels — any tampering or foreign substance altering the appearance or aerodynamic properties of the ball is illegal. Something was needed that could make the ball uniformly easier to handle — without amending the ball in any way.

An ex-player and manager named Lena Blackburne was the one who solved the problem in the 1930’s with his discovery of the perfect mud. He harvested it from a still-secret location in New Jersey until his death. The location was passed on and this ‘magic mud’ that doesn’t discolor, soften, or stink up the ball has been rubbed on every ball in Major League play before every game ever since.

The site, and a video or two.

Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes

The Blurb:

Few historians know of the heartwarming friendship between French Reformation theologian John Calvin and English political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the latter of whom may or may not have been real, considering he was not even born yet.

The perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for Presbyterian in your life.

Frank Ifield

Frank Ifield