Wednesday Overnight Open Thread – 10/06/2021

GENETICALLY UNMODIFIED FOOD

The organic, all-natural, anti-GMO crowd somehow determined that all food evolution and hybridization should have stopped in the first half of the 20th Century. It’s not uncommon for religions to determine a time in history at which all agricultural and industrial evolution should stop. I hope that the organic religiosity of the Whole Foods lifestyle will someday be just a charming novelty like Amish country is now. Anyhow, here is a look at what some of our favorite produce looked like when it was truly “natural” compared to what you’ll find at the produce stand now. More at the link.

THIS IS NOT A JOKE ABOUT MARRIAGE

Ever had a ring stuck on your finger and couldn’t get it off? Even if your finger is injured or swollen this trick will work. All you need is a little fishing line or dental floss.

SINK THE BISMARCK

The German battleship Bismarck went into service in May 1941 with the objective of cutting off British supply lines coming from North America. It was the most powerful warship in the world. The British sent a fleet including their most powerful ship, The Hood, to intercept the Bismarck. In a sea battle in the North Atlantic, the Bismarck sunk The Hood, killing over 1,400 men, the largest naval loss in British history.

The Bismarck had taken some damage and headed toward a friendly port in France, with the British in pursuit. About 700 miles from France the British found the Bismarck, and launched some small bi-plane torpedo bombers which couldn’t do any significant damage to the Bismarck…until one shell struck the rudder and lodged it at an angle such that the Bismarck was stuck sailing in a continuous loop. It was now a sitting circling duck.

The British fleet moved in and launched a barrage that started from 12 miles away. On May 27, 1941 the Bismarck sank, taking more than 2,000 German sailors down with it.

“Sink The Bismarck” (The Blues Brothers)

KIDS TODAY

SCHOOL PLAYS

Reader participation time. Tell us about your epic performances in school plays.

When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, I was mesmerized watching the 5th and 6th graders perform You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. I couldn’t wait to get a little older and perform on that cafeteria stage. My big break was in a Revolutionary War play where I had a speaking part as General Putnam. My one line was challenging, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” I choked under pressure, mangled that one simple line, and gave up my promising career in acting. (I believe what I actually said was “Don’t let them see the whites of your eyes.”)

What roles did you play? Any funny stories involving your childhood plays, or perhaps the school plays your kids participated in?

FINNISH BASEBALL

I haven’t watched any Major League Baseball since opening weekend of the 2020 season when MLB morphed into BLM. Maybe I need to check out Finnish baseball instead. The crazy zig-zag basepaths are shown below, along with a pretty humorous video of an American trying to understand the game.

OLYMPIC LOGOS

Karen would like to speak to the President of the International Olympic Committee.

THE WISDOM OF RICHARD FEYNMAN

Richard Feynman was a Nobel winning physicist whose career included working on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos during WWII and four decades later serving on the committee that explored the shuttle Challenger explosion. I’m sure many scientists of today share his outlook, but unfortunately, modern scientists will get canceled or defunded if they suggest that the science is not necessarily settled when politicians say it is. Here are some quotes from Mr. Feynman.

“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”

“If you thought that science was certain - well, that is just an error on your part.”

“Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.”

“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.”

“It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong.”

“I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy.”

“It is necessary to look at the results of observation objectively, because you, the experimenter, might like one result better than another.”

"The theoretical broadening which comes from having many humanities subjects on the campus is offset by the general dopiness of the people who study these things."

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts."

TRIGGER WARNING

YOU CAN ONLY GET ‘EM IN BOXES OF BREEZE

Remember the joy of getting a free toy in your box of cereal? Your grandmother got the same thrill when she pulled out the free towel from her box of laundry detergent. Of course, she was sorely disappointed when she got yet another daffodil-print towel, when she still needed the zinnia towel to complete her set.

Plus – early Dolly.

THROCKMORTON’S FIRST LAW OF LIVE MUSIC: IF THERE’S AN UPRIGHT BASS IN THE BAND, IT’S PROBABLY GOING TO BE GOOD

Junior Brown is one of those musicians I was a fan of before he hit it big. I remember seeing him and his weird guit-steel guitar at a beer garden in Texas with barely 20 people in attendance. I bought a CD, and I’ve enjoyed his success ever since. With a style that’s a genre-bending mash-up of classic country, Surf Rock, and old-fashioned trucker songs, he’s just a little bit unconventional.

Here is Junior Brown playing with a couple of backup musicians by the name of Alan Jackson and Marty Stuart. Wow.

Too Many Nights in a Roadhouse

Here is Junior’s Surf Medley. Cowabunga!

Tonight’s overnight thread has been brought to you by the perils of parking in front of a fire hydrant.

Thanks again to the horde for letting me play host tonight. Please feel free to offer any helpful feedback, insults, or tips at buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com

posted by Buck Throckmorton at 10:00 PM

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