109 thoughts on “January 24, 1896: Progress”

    2. I liked it a lot, thanks for sharing. Brought up this thought in my mind:
      Steroids are bad because* what if kids feel pressure to take them?
      But what of all the harm being caused to kids actually just playing football?

      *among other things

      I think Armstrong is a jerk and worthy of derision not because he was a cheater but the lengths to which he went to maintain that he didn't cheat.

      Though I haven't read up on what Floyd Landis's real story is, but I've still look on him fondly.
      I like to imagine he got to a Bonds-Like "F--- it, if they like to see what someone can do through chemistry, I'm going to show them!"

    2. I wondered if anyone would provide such a link, and there it is with the second comment.

      I kind of love looking at old American newspapers - the ads, the attitudes, the speech.

      1. I really love looking at old newspapers, too. The other weekend we were working on insulating the attic, and the first step was to remove the "insulation" that had been installed previously - mainly old newspaper and cardboard. My wife always gets annoyed because I spend too much time looking at the larger fragments (I found a Millers boxscore from '34!). Unfortunately, the many years spent in the attic make it impossible to save anything, but it does add interest to an otherwise unpleasant job.

        1. I did the same thing while dealing with some ice dams 2 winters ago but instead of fragments, I found a whole box of Minneapolis Star from various dates in the 60's. I read through a bunch and then gave them to my dad who runs a small newspaper in Glencoe, MN. He laughed and pointed to the back room - floor to ceiling newspapers from more than 100 years! I had to back away before I got lost in time.

      2. We found some newspapers in my wife's grandmother's garage that were from the '20's. The entire thing was sports (the traveling negro team was coming to town soon - thrill at their supernatural basketball abilities!) and who went to whose house for dinner. Literally, that was 98% of it. Plus ads, which are actually my favorite part of old newspapers.

    3. Here's a more local look.

      I like this snippet from page 2:

      The substitution of whisky [sic] for champagne in the christening of the battleship Kentucky is a graceful compliment that will be duly appreciated by the Bluegrass colonels, but the appreciation will be tinged with regret. The colonels have always looked on the spilling of good whisky [sic] as a sin.

      Also for AMR, on page 4:

      In many cases ignorant parents have gone wrong in their selection of names for their offspring, and more than once a baby girl has been called Jezebel and a boy Ananias. The Rev. James B. Walely, a Methodist minister, who preached many years in New York, told, with great enjoyment, of a lisping mother who took her baby to the font of the church to be christened. When the worthy divine took the child in his arms, he asked the lisping mother what he should name it. The parent replied, "Luci'ther"

      Indignant, the pastor remaked: "Lucifer! Lucifer! Never will I name a child that!" Then he continued, as he sprinkled water upon the brow of the girl baby, "George Washington, I baptise thee," etc., and the girl was thereafter called.

      . . .

      At present there seems to be a tendancy towards odd names. Some of the popular ones are Dorothy, Rhoda, Edna, and Angeline. Ada is quite common, and Almira comes down, it would appear, from the country towns to adorn city beauties. Agatha, Viola, Maude, Jessie, Olga, Odette, Olive, Ines, Isabel, Hurtense, Rosalind, Beatrice, Naomi, Mignon, Mildred, Lilian, Leonora, Kathleen, Ida, Estelle, Gertrude, Gladys, Grace, Genevieve, Gabriella, Henrietta, Edith, Felice, Fedora, Frederica, Eunice, Florence, Eloise, Emeline, Eleanor, Elsie, Effie, Doris, Evaleen, Cora, Cynthia, Cloe, Cordelia, Beuleh, Bertha, Blanche, Ruth, Veronica are among the hundreds of uncommonly odd names, chosen not only for their oddness, but for their euphoniousness as well, while their meaning adds interest to them and makes the burden of their weight an easy load to carry.

      1. The colonels have always looked on the spilling of good whisky [sic] as a sin

        The colonels have a point. Also, as a point of interest, Dad is a Kentucky Colonel. I someday hope to be a Nebraska Admiral and out-rank him.

        2. Both of my paternal grandparents are Nebraska Admirals and have the paperwork to prove it.

      2. Look at those kuh-rayzee names!

        "Blanche" is listed. That's what my grandmother was called, though it was her middle name. She found her first name, Oceil, to be odd and showy. Not wanting to be noticed was just her personality, but it sort of bums me out. I kind of love the name Oceil.

        1. As I was reading this LTE I became convinced that that last sentence was going to be "I kind of love being noticed."

          1. It's definitely amusing to me to think of her personality, and how it didn't find its way to me at all. My dad and I have the same humor, similar likes and dislikes and a very similar manner of speaking, but he's terrified of speaking in public and being the center of attention. My mom's side is kind of properly British and stiff-upper-lipped, so that doesn't explain me, either. I seem to be some sort of glitch in the system.

            1. I seem to be some sort of glitch in the system. - Heh.

              My first thought was this but it seemed not quite accurate. Then it was simply, "No kidding."

        2. That list could serve as a treasure-trove for your next mad-lib session to create anonymous Survivor characters.

          1. Hey, it could! DK's Big Brother game is going to be anonymous, so maybe he'll use some. If not, I would gladly do a season full of old-timey names. Maybe I'll write in a long-gone Olde English bent, too. I'm sure I'd tire of it, but hey, if you can commit yourself to being Miss Cleo for six weeks, anything is possible...

            2. I might revisit this list for my anonymous game. I had a few names I liked but then forgot to write down...

      3. I have never before seen the name Mignon, nor that spelling of Hurtense.
        BJHess has a daughter with the same name you've italicized there.

        1. I'm disappointed to find neither of my other daughters' names on this list.
          If I have another daughter, I should cross check this list with the girl names in Hooper Humperdink, Not Him! and her name will be one of those.

        2. Mignon is a French name meaning dainty, darling, etc. Basically it is a term for endearment. I had a friend in high school who's dog was named Mignon.

        1. One of my grandmothers did: Grace. Also kind of amusing, probably 60% of those names were on the short list for my daughter.

        4. I had an aunt, Geneva, whose mother's name was also Geneva. Two GIL's are Eleanor.

          Surprised Juanita not on that list.

    1. I was kind of hoping it was a banner day for some reason. A shootout at a bank, or something. Still, an old newspaper where nothing interesting happened is still interesting.

    2. I've long suggested that we should retroactively create a year 0, so as to get the beginning/experation of centuries/millenia, etc. to line up with the years that make sense. Historically, we could say the same thing about that year. No one born, died, moved, etc.

          2. If you don't hear them, Phil, it's because you're listening with your ears.
            Try listening...
            with your heart.

    1. I put the wrong year on a probation report yesterday. So, I approved a staff member for permanent civil service status before she started working for me.

    2. I mentioned the exact same thing to my boss last week- usually I've screw up the year for at least 3-4 weeks, but this year I've been on top of it, for some reason.

  6. I went to Irish lessons last night. Hopefully I'll finally make some progress beyond "Is mise Andrew". I'm not looking forward to buying the books, however.

        1. Unlike Robbie Burns:

          Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
          O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
          Thou need na start awa sae hasty
          Wi bickering brattle!
          I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
          Wi' murdering pattle.

    1. I actually excited for the Uptons. I seem to remember hearing about how close they were, and it'd be really cool to be able to play on the same team as your brother.

      1. Just like when Andruw and Chipper were there.
        Too bad Del and d'Meattree were never able to be on the same team.

  8. the 'dramatic squirrel' gif has a new competitor (14 seconds in)

    httpv://youtu.be/hYlKQd4pk7k?t=18s

      1. A 1:1 mix of 70% isopropyl alcohol and water is the usual solution in monitor cleaning solutions. I don't know how well it will work with permanent marker.

      1. From the repository:

        The most common type of nail polish remover contains alcohol. It is powerful and effective, but is harsh on skin and nails, which can even make them more brittle.

        Man we are good. Let's just hope Philo can read our answers!

        1. I'll have to see how bad it is when I get home. Philosofette called me to warn of the damage wrought by our son.

    4. Any alcohol based solvent will clean any brand of permanent marker off of almost any surface, but the trick will be to remove it using the least amount of solvent necessary without creating a cloud of ink. Nail polish, as noted above, is generally an acetone mixture (I'm not sure why the repository says different), and probably shouldn't be used on your computer monitor screen as it may fog the plastic.

      1. This is an LCD or LED (flat screen), right? Aren't those screens coated, and won't solvents endanger the coating?

        About.com on how to clean a flat screen

        Tips:

        Avoid using paper towels, toilet paper, tissue paper, or something like your shirt to wipe the screen. These non-ultrasoft materials can scratch the display.

        Avoid cleaning products that contain ammonia, ethyl alcohol, acetone, toluene, ethyl acid, or methyl chloride. These chemicals can react with the materials that the flat screen is made of or coated with, which could permanently discolor the screen or cause other kinds of damage.

        2. There are LED screen cleaners from Monster and Rocketfish, among others, that also come with screen-safe rags. The Rocketfish ones have gone to clearance at $4.99 for a big bottle over at that place where I work.

    5. Thanks all for the suggestions. By the time I got home Philosofette had it largely resolved with - naturally - windex. There's a small smudge still, so I might give Spooky's actual product a shot.

      2. I'd say whoever created it did so with minergy.

        Spoiler SelectShow

      3. From my work cafeteria poster:

        Flexitarian: one who often incorporates vegetarian dishes into their diet.

        We call it Vegan Nacht, which usually means various tofu squares from the food bar at Whole Foods.

    2. Prolly some half-baked newspeak composed by various bloated cob nobblers from the tom-tom club.
      What lamestain had to compile this effluvia?

  12. Joy Formidable presale ends tonight. April 3 at First Ave Mainroom for $18. Anyone else interested?

    1. Was going to say yes, then I remembered I have a password for that already. Anyway, I'll be at the show.

      1. Cool, Sheenie and I will be there, too. This time, we'll definitely connect! I'll hold off buying tickets for a little longer to see if anyone else is interested.

        1. Yeah, we have to meet up this time so you can take this knife out of my back! (winking, winking!)

            1. Good deal. Also, you missed a hell of a show last night though I am dragging ass a little bit today - opening act didn't hit the stage until 9.

              1. Yeah, when I saw them back in June the opener got started about then too. I'm glad RF is touring so much - I'm pretty sure they were in the Cities opening for somebody else last fall, as well.

    2. I was amused to see that the CD (+ a free MP3 download) of their new album is $2 cheaper than purchasing the MP3 download at Amazon. If one were able to get free shipping, one could feel pretty pleased with oneself.

      1. I imagine you could find a couple other albums that price difference would apply to, get the purchase up to $25 and then get Free Super Saver Shipping or whatever it's called.

  14. George McGovern's Estate Sale, but not forbidden zone:

    George McGovern once gave his daughter a bookend made out of soapstone in the shape of a bear – a symbol of the "Terr the bear" nickname the former South Dakota senator often called Teresa, who froze to death 18 years ago in a snow bank near a bar where she'd been drinking.

    The story is about her father's estate sale and that's the opening paragraph? Okay, so the item and it's story is interesting, but the reference to her alcohol-related death seems unnecessary.

    1. She died here in the People's Republic, outside a bar not far from my old apartment. It still comes up around here occasionally. Just a terrible thing all around.

  18. Oh, Carl.

    Free-agent right-hander Carl Pavano doesn’t figure to be signing with a new team anytime soon.

    Pavano, 37, recently suffered a ruptured spleen that will sideline him for 6 to 8 weeks, according to major-league sources.

    The injury occurred when slipped and fell while shoveling snow on his driveway in Vermont, one source said.

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