Despite efforts to resolve the figure skating scandal, it continues to rage out of control here, at least in the media center, where riot police have been called in to quell fighting among roving gangs of Canadian, Russian and French journalists. As of this morning, 17 people had been treated for wounds inflicted by Bic pens.The dude is a funny funny man.
Holy Creepy Nightmares: Heronimus Bosch must be the patron saint of anyone who ever painted weird stuff, from Dali to Geiger. Spend some time looking at the works over at Bosch Universe. You'll be able to see his influence in all sorts of modern media, from horror films to comic books. If I were exceptionally talented and had a ridiculous amount of time and money, I would commission a spooky videogame for X-Box all done in his style. That would make me both rich and cool.
Long Ago, Far Away This from Bob Jensen's Bookmarks (a site primarily for the accounting industry). I don't know the original source.
A CENTURY AGO--THE YEAR IS 1901, ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO--
1. The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven.
2. Only 14 percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub.
3. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
4. There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.
5. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
6. Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union. [I find that amazing]
7. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
8. The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour.
9. The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
10. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
11. More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at home.
12. Ninety percent of all US physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
13. Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen, and coffee cost fifteen cents a pound.
14. Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
15. Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
16. The five leading causes of death in the US were, a) Pneumonia and influenza, b) Tuberculosis, c) Diarrhea, d) Heart disease, e) Stroke [of course, diarrhea was almost certainly a symptom of some more horrible disease of which they knew nothing]
17. The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
18. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.
19. Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.
20. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
21. One in ten US adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
22. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the
complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
Ontario or Bust: This year I will get to either that Stratford Festival (All's Well That Ends Well) or the Shaw Festival (Caesar and Cleopatra, my favorite play ever) or both in Ontario. I will. I must. I shall.
