Tom McMahon

The Starchair 3000 is a uniquely designed tilt chair that can securely support all types of stereo binoculars, and some telescopes, and allows a seated observer, long duration, comfortable steady views to all areas of the sky. Specifically engineered, patent secured and designed for night - time astronomy use. It also lends itself to superb daylight terrestrial vistas. The most desirable factors about this unique chair, is its horizontal and tilt functions, which are motorized and then controlled by the seated observer by a supplied “variable speed joystick” and a portable safe 12volt dc power battery.

The most common complaint from most sky observers is the physical discomfort that becomes more apparent the longer the session goes. Also, the higher up in the sky the viewer points most binoculars and telescopes, the more the neck and back strain is felt, resulting in only brief views (30 seconds max.) until a rest pause is needed before trying a second view. Now some optics incorporate a “right angled” eyepiece(s) to help overcome this dilemma but this provides only limited areas (25%) of the sky for comfort and the viewer can sit in a seat to look into the “angled eyepiece(s). Once the scope or binoculars are shifted to a totally different area of the sky, the position of the seat or step – ladder, needs a drastic restructuring / repositioning to be comfortable. This takes time and results in only certain limited areas being observed without interruption.

STARCHAIR 3000 completely eliminates these time wasting and tedious problems and continues with uninterrupted luxury comfort observing sessions lasting 2 hours or more at a time! Many owners of Starchair have noted this remarkable improvement of “valuable observing session times” and also point out the “amazing space craft rides” they see when they slew to the next observing area! Combined with the ability to “cruise around” known areas and using the “variable joystick control”, they discovered countless other tucked away deep sky “gems” that they may have never found so quickly.
 

"90 percent of the energy used by an incandescent light bulb is wasted as heat. Only 10 percent of the electricity that passes through it is converted into visible light. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) use less energy, and provide the same amount of light as incandescent or halogen lighting, while providing true and natural warm color. Switching just one incandescent light bulb in every Wisconsin household to an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL would reduce the state's electricity consumption by more than 158.4 million kilowatt-hours annually -- enough to power 15,843 Wisconsin homes.

From September 1st through November 30th Wisconsin residents can get up to a $2 instant Cash-Back Reward on each ENERGY STAR qualified bulb you purchase at participating retailers (limit 24 bulbs). Cash-Back Reward amounts and promotion dates vary by retailer, please call for details. To find a participating retailer near you in Wisconsin, click here." 

Steve Albini: "Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying s**t. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the s**t stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the s**t. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke". And he does of course."

The best article I've read about how the recording industry screws over their artists. Includes a shocking dollar-by-dollar financial breakdown. 

A fine holiday romp through the Latin craze of the ’50s, with a dollop of the modern as a little musical spice! 

Stephen Baskerville: "In Warren County, Pa., fathers like Robert Pessia are told they will be jailed unless they sign documents confessing to acts of violence. The confessions require the father to admit, "I have physically and emotionally battered my partner. I have committed the following acts of violence against her." He must then describe the violence, even if he insists he committed none. The documents require him to state, "I am responsible for the violence I used. My behavior was not provoked."

As Pessia says, "This means I have lied and admit to something that I did not do." Other men testify, "It will be useless to try to defend myself because it will just make it worse."

The "violence" in question need not even be, in fact, violent. It may be anything the "victim" (who may only be "emotionally battered") says it is. "Depriving her of clothes" and "harassing her over bills" are among the definitions of "violence" promoted by some domestic violence authorities. Words like violence are debased into meaningless Newspeak, so that no defense is possible and no due process of law is applicable." 

 

The story of Milorganite, the fertilizer proudly produced by the people of Milwaukee. 

Dr Koop: Researchers have identified several early warning signs that may presage heart attacks in women. Severe, unexplained fatigue, trouble sleeping and shortness of breath were the main troubling symptoms that occurred in women in the month or so preceding a heart attack, reports a study in the Nov. 4 issue of Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. Chest pain, long considered the classic heart attack symptom, was notably absent or was described not as pain but as aching, tightness or pressure.

The researchers recruited 515 women who had had a heart attack in the previous four to six months. The women were asked to recall any physical changes that might have occurred before their heart attack. Here's what they reported:

Unusual Fatigue	71%
Sleep Disturbance	48%
Shortness of Breath	42%
Indigestion	39%
Anxiety	35%
Chest Pains	30%

Less than 30 percent of the women actually complained of chest discomfort. That's the symptom we associate with the typical patient, but it's the typical male patient," says Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "We need to change the picture a little, and also include women. Women have heart attacks too, but the symptoms may, in fact, be much different and more subtle," she adds. The findings could have significant implications for the prevention of heart attacks in women, who tend to experience more sudden cardiac deaths than men. This study may help explain why that is. (via the irrepressible Les Alt) 

Things You Never Knew Existed: "Make your next game of chess more than a battle of wits. The Forces of Light combat the Forces of Darkness in this exquisitely detailed set. 32 pieces made of cold-cast resin and expertly hand-painted. With non-mar felt bottoms. "

In this kinder, gentler age, it's nice to know that even the Forces of Darkness have non-mar felt bottoms! 

Tech Central Station: "But then "fluffy bunny" syndrome extended itself to become "fluffy mountain lion syndrome." Government-sponsored cougar hunting ended, bounties were removed, and cougars started to make a comeback. Boulder's inhabitants disliked hunters, and liked the idea of living with wildlife, causing populations of deer in residential areas to explode. Meanwhile low-density housing meant that more and more people were living along the boundary between settled and unsettled areas. As cougars, their fear of humans having dissipated after years of not being hunted, moved into semiurban areas bursting with deer, they acclimated to human beings. People were no longer scary and, after a while, started to look like food.

Scientists and outdoorsmen began to warn of danger, but they were ignored by both the Boulder public -- which was sentimentally attached to the idea of free-roaming wildlife -- and state wildlife-protection bureaucrats, who downplayed first the presence, and then the danger, posed by the cougars. Dogs and cats started being eaten, cougars started threatening people, and yet meetings on the subject were dominated by people who "came to speak for the cougars."

In the end, of course, people started to be eaten, and the bureaucracy woke up to a degree. To me the most interesting behavior isn't the predatory nature of the cougars -- which are, after all, predators -- but the willful ignorance of human beings. So many were so invested in the notion that by thinking peaceful thoughts they could will into existence a state of peaceful affairs that they ignored the evidence right in front of them, which tended to suggest that cougars were quite happy to eat anything that was juicy, delicious, and unlikely to fight back. " 

"Kids of all ages find it impossible to resist GeoMag's unlimited possibilities for building the most imaginative structures. This uniquely versatile toy —designed and made in Italy — includes 24 colorful one-inch plastic rods that can be linked end-to-end by 18 gleaming magnetic spheres. These 42 magnetized pieces make it easy to create and re-create freestanding sculptures that are pure delight! " 

Two Jewish guys, Goldman and Hirschberg are talking one morning.

"I h-h-h-have a j-j-j-job inter-r-r-veiw t-t-t-today," says Goldman.

"Really? What kind of job?" asks Hirschberg.

"I'm au-au-au-audition-n-n-ning to b-b-b-e an anoun-n-n-ncer a-a-a-a-t a r-r-r-radio st-st-st-station," stammers Goldman

"I hope it goes well," replies Hirschberg.

Later that day they meet again. Hirschberg asks, "How did you interview go?"

"N-n-n-not g-g-g-g-good," replies Goldman, "they d-d-d-d-don't h-h-h-h-hire j-j-j-j-jews."

That, and the rest of the old and mostly off-color vaudeville jokes, can be found at the National Lampoon Joke Analysis Pages.
 

Zippered Travel Socks: Indispensable for travelers, these are perfect for tucking away cash, credit cards, ID, keys – even secret microfilm. 

"When you buy America 24/7 with custom cover, you make your own contribution to the epic documentary photography project by choosing your own photo to appear on the glossy bookjacket. It's an "only in the digital age" holiday gift!

About America 24/7: This beautiful book documents a week of American life through the lenses of thousands of professional and amateur photographers. From May 12-18, 2003, nearly 4,000 professional photographers and tens of thousands of amateurs participated in America 24-7, a watershed event of the new digital photography age. Together, they took more than two million digital photographs of American homes and businesses, families, friends and communities, even pets. The amazing results will be featured in television documentaries, a compelling website, traveling photography exhibits and 54 large-format, lavishly illustrated books. The national volume, America 24/7 is expected to be the publishing event of the 2003 holiday season." 

NewsMax: CBS's decision to pull the plug on its miniseries "The Reagans" came on the heels of a letter to the network from Rock Hudson's ex-lover, who complained that the film's portrayal of the 40th president as a virulent homophobe was false. "The notion that President Reagan was a homophobe strikes me as silly beyond belief," wrote Marc Christian in a letter to CBS entertainment chief Les Moonves. "Not only did he have several gay men on his staff when he was Governor of California," said Christian, "he called my lover, Rock Hudson when he was on his deathbed just weeks before he died of AIDS and wished him well and voiced his and Nancy's concern and prayers."

"... The Reagans had known Rock for years and knew he was gay [as did most in Hollywood]. The point is Reagan could have ignored Rock's illness and didn't. He could have just issued a public statement concerning his 'official sorrow' but made a personal phone call instead." "Not only did he have several gay men on his staff when he was Governor of California," said Christian, "he called my lover, Rock Hudson when he was on his deathbed just weeks before he died of AIDS and wished him well and voiced his and Nancy's concern and prayers."

"... The Reagans had known Rock for years and knew he was gay [as did most in Hollywood]. The point is Reagan could have ignored Rock's illness and didn't. He could have just issued a public statement concerning his 'official sorrow' but made a personal phone call instead." 

Jokemaster II: "Our all-new pocketsize "wit enhancer" is an electronic book filled to overflowing with more than 1,000 absolutely hilarious jokes. Regale fellow partygoers at the touch of a button! Its thoughtfully organized database features venerable categories like Blondes, Lawyers, One-Liners. The jokes appear on an LCD that you can read from in front of fawning audiences — or memorize the jokes in private...and earn the title "Jokemaster" on your own apparent merits. Three laugh tracks of increasing intensity make this a portable "hilarity meter" for guiding your listeners' response... or for rating the quips of competing jokesters. "

And don't forget the Jokemaster Junior !
 

"The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) is a reference tool unlike any other. Its aim is not to prescribe how Americans should speak, or even to describe the language we use generally, the "standard" language. Instead, it seeks to document the varieties of English that are not found everywhere in the United States--those words, pronunciations, and phrases that vary from one region to another, that we learn at home rather than at school, or that are part of our oral rather than our written culture. Although American English is remarkably homogeneous considering the tremendous size of the country, there are still many thousands of differences that characterize the various dialect regions of the United States. It is these differences that DARE records. " 

Inflatable Sumo Wrestling: "Probably the most widely known 'interactive' game around, Sumo Wrestling has long been a favorite for company meetings, grad parties and a host of other special events. Two contestants put on oversized vinyl suits and are instantly transformed into gigantic Sumo wrestlers, complete with wig and miwashi diaper. The referee starts the match and the giant wrestlers try to push, pull and 'blubber' their opponent to the floor. The hilarious appearance of the overweight Sumo wrestlers might just bring the spectators to the floor, so watch out! This one is a real crowd pleaser!" (via Bernie DeKoven's Fun Findings)  

In 1944 as a war-time emergency measure, the Cardinals combined with the Pittsburgh Steelers to play as one team. It was called Card-Pitt. Co-coached by the Cardinals' Phil Handler and the Steelers' Walt Kiesling, a former Cardinal guard, the team split its home games between Comiskey Park and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, failing to win an outing in 10 tries.

Three years later they won the NFL championship, and haven't won one since. When I was a kid growing up in St Louis, we'd have to refer to them as "The Football Cardinals", since the baseball team was also (and still is) the St Louis Cardinals. Sometimes sportscasters would call them "The Big Red", but nobody I ever knew did that in real life. 

"Jean McConville, the best-known of Northern Ireland's 'disappeared', was laid to rest by her family at the weekend, 31 years after the widowed mother of 10 was abducted, shot and buried by the Irish Republican Army. The recent discovery of Mrs McConville's remains on a lonely beach in the Irish Republic prompted the IRA to last week repeat an apology to the families of the disappeared - at least nine people spirited across the Irish border and killed in the 1970s. 'In the history of our troubles there can be no more despicable act than the abduction, murder and casual disposal of the body of Jean McConville and subsequent plight of her 10 children,' said Monsignor Thomas Toner in her funeral homily. 'It is our most shameful example of the moral corruption and degradation that violence generates in the human spirit.' " 

On two occasions I have had the good fortune to shake Mr. Mondale's hand. I even voted for him in 1984. He's a genuinely nice, honorable man. But 52 weeks ago, filling in for the late Paul Wellstone, Walter reached a milestone never before achieved in American Politics: He became the first American to lose an election in all 50 states. In 1984, he lost every state except Minnesota running against Ronald Reagan. So for many years he was tied at 49 with George McGovern (Mondale had never lost a statewide race in Minnesota). But his loss last year, his first loss ever in Minnesota, pushed him over the top to 50. Sometimes Nice Guys Really Do Finish Last. 

Discovery Channel Store: "Another clue solved...now only 18,739 to go! The name says it all - at 49 square feet, with more than 28,000 clues to solve, this crossword is truly the world's largest. A great gift for both serious and casual crossword solvers, this novel brainteaser can be spread out on the floor, hung on a wall or easily folded into smaller sections to solve on your lap. Includes 3' x 3' answer grid - the world's largest cheat sheet!" 

. . . then head on over to HomeStar Runner's Hawaiian Luau 

A Library of Congress Exhibition: "Born in St. Petersburg in 1863 and educated as a chemist, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii devoted his career to the advancement of photography. He studied with renowned scientists in St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Paris. His own original research yielded patents for producing color film slides and for projecting color motion pictures. Around 1907 Prokudin-Gorskii envisioned and formulated a plan to use the emerging technological advancements that had been made in color photography to systematically document the Russian Empire. Through such an ambitious project, his ultimate goal was to educate the schoolchildren of Russia with his "optical color projections" of the vast and diverse history, culture, and modernization of the empire. Outfitted with a specially equipped railroad car darkroom provided by Tsar Nicholas II, and in possession of two permits that granted him access to restricted areas and cooperation from the empire's bureaucracy, Prokudin-Gorskii documented the Russian Empire around 1907 through 1915. He conducted many illustrated lectures of his work. Prokudin-Gorskii left Russia in 1918, after the Russian Revolution, and eventually settled in Paris, where he died in 1944.

His unique images of Russia on the eve of revolution--recorded on glass plates--were purchased by the Library of Congress in 1948 from his heirs. For this exhibition, the glass plates have been scanned and, through an innovative process known as digichromatography, brilliant color images have been produced. This exhibition features a sampling of Prokudin-Gorskii's historic images produced through the new process; the digital technology that makes these superior color prints possible; and celebrates the fact that for the first time many of these wonderful images are available to the public." 

"Wonderful if made from the pulp of the wild persimmon. I purchase my pulp from Melton's Orchard 812-825-2737 They will ship it anywhere overnight air." 

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of A Christmas Story with these action figures of The Old Man (with his Major Award, naturally!), Mom and Randy (he'll put his arms down when he gets to school), Ralphie, and Flick (Flick? Flick Who?) 

The Engines of Our Ingenuity: "In 1869 a remarkable meeting took place between General Santa Ana (who'd slaughtered occupants of the Alamo) and an inventor named Thomas Adams. Sam Houston had spared Santa Ana's life when he defeated him at San Jacinto. Santa Ana then went on to a choppy political career that included a brief and unsuccessful turn as Dictator of Mexico.

Now, in 1869, 74-year-old Santa Ana was living in exile from Mexico and visiting, of all places, Staten Island. He was trying to raise money for an army so he could go back and take Mexico City. His plan was to sell Mexican chicle to America as a substitute for then-expensive rubber. So he invited Adams to visit him. Adams took a chance and bought a ton of chicle from him, but he had no luck making it into a rubber substitute.

Then Adams's son, Horatio, realized he could make a chewable product. He gave it a try. He gave 200 balls of the stuff to a druggist, who sold them at two for a penny. By noon that day they were gone. So began the Adams gum dynasty. The Adams family made the first commercial chicle-based gum in 1871. They went on to create Adams Clove Gum, Chiclets, Blackjack, and more.

So chewing gum came to stay. And what about Santa Ana and Adams? Santa Ana died penniless; Adams died rich. And commercial chewing gum has been a uniquely American gift -- to an all too tense waiting world." 

These pages all came from a 1949 candy salesman book - this is a good cross section of the candy that was available to the national market at that time. Check out the All-Licorice Chuckles. And since every day on my way into work I pass the old Stark Candy Factory (now part of NECCO) I thought I should include their old-time favorites Snirkles and their candy wafers. 

"This page presents photos of historical sites associated with Germany’s Third Reich (1933-1945), both as they appeared while in use, and as the remains appear today. These photos give a "then and now" perspective, in many cases, a virtual tour of the sites." (via the Presurfer) 

Jonah Goldberg: "For decades, or even a century, we've been hearing a host of propositions from liberals. Crime and violence are symptoms of poverty. The United States must do more than simply drop bombs; it must alleviate the "root causes" of terrorism, hopelessness, etc. America must be internationally oriented, looking to engage the world and help the unfortunate. It is in America's vital interests to come to the aid of the downtrodden. And, most recently and relevantly, America must get into the business of nation building.

All of this has been defenestrated by a Democratic party leadership that no longer spouts its Clinton-era mantra that partisanship should end at the water's edge. Instead, as Zell Miller notes, even as we are fighting a guerilla battle where the enemy defines victory not in military terms but in its ability to weaken American resolve at home, Democrats are crassly undermining the safety of our troops, the credibility of our nation and the integrity of their own political philosophy by giving the terrorists precisely the victories they crave." 

 

Right here, in convenient alphabetical order by first name. 

A 7 Overtime Game "Leading by two touchdowns and seemingly in control, Arkansas self-destructed and gave away the lead before seizing a stirring 71-63 victory over Kentucky in seven overtimes at Commonwealth Stadium. Four hours, 56 minutes after the teams kicked off, free safety Tony Bua recovered a Jared Lorenzen fumble inside the 5-yard line to preserve the victory and end the game that tied the record for most overtime periods in NCAA history. The record was set in 2001 when Arkansas beat Ole Miss 58-56."

2 Safeties, 4 Points In Thursday night's game, Brigham Young scored 2 safeties before scoring a touchdown. At one point, Boise State was leading 28 to 4 . I had never seen a football team with 4 points on the scoreboard at any point of a game before. 

"Brew coffee! Toast English muffins! Cook hardboiled eggs! Make a full breakfast with the 3 in 1 stainless steel Breakfast Machine. Save space and make an entire breakfast with a stainless steel industrial work of art. Today's holy grail of kitchen design is without a doubt the stainless steel appliance. But the cost can be prohibitive. Especially if you try to fill your kitchen with every new gadget and gizmo. There seems to be an appliance available for everything these days. Toasters, toaster ovens, coffee makers, table top grills, can openers, and on and on and on. Unfortunately we've run out of counter space to utilize half of these appliances. Worse yet, with a small kitchen you never had enough counter space for these appliances to begin with. The 3 in 1 Breakfast Machine is like having a coffee maker, toaster oven and hard boiled egg maker. Except you'll save a lot of space and money because it's all-in-one." 

City Journal: "The Left’s near monopoly over the institutions of opinion and information—which long allowed liberal opinion makers to sweep aside ideas and beliefs they disagreed with, as if they were beneath argument—is skidding to a startlingly swift halt. The transformation has gone far beyond the rise of conservative talk radio, that, ever since Rush Limbaugh’s debut 15 years ago, has chipped away at the power of the New York Times, the networks, and the rest of the elite media to set the terms of the nation’s political and cultural debate. Almost overnight, three huge changes in communications have injected conservative ideas right into the heart of that debate. Though commentators have noted each of these changes separately, they haven’t sufficiently grasped how, taken together, they add up to a revolution: no longer can the Left keep conservative views out of the mainstream or dismiss them with bromide instead of argument. Everything has changed."