(via Bad Newspaper)
Saturday, November 30, 2019
The Story Behind Mikhail Gorbachev’s Pizza Hut Ad
If you were around in 1997, you might recall seeing this Pizza Hut ad featuring the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev was a reformist who opened the door to peaceful revolution, yet represented the Communist Party to the end. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union brought perilous economic turbulence that affected Gorbachev as well as millions of everyday Russians. By the mid-90s, he needed money. And Pizza Hut, which had stepped into the Soviet Union just before it ended, saw an opportunity.
The concept obviously exploited the shock value of having a former world leader appear. But the ad played on the fact that Gorbachev was far more popular outside Russia than inside it. As late as October 1991, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed that 54 percent of Americans wanted to see Gorbachev as the head of the Soviet Union, compared with only 18 percent for Yeltsin. And warm feelings toward Gorbachev persisted in the West long after the Soviet Union dissolved. “In contrast to his unpopular standing at home,” the political scientist Andrew Cooper writes in Diplomatic Afterlives, “Gorbachev retained superstar standing abroad as a visionary statesman.” At home, Gorbachev was a pariah. Abroad, he was an elder statesman and celebrity, far more beloved than the buffoonish Yeltsin.Still, getting Gorbachev to promote pizza was a complicated story, which you can read at Foreign Policy. (via Damn Interesting)
Fishmen
A musical version of 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' by H.P Lovecraft. THIS is weird. (via Bits and Pieces)
Tweet of the Day
Capitalism: good news! with technology we can produce more with half the work.— Existential Comics (@existentialcoms) October 24, 2019
Workers: cool! so we only have to work half the hours?
Capital: …
Workers: we get paid double?
Capital: …
Workers: we retire sooner?
Capital: …
Workers: …
Capital: btw, we rolled back your pensions
(via Bored Panda)
Friday, November 29, 2019
18th Century Welsh Rabbit
Jon Townsend brings us an 18th-century recipe for toasted cheese, or Welsh rabbit. I'm all in for that! But we watch Jon for more than recipes. He knows all that one can know about the American frontier of the 1700s, and he teaches it to us in such a pleasant manner. If you want to watch how he built that cabin, continue reading for the three-part series.
In Which the Void is Traversed
Ah, sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care! However it happens, we can all use more of it. This comic is from David Malki at Wondermark.
A Holiday Reunion
It's been 37 years since E.T. phoned home. Xfinity went all out for their Christmas greeting, in which our beloved extraterrestrial returns for a holiday visit, and finds that Elliot (again played by Henry Thomas) has aged quite a bit and has children of his own -who look an awful lot like young Thomas and Drew Barrymore. (via Buzzfeed)
Thanksgiving at My House
That seemed a little weird at first, but we noticed that the students (my two, my brother's two, and two international students who'd never had an American Thanksgiving dinner) from three colleges were having an animated conversation about things students talk about. This was such a contrast with all those years that the young people barely spoke while eating with older relatives. So their parents and grandma listened in the background and found it lovely. Not only are our children grown up, but they've become interesting, friendly, and engaging people.
When we cleared away most of the dishes and brought out dessert, all ten moved to the main table. A good time was had by all.
Miss Cellania's Links
Copy Kitten. It takes him a while to figure out how.
The Red Summer of 1919. Contains disturbing images of real history. (via Metafilter)
A Tragedy in Brookhaven.
We’ll Call her Story a Real-Life Handmaid’s Tale. I don't know why (I haven't read the book), but Marie-Madeleine Fourcade's story is exceedingly heroic.
People love this dad’s freak out over losing daughter’s hamster.
Trump got his wall after all. A small, dedicated crew of hardliners has put up bureaucratic barriers that are far harder to overcome than any hunk of concrete on the southern border.
A 911 call that doesn't go as you might expect.
18,000-year-old Puppy was a Good Dogor. (via Metafilter)
A blast from the past (2007): Honeybees: Masters of Utility.
The World’s Largest Rube Goldberg Machine
Consider the time and effort that went into designing this contraption. Then consider how many times it had to be tested to make sure none of the 412 steps got hung up. It only had to work perfectly once, but that once had to be when Guinness World Record officials were there to witness it, and on the day that Riga, Latvia, lit up their municipal Christmas tree in 2016.
Tweet of the Day
my favorite day is the day after thanksgiving, when I twitter search the words "hot cousin" and see all the people who have crushes on their cousins— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 15, 2019
(via Buzzfeed)
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Raised Bridge Claims Its First Victim
Well, that didn't take long. The notorious 11 foot 8 bridge in Durham, North Carolina, was raised to a new height of 12 feet 4 inches. We thought that might be the end of the website 11 foot 8, which documented the many trucks whose tops were sheared off after the driver underestimated their own height, or else was not paying attention. But Jürgen Henn still has his webcam trained on the Gregson Street trestle, and on Tuesday caught the first incident since the bridge was raised. A rental truck scraped against the bridge, and small pieces fell off. We don't know the extent of the damage, since the truck didn't stop.
Salt, a Thanksgiving Story
An award-winning short by High Cotton Films. It's a heartwarming story, but who keeps salt in a canister?
Hibernation
Animals know what's best. Even my cats have decided that if it's too cold to play outside, they'll just nap. And here I am, stressing about groceries and housecleaning over a simple family meal. This comic is from Jimmy at They Can Talk.
A Thanksgiving Poem
I Am Thankful – Poem Of Thanksgiving
I am thankful:
For the wife
Who says it’s hot dogs tonight
Because she is home with me
And not out with someone else.
For the husband
Who is on the sofa
Being a couch potato
Because he is home with me
And not out at the bars.
For the teenager
Who is complaining about doing dishes
Because it means she is at home,
Not on the streets.
For the taxes I pay
Because it means
I am employed.
For the mess to clean after a party
Because it means I have
Been surrounded by friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug
Because it means
I have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work
Because it means
I am out in the sunshine.
For a lawn that needs mowing,
Windows that need cleaning,
And gutters that need fixing
Because it means that I have a home.
For all the complaining
I hear about the government
Because it means
We have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot
I find at the far end of the parking lot
Because it means
I am capable of walking,
And I have been blessed with transportation.
For my huge heating bill
Because it means
I am warm.
For the lady behind me in church
Who sings off key
Because it means I can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing
Because it means
I have clothes to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles
At the end of the day
Because it means I have been
Capable of working.
For the alarm that goes off
In the early morning hours
Because it means
I am alive.
We don't know who wrote it, but it came from here. (Thanks, Hearsetrax!)
Thanksgivies
SNL gave awards for the most outrageous (bit typical) performances at the family Thanksgiving feast. This is from several years ago, and politics plays very little part in the holiday gatherings, so that's a plus.
Miss Cellania's Links
Americans Shared Gross Sides They Eat At Their Thanksgiving Meals. The entire Twitter thread is worth a read.
Where Our Traditional Thanksgiving Came From. It's way different from what you were taught in elementary school.
Thank You God, for Black Thanksgiving. On learning how to be black, one family Thanksgiving in Atlanta at a time. (via Metafilter)
10 Emergency Thanksgiving Sides You Can Throw Together in Minutes. (via Accordion Guy)
Why President Coolidge Never Ate His Thanksgiving Raccoon.
Let Your Kids Eat Nothing But Rolls on Thanksgiving. The annual family feast is not the place for a food fight.
A Brief History of the Crock Pot.
Calvin’s Dad Was the Ultimate ‘Gonna Tell My Kids’ Guy.
A blast from the past (2008): Five Other Thanksgiving Holidays.
WKRP Turkey Drop
The WKRP episode called "Turkeys Away" first aired in 1978 and has become a Thanksgiving classic. Vulture tells us why.
In its own twisted way, “Turkeys Away” is about the same thing as just about every Thanksgiving episode: people trying to do something perfect for the holiday, failing wildly at that endeavor, then moving on with their chins up after it’s all over. It may not cover the usual Thanksgiving traditions like making dinner or navigating family dynamics, but this episode of WKRP still ends the way that a lot of Thanksgivings dinner do: with a couple of dead birds, a huge mess to clean up, and everyone in the immediate vicinity feeling irritated with each other.
Tweet of the Day
— Nuccio DiNuzzo (@nuccio_dinuzzo) January 31, 2017
This one is a flashback almost three years ago, when people spontaneously rushed to international airports to protest Trump's Muslim ban. The story of this picture from O'Hare is here.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
The Difference Between Claws and Nails
Claws came first, and fingernails and toenails were a later adaptation. But nails developed for animal lineages that had already diverged from each other, so there must be reasons they were better than claws for certain species. This TED-Ed lesson gives us some ideas about why that happened. (via Laughing Squid)
14 Ways We Amused Ourselves as Kids
My latest list for Considerable is up! It's 14 ways we amused ourselves growing up that seem strange today. Remember making acetylene in a soda can? Waiting for the glue on your hands to dry? Yeah, some of these are still around, but they still don't make much sense.
Violent Laser Beam Man
Creating a plausible sci-fi action story requires details, details that require thought. Or they can go quickly into a state of chaos. This comic is from Alex Culang and Raynato Castro at Buttersafe.
A New Grandma for Thanksgiving
You might remember that Jamal Hinton got a wrong number call that turned into an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner in 2016. He went to eat with Wanda Dench and her husband. It's turned into an annual tradition.
They are still friends. Here is a photo from last month.
We went to the pumpkin patch today 🎃 pic.twitter.com/91q9yMJAoa— Jamal Hinton (@kingjamal08) October 26, 2019
And yeah, Hinton and his girlfriend Mikaela will be at the table with Dench and the rest of the family this year.
Miss Cellania's Links
The Museum Tour Guide Who Shaped Mark Twain’s Views on Race.
20 Twitter Thanksgiving Horror Stories.
Tucker Carlson says he's rooting for Russia in conflict with Ukraine. How long before this becomes official US policy?
The Mystery of Lincoln’s First Inauguration Photograph. (via Damn Interesting)
The Adventurous Seafaring Women of the Age of Sail.
Know Your Stuffing 2019. What your Republican loved ones will try to feed you this Thanksgiving and what you can bring to the table.
Loss, love and a promise kept for the voice of Auburn football. It's not about sports; it's about a family. (via Metafilter)
Since 2004, the Smithsonian anthropology department looks forward to Eric Hollinger's cake at the Christmas party. Take a look to see why.
A blast from the past (2016): 10 Creative Ways to Prepare a Turkey.
Those Turkeys
This made everyone burst into laughter in 2012. I wish the internet were still like that. The followup his pretty good, too!
Yeah, it was stupid, but that just made it special.
Tweets of the Day
The Nelsons have inflated a large plastic turkey in their front yard. I have called the police.— Myrna Tellingheusen (@PearlsFromMyrna) November 16, 2019
I hope Pastor Carmichael doesn’t give a “feel better” sermon in church again today.— Myrna Tellingheusen (@PearlsFromMyrna) November 17, 2019
These turkey lawn inflatables need a dose of “fire and brimstone.”
I failed to mention the Nelsons’ HOA-violating inflatable turkey is wearing a jaunty pilgrim hat.— Myrna Tellingheusen (@PearlsFromMyrna) November 19, 2019
No, Darlene Van der Pooten… I do NOT need anger management classes! What I need is an HOA president who takes my concerns seriously!— Myrna Tellingheusen (@PearlsFromMyrna) November 19, 2019
The Nelson’s inflatable turkey broke loose and floated into my house. I made certain it was damaged beyond repair.— Myrna Tellingheusen (@PearlsFromMyrna) November 21, 2019
(via Bored Panda)
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
An Honest Trailer for Jingle All the Way
In 1996, made a Christmas comedy. Twenty-three years later, would you still watch Jingle All the Way? If you have kids of a certain age, you might. Anything to keep them occupied during school vacation! Watch this Honest Trailer to be sure.
Who's a Good Boy?
The cat meets a dog, in the latest Simon's Cat video from Simon Tofield. The new cartoon is pretty short, then it's followed by a bunch of older Simon's Cat videos that feature a dog.
Fix That Later
If the powers-that-be don't care, why should the rest of us? This comic is by Jeff Lofvers at Don't Hit Save.
Miss Cellania's Links
The Cinema of Inadvertence, or Why I Like Bad Movies. (via Metafilter)
Huskies and malamutes are the funniest of dogs.
What Do We Call Boomers Who Are Just as Screwed as Millennials? I saw myself in this article. (via Digg)
Tumblr User Writes A Story About What Happens To Monsters Under Our Beds After We Grow Up.
For Sale: A 19th-Century Screw-Pile Lighthouse With a View of Key West.
Fact-Checking Toto's "Africa." It's not all that accurate. (via Digg)
A Real Head-Scratcher. Journalists almost hurt themselves trying to pander to both sides.
Things We Realized After We Rescued a Shelter Dog. With delightfully goofy illustrations. (via Nag on the Lake)
A blast from the past (2007): Eat Like the Pilgrims.
Tweet of the Day
I’ve been laughing for 10 mins straight😭 pic.twitter.com/YWLypWrlLe— Naj📿 (@Zencsss) November 19, 2019
(via Buzzfeed)
Monday, November 25, 2019
The Conjunction Fallacy
Can you see through this logical fallacy? I did, but then I also had my own ideas about Lucy, since the only math I ever excelled at was statistics and probability. That doesn't matter once you grasp the idea of the conjunction fallacy. Now that you know what it's called, you might be able to see it in the world around you, or the things people tell you. Me, I'm just tickled to find an educational video that is under ten minutes, which is rare these days.
"Africa" by the Ndlovu Youth Choir
The Ndlovu Youth Choir from the Limpopo region of South Africa performs on America's Got Talent. I'm not sure how a choir from so far away jibes with the title of the competition, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to hear them, although a couple of months late. Even if I still had cable, I probably wouldn't watch AGT. (via Mel magazine)
Hotel Room Party
Hey, listen, the only reason that epic hotel room trashing parties make the news is that they are rare. Nevertheless, it has become a cultural thing that many of us contemplate at one time or another. It doesn't involve this much effort; just a lot of money. This comic is from Randall Munroe at xkcd.
'Indian' or 'Native American'?
CGP Grey has been doing research for this video for five years. Well, to be honest, that five years of research is most likely going into the series of videos that will be called Reservations, of which this one is the first. Before diving into what he's going to tell us, Grey first wants to established the language used. Therefore, here are 1300 words to explain one word. (via reddit)
Miss Cellania's Links
A twelve-acres real estate listing in Catalina, Arizona, hides a Titan missile complex beneath your feet. If you are wondering what you might do with such a facility, DeviantART member sickkids has some ideas, which you can enlarge here. (via reddit)
What’s Lost When Black Children Are Socialized Into a White World.
The big difference between this impeachment inquiry and Watergate isn’t the president—it’s Congress.
Why Elite Romans Decorated Their Floors With Garbage. It wasn't just camouflage for a lazy housekeeper.
Here Are Some Of The Best Website Corrections Of All Time, From The Hilarious To The Cringeworthy.
The True History Behind Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.
Five Years Later, Missing Cat Found 1300 Miles Away. (via Mental Floss)
You May Be Counting in the Wrong Language. (via Damn Interesting)
A blast from the past (2007): Manly Ways to Prepare Turkey.
Up Above My Head
Sister Rosetta Tharpe is the Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll. This video illustrates how she took Gospel to a different level with her electric guitar. Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, and Jimi Hendrix all cited Tharpe as an inspiration and influence. There are more links to her music at Metafilter.
Tweet of the Day
if you ever hate yourself just remember that last year i hosted thanksgiving for my family and i told them to park in the wrong spot and every single persons car got towed— Danya (@dxxnya) November 13, 2019
(via Buzzfeed)
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Chimichanga
I presume they meant chupacabra. (via Bad Newspaper)
Update: gwdMaine points out that this is not a typo, but the newspaper deliberately poking fun at a clueless reader.
Update: gwdMaine points out that this is not a typo, but the newspaper deliberately poking fun at a clueless reader.
Analogy of a Horse
Was this guy born with it, or does the physical punishment of a professional rugby career make you a comedic genius? Joe Marler of the Harlequins speaks top reporters about their upcoming game with Bath. The simple adage about getting back on the horse leads to a trip down the rabbit hole. Marler's Wikipedia entry has been updated since this video came about. (via Laughing Squid)
Weekend
As they say, going to sleep on Sunday will cause Monday. The caveat is that most Americans will have a short work week starting tomorrow. This comic is from Chris at Lunarbaboon.
The 2020 Democratic Debate in Atlanta
SNL loves their casting for the 2020 Democratic field -as they should. You can imagine each of them wondering who will keep their role for the next five years. Last night's cold open was impeachment-related, but not as funny as the debate.
Dog Goes for a Joyride
A man in Port St. Lucie, Florida, got out of his car in a neighborhood cul-de-sac and left the engine running. He also left his Labrador retriever in the car. The dog somehow put the car into reverse gear and set it in motion, driving circles around the cul-de-sac. For an hour. The car finally hit a mailbox, which slowed it enough so that police could unlock it with a passcode. The dog, happy after his extended car ride, emerged wagging his tail. (via Gizmodo)
Tweet of the Day
Doggo revives hooman 🐶🤣🤣pic.twitter.com/ZA01sAi26v— Ffs OMG Vids 📽🔞 (@Ffs_OMG) November 6, 2019
(via Everlasting Blort)
Saturday, November 23, 2019
The Hidden Hand
The Hidden Hand is a horror comedy from 1942. From Wikipedia:
John Channing (Milton Parsons) is an insane-asylum escapee. In her efforts to protect her brother from the authorities, John's sister Lorinda (Cecil Cunningham) opens the door for a series of grisly murders. Peter Thorne (Craig Stevens) and Mary Winfield (Elizabeth Fraser) try to stop John before he kills again.
I am Not Dead, I am 55 Today
There's nothing like vodka, pork rinds, and a November swim to celebrate your birthday. (via reddit)
Wait
One can only wait for so long. One can only hold out hope that the end is coming for a certain period of time before all hope is gone. The only comfort is that this experience is universal, and not some moral failure on our parts. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Baby Yoda (Floating In A Pod)
The infant character from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian doesn't yet have a name, but the internet has dubbed him/her/it Baby Yoda, and that tells you pretty much all you need to know. The meme has taken off, which means Parry Gripp had to sing a little song about Baby Yoda. The artwork is from Nathan Mazur. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Tweet of the Day
We've done it again!! WooHoo!!! We're Rich is UP!!! I-75 mile marker 78 Berea - northbound. This sucker is YUGE!— MadDogPAC (@maddogpac) August 12, 2019
Please #SupportTheBoards https://t.co/inGNJ3iM46 pic.twitter.com/jYiFIBS8Cx
How did I miss this? Oh, yeah, I always get off I-75 at exit 76, because that's how you get to where my kids live. (via reddit)
