Anomalies

[_ludwigm]

Watch the handling of the jar.

[_Gazelam]

"In the 1940s, The Adventures of Superman was a radio sensation. Kids across the country huddled around their sets as the Man of Steel leapt off the page and over the airwaves. Although Superman had been fighting crime in print since 1938, the weekly audio episodes fleshed out his storyline even further. It was on the radio that Superman first faced kryptonite, met Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen, and became associated with “truth, justice, and the American way.” So, it’s no wonder that when a young writer and activist named Stetson Kennedy decided to expose the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, he looked to a certain superhero for inspiration.

In the post-World War II era, the Klan experienced a huge resurgence. Its membership was skyrocketing, and its political influence was increasing, so Kennedy went undercover to infiltrate the group. By regularly attending meetings, he became privy to the organization’s secrets. But when he took the information to local authorities, they had little interest in using it. The Klan had become so powerful and intimidating that police were hesitant to build a case against them.

Struggling to make use of his findings, Kennedy approached the writers of the Superman radio serial. It was perfect timing. With the war over and the Nazis no longer a threat, the producers were looking for a new villain for Superman to fight. The KKK was a great fit for the role.

In a 16-episode series titled “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” the writers pitted the Man of Steel against the men in white hoods. As the storyline progressed, the shows exposed many of the KKK’s most guarded secrets. By revealing everything from code words to rituals, the program completely stripped the Klan of its mystique. Within two weeks of the broadcast, KKK recruitment was down to zero. And by 1948, people were showing up to Klan rallies just to mock them."

Link

[_Gazelam]

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich dropped $47,000 on food last Friday at Nello’s in New York City. Note that a lucky waiter/waitress got a $7000 tip

Source

[_Gazelam]

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street

[_Gazelam]

Who's a Good Boy? Who's a Good Boy? Is That Your Tickle Spot?

[_Gazelam]

Seattle artist Jack Daws made eleven pennies by casting them from 18 karat gold and plating them with copper. One of those pennies was sold for $1,000 as a work of art. Another penny was spent at a news stand in Los Angeles. Yes, Daws sent one of the pennies into circulation in 2007 as a counterfeit -on purpose. He expected never to see it again. Over two years later, a graphic designer from Brooklyn noticed a golden gleam on a penny she was given as change. She put it away to investigate later, as she was a fan of unusual coins.

Then recently, while doing research about a 1924 Mercury-head dime, she remembered the penny and typed “gold penny” into Google, which returned information on science experiments to give a penny a gold color. She added “1970” and found an item about how Mr. Daws had put a 18-karat gold penny, dated 1970 with no mint mark, into circulation. It was heavier and smaller than a real penny.

In disbelief, she weighed the penny on a digital scale. It came in at three grams, one gram more than similar pennies from 1970. And it was slightly smaller than a normal penny, owing to the shrinking after the casting process.

She traced Mr. Daws’s phone number through the gallery and left him the message. When he called back, he knew it had to be his penny as soon as she described it to him.

Reed will keep the penny as a work of art. How many other hands did the gold coin pass through before she found it? We will probably never know.

Link

[_Paracelsus]

For about 10 percent of electricity in the United States, it’s fuel from dismantled nuclear bombs, including Russian ones.

In the last two decades, nuclear disarmament has become an integral part of the electricity industry, little known to most Americans.

Salvaged bomb material now generates about 10 percent of electricity in the United States — by comparison, hydropower generates about 6 percent and solar, biomass, wind and geothermal together account for 3 percent.

[_Paracelsus]

Catholic churches in Italy have installed automatic holy water dispensers to help reduce the spread of swine flu.


Nov 12, 2009 2:41 pm US/Pacific WASHINGTON (CBS News)
Government health officials say swine flu has sickened about 22 million Americans since April.
They say about 4,000 have died, including 540 children.


This articles are linked only by the words of swine flu.

[_Paracelsus]

the people down below soon clocked what was going on, and a large crowd gathered



Well, it's certainly one way of passing the time...

[_Gazelam]

Ever see a picture and wonder what the story was behind it? How many oddities do you see in this photo? This thing has layers.