RelentlesslyOptimistic

American Clown: Athletic Dance for Men or Boys

One of those tasks that I've been meaning to get to for awhile now is to add Bibliodyssey to my Blogroll. PK, the creator of the blog, posts images from old manuscripts from libraries around the world, which sounds far less fascinating than it actually is.

I couldn't resist this image out of the July 26th entry, which is from the1916 American Clown booklet of the title, part of a series of "Illustrated Athletic Dances for Boys and Girls" by the Athletic Dance Press of Milwaukee. The American Clown Dance is written for men and boys, so if girls take part the booklet instructs that "the leap frog and roll may be eliminated" and offers a substitute step appropriate for girls.

The Athletic Dance Press also published "Alabama Scare Crow: Eccentric Novelty Dance for Boys or Girls," "Amazon Triumph: A Spectacular Group Dance for Older Girls," and "American Farmer: A Character Dance for Boys or Girls" among many others (that list of titles is from Booknear.com). The American Clown booklet has an order form for those and additional dance booklets on page 11.

Other Bibliodyssey posts include images from old medical journals (the one below is from an Oxford University folio showing the veins, "produced in the late 13th century in England"), astrology, and much more. It's one of those sites you can get lost in for hours, even without following the links to other fascinating sites.

Be Nice To America...

From CarryABigSticker via Justinsomnia

Weekly World News Dies: Conspiracy Theories to Follow

The Weekly World News, the cultural icon that brought us Bat Boy, the above photo, Mother Nature endorsing Gore (and threatening Florida with more hurricanes next year) has stopped printing, although it will continue to publish its web version.

Via The Washington Post; readers weigh in with their favorite headlines in the comments.

USDA Hardiness Zones updated to reflect global warming

Gardeners use the USDA's Hardiness Zones to identify plants that will thrive in their area. The current USDA map was last updated in 1990. The Arbor Day Foundation used weather station data to update the map to reflect current temperature and frost data. The first map shows the amount of change, the second shows the updated Zone map. Visit the Arbor Day Foundation's site for a flash version that shows the changes, or read the press release.

Via bookofjoe

"Beware of seriousness: it is a form of stupidity" — Alexander Waugh

 

 

From a letter of Alexander Waugh to his 6-year-old son, which appears toward the end of his new book.

From bookofjoe

Sympathetic police pardon man who threw computer out of window

Who hasn't felt like doing this?

"A German man who hurled his computer out of the window in the middle of the night, was let off for disturbing the peace by police who sympathised with his technical frustrations."

Which brings up one of my favorite words: defenestrate, which was number 10 on the list of Merriam-Webster's dictionary users favorite words in 2004.

From the Daily Mail via Nothing To Do With Arbroath. Image source.

George W. Bush Library destroyed by flood

Crawford, Texas (AP)--A tragic flood this morning destroyed the personal library of President George W. Bush.

The flood began in the presidential bathroom where both of the books were kept.

Both of the books have been lost.

A presidential spokesperson said the president was devastated, as he had almost finished coloring the second one. The White House tried to call FEMA, but there was no answer.

From Big Shot Bob in Texas via ForYourEntertainment. Image from Knuttz.net

Lawn chair flight: 193 miles, 13,000 feet

A convenience store owner in Bend, Oregon is the latest person to emulate Larry Walters by fastening helium balloons to a lawn chair and flying away.

Walters' flight took place in 1982, when he tied 42 weather balloons filled with helium to a Sears lawn chair and ascended to 16,000 feet, eventually drifting into the air space of the Long Beach airport. When asked why, he said "A man can't just sit around." His flight launched Cluster Ballooning, which is described as anything from a hobby to an extreme sport.

Kent Couch, who owns a Stop and Go Mini-Mart, flew for the second time last Saturday with a plan to reach Idaho, though he stopped short of the border rather than attempt to cross the Wallowas mountain range. His equipment included a parachute, video camera, GPS unit, cell phone, four 5-gallon bags of water for ballast, and a banner that read "Stop and Go Mini-Mart Shell Helium Balloon Flight '07."

Couch hopped out of the chair upon landing, and the chair immediately floated away with the video camera and its seven-hour record of his flight. According to one of Couch's children, another flight may never happen, because "I haven't ever seen my dad sit in a chair for longer than two hours."

Via: Nothing To Do With Arbroath, with additional info from KTVZ.com. Larry Walters' info came from Wikipedia, MarkBarry.com. Photo from clusterballoon.org.

Happy Fourth of July

From The Boat Lullabies. Check out Nick's other Independence Day photos too!

English As She Is Spoke*

Via Nothing To Do With Arbroath

*Title of an 1855 English phrasebook written by two Portuguese guys who spoke no English, newly republished by McSweeney's