My fellow neanderpeeps: Sorry for the lapse in blogging but these damn Geico guys are running my ass ragged doing commercials. Can’t complain the money is good, just gotta put up with their corporate crap a little longer unitl the bills are all paid.
Seriously though, other things have been keeping me away from the blogosphere, nothing serious (no I have not died) but I appreciate your concerns. I guess you could say that I am on a bit of a hiatus however I will still be posting from time to time, just can’t say when it will get back to a normal schedule.
But please keep checking in - there is more to come!
~NeanderMan
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Ever heard of ‘Atlantropa‘?
Me neither, until just recently when I ran across this massive utopian civil enginnering proposal from German Architect Herman Sörgel. In the 1920’s he proposed damming off the Mediterranean ocean at the Straight of Gibraltar which would have the effect of creating a supercontinent that combined Africa and Europe which would be called ‘Atlantropa’. It was actually a serious proposal and studied by not just Germans but other countries including the US.
It’s features included:
- The creation of a great source of hydroelectric power.
- Vast new tracts of agricultural land where the Mediterranean Ocean had receded as well as the Sahara desert.
- Expand the influence of Europe and it’s growing populations.
- Redirected desalinated water from the Mediterranean would be used to irrigate much of Africa as well as a source for three new mammoth size lakes on the continent.
It ultimately fell out of favor due to the advent of nuclear power. There were also concerns that cutting off the warm waters of the Mediterranean from the Atlantic would upset the ocean conveyor belt in the North Atlantic thus creating a new ice age for Europe (wait, wouldn’t this solve global warming?!).
This is one of those wacky yet ingenious German ideas that came from the early 20th century. Some think that the environmental problems will eventually be solved and that this some day could become feasible.
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OK, this somehow satisfies a deep part of my brain leftover from childhood - What happens when you take an 1100 cubic inch V8 used in a WWII Sherman Tank and put it into a 1970 Ford Mustang?
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…. or kill the Mimes, your preference.
This little video manages to capture everything that is interesting and revolting about the French. I watched it twice and still don’t know what I saw:
Word comes today that Jim Lampley, part time HuffPo contributor and full time tool, gets busted for smacking around his ex-wife:
ENCINITAS, Calif. (AP) — Sports announcer Jim Lampley was arrested Wednesday for investigation of domestic violence.
Lampley, 57, also was booked for investigation of violating a restraining order and dissuading a witness, said Capt. Glenn Revell of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Lampley was released after posting $35,000 bail.
I really loathe this guy, he’s one of those amazing examples of people who succeed despite their complete lack of talent.
Given his track record of succeeding in spite of himself, I don’t see this misstep causing him any career angst, unfortunately.
….uh no, not that Gaza Strip but the ‘Gaza Strip’ of Rio De Janeiro, an area in Rio where gangland terror reigns.
BBC soap star and Micheal Chiklis lookalike Ross Kemp does a great documentaty on Rio’s notorious favela gangs. It runs 45 minutes and well worth the time.
Thank you Dr. Drew:
DO the stars find themselves as fascinating as their fans do? Yes, says a forthcoming psychological study of Hollywood’s celebrity class. It is not just money or career that makes them seem different: it is their extreme levels of self love and their compulsive need for public attention.
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Mark Young and Drew Pinsky used a mathematical formula to measure the traits, including exhibitionism and vanity, that make up narcissism. Psychologists believe that in general men are both bossier than women and show off more. However, in the “celebrity class” women are far more narcissistic than men and up to a third are more manipulative and vain about their appearance than the typical woman in the street, according to the psychologists from the University of Southern California.
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They asked 200 celebrities who appeared on the programme to fill out a standard questionnaire called the Narcissism Personality Inventory. They were asked how they felt about themselves, including whether they felt they deserved compliments or were embarrassed by them and whether they insisted on being “respected” at all times.
Participants remain anonymous but interviewees featured on Pinsky’s website include Renée Zellweger, Jessica Simpson, Jim Carrey and members of Duran Duran, the British pop band.
“It was people like that — actors, comedians, musicians and reality TV contestants — who emerged as the most narcissistic of all,” said Pinsky. “The fewer real-life skills they had, the louder they tend to be in their attempts to hold on to attention.”
The word is that Oprah’s NPI score had to be tabulated in scientific notation.
Here’s some addictive little time wasters to make the holidays go by quickly.
(hat tip: 21st Century Paladin)
WoodWorking