54light15At least it's a joke, unlike the Boston molasses flood or the battle of Slapton Sands. Look 'em up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adPuti-SL5o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_qYB_a_EOI
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
While on this topic, apparently a large polished stainless steel slab was found standing vertically in a desert area of a western state, as per TV on 24 October (OK, I wasn't paying attention). It looked like something from somebody who had watched the opening scene of "2001 - A Space Odyssey" rather too often.
It was described as "an illegal artwork".
Which raises the question, presumably the NY city authorities approved the erection of the octopus monument....
Peter
M636CWhich raises the question, presumably the NY city authorities approved the erection of the octopus monument....
It wouldn't surprise me if they payed for it.
Here locally several years ago, the city paid $300,000 for a modern art sculpture, that amounts to a dozen or so large metal I beams mitred and welded together. Completely abstract,...overall the size of a large semi tractor.....and it was controversial as a waste of money from day one.
Few years ago, a drunk driver drove off the road, plowed into the sculpture, and caused significant damage. The original artist charged like $97,000...to repair it. The original work was so abstract, it was highly questionable if any aesthetic qualities were compromized....still looked like a pile of junk to me. But despite the outcry of the naysayers, the city paid for a full restoration.
Then, the City took an additional step. They arranged for an art professor at a local university to write a letter into the newspaper, stating that the critical general public was unqualified to make any proper evaluation as to what constituted good art.
It's a racket, I suspect.
M636C ... apparently a large polished stainless steel slab was found standing vertically in a desert area of a western state, as per TV on 24 October ... It was described as "an illegal artwork".
Well, if the topic is things that stand vertically in the desert that should Be described as illegal... I submit this.
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/images/tx/TXAMAcadillac_1188_620x300.jpg
I could almost give assurance that few functioning New Yorkers remembered much, or cared much, about the first failed attempt to blow up the WTC. It certainly isn't an iconic date that anyone I know would remember.
This reminds me of a story that I was told that was almost within the institutional memory of WPRB when I started there. The news department relied for copy on a United Press International teletype that ran night and day -- anong their conventions being the use of ellipsis for rhetorical pause that so infuriates a couple of people in these forums. For hot stories, there was a hierarchy of dings on the teletype bell, the more dings the more important. Apparently there was one famous night the number of bells reached some astronomical number like 10 ... appropriately enough during the early stages of that great feat of astronautics, Apollo 11. Milestone detail after milestone called for multiple dings ... when suddenly the machine started doing the ctrl-H equivalent of ringing off the hook. This was due of course to that moron Ted driving off the bridge to Chappaquiddick, a thing whose date I had to look up to be able to recount this properly.
OvermodI could almost give assurance that few functioning New Yorkers remembered much, or cared much, about the first failed attempt to blow up the WTC.
Ahh, but you know? There are always people who choose to not let things pass. Some people seem to relish the "heart on sleeve" bit. There are a number of historical cultural events that have accumulated persistent mourners.
So, lets turn my earlier comment up a notch. Suppose the artist chose Sept 11, 2001 as his ploy.
Do you still believe that no one would claim offense? Making light of a grave occasion almost never gets a free pass, in my experience.
Convicted OneSo, lets turn my earlier comment up a notch. Suppose the artist chose Sept 11, 2001 as his ploy. Do you still believe that no one would claim offense?
What might have been interesting in this connection would be if Pei had been able to hold out for the original asbestos on his aerospace-vehicle structure, and neither tower had collapsed. Would it still be a defining moment to a generation, or sparked such a long-standing response?
Incidentally, yeah, I think it was in bad taste to use that date. But it does have to be said that the cult of the myth of Camelot that was built up around the assassination was, in truth, overblown ... there was as much over Garfield, in his day; he just didn't get Lincoln's or Kennedy's posthumous PR.
Now, Bobby Kennedy -- that was a date that likely marked a great turn away from American greatness. But I'm ashamed to say I don't remember that, either.
You must not like it when someone sings that song about 'it was sad when the great ship went down', either.
OvermodIncidentally, yeah, I think it was in bad taste to use that date.
Well, just being 100% honest, I contemplated using 9/11 in my original comment, but decided against it, and opted to use the Ramzi Yousef event instead, in deference to possible 9-11 sensitivities. Figuring I could always "dial up" later, if anyone challenged me.
Thanks for not letting me down.
Overmod.. and I'd bet lunch you don't remember that date
I'll bet if our artist was creating a statue for OKC, and used Richard Snell's date of expiry as a spurious point of humor, plenty would remember.
OvermodYou must not like it when someone sings that song about 'it was sad when the great ship went down', either
I am somewhat of a Mary Hopkin fan.....
The date is an integral part of the sculpture. The whole premise is that another great catastrophe happened that day and it was completely overshadowed by the real event. If it happened a day earlier (in real life), everyone would have heard of it.
I know I'll catch hell for this, but I was 4 years old at the time and was mildly upset that the networks changed programming and there weren't any cartoons on for a few days.
No, the city didn't pay for or authorize it. It was done on the artist's own initiative and paid for out of his own pocket. I'ts also portable and can be moved to various locations. The "bronze" is actually a plastic resin colored to look like bronze.
Creative minds see a different reality than those that aren't creative, if they didn't they would not be able to advance the uncreative to where the createive started from. Without the creative mind we would still be living in caves and not facing man influenced climate change for the planet.
Reminds me a bit of the story of "Boilerplate", the steampunk c.1900 robot that some folks online thought was a real thing.
https://www.bigredhair.com/books/boilerplate/about/
Since the WTC-Pentagon tragedy date has been brought up. I should mention that I had already moved to Israel, but was able to watch the horror unfold on local TV. Me second thoughts were as positive as possible under te cicumstancs, and were:
"I'll bet not one PATH passnger or worker is hurt or injured." As it tured out, not only not one PATH. but also not one NYCTA passenger or worker.
Regarding PATH, six years ealier, starting after 1AM, I was making acoustical meausrements in the WTC PATH station. Suddenly an alarm went off. Then a NYNJPA cop appeared and told me and my assistant not to worry, but it was an emergency drill, and we should follow him through a passegeway to an emergency exit and then continue for two blocks and await instructions on the corner there. And: "Your equipment is safe. Nobody will touch it." After waiting on the corner about 15 minutes, the same cop came and told us we could return via the same route.
For more on this: daveklepper@yahoo.com
daveklepper Since the WTC-Pentagon tragedy date has been brought up. I should mention that I had already moved to Israel, but was able to watch the horror unfold on local TV. Me second thoughts were as positive as possible under te cicumstancs, and were: "I'll bet not one PATH passnger or worker is hurt or injured." As it tured out, not only not one PATH. but also not one NYCTA passenger or worker.
I'm a little young to remember 1963, but I sure remember Sept 11, 2001.
I was home sick from school, but had woken early to watch the morning CBC kids shows. Instead, among many other things, my mother and I got to watch a plane crashing into a skyscraper on live TV.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
One difference from 20 years ago is I remember I was at work on 9-11 and live streaming wasn't really a 'thing' then, so on my work computer the only thing I could view were still photos posted online by news companies. Many of my co-workers didn't know how to find photos and such online, so I would send out an e-mail every so often with updates and pics.
Flintlock76 Marines have a sense of humor and can laugh at themselves. So do the SEALS. Ever hear what the SEALS say about themselves? "It's not so much that we're good, we're not that good, everyone else sucks!" Know how many Marines it takes to change a light bulb? Five. One to change the bulb, four to stand around muttering that the bulbs were tougher in the "Old Corps!" Anyone in the mood for some service jokes? https://www.wearethemighty.com/humor/5-hilarious-military-jokes/
Marines have a sense of humor and can laugh at themselves. So do the SEALS.
Ever hear what the SEALS say about themselves?
"It's not so much that we're good, we're not that good, everyone else sucks!"
Know how many Marines it takes to change a light bulb? Five.
One to change the bulb, four to stand around muttering that the bulbs were tougher in the "Old Corps!"
Anyone in the mood for some service jokes?
https://www.wearethemighty.com/humor/5-hilarious-military-jokes/
The one about the Air Force guy "securing a building" by arranging financing for it is on the Humor Thread here on the Forum.
If GM "killed the electric car", what am I doing standing next to an EV-1, a half a block from the WSOR tracks?
Flintlock76 With all due respect, I remember exactly where I was and exactly what I was doing on 11/22/1963, and so does the wife. Both of us remember it like it was yesterday.
With all due respect, I remember exactly where I was and exactly what I was doing on 11/22/1963, and so does the wife. Both of us remember it like it was yesterday.
I remember. I was in the sixth grade. Our teacher was called out of the room for a few minutes. Then when she returned she told us in a low, somber voice that, "Children, our president has been killed". Some of the girls burst into tears.
A similar situation occurred on Sept 11th, 2001. I will always remember exactly what I was doing and where I was on that day, too.
As for the octopus destroying the ferry and killing all those people, sounds to me like the subject for a Japanese, grade "B" movie from the 1950s. I think the whole thing is a spoof which I'm sure the rest of your already seem to realize.
Fred M Cain As for the octopus destroying the ferry and killing all those people, sounds to me like the subject for a Japanese, grade "B" movie from the 1950s. I think the whole thing is a spoof which I'm sure the rest of your already seem to realize.
The History Channel should investigate all this. Picture all the overwrought and gesticulating "experts" they could trot out. "Could it be an ancient civilization or even space people?" I resisted using using ellipsis before the question mark but don't require a medal or a monument.
Rick
rixflix aka Captain Video. Blessed be Jean Shepherd and all His works!!! Hooray for 1939, the all time movie year!!! I took that ride on the Reading but my Baby caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride.
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