The Siege of Cincinnati

Not much f a siege, really, it was more like We Came, We Saw, We turned around & went back home....

Starfish Prime

56 years ago, the United States detonated a nuclear weapon high above the Pacific Ocean. Designated Starfish Prime, it was part of a dangerous series of high-altitude nuclear bomb tests at the height of the Cold War. Its immediate effects were felt for thousands of kilometers, but it would also have a far-reaching aftermath that still touches us today.
On July 9, 1962, the US launched a Thor missile from Johnston island, an atoll about 1500 kilometers (900 miles) southwest of Hawaii. The missile arced up to a height of over 1100 km (660 miles), then came back down. At the preprogrammed height of 400 km (240 miles), just seconds after 09:00 UTC, the 1.4 megaton nuclear warhead detonated.

And all hell broke loose.

Wikipedia

Is it Time to Embrace Our Prostitutes ?

Cities, counties, and states are competing for business and resident investment. Just look at what people are doing to recruit a new Amazon HQ. Ohio's Clark County, suffering population loss & declining wages despite the best efforts of Jim Jordan and Rb Portman. They recently unveiled a new plan to stabilise the county.
During the European colonisation of Africa, people sent erotic postcards home in an effort to entice new settlers.Perhaps it's time to stop demonizing and trying to 'cure' our prostitute class and embrace them as taxpayers and ambassadors for our communities.
BiC has long championed the legalisation, regulation, and taxation of 'the world's oldest profession'.
We could use them to market our cities, counties, and states as the European colonists did in Africa 100 years ago - except - we wouldn't be colonists. We would be helping our prostitutes and they would be helping the geater community.
WIN WIN

Exploring the Cincinnati Subway

HT to JM

Exquisite Pinball

An old (20th century?) 'exquisite' animation where different artists did each scene employing a common software package, Strata 3D

Opening Day 1974-5

Brooklyn to Benin

by Regine Romain

Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it ~ Edmund Burke

Seems like there is a politician out there wanting to pass - delete laws without understanding why we did & didn't make them already.
People want to license cats because we license dogs. But cats don't pack & rip your kids to pieces.
People want to license bicyclists because motorists require licensing. But bicyclists don't crash into other motorists, buildings and largee groups of people causing death, destruction and financial ruination.
Now this punk, Congressman Matt Gaetz (R) in Florida, wants to eliminate the EPA. he was born 12 years after President Richard Nixon (R) signed the agency into existence. He apparently doesn't know what went on before and why the agency was created.
A major job they had was to figure out what stored waste was toxic, what wasn't, where it was and if it was safely stored. People weren't worried about this stuff and a lot was in flood plains that couldn't be developed. OTOH, poorly stored toxic waste was getting into the waterways.
But Gaetz doesn't get this because he's just the sort of country lawyer Edmund Burke warned against after the French Revolution.
He's mainly grandstanding as I doubt this will get anywhere but with Dangerous Don & his denizens in power, who the fuck knows? I'm sure Putin would love a sickly American society & military.

Congress.gov

18th Century Italian Sex Robot

Because Casanova was bangin robots in the 1700s!
Yes that is Don Sutherland and no, that's not his voice.

Think Pinball for Roadway Design

As people crash around on the roads like bumper cars, perhaps it's time to up the funhouse ante. Let's design the roads like pinball machines with side bumpers on the sides of the roads & mushroom bumpers in the middle of wider roads.
Drop targets & spinning targets could provide driver information directly in the roadway freeing up sidewalk space & eliminating aerial clutter.
AND, as drivers spaz around like leaves on the wind, bereft of any tangible goal, the spinning rubber mat in the game, Fireball could be used in intersections, taking the pain of making decisions out of the driving experience.

Boscas - Behind Every Great Man

An ad for Springfield, Ohio's Bosca Leather discusses the family history & the Bosca boys going to war in WWII.
What it doesn't mention is the future wife of Orsino Bosca, Caro Bayley's service in the Women's Airforce Service.
She later became the International Women's Aerobatic Champion in 1951, in her Pitts Special biplane, Black Magic, and the same day she flew to 30,203 feet in a Piper Super Cruiser, setting a world altitude record for class II aircraft.

The Armored Combat League's 2016 Pan-American championship

Desert Demons, The Wolf Pack, The Executioners, First Swords, The Patriots, The Grizzlies all go at it at the The Armored Combat League's 2016 Pan-American championships in southern New Jersey.

Happy Birthday, Yvonne DeCarlo

Commemorate Johnny Lytle

Springfield, Ohio is set to commemorate hometown vibraphonist Johnny Lytle with a statue in the town's walk of fame. People interested in raising the $90 to $100K can make tax deductible donations to the Springfield Foundation here. Just target your donation to the Johnny Lytle statue in the donation / check out process.
Frankly, I think buying a dozen vibraphones for the schools would be money better spent but Springfield likes it's statues, so...

For more info on the statue click here

John McLaughlin

Blogging isn't Cool mourns the loss of John McLaughlin, host of the McLaughlin Group TV show for 34 years. He was 89.
The roundtable political discussion show was insightful, fun, and at times, aggravating as hell.
It was the basis for Bill Maher's show, Politically incorrect and the local cable show in Cincinnati, The McRotherberg Group.
Over the years the panelists included:
Fred Barnes
Michael Barone
Tony Blankley
Pat Buchanan
Tim Carney
Eleanor Clift
Monica Crowley
Susan Ferrechio
Jack Germond
Paul Glastris
Al Hunt
Katty Kay
Michael Kinsley
Rich Lowry
Morton Kondracke
Chris Matthews
Robert Novak
Lawrence O'Donnell
Clarence Page
David Rennie
Tom Rogan
Mark Shields
Mort Zuckerman

Dr McLaughlin's online memorial & guestbook here

More from the New York Daily News

Happy 456, Erzsebet !

What's your secret for looking so young?
Hey! and a happy 140 to you, too, Mata Hari!
wottafreatday...

Happy Birthday Traffic Light

After roadway fatalities rose 800% due to the introduction of the automobile, Cleveland installed the first traffic signal on August 5, 1914.

Read more at the History Channel

Happy Birthday Virgil Finlay

Happy Northwest Ordinance Day !

In 1787 the Congress of the Confederation of the United States passed the Northwest Ordinance that established the organization of the states north of the Ohio River & east of the Missouri making the midwest the White Castles of American states.
When people talk about the sameness of the midwest, it's a major contributor.
It called for the surveying of the territories & the establishment of counties & townships.
Read all about it

The Rolling Stones 7/11/72

Genuine lofi® from the swank Akron Rubber Bowl