Oddities and Humor

Many literary critics have long thought that Mary Shelley fabricated her account of how she came up with the idea for her 1818 novel "Frankenstein." But a research by a team of astronomers suggests that she was telling the truth.

In the preface to the 1831 edition of the novel, Shelley wrote that the idea first came to her in the summer of 1816, where she stayed in a manor on Lake Geneva with her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and the writers Lord Byron and John Polidori. Byron suggested that each of them write a ghost story. Days passed, but Shelley produced nothing but "that blank incapability of invention which is the greatest misery of authorship."

Then late one night, after a conversation about the possibility of using electricity to reanimate cadavers, the story came to her in a waking dream in which she saw a "hideous phantasm of a man" being animated by "the working of some powerful engine." When Shelley opened her eyes, she saw moonlight entering her room through the shutters, and a story was born.

Many literary scholars have long doubted Shelley's account of agonizing for days without an idea, only to have it arrive in a flash as the moonlight streamed into her room. Most accounts, largely based on Polidari's journals, have Byron issuing the ghost story challenge on June 16, 1816, and then have Shelley already at work on her story the following day. But Polidari never explicitly mentioned when Byron made his suggestion.

In an attempt to solve the mystery, a Texas State University research team headed by two physicists and an English professor traveled to Lake Geneva, Switzerland, to gather detailed topographic data about the surrounding mountains and the manor, called Villa Diodati, which still stands. Combining this with weather records and astronomical data, they concluded that a bright, gibbous moon would have shone into Mary Shelley's room between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on June 16. [Editor's note: An earlier version of this paragraph got the name of the university wrong

Proof that real dinosaurs still exist

I would never be so bold and rude as to doubt a lady's story. Shame on those doubting Thomases.

(Reuters) - The future of animated TV comedy "The Simpsons" was up in the air on Tuesday after 20th Century Fox Television said it could no longer afford to produce the show without a huge pay cut for its cast.

Fox Television, a unit of News Corp, issued a tough statement after a report that it had threatened to end the subversive series unless the voice actors take a 45 percent pay cut.

"We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model," Fox said

I know Bart and Homer will never put up with this.

Excellent! Rupert rubs hands together.

Ritch Workman, Florida State Representative, Proposes Repeal Of 'Dwarf-Tossing' Ban
www.huffingtonpost.com
A Florida state legislator is proposing a new, unusual route to narrow the nation's jobs crisis. The Palm Beach Post reports that Rep. Ritch Workman (R) is spearheading an effort to repeal a longstanding ban on "dwarf-tossing" -- a bar fad in which individuals of small stature are thrown around for .....

Yikes, edgar. What will Snowhite think. Seriously, that is ludicrous.

Another oddity.

Sam Shepherd is set to play Butch Cassidy.



Maybe LeRoy Parker didn't die in South America. In 1969, when 20th Century Fox released its box office smash 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' reporters came to Cassidy's childhood home, looking for his family. They found Mrs. Lula Parker Betenson, 86, Butch's youngest sister. Among other things, she told reporters that Cassidy had not died in South America in 1909, as was widely believed, but had come back to visit some 16 years later, in 1925. Lula said that Butch instead died in Spokane, Wash., in 1937, and spent his last years as a trapper and prospector. Could it be true?

Recently, diligent scholars like Larry Pointer, who wrote In Search of Butch Cassidy, have dug up evidence showing that in all likelihood Butch Cassidy did fake his death in San Vicente, Bolivia. They suggest that after making it big in Bolivian train, payroll and bank robberies, Cassidy sailed to Europe, got a facelift, moved back to America, married, then became an entrepreneur in Washington. Some of the evidence is convincing, especially a detailed manuscript about Cassidy which actually appears to have been authored by Cassidy.

Met him and Jessica at Mountain Lake

Apparently, Sundance was not as lucky.

stumble NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A 50-foot-long bridge in western Pennsylvania has been stolen, and its owners say they're baffled by the crime and have no idea who took it.

New Castle Development spokesman Gary Bruce said Friday that he "couldn't believe it when they told me it was gone."

A state police report says the 20-foot-wide span in North Beaver Township went missing between Sept. 27 and Wednesday.

The bridge was made out of corrugated steel and valued at about $100,000. Thieves used a blowtorch to cut it apart, presumably to sell it for scrap metal.

The bridge was used occasionally as a back entrance to the company property. It's in the woods along a railroad line about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Bruce says he doubts the company can replace the bridge.

In 1826, the eastern part of Texas declared its independence from the United States, calling itself the Republic of Fredonia.

That must be where Rick Perry got his idea of making independence from the U.S. this year.

BBB

Rick was playing on a strong sentiment of a vocal bunch that pushes for independence. I believe he stopped short of actually pushing for it to happen.

Do you think Perry didn't believe everything he said?

BBB

Rick Perry has had too many personas over the years to truly believe everything he says. It ain't possible.

Agreed. As does Romney.

I'd like to see a push from Wash DC to have indepedence from Wall Street. Those Wall St. protesters might be just the ticket...except not getting the right kind of press or following. Seems to be too much of a fringe movement.

Oops ...humor is the topic? Oh yes, humor. Us expecting that change for the better for the middle class is coming as we wait in the wings for national election.

The peace and civil rights movements were fringe groups at first. Had they used their brains, they could have had much more than they received, in the final end. I don't count out the wall street type protests just yet. In fact, I wish I were out there too.

More oddities and humor, edgar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhnn6yb4Mmc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MrTbE-xFng&feature=related

Once again, the Men at Work have been held responsible for infringement of the bird song.

Court gives 'Kookaburra' victory over Men at Work

msolga explained that to me a while back.

The Men at Work put a lot into that production, letty. Kookaburra song is cute. The lyrics were hard to follow.

I'm a bit confused on this ruling. Why did they wait so long to sue the band? And I'd thought the statutes of limitation would have expired before the law suit.

Will the band appeal the verdict?