Tag: Abbott

Scary Thoughts About Space From Gregg Easterbrook

The Earth gets significantly ‘hit’ by comets and asteroids much more often than anyone thought.

“The Sky is Falling,” is an article about the threat to Earth by natural space objects. It’s in the current issue of the Atlantic Magazine; a magazine held in higher esteem than its circulation numbers would imply.

The author is Gregg Easterbrook, who writes and lectures about lots of subjects and is especially well known for his sports writing. In this piece he talks about Dallas Abbot’s discovery – the Earth gets significantly ‘hit’ by comets and asteroids much more often than anyone thought.

She (Dallas Abbot) began searching for underwater craters caused by impacts rather than by other forces, such as volcanoes. What she has found is spine-chilling: evidence that several enormous asteroids or comets have slammed into our planet quite recently, in geologic terms. If Abbott is right, then you may be here today, reading this magazine, only because by sheer chance those objects struck the ocean rather than land.

Easterbrook’s response: task NASA with this responsibility, replacing its now outmoded and valueless manned space program&#185.

Here’s a 10 minute lecture on the subject from Easterbook. Very interesting.

&#185 – Easterbrook and I agree on this wholeheartedly, but not on Global Warming, where I remain skeptical.

Happy Anniversary WPIX

There’s a special, scheduled for 9:00 PM, which I will be recording. But, there might be as much fun with the shows leading up to the special!

After the Phillies win, Helaine decided to watch the Mets/Padres game on WPIX (aka CW11). A few promos ran for next Saturday’s “WPIX 60th Anniversary” broadcast.

There’s a special, scheduled for 9:00 PM, which I will be recording. But, there might be as much fun with the shows leading up to the special!

12:00 PM – The Little Rascals

Teacher’s Pet (1930) Jackie plans practical jokes on his new teacher, Miss Crabtree. 30 mins

12:30 PM – The Little Rascals

Mail and Female (1937) Alfalfa is president of the He-Man Women Haters Club. 30 mins

01:00 PM – Abbott & Costello

Getting a Job Lou visits an employment agency. 30 mins

01:30 PM – Abbott & Costello

The Actors Home Bud and Lou perform “Who’s on First?” 30 mins

02:00 PM – The Three Stooges

Gents Without Cents The boys hit on vaudeville. 30 mins

02:30 PM – The Three Stooges

A-Plumbing We Will Go Plumber Stooges flood a garden party. 30 mins

03:00 PM – Superman

Crime Wave Public Enemy No.1 starts a crime wave. 30 mins

03:30 PM – Superman

The Perils of Superman A lead-masked man sets death traps for the reporters. 30 mins

04:00 PM – Get Smart

Mr. Big KAOS’ Mr. Big threatens to destroy all cities. 30 mins

04:30 PM – Get Smart

A Spy for a Spy KAOS plans to swap the chief for a missile-detector. 30 mins

05:00 PM – My Favorite Martian

My Favorite Martin A reporter pulls a Martian from a crashed spaceship. 30 mins

05:30 PM – My Favorite Martian

A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine and Peaches Martin is smitten with a striptease artist. 30 mins

06:00 PM – I Dream of Jeannie

The Lady in the Bottle An astronaut frees a 2000-year-old genie. 30 mins

06:30 PM – I Dream of Jeannie

Tomorrow Is Not Another Day Jeannie gives Tony the next day’s newspaper. 30 mins

07:00 PM – The Odd Couple

Password The roommates appear on “Password.” 30 mins

07:30 PM – The Odd Couple

My Strife in Court Felix and Oscar are charged with ticket scalping. 30 mins

08:00 PM – The Honeymooners

Better Living Through TV Ralph and Norton do a live TV commercial. 30 mins

08:30 PM – The Honeymooners

The $99,000 Answer Ralph tests his skill in a pop-music contest. 30 mins

I remember each and every one of these series and the individual episodes. Growing up, Channel 11 was the station for kids shows. Officer Joe, Captain Jack and Chuck McCann all hosted shows on WPIX.

Those days will never return.

TV Influenced Me Too Much!

It is possible to be brainwashed. It doesn’t take an evil force or captivity as a prisoner of war. It’s possible to be brainwashed by Million Dollar Movie. Sadly, I am living proof.

I remember the first time I went to a movie theater to see the classic Gone With the Wind. As the projector began to roll, “Tara’s Theme,” the iconic title music for GWTW started to play.

It was so familiar, though I’d never seen the movie.

“Holy crap,” I muttered to myself, “that’s the theme from Million Dollar Movie!”

How sad. One of the world’s most beloved movies was on the big screen and all I could think of was how they were ripping off the nightly movie on Channel 9.

Damn you WOR-TV – look how you’ve ruined me!

I watched Million Dollar Movie much too often in the 50s and 60s. Whereas kids today own a DVD and play it a hundred times, back then we depended on Million Dollar Movie, which would play the same flick day-after-day-after-day for an entire week.

I can still deliver lines from “Yankee Doodle Dandy&#185” right along with Cagney, though I probably haven’t seen the film is 40 years (until just now – bless you youtube)!

There’s a downside to all this. There are times I’ll have an experience or hear a phrase or see a name and all of a sudden I’m pulled back to Million Dollar Movie. I can’t help myself. It’s embarrassing.

It happened last week. I was in Dunkin’ Donuts getting some coffee. The woman who helped me wore a two line name tag: Aurora, manager.

A movie flashed before me. Then the syrupy harmony of a 1940’s sister act. It was Patty, Maxine and Laverne in tight harmony.

You’re a sweet heart in a million

Ha ha ha ha Aurora

With your manner so Brazilian

Ha ha ha ha Aurora

When you smile and call me honey

Ha ha ha ha Aurora

Is it me or just my money?

Ha ha ha ha Aurora

Yeah, right there at Dunkin’ Donuts I broke into an Andrews Sister song from 1941’s “Hold That Ghost,” an acting tour de force for Abbott and Costello! If I’ve seen that movie once, I’ve seen it a hundred times.

It is possible to be brainwashed. It doesn’t take a KGB agent or captivity as a prisoner-of-war. It’s possible to be brainwashed by Million Dollar Movie. Sadly, I am living proof.

How can I ever buy coffee again?

&#185 – Not a lot of dialog in that clip, but you’ve got to see Cagney dance down a flight of stairs.