The Oso Landslide Disaster of 2014

 

I do not normally talk about tragedy on this blog. A fun pop culture nostalgia blog titled History's Dumpster really isn't an appropriate forum for that.   

On Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:37 a.m., a massive landslide devastated the tiny unincorporated village of Oso, Washington. With 26 confirmed dead and 90 still missing as of this writing.

Oso, Washington is located between the small towns of Arlington and Darrington on the north fork of the Stillaguamish River in north Snohomish County, near the Skagit County line in northwest Washington State. I've been through Oso several times and while the place looks very sparse (it's only retail is a tiny general store, with a lumber mill and some farms), it's population is near 200. Over half are missing or dead. And no picture can do this justice

What I do want to talk about is how you can help. The recovery effort needs your help. And so does Oso.

Here's how.

- Visit the Red Cross online @ https://www.redcross.org/donate/index.jsp?donateStep=2&itemId=prod10002

- Phone: 1-800-RED-CROSS (733-2767) Direct your donation to 'Snohomish County'

Or mail your donation to:

Red Cross Snohomish County 

2530 Lombard Avenue 

Everett, WA 98021

Thank you for your help.

  

   

What A Local TV Newscast Looked Like In 1965

KGO-TV Morning News, San Fransisco, February 8, 1965

50 Facts About The United Kingdom

All About The United Kingdom - 50 Facts by Direct Holiday Cottages

The Day After

You know? One of the TV movies I REALLY wanted to watch was "The Day After".

For those too young to remember, in 1983, The United States and the then Soviet Union, now Russia today, were at more or less the peak of the Cold War in the 1980s. And both were nuclear powers. And both were unflinching.

And they were the biggest. Ever. "The Arms Race" as it was known guaranteed something known as M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction.)  

It seemed like at the slightest provocation, no matter how minute, could set either side off. Sending unholy nuclear holocaust in either direction.

But the public reality was both sides HATED what their respective governments were doing. That's the odd thing about governments. They claim to speak for their respective people in international affairs, but they haven't the foggiest idea of what the respective people under them actually WANT.

Most of us back in high school wondered why don't we just simply get together over a beer and talk about it (The reality was we really wanted them to get together over a BONG and talk about it. In those days, the very subject of marijuana here in the very Land Of The Free was unspeakable in public high schools.) The mellowing effects of weed we felt would have been far more beneficial in that regard. After the language barrier, the rest would come easy.

ABC-TV aired this program on November 20, 1983 with much hype and it was THE movie to watch on that particular night. EVERYONE was talking about it. Be There...or Be There. That kind of thing.)

I never saw it.

My mom was content with what I thought was her "fuddy old people" shows and we argued for HOURS over it. I hated her for that. And EVERYONE was talking about it the next day after it aired and here I was, the lone idiot who never watched it. Costed me unbelievable high school social points for the next few weeks!

FINALLY, last year, 30 YEARS LATER. I finally got to watch that whole movie....On YouTube!


I am now complete.

The Ohio Art Mighty Tiny Record Player

Is it just me or does the girl on the box of the Ohio Art Mighty Tiny Record Player bear an eerie resemblance to comic strip character Nancy? 

In 1970, Ohio Art (famous for the Etch-A-Sketch) invented a new toy phonograph, named the Mighty Tiny Record Player, hailed as the "World's Smallest Record Player".

The Mighty Tiny used tiny 2" inch records custom recorded and manufactured for the Ohio Art Company specifically for the Mighty Tiny. The records had a playing time of a few seconds each.

The records were so small, there was no room for printed or etched information on the discs. There was only a number on them and you had to match them to a corresponding number on the disc's sleeve.

The playing system was essentially a steel needle attached to a thin steel bar, which vibrated against a thin inverted plastic dome, which acted as the diaphragm/speaker. There was no volume control. Power was activated when the record placed on the turntable and the lid was closed. Playing acoustically with no electronic amplification, there was no earphone jack.

The unit came with three randomly selected records.

The turntable was powered by one 'AA' battery and had an adjustable speed control. But the actual speed of the cheap motor was unknown (it's believed somewhere around 100 RPM!) and it was never constant and 'fluttered'. But hey, it was a cheap toy for little kids. Not a Bang & Olufsen audiophile turntable.

Another model of the Mighty Tiny was called the Stereoper, which resembled a console stereo. Contrary to what the name may insinuate, it did not reproduce "stereo" sound. There were also little storage cases for your Mighty Tiny record collection. 

The recordings themselves sold in packs of four. I believe there were somewhere around 60 titles (though the actual number is unknown.) None of these recordings have ever appeared in any other conventional format.