Moving Violations

Every now and then, completely without warning, a movie that I watched a long time ago will suddenly pop into my head and demand attention.

One such film is Moving Violations (1985).

Moving Violations is an archetypical 80's comedy. The good guys are sassy and nice, and the bad guys are mean and unpleasant. Standard fare, no doubt about it, but there is more.

The writing is excellent, and not just the jokes, but the whole affair.

In a nutshell the plot is this; a motley group of people are sentenced to attend a week of traffic school or they loose their drivers licenses for ever. Between a corrupt judge and a sadistic macho cop, the task becomes a lot harder, shenanigans ensue. As I said, 80's comedy.

One if the things that exemplify the good writing is that everything that goes wrong with the macho cops life is his own fault. Sure he get's goaded from time to time, but his problems are all his own fault. He's the villain not a victim, and this makes the whole affair a lot more enjoyable.

Since this is a comedy, there are a lot of happenings that make little sense or are just glossed over, but the overall humor and cleverness of the film makes it so that you don't really care.

The characters themselves aren't anything groundbreaking. Standard fare, except the lovable little granny who's practically blind. And I mean mistake a passenger jet for a bus levels of blind. She's in fact a good example of the comedy-logic the movie employs. In her case, no amount of traffic school should save her license, when her eyesight is so abysmal. Still it doesn't matter, the ride is much too fun to care.

As for the actors, some became big, some didn't, all do a decent job. The most interesting name in the cast list is John Murray, brother of Bill Murray. You immediately see the resemblance, and I'd say it's shame John hasn't done much acting, but their styles are pretty similar, so we haven't actually lost that much.

As I write this, I'm trying to analyze the best and the worst, but it's hard. Moving Violations isn't one of the greats, it's not even one of the overlooked greats, but it is solid and it just works. Sure, if you don't like 80's comedies or you're just not in the mood, you're not going to have a good time, but that's more on you than on the film.

I can't really find any faults worth mentioning. It's a silly, at time dumb, but thoroughly enjoyable comedy. Enough said.

I recommend it.

That's all for now, so until next we meet, have a great week!

Rumors & Scandals

History is full of famous people, and famous people attract rumors.

Along with rumors comes scandal and mystery. Today we'll look at some of these and try to dismiss some of these unfounded rumors and replace them with facts.

Jane Austen, celebrated author of Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park and others, died in 1817 at only 41 years of age. Some people have speculated that she died from cancer, others say that she was murdered, but the most logical explanation is accidental arsenic poisoning. In her letters, she often complained of rheumatism, which was commonly treated with Fowler's Solution, which contained large amounts of arsenic. The Jane Austen Society claims to have tested a lock of her hair and found traces of the poison. We'll never know for sure, but considering how even mercury was used as a medicine, it's not far fetched at all to believe she poisoned herself by accident.

The year is 1963. John F. Kennedy is in Berlin, giving a speech. He utters the line “Ich bin ein Berliner.” People think the President called himself a doughnut, right?

Wrong.

People never thought that. Not only is context important, and they certainly knew what he meant, but the delicious deep fried treat known as a Berliner isn't called that in Berlin. In Berlin, Brandenburg, Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony it is called Pfannkuche, or pancake. What we know as a pancake is in turn called Eierkuche, or egg-cake. Go figure, but in any case, no one thought Kennedy was calling himself a deep fried, jam-filled doughnut.

Players of trivia games and pub-quizzes have probably been asked the question: Who discovered Australia? And the answer is invariably: Captain James Cook.

Yeah, that's not true either. Cook mapped out and explored Australia more than anyone else had up to that point, but the continent was well known at that time. It's not know for certain, but the likeliest candidate for discovering Australia is the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon.

Walt Disney wasn't frozen after his death, he was cremated. Says so on his death certificate.

Julius Caesar wasn't born through a caesarian. His mother lived a long life, and that was not possible after a c-section in those days. The name comes from Lex Caesarea, and states that the baby's life must be saved if the mother is dead or dying.

Catherine the Great, also know as Catherine II of Russia, did not die from having sex with a horse. This is a malicious rumor spread by her enemies, possibly her own son (they didn't get along). She was found dead on her bathroom floor, probably from a stroke, and there were no horses anywhere to be found. Anyone who gets to legitimately call themselves “the Great” will have jealous enemies, and that's how these rumor start.

Finally, Queen Victoria. One of the few people in history who have an age named after them. Contrary to popular belief, she was not a prude, she just knew what to do in public and what to do in private. Her marriage to Prince Albert was indeed passionate, after all they had nine children. She owned a rather large collection of artful nudes, some of which she gave to Albert on his birthday to loosen him up a bit. Her diaries were essentially censored to preserve the image of the prim and proper queen. That's not a prude...

Amusing extra: During WWI, the German Kaiser said, “If grandmother was alive, she never would have allowed this.” He was referring to the war, and since the King of England, the Russian Tzar and the Kaiser were all cousins and grandchildren to Victoria, I'm sure she would have had some stern words for the rowdy grandkids.

That's it for today, folks. I'll see you next time, and until then, have a great week!

Happy New Year, dear readers!

It's 2018 now and we all have to get used to writing that. It's the same thing every year of course, the fingers automatically write what they are used to.

Now, I was up way too late last night, and chances are you were too. On days like this, a bit of entertainment is usually welcome. That's what I have for you today. Three documentaries with wildly different subject matters.

First up, a look at the creation of one of the most popular and celebrated horror game series of all time: Silent Hill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCyR5yw6Vq8

If you're not in the mood for games, my second offering is a look at the deepest place on earth: The Mariana Trench.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8NtP8CxrCc

Finally, a novel look at what wrestling is and isn't, created by Max Landis, son of director John Landis. This is crammed full of cameos and is genuinely funny and insightful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYvMOf3hsGA

That's just under two hours of entertainment for your viewing pleasure. So sit back, enjoy, and have yourself a relaxing start on the new year.

Until next time, have a wonderful week!

So Bad it's Good

We're in the middle of the Holidays and everywhere you turn, things are X-mas themed.

This is Eccentric Spheres however and, of course, things are the opposite.

Today I present to you a Youtube channel that I found quite by mistake, but I've become very fond of: Good Bad Flicks.

It is a channel dedicated to movies that are good despite the handicap of being really bad. You know the sort, entertaining because they stink. Funny, exciting, corny, good-bad in other words.

I sat a couple of hours one evening and enjoyed the rundowns and reviews of movies I love, some I've never even heard of, and some that I've been vaguely aware of.

The best part for me, is the love and passion for these movies that shine through, giving every video a warm and wonderful feeling. There is also a wealth of trivia mixed in, which of course is right up my alley.

For example, did you know that there is a direct link between The Terminator and The Re-animator? Both movies were filmed in the same studio right after each other, and many of the extras and the crew were the same. In The Re-animator, a muscular corpse is revived, and the man playing the corpse in question, was Schwarzenegger's stunt double. Also there is a scene in Re-animator where the heroine Meg gives a magazine to a patient in the hospital with his jaw heavily bandaged. That man was James Cameron's father. Cool stuff like that.

The videos are pretty short, so they are perfect if you need to kill a short amount of time before going to visit relatives, or indeed before guests arrive. That annoying time that's too short to actually do anything, but too long to just ignore. Here's the solution, my gift to you.

I'm keeping it short this week, so that's it. Have a great week, and take it easy, and I'll see you on the first Eccentric Sphere for the year on the first day of the year.

Happy Holidays!

Extra link, just in case: https://www.youtube.com/user/trachenburg/featured

Tasty but Terrible

Christmas time is almost upon us, and while traditions vary around the world and from family to family, one thing remains as a common thread: food.

Fear not, I'm not about to share X-mas recipes, nor am I about to spoil Christmas. However, this is Eccentric Spheres and I'm going to take a dive into odd and scary food facts, and you're all coming with me...

It's a common fact that vegetables are healthy, right? Sure, but they might just kill you.

In 2015, an elderly German couple made a tasty stew from zucchinis that they had received as a gift from a friend. They both complained that the stew was unusually bitter, but the man ate the whole plate anyway. They both succumbed to cucurbitacin poisoning, that hospitalized them both, and ultimately killed him.

Spinach, cucumbers and peas have all been responsible for spreading E. coli, botulism and salmonella in recent years, but these are unusual cases, stemming from improper handling and storing, so no need to worry. Potatoes are another matter entirely, however.

The potato plant is a relative to Deadly Nightshade and is terribly toxic, that's why no one ever eats anything but the actual potatoes themselves. Fun Fact: tomatoes are also a part of this family so, do not eat any part except the fruit.

Anyway, in 2013, a Russian professor went down to the basement to fetch something. When he failed to return, his wife went down to see where he was. Then their son and the professor's mother went down, and they all died. A sack of rotten potatoes had created an atmosphere so toxic that it incapacitated and killed them all.

Then we have the case of the British fork lift operator who challenged his brother-in-law to a chili eating contest. He won the contest, but paid dearly as he later complained of acute discomfort and itching. He was found dead the following morning from a heart attack, even though he was in perfect health and had no pre-existing heart condition. Apparently he has ingested so much capsaicin from the challenge that he developed an allergic reaction, which did him in. Everything in moderation, kids.

Now, if these gruesome tales have soured your disposition towards vegetables, to the point of panic, you may be suffering from Lachanophobia, or fear of vegetables.

Other relevant phobias are:

Oenophobia – fear of wine

Deipnophobia – fear of dining and dinner conversations

Mageirocophobia – fear of cooking

Xocolatophobia – fear of chocolate

Ichtyophobia – fear of fish and fish related things

Arachibutyrophobia – fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth

and finally:

Cibophobia – fear of food.

Now Cibophobes can't survive without eating and it's rare even within the small number of people who suffer from this that it's a blanket fear. Usually it's about being unable to eat a specific combination of foods or food cooked by someone else. It varies, but is usually treated promptly and with great care, since the sufferer can in worst case scenario, starve to death.

Well, with that out of the way, it only remains to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday or which ever festivity you may choose to celebrate or not. In any case, until next time, have a great week and watch what you eat.

Bad Medicine

A month or so ago, my wife and I saw an interview with two young mothers in Finland (my country) who likes to not only drink Colloidal Silver Water themselves, but also give it to their babies. The reason being that silver kills most bacteria on contact, so ergo, it's good for you.

But, many topical treatments have a label that says “Not for internal use”. This is a pretty useful warning, since no one would eat Icy-Hot or some other muscle relaxing gel, right? Anyway, at best silver water does nothing for you and at worst it will give you Argyria and kill you. On top of that, silver water is ridiculously expensive. Researchers have found no benefits from drinking silver beyond the placebo effect, so please, don't do it.

It got me thinking about other weird things people have taken for medicinal purposes, and that's what today's topic is all about. Bad medicine.

In the early 1900's Radium water was all the rage in certain circles. No one seems really sure why anyone thought Radium was good for you, but like Colloidal Silver water, “it's good for what ails you.”

Eben Byers, a wealthy industrialist from Pittsburgh started drinking Radium when his doctor suggested it, and by 1930, he had several holes in his skull, multiple cancers and most of his jaw had fallen off. Very healthy...

During the first half of the 20^th century, doctors used to prescribe one of the most powerful painkillers in history for pretty much anything you could possibly complain about. The painkiller? Heroin of course! In no time flat, there were desperate addicts everywhere, clamoring for another dose from their doctor, which is why it's illegal to own today.

This brings us nicely to Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup. Popular around the late 1800's and early 1900's as a cure-all for babies and small children. Teething pain, diarrhea and trouble sleeping? Soothing Syrup time!

Of course, the syrup was pure morphine dissolved in alcohol. No wonder it worked, that would take the edge off anything, but sadly it led to death from overdose and lots of drug-addicted babies. Be careful what you feed you kids.

In the 70's a new wonderful drug was discovered and prescribed for depression, autism and incredibly, substance abuse. The drug is called MDMA, or more commonly Ecstasy, (or Molly).

Considering that the name Ecstasy is precisely what the taker feels, it makes sort of sense that you would give it to someone who is depressed, but a person with substance abuse issues? Yeah that stopped by the early 80's. Interestingly, today it's being looked at as a PTSD treatment drug. Time will tell, I suppose.

Between roughly 1920 and 1950, women were told to smoke if they wanted to loose weight. Doctors appeared in commercials, telling the ladies to reach for a cigarette instead of that candy when they felt like a treat. Sure, tobacco is a mild appetite suppressor, but it's not much of a diet drug. Then after 1950, instead of smoking, women were urged to drop those extra pounds by taking Methamphetamine instead. Much better!

Finally I want to mention ear candles. The idea is that you put one end of a hollow candle in you ear, and light the other end. This would create negative pressure, drawing out the ear wax. Except it doesn't work, and you are very likely to get an earful of hot candle wax instead. Oh yes, want to guess when this was invented? 1996. Stupidity is truly timeless.

That's all for now, so until next time, have a great week and stay away from dodgy medicine!

That sinking feeling

Well, I got somewhere about four hours of sleep last night. My brain is desperately trying to escape through my ear and back to bed, which makes expressing myself somewhat difficult.

As a result, you have to make due with a short entry today. What I have for you is a computer simulation of the Titanic sinking in real time. That's 2h 40m of water seeping into a big ship. It's actually more interesting than it sounds, so give it a go.

Until next time, I'm going to celebrate my country (Finland) being independent for 100 years, and at the same time hope that you have a great week!