This XKCD  strip jogged a memory.

Back in the 80's there was (at least in Virginia) a fad for some years where there were generic foods on store shelves. By generic I don't mean store brands..I mean GENERIC..

^{How generic? This generic.}

One of my teachers was really enthusiastic about these as they did away with brand names and consumerism. I was too young to realize that this probably meant she was a commie. She gave me the impression that these were government products, but I don't think that was the case. At the time, we were not well off and my folks did buy them. I remember the green beans being decent. A quick search though brings up very little info other than the above pic (which was without context) and a painful reminiscence about generic beer.

So...what was the deal with these? Was it a government program? Was it a short lived company trying to save on advertising costs? What?
Does anyone know?

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Over at Jerry Pournelles place there is commentary on an extended missive he received via mail on the subject of the Dean Drive and how to fix the problems in that system by adding a cat to the mechanism.

A brief excerpt:

Orient the vehicle so the driving (cat) end of the cradle is pointed AWAY from the intended post-cat-activation direction of flight. Using the vessel’s ordinary means of propulsion (assumed for this experiment to be either a rocket, ion thruster, or similar reaction engine), place the vessel under a sufficient amount of acceleration that the cat does not experience microgravity. This initial baseline acceleration should be along the line between the astronaut station and the cat station, towards the cat.

Place the astronaut in the chair and the cat in the harness. While the astronaut holds the cat at arms’ length, attach the hook to the cat’s harness and inspect all fastenings for proper attachment and locking.

  I did not originate this proposal, but this concept, despite being on the internet,  has inexplicably not been acted upon.

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The 3,547,862,241st Republican debate was heavily hyped.

However, there were no stitches and no one got hit by a chair.

Romney endorses gambling.
Newt is now the guy to beat.
Perry had his best debate ever but he is still painful to watch at times.
Santorum......
Bachman did better than usual, until she introduced  "9-9-9" into the first debate that should have been free of it. She went downhill from there....
When Paul is good, he is very very good and when he is bad he is horrid.

It is not too late for the RNC to lawyer-up and seriously consider implementing Plan Don.

But enough of this.

On to the important questions.

Here are two dullahans having tea.

How do they have tea?

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I hope that those of you in the States and Territories of the United States have a Happy Thanksgiving holiday and that everyone else has a pleasant day.  Remember, that today is not just about the turkey, it's also about perspective. Whatever curve-balls life throws at us there is still much to be thankful for.

This is particularly true those of us that were not present at the Pinedale Shopping Mall on October 30, 1978.

^{Art by 'Galibo'}

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So...your wife is threatening to leave you.
Do you:
A: Get counseling
B: Sell the boat
C: Get a good lawyer and try to get custody of the kids
D: Burn a cross in your own front yard

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I must alternate between disapproval and toasting these clowns.

State police have arrested two men accused of stealing a privately owned steel bridge from a secluded area in Lawrence County.

^{Our resident expert on evil seems to approve.}

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I initially thought this was an idiot gag by some fanboys. (via)

No...

Somebody in the Hornady marketing department who was paid actual money decided that proposing anti-zombie ammo (with a straight face)  would help justify his/her salary. Inexplicably, it appears that said person was given a budget rather than a pink slip.

^{The disclaimer would seem to reduce the products real-world utility.}

^{Quick dear, sell our Hornady stock now.}

Ignoring for a minute the political ineptitude involved in greenlighting this asinine ad campaign, in the unlikely event of a zombie apocalypse (as seen in the...umm...movies), regular ammo ought to work just fine. Moreover, given the supposed necessity for head shots (as seen in the...umm...movies), .22 LR is probably a preferable round due to its light weight and wide availability. 

On the other hand, if they are serious about...contingencies....then it should be pointed out that they are ignoring the werewolf menace. To this end reloaders need to be provided with 100% silver bullets (don't bother with cartridges 'cause only the reloaders are hardcore enough to buy such things). Yes...silver...In fact, to save money, just sell ingots...we'll use our own molds...and frankly, no one is talking about Cybermen....they are best dealt with by gold...so yes, Hornady should sell gold ingots. Then Hornady customers would have a hedge against....contingencies and I could get behind that.

This...not so much.

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I may never live down the atomic car post, but at least I did not fall for this. Now it appears that Gordon Ramseys dwarf porn star look-alike does not actually seem to exist and therefore is unlikely to have been eaten by badgers. 

^{...the hell?}

UPDATE: Steven is one-upping us by disbelieving far wackier crap.

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Intestinal bacteria are REALLY important.

Which relates tangentially to the fact that composting toilets are surprisingly versatile. ( 日本語 here )

Some things will never be known.

Wall Street is being occupied by Mercedes Benz.

Steven is soliciting assistance with a personal matter, and as a result so are his readers.

All this time, James Rummel has been blogging on dial-up. Bow before his determination and patience!

Ducks don't travel in a flock...but in a corps.

Wan Hu has been reincarnated and is giving it another go...with less 'splody , more choppy. (via)

Ubu has found his show.

And finally...

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...must be hurting the pr0n industry even worse than was thought.

A San Fernando Valley adult entertainment studio began construction this month on what it calls a "post-apocalyptic” underground bunker...

Read the whole thing.....Although this is from CBS, I'm not entirely sure this is legit. On the one hand, the Pr0n industry was awash in cash until the crash a few years ago, and I would imagine it is full of flakes. If said flakes did not spend all their money on blow then several of them with an interest in preparedness ought to be able to pull this off. OTOH, the captions on the "blueprints" might warrant some skepticism.

_{(Or indicate that they are truly visionary. )}

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Fandom is often an eclectic collection of hobbyists and can be a very cool thing.

And then there is this.

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Blackberry Users Are More Important than iPhone or Android Users

^{iPhone and Android users learn that they over-payed.}

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John C. Wright has postulated it!

Logically, Catgirl Space Princesses require only a few more variables be added.

^{Asbobi Ni Iku...which for some reason will be called Cat Planet Cuties in the US}

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Golly. It's always who you'd least expect.

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Much of what has been said about the Norwegian monster Anders Behring Breivik came from this translation of his Facebook page...Well, that appears to be fake. Someone was very anxious to tie this guy to the American right to the point of creating poor comedy.

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ACE posted this picture as the lead in to last nights Overnight Thread.
The political skew of various sports. It does highlight some common ground on golf, though that bipartisan image is of dubious provenance.

But that's not all about the chart that strikes me as odd.  I would expect the NBA to be rather closer to the middle, but Monster Trucks? Seriously Monster Trucks is left wing? That is SO not green.
It's also not the oddest of the bunch...
WWE (pro wrestling). I cannot not see Bo Bo's going anywhere near a raslin' match...and I just cannot see Arn Anderson in Birkenstocks.

I question the methodology.

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_{Click here for supah size.}

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I can't listen to the radio.
Even blogs are a sketchy proposition.
'cause everywhere I go, I C Wiener.
I'm sick of it.

The damned story seems inescapable...

Well, today I slogged through and found a non-weiner story.

Oh wait...

Recent housing and employment data suggests the U.S. economy is at a tipping point where a double-dip recession is possible and home prices could have much further to fall, a veteran economist said on Thursday.

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