Attack On Columbus, New Mexico...!

Sometimes the people we like to set up as folk heroes...aren't! This story of the attack on Columbus is a good example of how things can get ugly when neighbors turn on one another.

Battle Of Columbus

Photo credit: Bain News Service

Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa was active along the United States border throughout the Mexican Revolution and during World War I. Villa constantly infuriated American authorities by conducting raids on trains and causing havoc on the border. However, his boldest move came in 1916 when he attacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico.

A garrison of 600 troops was guarding Columbus, but bad information led Villa to believe that he had the advantage with his 400 soldiers. On March 9, 1916, his soldiers cut the border wire, and Villa led them into town. The Mexican attackers stormed through Columbus, looting houses and businesses. Civilians fought off the raiders as the US Army quickly mobilized to repulse Villa’s forces. Commanders organized their men into fire squads, and they even brought in machine guns to fight off the attackers.

It soon became clear that the defenders had the upper hand, and realizing he’d lost the element of surprise, Villa ordered a retreat. The bandit managed to escape with his men . . . but at great cost. He lost nearly 100 troops during the attack.

As for the US, 18 Americans lay dead, and parts of Columbus had burned down. Outraged, President Woodrow Wilson ordered a 6,000-man expeditionary force (commanded by General John Pershing) to enter Mexico and capture Pancho Villa. For a year, the Americans had the full cooperation of the Mexican government, but in 1917, Mexican authorities asked the expeditionary force to leave.

While Villa managed to evade Pershing, the massive military response convinced the outlaw to never attack American territory again.

Sounds to me as though things could have been a lot worse in Columbus. Glad that they weren't!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Raining outside...

Anus Sausage Anyone...?

Proofreading is one of those things that seems such a minor detail, but skipping it can lead to some major embarrassments. From Listverse, here is a great example.

Anus Beef Sausages

Photo credit: news.com.au

Just one little letter can provide a whole new meaning to a word. It seems that some of us have a bit of a beef with the word “Angus” when describing the meat from Aberdeen cattle.

A number of photos can be found on the Internet of fast-food chains that have misspelled the word on advertising billboards for their burgers. Shoppers in Adelaide, South Australia, could be forgiven for being a little “put off” by a spelling mistake made on supermarket meat packaging.

Sausage casings may traditionally have been made from animal intestines, although synthetic casings may now be more popular. The exact contents of sausages are also questioned at times. However, shoppers were left asking just how much offal was in the sausages labeled as “Anus Beef.”

Someone forgot to spell-check the meat supplier’s labels for their Angus beef sausages. Once again, this went viral on social media with predictable comments.

I think we all wonder what goes into our sausage at times, but I really don't want to see it on the label, ya know?

Coffee out on the patio this morning if it isn't raining.

What The Heck Is This...?

sometimes people find the strangest things and we all start wondering what it is they found. The questions always seem to be where was it found, what was it used for, and what is it? This article from Listverse is about one such object.

The Williams Enigmalith

In 1998, a hiker named John J. Williams noticed a strange metallic protrusion in the dirt. He dug up a strange-looking rock which, upon cleaning, turned out to have a weird electrical component attached to it. The electric device was clearly man-made and somewhat resembled an electrical plug.

The rock has since become a well-known mystery in UFO enthusiast circles. It has featured in UFO Magazine and (according to Williams) Fortean Times, a famed magazine devoted to mysterious phenomena. Williams, an electrical engineer, says the electronic component embedded in the stone has not been glued or welded into the granite. In fact, the rock probably formed around the device.

Many believe that the so-called Williams Enigmalith is a hoax, as Williams refuses to break it (but is willing to sell it for $500,000). Also, the stone device does bear a certain resemblance to heat rocks that are commonly used to keep tropical pet lizards warm. Still, geological analysis has apparently determined that the stone is around 100,000 years old, which (if true) would mean the device inside can’t possibly be of human creation. Williams is confident enough to let anyone research the Enigmalith on three conditions: He must be present, the rock must remain unharmed, and he will not have to pay for the research.

You just never know what you are going to run across on the Web, do ya?

Coffee out on the patio again today!

A "Note-able" Mistake...!

Did you ever stop and wonder just how many handy inventions came about by someone's mistake? I found several on Listverse and I wanted to share one with you.

Post-it Notes

Post-it Notes would have to be one of the most useful items of stationery. The sticky little squares of paper can be found in any home or office. We use them to bookmark pages, stick handy reminder notes to the fridge or computer, and leave phone messages.

Yet this common stationery item was developed by mistake. Dr. Spencer Silver was a chemist working for 3M in 1968. His research into a super-strong glue seemed to have failed when instead he came up with a very weak adhesive that would only stick things together for a short time. What good was that to anyone?

It wasn’t until 1973 that the worth of this new adhesive was recognized. Arthur Fry, one of Dr. Silver’s colleagues, began using this temporary glue to bookmark the pages in his hymnal.

By 1980, 3M was producing small squares of paper lined with a coating of glue along one edge. Today, we use more than 50 billion of these handy little sticky notes each year.

I don't even want to think about how many of these little notes I've used in my lifetime, but it would be a LOT!

Coffee inside this morning. Rain in the forecast.

The " Fake News" Horse Race...!

Ever have a joke backfire on ya and had to scramble to try and cover it up? That's what this next post is all about. Here is the story from KnowledgeNuts.

How A Bad Joke Triggered History’s Greatest Horse Race

BY M.ADMIN | OCT 25, 2014.

In the late 19th century, there wasn’t much to do in Chadron, Nebraska. The town had only come into existence in 1884, in anticipation of a railroad being built in the area. When the railroad was actually built a few miles away, the townsfolk simply packed up and moved to meet it—taking the buildings with them. By 1893, a couple of local cowboys had taken to amusing their buddies by planting wildly exaggerated stories of life on the range in various tenderfoot eastern newspapers. One of their hilarious hoaxes claimed that 300 cowboys were planning an epic 1,600-kilometer (1,000 mi) race from Chadron to the World’s Fair in Chicago. The distance was ludicrous and the article spiced things up by declaring the mild-mannered town fire chief “the deadliest shot in Nebraska” and a local 11-year-old “a daring rider” who was sure to win. Other entrants included such hardened cowpokes as “Cockeyed Bill” and “Dynamite Dick.”

The whole town thought it was hilarious—until thousands of letters started arriving. The jokers had accidentally captured the imagination of the country, and the townsfolk of Chadron faced national humiliation if they backed down. They soon realized that they had no choice but to keep up the bluff and actually go through with the race.

Helped by a generous purse put up by Buffalo Bill Cody, a genuine field of rough riders was soon assembled. The early favorite was Doc Middleton, the infamous gunfighter and leader of the Pony Boys gang, said to have stolen over 2,000 horses in a two-year period. His main rival was Joe Berry, famous as a mail rider during the Indian Wars, who had to borrow a horse to enter. Other contenders included Rattlesnake Jim Stephens (so-named for the rattlesnake rattles that lined his hatband) and an enormously fat cowboy called Joe Gillespie.

Doc Middleton, the Snidely Whiplash of our story, immediately started playing dirty, demanding that Berry be disqualified since he had helped to stake out the route. The judges agreed, but an outraged Berry announced that he was going to ride in the race anyway. Even if he couldn’t win the prize money, he could still prove he was the best.

Thousands of eager spectators gathered for the start, only to be disappointed when the riders all sensibly set off at a walk. Thirteen days and 16 hours later, Berry, too exhausted to even hold his head up, arrived in Chicago in first place. In second was Emmet Albright, who was set to get the prize until it was revealed he had shipped his horses part of the way by train. Third to arrive was the fat man, Joe Gillespie, who might even have beaten Berry if he hadn’t paused halfway to take part in a parade. After attempting numerous cunning tricks (and allegedly trying to poison the other horses) Doc Middleton finished last.

You can read more about this crazy race right here. BTW, the prize was a thousand bucks!

Coffee out on the patio this morning.

Strange Smelling Candy...!

As anyone that knows me will tell ya, I do love most candy...especially chocolate. However, I found this strange little bit of information about a strange candy from an article on Listverse.

Musk Sticks

Photo credit: ABC News

What looks like bubblegum toothpaste and has a perfume-like flavor? Musk sticks, of course! The strange candy loved by many Australians and New Zealanders may be off-putting to others. Musk sticks are basically pink cylinders made of gelatin and icing sugar with a musk-like essence.

The candy dissolves slowly in the mouth, and many people associate the taste with a strong cologne. A baker from Australia wrote about a woman in her blog who described the candy as “tasting like the smell of old ladies at the bus stop & yet kind of nice.” It’s weird, and the appeal is hard to understand, but the candy has been going strong for a century in Australia. Woolworths alone sells around 24 million musk sticks per year. If these candies don’t sound appealing, you could always use them as an air freshener instead.

I don't think you can call this a passing fad, since the stuff has been around for more than a century. I might want to smell it, but I don't think I'm up for tasting it just yet.

Coffee out on the patio, but we may have to move inside if it starts raining.

Death By Bird...!

Now this is something I truly do not understand. Why anyone would want a pet bird that is known to be dangerous, even to zookeepers, is beyond me. I'll stick with cats, thanks just the same.

Cassowary Attacks

Photo credit: sciencealert.com

The world’s most dangerous bird is the cassowary. At first glance, it seems a bit harmless, just a large flightless bird with a bright neck. But this Australia and New Guinea native is so dangerous that experienced zookeepers avoid being alone with it. Cassowaries have been recorded kicking tourists off cliffs or cornering them up trees.

In 2019, a man in Florida was killed by his pet cassowary. The severe injuries that cost the 75-year-old his life were probably due to the bird’s middle toe. Each foot has three digits with formidable nails, but the middle one is practically a dagger. A kick can cause horrific damage.

The choice of pet had bird experts shaking their heads. Indeed, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission views cassowaries as “Class II Wildlife,” which involves danger to people and a lot of permits.

You would think that at his age, he would know better. But I reckon that older doesn't always mean wiser, right?

Coffee out on the patio this morning.