Unsinkable

Part of the revolutionary design of Titanic was her sixteen watertight compartments, which were aligned front to back along the ship's length. Any two of the compartments could withstand flooding or four of the first five forward (bow) compartments could flood, and the ship would stay afloat. But, as you probably remember Thomas Andrews saying in the film -- not five, which is, unbelievably, exactly what happened; the iceberg opened the first FIVE compartments to the sea.

Another problem was that the bulkheads between compartments 5 and 6 only extended as high as E deck -- in other words, there was enough space at the top for water to spill over. As the bow was pulled down by the weight of incoming water, it flowed over into each successive watertight compartment -- like water in an ice cube tray.

Shipbuilders heading home from the Harland & Wolff yards at the end of a long day. You can see Titanic in the background.

Titanic's outfitting berth at Thompson's dry dock. Queen's Island, Belfast, Ireland.

The Last Day

9:00 am April 14, 1912 - The RMS Caronia reports ice at Latitude: 42° N and Longitude: 50° W.

Whitney

Mother, Daughter, Sister, Actress, Singer
August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012

Dragonlady

Anne McCaffrey died yesterday at her home in Ireland.  She was a wonderful, wonderful person and a spellbinding storyteller. I read The White Dragon for the first time when I was ten years old, and have been an avid fan of Anne and Pern ever since.  I used to stop in at her online chatroom, The Kitchen Table, years ago to visit and talk with fellow fans and writers, and often Anne herself would pop by.  She was funny and earthy, engaging, and had a robust sense of humor.  It really did feel as if we were all sitting gathered round a kitchen table in the Irish countryside, fire crackling nearby and teakettle whistling, while we talked the hours away. 

I will miss her.  But I have my beloved Dragonriders of Pern collection so I can visit whenever I find myself missing her most.

Sliante, Anne. Beannaithe.

Cover Art: All The Weyrs of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey

In Her Shoes

Marilyn's Custom-Made Ferragamo shoes.

When I was working in L.A. in publicity, I lived on a compound in Pasadena that was originally built by a set designer back in the '30's.  My landlords--who were lovely people--were also Hollywood vets from the 50's-60's era who had worked with the major studios, including Desilu and Fox.  Between their own personal collections of memorabilia and things they had found in this amazing property they owned, they had a mind-blowing treasure trove of Hollywood History.

Anyway, one night we were sitting out on the veranda having a glass of wine (this was when I was still drinking), and landlady said, "I have something to show you." and she forthwith went into the house, returning a few minutes later with a small bag wrapped in plastic.

She knew of my interest in old Hollywood, and smiled at me knowingly as she placed this bundle in front of me on the table, indicating that I should unwrap it.  I opened it carefully, knowing it was likely a rare set or costume piece. Inside were a pair of size nine, red sequined heels - about 3 inches.

"Try them on," she urged, and I didn't argue. I popped my own shoes off and began strapping on the heels. A chorus girl's? A Follies dancer?

I stood up and tottered carefully around our cobbled patio, surprised to find that the shoes fit me perfectly. My landlady smiled. "Those were Marilyn's," She said.

I stood, struck dumb, staring at her insensibly. "What?" I managed to stutter.

She nodded. "Yep. Those were her shoes from 'Some Like it Hot'."

I suddenly didn't dare move. I was wearing Hollywood gold on my feet and they were the same size as MARILYN MONROE'S?!?

"Take a look at the soles," my landlady suggested. So I walked--carefully--back to my seat and lifted my foot up to see the bottom.The soles had been scored several times with a razor blade--a trick dancers used back in the day to give them traction on slick floors.

My landlady was beaming at the utterly awestruck, gobsmacked look on my face. "I thought you would enjoy seeing them."

See them? I was literally standing in Marilyn's shoes. That's something not a lot of people will ever be able to say.

It was one of the most amazing moments in my L.A. career. I'll never forget it.

Irish

Some Like It Hot. She was pretty cool.

Beannaithe Bealtaine! Go n-éirí libh!

Hi, everyone!  Happy May Day!

I thought it would be interesting to tell you about Bealtaine, the traditional Irish celebration of the start of summer.  A pagan tradition, it has deep roots in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man.  Like Samhain, it has been misinterpreted as witchcraft or of Satanic origin, which of course is complete nonsense, and only goes to show that people make up stuff about the things they cannot understand or about which they haven’t bothered to ask.

In Irish Gaelic, the month of May is known as Mí Bhealtaine or Bealtain. The dawn festival is known as Lá Bealtaine (‘May Day'). In Scottish Gaelic, May  is (An) Cèitean or a' Mhàigh, and the festival is known as Latha Bealltainn or simply Bealltainn. Beltane was formerly spelled 'Bealtuinn' in Scottish Gaelic; in Manx it is spelt 'Boaltinn' or 'Boaldyn'. In Modern Irish/Gaelic, Oidhche Bealtaine or Oíche Bealtaine is May Eve, and Lá Bealtaine is May Day. Mí na Bealtaine, or simply Bealtaine,  is the name of the month of May.

Whew! I’ll wait a moment for those of you who tried pronouncing those to unsnarl your tongues.

 Bealtaine Fire Festival on Calton Hill, Edinburgh.

In Neopaganism, Bealtaine is considered a “cross-quarter” day, which marks the midpoint of the sun’s journey between spring equinox and the summer solstice.  The astronomical date for this midpoint is around May 5-7, but it varies from year to year.  It’s a time when planting begins amid great celebration and a sense of hope for a good crop that will feed the village for the coming winter in the latter half of the year. Beltane was also the beginning of the pastoral summer season, when herds of livestock were driven out to summer pastures and mountain grazing lands.

In Irish mythology, the beginning of summer for the Tuatha De Danann  and the Milesians began at Bealtaine.  Huge bonfires marked a time of purification and transition and augured in the second half of the year in the hope of good harvest later.  This was accompanied by ritual ceremonies that protected people from harm by the spirits, such as the Aos Si. The festival of Samhain, opposite Bealtainne on October 31—Halloween—was also a time when spirits were seen as particularly close at hand to the living world.

 This is not a spirit. It is a reasonable facsimile.

As for Wiccans, they and Wiccan-inspired Neopagans celebrate a variation of Beltane as a Sabbat, one of the eight solar holidays. Although the holiday may use features of the Gaelic Bealtaine, such as the bonfire, it has more ties to the Germanic May Day festival, both in its significance (focusing on fertility) and its rituals (such as maypole dancing). Some Wiccans celebrate "High Beltaine" by enacting a ritual union of the May Lord and May Lady.

Bow-Chicka-Bow-Bow...

Now, I’ve said before that we Irish and of Irish extraction need little excuse for a party, but when we actually have an excuse, we go all-out.  Today, all over Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man and parts of Wales, there will be massive fires, dancing, scantily clad men and women, and much body paint.  There will also be singing, dancing, eating and drinking as the children of the Celts honor their ancestors with a shout of joy for the inauguration of a new season.

The long winter is over.  Summer is begun. Slainte.  

On the Sea

Today is the 99th anniversary of the Titanic sinking. Rather than bore you by writing an essay on that tragic event, I instead offer you the essay I wrote one year ago, which I think is one of my better pieces. 

Please take a moment and remember the 1500 souls who never made it back to warmth, family, comfort, and home.

The World that Woke

GI: Monsterball

Hello, hello, helloooo, and welcome to Fantasy Island!

Not really, but you know what I mean.  Today, our favorite genius idiots are battling demons, burning satanic doctrine, and subverting conversion to the Lord.  These illuminati  have taken up arms and entered into battle with the soul-killing wretches that are independent thought, contemplative philosophy, and mass-marketed chocolate.  Remember this next time you take the little ones out trick-or-treating. 

Andiamos!

**
“During this period demons are assigned against those who participate in the rituals and festivities. These demons are automatically drawn to the fetishes that open doors for them to come into the lives of human beings. For example, most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches.

“I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”

Banish the demons Nestle, Hershey, Kraft, and Mars! And why haven’t we seen a Tree House of Horrors episode about this yet?

 Who, Me?

**
“In an unrelated note. I always carry a few nuts and bolts at amusement parks. after we get locked in the ride and start to move, I hold up a few of them and say to the person next to me look what just fell out of this thing. It is a great witnessing tool. Everytime I did that the person next to me started praying.”

So you lied and committed an act of terror?  That’s the best witnessing tool you could come up with?

**
“Come to our Halloween book burning. We are burning Satan's bibles like the NIV, RSV, NKJV, TLB, NASB, NEV, NRSV, ASV, NWT, Good News for Modern Man, The Evidence Bible, The Message Bible, The Green Bible, ect. These are perversions of God's Word the King James Bible.

“We will also be burning Satan's music such as country , rap , rock , pop, heavy metal, western, soft and easy, southern gospel , contempory Christian , jazz, soul, oldies but goldies, etc.

“We will also be burning Satan's popular books written by heretics like Westcott & Hort , Bruce Metzger, Billy Graham , Rick Warren , Bill Hybels , John McArthur, James Dobson, Charles Swindoll , John Piper, Chuck Colson, Tony Evans, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swagart, Mark Driskol, Franklin Graham , Bill Bright, Tim Lahaye, Paula White, T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn , Joyce Myers, Brian McLaren, Robert Schuller, Mother Teresa , The Pope , Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, Donald Miller, Shane Claiborne, Brennan Manning, William Young, etc.

“We are not burning Bibles written in other languages that are based on the TR. We are not burning the Wycliffe, Tyndale, Geneva or other translations that are based on the TR.

“We will be serving Bar-b-Que Chicken, fried chicken, and all the sides.”

Well, they’ve burned everything.  What else is there to do but eat?  I’ll have a fried chicken plate with a side of The Judds and some CCR.

--Irish