MORNING
Cold. So find me indoors, where civilized people live when the weather is bad. No walkin’ in the rain for this cowboy. Mind you, it is not that bad, I’ve done it. But for recreation and romance, snowbanks and such don’t do a thing for me. What could be as nice as rain? Read on.
A rainstick is a hollow tube with a helical arrangement of internal baffles. When filled with beans or similar and upended it emits a sound that some people say reminds them of falling rain. Hailed as one of the greatest Aztec inventions of all time, it could also explain why that civilization disappeared overnight.
One documentary that amused me was The Last Domino concerning the SWAPO insurgency in Angola. You may recall this war, the South Africans would chase the guerillas back across the border and suddenly they get hit by Russian MiGs being flown by Cuban pilots. WTF? The video doesn’t make it clear, but it was considered an exclusive prize in the South African air force to kill a Cuban. No, not just shoot him down, but to listen until they heard Spanish on the radio and then blast the little brown bastard to smithereens. What an interesting concept: For Spanish, press "Fire".
Next, here is an experiment to see if I can embed a Superb Owl countdown. Note, according to copyright law, I can’t say “super bowl” for free. And you can’t legally watch the Superb Owl in a church or any other place that “promotes a message”. The experiment here is to see what happens to the counter after the Superb Owl is over.
Geez, not only is it tough to get a counter link, all the Superb Owl clocks show different times. It turns out the clocks are set to different events, such as the beginning of festivities or kick-off. I could understand if it was first view of the cheerleaders, who, even if they are chosen to look like you-know-whats are still the only part of the game worth looking at. True, millions of people disagree with me, but ask them how much they own on their credit cards. That's how they're paying for the game, you know.
NOON
But this Angolan War kept me interested. Part of the reason the US military budget is huge is the US “supports” friendly regimes by supplying military equipment, causing unrest in the others, and if all else fails, trying to starve them out. Hence there was an embargo on South Africa. All that did was turn South Africa into one of the world’s largest arms exporters. I was amazed to see the specialized vehicles and cannons they have developed.
The UN placed the embargo on South Africa over aparthied (politics) while ignoring communist infiltration (military), the sort of thing you’d expect from the UN. Hence, the Russian rockets could easily outrange the existing SADF (South African Defense Force) artillery. The US media has since tried to portray the G5 as “stolen” technology from Canada and Belgium. Which is odd, since neither country has such a weapon.
And what a weapon it is. The range is 40 km (29 miles), meaning a single cannon (actually, it is a howitzer) can dominate 1,000km² of battlefield. It has an auxiliary motor which allows the gun to be operated, in a pinch, by two men, and can even dig itself into the ground. NATO guns require eight men. And the G5 can use all NATO 155mm shells, should NATO leave any behind, type of thing.
The only effective counter to the G5 is to destroy their target location facilities, since the gun crews can’t see beyond the horizon without them. The gun became famous when Dr. Gerry Bull worked on it after leaving the Canadian Armed Forces, in disgust it is rumored. He was the guy designing cannons to fire satellites into orbit. In a crime unsolved to this day, he was shot outside his apartment in Brussels in 1990. Canada has a military budget too, you know.
The assination has generally been blamed on the Mossad, the Israeli word for "department". The Iranians had been developing a "super-gun", one of those perennial fantasies so beloved by old-school artillery men. And Bull had been helping, which was not illegal. South Africa was also supplying G5s to Iran, but Canada, like the terrorists, is not generally known for shooting at parties who can shoot back.
NIGHT
It seems to me the ideal anti-mine weapon would be since mines are outlawed only outlaws plant mines. March the captured enemy through their own minefields to clear them. Was it Sherman who said war cannot be refined? And to those who get their panties in a knot, march ‘em through again, see if any got missed. Who likes the circus? I do, but I always saw myself as owning one of the side-shows or rides. Anyway, JZ called and guess where they have a circus museum?
I supposed they just parked the wagons, but not so. Look at this 66 acre town. Has its own hospital and railway repair yards. I never thought about the wild animal pens and the dormitories. I guess even the bearded lady needs a place to crash. This would be a trip of a lifetime for me. Yes, Wallace, you can come along, I’m buying.
Now to get up there. Next weekend is the football game, the following weekend is what, February 7th? Let’s shoot for that, probably via Okeechobee. He’s got new tires on the Mazda so I’ll trust it that far. Checking my records, other than a few stops, I’ve never spent any time in Sarasota. Like Seattle, I was always on my way through to elsewhere. Honestly, I was disappointed by the Ripley museum in St. Augustine, but a circus display is another ball of wax.
They are tightlipped about the museum admission, so you are likely looking at around $25 a head. As I read on, I find Ringling had a private railway car, and you know I love railways. This could be the trip of the year, I’m stoked. That railway car, a Pullman, is alone enough to draw me in. Outside of railroad big shots, only 11 people in the USA ever had private rail cars.
Here is an April 1912 kitchen shopping list for the Ringling car’s kitchen:
4 1/2 pounds of porterhouse steak, $1.13
3 1/2 pounds of bacon, $0.56
14 pounds of ham, $1.54
1/4 peck of apples, $0.15
1 gallon of cream, $0.75
12 splits of Apollinaris Water, $1.08
12 pints Apollinaris Water, $1.32
12 pints Pabst Beer, $0.72
1 quart of rye whiskey, $1.00
The original price of the car in 1905 was $11,235. Using the CPI index to inflate that to 2015 dollars comes to only $337,000. Thus we know the CPI is only so much bullshit. $337k today won’t buy you the caboose.
The distance to Sarasota is 320 miles, that is 99 miles further than our trip to the Lanai Kai.
ADDENDUM
Supposing you took the leap and bought your private car. You are in exclusive company. While there are more private cars today than in their prime, they only number around 80 in the USA. What about travelling costs? The haulage to and from a siding runs you around $1,000 each way and overnights at most stations is $100 per night. Same as a boxcar. Year-round parking at the siding is $10,000. And forget the high-speed routes, Federal law says 110 mph max for private units. Besides, you’ll want to see the scenery and the long haul freight routes are preferred.
Private cars are one of the few profitable segments of Amtrack, and they love the business. See their site, the blurb is there. The system is the same in Canada, but rumor has it one must file a “flight plan” and once hitched, the car cannot be unhitched without a special permit. Typical. Further rumor is you must also provide the Canadian government with ID for each passenger, including children, and may soon be required to hire a "guide" for each trip.
Where you can’t buy, you can rent a spot. The usual offering is similar to timeshare, your week on the train will run around $3,500. Each. But you get a private breakfast nook, see photo. Private on three sides, anyway.
Amtrak charges $2.10 per mile and $1.60 per mile for each additional car, should you have a lot of baggage. Partakers report the most pleasant part of luxury car travel is the privacy. The station stops are not piped into the overhead speakers. Nobody checks your ticket. The destination is described as “secondary” and the ride is designated as “sweet”. Apollinaris water?
Last Laugh
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