John Cleese turns 85 today :-)

Famous UK comedian, scriptwriter, and entertainer John Cleese turns 85 today. Congratulations and thankyou for many years of your black and twisted scurrilous humour! Here is his looooooooong biography in Wikipedia.

He is almost 5 years older than I am and still pulling strong, despite the title of his latest tour show "Last chance to see me before I die".
I have found several of my favourite Cleese sketches on YouTube, so follow the links and go watch (five Monty Python first)...
The dead parrot sketch.
Eulogy for Graham Chapman.
Ministry of Silly Walks.
Want an Argument?.
Crunchy Frog.

These were followed by the TV series Fawlty Towers.
See Fawlty Towers : Best of Basil.

I have also seen several of his movies, including Life of Brian, Time Bandits, Clockwise, and A fish called Wanda. He also had minor roles in two Bond movies and two Harry Potter films that I have seen.

Comments(1)
Peter (UK, 1 of 4) wrote " I read his last book and as an example the Japanese good night was put into an audio clip for the if’s and buts… when I went to hear his talk at hacked off I got myself embarrassed and sickened cause at question time I just couldn’t jink him… so I just said hello… what a shame… and on top of that I really really should have recorded it… my shame…" There is no shame in not being able to best a professional at heckling.

Copyright ^© Ole Phat Stu on October 27, 2024 permalink Comments Email

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Colours of the Fall

Now that autumn (fall) has really started here in Germany, we are getting some great fall colour mixes in our garden. Surprisingly, this year the beech tree lost most of its leaves first, while the walnut has only lost half so far. Usually it is in the other order. The leaves cover the back lawn a couple of inches deep. I'll have to rake them off tomorrow, lest the grass all dies.

So the whole lawn is yellow today. But the vines climbing up the south wall are a beautiful mixture with their leaves red, as the sugars caramelise.

This bush, whose name I do not know, has a subtle mix of purple and brown.

But there are still some flowers bearing petals in their original colour; I think this one is voting for Kamela Harris; as should you too ;-)

Comments(2)
Billions of Versions... wrote " Some great colors! I don't pick up leaves, I mulch them. They're fertilizer for the spring." Okay.
Doug (Canada) disapproves, pointing us to this website and saying : rake/mulch them, if you must, in the late Spring/early summer after the insects have hatched.

Copyright ^© Ole Phat Stu on October 24, 2024 permalink Comments Email

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Dark side of the moon

After again listening to my Pink Floyd LPs over the weekend, I realise that they alone may be responsible for the myth that the moon has a dark side. This is not true! The moon has no permanent dark side. It does however have a nearside and a far side. The moon is tidally locked (aside from a small libration) to the Earth, which means that we always see the nearside of the moon. But when the moon is between Earth and the sun, the far side of the moon is in the sunshine. When the Earth is between moon and sun the far side of the moon gets no sunshine. We always see the nearside only.

However, translunar orbiters have taken detailed photos of the far side of the moon. So here, to satisfy your curiosity, here is an assembled photo of the far side of the moon. Fewer seas, smaller craters.

Note that this FAR side photo was taken in sunlight. There is no dark side.

Also over the weekend, using binoculars, I got to (just) see the comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, about a span to the right of Venus. Long tail now, just visible until 25th. Then it will be outdazzled from thursday on by the full moon at perigee and so the nearest and largest moon of the year. Take a look.

Copyright ^© Ole Phat Stu on October 14, 2024 permalink Comments Email

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Halloween display

I go regularly to a cafe/bakery in an adjacent village where they have now put up US style Halloween decorations. Here are some of my photos thereof.

There have been some prudish objections to the one shown on the lower right. Due to the placement of the two pumpkins and the front stabilizing foot, which alledgedly look like testicles and a small penis, it is colported that local catholic housewives are blushing. What a stretch of their imagination.

What do your local Halloween decorations look like?

Comments(1)
Billions of Versions... wrote " Halloween is becoming even more of a "thing" in the US. People go nuts decorating their houses." Many Catholics here disapprove.

Copyright ^© Ole Phat Stu on October 11, 2024 permalink Comments Email

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Least useful signpost?

A couple of hundred years ago, there being no cars etc, people walked or rode horses or drove horse & carts from village to village or local market town. At each cross roads, signposts were placed so the travellers could navigate locally. In the UK for example, they looked like the one shown below.

These at least were useful and still are.

But let me show you an example of probably the most useless kind of signpost, as shown below. Seen on a motorcycle tour through the french and italian alps, this one is at N45° 40' 49" E6° 53' 2", on the peak of the lesser St.Berhard pass from France to Italy, the border is just a few yards northeast of this. There is only the one road, no crossroads, so all the traveller may need are one signpost arm pointing down to the southwest labelled France, and the other arm, pointing down and NE from the pass, labelled Italy.

It is just showing off. Only the arms labelled Moscow and Buenos Aires actually point along the only road. Signpost arms labelled San Francisco, Johannesburg, Lac Winnepeg and Sydney are useless, pointing to no road, just showing off a knowledge of geography. Yes, afaik, they are pointing in the right great circle directions, but still pretty useless! It would be more useful if they listed the distance to the next petrol pumps!

BTW, the pass restaurant in France is better than the one just across the border in Italy imho.

Comments(1)
UK blogreader Peter send this sign, not a signpost but still rather funny.
It's at the Powerhouse Theatre in Brisbane, Australia.

Copyright ^© Ole Phat Stu on October 7, 2024 permalink Comments Email

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Annular eclipse

As seen from Chile. I have only ever seen one annular eclipse, some of you may have never even seen one, so I am posting this here which was sent by a blogreader, Enjoy!"

Sent to Ole Phat Stu on October 4 , 2024 permalink Comments Email

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Dinos at the Mall

After seeing the Dinos at the airport I went to the shopping mall on saturday, to see the dinos in the mall, shown below. Outside, in the parking lot, is an Apatosaurus, dating from 157 to 145 million years BC, it is a herbivore weighing 30 tons and being 21 meters long. Remains found in north America.

In contrast, a Carnotaurus, lived 70 million years ago in south America, carniverous, 9 meters long and weighed 2 tons.

This kentosaurus baby lived in east Africa 150 million years ago, weighed 0.5 tons and was 5 meters long, herbiverous.

The Deinonychus lived 120 million years ago on north America, weighed only 70 lbs and was 3.5 meters long. Carniverous.

Also, a Tyrannosaurus Rex for the movie fans . . .

And for the kids (and SWMBO) the head of a T Rex that you could crawl inside and have your photo taken as it was "eating you" ;-)

Comments(1)
Billions of Versions... wrote " The Carnotaurus looks like a Star Wars character." Missing the girl in the bikini though :-(

Copyright ^© Ole Phat Stu on October 1 , 2024 permalink Comments Email

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