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Stuff You Maybe Didn't Know

TheOldMole May 29 2006 12:57 PM

Samuel Beckett was a neighbour of the Roussimoff family while living in France. He used to give one of the Roussimoff sons, André René, a lift to school every day, since the boy was unable to take the school bus owing to his large size. André René Roussimoff would, in later years, go on to become the famed wrestler André the Giant

MFS62 May 29 2006 01:06 PM

You're right. I didn't know that. But did you know that during his last years, Andre the Giant lived in Co-Op City in the Bronx? Later

Elster88 May 30 2006 03:20 AM

Who is Samuel Beckett?

Willets Point May 30 2006 03:24 AM

="Elster88"]Who is Samuel Beckett? This thread is things you just plain don't know, for Elster. Beckett is an Irish playwright who wrote spare, pessimistic, existentialist worls. His most famous play is probably Waiting for Godot.

Edgy DC May 30 2006 05:58 AM

He also was an almost Mets fan, but they screwed up and swept a doubleheader the day of his first visit to Shea.

RealityChuck May 30 2006 07:04 AM

Didn't he invent the Quantum Accelerator?

soupcan May 30 2006 08:14 AM

No, that was Dr. Emmett Brown who was also known for his creation of the Flux Capacitor.

RealityChuck May 30 2006 08:16 AM

I'm pretty sure it was Sam Beckett who jumped into the Quantum Accelerator and . . . vanished! Then he awoke to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own.

soupcan May 30 2006 08:58 AM

You're right. The similiarities between Beckett & Brown are such that I got the two mixed up. If not for the respective significant contributions of Calavicci and McFly I probably wouldn't be able to discern the two at all.

HahnSolo May 30 2006 09:10 AM

]But did you know that during his last years, Andre the Giant lived in Co-Op City in the Bronx? Really?? Details, please.

MFS62 May 30 2006 09:17 AM

When MMYF and I first got married, we lived there. I happened to notice that tidbit in an article about him a few years ago. I really don't have any more details (like building number). Oh, we lived in building 15. Later

Edgy DC May 30 2006 09:53 AM

Stuff you maybe didn't know about Quantum Leap: Producer Donald P. Bellsario loved to put references to himself, his family and his other shows in his shows. (They actually had a script they bounced around, but never shot, in which Sam leaps into the body of Thomas Magnum.) In the episode in which Sam leaps into the body of Lee Harvey Oswald, one of Oswald's fellow marines has "Bellisario" on his name patch, but that was more than mere vanity, as Bellisario acutally did serve with Oswald in the USMC.

Johnny Dickshot May 30 2006 10:10 AM

Conoco Phillips' practice of replacing the cool, rotating orange ball "lollipop" signs at its gas stations with immobile staid red signs has some consumers outraged. It is stupid, look: Save the 76 Ball

RealityChuck May 30 2006 11:25 AM

How about this: Mrs. Joan Whitney Payson had to get special permission from the commissioner of Baseball to do something that was specifically banned by the rules of the game so that she could purchase the Mets. She was allowed to flout this rule the entire time she ran the club. (She was allowed to hold one share in the San Francisco Giants for sentiment's sake; baseball owners are prohibited from owning stock in more than one team.) Move co-stars Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were part owners of MLB teams: Hope with the Indians, Crosby with the Pirates.

Farmer Ted May 30 2006 12:15 PM

If you were to go back in history and take every president, you'll find that the numerical value of each letter in their name was equally divisible into the year in which they were elected. By my calculations, our next president has to be named Yellnick McWawa. This according to Cliff Claven.

Willets Point May 30 2006 01:31 PM

I didn't know this until last week. Soweto - an area of Johannesburg, South Africa with a predominately black population - is actually an acronym for South Western Townships. I'd always thought it was a word from an African language.

Benjamin Grimm May 30 2006 01:42 PM

TOKYO and KYOTO are anagrams of each other.

Edgy DC May 30 2006 01:46 PM

I totally knew that.

Benjamin Grimm May 30 2006 02:06 PM

I didn't notice it until my 9-year-old son pointed it out to me.

RealityChuck May 30 2006 07:05 PM Pie throwing trivia

1. The first person to get a pie in the face in a movie was Ben Turpin. 2. The person who threw it was Mabel Normand 3. Silent film pies were blueberry, not cream -- it showed up better on camera. 4. Pies in silent films were backed to a standard size and weight for better throwing. 5. Charlie Chaplin was never hit by a pie (he always managed to duck). 6. Buster Keaton never threw a pie (in the silent days -- he was called upon to do it many years later and had to be shown how). 7. Soupy Sales probably got the most pies in the face during his career. 8. Sales pies were filled with shaving cream.

Johnny Dickshot May 31 2006 08:14 AM

In brainfreeze news: ICEE and SLUSH PUPPY are merging.

Willets Point Jul 05 2006 12:19 PM

This was a good thread that ceased growing too young. Make it live people, you know stuff!

SteveJRogers Jul 05 2006 02:07 PM

Willets Point wrote: This was a good thread that ceased growing too young. Make it live people, you know stuff! Shouldn't you be Squiddy when doing this?

Willets Point Jul 05 2006 02:49 PM

I don't see any reason why.

SteveJRogers Jul 05 2006 02:56 PM

I thought you were being archiving Mod.

Willets Point Jul 05 2006 08:36 PM

I only need to be Squiddy to move threads. I can bump when I'm Willets, Squiddy or even Jazz Radio DJ if I were so moved.

Iubitul Jul 05 2006 08:40 PM

Nippon Kogaku K.K. was the official name of Nikon until it officially changed it's name to the Nikon Corporation in 1988.

Willets Point Jul 05 2006 08:48 PM

How come it's not Nikokk instead of Nikon?

TheOldMole Jul 05 2006 10:11 PM

All those Nigerian scams really come from Nigeria.

Iubitul Jul 06 2006 05:26 AM

Willets Point wrote: How come it's not Nikokk instead of Nikon? Nikon was originally the name of the cameras made by Nippon Kogaku K.K. , and they wanted to take advantage of the brand recognizability.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 06 2006 05:47 AM

SUBARU is a Japanese word for the star cluster Plieades (or the seven sisters) depicted on their logo. The logo shows 6 stars -- a large one and five small ones, reprsenting the united company and the five smaller companies (aircraft and scooter manufacturers, natch), who merged to form it, respectively. The proper name of the company that makes Subaru is Fuji Heavy Industries.

Edgy DC Jul 06 2006 05:58 AM

My love is bigger than a Honda. It's bigger than a Subaru.

MFS62 Jul 06 2006 07:32 AM

With his victory last night, Mike Mussina set an American League record by becoming the first AL pitcher to win at least 10 games in 15 consecutive years. He's never won 20 games in a season, nor has he ever won a Cy Young award or a World Series ring. Spectacular mediocrity? Later

TheOldMole Jul 06 2006 08:45 AM

There's no truth to the rumor that E. J. Korvette's was started by Eight Jewish Korean War Veterans. Too bad. It's a great story.

Elster88 Jul 10 2006 11:57 AM

Does anyone know how they put soda in a can?

Johnny Dickshot Jul 10 2006 12:10 PM

Know Your Meat. It goes: 1. Prime 2. Choice 3. Select 4. Standard 5. Commercial 6. Utility 7. Cutter 8. Canner Folks who're buying meat for their lean-ness often don't realize they're buying select grade (below your retail-standard Choice), and that your no-name mystery packaged beef are likely standard. We're talking hot dogs and dog food on the low end of that scale. Your local supermarket may not carry anything above Choice, but when they do, you ought to buy it, and if they don't, you should go to a place they do, try some, then ask yourself whether its worth it to settle for something less. Graders grade meat on their tenderness

Elster88 Jul 10 2006 12:16 PM

Less tender = healthier. To a degree.

SteveJRogers Jul 10 2006 12:35 PM

MFS62 wrote: With his victory last night, Mike Mussina set an American League record by becoming the first AL pitcher to win at least 10 games in 15 consecutive years. He's never won 20 games in a season, nor has he ever won a Cy Young award or a World Series ring. Spectacular mediocrity? Later Yup, I'll take Maddux/Cy Young's record for consecutive 15 win seasons Whats the NL (and I gather the MLB) record?

TheOldMole Jul 11 2006 09:21 AM

Ex-Commie/FBI informant Whittaker Chambers translated Bambi into English.

MFS62 Jul 11 2006 01:24 PM

There is a theraputic practice (I'm not sure whether Psychology or Psychiatry) that specializes in helping young children who have a fear of anyone in a masked costume (like Disney characters or team mascots). I heard about it Sunday when we attended my granddaughter's fourth birthday party at Stew Leonard's (a famous dairy store) and one of the kids freaked when someone showed up dressed like their mascot cow. One of the parents told us about that practice. Later

martin Jul 12 2006 05:54 PM

there are only two days in the year when there is no game being played by any of the four major sports, the day before and the day after the all-star break.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 12 2006 05:58 PM

Now there are two days after the All Star game.

Iubitul Jul 12 2006 06:11 PM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: Now there are two days after the All Star game. Not for everyone - there is a [url=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/scoreboard?d=2006-07-13&refresh=60]limited schedule of games on Thursday[/url]

ScarletKnight41 Jul 12 2006 06:17 PM

That's nonsensical. Three days off for some teams and four for others? Why?

Willets Point Jul 12 2006 07:04 PM

Our pitchers do need rest so I guess that's a gift as painful as it is to be Metless for four days.

Gwreck Jul 12 2006 07:53 PM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: That's nonsensical. Three days off for some teams and four for others? Why? It's a schedule quirk because otherwise every team would be playing a 4 game series immediately after the all-star break.

TheOldMole Jul 16 2006 10:23 PM

"Nude Volleyball" is googled more in Salt Lake City than anywhere else.

Willets Point Jul 21 2006 10:13 AM

The only attack on the US mainland during World War I occured on this date in 1918 when a German U-Boat surfaced and torpedoed an unarmed tugboat towing barges just off the coast of Cape Cod in Orleans, MA. Read more.

Willets Point Jul 27 2006 07:59 AM

The Stockholm, the ship that collided with the Andrea Doria causing the latter to sink, is still afloat, renamed MS Athena and used as a German luxury liner.

MFS62 Jul 27 2006 11:12 AM

Sudafed (the OTC sinus medication) can be used to make amphetamines. I wonder if it is on the MLB/NFL banned substance list? Later

metirish Jul 27 2006 11:16 AM

Did you know that the initials of the founders' last names form the company name for DHL..... Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn.

MFS62 Jul 27 2006 11:40 AM

The founders of what? If you're talking about the founders of the CPF, I really didn't know that. Later

metirish Jul 27 2006 11:49 AM

DHL the courier service

MFS62 Jul 27 2006 12:00 PM

(Slapping forehead) d'oh. And the name of Prentice-Hall, the publishing company, was based on the maiden names of the mothers of the founders. Later

TheOldMole Jul 27 2006 06:56 PM

Rudyard Kipling's "If" was written for the infant Nelson Doubleday.

Edgy DC Jul 27 2006 07:45 PM

No huh-way.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 28 2006 05:35 AM

I've heard that, too. (About Kipling and Doubleday.)

TheOldMole Jul 28 2006 07:17 AM

"If" was published in 1895, Doubleday born in 1933. But Kipling died in 1935, so he still could have made a belated dedication to baby Nelson.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 28 2006 07:20 AM

I guess Kipling didn't want to wait until the last minute. Why put off for tomorrow...?

MFS62 Jul 28 2006 10:49 AM

From Baseball America: ]But just as exciting for the Volcanoes faithful, The Famous Chicken made his last-ever appearance at Volcanoes Stadium. The Chicken announced his retirement at the end of the season. Isn't that what the once-San Diego chicken is now calling himself? Did you know he was retiring? Calling Col. Sanders. Later

Benjamin Grimm Jul 28 2006 10:55 AM

Where do the Volcanoes play? I think I had a Freudian slip as I was reading that. I was sure it said "Once-Famous Chicken." I had to go back and double-check to see that I got it wrong.

MFS62 Jul 28 2006 11:04 AM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Where do the Volcanoes play? The Salem-Kezier (Washington State) Volcanoes play in the short-season Northwest League. Yancy - I had to go back to the article to find the city name, then look up the league they were in. You owe me, BIG time. :) Later

MFS62 Jul 28 2006 11:12 AM

I didn't know she was White: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060227&content_id=1324630&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb Later

TheOldMole Jul 28 2006 11:15 AM

Bob Dylan, on Theme Time Radio, said that R&B classic "Drinkin' Wine Spodee-Odee" was so named by its composer, Stick McGhee, because he couldn't call it by its original name, which was another 4-syllable word that begins with "mother." But somewhere in "On The Road," Jack Kerouac refers to a drink called "Wine Spodiodi," the ingredients of which he describes, but I don't remember them offhand.

Iubitul Aug 05 2006 07:54 AM

From today's Daily News, as of May, we get most of our oil from the following countries: 1. Canada . . . . . . .(16.3%) 2. Mexico . . . . . . .(12%) 3. Saudi Arabia . . ..(10.5%) 4. Venezuela . . . . .(10.3%) 5. Nigeria . . . . . .(8.4%)

cooby Aug 05 2006 08:17 AM

Canada? Eh?

Willets Point Aug 07 2006 08:26 AM

Why the NBA uses a 24-second shot clock.

MFS62 Aug 08 2006 07:26 AM

Doug DeCinces hit about 230 home runs over a 15 year major league career. But in 1982, he hit three home runs in a game twice within one week. Today is the anniversary of the second game. Later

RealityChuck Aug 08 2006 08:03 AM "What do you have to do to stay with this team?"

Favorite random baseball fact: On February 13, 1968, Ron Hansen was traded from the White Sox to the Senators in a multiplayer deal; Tim Cullen went to the White Sox. On July 30, 1968, Hansen performed an unassisted triple play. On August 1, Hansen hit a grand slam home run. On August 2, Hansen was traded back to the White Sox for Tim Cullen.

MFS62 Aug 14 2006 07:06 AM

Ex-Phillies Tommy Hutton and Dick Ruthven are married to twin sisters. Later

MFS62 Aug 22 2006 04:51 PM

Blue Jays' Manager John Gibbons and General Manager JP Ricciardi were minor league roommates. Later

MFS62 Sep 05 2006 11:46 AM

The dish we call Manhattan Clam Chowder was first made in Rhode Island. Later

SteveJRogers Sep 10 2006 08:31 PM

From enchantedlearning.com First three states all achieved statehoods in December of 1787, all within a 12 day span! Georgia came onboard on the second day of 1788, with Connecticut on the 9th. Follwed by Massachusetts in February, Maryland in April, South Carolina in May, New Hampshire and Virginia in June, and New York was the last state admitted for 1788 on July 26th Then the Statehoods start to slow down a bit North Carolina in November of 1789, and the last of the Colonies, Rhode Island doesn't join untill May of 1790! By the way, the Flurry of 1788 wouldn't be duplicated untill 1889 when North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington all joined the Union in November of 1889! Other multiple state years: 1845 with Flordia and Texas (which JUST made the cut on 12/29) 1890 Idaho and Wyoming, both in July And all of our last 4 states came in two per year 1912 New Mexico in January and Arizona in February 1959 Alaska in January and Hawaii in August

Valadius Sep 10 2006 10:13 PM

A 51-star flag has already been designed just in case the U.S. admits another state (DC, Puerto Rico, Long Island, etc.) Another possible flag is frequently used by a pro-statehood party in Puerto Rico:

Nymr83 Sep 10 2006 10:24 PM

i like the bottom flag.

SwitchHitter Sep 11 2006 11:25 AM

Me, too. I never realized the peace symbol was based on the 5 pointed star.

Willets Point Sep 11 2006 12:49 PM

That flag makes me dizzy. Can they space the stars so that there's not so much blue space on the edges? I think I'd like it better then.

Edgy DC Sep 11 2006 12:56 PM

"The United States: Ever since we added Puerto Rico, we've had the world hyp-no-tized."

Willets Point Sep 11 2006 12:58 PM

Edgy DC wrote: "The United States: Ever since we added Puerto Rico, we've had the world hyp-no-tized." I think you've hit on the real way to win the GWOT.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 11 2006 01:05 PM

I don't think I'll see a 51st state in my lifetime. And I'm starting to think that Iraq is more likely to become that 51st state than Puerto Rico is.

Centerfield Sep 12 2006 07:51 AM

That is really funny Yancy.

Edgy DC Sep 12 2006 08:00 AM

Is there a secessionist movement on Long Island?

seawolf17 Sep 12 2006 08:23 AM

No, but I think the rest of the state would love to chop off New York City and Long Island and sell them to Europe or something.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 12 2006 08:32 AM

Edgy DC wrote: Is there a secessionist movement on Long Island? There was talk of it long ago, but it didn't get anywhere. I don't know much about it. I'm not even sure of the time frame, though my guess is that it was in the 1940's. If I remember right, Robert Caro mentioned it briefly in The Power Broker.

Edgy DC Sep 12 2006 08:42 AM

seawolf17 wrote: No, but I think the rest of the state would love to chop off New York City and Long Island and sell them to Europe or something. I'm not sure that's so, but it's funny coming from Alan Jackson.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 12 2006 08:44 AM

I found a current Long Island statehood movement. It doesn't look like it's picked up a lot of steam. They put out a call for volunteers two years ago, and have ignored the site since then. There's probably a stronger statehood sentiment in Baghdad than there is in Bay Shore. Here's something from the Astoria Historical Society's web site. It's dated February, 1950: ]Congressman James Delaney of Astoria wants to make the State of Long Island. A member of the House Rules Committee investigating admitting Hawaii and Alaska as states, he claims Long Island makes a much better case for statehood, and if you throw in New YorkCity, ‘there is no comparison.’ He continues, ‘Alaska, with 90,000, has 1/4 the members of my district.’ The proposed state, with 26 members in Congress, would be about the size of California or Illinois. Jamaica is the proposed capital ofthe state of 9 million. Two decades before, Queens Democratic Leader James Roe also proposes statehood, but is not taken seriously by upstate legislators whose approval is needed. ‘They may not like us, but they want our tax money,’ he said. Several upstate legislators disagreed, one going as far as proposing legislation making the city a special district like Washington DC thus cutting it off from voting in statewide elections and paying or receiving state tax. ‘New York yields to high pressure minorities and foists upon us costly social experiments benefiting city dwellers and not us simple-minded country folks’, said upstate Assemblyman Wilson van Duser. Responded Roe, ‘if it weren’t for New York and the rest of Long Island, they would not be building $200 million Thruways, parks, schools and hospitals.’

Willets Point Sep 12 2006 09:10 AM

New York City, Long Island, Westchester Co., Fairfield Co., and parts of Northeast New Jersey would make a good state.

Edgy DC Sep 12 2006 09:14 AM

A rich one, anyhow.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 12 2006 09:34 AM

It kind of makes sense for major cities and their suburbs to form their own states. The same could happen with metro Philadelphia. You'd end up with a state with more common interests and would avoid the urban/rural upstate/downstate kinds of conflicts that you sometimes see.

cooby Sep 12 2006 09:47 AM

Hmmmm....I'm feeling snubbed

Valadius Sep 12 2006 01:41 PM

There is a historical debate regarding whether or not northern California and southern Oregon would have successfully seceded from their respective states and combined to form a "State of Jefferson" had the Japanese never bombed Pearl Harbor. Wikipedia article [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Jefferson]here[/url].

Benjamin Grimm Sep 12 2006 01:56 PM

Maybe that's the real reason Japan attacked. They didn't want a "State of Jefferson."

metirish Sep 19 2006 10:46 AM

[url=http://www.newsday.com/ny-thailand0920,0,3966003.story?coll=ny-top-headlines]Thai military launches a coup[/url]

MFS62 Sep 20 2006 09:47 AM

Do you know where Babe uth hit his first professional home run? Read on: http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/09/20/1867320-sun.html Betcha' wouldn't have guessed. Later

MFS62 Sep 26 2006 05:08 PM

Carl Crawford is about to become the only other player in the history of baseball (joining Rogers Hornsby) to improve in each succeeding year for five years in AVG, HR and RBI. Later

cooby Sep 26 2006 08:22 PM

A nude beach in Toronto is even more amazing

cooby Sep 30 2006 10:05 PM

Wow, [url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190899592]NEWS FLASH[/url]

TheOldMole Oct 01 2006 10:00 AM

I just had some sort of 24-hour flu. Chills and aches. Seem to be OK today.

ScarletKnight41 Oct 01 2006 10:13 AM

I'm glad you're on the mend Mole!

Johnny Dickshot Oct 02 2006 12:37 PM

Mr. Goodbar is made of the leftover bits of other Hershey candy bars.

Johnny Dickshot Oct 07 2006 11:02 AM

Ever wax your car and get excess wax on the doorhandles, trim, bumper, windows, etc.? Scrubbing wth a rag and soapy water is futile, but a pencil eraser will clear it right up. Amazin.

MFS62 Oct 07 2006 03:33 PM

According to the radar gun last night, Kenny Rogers can throw a 92 MPH fastball. Later

MFS62 Oct 17 2006 08:02 AM

Happy Birthday. I wonder if anyone got lost going to the celebration. Later ]Mapmaker Rand McNally turns 150 By DAVE CARPENTER, AP Business Writer Sun Oct 15, 3:20 PM ET SKOKIE, Ill. - As the Great Chicago Fire was ravaging the city in 1871, William Rand and Andrew McNally saved their business by burying two printing machines on the sandy Lake Michigan shore. No such clear-cut solution emerged to preserve Rand McNally & Co.'s dominance more than a century later, when the mapmaker lost its way in the age of the Internet. But following two ownership changes and a bankruptcy reorganization, the storied company appears to have finally regained its bearings. A sales decline has been reversed, the company says profitability is up over 30 percent since its 2003 overhaul and it is even poised to make acquisitions. Left behind in the online mapping revolution by comparative upstarts Mapquest.com, Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and Google Inc., Rand McNally is marking its 150th anniversary year by aggressively playing catch-up with a raft of new products designed to capitalize on its famous brand name. A push into electronic gadgets and navigational software is part of the effort, including the release this fall of the Rand McNally GPS Navigator. The $500 portable navigation system is its entry in the increasingly crowded field for devices using Global Positioning System satellites. True to its heritage, however, the world's largest seller of maps has atlases and paper maps as the backbone of the initiative. While the privately held company doesn't disclose specific figures about its business, Chief Executive Robert Apatoff says print products still account for the majority of its sales. Anyone who thinks old-fashioned folded maps are going away should think again, according to Apatoff. "It's kind of like saying newspapers are going to disappear," he said in an interview at the company's headquarters north of Chicago. "There's going to be some changes in how they're used, but people still want to open them and read them with their coffee. "Same thing with trip planning. People will continue to want to be able to consume maps this way," he said, even if they use maps or atlases together with hand-held devices or the Internet. More maps are sold now than ever before, according to the International Map Trade Association. Rand McNally is by far the best-known map publisher, with competitors including American Map and Universal Map. Oddly enough, the mapmaker didn't start out in the business it's a household name in. The Chicago printing shop that young Boston printer William Rand opened in 1856 specialized in railroad tickets. Then Rand teamed up with Irish cartographer Andrew McNally and they branched out to train schedules and maps, eventually publishing their first road map in 1917. McNally subsequently bought out Rand, and the McNally family owned the business for four generations until selling it in 1997 to New York investment firm AEA Investors Inc. for $430 million. By that time, the mapping industry was being completely changed by the Internet and technology. But Rand McNally found itself outmaneuvered by startup ventures. "They were caught looking when Mapquest and the dot-coms came in and did the door-to-door directions and the online stuff," said Henry Poirot, an IMTA board member and three-decade veteran of the map and book industry. The company racked up so much debt trying to keep up with its online rivals that it ended up in bankruptcy court, where a majority stake was bought in 2003 by current owner Leonard Green & Partners, a Los Angeles investment firm. Consequences remain from the slow start on the Web. An analysis of traffic on map sites by comScore Media Metrix found just 1.6 million visits to randmcnally.com last month, down 11 percent from a year earlier and dwarfed by those to Maps.com (71.4 million), Mapquest (48.6 million) Google Maps (23.4 million) and Yahoo Maps (20 million). Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University, thinks one of the biggest problems for Rand McNally is that so many maps are available for free. "They have an incredible history and product lineup," Calkins said. "The challenge is the world has changed so much in the last decade that the need for their core product has really diminished." That's not the view of Apatoff, a veteran marketing executive who since arriving as president and CEO in June 2003 has tried to reinvigorate what many saw as a tired brand through innovation, without abandoning the company's strengths. Rand McNally closed its 25 retail stores in 2003 to cut costs as part of the makeover, but it still sells maps and other paper products in over 55,000 retail stores in North America. The trademark road atlas, now in its 83rd edition, remains its best-selling product by far. That's one reason the company isn't striving to become like Mapquest, Yahoo Maps or Google Maps. "We're the only ones (of that group) that actually sell product in the store," said Apatoff, 47. "While we encourage people to go online, it is truly a different business model." Rand McNally's business model is paying off in annual sales growth of 4 percent to 5 percent, he said. Its online division also is growing in double digits, with an advertising blitz planned soon for its Web site and online store. The company now goes beyond the basic atlas to show consumers not just how to get to a destination but what to do along the way, Apatoff said, including recommended sightseeing routes, restaurants and lodgings. One such new product is the Family Adventure Guide & Interstate Atlas, co-developed with Walt Disney Co.'s Disney Parks and Resorts. It also makes customized atlases for companies, just launched a motorcycle ride atlas with Harley Davidson Inc. and has introduced several new items for its education division, with map activity books, flash cards and other products now in 94 percent of U.S. schools. The products not only provide more value for consumers but cost more, helping the company's profitability, Apatoff noted. The same holds for its new electronic products, which also are key to his vision of a "much bigger" and more innovative Rand McNally. "We believe we have the name that works in electronic (media), we know we have the name that works as the trusted name in the store," he said. "We sure like our chances to compete for another 150 years."

Willets Point Oct 17 2006 10:17 AM

Today is the 225th anniversary of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown,

TheOldMole Oct 19 2006 03:03 PM

[url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003668.html]Gone in 52 Seconds.[/url]

metsmarathon Oct 26 2006 11:20 AM

microsoft word, or at least my current version, auto-capitalizes snapple and kleenex, and many auto brands, but does not do so for pepsi or mazda.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 26 2006 11:27 AM

Joe Garagiola and Stan Musial have been on the outs for over 30 years, because of a bowling alley dispute.

Edgy DC Oct 26 2006 11:30 AM

That's a funky stunner, considering how genial and beloved they each seeem to be.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 26 2006 11:40 AM

Apparently whoever it was with the Cardinals who invited the two of them to share first-pitch duties for Game 3 was unaware of it as well. When Musial found out that Garagiola was going to be catching his throw, he abruptly canceled. Ozzie Smith took over for Musial. I think Stan is going to return for Game 4, with a different catcher. (I can't remember who, though.)

Edgy DC Oct 26 2006 12:10 PM

Clearly it's in the interests of baseball and bowling that these two old guys bury the hatchet while they're both still on the planet. I think they should head across the street to the Bowling Hall of Fame and hash it out.

MFS62 Oct 27 2006 12:09 PM

Ramon Castro's father coached him, as well as all three Molina brothers, in Puerto Rico. Later

Benjamin Grimm Oct 27 2006 12:12 PM

Well, Ramon Castro's dad is off my Christmas card list.

MFS62 Oct 27 2006 12:17 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Well, Ramon Castro's dad is off my Christmas card list. Yeah. We all wish he would have retired before he got to Yadier. Later

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 12:24 PM

I've got to ask who he's yadier than? Because someday someone will come along who is the yadiest.

MFS62 Oct 27 2006 04:34 PM

Edgy DC wrote: I've got to ask who he's yadier than? Because someday someone will come along who is the yadiest. Edgy, you've probably noticed that your posted question has been sitting there, unanswered, for a while. The root of the problem may be that we don't know what "Yad" means. For all we know, there may be one, or more players Yaddier than he is. Maybe even the Yadiest of all. Could you enlighten us please? Later

seawolf17 Oct 27 2006 05:27 PM

I know how yaddy he is, but I know at least one guy who is so taguchi.

MFS62 Oct 27 2006 06:31 PM

Sounds like its time for a play-on-baseball-player-names spinoff thread. Later

Centerfield Oct 30 2006 09:08 AM

The Carrier Dome, named for its sponsor, the air-conditioning company, is not air conditioned.

SteveJRogers Nov 01 2006 05:11 PM

[url=http://www.snopes.com/business/names/3musketeers.asp]Snopes.com with an interesting tale about Three Musketeers and Milky Way candy bars.[/url]

Johnny Dickshot Nov 27 2006 07:54 AM

LEGO blocks get their name from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning "play well."

Edgy DC Nov 27 2006 08:42 AM

In 1991, some 54 confectionery companies dedicated themselves to "25 by '95" --- a campaign by the candy industry to increase per-capita candy consumption in the U.S. to 25 pounds per person by 1995. Our fat asses had held ourselves down to 20.7 pounds in 1990. They succeeded to some extent, and got us up to 27 pounds by 1997, but we were down to 24 by 2001. My guess is that we're trending upwards again.

Centerfield Dec 08 2006 01:26 PM

The plane that crashed killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper was NOT named American Pie.

Edgy DC Jan 06 2007 10:29 AM

Eagles songs written or co-written by Randy Meisner "Take the Devil" from Eagles "Early Bird" (co-writer with Bernie Leadon) from Eagles "Tryin'" from Eagles "Certain Kind of Fool" (co-writer with Don Henley & Glenn Frey) from Desperado "Saturday Night" (co-writer with Don Henley, Glenn Frey & Bernie Leadon) from Desperado "Is It True" from On The Border "Too Many Hands" (co-writer with Don Felder) "Take It To The Limit" (co-writer with Don Henley & Glenn Frey) from One of These Nights "Try and Love Again" on Hotel California Eagles songs featuring Randy Meisner on lead or co-lead vocal "Most Of Us Are Sad" (written by Glenn Frey) from Eagles "Take the Devil" from Eagles "Tryin'" from Eagles "Certain Kind of Fool" (co-writer with Don Henley & Glenn Frey) from Desperado "Saturday Night" - lead vocal in the bridge ("She said tell me, oh tell me...") from Desperado "Midnight Flyer" (written by Paul Craft) from On The Border "On The Border" - lead vocal on the "Never mind your name" line of the bridge (written by Don Henley, Bernie Leadon & Glenn Frey) from On The Border "Is It True?" from On The Border "Too Many Hands" (co-writer with Don Felder) from One of These Nights "Take It To The Limit" (co-writer with Don Henley & Glenn Frey) from One of These Nights "Try and Love Again" on Hotel California

SteveJRogers Jan 06 2007 10:37 AM

="Centerfield"]The plane that crashed killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper was NOT named American Pie. Big Bopper was given the seat on that plane by Waylon Jennings.