Repairing Underground Power Cables Is Nearly Impossible

In 1989, this story about an underground electrical transmission line spread across the early internet like wildfire. It had a big impact on me as a kid, and I wanted to share it with you! I think the Scattergood-Olympic transmission line is probably LA's most famous power line, although it has now been replaced with a more modern line since 2018.

β€œCoon Chicken Inn” in β€œBurgers in Blackface” on Manifold @uminnpress

β€œCoon Chicken Inn” in β€œBurgers in Blackface” on Manifold @uminnpress

THE COON CHICKEN INN was founded in 1925 in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Maxon and Adelaide Graham. Its namesake was the large grinning face of a Black man that formed the establishment’s entrance. The Inn served a fairly pedestrian menu including oysters, ham and eggs, burgers, chili, sandwiches, and desserts, but its signature dish was Coon Fried Chicken, which came in several forms.

I am thinking about getting rid of the 35s on my truck πŸ›»

I am thinking about getting rid of the 35s on my truck πŸ›»

I was thinking about switching back to the old rims on my truck when I get new tires. I believe that I can run stock rims and tires with the lift kit and fortunately I saved the old wheels at the 31 1/2 inch spare. I almost sold the stock wheels but then I got busy and never got around to selling them. Sometimes being a hoarder helps.

I do need to confirm this is possible from the BDS instructions but I believe it is. The stock 31 1/2 inch tires are 3 inches smaller than the 35s (technically 34 1/2 inch) which means that the truck would ride 1 1/2 lower but the savings would be over $500 and the truck would get better gas mileage, acceleration, breaking and there would be a lot less wear to the suspension components like the ball joints, tie rods and wheel bearings.

Plus if I put the stock wheels and tires on, then I can go to Joe’s Discount Tire Shop and get discount tires. Not cheap ones but decent stock tires that are much more affordable than the 35s. Some kind of basic AT tire that will give me half a dozen years of reliable service.

It really is an attractive idea to me.

I like the Rockstar wheels and they are in good shape. I think they’re kind of cool. I want to save them for a future truck, especially if I get a three quarter ton truck and want better clearance and nicer looking wheels than stock. If I take off the Rockstars I can store them somewhere for future use.
Big Red is great but he’s ten years old and getting long in the tooth. By the time the West Virginia vacation is over, he will have 100,000 miles on him and I really doubt I’ll get the full life out of new tires before the time comes for replacement. I figure realistically I have two or three years left of useful, reliable life left on Big Red before I have to bite the bullet and get a new truck.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the look of the Rockstars and the big tires. The pointy stars are cool on each wheel, and the wide track helps with traction off road. But I hate to loose them when I junk my truck in a few years, and it would probably save a lot of money to go back stock.

I’ll miss not seeing the Rockstars on my truck but truth be told my truck is rapidly becoming an old clunker having been through ten winters with harsh deicing chemicals, and twice to the body shop for repairs.

World’s Largest Nipper Statue – Albany, New York – Atlas Obscura

World’s Largest Nipper Statue – Albany, New York – Atlas Obscura

Sitting atop a storage building in the North End neighborhood of Albany, New York, is a four-ton, 28-foot tall steel and fiberglass statue of Nipper, the canine mascot of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the now-defunct consumer electronics behemoth.

According to the Albany Institute of History and Art, Nipper came to be perched atop the crenellated parapet in 1958 following renovation of the dilapidated concrete warehouse for use by RTA Corporation, an appliance distributor specializing in products by RCA. The statue was made in Chicago, shipped in five sections by rail, and attached to a metal frame on the roof with the aid of a 10-story crane.