Your Senate

Want to keep an eye on who voted for what? This is the place to watch.

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Magnets?

Large neodynium magnets can be dangerous

Dirk had an accident. Below is the X-ray showing his totally crushed finger tip. It took 1 1/2 hours of surgery to remove the shattered bones and repair the damage. Medically speaking, he crushed his right index finger distal phalange. The magnets had a 50 cm (20 inch) separation when they decided to fly together.

He is lucky that he only lost a finger tip as opposed to his whole hand. The block Neo below is about 4" by 2" by 2" N45 with a pull force of around 700 lbs (320 kg). The disk is about 3" dia. by 2 1/2" thick N45 with a pull force of about 400 lbs (180 kg). That is his fingernail and some of his finger tip caught between the magnets.

The victim explains:

They came to me from the USA in four different large cardboard boxes. Each magnet placed in the center of each box. Very careful packing ! I placed them in my own room (closed when I am not at home or in the room) around a 1 meter in diameter pouf. No direct contact.

That Sunday night I placed on of them a bit in line with one of the others but still within a safety distance (I thought) !!!

When I rotated the magnet the other raised it self upwards due to the same poles. I know that I thought (ooops ... take care) and before I knew it the one that raised itself upwards turned around and within a split second the two magnets collided to each other with the top-part of my finger between them. Due to the brutal force my finger was splashed and pushed out between the magnets leaving skin and my complete nail between the two magnets. The collision was so strong that on the carpet I found only some drops of blood spread around the magnets. Like you smash a hammer on a frikandel (is a Dutch snack, a sort of minced-meat hot dog)...

I appreciate that you will place my story with the pictures to warn others about the not known danger of these beautiful magnets

Best regards....... Dirk - The Netherlands

The manufacturer's warning:

THESE ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT TOYS AND CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS! KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN!
THESE MAGNETS CAN EASILY CRUSH FINGERS!
WE WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR INJURY OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY THESE POWERFUL MAGNETS.
THESE MAGNETS ARE SOLD TO ADULTS ONLY AND REQUIRE
AN ADULT SIGNATURE UPON DELIVERY.

If you really need unbelievably powerful magnets, here they are.
Uses include magnetic steering of nuclear particles in accelerators, levitation devices, magnetic beam amplifiers, scrap iron separators, etc.

Beware - you must think ahead when moving these magnets.

If carrying one into another room, carefully plan the route you will be taking. Sensitive instruments like computers & monitors will be affected in an entire room. Loose metallic objects and other magnets may become airborne and fly at great speed to attach themselves to these magnets. If you get caught in between the two, you can be severely injured. These magnets will crush bones in the blink of an eye.
Two of these magnets close together can create an almost unbelievable magnetic field that can be incredibly dangerous.
Of all the unique items we offer for sale, we consider these items the most dangerous of all. Our normal packing & shipping personnel refuse to package these magnets - our engineers have to do it. This is no joke or exaggeration - and we cannot stress it strongly enough. You must be extremely careful - and know what you're doing with these magnets.
Two Supermagnets can very easily get out of control, crush fingers and instantly break ribs or even your arm if opposing poles fly at each other.
A small child recently lost his hand when his father left two # 31 supermagnets unattended. The child picked one up and when he approached the other magnet on a nearby table,
it became airborne and obliterated his small hand.


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Old Time Radio Fans

OldTimeRadioFans.com:
We are happy to be able to offer hundreds of old time radio shows for free download. Once you download these free OTR shows you can then listen to them on your computer or copy them to a cd so you can listen anywhere!

We started this website out of a love for classic radio shows from the 30's, 40's and 50's. By offering free OTR downloads we can keep the innocent spirit of the golden age of radio alive in the new millennium! Some of our favorite old time radio shows include The Shadow, Amos & Andy, Fibber McGee & Molly, Sherlock Holmes and so many more!

All the old radio shows on this site are in MP3 format so you should have no trouble downloading and listening to them. We love to hear from other OTR fans so please send us email and let us know you think of the site, what your favorite old time radio show is, or just to say hi! Thanks for stopping by.

Old Time Radio Shows Listed By Category

Comedy - Amos and Andy | My Favorite Husband | Fibber McGee And Molly | Father Knows Best | Abbott & Costello | Baby Snooks Show | Our Miss Brooks | My Friend Irma | Bob Hope Show | Red Skelton | Cinnamon Bear | The Goldbergs | The Fred Allen Show | Ozzie And Harriet | Jack Benny | Lets Pretend

Drama - Lux Radio Theater | Campbell Playhouse | Mercury Theater On Air | Radio City Playhouse | Texaco Theater | Challenge Of The Yukon | Sears Mutual Radio Theater

Mystery / Thriller - Lights Out | Suspense | Escape | The Man Called X | The Unexpected | Beyond Midnight | The Whistler | Night Beat | Terry And The Pirates | CBS Radio Mystery Theater | The Whisperer | I Love A Mystery | Jack Armstrong

Science Fiction - 2000 Plus | Dimension X | X Minus One | Beyond Tomorrow | Flash Gordon | Superman

Western - Gunsmoke | Hopalong Cassidy | Death Valley Days | Have Gun Will Travel | Tales Of The Texas Rangers | Gene Autry Melody Ranch | Straight Arrow | The Lone Ranger

Detective Stories - The Adventures of Phillip Marlow | Sherlock Holmes | Charlie Chan | The Shadow | Blackstone The Magic Detective | Calling All Detectives | The Saint | Michael Shayne | Dragnet

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March Book Releases

'House Rules' by Jodi Picoult	'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' by Seth Grahame-Smith	'Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang' by Chelsea Handler	'The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls' by L. J. Smith
'Bite Me' by Christopher Moore	'Solar' by Ian McEwan

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Ian Skennerton: Enfield Specialist

Enfield rifles & carbines are Skennerton specialties. He has had an interesting life and a lot of experience with what he writes about.

Snider, Martini, Lee-Metford, Lee-Enfield, SMLE, No.4, No.5 Rifles are the main topic of this Australian author and historical arms specialist who commenced publishing in 1975.

Arms & Militaria Press International Arms & Militaria 'Collector' color magazine started in 1995. It covers British & Empire rifles, carbines & revolvers, swords & bayonets, machine guns and grenades. With over 100 self-authored publications to his credit, Ian is perhaps best known for the books 'Lee-Enfield Rifle', 'British Sniper', 'British & Commonwealth Bayonets' & 'Broad Arrow'.

His list of publications is pretty extensive:

Rifles, carbines & revolvers
Edged weapons
Machine guns & carbines
Grenades & S.A. ammunition
Small Arms ID Series
Handbooks
Reprints & Miscellanea

His website reeks of the Britain of the past and has many links to many news items related to British militaria.

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Deviant Art

DeviantArt: Where Art meets application! A community for artists and those devoted to art, including digital art, art prints, skin art, themes, wallpaper art, traditional art, film & animation, photography, Manga/Anime, game development art, literature, flash, poetry and prose.

IOW, Wallpaper Heaven! With over 11 million members, over 100 million submissions, and around 100,000 submissions per day there is a lot to look at. The founders said "It is our intention to create the most powerful outlet in the world for known and unknown artists alike."

They succeeded!

One caveat: If you download something here, be aware it MAY be illegal. There is no review of potential copyright and Creative Commons licensing violations when a work is submitted to DeviantArt, so such violations can remain unnoticed. Some members of the community have been the victims of abuse from disreputable vendors using artwork illegally on products and prints.

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The Catalogue of American Patented Antique Tools

The Catalogue of American Patented Antique Tools is intended to create a virtual catalog of the most spectacular American patented tools. Most of the tools shown are in the collections of the world's leading tool museums and private collections.

There are many gorgeous photos like this early carved bone handle chisel.

Some of the best tools may also be in YOUR collection, and they invite you to send in your tool information if you'd like one or more of your tools to be included on this site.

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Smokstak: Antique Gas Engines

Smokstak hosts an assortment of antique engine forums related to collecting, restoring and showing hit and miss engines*, vintage Diesels, steam engines, antique tractors, old generators, pumps, industrial antiques and collectibles.

There are thousands of old engine photos and hundreds of discussions about all types of engines and old iron topics. It is a world wide community with members of all ages from Australia, Europe, North America and other points across the globe.

The topics covered in the forums are pretty extensive: hit and miss engines*, unidentified engines, vintage diesel engines, hot air and stirling, early site archives, magazine articles, small gasoline engines, Maytag collectibles, farm + industrial antiques, garden tractors, scale model engineering, toy steam engines, oil field engines, antique marine engines, ebay auction forum, steam and traction, subscriber's photos, show & auction calendar, links to other sites, tractor + engine auctions, chain saw collectors, Youtube old iron videos, lugs + cleats + steel wheels, vintage tractor talk, trucks, trailers and hauling, alternative fuels, magneto ignitions, smoke, gas and flames, antique auto/truck engines, photo gallery, paint shop, shop talk, blacksmithing & metals, weld shop, generators and motors, old Kohler light plants, Onan power plants, Generac gensets, and military surplus mobile electric power.

*A hit-and-miss engine is a type of four-stroke internal combustion engine that was conceived in the late 1800s and was produced by various companies from the 1890s through approximately the 1930s. The name comes from the method of speed control that is implemented on these engines (as opposed to the "throttle governed" method of speed control). The sound made when the engine is running is a distinctive "POP whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh POP" as the engine fires and then coasts until the speed decreases and needs to fire again to maintain its average speed.

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Robert Bateman, Artist

Robert Bateman is my favorite wildlife artist. No one else even comes close to him.

Born in Toronto in 1930, Robert Bateman has been a keen artist and naturalist from his early days. He has always painted wildlife and nature, beginning with a representational style, moving through impressionism and cubism to abstract expressionism. In his early thirties he moved back to realism as a more suitable way to express the particularity of the planet. It is this style that has made him one of the foremost artists depicting the world of nature.

"Realism" is the word for his work. He has a touch for fur and feathers and a way of painting their textures that makes you want to reach out and touch them.

Art Country Canada carries many of his paintings, and a quick browse will give you a sampling of his work.

I have a few of his books, and would like to get more.

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Museum of the Rockies: Worth Visiting!

The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman houses the largest collection of dinosaur remains in the United States and possesses the largest Tyrannosaurus skull ever discovered as well as the thigh bone of a Tyrannosaurus Rex that contains soft-tissue remains.

Jack Horner, from Shelby, MT, is the Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies, which is an affiliate of the Smithsonian. He served as the technical advisor for all of the Jurassic Park films, and even served as partial inspiration for one of the lead characters, Dr. Alan Grant. Within the paleontological community, Horner is best known for his work on the cutting edge of dinosaur growth research.

Because of a number of geological factors, Montana is the Gobi Desert (the source of many important fossil finds, including the first dinosaur eggs) of North America, a place where the fossil record is close to the surface but not eroded away. The first fossils were collected here in the 1850's and the search continues on to today.

In 1855, Ferndinand Vanderveer Hayden led a geological expedition to the Judith River region of Montana and discovered the first dinosaur teeth from the western part of the United States.

Barnum Brown led an expedition to the Hell Creek Formation of Southeastern Montana in 1902 and discovered and excavated the first documented remains of Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The Hell Creek digs produced extravagant quantities of fossils, enough to fill up whole train cars. As was common practice back then Brown's crews used controlled blasts of dynamite to remove the tons of rock covering their fossil discoveries. Everything was moved with horse-drawn carriages and pure man-power.

Significant finds are still going on around the state, like Leonardo, found along the Judith River.

----------

The museum is not just about dinosaurs:

The museum's collection about the physical and cultural history of the Rocky Mountains and the people and animals who have lived there is extensive. Its permanent exhibits include: Enduring Peoples, which chronicles the life of American Indians on the Northern Plains and near the Rocky Mountains; History of the Northern Rocky Mountain Region, whose inhabitants included Native Americans, fur traders, gold seekers, and white settlers from frontier days through World War II; Living History Farm, which includes the Tinsley House where costumed interpreters demonstrate life in a turn-of-the-century home; and the Taylor Planetarium, a 40 ft, 104-seat domed theater.

The Museum of the Rockies Photo Archive is a preservation and research collection of historical photography from the Northern Rockies Region of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. The Archive collects and preserves photographs from the late 1860s to the 1980's that document the people, places, industry, and events of the region.

The Photo Archive collection contains over 80,000 photographs, including the complete archives of several local and regional photographers. Image formats and processes represented in the collection include: daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, numerous 19th and 20th century black and white print mediums, original negatives, and a small collection of motion picture film. Unfortunately, only a few are online.

Other exhibits in the museum include artifacts from Tutankhamun's tomb and works of art by Picasso.

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Lotsa Links I Like Lots

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John's Old Car Pictures

John's Old Car and Truck Pictures

With over 10,000 pictures on these pages you are sure to find something you like.

There are photos and information on many topics: Corvettes to Crosleys, Divcos to Dodges, Harleys to Humbers, Hinos to Hummers, with sections on Locomotives, Aircraft, Ads, Paintings, Models, Carvings, Customs, and other auto-related links.

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Teardrop Trailers

Two sites that cater to these little cuties are Teardrops, which covers the whole subject past and present, and Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers , which is geared toward home-built rigs.

Teardrop trailers, also known as teardrop camper trailers, are streamlined, compact, lightweight travel trailers, getting their name from the teardrop profile. They usually only have sleeping space for two adults and often have a basic kitchen in the rear.

Teardrop trailers first became popular in the 1930s and remained so until the mid 1960s when they disappeared from mainstream camping. However, in recent years teardrop trailers have made a resurgence and are again growing in popularity.

A teardrop trailer is generally small, ranging from 4 to 6 feet in width and 8 to 10 feet in length. They are usually from 4 to 5 feet in height. Wheels and tires are usually outside the body and are covered by fenders. Since teardrop trailers are so light, usually less than 1000 pounds, just about any vehicle can tow one and gas mileage is minimally affected.

There is room inside a teardrop trailer for two people to sleep as well as storage for clothes and other items. Outside, in the rear under a hatch, there is usually an area for cooking referred to as the galley. Teardrop trailers tend to have lighting and other electrical power supplied by battery, although some have mains power hookups like regular travel trailers.

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A Dollar's Worth, Then and Now

Two inflation calculators to compare dollar values of various years are here (1913 to 2009) and here (1800 to 2007). These are kind of fun if you compare the price of Great-grandfather's Model T to a Ford Focus, and depressing if you look at the wages you made in the 70's compared to what you make today.

This chart is calibrated for the value of a 1910 dollar and shows, roughly, the purchasing power of that dollar in other years. CPI = Consumer Price Index. You can access it and change the year values here.

year	CPI Avg	dollar value	inflation	history

1800	51.00	$0.549		--
1801	50.00	$0.560	-2
1802	43.00	$0.651	-14
1803	45.00	$0.622	4.7	Louisiana Purchase
1804	45.00	$0.622	0
1805	45.00	$0.622	0
1806	47.00	$0.596	4.4
1807	44.00	$0.636	-6.4
1808	48.00	$0.583	9.1
1809	47.00	$0.596	-2.1
1810	47.00	$0.596	0
1811	50.00	$0.560	6.4
1812	51.00	$0.549	2	War of 1812
1813	58.00	$0.483	13.7
1814	63.00	$0.444	8.6
1815	55.00	$0.509	-12.7	Napoleon defeated
1816	51.00	$0.549	-7.3
1817	48.00	$0.583	-5.9
1818	46.00	$0.609	-4.2
1819	46.00	$0.609	0
1820	42.00	$0.667	-8.7
1821	40.00	$0.700	-4.8
1822	40.00	$0.700	0
1823	36.00	$0.778	-10
1824	33.00	$0.848	-8.3
1825	34.00	$0.824	3
1826	34.00	$0.824	0
1827	34.00	$0.824	0	first railroad in U.S.
1828	33.00	$0.848	-2.9
1829	32.00	$0.875	-3
1830	32.00	$0.875	0
1831	32.00	$0.875	0
1832	30.00	$0.933	-6.3
1833	29.00	$0.966	-3.3
1834	30.00	$0.933	3.4
1835	31.00	$0.903	3.3
1836	33.00	$0.848	6.5	Colt's revolver
1837	34.00	$0.824	3
1838	32.00	$0.875	-5.9
1839	32.00	$0.875	0
1840	30.00	$0.933	-6.3
1841	31.00	$0.903	3.3
1842	29.00	$0.966	-6.5
1843	28.00	$1.000	-3.4
1844	28.00	$1.000	0
1845	28.00	$1.000	0
1846	27.00	$1.037	-3.6
1847	28.00	$1.000	3.7
1848	26.00	$1.077	-7.1
1849	25.00	$1.120	-3.8	California gold rush
1850	25.00	$1.120	0	end "little ice age" (~1350-1850) warm trend
1851	25.00	$1.120	0
1852	25.00	$1.120	0
1853	25.00	$1.120	0
1854	27.00	$1.037	8
1855	28.00	$1.000	3.7
1856	27.00	$1.037	-3.6
1857	28.00	$1.000	3.7
1858	26.00	$1.077	-7.1
1859	27.00	$1.037	3.8	Colorado gold rush
1860	27.00	$1.037	0
1861	27.00	$1.037	0	Civil War
1862	30.00	$0.933	11.1
1863	37.00	$0.757	23.3
1864	47.00	$0.596	27
1865	46.00	$0.609	-2.1	end Civil War
1866	44.00	$0.636	-4.3
1867	42.00	$0.667	-4.5
1868	40.00	$0.700	-4.8
1869	40.00	$0.700	0	Transcontinental Railroadcompleted
1870	38.00	$0.737	-5	Suez Canalcompleted
1871	36.00	$0.778	-5.3
1872	36.00	$0.778	0
1873	36.00	$0.778	0	"Long Depression" ~1873 -- ~1897
1874	34.00	$0.824	-5.6
1875	33.00	$0.848	-2.9
1876	32.00	$0.875	-3	A.G. Bell- telephone
1877	32.00	$0.875	0
1878	29.00	$0.966	-9.4
1879	28.00	$1.000	-3.4
1880	29.00	$0.966	3.6
1881	29.00	$0.966	0
1882	29.00	$0.966	0
1883	28.00	$1.000	-3.4
1884	27.00	$1.037	-3.6
1885	27.00	$1.037	0
1886	27.00	$1.037	0	gasoline automobilesin Europe
1887	27.00	$1.037	0
1888	27.00	$1.037	0
1889	27.00	$1.037	0
1890	27.00	$1.037	0
1891	27.00	$1.037	0
1892	27.00	$1.037	0
1893	27.00	$1.037	0
1894	26.00	$1.077	-3.7
1895	25.00	$1.120	-3.8	Marconi-- telegraph
1896	25.00	$1.120	0	Klondike gold rush; penicillin
1897	25.00	$1.120	0
1898	25.00	$1.120	0	end Spanish-American War
1899	25.00	$1.120	0
1900	25.00	$1.120	0
1901	25.00	$1.120	0
1902	26.00	$1.077	4	Oldsmobileproduction line
1903	27.00	$1.037	3.8
1904	27.00	$1.037	0
1905	27.00	$1.037	0
1906	27.00	$1.037	0
1907	28.00	$1.000	3.7
1908	27.00	$1.037	-3.6
1909	27.00	$1.037	0
1910	28.00	$1.000	3.7	Fordproductionline
1911	28.00	$1.000	0
1912	29.00	$0.966	3.6
1913	29.70	$0.943	2.4
1914	30.10	$0.930	1.3	WW-Ibegins
1915	30.40	$0.921	1
1916	32.70	$0.856	7.6
1917	38.40	$0.729	17.4	U.S. entersWW-I
1918	45.10	$0.621	17.4	end WW-I; influenza epidemic
1919	51.80	$0.541	14.9	influenza epidemic-- ( epidemic list)
1920	60.00	$0.467	15.8	recession
1921	53.60	$0.522	-10.7
1922	50.20	$0.558	-6.3
1923	51.10	$0.548	1.8
1924	51.20	$0.547	0.2
1925	52.50	$0.533	2.5
1926	53.00	$0.528	1
1927	52.00	$0.538	-1.9
1928	51.30	$0.546	-1.3
1929	51.30	$0.546	0	Great Depression-- through 1930's
1930	50.00	$0.560	-2.5
1931	45.60	$0.614	-8.8
1932	40.90	$0.685	-10.3	New Deal
1933	38.80	$0.722	-5.1	Third Reich
1934	40.10	$0.698	3.4
1935	41.10	$0.681	2.5
1936	41.50	$0.675	1
1937	43.00	$0.651	3.6	recession
1938	42.20	$0.664	-1.9
1939	41.60	$0.673	-1.4	invasion of Poland- WW-II
1940	42.00	$0.667	1
1941	44.10	$0.635	5	Pearl Harbor- U.S. in WW-II
1942	48.80	$0.574	10.7	baby boom (~1940 - 1957)
1943	51.80	$0.541	6.1
1944	52.70	$0.531	1.7
1945	53.90	$0.519	2.3	end WW-II
1946	58.50	$0.479	8.5	ENIAC -- computer
1947	66.90	$0.419	14.4
1948	72.10	$0.388	7.8
1949	71.40	$0.392	-1
1950	72.10	$0.388	1	Korean War
1951	77.80	$0.360	7.9
1952	79.50	$0.352	2.2
1953	80.10	$0.350	0.8	end Korean War
1954	80.50	$0.348	0.5
1955	80.20	$0.349	-0.4
1956	81.40	$0.344	1.5
1957	84.30	$0.332	3.6	baby boompeak
1958	86.60	$0.323	2.7	U.S. space programbegins
1959	87.30	$0.321	0.8	Integrated Circuit; Vietnam war
1960	88.70	$0.316	1.6
1961	89.60	$0.313	1
1962	90.60	$0.309	1.1
1963	91.70	$0.305	1.2
1964	92.90	$0.301	1.3
1965	94.50	$0.296	1.7
1966	97.20	$0.288	2.9
1967	100.00	$0.280	2.9
1968	104.20	$0.269	4.2
1969	109.80	$0.255	5.4
1970	116.30	$0.241	5.9
1971	121.30	$0.231	4.3
1972	125.30	$0.223	3.3
1973	133.10	$0.210	6.2	Arab oil embargo
1974	147.70	$0.190	11
1975	161.20	$0.174	9.1	personal computer; end Vietnam war
1976	170.50	$0.164	5.8
1977	181.50	$0.154	6.5
1978	195.40	$0.143	7.7
1979	217.40	$0.129	11.3	oil crisis-- Iranian revolution
1980	246.80	$0.113	13.5
1981	272.40	$0.103	10.4
1982	289.10	$0.097	6.1
1983	298.40	$0.094	3.2
1984	311.10	$0.090	4.3
1985	322.20	$0.087	3.6
1986	328.40	$0.085	1.8
1987	340.40	$0.082	3.6
1988	354.30	$0.079	4.1
1989	371.30	$0.075	4.8	Berlin Wall falls
1990	391.40	$0.072	5.4
1991	408.00	$0.069	4.2	USSR dissolved; Persian Gulf War
1992	420.30	$0.067	3
1993	432.70	$0.065	3
1994	444.00	$0.063	2.2
1995	456.50	$0.061	2.8
1996	469.90	$0.060	2.9
1997	480.80	$0.058	2.3
1998	488.30	$0.057	1.6
1999	499.10	$0.056	2.2
2000	515.80	$0.054	3.4
2001	530.10	$0.053	2.8	9-11 -- [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]
2002	538.80	$0.052	1.6
2003	551.10	$0.051	2.3	Invasion of Iraq
2004	565.80	$0.049	2.7	oil price increases
2005*	584.90	$0.048	3.4

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