Nuclear fried chicken

A once secret plan to build a nuclear landmine ‘run’ by live chickens has gone on public display for the first time at The National Archives, Kew, as part of the acclaimed Secret State Exhibition.

Conceived during the Cold War, the seven tonne device was the size of small truck and was designed to be buried or submerged by a British Army retreating from Soviet forces. The landmine had a plutonium core surrounded by high explosive and would have been detonated by remote control or timer, causing mass destruction and contamination over a wide area to prevent subsequent enemy occupation.

Scientists working on the project realised that the bomb could fail in winter if vital components become too cold, so they explored ways of keeping the inner workings warm. One proposal put forward consisted of filling the casing of the nuke with live chickens, who would give off sufficient heat, prior to suffocating or starving to death, to keep the delicate explosive mechanism from freezing. Despite the potential importance of chickens to the project, the mine was codenamed ‘Blue Peacock’.

The National Archives United Kingdom

Link via Dave Barry

Does anyone know …

if wedging a small screwdriver blade into the volume knob slot on my laptop — and leaving it there — is what Toshiba recommends to resolve the problem when one speaker keeps shorting out?

Best line of the day, so far

“[A] quiet, dark, air-conditioned house in which I didn’t even recognize loneliness as loneliness, it was so familiar to me.”

Jonathan Franzen in a nice piece in The New Yorker, “Countdown”

It’s at 10087.51

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 3000 for the first time just 14 years ago today (1991).

The Dow’s all time high was 11722.98 on January 14, 2000.

Dave Leitao’s new house

The under construction John Paul Jones Arena at The University of Virginia is running a cool $130 million. One man, a 1976 Virginia graduate named Jones, gave $35 million toward the costs. The full name is in honor of the donor’s father, not the naval hero.

The site linked above has all you’d want to know.

NewMexiKen’s oldest child is a graduate of UVa, which makes it one of my vicarious alma maters.

Dave Leitao is the new Virginia men’s basketball coach.

I’ve Been Everywhere Man

I was totin’ my pack along the dusty Winnemucca road
When along came a semi with a high and canvas covered load.
“If you’re going to Winnemucca, Mack, with me you can ride.”
And so I climbed into the cab and then I settled down inside.
He asked me if I’d seen a road with so much dust and sand.
And I said, “Listen, I’ve traveled every road in this here land.”

I’ve been everywhere.

Geoffrey Mack wrote this great song, originally for Hank Snow. Johnny Cash, heard in the current commercial, recorded it in 1996 for his album Unchained, backed by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

Thanks to Terry at Coyote’s Bark for reminding me I had been intending to post these lyrics. And thanks to Jill for the Johnny Cash track.

Benjamin Franklin …

died on this date in 1790. He was 84.

In his twenties Franklin had written an epitaph for himself:

By the age of 84 he wished for something simpler. The marble over his grave simply reads: Benjamin and Deborah Franklin.

Information from Walter Isaacson’s superb biography of Franklin.

Nikita Khrushchev …

was born on this date in in 1894. Khrushchev was Soviet Premier from 1954-1964. The New York Times has posted its lengthy obituary from 1971.

One of the more infamous moments at the United Nations took place when Khrushchev visited there in 1960 and reportedly banged his shoe on the desk in a protest. Or maybe he didn’t. Read what NewMexiKen reported a year ago about this incident.

33

Jennifer Garner turns 33 today, but more importantly, so does Emily, official younger daughter of NewMexiKen. Happy Birthday Emily!