Knot True

My five-year-old daughter was bragging today that she knew how to tie a triple knot on her shoes. However, she focuses so much and moves so slowly that the knots are completely ineffective. I informed her that only the French can effectively tie such knots. As everyone knows, their knot is called le noeud de tres-ques (literally, "the knot of three-what" - it's a French thing), though often the first bit is dropped, colloquially. Unfortunately, this means my daughter had tied a too loose le tres-ques.

Rockin' in the 'Burgh

Ray, the brother of Ronnie James Dio (of the band Dio), is himself something of a musical phenomenon. Ray moved to Pittsburgh in the mid-80s and became a successful disc jockey. His claim to fame was in creating a sound system that used the unique accoustics of the tunnels found in and around the city (Pittsburgh is known not only for its three rivers, but also for the valleys and hills created by those rivers). A number of tunnels had ceased operation for motorists, and Dio discovered he could rent them out for parties and events. These receptions became quite popular. Bill Blighe described the sound experience like this: "It was incredible. The music was literally coming off the walls. Ray would have the vocals bouncing from the ceiling, the bass streaming along one wall, the keyboards rolling along another. It was something to hear. And the light show that went with it...incredible!" Unfortunately, the light show was a source of trouble for motorists traveling nearby. A number of accidents occurred as drivers became distracted by lights and sounds exploding from the tunnels. Eventually, of course, this caused the downfall of the whole experience and soon the word went out. Everyone now knows: You can't get the Ray Dio reception in the tunnels.

Netherlands Nourishment

People in the United States think that Holland is only known for beautiful flowers and boys fingering dykes. In Europe, however, they are quickly becoming known for their hot breakfast cereal. Yet to be shipped to the US, their cereal has become so iconic that everyone from French business men to English housewives have been standing in line at grocery stores when they hear a shipment has come in. This has been going on for nearly a decade, and yet in people in America would have a very hard time understanding the popularity of Holland Oats.

Moe Howard, Entrepreneur

I recently dug up a fascinating bit of entrepreneurial news about the legendary Moe Howard. I'm sure the Three Stooges aren't thought of for their business savvy, usually, but Mister Howard, at least, knew how to work a trend.

Toward the end of the Great Depression, when many of the Hollywood elite were spending their money on ridiculous things, Moe Howard threw a lavish party. The theme for the event was, shockingly, the "Life of Hobos." Everyone came in patched clothing. Many had make-up artists create missing teeth or chin stubble. Norma Shearer reportedly wore a very realistic full beard. As a parting gift for the attendees, Howard had engraved Sterno-style tin cans made. They were fully functioning, and people found them to be a hoot.

In fact, people began contacting Howard for their own can. As it kept happening, he realized that a quick buck could be made. He contacted the company who'd fashioned the first set for him and set up a contract. They quickly couldn't keep up with the demand.

Like any flash-in-the-pan trend, however, their popularity faded. Mr. Howard was still in contract and buying out the remaining run seemed daunting. But then, an inspired idea occurred to him. He took out half-page ads in Variety and the New York Post, advertising that the manufacturing run was about to come to a close, and there would be an auction for the final production unit.

Popularity spiked again, and Howard sold every one of the tin cans, but on the last one, he made an extravagant amount of money, with an estimated high bid over $600, 000! At the time, it was the single highest bid ever made for a party favor.

This was quite a news story in the day. That's right. Everyone was talking about the last of the Moe heat cans.