Metallurgy For Boys

Sure, the title of this post is sexist; decidedly-so.  Because this really cool toy was a product of the 1930s; consequently, its target market was young boys.  Although a metallurgical-inclined female would naturally be drawn to it too.

The A.C. Gilbert Kaster Kit  (the same company the brought the world the Erector Set, Home Chemistry Sets and an Atomic Energy Laboratory) produced a Toy That Made Toys allowing children to melt lead alloys at more than 600F and pour the molten metal into various molds to fashion toy figures.  

Yup, a hands-on setup that included a small electric furnace, a collection of molds for casting military and sports figurines and specialty items like whistles.  Accessories included a cutter for removing excess lead, a tweezers for handling and lead-based paints for custom decorating.   Everything you needed to learn hands-on casting technology. 

And you thought 3D printing was a contemporary technology.  HA!

By today's standards, the danger of severe and disfiguring burns and lead toxicity singularly made this wildly-popular plaything one of the most dangerous toys ever sold.  Which has certainly caught my attention for never having had the opportunity to have a chance at this.

Which also makes it quite sought-after by collectors of vintage toys.  Naturally, condition and completeness figure significantly in pricing.

Blowing a lead whistle.  Who knew? 

Compulsion

The primary diagnostic source for psychologists and psychiatrists is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).  The current revised text editions is the DSM-5-TR, and is published by the American Psychiatric Association.  Known both here and abroad, it is the standard reference for the classifying and diagnosing of mental disorders.

While I majored in psychology as an undergrad a million years ago I'm not suggesting I have even the slightest capacity to diagnose even a quirk in personality, much less a serious psychosocial disorder.  Nevertheless , in case you have been wondering lately about what's going on here at the blog; there is this....

 

March Astronomy - Blood Moon

The full moon for the month of March is frequently called the Full Worm Moon.  The backstory is because of the earthworms that wriggle out of the ground as the earth begins to thaw in March.  As a consequence some Native American Tribes referred to it as the Worm Moon and the return of robins to feast on the emerging worms.

The fact of the matter is that Northern tribes would not have embraced this name for the March moon as there were no earthworms. A Southern tribe maybe – but certainly not a Northern tribe.

Historically, earthworms did not exist in the northern reaches of continental North America. The ice sheets of the last glaciation wiped them out. All of the earthworms and night crawlers we see nowadays were introduced by European colonists – brought here in plant root balls and soil used as ship ballast. That’s right – earthworms are an invasive species.  But I digress.

Northern American tribes such as the Shawnee tribe know this as the Sap Moon - a reminder for the tribes that they can begin tapping maple trees for the making of syrup.

In general, March’s full moon is known as a herald for the beginning of spring and new agricultural cycles. The European settlers referred to this as the Lenten Moon and as a way to measure the progress of their crops. They called it the Storm Moon if the weather was inclement – an indicator their crops might fail. Under ideal growing conditions they called it the Rugged Moon – a sign of a successful harvest that year.

One of its other names is the Chaste Moon, symbolizing the purity of early spring. The Pueblo tribe named it the Moon When the Leaves Break Forth, The Cree called it the Goose Moon, while in Shoshone culture it was known as the Warming Moon. The Ojibwa called it the the Crows Come Back Moon, after the crows and other birds that appear as winter draws to a close.  It is also called the Crust Moon, because of the snow that becomes crusty when it thaws in the sun and freezes in the moonlight.

The moon will be at its fullest tomorrow evening although to the casual observer it will appear full this evening.

There's a bonus this year; a total lunar eclipse.  This full moon will pass directly through the Earth's umbral shadow producing a total lunar eclipse visible to about 2.5 billion people (a third of the world population) across North America, Australia, New Zealand East Asia and the Pacific.  At my latitude the action will unfold around 3:50 AM Tuesday morning with the first "bite" out of the moon beginning.  Totality will commence at 5:04 AM and at maximum eclipse, 5:33 AM, the moon will be fully in the earth's shadow and it will appear reddened - a Blood Moon.  Totality will end at 6:02 AM and, depending-upon your precise location, the moon will set around 6:26 - 6:33 AM.  

Viewing Tips:  Look toward the west/northwest and find a clear, unobstructed view of the western horizon as the moon will be very low in the sky at totality.  If you live in the city, Newport State Park is designated as a 'Dark Sky Park' and a prime viewing location.  If you live in flyover country like me you'll likely have near-optimal viewing conditions.  Lastly, this is a lunar eclipse and no special eye protection is needed.  If  you have a pair of binoculars or a telescope - use them.

Fingers-crossed for clear, early morning skies...

Fact or Fantasy?

As a major voice in the American Libertarian movement the Cato Institute focuses primarily on policy analyses and independent research of contemporary topics including subject matter related to foreign policy, regulations, taxes and libertarian-influenced public advocacy.  

 

Naturally, over the last decade most anyone I'm acquainted-with who previously self-identified as libertarian have, for the most part, gone full-on MAGA.  Any of the remaining few diehard libertarians have gone underground or silent. Either way you slice it none of them are engaged in any meaningful dialogue with me anymore.  Which is too bad.  Productive dialogue lost and in some instances friendships broken is a waste.  I'm not sure how to fix or repair that condition; or if it is even worth the effort.  Time will tell and apologies for the digression.  

 

The purpose of this post is to discuss a recently-published commentary from the Cato Institute titled:  Trump's $18 Trillion Fantasy.  This article also appeared in The Dispatch on February 19, 2026 immediately preceding the recent groundbreaking SCOTUS tariff ruling.  You'll find it linked more than once in the post and I encourage you to read it at your leisure.  What follows is a summary of Cato's critique of White House claims that tariff policies have secured more than $18 trillion of new investment in the United States. 

 

They've performed yeoman's work in producing this commentary and hopefully this summary will tweak your interest in rolling-up your sleeves and engaging in some cognitive dissonance.

 

The key criticism from Cato is that a purported $18 trillion in new investment into our economy claimed by the White House is unsubstantiated and doesn't hold-up under scrutiny.  Trump's hyperbole and puffery is famous; and Cato describes the figure alternately as fantasy or a hoax correctly pointing-out that the number is nearly as large as the entire GDP of China.  Lacking any published evidence from the departments of Commerce or Treasury, or the Federal Reserve the real number, whatever it may be, is naturally much, much smaller.

 

The White House lists 132 'deals' totaling approximately $9.6 trillion; the lion's share of that doesn't come close to meeting the definition of 'new investment'.  Significantly, this figure includes previously-announced or planned technology ventures, routine and on-going business expenditures, orders already in the pipeline and vague promises lacking any enforcement mechanism.  The later are basically a verbal IOU with a promise of 'we'll see'.  

 

Foreign 'deals' are even sketchier as most of the 'pledges' lack even the creditworthiness of a verbal IOU as they come from countries unable to afford them anyway; or the respective government lacks any authority to dictate private business investment.  Previous pledges to purchase military aircraft and equipment or those that come with an implied Trumpian threat of a 'protection racket' do not count.

 

In my own view much of this is political theater intended to pacify Trump's mercurial tendencies before the Supreme Court brought-down the hammer on inconsistent acts provoked by one sole personality. 

 

On tariffs alone, Trump's claim of a manufacturing boom doesn't jibe with the continued decline of direct investment in American manufacturing which, in reality, has been falling and is continuing to fall uninterrupted.  Sure, tariffs may induce some domestic investment through protectionism; nevertheless, this comes at the cost of higher prices for business and consumers.  The math doesn't work.

 

Cato's concludes that the $18 trillion figure is a politically-motivated exaggeration used to justify a flawed and inexplicably contorted obsession with a high tariff regime that is lacking any basis in recorded economic data or accounting.

 

But don't take my word for it.  Read the the commentary in its entirety and draw your own conclusions about how much of it is fact or fantasy.

 

We've been to this rodeo before. 

 

 

Raising An Eyebrow

This is both strange but true.

The Eyebrow Auto Brake—a car braking system operated by the driver’s eyebrows—featured in Popular Mechanics magazine, 1965.

It is not a real safety system.  Rather, it is a tongue-in-cheek illustration of a car that braked when the driver raised their eyebrows.  The idea played on the notion that drivers instinctively widen their eyes (and lift eyebrows) in moments of surprise or danger.  Sensors were humorously depicted as detecting eyebrow movement and triggering the brakes.

Mid-1960s Popular Mechanics occasionally published April-Fools-style concepts and speculative futurism.  Naturally,these columns appeared during an era when:  Power brakes were still not universal, seat belts were controversial and real automated safety systems were a figment of most people's imagination.

Fast forward to today - six decades later - and safety technology commonly found in today's vehicles.  Including but not limited to:

Seat and shoulder belts, anti-lock brakes, airbags, crumple zones with passenger cabin safety cages, traction control, rear-view camera, adaptive cruise control, speed limit recognition, automatic high beams, electronic stability control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors - including autonomous parking, automatic reverse braking, lane departure warning and lane-keeping assistance, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, intersection collision detection with evasive steering assist and 360 degree camera systems.

And let's not forget the eyebrows; there is driver attention and drowsiness monitoring too.  If my eyes wander for only a second too long my daily drive issues a visual and audible warning.  Don't think about this very hard - this technology is going to keep older drivers on the road; longer and safer than ever before.

Popular Mechanics may have been pulling someone's leg in 1965 yet they were prescient. 

Friday Fish Fry

‘Tis the Lenten Season. Yet, just because it is Lent is not to imply starvation. 

It is Friday. And in the Roman Catholic tradition of the Christian faith there is a fish fry.  Wild-caught pickerel (walleye) from our friendly neighbors north of the border. 

The secret is a light brining of the fillets, a dusting of seasoned Wondra flour, dip in egg wash and Panko crumbs.

Fry in hot canola oil, turn only once. 

Pretty good chow if you can get it.

By the way. See how light it is at quarter of 6?  Daylight savings is only a little more than a week away.

Friday Music

 

Written in 1969 by John Lennon and credited to both Lennon and McCartney this tune covers the events surrounding the wedding of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

It was the Beatles' 17th Number One hit in the UK and their last for 54 years until Now and Then in 2023.  

Meanwhile in the US it was banned by some radio stations as a consequence of the lyric's reference to Christ and crucifixion.

The single peaked at Number Eight on the US Billboard Hot 100.  And it was the first single by the Beatles to be released in stereo.

This is a really fun cover record at John Lennon's Memorial at Central Park, NYC, October 9, 2022.

The Ballad of John and Yoko...