The pastry chef, Seaman First Class Henry Bunders, had been given specific orders: “make a cake that is like a nuclear explosion.” He’d been able to recreate the effect of the mushroom cloud using some stiff cardboard, fondant, and liberal … Continue reading →
Continue readingAuthor: flickr-pics
mark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: The Beard Wars, an Oral History
“Captain Chiggerson, can you hear me? Captain?” “I can hear you! I’m blind not deaf.” “Sorry Captain, but you didn’t seem to be responding,” the historian asked. He was a young man, and was frankly shocked by the Captain’s long … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: The League of Peculiar Gentlemen: The Americans
Not to be outdone by their British compatriots, the North American members of the League of Peculiar Gentlemen were also able to strap strange things to their faces. Perhaps the most famous of the trio, is Larry “The Monocle” Zimmerman, … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Have spare change — will travel
Spare Change, a photo by jrtce1 on Flickr. NASA’s latest funding model was not as successful as they hoped. Alltop keeps getting wooden nickels.
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: The dream of flight
It seemed impossible, but it was happening. Glen was flying! The geese had flown higher and higher, above the clouds, so he could now take in the glorious early morning sunlight — Glen guessed about eight or nine-thousand feet. It … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: The Encounter
Dolores had the sudden intimation that the peyote breakfast milkshake was probably a mistake. Alltop drinks your milkshake. The Encounter, a photo by Modest Janicki (Modest and Jill) on Flickr.
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: A Merchant Banker Returns to the Farm
After the financial collapse of 2013, the Ancient Order of Merchant Bankers fell on hard times. No longer could they turn a profit using the dark magic of derivative and credit-default swaps, plus many of the “financial instruments” they had … Continue reading →
Continue reading