Lippard.Multics 1985-11-12 13:53:36 mst Tue Subject: Book Review Date: Tuesday, 12 November 1985 12:36 mst From: Charlie Spitzer To: {mbx >udd>m>jjl>misc>misc} Sender: JimDay:PASA:Xerox Date: 6 Nov 85 08:36:46 PST (Wednesday) Subject: REVIEW: Curiosa From: JimDay To: Books^:X Title: Felton & Fowler's Best, Worst & Most Unusual Author: Felton, Bruce and Mark Fowler Publisher: Gramercy Publishing Co. Date: 1984 Bruce Felton is the managing editor of RCA's corporate magazine, COMMUNICATE, and Mark Fowler is a free-lance writer. Their book is a collection of the best, worst, and most unusual of almost everything. A few excerpts follow. Worst Editing of a Film: A movie theater manager in South Korea decided that the running time of The Sound of Music was too long, so he shortened it by cutting out all the songs. Most Unusual Film Rating: In 1970, Boston newspapers ran an advertisement for the Walt Disney movie Peter Pan. The ad gave it an "R" rating. Most Unusual Traffic Fine: If you run a stop sign in Fargo, South Dakota, it'll cost you a $25 fine or a pint of blood. The choice is yours. Most Unusual Cannon: The Canadian National Research Council has come up with a pneumatic cannon capable of firing dead chickens at speeds of up to 620 miles per hour. It will accommodate either the standard caliber four-pound chicken for testing aircraft windshields, or the larger eight-pound bird for testing tail assemblies. Best Protection Against Obscene Phone Calls: Telident, Inc. has developed a device that makes it a snap to trace calls. It consists of a box attached to the receiving telephone and provides a digital readout of the caller's phone number and area code. Most Unusual Toothpaste: A California dentist has developed Doggy-Dent, a beef-flavored toothpaste for dogs. Best Beer: A panel of tasters assembled by the Consumer's Union in 1969 judged Coors and Miller's High Life to be among the very best. Those who doubt that beer is a serious subject might ponder its effect on American history. For example, New England's first colonists decided to drop anchor at Plymouth Rock instead of continuing on to Virginia because, as one of them put it, "We could not now take time for further consideration, our victuals being spent and especially our beer." Most Unusual Restaurant: The only restaurant catering exclusively to dogs and cats is the Animal Gourmet, on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The menu includes such delicacies as shrimp cocktail, braised chicken livers, poached filet of fish, and beef Wellington. Meals are served at small tables with white tablecloths. The Animal Gourmet also caters birthday parties for pets. Most Unusual Campsite: The world's first hi-rise campground will soon be built in downtown New Orleans. Campers will park their cars on the eight lower floors of the building and take an elevator to the 240 campsites on the upper twelve stories. Each campsite will be equipped with electrical connections and carpeted with astroturf. Most Unusual Motel Chain: At American Pet Motels, Inc., a nationwide chain based in Chicago, dogs and cats sleep in brass beds in private rooms carpeted with wall-to-wall astroturf. Most Unusual Summer Camp: Margaretsville, New York is the site of Campo Lindo, the nation's only summer camp for dogs. The camp offers a balanced diet and a full program of summer fun activities. Most Unusual Hotel: Hotel La Parra is located off the coast of Spain and boasts a truly unique view, since the entire hotel is 49 feet underwater. Getting there is half the fun, as there are no boats serving the hotel. Guests must swim there, with their gear sealed in waterproof bags. La Parra can accommodate up to twelve guests at a time and is said to be quite comfortable.