Meme Scholar with Madness (PhD)

[EndtheMadnessNow]

March 18, 1937: The New London School explosion caused by a natural gas leak that destroyed the London School in New London, Texas. An estimated 294 children fell victim to the worst school tragedy in American history. The tragic event is the third-deadliest disaster in the history of Texas, after the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the 1947 Texas City epic non-nuclear disaster.


In the mid-1930s, despite the ongoing Great Depression, the school district in New London, Texas (formerly known as London) was one of the richest in the United States thanks to big oil discovery in 1930.

When the school was built in 1932, it was built on sloping ground from 3 FT. to 6 FT and containing some 64,000 CU. FT. of dead air space. The school board had overridden the original architect's plans for a boiler and steam distribution system, instead opting to install 72 gas heaters throughout the building. The plans were never adapted to install proper ventilation in the basement area which contained all gas piping and electrical lines.

Walter Cronkite also found himself in New London on one of his first assignments for United Press International.  Although Cronkite went on to cover World War II and the Nuremberg trials, he was quoted as saying decades later, "I did nothing in my studies nor in my life to prepare me for a story of the magnitude of that New London tragedy, nor has any story since that awful day equaled it."

President Roosevelt orders United States to give all aid, no matter the cost to the world's wealthiest rural school.


Adolf Hitler paid his respects in the form of a telegram, a copy of which is on display at the London Museum. Don't know what the demographics were in this tiny east Texas town or county in 1937, but going to assume Hitler was interested in the OIL.

New London School Explosion

Despite the tragic horror event, and early death toll headlines of 1937, nobody to date at least in print knows the exact number of deaths. The fatality toll from 1937 newspapers vary wildly. I spent a ridiculous amount of time researching this tragedy and nowhere is a confirmed number of deaths specified anywhere. The general consensus is 293-294. Stories from the late 30's through the 1940s have frequent remarks by survivors and witnesses that the tragedy shall not be spoken about due to fear of traumatizing a family victim. In a tiny town I can understand but the school attendance was ~1200, meaning the entire county plus neighboring counties.


The New London School Disaster Photos

A sobering 2.5 minute Universal Newsreel from March 20, 1937 states 425 children died.

Wiki page on the explosion states an estimated 294 killed

New London, Texas states "270 children and 24 adults" killed.

A 2009 documentary, "When Even Angels Wept" states 293 students died.

Disasters Of The Century | Season 4 | Episode 6 | New London School Explosion states "killed more than 295 students and teachers".



The school name was changed to West Rusk High School in 1965. Two memorial plaques, one at the cemetery reads 293 students and teachers were killed. The memorial plaque at the new school built in 1939 on the same property reads, "an estimated 296 students and teachers."

Amazing back then they built a whole new school on the same property in about 2 years despite major new building safety protocols mandated and obvious long term trauma. Definitely an ultra wealthy school district judging by the photos taken in 2006. Knowing what happened on this spot 89 years ago would feel creepy haunting and depressing to me.


Scientific Blueprint for Atomic Survival - Illustrations from LIFE magazine, March 18, 1957:




March 18, 1957: "In Phoenix or anywhere else in the U.S., it was hard to detect much worry about falling last week. The week’s two long-awaited banner-headline events, Israel’s pullback from Gaza and Sharm el Sheikh, and congressional approval of the Eisenhower Doctrine, brought no deep, nationwide sighs of relief because few Americans ever really got tensed up much about either issue. The economy showed scattered patches of anemia—layoffs in the home-appliances industry in Ohio, four-day weeks in West Coast plywood mills—but even people in the patches seemed confident of its basic health."

"The U.S. seemed to feel that peace, however fitful, and prosperity, however spotted, would last. And with that mood prevailing, reported TIME correspondents across the nation, Americans were devoting their time, their energies and their conversation primarily to affairs domestic and local." In the New Normalcy, a tolerance of twitches and twinges.

MIDDLE EAST: Mother Goose & Propaganda

"In Mother Goose’s story of bringing home the bacon, the cat, as soon as it got its saucer of milk, began to kill the rat, which began to gnaw the rope, which began to hang the butcher, who began to kill the ox, which began to drink the water, which began to quench the fire, which began to burn the stick, which began to beat the dog, which began to bite the little pig—which then in fright jumped over the stile so that the old woman brought it home from market that night after all."

"It was not possible to bring home the bacon in the Middle East last week, but when the Arab cat tasted the milk of Israeli withdrawal, the process at least got started. The Syrians let the Iraq Petroleum Co. start repairing the pipeline pumping stations which Syrian soldiers blew up during the Suez-Sinai invasion last November. In ten days, by laying temporary pipes around the blasted stations, the oil company plans to begin pumping oil at 44% capacity—enough to replace nearly all of the crude oil that Western Europe has had to buy from the U.S. since the Suez landings."




Like I've said before, if you monitor too long the situation, the situation will also monitor you.





Someone's version of the Harlem Shake—a tribute to Don Luis Buñuel, and also to all the Simons of the world who don't want to dance it.
A remix version from the 1965 surrealist film Simon of the Desert, directed by Luis Buñuel, depicting a tense interaction in a modern dance club where the character Simon tries to resist temptation. The film explores the surreal conflict between religious asceticism and modern temptations.


I'm getting Fawn Hall flashbacks...


United States v. BCCI HOLDINGS (LUXEMBOURG), S.A. Notice of Attorney Appearance

25 years is a long time for a case to remain on active docket without any status updates.

As you might recall, BCCI was the giant international bank shut down in 1991 for massive fraud, drug/arms money laundering, and ties to covert ops. The U.S. forfeited over $1.2B in assets here, mostly distributed to victims by the mid-90s; the case has been dormant since around 2001.


I don't believe it. There's no way a full .07% would be suicidal enough to vote against!!!


https://x.com/Currentreport1/status/2034002694755811570


Deploy one of your new carriers to the other side of the planet for 10 months and then we can talk. Until then, piss off commie...


Reminder: this is PRC state propaganda that’s never acknowledged that one of IT’s new platforms apparently sank at the frickin’ pier.


Not again?!

Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years

Well, we’ve renamed one USNS auxiliary ship (the former Harvey Milk now named USNS Oscar V. Peterson (T-AO-206)) that used to be named after a guy who had a predilection for underage boys, so… how much longer will we keep USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14)? We live in stranger revealing times as Chavez was always against ILLEGAL immigrants. He was pro American workers and beat the living shit out of illegal border crossers with bike chains. The guy had issues.