From the wiki, Peppermint Patty.

Peppermint Patty's closest friend, Marcie, calls her "Sir". It is never revealed whether this eccentric habit, dating to Marcie's first appearance in the strip in 1971, is the result of misguided manners, poor eyesight, or some other reason.

a mildly eccentric fellow?

>> ^lucky760:

9 : 5
10 : 6
11 : 5
9 : 5 (or 10 : 5)
This is a website, not an SAT exam. A channel subdomain name should simply convey the general idea and do so succinctly.
If the idea of the channel is to be focused on teachers, students, classrooms, and the educational system, school is well-suited.

strlennification! I guess that means channels like Documentaries, Shortfilms, Catsanddogs, Controversy, Conspiracy, all red-headed step children now.

I'm just being cranky about channel names being inconsistent. Calling it "school" is actually a clever choice in keeping with Videosift's tradition. I just think that tradition has led to the channel list becoming quite a mess.

My point isn't to make using channels more like an SAT test, my point was to make it easier for people to categorize videos into channels. Succinctness is as much about clarity as it is about brevity, and the way to bring clarity would be to actually name channels after the category of information they're meant to contain, and not after nouns associated with the category.

People familiar with our site's eccentricities will know that we often name channels that way, but would people unfamiliar with the site intuitively understand that they need to look in the school channel for educational videos like this?

You'd also wind up with random videos that have nothing to do with education going there, like say a video of a school being demolished, or a video of Donald Trump demanding to see Barack Obama's diploma...

I'm just giving my opinion, and I fully confess to being needlessly cranky about it, but it's not like what I'm saying here is crazy talk. The word school is not synonymous with education, and it's not like education is some fancy shmancy 14-syllable word that only eggheaded people like me would understand...

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Well how about the free pass that Bay gets to make the same rock-m-sock-em robot movie over and over. God, if I never see another Transformer again in my life I'll be happy.

I've *at least* mildly enjoyed every Shymalan flick I've seen. (although I have not seen the Airbender movie) My point is that a lot of Directors get a free ride. I wouldn't say that Shymalan is one of them. In fact he seems to be mercilessly mocked and ridiculed. Probably because he puts himself out there - and comparing himself to Hitchcock doesn't help. He's eccentric - and I like him.
>> ^smooman:

>> ^dag:
I'm with you on this one. I would prefer to watch the worst Shymalan movie over the best Michael Bay flick. Somehow Bay gets a free-ride for his CGI splooge fests. At least M. Night's movies focus on story over special effects. And also - Sixth Sense was a sensational movie - he gets a lot of credit from me for that one. >> ^shponglefan:
I don't get all the Shyamalan hate. I've seen almost everything he's made (starting with Sixth Sense up to and including The Happening), and imho he hasn't really made a bad movie. The problem seems to be he made a really good one (Sixth Sense) and has been living in its shadow ever since.


while i dont contest your points on michael bay (but really tho, someone has to make the dumbed down, cgi porn, movies that will appease the average movie goer) couldnt one argue that shyalaman was more or less given a free pass to shill out essentially the same movie in a different package over and over and over again. he makes sixth sense, its a smashing success, he's hailed as among the best new filmmakers at the time, everyone and their mom wants to finance his next movie....i dont see a difference

Will the eccentric witch also be evil, as she's voiced by an English actress?

Occultist, demon worshipper, and follower of Aliester Crowley..in his own words:

GW) There was always a certain amount of speculation about your occult studies. It may have been subtle, but you weren’t really hiding it.

(Page) I was living it. That’s all there is to it. It was my life - that fusion of magick and music.

(GW) Your use of symbols was very advanced. The sigil [symbols of occult powers] on Led Zeppelin IV and the embroidery on your stage clothes from that time period are good examples on how you left your mark on popular culture. It’s something that major corporations are aggressively pursuing these days: using symbols as a from of branding.

(Page) You mean talismanic magick? Yes, I knew what I was doing. There’s no point in saying much about it, because the more you discuss it, the more eccentric you appear to be. But the fact is - as far as I was concerned - it was working, so I used it. But it’s really no different than people who wear ribbons around their wrists: it’s a talismanic approach to something. Well let me amend that: it’s not exactly the same thing, but it is in the same realm. I’ll leave this subject by saying the four musical elements of Led Zeppelin making a fifth is magick into itself. That’s the alchemical process.

Niiiice...
In reply to this comment by geo321:
Since you're one of the handful that appreciates dubstep here's something random...

12th Planet Live at Ultra Music Festival 2011 from Motion Eccentricá on Vimeo.

Since you're one of the handful that appreciates dubstep here's something random...

12th Planet Live at Ultra Music Festival 2011 from Motion Eccentricá on Vimeo.

Don't worry Baratunde, in the media and to the rest of America, Trump has gone from this odd eccentric rich guy who says crazy shit to get ratings to an absolute tool. He is laughed at by the press and his credibility and the respect of his piers has become nil.

In the racial overtones of the entire thing, I do agree and every single prominent republican who supported birtherism if even with such simple words 'I take him at his word' will not only suffer in their next elections but also in the respect of their fellow Americans. For today there isn't a single person in the country who doesn't know that at its heart, racism has reared its ugly head and far to many a man and women in public office all but put their stamp of approval upon it.

That said I believe the heart of this entire debacle isn't racism, but rather that Republicans are frightened. Their consistences are frightened. The future is bleak for the republican party as their base continues to shrink and the number of those who vote democratically continues to rise. This isn't the end of this issue and if Barack Obama is reelected, something similar will certainly appear again. Just remember that the republicans can be blamed only so far as their fear will drive them to irrationality.

>> ^ctrlaltbleach:

Another Texas sifter! Im actually less than an hour from the festival myself and I hardly ever go but always plan a trip in my head. You think there would be a lot of dirt about the eccentric owner on the web who fancies himself king of the area and supposedly he lives in a castle. I don't know how much of that is hearsay but eh whatev.


You should make it out there this year. It is a must see/do experience. Over 50 acres of things to do and see. Live jousting, music, magic, animal shows (the falcon show is awesome), things for kids, lots of beer and cleavage, great fair food (smoked turkey legs are a must), even live blacksmithing and glassblowing. There are a lot of people dressed up in period garb and everyone is generally pleasant. It can get crowded and if there is any rain there is mud galore, but it really is a trip back in time.

You may even catch a medieval wedding in the old chapel or the royal procession making its way through the streets, fake king and queen with a full court in tow.

My wife got "abducted" by barbarians one year. They just grabbed her and threw her over their shoulder. I had to "fight" a big, shirtless barbarian with two-handed swords to get her back. Random, but very fun.

Another Texas sifter! Im actually less than an hour from the festival myself and I hardly ever go but always plan a trip in my head. You think there would be a lot of dirt about the eccentric owner on the web who fancies himself king of the area and supposedly he lives in a castle. I don't know how much of that is hearsay but eh whatev.
>> ^Hive13:

The Texas Ren Fair is one of the coolest experiences. I have gone every year for the last 15 years at least.
It is only about 2 hours from my house.

>> ^dannym3141:

>> ^AeroMechanical:
As a related note, someone told me that a hydrogen atom is similar in relative scale to the solar system, with the sun being the nucleus and the earth being the electron. I dunno if that's right or not, but it's pretty cool anyways. Maybe Pluto was the electron. Back when it was still a planet.

That interested me.. if you're interested;
Accepted radius of a proton (nucleus of hydrogen) is 0.88 10^-15 m
Radius of sun = 6.96 10^8 m
Divide radius of sun by radius of proton to give how many times bigger the sun is than the proton = 7.91 10^23
Radius of an orbiting electron = 0.0529 10^-9 m
Multiply orbital radius of electron by our scale factor = 4.2 10^13 m.
We're 1.4 10^11 m away from the sun (that's the value of an astronomical unit, it's as good as you can ask for when talking about orbital radius, cos it's not a circle). So it's out by a factor of 300ish. (cos i rounded here and there)
Pluto's orbit is very eccentric (more elliptical than circular), but at its closest, it's about 4.4 10^12 m away from the sun. Out by a factor of 10 there. Or getting close to a factor of 5 at its furthest. Getting close, but still a pretty big difference.
^ all subject to change when (not if) i notice i've dropped a clanger

A factor of 300 is actually not that bad when you're talking about such big numbers.

>> ^AeroMechanical:

As a related note, someone told me that a hydrogen atom is similar in relative scale to the solar system, with the sun being the nucleus and the earth being the electron. I dunno if that's right or not, but it's pretty cool anyways. Maybe Pluto was the electron. Back when it was still a planet.


That interested me.. if you're interested;
Accepted radius of a proton (nucleus of hydrogen) is 0.88*10^-15 m
Radius of sun = 6.96*10^8 m
Divide radius of sun by radius of proton to give how many times bigger the sun is than the proton = 7.91*10^23

Radius of an orbiting electron = 0.0529*10^-9 m
Multiply orbital radius of electron by our scale factor = 4.2*10^13 m.

We're 1.4*10^11 m away from the sun (that's the value of an astronomical unit, it's as good as you can ask for when talking about orbital radius, cos it's not a circle). So it's out by a factor of 300ish. (cos i rounded here and there)

Pluto's orbit is very eccentric (more elliptical than circular), but at its closest, it's about 4.4*10^12 m away from the sun. Out by a factor of 10 there. Or getting close to a factor of 5 at its furthest. Getting close, but still a pretty big difference.

^ all subject to change when (not if) i notice i've dropped a clanger

Wow. Even on the sift you're debating distance from the sun. Distance from the sun, whether it results from the tilt of the earth's axis (the north pole is less than 5000km closer to the sun in summer) or the eccentricity of the earth's elliptical orbit (the earth itself is 5 million km closer to the sun in January than July), is immaterial. The tilt of the axis results in variations in the angle of incidence at which the sun's energy strikes the earth resulting in variations in the intensity of that energy on any given point on the earth's surface. It also affects the thickness of the amount of atmosphere that the sun's energy must pass through. The tilt also varies the length of the day. More daytime hours in a 24 hour period means more energy absorbed from the sun, more nighttime hours means more energy radiated back into space.

That being said I don't find it particularly disturbing that a bunch of arts grads, even from Harvard, might give these answers. I asked this question of my two daughters. The artist talked about distance from the sun and the MoSc in molecular genetics talked about axial tilt.

>> ^deathcow:

Is this from a single episode?


Absolutely:

Season 2, Episode 18: A Walsh Family Christmas
Original Air Date—19 December 1991
Steve arrives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and tracks down his grandfather, Al Brown, a diner owner. Al explains that his daughter gave up Steve because she was very young and wanted him to have a good home. He sadly reveals that Karen Brown died in a car accident many years ago. Steve leaves flowers at her grave, and convinces an eccentric Santa-like charter pilot to fly him home for Christmas. Back in California, Cindy is depressed about her first Christmas in Beverly Hills. She invites the kids' friends and their families for Christmas Eve dinner, but everyone has other plans. Brandon visits Emily in a psychiatric hospital, where she is doing very well. Meanwhile, Brenda begins work at an upscale clothing store. A mysterious old man steals a Santa Claus suit from Nat at the Peach Pit, and later shows up at the boutique store where Brenda works. She feels bad when her brass boss throws out the cheerful old man. After work, Brenda stops the police from harassing the old derelict wearing the Santa suite and invites him over for dinner, much to the wariness of Jim and Cindy. Also, Dylan goes to see his father in prison, and talks with the same Santa. Elsewhere, Kelly's mother, Jackie, is furious when David's father, Mel, backs out of Christmas Eve plans because his estranged wife asked him to come over with David. Samantha, Kelly, Jackie, Andrea, David, Mel, Donna, Dylan, and Steve all show up at the Walsh house for dinner and caroling. The old man in the Santa suite gives everyone presents and describes his lonely life: his children are grown and his wife died a year earlier. He thanks Brenda for her kindness and generosity, then mysteriously disappears as footsteps are heard on the roof.