Neatorama

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• Saving Sergeant Niland
• Baby Penguin Has a Glove for a Mother
• Who Forgot About Dre: Pretty Much the Best Flowchart Ever
• Consider... Pee-Wee Herman
• 441 Drops of Water
• Hello Kitty Tentacle Chandelier
• Gulliver's Kingdom Japan, Failed Amusement Park
• A Visit to New York City's Library of Magic
• Frankenhorn: the Flamethrowing Trombone
• Cinder Block Planter
• Great Gays Out of the Closet Mug
• Where Prisoners Can Do Anything They Want, Except Leave
• Kid's Room with LEGO Walls
• Pistol Gate Latch
• Modular Typographical Bookcase

Saving Sergeant Niland Posted: 06 Jun 2011 05:03 AM PDT The following is an article from the book Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Salutes the Armed Forces. It was selected to run today on the 67th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Normandy, also known as D-day. “The boy’s alive and we’re going to send someone to save him…and we’re going to get him the hell out of there.” -from Saving Private Ryan FACT OR FICTION? In 1998 Saving Private Ryan gave moviegoers an infantryman’s view of the 1944 invasion of Normandy on D-day. The film follows Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and the survivors of his unit as they battle their way onto Omaha Beach. Then, instead of getting a hoped-for rest, they get another dangerous assignment -to go behind enemy lines and find a missing soldier, Private James Ryan (Matt Damon). Private Ryan’s three brothers have all recently died in combat and, in accordance with War Office policy, the last living son must return home alive to his family. Private Ryan must be “saved.” Directed by Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan won five Academy Awards and the admiration of World War II veterans who said the movie faithfully depicted their experiences. The film renewed interest in the men who fought at Normandy, but filmgoers also wanted to know of there was a real-life Private Ryan. THE REAL PRIVATE RYAN Sergeant Frederick "Fritz" Niland The fictional Private Ryan was inspired by Sergeant Frederick “Fritz” Niland -a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division and 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. Just after midnight on D-day, June 6, 1944, a plane dropped Sergeant Niland into France. He was supposed to land near the city of Carentan, but -like Private Ryan- got “lost” when his plane was hit by enemy fire and he had to jump miles away from his target. Fritz, 24, was born in Tonawanda, New York, the youngest of four brothers, from oldest to youngest, Edward, Preston, Robert, and Fritz. Their mother Augusta “Gussie” Niland, later recalled that the brothers had always been best of friends. They graduated from Tonawanda High School and attended local colleges, but they were all attracted to military service. Their father had been a Rough Rider with Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War, and they grew up listening to his war tales. By spring 1944, they were all overseas: Robert was a mortar sergeant in the 82nd Airborne, Preston was a lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Division, and Edward was flying B-25s for the Army Air Force in the Pacific. Robert, Preston, and Fritz were all stationed in England, waiting for the invasion of Europe. But 1944 didn’t go well for them. On May 20, Edward’s plane was shot down over the jungles of Burma. On June 6, Robert parachuted into France and was killed in heavy fighting at the village of Neuville-au-Plain. The following day, Preston, who’d landed at Utah Beach, died while defending the wounded. And Fritz, of course, was “lost” somewhere behind enemy lines. Edward, Preston, Robert, and Frederick Niland. THE TELEGRAMS ARRIVE In Saving Private Ryan, one of the women in the military’s secretary pool is typing condolence letters to parents of dead soldiers when she notices that three letters are all going to the same name and address. She brings the matter to the attention of her commanding officer, and the order goes out to search for Private Ryan. On D-day, Gussie later said, she was thinking how glad she was that Edward was far from Normandy’s fierce fighting; then the telegram came with the news about his plane crash stating that he was presumed dead. On June 21, another War Office telegram arrived, this one about Preston’s death, followed two days later by one about Robert. The courier who delivered the telegrams begged not to be sent back to deliver the second and third telegrams. Within the space of a few weeks, the Nilands were grieving for three sons lost to the war. Father Sampson In Spielberg’s film, Private Ryan knows nothing of his brothers’ fates until Captain Miller finds him. Fritz, separated from his unit, also knew nothing of his family’s pain. When he regrouped with Company H, he got the news about Edward’s plane being shot down. Then Robert’s company commander found the grieving sergeant and told him that his brother Robert had been killed and was buried at a cemetery in the French village of Sainte-Mère-Église. Stunned by the loss of two brothers, Fritz sought out the company chaplain, Father Sampson, and asked for a ride to Robert’s grave. New cemeteries had been hastily created for the Allied dead. Fritz and Father Sampson searched the village but were unable to find Robert’s grave. They tried another cemetery, and when Father Sampson saw Preston Niland’s grave, he thought that the wrong name had been recorded in error and showed it to Fritz. The distraught young man said, “Father Sampson, Preston is my brother, too.” Eventually they found Robert’s grave, and Fritz realized he’d lost all three brothers. LOST BANDS OF BROTHERS What about the film’s premise that the War Department would send a soldier home after his siblings had died in battle? Many people believed that the United States had a law forbidding families to serve on the same ship or in the same military unit -a myth repeated in the movie. In fact, no such law existed. Instead, the War Department adopted the “sole survivor” policy. If a soldier or sailor’s siblings were killed, he was not allowed to serve in combat zones. After Father Sampson brought Fritz back from the cemetery, he filled out paperwork to notify the Army that Fritz was the Niland family’s sole survivor and had to be sent home. THE ONLY BROTHERS I HAVE LEFT When Captain Miller finally finds Private Ryan, the young man is defending a bridge from the Nazi’s and refuses to leave his post. He explains that he’s with “the only brothers I have left …I wouldn’t desert them.” Private Ryan could have been speaking for Fritz Niland, who refused to leave his fellow soldiers, insisting, “I’m staying here with my boys.” Determined to avenge his brother’ deaths, Fritz managed to remain on the front lines until August, when he was finally ordered to return stateside. He served out the rest of the war as an MP, always longing to get back to Company H. He would later say that it took an edict from President Roosevelt to get him to leave the front. In a miraculous turn of events, Edward, presumed dead, came home in May 1945 after nearly a year in a Japanese prison camp. Though happy to have Edward back, Fritz never fully got over the deaths of Robert and Preston. Fritz’s daughters were invited to see the premiere of Saving Private Ryan, but their father never got to see it; Fritz Niland died of a heart attack in 1983. __________ The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Salutes the Armed Forces. Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts. If you like Neatorama, you’ll love the Bathroom Reader Institute’s books – go ahead and check ‘em out!

Baby Penguin Has a Glove for a Mother Posted: 05 Jun 2011 11:17 PM PDT A macaroni penguin chick is being trained to recognize a black rubber glove as its mother. The egg was abandoned after one of the parents became ill; because it takes two to incubate a penguin egg, it was left unattended until keepers at Living Coasts in Torquay, Devon, decided to raise it themselves. So, naturally, they fashioned a mother penguin out of a glove, some red paint and yellow cord. In order to hand rear the chick, keepers are wearing a home-made penguin glove puppet during its feeds to stop it from becoming used to humans. The puppet is made from a black rubber industrial glove decorated with red eyes and yellow plumes to mimic an adult macaroni penguin. Exhibit manager Clare Rugg said: ”This way contact is kept to a minimum – yes, the chick will hear and see keepers, but it will also see the glove which has the shape and colour of an adult penguin.” Senior keeper Lois Rowell said: ”We don’t mind the chick becoming familiar with us so long as it knows it’s a macaroni penguin and recognises what one looks like, hence the glove.” The chick is fed through a syringe by a handler wearing the glove, and a recording of macaroni penguins plays to familiarize the chick with others in its group. Link

Who Forgot About Dre: Pretty Much the Best Flowchart Ever Posted: 05 Jun 2011 08:11 PM PDT Maybe the best flowchart I’ve ever seen. I’ve cropped it to hide a couple of explicit words, but if you’re not offended by an F-Bomb or two, be sure to check out the whole thing over at Pop Chart Lab. Link via GoFugYourself

Consider... Pee-Wee Herman Posted: 05 Jun 2011 07:55 PM PDT Photo link Remember those ads actress Melissa Leo did in the weeks leading up to the Oscars asking members of the Academy to consider her for the little gold man? Well, it’s back – but this time it’s Pee-Wee Herman preening by a pool in a faux-fur coat. The pitch-perfect spoof is a little reminder that alter ego Paul Reubens’ Pee-Wee HBO special is up for an Emmy. Link

441 Drops of Water Posted: 05 Jun 2011 07:37 PM PDT (Vimeo link) Twenty-one rows of 21 drops of water are dispensed through an automated pipette onto a specially-textured omniphobic material to create a grid of tiny water spheres. When the water evaporates, the process begins again. Designed by Pe Lang, “Positioning Systems I – Falling Objects” is on display at Galerie Mario Mazzoli in Berlin. Link via Reddit

Hello Kitty Tentacle Chandelier Posted: 05 Jun 2011 05:55 PM PDT I can’t imagine a better focal point for a tasteful dining room! Adam Wallacavage, noted for his tentacled chandeliers, made this Hello Kitty variant. It was featured in a themed art show hosted by Sanrio, the company that owns Hello Kitty. Art Show Link -via Hello Kitty Hell | Artist’s Website | Photo: Sanrio

Gulliver's Kingdom Japan, Failed Amusement Park Posted: 05 Jun 2011 03:25 PM PDT Failed amusement parks somehow seem sadder than most other abandoned places. They evoke ghostly memories of children’s laughter, aromas of delicious indulgent foods and the joy of wild rides. Gulliver’s Kingdom, based on Jonathan Swift’s story, sits in the shadow of Mount Fuji in Japan. It opened in 1997 with great optimism that it would help stimulate the local economy but closed its doors for the last time 10 years later. Although it is located in a tourist area it is also next to Aokigahara, Japan's "suicide forest", a suicide location second only to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Creepier still it also borders on the location of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult's headquarters and nerve gas production facility. The cult released the nerve gas sarin on the Tokyo subway system in 1995, killing 12 and injuring 3,800. In the end Gulliver’s Kingdom  just wasn’t big enough to be “big in Japan”. Nothing remains of Gulliver's Kingdom today but a rough concrete scar, and even this basic foundation is gradually being subsumed by dirt, dust and windblown sand. Was it all a dream? Perhaps it was… and if any lessons can be learned by Gulliver's Kingdom's rise, fall and disappearance it's that if one must dream, at least dream big. Link

A Visit to New York City's Library of Magic Posted: 05 Jun 2011 01:57 PM PDT (Video Link) The Conjuring Arts Resource Center on Manhattan has a 12,000-volume library of books about performance magic, including some rare items dating back to the Fifteenth Century: The library also maintains an extensive collection of manuscripts of magic methods, some dating back to the 15th century. Included in this collection is a rare, unpublished manuscript by Marion Spielmann, the only known student of the great card master Charlier. Conjuring Arts also has an interesting collection of letters including correspondence between Hugard, Braue and Fleming, as well as a great selection of Ed Marlo letters. For those interested in the recorded dialogues of the magic community, the library has a magic periodical collection, some published as far back as the 18th century. Complete collections of The Sphinx, Genii, MUM and other major and minor periodicals are also available. Bill Kalush invites you to visit — if you can find it. Link ~via The Mary Sue

Frankenhorn: the Flamethrowing Trombone Posted: 05 Jun 2011 12:58 PM PDT (Watch on YouTube) The best way to make something more awesome is to add fire, I think. The flame reaches 21 feet and the trombone–which still plays–can be heard from two blocks away. The only thing that could have made this video better is a little bit of “Smoke on the Water”. And more cowbell. Link via Gizmodo

Cinder Block Planter Posted: 05 Jun 2011 12:38 PM PDT Annette Guttierez made a cheap and simple but elegant planter for a patio using cinder blocks. Here’s how she did it: The wall was built with 12″ cinder blocks (the kind you would use to build a column) and we used Liquid nails to hold them together because I didn’t want grout lines and also it gave us more flexibility. In fact in order to make bottoms for the blocks that are sticking forward, we cut pieces of cinder block to fit the inside and then liquid nailed them in. We love liquid nails. Link ~via Dude Craft | Photo: Potted

Great Gays Out of the Closet Mug Posted: 05 Jun 2011 09:57 AM PDT Great Gays Out of The Closet Mug – $10.95 With the Great Gays Out of the Closet mug from the NeatoShop and a little hot water you can watch 14 famous gays bravely emerge from the closet.  There has never been a  prouder or more outrageous coffee mug.  Who knew a morning coffee break could be so inspiring. Be sure to check out all the fabulous Mugs available at the NeatoShop! Link

Where Prisoners Can Do Anything They Want, Except Leave Posted: 05 Jun 2011 09:56 AM PDT Available: free lodging with frequent bikini parties, drugs, and guns. All you have to do, is get caught smuggling into Venezuela. Welcome to the infamous San Antonio Prison on Margarita Island, where the inmates run the show and prisoners can do anything, except leave: On the outside, the San Antonio prison on Margarita Island looks like any other Venezuelan penitentiary. Soldiers in green fatigues stand at its gates. Sharpshooters squint from watchtowers. Guards cast menacing glances at visitors before searching them at the entrance. But once inside, the prison for more than 2,000 Venezuelans and foreigners held largely for drug trafficking looks more like a Hugh Hefner-inspired fleshpot than a stockade for toughened smugglers. Bikini-clad female visitors frolic under the Caribbean sun in an outdoor pool. Marijuana smoke flavors the air. Reggaetón booms from a club filled with grinding couples. Paintings of the Playboy logo adorn the pool hall. Inmates and their guests jostle to place bets at the prison’s raucous cockfighting arena. “The Venezuelan prisoners here run the show, and that makes life inside a bit easier for us all,” said Fernando Acosta, 58, a Mexican pilot jailed since 2007. Simon Romero of The New York Times has the story: Link (Photo: Meridith Kohut)

Kid's Room with LEGO Walls Posted: 05 Jun 2011 09:54 AM PDT What did YOU do to decorate your kid’s bedroom? HGTV presents 10-themed bedrooms for kids that will make you feel like an inadequate parent. This one is admittedly cool: the LEGO-covered room by Lena Seow, Vrinda Khanna and Suzan Wines of I-Beam Design: LEGO boards cover a wall of this room, from floor to ceiling. "Children can build with or against gravity," says Wines, adding that the child’s ability to impact the basic architecture of the play area by building on the wall is a large part of the appeal. "Everything a child builds becomes an integral part of the play-space architecture until a new construction is made," she says. The room also features small cube-shaped pillows, adding to the building adventure. "Kids can build their own environments to play in and on," Wines says. Link via ohdeeoh

Pistol Gate Latch Posted: 05 Jun 2011 09:50 AM PDT This is an old M1911 handgun turned into a gate latch! Richard Mann spotted it at Gunsite, a private marksmanship school in Arizona. Link via Everyday, No Days Off

Modular Typographical Bookcase Posted: 05 Jun 2011 08:33 AM PDT Eva Alessandrini and Roberto Saporiti of the Italian design house Saporiti made this modular bookcase that looks like it’s made out of letters. What other appropriate phases could you make with these blocks? Link | Firm Website

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