REMINDERS FOR WHEN YOU ARE IN NEED OF COMFORT _ Thanks to the internet, we have these reminders from Gabriel Hanotaux, French minister of foreign affairs from 1894 to 1895:
• Anything can happen.
• Everything is forgotten.
• Every difficulty can be overcome.
• No one understands anything.
• If everyone knew what everyone said about everyone, no one would speak to anyone.
• Above all things, never be afraid. The enemy who forces you to retreat is himself afraid of you at that very moment.
WHERE TO GO IF THERE’S A ZOMBIE OUTBREAK _ What if a zombie outbreak were to strike US shores? If that happens, East Coasters should head west ASAP. That recommendation was from Cornell University researchers, who modeled the statistical mechanics of zombies. The researchers used a number of techniques that are used when modeling real diseases, and the abstract ends with this dismal line: “We build up to a full scale simulation of an outbreak in the United States, and discover that for ‘realistic’ parameters, we are largely doomed.”
… A grad student involved in the research said those who want to remain safe from the undead for as long as they can should head to the northern Rockies. He explained that while books and movies typically show an outbreak touching all corners of the country immediately, and major cities could be toast within days, less populated areas could be unaffected for weeks — and the northern Mountain Time Zone could be safe for months.
TAYLOR AND THE GUARDIANS DOMINATE CASSETTE SALES _ Of the 436,400 cassette albums sold in the United States last year, one act was responsible for 74,500. Care to guess who it was? If you said Taylor Swift you are right. The second top act is the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack compilations, which remain top-sellers a decade after the first film actually came out. Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 was the top-selling cassette last year, with 18,000 sales; Vol. 2 moved 16,000 copies, and Vol. 3 moved 13,000. The Guardians sold a total of 52,500 cassettes last year.
