Something definitely fishy here

Chances are that at some point in our lives, many of us have been caregivers to a few goldfish swimming around in a bowl. They do offer some visual entertainment, although limited, floating around in circles or going through decorative fish accessories, spitting out stones and related activities. As is the case with all living creatures, the specie can acquire ailments that affect their survival. - not that they live long in a bowl anyway... But I digress.

A goldfish aficionado living in Norfolk, England, who was obviously very attached to his pet - pet name not supplied - noticed that his fish was ailing. Tropical fish can acquire a large variety of illnesses including the very common ich, fungal ailments and a whole host of other syndromes. Some are treatable while others fatal, resulting in the commonly held one-flush-toilet funeral. Cheap but effective. But I digress - again.

Rather than send the fish for that final big trip through the sewer pipes, the owner took his fish to a veterinarian for an assessment and cure. The diagnosis was - wait for it - the fish was constipated. Thinking further, one wonders how the veterinarian came to this conclusion since a physical examination wasn't possible. I mean, one can't palpate a fish to reach a prognosis. Maybe through an X-ray...Go know. Moving right along...

In any case, the conclusion reached was that there was a lump in the fish's anus requiring intervention that included anaesthetised water (am I really writing this?) to remove the blockage. The bill in the end in the true sense of the word, was £300. All's well that ends well but upon evaluation, £300 would buy a lot of goldfish if you get my drift.

Here is a photo of the now un-constipated fish: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-30655444

Talk about fish brain...

Yet another fish story with a happy ending. Seems that George, a goldfish living in Australia, has recovered swimmingly (couldn't resist using that word) from an operation to remove a life-threatening brain tumor on top of his head. It was reported to be a high risk operation and given that George was ten years old, one has to wonder the practicality of surgery for the senior fish, especially since the operation cost $125. So let's see now...goldfish cost $5 each divided into $125... The owner was given the choice of operating or putting the fish to sleep. The fish is expected to live another 10 years.

Here is a photo of George: http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-george-the-goldfish-has-high-risk-brain-surgery-2014-9  My philosophy in as far as distinguishing goldfish is once you've seen one, you've seen them all.

Fishy go walkies?

I dunno. There are inventions that really help mankind and then there those that make one utter, "huh?" or "say what?"

A design firm in the Netherlands has created, would you believe, a prototype smart fish tank that travels on wheels, enabling a fish to take a walk...or swim a walk. So this leads one - me - to wonder the rationale behind taking a pet fish for a walk, anyway. Given the danger of encountering fish lovers like cats for example whose relationship with fish is limited to that of a food snack, perhaps the fish walker idea should be confined to indoor trips. Further thought (too much time on my hands) - did anybody think as to whether fish want to be taken for walks? Maybe they would prefer to stay in one place and watch the world go by.

Here is a clip for people who might be interested in finding out more about the fish walker:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27241688

Last but not least - a shrimp work out

There are always scientific studies being conducted with the focus being to learn or improve the human condition. Many are funded by grants as is this one focusing on studying the effect of shrimp and crabs on treadmills. I mean, go figure that shrimp required exercise and even more surprising, on a treadmill no less. One would surmise that walking on the ocean bottom would offer some type of workout. Anywaaaay.... according to the researchers behind the study, there's more to it than a mere treadmill workout.

The shrimp treadmill was created out of spare parts with the idea behind it being to study how recent changes in the oceans could potentially affect the ability of marine organisms to fight infections. Given that the shrimp catching is a multi-million dollar industry, this could be a reason for conducting the study. Then again, really can't see how watching shrimp do their thing on a treadmill can help the experiment. Just thinking...I wonder if the workout develops shrimps swimmerets, which they use to get around.

For those interested, here is a video of shrimp on a treadmill accompanied by an explanation following the video as to the reason and rationale for the research. Whatever...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3QoEBSqfok

To quote Herbert Hoover: All men are equal before fish.

 

 

Still more stories that make you say, "huh?"

It's always amazing the interesting stuff one finds while conducting a daily Internet check-in. These are the stories that might be missed by your everyday cyber surfer given the eclectic subject matter. You know - cheese races, interesting scientific experiments, animal artists...that stuff.

Speaking or writing about animal artists, as a person who has taken up painting in the last few years, it's difficult to sell one's artistic output to say the least. Given the competition out there, sales are few and far between at best. However, there's no horsing around for some people - and this term is used loosely- when it comes to selling their art work or art output.

Take for example, artist, Metro Meteor, who used to spend his working days at a race track. The 10 year old never placed a bet in his life but in his former vocation as a thoroughbred bay, made his money racing around a track in Maryland. However, afflicted with bad knees and following his retirement in 2009, he took to relaxing by taking brush in hand, or in the horse's case, to mouth, and is turning out canvases that are being bought by the public. Just what we artists need: more competition.

After being adopted by artist, Ron Krajewski, he decided to give the horse painting lessons to spend more time with him. The rest as they say, is history and in just four short months, Metro is the best-selling artist at Gallery 30, a small shop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

According to the story, the horse's paintings created by swinging his (Metro's) head, feature "colorful, sweeping brush strokes, complete with specks of sawdust. As an aside and case anybody reading this is interested, my artistic output also has lots of color, interesting brush strokes but no saw dust. Maybe one should consider buying saw dust to add that extra something to one's paintings...

The proverbial icing on the cake is that Metro's output has a waiting list of 120 people waiting to buy his larger paintings measuring 20x20" that sell for $850 at the gallery, while the smaller 5x7" cut-down versions go for $80.  Half of Metro’s earnings to New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, a charity that seeks homes and rehabilitation for retired racehorses. The owner of Gallery 30 donates a portion of Metro’s profits to a local animal shelter - a nice gesture.

As a celebrity horse, Metro now makes appearances on network TV and has also received requests for endorsements. One wonders how he signs his canvases. One hoof or two...


Moving right along...

For whatever reason, money-saving move springs to mind or just to be different, O'Hare Airport in Chicago, has hired 25 goats to keep 120 acres of airport grass, nice and mowed, or at least mowed, anyway. The goats will arrive and set to their task in a month focusing on hard-to-mow embankments and areas with dense brush. To ensure the job is done properly, a shepherd will watch the flock to avoid runway run-ins. There is no mention of flute accompaniment. Just thought I'd throw that in.

It's a win-win situation with the goat contract worth $20,000 through to the end of 2014, cheaper than using machine lawnmowers. The goats are also happy one presumes, since they are owned by restaurant, "The Butcher and the Burger." Goat burgers aren't on the menu.

And finally...

Most turkeys - the animal type - live out their lives (as short as they may be) on a farm and then there are some, for whatever reason - get their directions mixed up. A couple living in Brookline, Massachusetts, were taken aback when a turkey crashed through their window. A police officer arrived and managed to coax the turkey out of the house through a window. This leads one - me - to ponder what means were used to coax said turkey to leave the premises. Perhaps the turkey was bribed with corn or food.

Although the turkey lost a small amount of blood, it wasn't worse for wear.

This once again leads one - moi - to reflect upon the issue whether turkeys can fly. I mean, how did the turkey under discussion crash through a double-paned window? Out of curiosity, went on a Web search to seek an answer once and for all and came across some interesting turkey-related stats. if anybody is interested. This is an important issue for some people, readers!

According to the site, "Information Please":

- Domesticated turkeys cannot fly. Wild turkeys, however, can fly for short distances at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. They can also reach speeds of 25 miles per hour on the ground.

- Turkeys sometimes spend the night in trees.

- Turkeys can have heart attacks: turkeys in fields near the Air Force test areas over which the sound barrier was broken were known to drop dead from the shock of passing jets

 - The ballroom dance known as the Turkey Trot was named for the short, jerky steps a turkey makes.

Speaking of turkeys, remember Les Nessman of "WKRP In Cincinnati" - one of my favorite oldie TV shows - and the infamous turkey drop? If not, here is a refresher. Poor turkeys...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3mgmEdfwg

Still more stories to make you wonder and utter "huh?"

Fresh from the last blog focusing on "interesting" pieces that make you shake your head in wonderment and ask yourself, "why?", some more of these stories found around the Net to elicit a similar response.

PACKING IN THE VEGGIES

Most of us frequent salad bars to for a dose of food variety - you know - a pick of this...a bit of that. Then there are others who use salad bars to accomplish engineering feats. A scientist, no less, with obviously a lot of spare time on his hands, has devised and created a way to pick and pile food into a three foot tower. This begs the question at least in my mind, why?

Based on his experience the food builder, one Shen Hongrui, a Chinese engineer, has offered advice to diners as to how to create their own food towers to be brought back to the table and presumably eaten. This once again begs the question: why?

In order to comply with the "one bowl, one visit" rule of his local Pizza Hut in Beijing, he created a set of instructions that would maximize the diner's variety needs. Salad building requires a formula and the engineer suggests that a chick pea and potato base be used as the bottom base, followed by carrot sticks acting as a scaffold of sorts, toss in or on some cucumber slices or blocks of fruit to act as walls and favorte food choice(s) sit on the top of the tower.

The tower building known as "salad bar hacking"  has become so popular that Pizza Huts in China have stepped in and removed all the salad bars in their restaurants. Not surprising. No information available focusing on falling towers that weren't structurally sound.
Here's a photo of a food tower: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084033/The-leaning-tower--Pizza-Huts-salad-bar-Diner-devises-3ft-pile-round-rules-local-restaurant.html

DEAD MAN RUNS UP WATER BILL

Sometimes you just can't win for losing, even when you die. The family of a man who died is asking the town council in Port Colborne, Ontario, to re-adjust their water bill. Actually, not their water bill but the bill of Allister McPherson, who passed on while leaving his water tap running. His daughter, Cara Zandvliet, turned to the municiaplity to ask for some type of relief from a $600 water bill charged to her late father.

Thinking further on the dilemma, strikes me that the dead man didn't leave the water running on purpose. I mean, he didn't mean to die or anything. If he had a choice and if it was possible, most likely he would have turned off the tap before dying but these things happen without any warning. But I digress.

Seems that the water remained on for three weeks before the discover of MacPherson by family members. According to the daughter, a normal water bill would cost $200 for a three-month period, but MacPherson was charged close to $600 for two months. Futhermore, she believes that her father shouldn't be charged for water from the bathroom faucet because the water wasn't used.

No follow up decision as to whether she will have to pay in the end. Obviously, every drop of water counts, even when you're dead.

Here's a photo of Ms Zandvliet holding up the water bill:  http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3435886&

SOMETIMES IT JUST DON'T PAY TO GET SICK DEPT.

When people check into a hospital for a medical procedure, they expect to receive a bill. There are bills - and then there are bills. Patient, Alexis Rodriguez, an unemployed doorman, was hospitalized at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center last Spring for pneumonia. He was on the verge of becaming sick again after receiving a bill for - wait for it - $44.8 million dollars for his hospital stay. Seems that the company that sends out the bills made an error placing the invoice number in a space designated for the amount. For its part, the billing company is telling those patients affected to ignore the miltimillion dollar bills. I bet.

BETTY WHITE - STILL HOT AT 90 YEARS YOUNG

Actor/comedienne, Betty White, has turned 90 years young. Given her fantastic comedic talent and that she is working in yet another hit TV series, she is an inspiration to everyone that age is a mere number. Loved her in "Golden Girls" and she was the inspiration in the creation of one my characters in my play, "Gin: an Allergory for Playing the Game of Life." Hope she pulls out all the stops in celebrating her life.

Meanwhile, here's the birthday girl in her video, "I'm So Hot."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RDPeadBxBw