Some people are suckers when it comes to betting on sports events and then along comes Paul the Octopus who had an uncanny ability to pick winners. Notice the usage of the past tense since Paul has gone on to meet - well - wherever octopuses or the scientifically correct, octopi, go when they pass on.
To many people, he looked like an ordinary octopus but Paul's special ability made him an instant celebrity. Born in January 2008 in Weymouth, England, he received the name, Paul the Psychic Octopus after being able to correctly predict the winners of last summer's World Cup.
According to reports, Paul passed away in his sleep in his tank from natural causes. There are people who aren't convinced he died under normal circumstances, and believe that Paul met with foul play. According to one Jiang Xiao, the director of a forthcoming thriller entitled Who Killed Paul the Octopus, she believes the superstar octopus had really been dead for the last three months. Furthermore, Jiang related to the Guardian Newspaper that she was "60 to 70% sure" Paul had died in July and been secretly replaced by his keepers. When pressed further to explain how the deception could have been perpetrated, Jiang explained that there could have been a switch since all ocotopuses (or octopi) look alike.
True but can all octopuses predict World Cup wins? Doubtful but then again nobody has ever tested the overall ability of octopi to see if they have any psychic abilities.
"We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered, Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in Germany that housed Paul, commented.
Paul's method of predicting winners was simplicity personified. His caretakers at the Sea Life Centre placed a mussel in each of two clear plastic containers within his tank, and each container was marked with the flag of the competing soccer team. Paul always took his first mussel from the container bearing the flag of the team he "knew" or "sensed" would win.
There is no information regarding funeral arrangements or even if Paul had any siblings or next-of-kin. There is also no information as to whether any attempt to track any down will be made.
"We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine,” said Porwoll.
The aquarium realizing a good thing...that is to say, recognizing that octopuses have as yet undiscovered talent, is already grooming a successor also named Paul. Who knows - if Paul 11 proves to be as psychic as his predecessor, could a salmon or flounder be far behind? I mean, just saying...
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Woman chooses white to wed herself
Bridal gowns traditionally come in white as a symbol for purity in addition to the couple starting a new life together. Mind you these days wedding dresses also can be found in beige, off-white or even black but that as they say, is another story. So a woman living in Taiwan decided to get married, which in itself is nothing unusual. However what distinguishes her wedding from others is - wait for it - she is marrying herself on November 6.
According to the story, the bride, one Chen Wei-Yih, has gifted herself with a diamond ring (no information if it's an engagement ring since she would be engaged to herself) and booked a photographer to capture the occasion and guests. Furthermore, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision and the rationale behind the idea is to show other single females in the 30-year age bracket that they weren't failures. Why stop at 30? Why not 40-year old females and so on, one wonders but I digress.
The almost-wed bride is planning a solo honeymoon to Australia where she plans to pursue a career as a coordinator. No mention what she wants to coordinate but perhaps she's thinking single wedding coordinater. Why not? There are other single females who might want to marry themselves! Who knows - this could become a world-wide trend.
"Do you, blah-blah, take yourself as your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"
To get back to the wedding details, there will be bridesmaids and ushers plus 30 invited guests who will celebrate the self-wedding at a banquet hall following the ceremony. What is interesting is that Chen admitted she has had several boyfriends and relationships and was almost married plus she considers her self-wedding non-binding, which means she's free to marry someone other than herself, if the opportunity presents itself.
Here's a photo of the bride, replete in wedding dress: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/taiwan-bridetobe-plans-we_n_772431.html
Our world gets weirder and weirder...
According to the story, the bride, one Chen Wei-Yih, has gifted herself with a diamond ring (no information if it's an engagement ring since she would be engaged to herself) and booked a photographer to capture the occasion and guests. Furthermore, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision and the rationale behind the idea is to show other single females in the 30-year age bracket that they weren't failures. Why stop at 30? Why not 40-year old females and so on, one wonders but I digress.
The almost-wed bride is planning a solo honeymoon to Australia where she plans to pursue a career as a coordinator. No mention what she wants to coordinate but perhaps she's thinking single wedding coordinater. Why not? There are other single females who might want to marry themselves! Who knows - this could become a world-wide trend.
"Do you, blah-blah, take yourself as your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"
To get back to the wedding details, there will be bridesmaids and ushers plus 30 invited guests who will celebrate the self-wedding at a banquet hall following the ceremony. What is interesting is that Chen admitted she has had several boyfriends and relationships and was almost married plus she considers her self-wedding non-binding, which means she's free to marry someone other than herself, if the opportunity presents itself.
Here's a photo of the bride, replete in wedding dress: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/taiwan-bridetobe-plans-we_n_772431.html
Our world gets weirder and weirder...
Monday, October 18, 2010
Ward - I'm worried about the Beaver...
To many of us who grew up with the Cleaver family, June Cleaver epitomized the perfect mom. Always impecably dressed with her ever-present string of pearls, she was the stay-at-home mom who seldom raised her voice and knew the right things to say for the occasion. We all wanted her to come live in our homes and she did, at least via the TV.
Every week many of us of "a certain age" as the French so quaintly put it, tuned in to "Leave It to Beaver" because we wanted to be part of the Cleaver family. The Cleavers and their friends and aquaintances represented "Perfectville" where drugs were something you took when you were sick and divorce was something that was whispered about between adults. During the Cleaver era sitting down for supper at the dining room table as a family unit was the norm with dad Ward, in his business suit replete with tie and mom June in her proper, poofy dress running back and forth serving up the food and dispensing sweetness and home-spun advice. Even when vacuuming, June wore her ever-present string of pearls and a turban to keep her hair clean.
It was quite a departure for her fans when she turned up as a jive-talking passenger on one of the "Airplane!" films. Ever the professional, she handled the role as perfectly as she did playing Mrs. Cleaver.
The Beaver's mom will now be dispensing advice in the "great beyond" through actress, Barbara Billingsley, who played the role of June Cleaver died at the age of 94. She played the role of ideal mother with a calm demeanor that endeared her to viewers. In a TV interview, she said she wanted to "set a good example for what a wife could be." She did that and then some.
Those unfamiliar with June Cleaver can go back in time since YouTube carries many of the original episodes. Chances are you'll smile and say "nice!" The Beaver's mom would be happy.
Every week many of us of "a certain age" as the French so quaintly put it, tuned in to "Leave It to Beaver" because we wanted to be part of the Cleaver family. The Cleavers and their friends and aquaintances represented "Perfectville" where drugs were something you took when you were sick and divorce was something that was whispered about between adults. During the Cleaver era sitting down for supper at the dining room table as a family unit was the norm with dad Ward, in his business suit replete with tie and mom June in her proper, poofy dress running back and forth serving up the food and dispensing sweetness and home-spun advice. Even when vacuuming, June wore her ever-present string of pearls and a turban to keep her hair clean.
It was quite a departure for her fans when she turned up as a jive-talking passenger on one of the "Airplane!" films. Ever the professional, she handled the role as perfectly as she did playing Mrs. Cleaver.
The Beaver's mom will now be dispensing advice in the "great beyond" through actress, Barbara Billingsley, who played the role of June Cleaver died at the age of 94. She played the role of ideal mother with a calm demeanor that endeared her to viewers. In a TV interview, she said she wanted to "set a good example for what a wife could be." She did that and then some.
Those unfamiliar with June Cleaver can go back in time since YouTube carries many of the original episodes. Chances are you'll smile and say "nice!" The Beaver's mom would be happy.
Ward - I'm very worried about the Beaver
To many of us who grew up with the Cleaver family, June Cleaver epitomized the perfect mom. Always impeccably dressed with her ever-present string of pearls, she was the stay-at-home mom who seldom raised her voice and knew the right things to say for the occasion. We all wanted her to come live in our homes and she did, at least via the TV.
Every week many of us of "a certain age" as the French so quaintly put it, tuned in to "Leave It to Beaver" because we wanted to be part of the Cleaver family. The Cleavers and their friends and aquaintances represented "perfectville" where drugs were something you took when you were sick and divorce was something that was whispered about between adults. In the Cleaver household sitting down for supper at the dining room table as a family unit was the norm with dad Ward, in his business suit replete with tie and mom June, in her proper poofy dress running back and forth serving up food, dispensing sweetness and home-spun advice. Even when vacuuming, June wore her string of pearls but wore a turban to keep her hair clean.
It was quite a departure for her fans when she turned up as a jive-talking passenger on one of the "Airplane!" films. Ever the professional, she handled the role as perfectly as she did playing Mrs. Cleaver.
The Beaver's mom will now have to dispense her helpful advice in the "great beyond" through actress, Barbara Billingsley, who played the role of June Cleaver, died at the age of 94. She played the role of ideal mother with a calm demeanor that endeared her to viewers. In a TV interview, she said she wanted to "set a good example for what a wife could be." She did that and then some.
Those unfamiliar with June Cleaver can go back in time since YouTube carries many of the original episodes. Chances are you'll smile and say "nice!" The Beaver's mom would be happy. Meanwhile, for those of us who were fortunate to be part of the Cleaver family, here is a memory jogger that displays a mom's love, tolerance and patience:
Ward Cleaver: I'm going to change my clothes and finish painting those trash cans myself; the boys ran out on the job.
June Cleaver: Well dear you can't blame them too much, they went over to see the big fire at the lumber yard.
Ward Cleaver: Fire?
June Cleaver: Yes, they couldn't resist it, and after all they are just boys.
Ward Cleaver: Tom Corton's lumber yard?
June Cleaver: Yes, it's been on the radio. Why, they've called out fire companies from all over.
Ward Cleaver: Well it must be quite a fire.
June Cleaver: Yes, it must be.
Ward Cleaver: June, I wonder if you'd go out to the garage and put those brushes in some turpentine, I won't be too long. (Rushes out the back door.)
June Cleaver: Once a boy always a boy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdjl3_29DCE
Every week many of us of "a certain age" as the French so quaintly put it, tuned in to "Leave It to Beaver" because we wanted to be part of the Cleaver family. The Cleavers and their friends and aquaintances represented "perfectville" where drugs were something you took when you were sick and divorce was something that was whispered about between adults. In the Cleaver household sitting down for supper at the dining room table as a family unit was the norm with dad Ward, in his business suit replete with tie and mom June, in her proper poofy dress running back and forth serving up food, dispensing sweetness and home-spun advice. Even when vacuuming, June wore her string of pearls but wore a turban to keep her hair clean.
It was quite a departure for her fans when she turned up as a jive-talking passenger on one of the "Airplane!" films. Ever the professional, she handled the role as perfectly as she did playing Mrs. Cleaver.
The Beaver's mom will now have to dispense her helpful advice in the "great beyond" through actress, Barbara Billingsley, who played the role of June Cleaver, died at the age of 94. She played the role of ideal mother with a calm demeanor that endeared her to viewers. In a TV interview, she said she wanted to "set a good example for what a wife could be." She did that and then some.
Those unfamiliar with June Cleaver can go back in time since YouTube carries many of the original episodes. Chances are you'll smile and say "nice!" The Beaver's mom would be happy. Meanwhile, for those of us who were fortunate to be part of the Cleaver family, here is a memory jogger that displays a mom's love, tolerance and patience:
Ward Cleaver: I'm going to change my clothes and finish painting those trash cans myself; the boys ran out on the job.
June Cleaver: Well dear you can't blame them too much, they went over to see the big fire at the lumber yard.
Ward Cleaver: Fire?
June Cleaver: Yes, they couldn't resist it, and after all they are just boys.
Ward Cleaver: Tom Corton's lumber yard?
June Cleaver: Yes, it's been on the radio. Why, they've called out fire companies from all over.
Ward Cleaver: Well it must be quite a fire.
June Cleaver: Yes, it must be.
Ward Cleaver: June, I wonder if you'd go out to the garage and put those brushes in some turpentine, I won't be too long. (Rushes out the back door.)
June Cleaver: Once a boy always a boy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdjl3_29DCE
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Well that explains it! 71% of Tweets ignored
By now people reading this blog are probably bored with my kvetching/complaining about Twitter and my missing tweets. Thing is when you have 170 people (presumably people and not pets, one hopes) following you, every tweet counts.
So today I read this interesting piece about Twitter and people's tweets. Seems that approx. 160 million people located presumably all over the planet and who knows maybe behind, use Twitter. Lot'sa tweets, right? However...according to a Wired piece, a mere - wait for it - 71% of tweets are ignored. In other words, we Tweeters who attempt to make a relatively interesting or at least intelligent statement in the 140 character allotment, are ignored!
Syssomos, a Toronto, Canada, media analytics company, scanned 1.2 billion messages(!) sent in August and September, 2009. Not surprising at least to me, anyway, their findings indicated that 7 in every 10 tweets are ignored, completely. Six percent get re-tweeted and 92% of the re-tweets happen in the first hour. This indicates at least to me that if you're going to get re-tweeted, it will be in the first hour.
So taking this all into consideration, 23% get some type of reply but 85% of those that get a reply, et just one reply. Hey - one reply is better than no reply! Furthermore 10.7% get two replies and 1.53% get three replies.
What does this all mean in the scheme of things? It means, to me that when sending out tweets, they won't necessarily be read and what's more, tweeters won't get replies, either. Makes a person wonder why bother sending them out altogether. As a writer it's a means to draw attention to a blog. Still, it makes you think, especially about those five missing Tweeters, who might have re-tweeted me.
So today I read this interesting piece about Twitter and people's tweets. Seems that approx. 160 million people located presumably all over the planet and who knows maybe behind, use Twitter. Lot'sa tweets, right? However...according to a Wired piece, a mere - wait for it - 71% of tweets are ignored. In other words, we Tweeters who attempt to make a relatively interesting or at least intelligent statement in the 140 character allotment, are ignored!
Syssomos, a Toronto, Canada, media analytics company, scanned 1.2 billion messages(!) sent in August and September, 2009. Not surprising at least to me, anyway, their findings indicated that 7 in every 10 tweets are ignored, completely. Six percent get re-tweeted and 92% of the re-tweets happen in the first hour. This indicates at least to me that if you're going to get re-tweeted, it will be in the first hour.
So taking this all into consideration, 23% get some type of reply but 85% of those that get a reply, et just one reply. Hey - one reply is better than no reply! Furthermore 10.7% get two replies and 1.53% get three replies.
What does this all mean in the scheme of things? It means, to me that when sending out tweets, they won't necessarily be read and what's more, tweeters won't get replies, either. Makes a person wonder why bother sending them out altogether. As a writer it's a means to draw attention to a blog. Still, it makes you think, especially about those five missing Tweeters, who might have re-tweeted me.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
What's wrong with TV these days?
We're barely into the fall TV season and already cancellation fever is in the air. Seems that TV series are already being cancelled, which doesn't bode well for viewers who have formed an early attachment to a favorite program. Alreadyon the chopping block are "Lone Star" (never watched it so don't know what I'm missing, if anything) and "My Generation" (same thing). Even more interesting and telling is that the series were cancelled after only two programs. As is and most likely always will be, ratings is the indicator of a series viability and if the numbers aren't there, bye-bye program!
This season i.e. fall 2010 and for whatever reason, writers and the powers-that-be at TV networks have decided what viewers need - not necessarily want - are more cop programs. While I'm a fan of "Law and Order: SVU", I can't see the need for "Law and Order: LA." Then again, that's just my opinion. I do, however, like "Detroit 1-8-7" because it is a throwback and mix of "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "NYPD Blue." Although it really doesn't offer anything new in cop dramas, I think there's potential growth for the characters if the networks give it a chance to grow and therein lies the problem. Unfortunately, cancellations come quickly and networks don't give viewers a chance to develop an attachment to the characters and story lines. No sooner are we introduced to a program, than it's cancelled.
Part of the problem - IMHO - is that the writers don't or perhaps can't come up with new ideas. It's variations of old themes, updated. Attention network execs: viewers aren't stupid! We recognize familiar themes! As an early viewer of "Lost" there was an immediate attraction at least for me, because the writers/creators knew how to tell a story. Isn't that what it's about in the end? The story? Can't remember the last time I tuned into a new comedy series. First of all there is nothing worse (for me, anyway) than canned laughter. It interrupts the dialogue and is a constant irritant. It's as if the writers are petrified viewers won't know where the funny parts are and have to tell us! Really - we can discern humor from dumb-ness! Just give us something to laugh at!
And so once again, viewers await the rest of the cancellation list and their replacements. We tune out because in the end, there really isn't any reason to tune in. Give viewers new ideas and solid writing plus plots and we'll be back.
This season i.e. fall 2010 and for whatever reason, writers and the powers-that-be at TV networks have decided what viewers need - not necessarily want - are more cop programs. While I'm a fan of "Law and Order: SVU", I can't see the need for "Law and Order: LA." Then again, that's just my opinion. I do, however, like "Detroit 1-8-7" because it is a throwback and mix of "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "NYPD Blue." Although it really doesn't offer anything new in cop dramas, I think there's potential growth for the characters if the networks give it a chance to grow and therein lies the problem. Unfortunately, cancellations come quickly and networks don't give viewers a chance to develop an attachment to the characters and story lines. No sooner are we introduced to a program, than it's cancelled.
Part of the problem - IMHO - is that the writers don't or perhaps can't come up with new ideas. It's variations of old themes, updated. Attention network execs: viewers aren't stupid! We recognize familiar themes! As an early viewer of "Lost" there was an immediate attraction at least for me, because the writers/creators knew how to tell a story. Isn't that what it's about in the end? The story? Can't remember the last time I tuned into a new comedy series. First of all there is nothing worse (for me, anyway) than canned laughter. It interrupts the dialogue and is a constant irritant. It's as if the writers are petrified viewers won't know where the funny parts are and have to tell us! Really - we can discern humor from dumb-ness! Just give us something to laugh at!
And so once again, viewers await the rest of the cancellation list and their replacements. We tune out because in the end, there really isn't any reason to tune in. Give viewers new ideas and solid writing plus plots and we'll be back.
Monday, October 11, 2010
In for the count - Twitter still following me (update)
It's been almost a week now and Twitter appears to have solved my follower count. Won't bore everyone with the details regarding how Twitter for whatever reason, presumably technical problems, stopped recognizing new followers, following me.
To date I have two -count 'em - new followers but...Twitter has still not recognized or returned my four or five 'older' followers. I keep wondering (too much time on my hands) if the people who are interested in my updates are wondering why they are not registered in my overall numbers. I mean, should I send them an apology?
"Dear blah-blah,
Thank you for following me on Twitter. Every person counts. In case you were wondering why you have not been included in my 'following' count, blame Twitter. They appeared up until recently not to be able to keep track of new followers for whatever reason. Unfortunately, you were among the batch who were somehow lost in cyberspace, presumably forever. It's not like I didn't make them aware and request for the return of my followers.
Please be assured that you are in my thoughts, if not in my number count."
Eleanor Tylbor
Not too sure if Twitter has the problem completely solved since they alerted me to a new follower, whose name did not show up in my e-mail. However, as I wrote, a follower is a follower and I'll take 'em!
To date I have two -count 'em - new followers but...Twitter has still not recognized or returned my four or five 'older' followers. I keep wondering (too much time on my hands) if the people who are interested in my updates are wondering why they are not registered in my overall numbers. I mean, should I send them an apology?
"Dear blah-blah,
Thank you for following me on Twitter. Every person counts. In case you were wondering why you have not been included in my 'following' count, blame Twitter. They appeared up until recently not to be able to keep track of new followers for whatever reason. Unfortunately, you were among the batch who were somehow lost in cyberspace, presumably forever. It's not like I didn't make them aware and request for the return of my followers.
Please be assured that you are in my thoughts, if not in my number count."
Eleanor Tylbor
Not too sure if Twitter has the problem completely solved since they alerted me to a new follower, whose name did not show up in my e-mail. However, as I wrote, a follower is a follower and I'll take 'em!
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Daily follower update! follower count is operational but...
Seems that Twitter has finally reacted to my never-ending complaints about the follower count. Today a new tweeter is following me and guess what? The follower count is higher by one! However...the five people last week and the week before who were following me are not counted in. Sorry Twitter-5!
A while back during a real communication with a Twitter techie when I had a precious ticket and focusing on this on-going problem, a Twitter techie asked me to prove(!) that the followers I was claiming weren't showing up in the number count, were real. I was asked to prove that they exist. I mean, gimme a break! Now I keep track and don't delete followers. Just can't figure out for the life of me their doubt as to a claim of a few people.
Anyway, things are back to normal - at least for now. We'll see how long this lasts. Meanwhile, my blogger comments are still missing...
A while back during a real communication with a Twitter techie when I had a precious ticket and focusing on this on-going problem, a Twitter techie asked me to prove(!) that the followers I was claiming weren't showing up in the number count, were real. I was asked to prove that they exist. I mean, gimme a break! Now I keep track and don't delete followers. Just can't figure out for the life of me their doubt as to a claim of a few people.
Anyway, things are back to normal - at least for now. We'll see how long this lasts. Meanwhile, my blogger comments are still missing...
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Daily Twitter Update: forms - they got forms!
Now that Twitter is recognizing my password, the only existing problem is the dubious follower count. Surely but not necessarily, Twitter will at some point give me my five new followers. I mean, is it a lot to ask in the scheme of things? Anywaaaaaay....
Decided to check in Twitter's "Status" to see if there's anything pertaining to my situation:
"Follow, Follower Counts and DMs Intermittently inaccessible 2 days ago
Some features are intermittently not available on Twitter at this time.
- Ability to Follow a user
- Follow counts
- Sending DMs
Twitter is working to resolve this issue in full.
UPDATE Oct 4th, 2010 8:50am: These features have recovered.
Obviously, 'follow counts' is an ongoing problem, however, according to Twitter effect October 4 at 8:50 a.m. the features have been recovered.
Oh really? Then where are my 5 new followers, Twitter? Anywaaaaaay...
Just checked to see if I have a Twitter ticket yet. A ticket means that they're looking into your problem to see if they can remedy it. Unfortunately, mine is blank. It says: "ticket ID - no tickets." Yesterday, I submitted a request in which I explained my situation. 7
Moved along to the Submit a Request on-line form.
'Dear Twitter' is the first heading, along with a drop-down menu. I chose "something is broken or amiss." The next section is 'Regarding' where tweeters are offered a long list of possible breakdowns. I selected, "Tweets and Messages", naturally. In the next blank space, I provided the background information as to my situation. There is the usual user name, e-mail etc. but what really got my attention was that the closing phrase, 'I feel..." This is a space where the tweeter can express her/his opinion regarding the situation at hand. Oh yes, I did express my feeling but it was done with class - for now. We always must remember our on-line manners.
And so, I still wait (im)patiently for my 'Twitter-5' to be returned to me but who knows when that will be - if ever. Makes me wonder if the five people who decided to follow me are wondering what they did not to be included in the count. Don't ask me - ask Twitter!
On another un-related note but just as annoying, it appears that comments left by people reading this blog are not being seen. To this end, I just posted a notification in the discussion forum related to this issue. Does it every end, I ask you?
Decided to check in Twitter's "Status" to see if there's anything pertaining to my situation:
"Follow, Follower Counts and DMs Intermittently inaccessible 2 days ago
Some features are intermittently not available on Twitter at this time.
- Ability to Follow a user
- Follow counts
- Sending DMs
Twitter is working to resolve this issue in full.
UPDATE Oct 4th, 2010 8:50am: These features have recovered.
Obviously, 'follow counts' is an ongoing problem, however, according to Twitter effect October 4 at 8:50 a.m. the features have been recovered.
Oh really? Then where are my 5 new followers, Twitter? Anywaaaaaay...
Just checked to see if I have a Twitter ticket yet. A ticket means that they're looking into your problem to see if they can remedy it. Unfortunately, mine is blank. It says: "ticket ID - no tickets." Yesterday, I submitted a request in which I explained my situation. 7
Moved along to the Submit a Request on-line form.
'Dear Twitter' is the first heading, along with a drop-down menu. I chose "something is broken or amiss." The next section is 'Regarding' where tweeters are offered a long list of possible breakdowns. I selected, "Tweets and Messages", naturally. In the next blank space, I provided the background information as to my situation. There is the usual user name, e-mail etc. but what really got my attention was that the closing phrase, 'I feel..." This is a space where the tweeter can express her/his opinion regarding the situation at hand. Oh yes, I did express my feeling but it was done with class - for now. We always must remember our on-line manners.
And so, I still wait (im)patiently for my 'Twitter-5' to be returned to me but who knows when that will be - if ever. Makes me wonder if the five people who decided to follow me are wondering what they did not to be included in the count. Don't ask me - ask Twitter!
On another un-related note but just as annoying, it appears that comments left by people reading this blog are not being seen. To this end, I just posted a notification in the discussion forum related to this issue. Does it every end, I ask you?
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Dear Ms. Mr. Anonymous...about followers
Dear Ms. Mr. Anonymous
Thank you for the interesting comment/feedback you made to my complaint/kvetch regarding the Twitter ‘following/count’ situation. While it's true that it’s a free service, one wonders if the service would be better if users had to pay for it. Perhaps yes or perhaps it would be the same. We'll never know unless - heaven forbid - they start charging to tweet.
In your comments to my blog comments, you wrote:
“In the end, does it really matter whether anyone has 150 followers? Or 151? For most people, the follower count naturally fluctuates from one login/visit to another. That's just the way things work. Seriously, who cares?"
Can't speak for other Twitter users but actually, I obviously care as do many others who have added their names to the Twitter complaint lists. The fact that Twitter features the "following" and "follower" ...whatever you call them, means that there are others "out there" in Twitter-land, who feel the same way. As proof of this, singer John Mayer and Ashton Kutcher were determined to have the distinction of acquiring 1 million followers. Why, if this wasn’t important, would they make a point of attempting to get tweeters to follow them? Apparently, having people follow them was an indication of their success. See what I mean? In fact, many celebrities use Twitter to promote their popularity and increase their status.
So y'see, Ms. Mr. Anonymous - followers are important to some of us.
You also commented:
"Twitter is a great way to connect: Use it for its intended purpose and learn to live with the little inconsistencies that crop up along the way."
On that we both agree. It is a great way to connect but it's those littler consistencies along the way that get to you, like incorrect follower count. Ask me about it.
Yours in Tweeting,
Eleanor
Thank you for the interesting comment/feedback you made to my complaint/kvetch regarding the Twitter ‘following/count’ situation. While it's true that it’s a free service, one wonders if the service would be better if users had to pay for it. Perhaps yes or perhaps it would be the same. We'll never know unless - heaven forbid - they start charging to tweet.
In your comments to my blog comments, you wrote:
“In the end, does it really matter whether anyone has 150 followers? Or 151? For most people, the follower count naturally fluctuates from one login/visit to another. That's just the way things work. Seriously, who cares?"
Can't speak for other Twitter users but actually, I obviously care as do many others who have added their names to the Twitter complaint lists. The fact that Twitter features the "following" and "follower" ...whatever you call them, means that there are others "out there" in Twitter-land, who feel the same way. As proof of this, singer John Mayer and Ashton Kutcher were determined to have the distinction of acquiring 1 million followers. Why, if this wasn’t important, would they make a point of attempting to get tweeters to follow them? Apparently, having people follow them was an indication of their success. See what I mean? In fact, many celebrities use Twitter to promote their popularity and increase their status.
So y'see, Ms. Mr. Anonymous - followers are important to some of us.
You also commented:
"Twitter is a great way to connect: Use it for its intended purpose and learn to live with the little inconsistencies that crop up along the way."
On that we both agree. It is a great way to connect but it's those littler consistencies along the way that get to you, like incorrect follower count. Ask me about it.
Yours in Tweeting,
Eleanor
One down, one to go
Hurray!
At least one of the problems appears - notice the word used - to be solved. I actually checked into Twitter just now and it accepted the old/new/old... password.
I came accross the complaint form and informed them of the situation. In the complaint I mentioned both problems and wondering if I should tell them the sign-in is solved. Perhaps not since it could go awry like the follower count at any moment. At least making an official complaint will (one hopes) result in receiving a ticket, which in turn means they'll look into it. Eventually.
So now all that remains is the follower count situation. I follow you...you follow me...we all follow each other. I should only be so lucky!
FOLLOW UP: I tried logging in just now and it worked again! Could fixing the follower count be far behind?
At least one of the problems appears - notice the word used - to be solved. I actually checked into Twitter just now and it accepted the old/new/old... password.
I came accross the complaint form and informed them of the situation. In the complaint I mentioned both problems and wondering if I should tell them the sign-in is solved. Perhaps not since it could go awry like the follower count at any moment. At least making an official complaint will (one hopes) result in receiving a ticket, which in turn means they'll look into it. Eventually.
So now all that remains is the follower count situation. I follow you...you follow me...we all follow each other. I should only be so lucky!
FOLLOW UP: I tried logging in just now and it worked again! Could fixing the follower count be far behind?
Monday, October 04, 2010
*sigh* - Tweeting not made easy
It's rare I write two pieces in this blog in one day but frustration can do that to a person. As mentioned, I'm sharing my frustration at trying to get Twitter to recognize my following count. No matter what I do, it stays at 167 followers. Actually, the real count in spite of Twitter ignoring this reality, is 170.
The latest addition to this on-going problem is that I can't sign in to Twitter. For some bizarre reason, the system is not recognizing me. The only solution now is to relate that I forgot my password and then change it back to the original password. Such a convoluted process.
In the way of a follower update, Twitter posted this message 8 hours ago, Twitter time:
"We have restored Follower/Following counts, and users are able to follow and DM (message) other users again."
Oh really? You could have fooled me! And so it continues... One can only speculate what will happen next.
The latest addition to this on-going problem is that I can't sign in to Twitter. For some bizarre reason, the system is not recognizing me. The only solution now is to relate that I forgot my password and then change it back to the original password. Such a convoluted process.
In the way of a follower update, Twitter posted this message 8 hours ago, Twitter time:
"We have restored Follower/Following counts, and users are able to follow and DM (message) other users again."
Oh really? You could have fooled me! And so it continues... One can only speculate what will happen next.
When is a tweet not a tweet? It's not tweet!
Checked into Twitter as I do every morning as part of my daily regimen of keeping up to date with people's lives and what should I find? Dear Twitter still hasn't updated my followers count.
Quelle surprise!
Checked the "ticket" page to see if my problem had even been among those worked on and was greeted with "no ticket."
Again - quelle surprise.
It is even more annoying since four new followers have found my updates interesting enough to...follow and Twitter doesn't acknowledge their existence. I mean, can you imagine the reaction of the new followers?
"How d'ya like that?" they most likely say to themselves upon realizing that they're not counted in the count. "Now I won't receive updates on those wonderful tweets from Eleanor!"
It's possible somebody might have said or had that thought.
What is most bizarre is that the following thingie works. In other words, when I follow somebody else, it matters but if they follow me back, it doesn't.
On top of which I'm experiencing problems signing in and have to keep changing my user name. Thing is, I keep forgetting the new user name, which means I have to keep changing and changing and... You get the idea.
So I'm going to mark each day that the problem continues here in this blog - with commentary of course. Curious if anyone else reading this has experienced similar problems. You begin to wonder if Twitter really cares about its tweeters.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
New day/week /month - Twitter doesn't tweet
How tweet it is - not!
Seems that Twitter is inviting its users/followers to try out their latest version of Twitter. Thanks for the invitation, Twitter, but perhaps you should attempt to solve some of the existing problems in the old version. On a personal note once again my new followers are not being recognized by Twitter. I mean, what's the use of creating a "followers" category if it doesn't follow?
This time round I decided to go through the "normal" route and attempt to voice my displeasure in their Twitter support centre. The "Missing Tweets from your Account" section advises tweeters:
"Are you missing all your tweets from your Profile page? If so, do not worry, we are aware of the issue and are working with the engineers to resolve this. We apologize for the inconvenience caused."
Somehow this doesn't make me feel better. Don't worry? Really, there are more important things in life but nevertheless, it's aggravating. New Tweeters find our tweets interesting enough to follow and because of technical glitches, Twitter refuses or can't recognize them. Somehow, the "don't worry" advice isn't exactly reassuring given their advanced technological knowledge. In an attempt to fix the problem, just added my frustration to all the other 936 comments in the "missing Tweets" section:
"Yet another attempt at getting Twitter to recognize new followers. Appreciate the update and appologies but the problem is ongoing. Please find solution."
As mentioned in the previous Twitter-related piece in this blog, there are not a lot of "followers" following me so every follower counts. The challenge is how to make Twitter react accordingly. One can only hope - and wait and wait and...
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A Twitter tweet is a tweet when it tweets
Different day, still on-going problem with Twitter counts. I dunno - given my somewhat limited number of followers - compared to other people with thousands or hundreds-of-thousands of followers - everybody counts. It is for this very reason that a count verification is in order whenever another person follows me. Whenever I receive notification to this effect, it elicits a "oh super - another person is following me!" to be followed by "damn - they dropped me!" feeling if the number decreases. However, another on-problem is that in the past and once again, the "following" and "followers" columns are reversed. Any newbies are reflected in the "following" category, which is just not correct. Hence the frustration.
In order to alert Twitter tech. of this problem, there is a "contact" at the bottom of the page. Clicking on this word brings one to a sub-list of categories including "something's not working" and clicking on these three words leads one to long list of problematic situations that tweeters are experiencing. My problem is in the "following" category and further clicking leads one to "my follow count is incorrect - known issue" section with the explanation provided:
"Currently we do not have a work around to fix this problem and Support agents are unable to fix your account for you. For this reason we would appreciate it if you could leave a comment below rather than submit a help request."
There are currectly 231 tweeters who have registered a complaint in this category. Twitter prefaces the complaint list with: "UPDATE: 06/07/2010 This issue is still set to lower priority for other higher impact issues to be solved first. Thanks for your patience!"
For the record I have added my complaints to the list in the past and tweeters wait until a Twitter techie is assigned to the case and will work on solving the problem. Hopefully. On one occasion a techie provided an explanation that "followers" for whatever reason drop tweeters and this could be one explanation I suppose. It's been my experience as mentioned in a previous Twitter-related rant that once a person is followed, the followed are expected to reciprocate and if not - tough - they drop you. Another techie requested that I prove my new followers. I mean, how many people actually keep track of "blah-blah is following you" notification?
We'll see how long it takes for tech. to fix the problem, if ever. It's enough to give a tweeter "twitterfollowphoebi-itis." Ask me about it.
In order to alert Twitter tech. of this problem, there is a "contact" at the bottom of the page. Clicking on this word brings one to a sub-list of categories including "something's not working" and clicking on these three words leads one to long list of problematic situations that tweeters are experiencing. My problem is in the "following" category and further clicking leads one to "my follow count is incorrect - known issue" section with the explanation provided:
"Currently we do not have a work around to fix this problem and Support agents are unable to fix your account for you. For this reason we would appreciate it if you could leave a comment below rather than submit a help request."
There are currectly 231 tweeters who have registered a complaint in this category. Twitter prefaces the complaint list with: "UPDATE: 06/07/2010 This issue is still set to lower priority for other higher impact issues to be solved first. Thanks for your patience!"
For the record I have added my complaints to the list in the past and tweeters wait until a Twitter techie is assigned to the case and will work on solving the problem. Hopefully. On one occasion a techie provided an explanation that "followers" for whatever reason drop tweeters and this could be one explanation I suppose. It's been my experience as mentioned in a previous Twitter-related rant that once a person is followed, the followed are expected to reciprocate and if not - tough - they drop you. Another techie requested that I prove my new followers. I mean, how many people actually keep track of "blah-blah is following you" notification?
We'll see how long it takes for tech. to fix the problem, if ever. It's enough to give a tweeter "twitterfollowphoebi-itis." Ask me about it.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The Twitter complex
"Twitter is a communication service that enables you to quickly send out short messages about what you are doing to a network of people."
(Wiki Answers.com)
Like many people around the world, I'm a twit. Let me clarify this statement: I'm actually a Tweeter who uses Twitter to update my status. Doesn't everyone or at least those with extra time on their hands who want to be socially relevant.
My official status in case anyone reading this is interested is 158 followers or people who find me interesting enough to want to keep up with my thoughts or impressions and related matter. In addition I'm following 179tweeters some of whom I'm genuinely interested and others because - well - they follow me so I feel it's only right that I follow them back. No insult intended, by the way. Kind of pathetic when you think about it.
There have been a few issues with Twitter, which have been brought to the attention of their techies, for example, they have reversed my followers and following count.
After searching the Twitter site extensively for an e-mail to make them aware of this error, I finally came accross a usable link. The first Twitter techie was helpful and made the necessary changes after a while to correct the reversal, however subsequent techies were indifferent to my plight. Their solution is to direct tweeters to their forum where everyone can complain about their various issues and there are lots and lots of issues.
The negative aspects to being a tweeter is that a follower can drop you at any time. In conducting my daily check-in a while back, I discovered to my chagrin that 3 people had dropped me for whatever reason. That's the thing: you just never know why a person stops following you! So you speculate that perhaps my tweets are boring, or perhaps it's a result of declining the offer to follow them... It's enough to give a person a tweeter complex! The challenge is to make an enticing statement within 140 bytes or extra words end up in the dastardly red letters minus sign.
There is some positive news. Last week a few more people were added to the followers column but how long they will stay is anyone's guess. I'm always betwixt and between tweeters.
Update: once again it appears that Twitter has not recognized a new follower today by not recognizing it in my numbers. ~ sigh ~
(Wiki Answers.com)
Like many people around the world, I'm a twit. Let me clarify this statement: I'm actually a Tweeter who uses Twitter to update my status. Doesn't everyone or at least those with extra time on their hands who want to be socially relevant.
My official status in case anyone reading this is interested is 158 followers or people who find me interesting enough to want to keep up with my thoughts or impressions and related matter. In addition I'm following 179tweeters some of whom I'm genuinely interested and others because - well - they follow me so I feel it's only right that I follow them back. No insult intended, by the way. Kind of pathetic when you think about it.
There have been a few issues with Twitter, which have been brought to the attention of their techies, for example, they have reversed my followers and following count.
After searching the Twitter site extensively for an e-mail to make them aware of this error, I finally came accross a usable link. The first Twitter techie was helpful and made the necessary changes after a while to correct the reversal, however subsequent techies were indifferent to my plight. Their solution is to direct tweeters to their forum where everyone can complain about their various issues and there are lots and lots of issues.
The negative aspects to being a tweeter is that a follower can drop you at any time. In conducting my daily check-in a while back, I discovered to my chagrin that 3 people had dropped me for whatever reason. That's the thing: you just never know why a person stops following you! So you speculate that perhaps my tweets are boring, or perhaps it's a result of declining the offer to follow them... It's enough to give a person a tweeter complex! The challenge is to make an enticing statement within 140 bytes or extra words end up in the dastardly red letters minus sign.
There is some positive news. Last week a few more people were added to the followers column but how long they will stay is anyone's guess. I'm always betwixt and between tweeters.
Update: once again it appears that Twitter has not recognized a new follower today by not recognizing it in my numbers. ~ sigh ~
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Life never ceases to amaze
As a person who seeks out - how shall we say - the "unusual" articles on the Web, people never cease to amaze me. For example, this story upon first glance would appear to be something out of a Monty Python sketch or one of the"Airplane!" movies.
The staid British Airways had to issue an appology after an emergency message - wait for it - warning passengers that the plane they were on was about to crash into the sea. The automated message somehow went on in error. The 275 travellers, on the London Heathrow to Hong Kong flight when the message played, were flying over the North Sea at the time. I mean - imagine being on a plane, having faith in the pilot and hearing a message of this nature? It's like a good-news-bad-news-announcement.
"Hello! This is your pilot. Please prepare for a crash" to be followed by "oh sorry - our mistake. Wrong button!" Something to that effect.
Here is the link: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100827/odds/odd_us_britain_ba_emergency_odd
Once again a piece out of England - curious that many of these quirkies are based in England - comes the interesting statistic that one in four women who work as a lap dancer in Britain has a university degree. Presumably, their degree does not involve a college education in how to dance and sit on laps. Furthermore, the study also reveals that the women enjoy their work and earn up to $74,500 dollars per year doing it. The study done by researchers from the Univesity of Leeds (once again it boggles the mind that people actually receive money for this type of research) chose to get into lap dancing for money or because it fitted in with their main careers. Just wondering what type of career choice fits in with lap dancing... physio or massage therapy perhaps...
Attention Klingons!
Finally, just a quick reminder to earthlings and/or aliens reading this that the Klingon opera is a go in the Netherlands. This is being billed as the first authentic Klingon opera on earth hosted by the Zeebelt Theatre in The Hague on September 9-12. Just in case some out-of-town guests happened to be flying over earth, a radio message was broadcast to the assumed location of Qo'nos, the Klingon home planet, approximately 9 light years away. At least four responses from earth-bound Klingons have been posted to YouTube, promising to attend the event.
Hear the message beamed out to Qo'nos here and more information:
http://www.dutchdailynews.com/klingon-opera/
The staid British Airways had to issue an appology after an emergency message - wait for it - warning passengers that the plane they were on was about to crash into the sea. The automated message somehow went on in error. The 275 travellers, on the London Heathrow to Hong Kong flight when the message played, were flying over the North Sea at the time. I mean - imagine being on a plane, having faith in the pilot and hearing a message of this nature? It's like a good-news-bad-news-announcement.
"Hello! This is your pilot. Please prepare for a crash" to be followed by "oh sorry - our mistake. Wrong button!" Something to that effect.
Here is the link: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100827/odds/odd_us_britain_ba_emergency_odd
Once again a piece out of England - curious that many of these quirkies are based in England - comes the interesting statistic that one in four women who work as a lap dancer in Britain has a university degree. Presumably, their degree does not involve a college education in how to dance and sit on laps. Furthermore, the study also reveals that the women enjoy their work and earn up to $74,500 dollars per year doing it. The study done by researchers from the Univesity of Leeds (once again it boggles the mind that people actually receive money for this type of research) chose to get into lap dancing for money or because it fitted in with their main careers. Just wondering what type of career choice fits in with lap dancing... physio or massage therapy perhaps...
Attention Klingons!
Finally, just a quick reminder to earthlings and/or aliens reading this that the Klingon opera is a go in the Netherlands. This is being billed as the first authentic Klingon opera on earth hosted by the Zeebelt Theatre in The Hague on September 9-12. Just in case some out-of-town guests happened to be flying over earth, a radio message was broadcast to the assumed location of Qo'nos, the Klingon home planet, approximately 9 light years away. At least four responses from earth-bound Klingons have been posted to YouTube, promising to attend the event.
Hear the message beamed out to Qo'nos here and more information:
http://www.dutchdailynews.com/klingon-opera/
Friday, August 06, 2010
So whad'ya think about red?
Here we go again yet another of those studies that make you scratch your head and utter, "huh" or "say what?" or "why?"
According to research conducted by one Andrew Elliot of the University of Rochester, women living in the U.S., England, Germany and China like guys who wear red. This leads one to ask oneself why would somebody want to pay to have a study to find this out. But I digress.
Men who want to get the attention of females should dress in red, a color, which new research shows makes them more desirable to the opposite sex. Wearing red attire was thought to be sensuous primarily when women wear it and not guys.
"Our findings suggest that the link between red and sex also applies to men," Elliot said. "For women, the color made a big difference."
Even though cultural differences related to the color, the findings of women being attracted to men in red were consistent throughout the countries. On a personal note, I've seen touches of red combined with navy blue, which is alright and even touches of red in tie designs but IMHO, clothes for males that are entirely red-colored are rare. Not my taste but different strokes for different folks I guess... I'm thinking here...very few males of my aquaintance wear red to be candid. Matadors spring to mind...clowns...Ronald McDonald...few and far beween.
According to the report, the research consisted of seven experiments with some split into two parts, each with a group of between 20 and 57 people aged 19 to 22 years old. Women participated in all the experiments, while men were included as a control group in one.
The researchers suggested that for men wearing the color may trigger a change in behavior and that something as simple as wearing a red tie could give a more confident business presentation.
So the message here seems to be is wear anything with red to feel extra confident and get the attention of the opposite sex. Or something. Who is paying for this study, anyway, one wonders.
According to research conducted by one Andrew Elliot of the University of Rochester, women living in the U.S., England, Germany and China like guys who wear red. This leads one to ask oneself why would somebody want to pay to have a study to find this out. But I digress.
Men who want to get the attention of females should dress in red, a color, which new research shows makes them more desirable to the opposite sex. Wearing red attire was thought to be sensuous primarily when women wear it and not guys.
"Our findings suggest that the link between red and sex also applies to men," Elliot said. "For women, the color made a big difference."
Even though cultural differences related to the color, the findings of women being attracted to men in red were consistent throughout the countries. On a personal note, I've seen touches of red combined with navy blue, which is alright and even touches of red in tie designs but IMHO, clothes for males that are entirely red-colored are rare. Not my taste but different strokes for different folks I guess... I'm thinking here...very few males of my aquaintance wear red to be candid. Matadors spring to mind...clowns...Ronald McDonald...few and far beween.
According to the report, the research consisted of seven experiments with some split into two parts, each with a group of between 20 and 57 people aged 19 to 22 years old. Women participated in all the experiments, while men were included as a control group in one.
The researchers suggested that for men wearing the color may trigger a change in behavior and that something as simple as wearing a red tie could give a more confident business presentation.
So the message here seems to be is wear anything with red to feel extra confident and get the attention of the opposite sex. Or something. Who is paying for this study, anyway, one wonders.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Dead squirrels used as beer holder
It's another one of those news pieces that make you wonder "what in the hell were they thinking?"
A scottish brewery used dead squirrels with presumably empty stomachs or at least empty for the most part, to promote their latest beer. Why? Because they could, one supposes. The beer in question that goes by Brew Dog, which is reputed to be the strongest and most expensive beer yet, sold out within hours of its release.
The brew contains a record 55% alcohol and animal advocates are not impressed and condemned the stunt. No kidding! The initial run was packaged in 7 dead stoats, 4 squirrels and a rabbit. A stoat for those of us who are not familiar with this animal, is a small animal or ermine. The beer could become a collectors item given the price of (Can. $800 - U.S.$1000) per bottle. You really have to like beer to pay that price.
Here's a photo of the beer and the beer holder: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/07/23/con-brewdog-beer.html
Here's what a stoat looks like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat
"It's pointless and it's very negative to use dead animals when we should be celebrating live animals," Advocates for Animals policy director Libby Anderson told BBC Scotland. "This seems to be a perverse idea."
What next? Vintage champagne bottles in hamsters or shot glasses of vodka in gold fish? Gimme a break!
A scottish brewery used dead squirrels with presumably empty stomachs or at least empty for the most part, to promote their latest beer. Why? Because they could, one supposes. The beer in question that goes by Brew Dog, which is reputed to be the strongest and most expensive beer yet, sold out within hours of its release.
The brew contains a record 55% alcohol and animal advocates are not impressed and condemned the stunt. No kidding! The initial run was packaged in 7 dead stoats, 4 squirrels and a rabbit. A stoat for those of us who are not familiar with this animal, is a small animal or ermine. The beer could become a collectors item given the price of (Can. $800 - U.S.$1000) per bottle. You really have to like beer to pay that price.
Here's a photo of the beer and the beer holder: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/07/23/con-brewdog-beer.html
Here's what a stoat looks like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat
"It's pointless and it's very negative to use dead animals when we should be celebrating live animals," Advocates for Animals policy director Libby Anderson told BBC Scotland. "This seems to be a perverse idea."
What next? Vintage champagne bottles in hamsters or shot glasses of vodka in gold fish? Gimme a break!
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Study reveals no buzz from morning coffee
Once again, this is one of those "huh?" articles since a study focusing on coffee was done no less by Brits. Given the reality that Brits are known for their love of tea, it's sort-of - well -weird that they are involved in this type of research. Actually, and at least for me, the results are somewhat confusing.
Researchers working out of Bristol University found that drinkers develop a tolerance to anxiety-producing and stimulating effects of caffeine.
Uh - duh! This is not news, people!
Then the report goes on that caffeine only brings people back to baseline levels of alertness - not above them. Whatever that means...
According to researcher/scientist, Peter Rogers of Bristol's dept. of experimental psychology(!), although heavier coffee drinkers feel that morning caffeine high, evidence suggests that it's actually the opposite and instead they experience withdrawal and fatigue. So if we understand this correctly and it's not easy, that first morning caffeine upper so-to-speak, really is a downer and the reason for morning fatigue.
More information we perhaps may-but-not-necessarily need.
"The authors also found that the genetic predisposition to anxiety did not deter coffee drinking. In fact, people with the gene variant associated with anxiety tended to consume slightly larger amounts of coffee than those without the variant, suggesting that a mild increase in anxiety may be a part of the pleasant buzz caused by caffeine."
This could mean that people who come from families with somewhat nervous personalities or dispositions, enjoy coffee. At least this is my interpretation.
Anyway, more background info. can be found here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100602211940.htm
As a tea drinker, mainly, but a coffee enjoyer too, my first morning cup of tea and/or coffee is a necessity in spite of these - well - convoluted findings. There is nothing like the sensation of the hot tea/coffee liquid as it hits the stomach, circulates around the body and finally makes it to the brain. Right?
Researchers working out of Bristol University found that drinkers develop a tolerance to anxiety-producing and stimulating effects of caffeine.
Uh - duh! This is not news, people!
Then the report goes on that caffeine only brings people back to baseline levels of alertness - not above them. Whatever that means...
According to researcher/scientist, Peter Rogers of Bristol's dept. of experimental psychology(!), although heavier coffee drinkers feel that morning caffeine high, evidence suggests that it's actually the opposite and instead they experience withdrawal and fatigue. So if we understand this correctly and it's not easy, that first morning caffeine upper so-to-speak, really is a downer and the reason for morning fatigue.
More information we perhaps may-but-not-necessarily need.
"The authors also found that the genetic predisposition to anxiety did not deter coffee drinking. In fact, people with the gene variant associated with anxiety tended to consume slightly larger amounts of coffee than those without the variant, suggesting that a mild increase in anxiety may be a part of the pleasant buzz caused by caffeine."
This could mean that people who come from families with somewhat nervous personalities or dispositions, enjoy coffee. At least this is my interpretation.
Anyway, more background info. can be found here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100602211940.htm
As a tea drinker, mainly, but a coffee enjoyer too, my first morning cup of tea and/or coffee is a necessity in spite of these - well - convoluted findings. There is nothing like the sensation of the hot tea/coffee liquid as it hits the stomach, circulates around the body and finally makes it to the brain. Right?
Monday, May 31, 2010
Something still cheesy in England
Some of us, most likely most of us, think of cheese as a food to be eaten with crackers or perhaps a topping on hamburgers. "Normal" stuff. Then there are others who enjoy cheese on a roll, literally.
Approximately 100 people showed up at Coopers Hill, Gloustershire for an "unofficial" cheese race, even though it had officially been called off. The popular event attended by 15,000 people last year featuring people chasing a large chunk of cheese down a steep hill, was cancelled due to safety reasons. Thinking further, I suppose there could be a certain risk factor involved i.e. people watching from the sidelines getting injured by a runaway cheese. Or participants running into things on their way down like bushes or bikes or parked cars...
The cancellation hasn't been taken lying down or on the side and an official "Bring Back Cheese Rolling Group" has been initiated with more than 11,670 signatures. Some people really like their cheese.
Meanwhile, in another part of England (sounds like something out of a Monty Python skit), 5,000 people for whatever reason, attended the annual(!) woolsack race in Tetbury. The competition involves running up a steep hill carrying heavy sacks. Why do they do it? Probably for the same reason as people enjoy chasing cheese down a hill. Seems that this activity goes back to mediaeval times when men carried 60lb woolsacks and females carried 40lb woolsacks.
Finally, if this isn't enough to make you wonder, last but not least is the annual shin-kicking competition to take place this month. Really.
Approximately 100 people showed up at Coopers Hill, Gloustershire for an "unofficial" cheese race, even though it had officially been called off. The popular event attended by 15,000 people last year featuring people chasing a large chunk of cheese down a steep hill, was cancelled due to safety reasons. Thinking further, I suppose there could be a certain risk factor involved i.e. people watching from the sidelines getting injured by a runaway cheese. Or participants running into things on their way down like bushes or bikes or parked cars...
The cancellation hasn't been taken lying down or on the side and an official "Bring Back Cheese Rolling Group" has been initiated with more than 11,670 signatures. Some people really like their cheese.
Meanwhile, in another part of England (sounds like something out of a Monty Python skit), 5,000 people for whatever reason, attended the annual(!) woolsack race in Tetbury. The competition involves running up a steep hill carrying heavy sacks. Why do they do it? Probably for the same reason as people enjoy chasing cheese down a hill. Seems that this activity goes back to mediaeval times when men carried 60lb woolsacks and females carried 40lb woolsacks.
Finally, if this isn't enough to make you wonder, last but not least is the annual shin-kicking competition to take place this month. Really.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Music goes to the dogs
It's understandable how pet owners want to do everything to please the non-human elements in their lives but this is a doggone one for the record books.
Singer Lou Reed and wife Laurie Anderson, for whatever reason, will be putting on a concert at the Sydney Opera House for dogs as part of their "Vivid Live" festival, in June. According to news sources it will be a high-frequency concert created specifically for canine tastes but unfathomable for their owners. Ms Anderson who is a performance artist, has had practice entertaining her rat terrier, Lollabelle, for eleven years. Just wondering - how can one discern whether a canine likes or dislikes a particular musical passage. Anywaaaaay...
In the words of Anderson, "she (Lollabelle) likes things with a lot of smoothness but with beats in them. Things with voices and lots of complicated high-end stuff. Chk-chk-chk-chk-chk … that kind of stuff."
The event to be held in the morning, will be brief given the short attention span of canines. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 minutes or so. Since this concert is noiseless to humans, presumably owners will have to stare at their pet's faces and gauge the impact of the music. Something to the effect - pure speculation - a lot of twitches means excitement, a blank look on the face means it doesn't do anything for them or maybe they have to pee, drooling means they're really 'into it' or hungry... Go know! Thinking further about this, there is no information as to whether there will be any bathroom facilities for attendees. If not - this could be a problem. Perhaps somebody will supply fire hydrants or patches of grass. These are serious issues, people!
Music For Dogs adds to the avant-garde nature of a festival that includes improvised soundscapes by Reed's Metal Machine Trio, the Tuvan throat-singers Chirgilchin and tai chi classes, as well as more conventional acts such as the Rickie Lee Jones.
Singer Lou Reed and wife Laurie Anderson, for whatever reason, will be putting on a concert at the Sydney Opera House for dogs as part of their "Vivid Live" festival, in June. According to news sources it will be a high-frequency concert created specifically for canine tastes but unfathomable for their owners. Ms Anderson who is a performance artist, has had practice entertaining her rat terrier, Lollabelle, for eleven years. Just wondering - how can one discern whether a canine likes or dislikes a particular musical passage. Anywaaaaay...
In the words of Anderson, "she (Lollabelle) likes things with a lot of smoothness but with beats in them. Things with voices and lots of complicated high-end stuff. Chk-chk-chk-chk-chk … that kind of stuff."
The event to be held in the morning, will be brief given the short attention span of canines. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 minutes or so. Since this concert is noiseless to humans, presumably owners will have to stare at their pet's faces and gauge the impact of the music. Something to the effect - pure speculation - a lot of twitches means excitement, a blank look on the face means it doesn't do anything for them or maybe they have to pee, drooling means they're really 'into it' or hungry... Go know! Thinking further about this, there is no information as to whether there will be any bathroom facilities for attendees. If not - this could be a problem. Perhaps somebody will supply fire hydrants or patches of grass. These are serious issues, people!
Music For Dogs adds to the avant-garde nature of a festival that includes improvised soundscapes by Reed's Metal Machine Trio, the Tuvan throat-singers Chirgilchin and tai chi classes, as well as more conventional acts such as the Rickie Lee Jones.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tea drinkers rejoice!
As a tea aficienada and an occasional coffee drinker, this news doesn't come as a surprise. Researchers at the European Journal of Clinical Nutrician have conducted tests or did research showing tea doesn't dehydrate. Actually, I have to confess that this thought never entered my mind, being that I'm a 3-cup plus tea imbiber. If anything, it's a wonderful sensation when the hot liquid hits my stomach.
Drinking three or more cups of tea per day is as healthy as drinking water, plus it has extra health benefits like protecting people against heart disease and some cancers. This is a bonus for we tea imbibers who are accustomed to our daily afternoon tea break along with a cookie or two, which isn't healthy but good. Nothing like dunking a biscuit in hot tea and taking it out just at the right moment before it disintegrates into a pile of mush at the bottom of the cup. But I digress.
Clinically, it 's the flavonoids that promote health. Seems that the polyphenol antitoxidants found in many foods and plants that are the key to preventing cell damage. Tea also replaces fluids and contains antioxidants. I'll drink to that!
So who exactly are the tea drinkers, you're probably wondering. Tea people tend to be in the 40-plus age range.
Actually, I've been drinking tea since childhood and am not worse for wear, although some people might dispute this. My dentist claims that my not-white-anymore teeth are a result of tea stains, but then he wants to bleach my teeth. Pass thank you since I'm going to continue drinking tea, anyway.
Tea isn't as socially fashionable as coffee with its fancy options like your cafe macciato, expresso, cafe au lait or cafe breva. Also, a real tea drinker would disdain to drink their favorite beverage in a paper cup as do coffee drinkers. A real tea drinker uses a china cup with a saucer. Anything else is uncivilized.
The UK Tea Council - http://www.tea.co.uk/ is a great site with lots of interesting information including suggestions that include the location of local tea rooms located in the UK, recipes including green tea ice cream plus interesting facts and helpful hints like how to fix a broken nail with a tea bag no less!
"Cut a piece of paper from the corner of a dry tea bag, place over the tear, apply a tiny amount of clear nail polish to the paper and press on top. Allow to dry and finish off by filing into shape." It pays to carry around a used tea bag in one's purse or pocket for such an emergency.
There are also interesting tidbits everyone would find interesting, like 98% of people (in England) take their tea with milk while only 30% take sugar. Perhaps the other 70% use a sugar replacement sweetener - go know! There is also a section on tea customs - bits of information that anyone would want or need to know!
There is a section focusing on how to make the perfect cup of tea. Ask me about it - I know.
Drinking three or more cups of tea per day is as healthy as drinking water, plus it has extra health benefits like protecting people against heart disease and some cancers. This is a bonus for we tea imbibers who are accustomed to our daily afternoon tea break along with a cookie or two, which isn't healthy but good. Nothing like dunking a biscuit in hot tea and taking it out just at the right moment before it disintegrates into a pile of mush at the bottom of the cup. But I digress.
Clinically, it 's the flavonoids that promote health. Seems that the polyphenol antitoxidants found in many foods and plants that are the key to preventing cell damage. Tea also replaces fluids and contains antioxidants. I'll drink to that!
So who exactly are the tea drinkers, you're probably wondering. Tea people tend to be in the 40-plus age range.
Actually, I've been drinking tea since childhood and am not worse for wear, although some people might dispute this. My dentist claims that my not-white-anymore teeth are a result of tea stains, but then he wants to bleach my teeth. Pass thank you since I'm going to continue drinking tea, anyway.
Tea isn't as socially fashionable as coffee with its fancy options like your cafe macciato, expresso, cafe au lait or cafe breva. Also, a real tea drinker would disdain to drink their favorite beverage in a paper cup as do coffee drinkers. A real tea drinker uses a china cup with a saucer. Anything else is uncivilized.
The UK Tea Council - http://www.tea.co.uk/ is a great site with lots of interesting information including suggestions that include the location of local tea rooms located in the UK, recipes including green tea ice cream plus interesting facts and helpful hints like how to fix a broken nail with a tea bag no less!
"Cut a piece of paper from the corner of a dry tea bag, place over the tear, apply a tiny amount of clear nail polish to the paper and press on top. Allow to dry and finish off by filing into shape." It pays to carry around a used tea bag in one's purse or pocket for such an emergency.
There are also interesting tidbits everyone would find interesting, like 98% of people (in England) take their tea with milk while only 30% take sugar. Perhaps the other 70% use a sugar replacement sweetener - go know! There is also a section on tea customs - bits of information that anyone would want or need to know!
There is a section focusing on how to make the perfect cup of tea. Ask me about it - I know.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The hills are alive with haggis
Those Brits - never fail to surprise us! Most stories that include statistics are usually cut-and-dried factual reports focusing on a subject that attracts readers specifically interested in the topic. On occasion, statistics have entertainment value. Okay - I find these particular stats entertaining.
An on-line take-out food service, Just-Eat.co.uk, recently commissioned a survey, which revealed that one in five people in Britain believes that haggis, a traditional Scottish dish made from the lung, liver and heart of a sheep, is an animal that roams the Scottish Highlands. Yet another fifteen percent believe it's a Scottish musical instrument and another four percent believe it's a Harry Potter character.
The purpose of the survey, which questioned 1,623 people, was to ascertain how many Brits were aquainted with traditional Scottish food. Even more surprising was the revelation that 14 percent of the 781 Scottish people polled didn't even know what haggis was.
Actually, when it comes down to it, how many people reading this have ever tasted haggis, seen it on offered on a menu or would recognize it if placed on a plate? I know I wouldn't. Here is a photo of the dish in case somebody serves it to you and you don't want to appear ignorant:
http://www.freefoto.com/images/09/35/09_35_3---Haggis_web.jpg
Thinking further on this subject many countries have their own culinary specialties. For example poutine with cheese curds and gravy on top of french fries, is a dish loved by Canadian Quebecers:
http://www.voir.ca/blogs/nouvelles_musique/poutine.jpg
There's some great pics of unusual (to say or write the least) food items here:
http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2009/01/weird-things-people-eat-around-world.html
As an aside, in the name of a community TV program, I've indulged in sucking on a bug lollipop, crunched on a chocolate covered grasshopper. Declined fried maggots in tomato sauce. There was something about the way they moved too realistically in the frying pan that bugged me.
An on-line take-out food service, Just-Eat.co.uk, recently commissioned a survey, which revealed that one in five people in Britain believes that haggis, a traditional Scottish dish made from the lung, liver and heart of a sheep, is an animal that roams the Scottish Highlands. Yet another fifteen percent believe it's a Scottish musical instrument and another four percent believe it's a Harry Potter character.
The purpose of the survey, which questioned 1,623 people, was to ascertain how many Brits were aquainted with traditional Scottish food. Even more surprising was the revelation that 14 percent of the 781 Scottish people polled didn't even know what haggis was.
Actually, when it comes down to it, how many people reading this have ever tasted haggis, seen it on offered on a menu or would recognize it if placed on a plate? I know I wouldn't. Here is a photo of the dish in case somebody serves it to you and you don't want to appear ignorant:
http://www.freefoto.com/images/09/35/09_35_3---Haggis_web.jpg
Thinking further on this subject many countries have their own culinary specialties. For example poutine with cheese curds and gravy on top of french fries, is a dish loved by Canadian Quebecers:
http://www.voir.ca/blogs/nouvelles_musique/poutine.jpg
There's some great pics of unusual (to say or write the least) food items here:
http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2009/01/weird-things-people-eat-around-world.html
As an aside, in the name of a community TV program, I've indulged in sucking on a bug lollipop, crunched on a chocolate covered grasshopper. Declined fried maggots in tomato sauce. There was something about the way they moved too realistically in the frying pan that bugged me.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sarah Palin has Canadian roots
Not only does Sarah Palin claim to see Russia from her doorstep, but now she can also boast Canadian roots - and I'm not referring to her hair.
According to press reports it appears that Palin has relatives in the town of Hartney, approximately 80 km southwest of Brandon, Manitoba. Obviously pleased with this news, the mayor of Hartney is planning to extend an invitation to Palin to visit the town, where she can stand on the front porch to see if she can see the U.S. I mean, it only stands to reason.
The Canuck connection was revealed following a speech Palin gave in Hamilton, Ontario recently, where she told a crowd of 900 people that "the foundation of the Palin family" originated in Canada, where "one grandfather was born in Manitoba, this was a farming family there." She went on to comment that her family has "some pretty funny stories of our relatives who were bootleggers" in Manitoba and Saskatchewan many decades ago. I wonder whether the descedents of these relatives appreciate this being pointed out.
Genealogically-speaking, it appears that it's actually, Todd Palin, Sarah's husband, whose roots are in the province. One Frederick William Palin, Todd's grandfather, was born in the town in February 1905. He moved to Washington state where his son James - Todd's - father - was born.
"I don't know how to go about contacting her but I'm going to try to invite her to come," Harney mayor Bruce Evans opined.
You betcha!
Information about Hartney, Manitoba: www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/cgi.bin/csd/index.cgi?id=46-5063
According to press reports it appears that Palin has relatives in the town of Hartney, approximately 80 km southwest of Brandon, Manitoba. Obviously pleased with this news, the mayor of Hartney is planning to extend an invitation to Palin to visit the town, where she can stand on the front porch to see if she can see the U.S. I mean, it only stands to reason.
The Canuck connection was revealed following a speech Palin gave in Hamilton, Ontario recently, where she told a crowd of 900 people that "the foundation of the Palin family" originated in Canada, where "one grandfather was born in Manitoba, this was a farming family there." She went on to comment that her family has "some pretty funny stories of our relatives who were bootleggers" in Manitoba and Saskatchewan many decades ago. I wonder whether the descedents of these relatives appreciate this being pointed out.
Genealogically-speaking, it appears that it's actually, Todd Palin, Sarah's husband, whose roots are in the province. One Frederick William Palin, Todd's grandfather, was born in the town in February 1905. He moved to Washington state where his son James - Todd's - father - was born.
"I don't know how to go about contacting her but I'm going to try to invite her to come," Harney mayor Bruce Evans opined.
You betcha!
Information about Hartney, Manitoba: www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/cgi.bin/csd/index.cgi?id=46-5063
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Aliens are among us - at least 20% of people believe
The topic of aliens - the interplanetary visitors kind - with friends and aquaintances tends to be a conversation ender. For the record I'm of the belief that given the enormity of our solar system, there have to be other life forms. Maybe not humans as we know them...perhaps they take the form of - I dunno - worms or ants or crows (crows are very smart so they could be one of "them") but I digress.
I'm not the only one to believe the existence of aliens since a Reuters Ipsos global survey of 23,000 adults in 22 countries reveal that more than 40% of people in India and China believe that aliens are here on planet earth disguised as humans (or ants...or...), while those least likely to believe this possibility live in Belgium, Sweden and Netherland (8%). However, the majority of people polled or 80% don't believe they're living amongst us.
A while back while discussing this topic with an aquaintance, she swore me to secrecy and shared her belief that she may have come accross an alien while shopping at the supermarket. The supermarket no less! Anyway, the reason for this belief is that this particular female's ('it' was in female form) skin was a definite shade of grey that sort-of glittered plus she had a protruding forehead. She didn't approach the woman/alien because, I mean, what would you say? 'Hi there - you look like an alien'?
The survey also disclosed that more men than women — 22 percent vs 17 percent — believe that alien beings are on earth. The majority of the believers are under 35 years of age.
Personally, I'm open to the possibility that aliens are amongst us. Just keep your eyes on the crows - they know.
I'm not the only one to believe the existence of aliens since a Reuters Ipsos global survey of 23,000 adults in 22 countries reveal that more than 40% of people in India and China believe that aliens are here on planet earth disguised as humans (or ants...or...), while those least likely to believe this possibility live in Belgium, Sweden and Netherland (8%). However, the majority of people polled or 80% don't believe they're living amongst us.
A while back while discussing this topic with an aquaintance, she swore me to secrecy and shared her belief that she may have come accross an alien while shopping at the supermarket. The supermarket no less! Anyway, the reason for this belief is that this particular female's ('it' was in female form) skin was a definite shade of grey that sort-of glittered plus she had a protruding forehead. She didn't approach the woman/alien because, I mean, what would you say? 'Hi there - you look like an alien'?
The survey also disclosed that more men than women — 22 percent vs 17 percent — believe that alien beings are on earth. The majority of the believers are under 35 years of age.
Personally, I'm open to the possibility that aliens are amongst us. Just keep your eyes on the crows - they know.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
GO ON - LAUGH A BIT!
The arrival of the month of April always makes me smile, accompanied by occasional outbreaks of laughter. The reason for my feeling of happiness is that April is designated as National Humour Month. Not that we need an excuse to laugh but a celebration of “feeling good” is a holiday in which we all should partake.
The creator of this gleeful celebration is one Larry Wilde, who decided in 1976 to devote the entire month to laughter. His aim was and presumably still is, to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality in one’s life. Sounds like a good enough reason to me!
Over the years researchers have explored laughter’s effects on the body and produced some interesting information on how it affects us. For example, a study conducted by researchers of the University of Maryland studied the effects on blood vessels when people were shown either comedies or dramas and concluded that blood vessels of the group watching comedies expanded and contracted easily, while the blood vessels of the people watching dramas, tended to tense up restricting blood flow. Other studies also reveal that the ability to use humour may raise the level of infection-fighting antibodies and boost the level of immune cells.
Want more proof? There’s even scientific evidence that it may offer protection against a heart attack. A study with results presented at the American Heart Association’s 73rd Scientific Session showed that people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
A happier person has a positive outlook towards life, lives each day without worrying about the future, appreciates and enjoys the blessings in life and is able to enjoy life to the fullest. Is that you?
Here’s an interesting piece of information for people who are watching their weight. Giggling for a mere 15 minutes per day burns enough calories to shed up to 5lbs. of fat over the year. Researchers measured the number of calories expended by 45 adults while watching a comedy film including nature and comedy shows. Bouts of laughter when watching a comedy film used up 20% more energy than at rest. You can read more about the research conducted by surfing over to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6274119.stm
So what does this all mean in the scheme of things? You don’t need medical proof that laughter makes you feel good. In the way of celebrating throughout the month, rent some ‘nutsy’ comedies at least once per week or watch a (good) TV sitcom. Share funny stories and/or jokes with friends – chances are at least one (hopefully more) will elicit a smile or laugh. Read some books written by people who are known for their comedic expression. Some personal favourites are books by the late humorist, Erma Bombeck or compilations by columnist, Dave Barry and don’t forget to laugh at yourself now and then.
Drop by http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/03/funny.websites/index.html and you’ll find a list of 10 sites to make you laugh out loud. Actually, I feel a laugh coming on right now. You?
Saturday, April 03, 2010
California dog owner builds mansion for pooches
Given the state of our planet these days what with stories focusing on war, natural disasters, death and starvation, here is a story based in California that makes a person wonder what they're putting in their water these days.
A woman, one Tammy Kassis, decided to build her pet pooches a Victorian mansion no less, at a cost of $20,000USD along with a picket fence - I mean, what's a doggie villa without a picket fence. It also has Spanish style turrets in the towers.
The doggie homestead, modelled after her own (that says something in itself), boasts the usual necessities of life including a television set, vaulted ceilings, air conditioning, wall paper and for that extra personal touch, handmade curtains. How sweet! As if all this isn't enough her three dogs, Darla, Chelsea and Cocoa Puff can sleep - if they so choose - in their own designer beds. Floors, which can be drafty, are too common place for this trio. Interestingly enough there is no mention by the way, of toilets...
Other accessories include blinds for the window, heating and ceiling fans. Perhaps the pooches didn't want other local dogs to peer in - nothing worse than voyeur dogs or cats - go know!
Amazing - there are people in many parts of the world going hungry and exposed to the elements due to lack of shelter - and this definitely over-zealous pet owner spends a chunk of cash on her dogs. Talk about this planet going to the dogs...
A woman, one Tammy Kassis, decided to build her pet pooches a Victorian mansion no less, at a cost of $20,000USD along with a picket fence - I mean, what's a doggie villa without a picket fence. It also has Spanish style turrets in the towers.
The doggie homestead, modelled after her own (that says something in itself), boasts the usual necessities of life including a television set, vaulted ceilings, air conditioning, wall paper and for that extra personal touch, handmade curtains. How sweet! As if all this isn't enough her three dogs, Darla, Chelsea and Cocoa Puff can sleep - if they so choose - in their own designer beds. Floors, which can be drafty, are too common place for this trio. Interestingly enough there is no mention by the way, of toilets...
Other accessories include blinds for the window, heating and ceiling fans. Perhaps the pooches didn't want other local dogs to peer in - nothing worse than voyeur dogs or cats - go know!
Amazing - there are people in many parts of the world going hungry and exposed to the elements due to lack of shelter - and this definitely over-zealous pet owner spends a chunk of cash on her dogs. Talk about this planet going to the dogs...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A dose of chocolate a day keeps heart attack away - so they say
At last - a legitimate medical justification to indulge in chocolate!
A new study - my kind of study by the way - indicates that small doses of chocolate each day lessens one's risk of having a heart attack or stroke by nearly 40%. How exciting! So researchers based in Germany followed 20,000 people over an 8 year period by sending them questionnaires focusing on diet and exercise habits. Findings reveal that participants who ate 6 grams of chocolate per day or approximately 1 square of chocolate bar, had a 39% lower risk of either a heart attack or stroke.
Experts are of the opinion that flavonols, also found vegetables and red wines, are responsible helping the muscles in blood vessels widen, leading to the drop in blood pressure.
Hey - that sounds like a good enough reason to me. However - don't you hate the howevers in life - medical experts caution that eating larger amounts of chocolate could lead to weight gain. Wow - what a surprise!
"This is not a prescription to eat more chocolate," said Dr. Robert Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and a past president of the American Heart Association. He was not linked to the study. "If we all had (a small amount) of chocolate every day for the rest of our lives, we would all gain a few pounds."
So basically if we read between the lines, the experts are still out regarding this eating chocolate=healthy heart study, but what the heck - we should all do our part to help science and if that includes eating chocolate, so much the better.
Meanwhile, watch this video for the lowdown on chocolate and healthy hearts. The Easter bunny would be happy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6zIlNCrZpk
A new study - my kind of study by the way - indicates that small doses of chocolate each day lessens one's risk of having a heart attack or stroke by nearly 40%. How exciting! So researchers based in Germany followed 20,000 people over an 8 year period by sending them questionnaires focusing on diet and exercise habits. Findings reveal that participants who ate 6 grams of chocolate per day or approximately 1 square of chocolate bar, had a 39% lower risk of either a heart attack or stroke.
Experts are of the opinion that flavonols, also found vegetables and red wines, are responsible helping the muscles in blood vessels widen, leading to the drop in blood pressure.
Hey - that sounds like a good enough reason to me. However - don't you hate the howevers in life - medical experts caution that eating larger amounts of chocolate could lead to weight gain. Wow - what a surprise!
"This is not a prescription to eat more chocolate," said Dr. Robert Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and a past president of the American Heart Association. He was not linked to the study. "If we all had (a small amount) of chocolate every day for the rest of our lives, we would all gain a few pounds."
So basically if we read between the lines, the experts are still out regarding this eating chocolate=healthy heart study, but what the heck - we should all do our part to help science and if that includes eating chocolate, so much the better.
Meanwhile, watch this video for the lowdown on chocolate and healthy hearts. The Easter bunny would be happy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6zIlNCrZpk
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Man tries to revive dead opossum - without success
Yet another example of someone trying to do a good deed taking things too far. Also another example how our world or some of its people are getting weirder and weirder.
Most of us or a least a lot of people are familiar with Puxatawny, PA. as the home town of that well-known-bordering-on-famous ground hog, Puxatawny Phil. Once per year Phil emerges (with a little help) from his well-appointed den to predict whether we'll have an early or late Spring.
Recently, Puxatawny - the town - not the groundhog - was in the news again but this time it was related to an attempt to bring back the dead, be it a opossum. Seems that according to witnesses, one Donald Wolfe of Brookville, PA. spotted what he believed to be a dead opossum and was so moved by its demise that he attempted to resuscitate it. You read it right. At least that's what one of the witnesses believed Wolfe was doing since he was kneeling next to it at the time. Another witness reported that he saw him giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in addition to Wolfe waving his arms around in a manner that could be interpreted as conducting a seance. According to a CNN report, the marsupial was in a flattened state, which must have made the task difficult. I mean, he must have had to scrape it off the road first.
Police charged Wolfe with public drunkeness. What a surprise.
Meanwhile, here are some photos of opossum: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/opossum/
Most of us or a least a lot of people are familiar with Puxatawny, PA. as the home town of that well-known-bordering-on-famous ground hog, Puxatawny Phil. Once per year Phil emerges (with a little help) from his well-appointed den to predict whether we'll have an early or late Spring.
Recently, Puxatawny - the town - not the groundhog - was in the news again but this time it was related to an attempt to bring back the dead, be it a opossum. Seems that according to witnesses, one Donald Wolfe of Brookville, PA. spotted what he believed to be a dead opossum and was so moved by its demise that he attempted to resuscitate it. You read it right. At least that's what one of the witnesses believed Wolfe was doing since he was kneeling next to it at the time. Another witness reported that he saw him giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in addition to Wolfe waving his arms around in a manner that could be interpreted as conducting a seance. According to a CNN report, the marsupial was in a flattened state, which must have made the task difficult. I mean, he must have had to scrape it off the road first.
Police charged Wolfe with public drunkeness. What a surprise.
Meanwhile, here are some photos of opossum: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/opossum/
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Life is a soap opera in the true sense of the word
Once again the focus of this story is England and makes a person (okay - me) wonder what or if there's something funny they're putting in the water these days. I dunno - some people - read: most people - live out their lives in veritable anonymity. Then there are others who make a point of conducting and documenting every minute of their existence in the tabloids.
Take Anna Nicole Smith, the wanna-be actress who ended her life in 2007 by an accidental drug over-dose, who will at last get her wish in a way, when the Royal Opera will next year premiere focusing on the life of former Playboy centrefold. The new opera, by British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and writer Richard Thomas, will be staged by renowned director Richard Jones.
For those people un-familiar with Thomas's work, he was co-creator of "Jerry Springer: the Opera" which resulted in numerous complaints to the BBC when it aired on the BBC in 2005. He says that the musical production will end with her death and not the custody battle over her daughter.
At the time of her death she was involved in a long-running legal battle over the will of her late husband, billionaire oil tycoon, Howard Marshall, who was 89 when they married. She was 26 years old.
The opera will have its premiere in February 2011 in Covent Gardens with Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek doing Anna-Nicole.
Take Anna Nicole Smith, the wanna-be actress who ended her life in 2007 by an accidental drug over-dose, who will at last get her wish in a way, when the Royal Opera will next year premiere focusing on the life of former Playboy centrefold. The new opera, by British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and writer Richard Thomas, will be staged by renowned director Richard Jones.
For those people un-familiar with Thomas's work, he was co-creator of "Jerry Springer: the Opera" which resulted in numerous complaints to the BBC when it aired on the BBC in 2005. He says that the musical production will end with her death and not the custody battle over her daughter.
At the time of her death she was involved in a long-running legal battle over the will of her late husband, billionaire oil tycoon, Howard Marshall, who was 89 when they married. She was 26 years old.
The opera will have its premiere in February 2011 in Covent Gardens with Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek doing Anna-Nicole.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Ghosts in a bottle
Most people attending an auction bid on familiar items i.e. furniture, jewelry, art work -the "normal" stuff. Then there are others who seek out the unusual bordering on weird.
An online auction in New Zealand recently featured - wait for it - two vials allegedly containing the ghosts of two dead people. As they say there's a sucker....that should read, buyer, for everything and the ghostly apparitions sold for $1983. Guess ghosts are going for under $2000 these days. Still, that's not a bad bid for things one can't see or even prove exist.
These ghosts were put on the auction block by one Avie Woodbury, who claimed that she stored her ghosts in glass vials, with stoppers dipped in holy water. According to Woodbury, dipping the stoppers in holy water dulls the spirits energy.
Her claim could make sense since it's difficult if not impossible to prove that she had ghosts caught in a vile in the first place.
Anyway...Woodbury also claims that the ghosts were/are/could be an old man who lived in a house in the 1920's and a powerful, bad little girl who made herself felt during a Ouija board session. These two were subsequently trapped in the jar/vile and/or removed from the house during an exorcism session. I mean - how does she or anybody know this to be true? Perhaps - just perhaps - the ghosts are still in the house. How do we know?
Woodbury says that once an "exorcist's fee" has been deducted, the proceeds of the spirit sale will go to the animal welfare group the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Why am I not surprised an "exorcising fee" is involved?
An online auction in New Zealand recently featured - wait for it - two vials allegedly containing the ghosts of two dead people. As they say there's a sucker....that should read, buyer, for everything and the ghostly apparitions sold for $1983. Guess ghosts are going for under $2000 these days. Still, that's not a bad bid for things one can't see or even prove exist.
These ghosts were put on the auction block by one Avie Woodbury, who claimed that she stored her ghosts in glass vials, with stoppers dipped in holy water. According to Woodbury, dipping the stoppers in holy water dulls the spirits energy.
Her claim could make sense since it's difficult if not impossible to prove that she had ghosts caught in a vile in the first place.
Anyway...Woodbury also claims that the ghosts were/are/could be an old man who lived in a house in the 1920's and a powerful, bad little girl who made herself felt during a Ouija board session. These two were subsequently trapped in the jar/vile and/or removed from the house during an exorcism session. I mean - how does she or anybody know this to be true? Perhaps - just perhaps - the ghosts are still in the house. How do we know?
Woodbury says that once an "exorcist's fee" has been deducted, the proceeds of the spirit sale will go to the animal welfare group the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Why am I not surprised an "exorcising fee" is involved?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Getting the point
It always amazes me in addition to scratching my head and raising my eyebrows, as to why humans feel the need to do - well - dumb things. What's the attraction in performing life-threatening "tricks" that threaten one's well being?
So this guy, 31-year old Australian performance artist, Chayne Hultgren, a.k.a. The Space Cowboy, took it upon himself to test his body's taste for metal. The metal in question is 18 swords measuring 28.35 inches long, at an outdoor festival in Sydney, Australia, presumably in front of a crowd. I mean, what's the use of doing life-threatening feats of stupidity unless there are people around to witness the so-called feat? Actually, it appears according to the news reports that he did it to get into the Guiness Book of Records to beat the record he had set in 2008.
Talk about a taste for heavy metal!
Acknowledging there was an element of danger involved, he admitted that while the stunt was not dangerous, he trained for a long period of time. I bet.
"Wow, I did it, it feels good, thank you very much, it feels really good actually," he said after setting the record.
Feels good??? Not dangerous?? How could swallowing 18 swords "feel good?" Why don't people who crave metal use cutlery instead, like forks, spoons or even butter knives that could produce the same sensation but don't threaten one's well-being? There is no information available as to what he did with the swords following his accomplishment after having the swords sliding around his insides. Also, there is nothing about whether he followed a special diet before the big show. Good thing nobody had a magnet nearby.
So this guy, 31-year old Australian performance artist, Chayne Hultgren, a.k.a. The Space Cowboy, took it upon himself to test his body's taste for metal. The metal in question is 18 swords measuring 28.35 inches long, at an outdoor festival in Sydney, Australia, presumably in front of a crowd. I mean, what's the use of doing life-threatening feats of stupidity unless there are people around to witness the so-called feat? Actually, it appears according to the news reports that he did it to get into the Guiness Book of Records to beat the record he had set in 2008.
Talk about a taste for heavy metal!
Acknowledging there was an element of danger involved, he admitted that while the stunt was not dangerous, he trained for a long period of time. I bet.
"Wow, I did it, it feels good, thank you very much, it feels really good actually," he said after setting the record.
Feels good??? Not dangerous?? How could swallowing 18 swords "feel good?" Why don't people who crave metal use cutlery instead, like forks, spoons or even butter knives that could produce the same sensation but don't threaten one's well-being? There is no information available as to what he did with the swords following his accomplishment after having the swords sliding around his insides. Also, there is nothing about whether he followed a special diet before the big show. Good thing nobody had a magnet nearby.
Friday, January 29, 2010
It's all in the Twitter count
For whatever reason I appear to be losing followers. We're not about followers of the religious kind although some Twitter-ites are as rabidly zealous about posting continuous updates about their lives and anything and everything.
Thing is...it's beginning to give me a complex especially since I can't figure out the reason. As a writer I always prided myself about having a way with words but this really doesn't cut it on Twitter. You have to share - I dunno - recipes or promote your product or something. Darned if I can figure it out. Could be, though that people are losing interest since my numbers aren't - well - high. You know, popularity draws attention. As I wrote - a personal complex.
Up until recently Twitter and I had an on-going problem what they claimed to be a technical situation regarding the number of my followers versus following others. Each time somebody decided to be my cyber friend and follower,it registered as me following them. The situation didn't improve and we i.e. Twitter tech. and myself, began an on-going correspondence. For whatever reason they claimed that after checking, the situation was normal. At one point things did return to "normal" but the problem re-occured. Corresponding with tech. support ended up with a Twitter rep. requesting that I name all my new followers in the way of proof. Go know who was who especially since many of the new followers were now in the following column. Anyway, things appear to be the way they should be, at last.
Still, I have to confess that when it's all said and done or tweeted, I really can't see the attraction of limiting one's thoughts to 140 bytes as one can in a blog. It's just so...confining. That being written, I still find myself providing Tweets 'cause you never know who wants to follow me.
Thing is...it's beginning to give me a complex especially since I can't figure out the reason. As a writer I always prided myself about having a way with words but this really doesn't cut it on Twitter. You have to share - I dunno - recipes or promote your product or something. Darned if I can figure it out. Could be, though that people are losing interest since my numbers aren't - well - high. You know, popularity draws attention. As I wrote - a personal complex.
Up until recently Twitter and I had an on-going problem what they claimed to be a technical situation regarding the number of my followers versus following others. Each time somebody decided to be my cyber friend and follower,it registered as me following them. The situation didn't improve and we i.e. Twitter tech. and myself, began an on-going correspondence. For whatever reason they claimed that after checking, the situation was normal. At one point things did return to "normal" but the problem re-occured. Corresponding with tech. support ended up with a Twitter rep. requesting that I name all my new followers in the way of proof. Go know who was who especially since many of the new followers were now in the following column. Anyway, things appear to be the way they should be, at last.
Still, I have to confess that when it's all said and done or tweeted, I really can't see the attraction of limiting one's thoughts to 140 bytes as one can in a blog. It's just so...confining. That being written, I still find myself providing Tweets 'cause you never know who wants to follow me.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
A night out at the movie - if you can find it
So yesterday we went to our local gazillion-plex to see George Clooney's latest film, "Up In the Air." Very good film but definitely don't go see it if you're depressed or easily depressed, however, the movie itself is not the focus of this piece.
Given that it was Christmas Day with frazzled parents looking for something - anything - to do with their kids, you can imagine the crowd running to line up behind and between the ropes that will lead them to the promised land and mindless diversion for a couple of hours.
Search as we may we couldn't find the number for the line up for our theatre. The focus was to seek out number 10 but all that was visible were people lining up for theatres 8 and 9. After walking around in circles for a while along with other theatre 10 theatre goers, we spotted a guy wearing a Santa hat holding an electronic device wearing a name tag with the name of the theatre. Asking his assistance as to where the line up was for theatre 10, he pointed to the mass of humanity behind the ropes for theatres 8 and 9 and answered, "there!"
"Wrong!" I responded, "there is no chorded area for number 10.It doesn't exist!"
"Look - I should know," he answered defiantly, "I'm the manager of the theatre."
At this point our numbers had grown to a relatively large-ish crowd of people seeking out the elusive number 10 and there was a definite sense of hostility and possible rebellion in the air.
"You have your number 8. You have your number 9 but there is no line up for number 10," my husband added. "Go see for yourself!"
The manager took off followed by our number 10 group at his heels, stopping in front of number 8 and number 9.
"Oh - there is no number 10," he mumbled."I don't understand" after which he spoke to somebody on his walkie-talkie. "The ushers were supposed to set it up..."
Walking quickly he returned to the front of number 10 theatre with our group of number 10 close behind.
"Line up here," he told us even though we reminded him that it was not a corded area. We stayed there for five minutes after which the theatre manager returned, minus the Santa hat and beads of sweat on his forehead. This did not bode well.
"You're gonna have to move," he instructed, pointing a finger to the number 8 and 9 lines, The group did a collective look over and after seeing the extent and length of the line we told him, "no way! We can't just push in there. They won't let us in!"
"Then you won't be able to enter the theatre!" he threatened. "You're blocking the exit of the people exiting theatre 10."
"But why should we line up for theatres 8 and 9 when we're number 10?" I snapped back, determined to hold my ground in front of theatre 10. "We'll move to the side but don't make us move again."
"The usher just put up a rope for theatre 10," he said confidently, pointing to the empty space with the number "10" in front.
Once again our group number 10 went back to join the people in lineups 8 and 9, who at that point had been released from standing in and being contained behind a rope prison for who knows how long. They poured out while ushers removed the printed numbers 8 and 9 along with the ropes. Within 5 minutes the theatre manager returned to remove our rope and allowed us into the theater.
"Tell us again why we couldn't line up in front of the theatre?" I asked as we passed by him on our way to our seats.
Anyway, the movie was very good, the popcorn fresh and hot for a change, even though the line to get in wasn't. Just goes to show that life these days is filled with numbers and you gotta have the right number to get ahead - even in a movie theatre.
Given that it was Christmas Day with frazzled parents looking for something - anything - to do with their kids, you can imagine the crowd running to line up behind and between the ropes that will lead them to the promised land and mindless diversion for a couple of hours.
Search as we may we couldn't find the number for the line up for our theatre. The focus was to seek out number 10 but all that was visible were people lining up for theatres 8 and 9. After walking around in circles for a while along with other theatre 10 theatre goers, we spotted a guy wearing a Santa hat holding an electronic device wearing a name tag with the name of the theatre. Asking his assistance as to where the line up was for theatre 10, he pointed to the mass of humanity behind the ropes for theatres 8 and 9 and answered, "there!"
"Wrong!" I responded, "there is no chorded area for number 10.It doesn't exist!"
"Look - I should know," he answered defiantly, "I'm the manager of the theatre."
At this point our numbers had grown to a relatively large-ish crowd of people seeking out the elusive number 10 and there was a definite sense of hostility and possible rebellion in the air.
"You have your number 8. You have your number 9 but there is no line up for number 10," my husband added. "Go see for yourself!"
The manager took off followed by our number 10 group at his heels, stopping in front of number 8 and number 9.
"Oh - there is no number 10," he mumbled."I don't understand" after which he spoke to somebody on his walkie-talkie. "The ushers were supposed to set it up..."
Walking quickly he returned to the front of number 10 theatre with our group of number 10 close behind.
"Line up here," he told us even though we reminded him that it was not a corded area. We stayed there for five minutes after which the theatre manager returned, minus the Santa hat and beads of sweat on his forehead. This did not bode well.
"You're gonna have to move," he instructed, pointing a finger to the number 8 and 9 lines, The group did a collective look over and after seeing the extent and length of the line we told him, "no way! We can't just push in there. They won't let us in!"
"Then you won't be able to enter the theatre!" he threatened. "You're blocking the exit of the people exiting theatre 10."
"But why should we line up for theatres 8 and 9 when we're number 10?" I snapped back, determined to hold my ground in front of theatre 10. "We'll move to the side but don't make us move again."
"The usher just put up a rope for theatre 10," he said confidently, pointing to the empty space with the number "10" in front.
Once again our group number 10 went back to join the people in lineups 8 and 9, who at that point had been released from standing in and being contained behind a rope prison for who knows how long. They poured out while ushers removed the printed numbers 8 and 9 along with the ropes. Within 5 minutes the theatre manager returned to remove our rope and allowed us into the theater.
"Tell us again why we couldn't line up in front of the theatre?" I asked as we passed by him on our way to our seats.
Anyway, the movie was very good, the popcorn fresh and hot for a change, even though the line to get in wasn't. Just goes to show that life these days is filled with numbers and you gotta have the right number to get ahead - even in a movie theatre.
Friday, December 04, 2009
No more official UFO sightings for Brits
Interesting that this story ended in the Ananova.com Quirky news file, given the gravity or repercussions of this report. So y'see - the British Ministry of Defense who deals with UFO reports (among other things one presumes), is closing up shop after 60 years of investigations, 12,000 reports including 135 last year alone.
As is the case in many governments around the globe, the heart of the matter is money so the decision to close the department will result in a savings of £50,000 per year.
That's it? I mean, one wonders if this an entire departmental staff salary or one person's salary `a la British eqivalent of a Fox Muldaur. The official wording is that the department after deciding there was no benefit investigating sightings which were "an inappropriate use of defence resources".
A lot of Brits are not pleased with the decision including one Nick Pope, who ran the Ministry of Defence UFO project from 1991 to 1994, said it was "outrageous".
"We're leaving ourselves wide open to terrorist attacks," he told The Sun.
Well Nick, I don't know if I would go that far. Is Nick referring to an alien attack from another planet or dimension? Does he know something that we should know? Is there a space ship in a hangar somewhere hidden away from the public? Is there a British equivalent of Area 51? These are things enquiring minds wanna know!
After an application under the Freedom of Information Act, the Ministry of Defence admitted that responding to every UFO sightings "diverts MoD (Ministry of Defence) resources from tasks that are relevant to Defence". Presumably, it also costs to send out investigators to write up flying saucer reports that are most likely stored away for posterity or something.
It said that in more than 50 years "no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom".
Uh-huh...and what about all those corn field patterns? Huh?
After investigating, around five per cent of reports remain unexplained. There you go. Five percent is five percent!
As is the case in many governments around the globe, the heart of the matter is money so the decision to close the department will result in a savings of £50,000 per year.
That's it? I mean, one wonders if this an entire departmental staff salary or one person's salary `a la British eqivalent of a Fox Muldaur. The official wording is that the department after deciding there was no benefit investigating sightings which were "an inappropriate use of defence resources".
A lot of Brits are not pleased with the decision including one Nick Pope, who ran the Ministry of Defence UFO project from 1991 to 1994, said it was "outrageous".
"We're leaving ourselves wide open to terrorist attacks," he told The Sun.
Well Nick, I don't know if I would go that far. Is Nick referring to an alien attack from another planet or dimension? Does he know something that we should know? Is there a space ship in a hangar somewhere hidden away from the public? Is there a British equivalent of Area 51? These are things enquiring minds wanna know!
After an application under the Freedom of Information Act, the Ministry of Defence admitted that responding to every UFO sightings "diverts MoD (Ministry of Defence) resources from tasks that are relevant to Defence". Presumably, it also costs to send out investigators to write up flying saucer reports that are most likely stored away for posterity or something.
It said that in more than 50 years "no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom".
Uh-huh...and what about all those corn field patterns? Huh?
After investigating, around five per cent of reports remain unexplained. There you go. Five percent is five percent!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Expert wanted to study lap dancers - any takers?
Looking for a challenge that offers a reward, which money alone can't compensate? The Leeds University may be the right place to end your job search since it is seeking out - wait for it - a researcher to study lap dancing.
No printing error and to add icing on the cake the position pays in the area £31,000-a-year.
Persons interested in applying should be aware that this interesting position posted by the School of Sociology and Social Policy (go figure!) is for:
"Research Officer - The rise and regulation of lap dancing and the place of sexual labour and consumption in the night time economy".
Academics do tend to use such fancy words for basically a person to watch lap dancing and take notes.
The Government-funded position(!) will see the successful applicant interview 300 lap dancers in in two northern English towns.
The study, which comes with a salary of £31,513 to be exact, is aimed at finding out who becomes lap dancers and what their working conditions are like, as well as how the number of bars have multiplied.
The ad stipulates the successful applicant will need to have "prior experience of conducting research in the female sex industry".
But Susie Squire, political director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, complained: "This is the ultimate non-job and will both anger and bemuse taxpayers.
"It may be a dream job for some men, but it's just another nightmare of public sector waste for the ordinary people who pay for it."
Uh-huh...
No printing error and to add icing on the cake the position pays in the area £31,000-a-year.
Persons interested in applying should be aware that this interesting position posted by the School of Sociology and Social Policy (go figure!) is for:
"Research Officer - The rise and regulation of lap dancing and the place of sexual labour and consumption in the night time economy".
Academics do tend to use such fancy words for basically a person to watch lap dancing and take notes.
The Government-funded position(!) will see the successful applicant interview 300 lap dancers in in two northern English towns.
The study, which comes with a salary of £31,513 to be exact, is aimed at finding out who becomes lap dancers and what their working conditions are like, as well as how the number of bars have multiplied.
The ad stipulates the successful applicant will need to have "prior experience of conducting research in the female sex industry".
But Susie Squire, political director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, complained: "This is the ultimate non-job and will both anger and bemuse taxpayers.
"It may be a dream job for some men, but it's just another nightmare of public sector waste for the ordinary people who pay for it."
Uh-huh...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
I'm a Twit - you're a twit -we're all a-Twitter!
Some thoughts about Twitter. My motivation for signing up was because – well – it seemed like the logical thing to do since the hot and not-so-hot celebrities are there. The idea in as far as I can tell, is to follow people in the hope that they will follow back.
Why?
So that you can accumulate “followers” and increase your numbers – in the numerical sense of course. Why increase your followers? Not quite sure but presumably this has boasting rights i.e. “I have 20,000 followers and I’m popular as you can tell!” Judging by some of the requests to follow me, a lot of the Twitter-ites – I like to call them Twits – use the service as a means to promote their latest book releases, business, services. In fact I have to confess that I have rejected the friendship of people willing to perform live on web cam, sell me a service that is overtly financially favourable to them solely.
A really annoying factor on a personal level is the limitation of bytes allowable to make a statement. The real concept behind Twitter is to communicate a logical thought by texting from wherever the Twit is located i.e. bus, bathroom, movie theatre, dentist’s office, giving birth, etc. etc. using abbreviations. Something to the effect:
“Drnkg cafe @ frnds hse” or “Shpg @ Wlmrt” or “’m givg birth – fckg (universally known and recognized bad word) pain!” – the challenge is to communicate without getting the dreaded Twitter red minus sign indicating exceeding the byte allotment, which means a complete revision of the sentence/thought to avoid its re-appearance. Being a Twit ain’t easy!
Actually, in its favour, Twitter has brought me close to some celebrities in the cyber sense. Now me and Yoko Ono are friends, she told me so in a personal tweet, in addition to David Peck who stars on the TV show, “V” and my biggest celebrity friend, Gov. Arnold Schwarzneggar, who updates me regularly about California even though I live in Canada, and I'm receiving spiritual advice from Deepak Chopra. Also following me because I follow them is Fawlty Towers DVD, OK Magazine, the Rock of Ages musical (because I’m dying to see it!)...and so many other interesting whoevers and whatevers! Where else could we have a brush with almost-fame but by being Twits? Not to be overlooked are the people who want to make me rich if I invest more than Twitter updates with them.
Let’s follow each other. I mean, don’cha wannna make more friends? I can be found as scriberess. You twit me and I’ll twit you back. Maybe.
Why?
So that you can accumulate “followers” and increase your numbers – in the numerical sense of course. Why increase your followers? Not quite sure but presumably this has boasting rights i.e. “I have 20,000 followers and I’m popular as you can tell!” Judging by some of the requests to follow me, a lot of the Twitter-ites – I like to call them Twits – use the service as a means to promote their latest book releases, business, services. In fact I have to confess that I have rejected the friendship of people willing to perform live on web cam, sell me a service that is overtly financially favourable to them solely.
A really annoying factor on a personal level is the limitation of bytes allowable to make a statement. The real concept behind Twitter is to communicate a logical thought by texting from wherever the Twit is located i.e. bus, bathroom, movie theatre, dentist’s office, giving birth, etc. etc. using abbreviations. Something to the effect:
“Drnkg cafe @ frnds hse” or “Shpg @ Wlmrt” or “’m givg birth – fckg (universally known and recognized bad word) pain!” – the challenge is to communicate without getting the dreaded Twitter red minus sign indicating exceeding the byte allotment, which means a complete revision of the sentence/thought to avoid its re-appearance. Being a Twit ain’t easy!
Actually, in its favour, Twitter has brought me close to some celebrities in the cyber sense. Now me and Yoko Ono are friends, she told me so in a personal tweet, in addition to David Peck who stars on the TV show, “V” and my biggest celebrity friend, Gov. Arnold Schwarzneggar, who updates me regularly about California even though I live in Canada, and I'm receiving spiritual advice from Deepak Chopra. Also following me because I follow them is Fawlty Towers DVD, OK Magazine, the Rock of Ages musical (because I’m dying to see it!)...and so many other interesting whoevers and whatevers! Where else could we have a brush with almost-fame but by being Twits? Not to be overlooked are the people who want to make me rich if I invest more than Twitter updates with them.
Let’s follow each other. I mean, don’cha wannna make more friends? I can be found as scriberess. You twit me and I’ll twit you back. Maybe.
Friday, November 27, 2009
And now a Christmas gift for that person who has everything
For people searching for that special holiday gift that says you think about her/him need look no further. Diamonds are a natural resource that is always a nice - and expensive - gift. There are other less costly and natural down-to-earth jewelry pieces that are now available for purchase from a zoo no less.
Seems that a group of creative "gemologists" at the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Illinois, have come up with a unique gift currently on sale at a fraction of the price of diamonds, in the form of dried reindeer droppings. You read it right: reindeer droppings.
The jewelry joins the very popular reindeer dropping Christmas ornaments that were a huge hit with the public last year. These limited-edition Magical Reindeer Gem necklaces are currently available for $15 each at the gift shop, 1020 S. Morris Ave., or for $20 by mail.
Last year, volunteers dehydrated and sterilized piles of the dime-sized dung, then spray-painted them with glitter and strung them on wire with beads to create “Magical Reindeer Gems."
Hmmmm... No mention of odor...
According to the news release, 2,000 ornaments and 100 necklaces are available so act soon. More information regarding the zoo and the origin of the poop necklaces or reindeer gem ornaments as they call them:
http://www.cityblm.org/parks/Miller-Park-Zoo/whats-new.htm
The zoo’s $1.3 million budget was cut by about $200,000 this year as part of the city’s efforts to balance its $77 million general operating budget
Seems that a group of creative "gemologists" at the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Illinois, have come up with a unique gift currently on sale at a fraction of the price of diamonds, in the form of dried reindeer droppings. You read it right: reindeer droppings.
The jewelry joins the very popular reindeer dropping Christmas ornaments that were a huge hit with the public last year. These limited-edition Magical Reindeer Gem necklaces are currently available for $15 each at the gift shop, 1020 S. Morris Ave., or for $20 by mail.
Last year, volunteers dehydrated and sterilized piles of the dime-sized dung, then spray-painted them with glitter and strung them on wire with beads to create “Magical Reindeer Gems."
Hmmmm... No mention of odor...
According to the news release, 2,000 ornaments and 100 necklaces are available so act soon. More information regarding the zoo and the origin of the poop necklaces or reindeer gem ornaments as they call them:
http://www.cityblm.org/parks/Miller-Park-Zoo/whats-new.htm
The zoo’s $1.3 million budget was cut by about $200,000 this year as part of the city’s efforts to balance its $77 million general operating budget
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Santa Claus group demanding priority for flu shots
Gimme a break in the true sense of the word!
What is happening to Santa and his Christmas spirit? Seems that a group of Santas is demanding because they seem to believe it's due to them, priority in as far as receiving flu shots.
The group - the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas even held a seminar on the virus at a recent conference in Philadelphia.
What next? How to appear non-threatening to children and wear a face mask 101?
AORBS - that's them - is now lobbying for its members to be put on the much sought after swine flu vaccination priority list.
Group President, one Nicholas Trolli, said the campaign was "not so much to protect the Santa, but to help protect the public".
"I have heard across the country numerous Santas who have actually had the swine flu, but I have not heard reports back of any of our Santas being able to get the swine flu shot as of yet," he said.
The group also urged its members to use a hand sanitizer and take vitamins to boost their immune systems - and urged parents will keep sick kids away.
"If you contact AORBS, we will do our best to get a Santa to come to your home so you won't be exposing other children," Mr Trolli said.
The rival Santa America group is also calling for Santa Claus be made a priority group for the swine flu vaccine - much like health care workers.
Next thing you know, a group representing reindeer will demand that they be put on the priority list because they're close to Santa. No mention as to whether the Mrs. Claus's are demanding equal representation...elves... It just never ends.
What is happening to Santa and his Christmas spirit? Seems that a group of Santas is demanding because they seem to believe it's due to them, priority in as far as receiving flu shots.
The group - the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas even held a seminar on the virus at a recent conference in Philadelphia.
What next? How to appear non-threatening to children and wear a face mask 101?
AORBS - that's them - is now lobbying for its members to be put on the much sought after swine flu vaccination priority list.
Group President, one Nicholas Trolli, said the campaign was "not so much to protect the Santa, but to help protect the public".
"I have heard across the country numerous Santas who have actually had the swine flu, but I have not heard reports back of any of our Santas being able to get the swine flu shot as of yet," he said.
The group also urged its members to use a hand sanitizer and take vitamins to boost their immune systems - and urged parents will keep sick kids away.
"If you contact AORBS, we will do our best to get a Santa to come to your home so you won't be exposing other children," Mr Trolli said.
The rival Santa America group is also calling for Santa Claus be made a priority group for the swine flu vaccine - much like health care workers.
Next thing you know, a group representing reindeer will demand that they be put on the priority list because they're close to Santa. No mention as to whether the Mrs. Claus's are demanding equal representation...elves... It just never ends.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Ho-no! Santa and elves are not amused!
A long time Christmas favorite could be on its way out - key word 'could' - if the U.S. Postal Service holds fast to its initial decision to prevent Santa from answering his mail. Not just any mail but personal letters mailed to him at his home in North Pole, Alaska, specificing desired gifts or favors that only Santa can bestow.
The heart of the matter goes back a year when a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer as a registered sex offender and intervened to ensure that no childern ever received any mail. Henceforth, the Postal Service made the decision to tighten the rules, which included the letter to and from Santa program.
Expectedly, people living in the town of North Pole (most likely including some of Santa's helpers)are incensed with the unpopular changes, since the letter program is
People in North Pole are incensed with the change being that it's a revered holiday tradition where light posts are curved and striped like candy canes and streets have names such as Kris Kringle Drive and Santa Claus Lane. Volunteers in the letter program even sign the response letters as Santa’s elves and helpers.
Aw.... That's like...so merry and Christmas-like!
Anyway, the Mayor of North Pole, one Doug Isaacson understands the cautionary move but is incensed that his program should be eliminiated due to a sex offender's action on the East Coast.
Losing the Santa-letter title is a blow to the community of 2,100 people, who pride themselves on their Christmas ties. Huge tourist attractions here include an everything-Christmas store, Santa Claus House, and the post office, where visitors can get a hand-stamped postmark on their postcards and packages if they ask for it.
Santa Claus House, built like a Swiss chalet and chock full of all items Christmas, sells more than 100,000 letters from Santa and one of the lures is the postmark.
Being that this is the season for good turnarounds, there's word that volunteers living in the town have met with U.S. Postal Service officials in an attempt to work out a means in which kiddie's letters to Santa can still be sent to the town.
Children can only hope. And so can the parents.
Here's the home page for North Pole, Alaska:
http://northpolealaska.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
NEWS UPDATE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21. GOOD NEWS!
Most likely due to strong public outcry, the powers-that-be have decided to re-instate Santa and his letters.
"This decision today by the Postal Service brings the Christmas spirit back to Alaska," Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said.
Indeed.
The heart of the matter goes back a year when a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer as a registered sex offender and intervened to ensure that no childern ever received any mail. Henceforth, the Postal Service made the decision to tighten the rules, which included the letter to and from Santa program.
Expectedly, people living in the town of North Pole (most likely including some of Santa's helpers)are incensed with the unpopular changes, since the letter program is
People in North Pole are incensed with the change being that it's a revered holiday tradition where light posts are curved and striped like candy canes and streets have names such as Kris Kringle Drive and Santa Claus Lane. Volunteers in the letter program even sign the response letters as Santa’s elves and helpers.
Aw.... That's like...so merry and Christmas-like!
Anyway, the Mayor of North Pole, one Doug Isaacson understands the cautionary move but is incensed that his program should be eliminiated due to a sex offender's action on the East Coast.
Losing the Santa-letter title is a blow to the community of 2,100 people, who pride themselves on their Christmas ties. Huge tourist attractions here include an everything-Christmas store, Santa Claus House, and the post office, where visitors can get a hand-stamped postmark on their postcards and packages if they ask for it.
Santa Claus House, built like a Swiss chalet and chock full of all items Christmas, sells more than 100,000 letters from Santa and one of the lures is the postmark.
Being that this is the season for good turnarounds, there's word that volunteers living in the town have met with U.S. Postal Service officials in an attempt to work out a means in which kiddie's letters to Santa can still be sent to the town.
Children can only hope. And so can the parents.
Here's the home page for North Pole, Alaska:
http://northpolealaska.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
NEWS UPDATE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21. GOOD NEWS!
Most likely due to strong public outcry, the powers-that-be have decided to re-instate Santa and his letters.
"This decision today by the Postal Service brings the Christmas spirit back to Alaska," Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said.
Indeed.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Hunk'a Elvis hair sells for $15,000 - with or without dandruff
I dunno. The world is getting stranger and stranger when an alleged clump of Elvis Presley's hair goes for $15,000 in Chicago. "Alleged" because there is no real means in which to authenticate as to whether it really was "the King's" hair unless they do a DNA test but I guess the purchaser was willing to accept the seller's word.
The hair - no mention of its condition or whether or not it was stored in moth balls - was supposed to have been trimmed from Elvis's head when he joined the U.S. Army in 1958. That would make it (the hair) 51 years old! Like...why would anyone want to keep hair that is more than a half-century old? More to the point, pay real hard cash for it? What does the new owner do with the hair, anyway? Put it in a display case and invite people over to see it? A photo of Elvis is definitely preferable or a belt, or even a tube of makeup that he used for his shows, but a hunk of hair? Pass!
There were other Elvis-related items on the auction block that went for hefty bids including:
An Elvis shirt that sold for $52,000 (no mention of sweat rings, which in theory could have made it more lucrative i.e. Elvis's real sweat!).
A set of concert-used hankerchiefs for $732 (no mention again if they were used during a concert or whenor if he had a cold)
Photos of the wedding reception of Priscilla and Elvis brought in a lowly $6,000.
All the items belonged to one Gary Pepper, who ran his fan club at one point and was a personal friend of the late singer.
Meanwhile, here's some photos and information on all the items that were up for sale, in case someone wants a group of Elvis's army dog tags or - wait for it - two white roses and other items from Elvis's funeral. I mean - talk about macabre! Next thing you know they'll be selling a snip of the material that lined Elvis's coffin.
Meanwhile, wanna make a bid?
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/19734/page3
The hair - no mention of its condition or whether or not it was stored in moth balls - was supposed to have been trimmed from Elvis's head when he joined the U.S. Army in 1958. That would make it (the hair) 51 years old! Like...why would anyone want to keep hair that is more than a half-century old? More to the point, pay real hard cash for it? What does the new owner do with the hair, anyway? Put it in a display case and invite people over to see it? A photo of Elvis is definitely preferable or a belt, or even a tube of makeup that he used for his shows, but a hunk of hair? Pass!
There were other Elvis-related items on the auction block that went for hefty bids including:
An Elvis shirt that sold for $52,000 (no mention of sweat rings, which in theory could have made it more lucrative i.e. Elvis's real sweat!).
A set of concert-used hankerchiefs for $732 (no mention again if they were used during a concert or whenor if he had a cold)
Photos of the wedding reception of Priscilla and Elvis brought in a lowly $6,000.
All the items belonged to one Gary Pepper, who ran his fan club at one point and was a personal friend of the late singer.
Meanwhile, here's some photos and information on all the items that were up for sale, in case someone wants a group of Elvis's army dog tags or - wait for it - two white roses and other items from Elvis's funeral. I mean - talk about macabre! Next thing you know they'll be selling a snip of the material that lined Elvis's coffin.
Meanwhile, wanna make a bid?
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/19734/page3
Friday, October 02, 2009
Bra cups runneth over as a gas mask
For most females (and males as the case may be) a bra is something one wears to enhance/shape/retain/contain one's breasts. There could be other lesser known uses, for example, a sling-shot or a small container in which to carry seashells collected on a beach. Interesting but lesser-known stuff. However, the winner of the 2009 Ig Nobel Prize, one Dr. Elena Bodnar, took home the public health prize for creating a dual bra that could be converted (if necessary obviously) into two gas masks.
Note the "Ig" in front of Nobel Prize signifying that this is not "the" Nobel Prize, which usually spring to mind. In fact, "The Ig Nobel Prizes' - there are numerous categories - honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology."
Obviously pleased to be a recipient and winner, Dr. Bodnar did a demo and then gave the Nobel laureates each their very own gas bra/gas mask.
So this leads one - me - to wonder about the comfort aspect of this bra-come-gas mask. Is it padded to prevent chaffing from the gas...whatevers? More importantly, how many colors does it come in? Are there different cup sizes or is it a one-size-fits-all?
The mind boggles at its potential usage in the military. A soldier (female and/or male) who wears said double-duty bra, could when there is the scent of gas and lurking danger, disrobe, unhook said bra and place it on their face(s). This act in itself could cause a shock wave among the enemy. I mean, it's rare for your average person to walk around with a bra over one's face, period. Then again, the time delay in actually getting access to the bra might be a problem.
The ceremony was organized by the magazine, "The Annals of Improbable Research", which is a good name given the nature of the awards. For the full list of names, try this site:
http://improbable.com/ig/winners/
And for a diagram of the winning bra...that is to say, gas mask...whatever, try here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8285380.stm
Note the "Ig" in front of Nobel Prize signifying that this is not "the" Nobel Prize, which usually spring to mind. In fact, "The Ig Nobel Prizes' - there are numerous categories - honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology."
Obviously pleased to be a recipient and winner, Dr. Bodnar did a demo and then gave the Nobel laureates each their very own gas bra/gas mask.
So this leads one - me - to wonder about the comfort aspect of this bra-come-gas mask. Is it padded to prevent chaffing from the gas...whatevers? More importantly, how many colors does it come in? Are there different cup sizes or is it a one-size-fits-all?
The mind boggles at its potential usage in the military. A soldier (female and/or male) who wears said double-duty bra, could when there is the scent of gas and lurking danger, disrobe, unhook said bra and place it on their face(s). This act in itself could cause a shock wave among the enemy. I mean, it's rare for your average person to walk around with a bra over one's face, period. Then again, the time delay in actually getting access to the bra might be a problem.
The ceremony was organized by the magazine, "The Annals of Improbable Research", which is a good name given the nature of the awards. For the full list of names, try this site:
http://improbable.com/ig/winners/
And for a diagram of the winning bra...that is to say, gas mask...whatever, try here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8285380.stm
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Brits suffer cookie injuries
Why anyone would want a survey focusing on cookie accidents is puzzling but then this story comes from England, where scientists produce some very "interesting" studies.
According to a new survey written up in the Daily Telegraph, more than half of all Britons have been injured by biscuits. You read it right: good, old cookies. We're not talking anything physical like angry tea drinkers tossing biscuits at each other. Britons are a civilized lot and would never deem to such actions. It appears that an estimated 25 million adults have been injured while dunking their biscuits or breaking a tooth. Go figure that dunking a biscuit could be dangerous but I digress. What's more, 500 people have actually gone to the hospital as a result of their injury.
"Well doctor – I was dunking my chocolate biscuit in my tea, not realizing that the water was scalding hot and burned my lip," a tea drinker might offer in the way of an explanation. Or "well doctor - I was digesting the remnants of my vanilla cream, my favorite biscuit and suddenly some crumbs got caught in my throat. I choked so much that my dog, Cedric, became alarmed and barked, which alerted my wife, Priscilla, who gave me CPR. Unfortunately, she broke a few ribs not knowing that the problem area was my throat."
It seems that custard creams are deemed the most dangerous risk at 5.63 according to The Biscuit Injury Threat Evaluation. Does this group really exist and if so, why haven't North American companies been using their services? Jaffa cakes on the other hand, are rates the safest biscuits at 1.16. This important stuff we all should know!
Research company, Mindlab International were commissioned by Rocky, a chocolate biscuit bar, to conduct the research. So this begs the question as to why Rocky would pay a company to rate biscuits, period.
According to the results, it found almost a third of adults said they had been splashed or scalded by hot drinks while dunking or trying to fish the remnants of a collapsed digestive. Presumably, "fish the remnants" can be interpreted as inserting one's forefinger down one's throat in an attempt to dislodge a stuck piece. It also revealed 28 per cent had choked on crumbs while one in 10 had broken a tooth or filling biting a biscuit.
Now here's the big reveal: three per cent had poked themselves in the eye with a biscuit and seven per cent bitten by a pet or "other wild animal" trying to get their biscuit.
And you thought cookies were a safe food.
According to a new survey written up in the Daily Telegraph, more than half of all Britons have been injured by biscuits. You read it right: good, old cookies. We're not talking anything physical like angry tea drinkers tossing biscuits at each other. Britons are a civilized lot and would never deem to such actions. It appears that an estimated 25 million adults have been injured while dunking their biscuits or breaking a tooth. Go figure that dunking a biscuit could be dangerous but I digress. What's more, 500 people have actually gone to the hospital as a result of their injury.
"Well doctor – I was dunking my chocolate biscuit in my tea, not realizing that the water was scalding hot and burned my lip," a tea drinker might offer in the way of an explanation. Or "well doctor - I was digesting the remnants of my vanilla cream, my favorite biscuit and suddenly some crumbs got caught in my throat. I choked so much that my dog, Cedric, became alarmed and barked, which alerted my wife, Priscilla, who gave me CPR. Unfortunately, she broke a few ribs not knowing that the problem area was my throat."
It seems that custard creams are deemed the most dangerous risk at 5.63 according to The Biscuit Injury Threat Evaluation. Does this group really exist and if so, why haven't North American companies been using their services? Jaffa cakes on the other hand, are rates the safest biscuits at 1.16. This important stuff we all should know!
Research company, Mindlab International were commissioned by Rocky, a chocolate biscuit bar, to conduct the research. So this begs the question as to why Rocky would pay a company to rate biscuits, period.
According to the results, it found almost a third of adults said they had been splashed or scalded by hot drinks while dunking or trying to fish the remnants of a collapsed digestive. Presumably, "fish the remnants" can be interpreted as inserting one's forefinger down one's throat in an attempt to dislodge a stuck piece. It also revealed 28 per cent had choked on crumbs while one in 10 had broken a tooth or filling biting a biscuit.
Now here's the big reveal: three per cent had poked themselves in the eye with a biscuit and seven per cent bitten by a pet or "other wild animal" trying to get their biscuit.
And you thought cookies were a safe food.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Britain has its own Roswell? Did they or didn't they?
By now everyone - at least those who are into UFO sightings - are aware of Roswell and the controversy it has created over the years. Was it real...weather balloons...piece of alien spacecraft. Anywaaaaay...
It appears that staid Britain could have had its own UFO occurrence known locally as the "Rendlesham Incident" that happened in 1980 when U.S. air force pilots saw strange lights in Suffolk, England.
The one-time head of the armed forces told the defence secretary a UFO claim known as Britain's Roswell could be a "banana skin", newly released files show.
Banana skin? As in peel from the fruit? Perhaps UFO'logists have been looking in the wrong place but I digress. (Note: the term "banana skin" is British slang for potential political embarrassment).
The "Rendlesham incident" involved American flyers from RAF Woodbridge who reported seeing mysterious lights. Witnesses reported seeing the UFO transmit blue pulsating lights that sent local farm animals to go wacko. In the way of an explanation that did not include a weather balloon this time, an ex-US security policeman Kevin Conde admitted that he and another airman had shone patrol car lights through the trees and made noises on the loudspeaker as a prank. There is no truth to the rumor, either, than Mariah Carey's crew was testing their equipment at the time or that KISS was preparing for another world tour.
Other more recent incidents in the latest batch of documents, which cover the years 1981 to 1996, include:
• Two men from Staffordshire who told police that, as they returned home from an evening out in 1995, an alien appeared under a hovering UFO hoping to take them away (this begs the question as to why they didn't)
• More than 30 sightings of bright lights over central England during a six-hour period in 1993, which led to the assistant chief of defence staff being briefed - and turned out to be caused by a Russian rocket re-entering the atmosphere
• Several sightings in Bonnybridge, central Scotland, which became the UK's UFO hotspot during the 1990s
• A UFO which was seen over the jazz stage at the Glastonbury Festival in June 1994. The two female witnesses reported that they turned to the people next to them to verify what they had seen but "they didn't look hard enough or take it seriously"
So what does this all mean in the scheme of things?
- UFO sightings leapt from 117 in 1995 to 609 in 1996 - the year that Will Smith's alien invader blockbuster Independence Day was released and alien conspiracy series The X Files was at the height of its popularity with UK audiences
- Dr David Clarke, a UFO expert and journalism lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, said it was significant that one of the biggest years for reports previously had been 1978, which saw 750 - at the same time that Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released.
So now it's not a weather balloon but mass hysteria as a result of the release of alien-related films. At least it's original and a good explanation as any. The controversy will continue until actual, real aliens make a landing and are interviewed on CNN by Anderson Cooper.
Meanwhile, watch the short video with some videos purportedly capturing UFO'S, a discussion whether or not UFO's are real plus some possible explanations here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8202157.stm
It appears that staid Britain could have had its own UFO occurrence known locally as the "Rendlesham Incident" that happened in 1980 when U.S. air force pilots saw strange lights in Suffolk, England.
The one-time head of the armed forces told the defence secretary a UFO claim known as Britain's Roswell could be a "banana skin", newly released files show.
Banana skin? As in peel from the fruit? Perhaps UFO'logists have been looking in the wrong place but I digress. (Note: the term "banana skin" is British slang for potential political embarrassment).
The "Rendlesham incident" involved American flyers from RAF Woodbridge who reported seeing mysterious lights. Witnesses reported seeing the UFO transmit blue pulsating lights that sent local farm animals to go wacko. In the way of an explanation that did not include a weather balloon this time, an ex-US security policeman Kevin Conde admitted that he and another airman had shone patrol car lights through the trees and made noises on the loudspeaker as a prank. There is no truth to the rumor, either, than Mariah Carey's crew was testing their equipment at the time or that KISS was preparing for another world tour.
Other more recent incidents in the latest batch of documents, which cover the years 1981 to 1996, include:
• Two men from Staffordshire who told police that, as they returned home from an evening out in 1995, an alien appeared under a hovering UFO hoping to take them away (this begs the question as to why they didn't)
• More than 30 sightings of bright lights over central England during a six-hour period in 1993, which led to the assistant chief of defence staff being briefed - and turned out to be caused by a Russian rocket re-entering the atmosphere
• Several sightings in Bonnybridge, central Scotland, which became the UK's UFO hotspot during the 1990s
• A UFO which was seen over the jazz stage at the Glastonbury Festival in June 1994. The two female witnesses reported that they turned to the people next to them to verify what they had seen but "they didn't look hard enough or take it seriously"
So what does this all mean in the scheme of things?
- UFO sightings leapt from 117 in 1995 to 609 in 1996 - the year that Will Smith's alien invader blockbuster Independence Day was released and alien conspiracy series The X Files was at the height of its popularity with UK audiences
- Dr David Clarke, a UFO expert and journalism lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, said it was significant that one of the biggest years for reports previously had been 1978, which saw 750 - at the same time that Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released.
So now it's not a weather balloon but mass hysteria as a result of the release of alien-related films. At least it's original and a good explanation as any. The controversy will continue until actual, real aliens make a landing and are interviewed on CNN by Anderson Cooper.
Meanwhile, watch the short video with some videos purportedly capturing UFO'S, a discussion whether or not UFO's are real plus some possible explanations here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8202157.stm
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Look up - is it...could it be...flying cheddar?
Let's say you're walking along minding your own business enjoying everything the summer has to offer when suddenly you spot a colored object flying and/or floating in the sky. The object doesn't emit any sound so an airplane is out. Upon closer examination it appears to be yellow-ish or orange-ish, wedge shaped and the question arises as to whether aliens are becoming more creative and assuming the guise of cheese. There is a simple and much more weird explanation along with essential background information.
Y'see... the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers group wanted to be the first to send a piece of cheese into space. You read it right: cheese into space.
Shades of Monty Python!
So on Tuesday, July 28, they launched a 300g wedge of cheddar cheese into space, suspended under a weather balloon. This makes one (at least me) wonder if this could be the real explanation for the UFO landing in Roswell, New Mexico. It really wasn't a UFO but a wedge of cheddar cheese. It's possible!
Furthermore, not your mozzarella or French brie or good, old American cheese but a chunk of British cheddar.
The aim was to send the cheese 18.5 miles into earth's upper atmosphere where they anticipated (and hoped presumably) the cheese would explode and float back to earth via parachute.
If this had worked you can imagine the reaction of people experiencing raining cheese.
As is frequently the case, things didn't work out exactly as planned since the GPS tracking system broke down along the way and the cheesemakers have lost the cheddar chunk. As in gone. Vanished. Pfft.
They're assuming its location is somewhere along a 200-mile corridor in southern England but they're not sure. The launch was made to mark the 40th anniversary of NASA's lunar landings.
This is the same group by the way, that used a webcam to enable people to watch a slab of cheddar age in 2007. Talk about excitement!
Meanwhile if you come accross the cheese, you might want to alert the organizers:
http://www.farmhousecheesemakers.com/
Or just open a bottle of wine and enjoy.
Y'see... the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers group wanted to be the first to send a piece of cheese into space. You read it right: cheese into space.
Shades of Monty Python!
So on Tuesday, July 28, they launched a 300g wedge of cheddar cheese into space, suspended under a weather balloon. This makes one (at least me) wonder if this could be the real explanation for the UFO landing in Roswell, New Mexico. It really wasn't a UFO but a wedge of cheddar cheese. It's possible!
Furthermore, not your mozzarella or French brie or good, old American cheese but a chunk of British cheddar.
The aim was to send the cheese 18.5 miles into earth's upper atmosphere where they anticipated (and hoped presumably) the cheese would explode and float back to earth via parachute.
If this had worked you can imagine the reaction of people experiencing raining cheese.
As is frequently the case, things didn't work out exactly as planned since the GPS tracking system broke down along the way and the cheesemakers have lost the cheddar chunk. As in gone. Vanished. Pfft.
They're assuming its location is somewhere along a 200-mile corridor in southern England but they're not sure. The launch was made to mark the 40th anniversary of NASA's lunar landings.
This is the same group by the way, that used a webcam to enable people to watch a slab of cheddar age in 2007. Talk about excitement!
Meanwhile if you come accross the cheese, you might want to alert the organizers:
http://www.farmhousecheesemakers.com/
Or just open a bottle of wine and enjoy.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Wanted: witch - some experience would be helpful
Looking for a job that definitely could be classified as "different?"A tourist attraction, Wookey Hole, located near Wells, Somerset, England is advertising in the local Job Centre for a witch. Duties include teaching visitors about witchcraft and magic and the successful applicant should be a good cackler and not be allergic to cats. Sounds reasonable.
The person - it's open to both females and males - who replaces the current witch who retired, will receive a salary of £50,000 pro rata based on work during school holidays and weekends. The job duties will be focused on summer holidays including Halloween and Christmas.
Legend has it that the caves were home to the Wookey Witch who was turned to stone by Father Bernard who had been appointed by the Abbott of Glastonbury to rid villagers of her curse.
Right now you're probably asking yourselves how does one go about applying for this job?
Auditions for the role are being held on July 28 in front of a panel of judges who will assess applicants costume and character as well as the ability to perform witch tests.
Witch tests? As in curses and other witch stuff?
According to the people posting the vacancy:
- Interviews for the post will involve on-site assessment incorporating a range or standard tasks.
- Ambitious witches, looking for a key career move, should turn up dressed for work and bring any essential witch accoutrements.
- A limited range of potion ingredients will be available.
- We are witchless at the moment so we need to get the role filled as soon as possible.
- We are looking for someone who is friendly, a little mischievous and with lots of character.
No information regarding whether or not wands and/or brooms will be provided.
A photo of the current witch who is going into retirement can be found here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5769160/Witch-required-for-Wookey-Hole-Caves---must-be-able-to-cackle.html
The person - it's open to both females and males - who replaces the current witch who retired, will receive a salary of £50,000 pro rata based on work during school holidays and weekends. The job duties will be focused on summer holidays including Halloween and Christmas.
Legend has it that the caves were home to the Wookey Witch who was turned to stone by Father Bernard who had been appointed by the Abbott of Glastonbury to rid villagers of her curse.
Right now you're probably asking yourselves how does one go about applying for this job?
Auditions for the role are being held on July 28 in front of a panel of judges who will assess applicants costume and character as well as the ability to perform witch tests.
Witch tests? As in curses and other witch stuff?
According to the people posting the vacancy:
- Interviews for the post will involve on-site assessment incorporating a range or standard tasks.
- Ambitious witches, looking for a key career move, should turn up dressed for work and bring any essential witch accoutrements.
- A limited range of potion ingredients will be available.
- We are witchless at the moment so we need to get the role filled as soon as possible.
- We are looking for someone who is friendly, a little mischievous and with lots of character.
No information regarding whether or not wands and/or brooms will be provided.
A photo of the current witch who is going into retirement can be found here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5769160/Witch-required-for-Wookey-Hole-Caves---must-be-able-to-cackle.html
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
A soul of a deal
On occasion many of us have uttered the phrase, "I'd sell my soul for (insert deep, inner-most desire)..." A loan company in Latvia is offering people this exact deal whereby people sign away their soul as collateral.
Shades of Daniel Webster!
The company in question, Kontora Loan Company in Latvia, makes the deal complete with a contract with the word, "Agreement" in bold letters on the top that includes the wording, "that is, my immortal soul."
So this leads one to wonder (okay - me) if they employ a soul-collector and how she/he collects on a bad debt. Does someone employed by the company show up at the door ready to take possession of the soul? If so - where do they store them...the souls? Is there a soul repository? So many questions and so few answers!
According to a company spokesperson, the company does not employ debt collectors in order to retrieve a bad loan, neither do they use physical violence.
Latvia has been the EU nation worst hit by economic crisis.
The deal is based on trust to repay small loans amounting to $500 for 1-90 days at a high interest rate.
He said about 200 people had taken out loans over the two months the business was in operation.
Shades of Daniel Webster!
The company in question, Kontora Loan Company in Latvia, makes the deal complete with a contract with the word, "Agreement" in bold letters on the top that includes the wording, "that is, my immortal soul."
So this leads one to wonder (okay - me) if they employ a soul-collector and how she/he collects on a bad debt. Does someone employed by the company show up at the door ready to take possession of the soul? If so - where do they store them...the souls? Is there a soul repository? So many questions and so few answers!
According to a company spokesperson, the company does not employ debt collectors in order to retrieve a bad loan, neither do they use physical violence.
Latvia has been the EU nation worst hit by economic crisis.
The deal is based on trust to repay small loans amounting to $500 for 1-90 days at a high interest rate.
He said about 200 people had taken out loans over the two months the business was in operation.
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