What We Can Learn From Dogs

If a dog was the teacher we would learn stuff like:~

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face 
   to be pure ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
  On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
• Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, 
  sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Tag:DogWisdom

Einstein The Talking Parrot - An Absolutely Amazing Video

Einstein The Talking Parrot is an African Gray Parrot who is the Superstar at the Knoxville Zoo’s Bird Show. What I find amazing about this is that she’s not just repeating words but actually responding in a conversational manner when given prompts. I’d say Einstein is an appropriate name for this very intelligent parrot.

The Potato That Never Was

I am referring to one of the most popular snacks that has achieved super sales worldwide, exceeding over 1,000 million € in the year. The Pringles. A London High Court Judge had given reason to the multinational Procter & Gamble, by sentencing Pringles (the 'potato crisps' that come in the innovative cylindric tube, and have delighted people of all ages for most part of the last century) for containing only 42% substance related to potato, therefore, should not be considered as a potato product. This news, far from being a problem for the manufacturing company, has proffered them a solution instead. A profitable one. By not containing the specified 50% potato in the finished product, they can now avoid paying the 17,5% IVA (U.K. Tax) as before, for all potato products. The biggest loser is the British National Treasury. In fact the only loser. Because this brings down the cost of production, and they can in turn lower the retail prices to benefit the consumers, thus logically increasing sales. The Magistrate is quite likely a consumer himself of this crispy delight, the well loved snack, saying that real potato chips/crisps are crispier/crunchier, needing more chewing, while Pringle just melts in your mouth. The detailed listing of it's ingredients was also made known: potato flour, corn flour, that of rice, starch of wheat, grease and lots of salt. In fact hardly any potato at all. It comes in many varied flavours: barbecue, bacon, beef, cream cheese, paprika ... The only uncertainty the marketing department is concerned about now is what the customers' reaction might be, those who all along thought they were buying and eating potato but getting only flour with added chemical flavouring. The totally new concept of presenting this snack in a cylindric tube of cardboard strengthened by aluminum paper, constituted a great deal to it's success for more than half a century. In the 80's a young Brat Pitt had one of his earlier public appearances featured in one of their publicity campaign. The inventor of this unusual packaging was Fred Baur, a chemist of the company who, so proud and pleased with his ingenious invention and success, that upon imminent death, had asked that his ashes be put inside of this Pringle tube, to be buried in the cemetery in Springfield. 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust' or 'dust to Pringle', for which he had dedicated his life. Tags:Pringle,Potato,BradPitt

Current Mood: Accomplished

Curtain Up, Let The Show Begin!

Rain, wind, sheep, miles of fine, sandy beaches; all variety of seafood and smoked salmon, no hotels or urbanization of rows and rows of back to back houses in the horizon .... just sea and sky for as far as the eye can see, are the many Hebrides islands of Scotland. But there is a cinema. The children under 10 years of age there have not yet experienced seeing a film on a big screen, in a darkened cinema, while munching popcorns. Until just very recently.

Now during summer a big blue truck with 10 wheels runs through all the remotest islands of Scotland with the latest films from Hollywood, providing much appreciated entertainment for all. A one-man company called 'Screen Machine', taking advantage of the good weather - relatively speaking for Scotland - is taking the films of the newest releases and box office hits to the far corners of these isolated islands, from Stornoway in the island of Lewis, famous for their black-pudding (blood sausage), to the islands of Islay and Jura, distinguished for their distilleries and their very memorable Malt whiskey.

The blue truck costs 1 million €, fabricated by the French company Toutenkamion, specialized in adapting vehicles into mobile restaurants, art galleries, ambulant libraries, recording studios and observation quarters .... travels every night on roads and in ferries, in turbulent north Atlantic waters, carrying this season's 2 treasures, 'Sex in NY city', the film, and 'Indiana Jones'. This year's choice of films is his most daring; he wants to test the waters so to speak, to see how the islanders accept, or not, these 2 less conservative but rather modern themes.

"Nothing too arty, not even by Almodovar." says 54 years old Neil MacDonald. This man, and he alone, operates the entire project taking the cinema to the people. Films he chooses are not those about political intrigues, or dramas of troubled minds seeking identities or tortured souls trying to find their space in the cruel world. All are simple and pure entertainment. No place for Buñuelo, Bergman Pasolini, Lucas or Spielberg.

He has just one assistant, the two taking turns, each responsible for taking the films to islands for 15 day shifts. A multi-task production. He drives the truck, converts it to a projection room on arrival, sets up the giant screen, the Dolby sound system, and lays out the 80 folding seats. He is the electrician, the mechanic, sells tickets, (can be reserved by phone or online) prevents some Wiseguys entering without one, collects discarded paper cups and potato crisp wrappers, and always clean up the site after each show.

It usually takes the mobile cinema 7 weeks to complete the entire circuit of the islands. Some are so remote that to go to the nearest cinema, people have to travel more than 100 kilometres. And the number of trips they can cover depends a lot on how soon the summer weather starts and how long it lasts. He has been doing this for 3 years. Each season he sells about 25.000 tickets.

The truck is so huge sometimes finding suitable place to park it is a problem, but somehow he had never had to cancel out a screening to disappoint the islanders. He reckons though, the most difficult is manoeuvring the monstrous truck on and off the ferry. And the 2nd most difficult is the list of tasks his wife hands him, and expects him to complete, each time he comes home after 15 days' absence and before he goes away again.

One thought just occurred to me, would some wiseguy consider this cinema 'blue'? Was the blue colour intentional precisely to mislead? It wouldn't have worked in Spain though, the naughty films are labelled 'green' here!!

Tags:scottishislands,mobilecinema

Current Mood: Accomplished

An Unforgettable Lesson

The 6th grade science teacher, Mrs. Parks, asked her class, "Which human body part increases to ten times its size when stimulated?". No one answered until little Mary stood up, angry, and said,

"You should not be asking sixth-graders a question like that! I'm going to tell my parents, and they will go and tell the principal, who will then fire you!" With a sneer on her face, she then sat back down.

Mrs. Parks ignored her and asked the question again, "Which body part increases to 10 times its size when stimulated?"

Little Mary's mouth fell open. Then she said to those around her,"Boy, is she going to get in big trouble!"

The teacher continued to ignore her and said to the class, "Anybody?"
Finally, Billy stood up, looked around nervously, and said,

"The body part that increases 10 times its size when stimulated is the pupil of the eye."

Mrs. Parks said, "Very good, Billy," then turned to Mary and continued.

"As for you, young lady, I have three things to say: One, you have a dirty mind. Two, you didn't read your homework. And, number three:

One day, you are going to be very, very, disappointed!"

Tags:Lesson

Current Mood: Amused