$500 Fine

A few days ago I read that New York had passed a law banning tiger selfies. I kind of snickered about that,thinking how often would the opportunity arise in New York? As it turns out it was a big problem,an online dating site was a surge of photos (mainly men) posing with tigers and other big cats from circuses,zoos and traveling carnivals. I was astounded by the stupidity! ( A person would think I would be used to it by now.) The measure is to prevent animals from being exploited and I suppose to protect those without enough sense to realize the danger.

The Getaway

Time for another bungling thief story...this one took place in England at a parking lot or as they're called there a car park. The 25 year old father of four (sad that he had kids,and that seems to be a lot of kids for his age) owed money to a drug dealer and decided to steal a parking meter to solve his financial woes. The first mistake was the man and his accomplice didn't realize they were being filmed. The next error was using his car as a battering ram to knock the meter over and thirdly once the meter was loaded into the car the weight of the coins caused the car to make sparks because it was scraping the road. With police in pursuit he lost control at 55 mph and crashed into a wall. The recovered meter had around $1,624 in it,the damage caused at the car park was around $8,121 and I am guessing the car was totaled...and of course he went to jail. The moral of the story is stay away from drugs,they make you REALLY stupid!

Smell You Later!

For some reason I have had several posts this month about dating related issues,no idea why that has happened,but let me present the latest! This dating idea has a basis in science,I'm talking about pheromone parties,the new alternative to online dating. A California woman weary of online dating came up with the idea after dating a man that was not an online match and that turned into a two year relationship. What she remembered most about him was his smell. The way the parties work is the participants bring a T-shirt they have slept in for three nights closed in a plastic bag,the bags are then numbered and coded with blue cards for males,pink cards for females. Once they find a scent they like a photographer snaps a picture of them holding the bag so the owner can step forward and meet their admirer. I don't know what the success rate is,but it makes more sense than filling out a form online...of course it also gives new meaning to the phrase "left holding the bag"!

A Rebirth?

Earlier this year in southern Germany an American exchange student was rescued by 22 firefighters from a giant vagina sculpture. The police confirmed that the firefighters turned midwives delivered the student "by hand and without application of tools." The 32 ton sculpture is the work of a Peruvian artist and is made of red marble,it is intended to signify "the gateway to the world". Since the installation of the sculpture in 2001 it has mainly attracted juvenile laughter and comments,not anyone exploring its depths. I would like to say that the student was an art student somewhat excusing his actions,but since the University's specialty is microbiology and virology I doubt that he was interested for artistic inclinations.

Maybe It's Just Me?

I heard the tail end of this on the radio earlier today and was sure I must have misheard what they were saying. There is a new app out called Cuddlr...it is location based and provides "gentle,no pressure intimacy". You can request a cuddle from a specific person,or respond to a request by tapping the photo of the person. Directions to the person't location are sent with each request,a brief message (such as what you are wearing) and afterwards the cuddle can be rated. Call me old fashioned but I can't see myself hugging or spooning with strangers,in a word it seems slightly pathetic.

Food? and Drink?

This is by far one of the most disgusting things I can imagine anyone eating...unless they were starving and it was the only thing available. It is Casu Marzu (maggot cheese),it is made from sheep's milk and is loaded with writing,live fly larva. It is illegal in many countries for its health dangers. The maggot cheese has to be eaten while the maggots are alive as it becomes toxic after they die,and never mind that the larva can jump making another eating challenge. You can definitely count me out when it comes time to try this cheese!
The next item might not seem so strange to some people but I can't get my head around the idea of beer flavored coffee...yes,that's right Starbucks is testing a new flavor in limited areas,another taste I doubt I will ever sample.

Clean Freak

Odd as this story is,I don't think I would complain if this woman broke into my house. A 53 year old Ohio woman breaks into houses at random,cleans them and leaves a bill with her name and address. After being arrested and put on probation for the cleaning break ins,she changed her m.o. and started shoveling snow from random driveways. A neighbor recognized her from her previous "crime" spree and called the police. The driveway owner did not press charges for the shoveling incident. Does anyone want to guess what the woman's occupation is? She owns a cleaning business...talk about taking your work home with you!

Ye Olde Water Cooler

I don't have much to offer today,I got side tracked visiting with a friend while I was out for a walk,with that in mind let me present...How the word "scuttlebutt" came to mean gossip or rumor. Scuttlebutt is derived from a nautical term for the cask that held water (the butt) and to scuttle was to make a hole,whether in the cask or a ship. Even back in the early day of sailing the crew would gather at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water and exchange gossip,much like the modern day water cooler. Now you know the scuttlebutt on scuttlebutt!

Beef a la Orange

Finally a government study (USDA and ARS Agricultural Research Service) that helps reduce the livestock industry's dependence on antibiotics! Part of this study goes back to 1924 when the anti-microbial properties of citrus oils were studied,and more recently finding ways to use citrus wastes (peels and pulp,mainly from orange juice production) as animal feed. The citrus peels contain d-limonene,a toxin to pigs and poultry but fine to feed cattle and other ruminants. Oh,did I mention that the cows like the peels? The animals tested for Salmonella and E.coli after eating the orange peel pellets showed a 10 fold reduction of those pathogens. Sounds like good news for once,but I wonder how much pesticide residue remains of the peels? With any luck it will be extremely low.

Puppy Pairs

I know people arrange play dates for their dogs and all animals are capable of emotional attachments with their owners and other animals. What I didn't know was China has a hit TV show called "Woof". The show first aired a little less than a year ago,each episode features eight dog owners who bring their bachelor or bachelorette for a walk down the runway followed by show and tell including a showcase of their pets talents. The judges and special guests give advice and assist in the matchmaking process. Since the first episode they have went beyond the matchmaking concept to include animal care,animal health,fashion and more. I'm sure it won't be long until we see a show like this in the US...or maybe there already is one?

Squeaky Clean

Today I watched a Disney movie,"Saving Mr. Banks",and though I knew Disney films no longer showed people smoking (a blanket ban in effect since 2007) it seemed like a less than honest approach to a film taking place in the 1960's. Walt Disney was a chain smoker and died of lung cancer in 1966. Any attempt at altering history by eliminating tobacco does not change the way things actually were. In the 1960's people smoked EVERYWHERE,doctor's offices,stores,work,theaters,you name it and smoking was allowed. I do not recall any area that was non-smoking. A person could argue that it didn't directly affect the story by excluding the use of tobacco but few people would argue whether it was a realistic depiction of that era. It is my opinion that if Disney is going to sweep the dirt under the carpet,they should limit their work to animation.

A Horse of a Different Color

In 2009 a racehorse named Metro Meteor sustained knee injuries ending his racing career. Veterinarians gave him two years to live,but he has beat their odds and embarked on a new career path. He was adopted by a couple,the man who's an artist started painting sitting outside Metro's stall. He noticed Metro bobbing his head up and down and thought "I can never ride him but maybe I can teach him to hold a paint brush and put all that head bobbing to good use." The results were better than expected,chaotic lines of color that could have been painted by a human hand. His first painting sold for $300 and there is a waiting list for his work. Half of his earnings go to help other horses like himself. The other half pays his medical expenses including an experimental treatment allowing him to be ridden again.

Pooping Pirouette

Have you ever wondered why some dogs spin in circles like a whirling dervish before finding the perfect pooping position? Like many animals dogs are sensitive to Earth's magnetism. What they are trying to do is align their bodies along the north-south axis (under calm magnetic field conditions). The magnetic field can fluctuate making it difficult for the animal to find the perfect position. Not only does this apply to the defecation process but they also want to be properly aligned for urinating and sleeping. You may think I am making this up but a team of European scientists studied 70 dogs for two years to determine their magnetic sensitivity in hope of learning more about bio-magnetic research. Is anyone else wondering if your toilet is pointing in the right direction? both of mine are east-west!

Dog Gone

Everyone knows the comic strip dog Snoopy,I would venture to say he is more well known than his owner Charlie Brown. Charles Schultz (the comic strip's creator) said,"Snoopy's whole personality is a little bittersweet. But he's a very strong character. He can win or lose,be a disaster,a hero,or anything,and yet it all works out. I like the fact that when he's in real trouble he can retreat into a fantasy and thereby escape." That quote made me think of "Don Quixote" or the more modern Walter Mitty and I wonder if Schultz developed Snoopy with either of those characters in mind? The original drawings of Snoopy were inspired by a dog from his childhood named Spike. Schultz was going to call the dog Sniffy (which Beagles do a lot of!) but that name was already used in a different comic strip. He changed it to Snoopy because that was what his late mother wanted to name their next dog. The actual name she wanted was "Snuppe" a term of affection in Norwegian.

Oh Rats!

Some of you may have already heard of the "Hero Rats". They are funded by APOPO which is an acronym that translates into English as "Anti-Personnel Landmine Detection Product Development". Rats have an excellent sense of smell,are intelligent and trainable,cheap to keep,abundant and too light to set off land mines. They receive their training at a facility in Tanzania with 15,000 deactivated mines to train on. The first step is to recognize TNT by smell,then they are rewarded with a piece of banana. Once they complete their training in the lab they take to the field wearing a harness held by two trainers. After completion of the field level they go to work finding real mines and saving lives of the children who are often killed while playing near live landmines. Rats can also be trained to detect tuberculosis in sputum samples when other methods fail and can work more quickly that a lab technician (I wanted to say lab rat,but wouldn't let myself!)

"E" is for...

The idea for today's post goes back years ago to a silly conversation with a friend. She had a Ford Escape at the time and before the Escape she had an Explorer. We both knew about the giant Ford Expedition so we started making up various other names beginning with the letter "E". We had a good time and lots of laughs over some of our suggestions...the Evergreen (only available in shades of green),the Enigma (we puzzled over the design of this one!) the Egg (ovoid shaped),the Efficiency (no doubt a mini-van) and the Eerie (capable of scaring other drivers). Thinking back on that made me wonder about some other curious car model names like the Monte Carlo,does that mean the car is a gamble? and what about the Golf? do you yell Fore! to avoid an accident? So many questions,so little time!

Sick Puppy

As often times happens today's post involves another pet item,though this one is not for the faint of heart. A 34 year old Redding,CA man cooked and fed his ex-girlfriend's Pomeranian to her without her knowledge. The woman said her dog was missing after they had an argument,then they reconciled briefly and that was when he cooked her a meal saying it was pork. (I've never eaten Pomeranian,but I can't imagine it tasting or looking like pork.) The next day she received a text message asking how her dog had tasted and a pair of dog's paws were left on her doorstep. The man admitted to severing the dog's paws,but denied killing or cooking the dog. His is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Pink Poop

I understand the idea but I don't believe spray painting abandoned dog feces fluorescent pink is going to curb (pardon the pun) the problem. Security guards at an apartment complex in France thought that drawing attention to the mess would encourage the offending pet owners to clean up after their pets. I think they would have better luck with security cameras to capture the culprits on film and either fine them or assign them an area they would be responsible for keeping clear. People don't seem to understand the sanitation problem their pets pose when their messes aren't picked up,especially in high foot traffic areas. Apartment dwellers are lucky to find a place that allows their pets and shouldn't jeopardize the situation by not properly caring for their animals.

Pleasant

Pleasant is not a word I would normally associate with the Department of Motor Vehicles,but my   visit to the DMV this morning went surprisingly well. Maybe it is the anxiety of having to go there that causes things to go awry? This was the first time I've actually  had to  appear in person in 8 years for the routine eye check and new picture but I had been told that in an effort to prevent people from being licensed that shouldn't be licensed that it had become an even worse nightmare than any normal dealings with the DMV. I received the notice for renewal about a week ago and read it over around five times to make sure I was correctly interpreting the "State Speak" to mean what I thought it meant. I loaded up with two of everything they asked for and arrived at the office 10 minutes before they opened. I was 8th in line but one woman was just there for a form and a man stepped out of line before they opened the door,so I pulled the number 6 position once inside. I was all wrapped up and out the door by 9:20,so yes a visit to the DMV can turn into a somewhat pleasant outing! I'm still not sure why they think it is a good idea to mail the finished product instead of just handing it to you before you leave,but maybe they are trying to keep the postal service afloat...I hope they don't manage to loose the finished product!

Pet Purse

A Florida woman launched a Kickstarter campaign hoping to start a fashion craze for purses made from dog hair. No animals are harmed during the process,she uses the hair of groomed dogs (it takes about 2 lbs. of hair per purse),which she sterilizes and makes into yarn. The purses she is making now take around 50 hours and sell for $1,000,she hopes to bring the cost down with mass production. So far she has raised $350 of her $15,000 goal with 50 more days to go. The woman previously worked as a veterinarian in Brazil and took fashion design courses...sounds like the start to a joke,"What do you get when you cross a veterinarian with a fashion designer?"

How about a Sunny Obama purse?

Whimsy?

I'm all about whimsical and enjoy most of the results but in some instances I can't help but wonder why...for instance in a small Oregon town (Harper) and several other states across the nation there are shoe trees. The one In Harper started with a pair of women's dress shoes and a pair of men's tennis shoes. Was it a couple who decided the tree looked like it could use some shoes? or was it an attempt at decoration? or were they simply ready to ditch their shoes? The legend of the Harper shoe tree is:"A weary traveler with worn shoes saw a pair of shoes just his size hanging in a tree and put them on. Grateful for the new shoes and subsequent improvements in his life,the traveler started a shoe tree in another area to help another lost soul." I don't know about everyone else,but that story reads a lot like a fairy tale. I have no idea which tree bore shoes first but there is a second shoe tree between Mitchell and John Day Oregon that has had shoes adorning it for around 15 years.

The Bomb

September 9,1942 is a little known historical date,it marks the only time in WWII that the US mainland was bombed. A Japanese submarine carrying a float plane surfaced off the Brookings,Oregon coast in the early morning and launched the plane with a catapult. Two 176 lb. incendiary bombs were in place beneath the wings. It only took a couple of minutes until they were over their target (the forest) they dropped the bombs and circled once to check their mark and returned to the submarine. There were a couple of things they hadn't counted on...an alert forestry student on fire watch had spotted them and the bombing and number two, the wet condition of the forest kept the fire from spreading before it was under control. The moral of the story is next time you want to complain about the rain remember it sustains us in more ways that one.