Dude!

The Baby Boomers out there may remember how cowabunga came into existence while others will relate it to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,and still others to Bart Simpson, or even surfers,but it was a greeting  (and mild curse) used by Chief Thunderthud on the Howdy Doody Show. Apparently it was a word  used by males, as Princess Summerfall Winterspring used kowagoopa as her greeting,which brings me to the original spelling of cowabunga was kowabonga. As long as I have everyone on the Howdy Doody page did anyone know that Howdy had 48 freckles to represent the 48 states at the time of the show? Ah,the good old days!

"I Am Not a Crook"

It is time once again to examine that old oxymoron,"honest politician". Call me naive but until I read about a delegate from Virginia who submitted bogus signatures to qualify for a run for the senate,all while wearing an ankle monitor for having sex with an underage girl,I assumed that "elected officials" had to undergo background checks much like other job applicants. Much to my surprise that is not the case. The explanations are varied but the bottom line is if the people want to elect a criminal that is their right,plus it is assumed that the party they are representing will look into their background to prevent any surprises,failing that the opposing party or the media will also be on the lookout for any skeletons in the closet. Knowing how the process works certainly goes a long way to explain many of our "elected" officials.

I Hope He Tipped

I'm not  sure if you tip tattoo artists,but in this case if the guy had any decency it seems like he should have. A man thought to be Asian sat for six hours getting a big tattoo of Jesus on his right upper arm chatting with the artist about his wife and family,just like one would expect of a person getting a religious tattoo. When the tattooist briefly left him  he got out of the chair and stole $1,570,then sat back down to have the tattoo finished. When the tattoo was completed he paid $78 and left the shop. The theft was discovered when the owner checked the security footage to find out what had happened to the money. I have a couple of questions about this theft...where would a person hide that much money on their body where it would not be noticed? and doesn't it seem like he would be fairly easy to identify by the tattoo? Needless to say the shop has since changed security procedures.

Group Grope

Today's post is for those of you who think I am paranoid or overly critical of the TSA. In April of this year two TSA agents in Denver lost their jobs for what was dubbed "pat downs for pleasure". Both agents were in their 20s with no previous records other than traffic violations. The male agent would signal the female screening agent when he saw an attractive man he wanted to fondle,the female would indicate there was a problem with the scan in the genital region and the male agent would proceed to "check it out". The President of the National Association of Airline Passengers said it was not an isolated incident,that groping takes place at all airports and will continue as the agents are improperly supervised and are not disciplined for inappropriate behavior. Geez...who knew there was a National Association of Airline Passengers?

Not Funny

When I first read about the National Disability Summit in Australia I thought it was humorous that they apparently  forgot to plan for anyone with disabilities to attend,but the more I thought about the over sight the more I understood it from the view point of a disabled person. How could the organizers expect to solve problems for the disabled if they couldn't even plan an event that included things like wheelchair access to the stage for the speakers,or tables that were low enough to be used by people in wheelchairs? I am not trying to single out Australia about this problem as it exists every where. I have mentioned in the past about airlines not offering toilets for the disabled and a person doesn't have to look to far in their own community to see how lacking some of the facilities are for the handicapped. In all fairness I have to admit that in some instances businesses go above and beyond for the handicapped where other businesses see fit to ignore the issue completely. Another thing to add to the long list of things that need fixing.

Socially Impaired

I enjoy my electronics as much as anyone but I am beginning to wonder when enough is enough. Robotics are getting closer to being in every home just like computers are now,and do we really need a robot to do things for us,or take on a personality that we find attractive? Isn't that what people are for? If that doesn't give you a creepy feeling how about programming robots to think and sound like a deceased relative or friend? As much as I miss the people that have proceeded me in death I don't think I am ready to have a robot take on the characteristics that I found charming in them,and never mind that I already spend more time than I should with my computer. I for one,really don't need a robot! Okay,maybe just one to clean...

S**t Job

Are you one of those people who doesn't feel like your  job is utilizing your full potential? Do you feel under valued in your daily achievements? Would you like less hours and less work? If you answered yes to any of those questions then OpenBiome has the job for you! The company will buy your fecal matter for $13,000 per year and for the bonus it is used to help other people. The stool is frozen and at this time being used to treat patients with bacterial infections called c. difficile. It is a natural cure that involves ingesting the fecal matter by way of endoscopy,nasal tubes or capsules. The catch is only 4% of the potential donors pass the extensive testing. As you can see,you still have to know your s**t!

Oral Health and Beyond

It has been documented that dental health goes hand in hand with many aspects of a person's general health,but this story seems to stretch that way beyond the point of belief. A dentist in Germany removed all of a male patients teeth in order to cure the man's erectile dysfunction and schizophrenia. Now before anyone gets a lynch mob together to go after the dentist let me say in his defense that the patient thought his teeth were destroying the energy flow in his body and that having his teeth pulled would fix the problem...of course once the case went into the courts for non payment it was discovered that the patient wasn't mentally competent and the dentist was ordered to pay the man $21,000 plus the cost of dental implants. The moral of the story is,if you are going to be a practicing medical quack of any sort, do not pick on the mental impaired.

An Answer

After all the years of posing questions about one thing or another I finally have an answer today! A few years ago after returning from a flight on a new plane I wondered why they were still building planes with ashtrays as smoking in flight has been banned for over a decade. It took nearly 3 years (yes,I have been doing this blog that long!) for me to find the answer and it was an accident when I did find it. In 1973 a flight crashed killing 123 people,the cause was attributed to an improperly disposed of cigarette. The FAA decided that no matter what measures were in place some people would still be compelled to light up,so they passed a law requiring ashtrays to handle the outlaw smokers among us,better in an ashtray than a paper towel bin being the idea.

Honoring Dads

Today's post is for all the fathers out there,I would dedicate it to my dad,but I'm relatively sure since he died in 1961 that he isn't checking Facebook or the internet for messages from me.
A few fun facts about your special day:
George Washington,the father of our country (USA) never had children.
The first Father's Day was celebrated June 19th,1910,but it wasn't an official holiday until 1966 when Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation.
According to Hallmark Father's Day is the fifth largest card sending holiday.
In Germany Father's Day (Mannertag) is celebrated by getting drunk with beer and indulging in regional food.
The rose is the official Father's Day flower. Wearing a red rose signifies a living father,while a white rose represents a deceased father.
Ties are the most popular gift given on Father's Day.
Now I am curious how many fathers will ask for a trip to Germany for next Father's Day!

Prickly Situation

I want to explain before I get started today that I am not obsessed with porcupine sex. What happened was I read that porcupine quills contain a natural antibiotic so if they are on the receiving end of a quill they won't get infected. That in turn made me wonder how that would happen and the only thing I could think of was when they were mating. The next thing I know I am looking up how porcupines mate and the act is an unique as the animals themselves. The females are only receptive once a year,the process begins with some nose rubbing,if the female accepts this first step the male then rises on his back legs and urinates on her with extremely high pressure (not the normal urine stream). If the pheromones impress the female she raises her tail exposing the quill-less underside and they copulate. Another interesting porcupine fact is the female is one of the few animals that cannot be raped. If she rejects a males advances and he persists she simply swipes her tail at his exposed male part,end of story!

Double Whammy

I have two surprises for you today,at least they were surprises to me but maybe I was the only one who didn't know?The first thing isn't terribly surprising since there seems to be a Guinness World Record for nearly everything so  scrapbooking shouldn't be that much of a surprise,the second part was certainly surprising though...Hugh Hefner,of Playboy magazine fame, holds the World scrapbooking record with over 2,643,plus he also holds the record for longest career as editor-in-chief for the same magazine,59 years. Another interesting tidbit about Hugh is he has and endangered rabbit named after him,Sylvilagus palustris hefneri.

Entrepreneurial Heaven

After reading about the Girl Scout who set her cookie table up outside a San Francisco marijuana dispensary, selling 117 boxes in less than two hours,I decided maybe legalizing marijuana would be the turning point for the economy after all. Just think of it! Anyone who is out of work or has a food business that isn't doing too well, but can manage to scrape together enough money (go fund me comes to mind) can simply set up shop outside a marijuana shop! This would even work for those low energy individuals as the customers probably wouldn't take notice how long it took to get their goodies as long you didn't close shop before they received their orders,or for that matter they could just pass out chips or other prepackaged foods with no need for that pesky preparation. Yes,that girl scout was one smart cookie!

In the Beginning

Anyone who has ever dealt with a computer virus,worm or whatever new term might be just around the corner,has probably asked the question "why would anyone do that?"  Most of the early computer viruses weren't too dangerous and were often done more as a type of prank than anything malicious,and of course to prove it could be done. One of the first viruses was developed by a 9th grade teenager in 1981. In 1986 another virus was developed by two Pakistani brothers trying to keep their software out of the hands of pirates,but when it infected a boot sector it left a message with the brothers business information and phone number with instructions to contact them for the vaccination. In my opinion that was the start of what has become big business,paying to protect your computer from people busily thinking of ways to breech that protection. It's like being involved in a war you didn't start and would rather not participate in.

Puzzling

Everyone enjoys a good puzzle,or do they? I'm talking about what I had always heard called the Monkey Puzzle Tree,but it is also known as Monkey No Climb,Sandbox Tree and the Dynamite Tree. I thought they were interesting because they were so different from most evergreens. As it turns out not only are they different they are dangerous. It is classified as the most ferocious member of the tree world. Not only is its bark covered in dark mean looking thorns but its pumpkin shaped fruit explodes with a loud bang, launching seeds as far as 320 feet at speeds around 150 mph. If that isn't enough to make you think twice about this tree,the seeds (if ingested) cause cramping,diarrhea,vomiting,blurred vision and a fast heart rate,and more than a couple of seeds can be fatal. In earlier times the sap from the tree was used for making poison tips for arrows.

Keep Your Hats On

I have intended to find out why Panama hats are called Panama hats (since they are made in Ecuador) for a long time,but never happened to be by my computer at those times. You're in luck,today's the day! I was hoping for a nefarious explanation but that is not the case. There are several things that are behind the hats being known as Panama hats. One major factor was Panama's position as a trade and transportation center in the 1850s. Ecuador didn't see much trade or tourism so it exported the hats to Panama to sell,also Ecuador lacked the technology to stamp or label the hats saying "Made in Ecuador" so it wasn't immediately obvious where the hats came from. During the gold rush in California thousands traveled by boat through Panama as it was quicker than going by land across America. Many of these travelers purchased straw hats while passing through Panama,and when asked where they bought their hats they said Panama. In 1881 when work on the Panama Canal begin many of the workers wore the hats adding to the association with Panama. In 1906 the name was further cast in stone when President Teddy Roosevelt visited the Panama Canal and was photographed in a "Panama hat".  The rest as they say is history!

It's Good For You!

Today is one of my accidental posts. I was looking for something totally unrelated when I found a story about a 16 year old golfer who was killed when he hit his club against a bench in anger,breaking the shaft which in turn pierced his heart. That made me wonder about the most dangerous sports and though the list varies depending on who knows what factors,the results are usually the same but in differing order. Some of these will leave you wondering,but maybe that's a good thing?
1. Lawn Bowls
2. Base Jumping
3. Horse Riding
4.Golf
5. Rock Climbing
6. Fishing
7. Motorcycling
8. Cheer Leading
9. Cave Diving
10. Rugby

Mental Pause

Some folks refer to the forgetful,lost feeling that starts around middle age as a senior moment,or even a brain fart,but my name for this phenomena is mental pause. I had a confusing one the other day but in the end it was more funny than it was anything else. I read that Ronald Reagan's daughter Patti Davis had posed nude,only I read Patti Duke instead of Davis. The internal wheels started spinning wildly as I tried to digest Patti Duke being Reagan's daughter...how had I not known this before?? I nearly had myself talked into the idea when I backtracked and checked the name, finding my error. Apparently Patti (Davis,not Duke) was somewhat of a black sheep and was into drugs and other unsavory activities in her misspent youth. At age 34 she turned her life around and started seriously taking care of her body,at age 42 she posed for Playboy,a dubious honor usually reserved for women half her age. Of course by this time her father was no longer president,so it wasn't that big of a news flash. She posed nude again for "More" magazine at age 58. She reconciled with her family before her father's death.

Reagan family portrait,Patti is far right

Scents Sense

Japan has seen a social shift in recent years,dividing a percentage of men and women into herbivore men and carnivore women. The herbivore men (aka grass eaters),roughly 1/3 of the male population,shun marriage or girlfriends. On the other end of the scale are the carnivore women,ambitious women taking charge of their business and private lives. Enter Burger King! A regular guy,(for a limited time) has a chance of narrowing the playing field...how you ask? By applying Whopper,The Flame Grilled Fragrance! It has to be better than some of the overpowering scents that are out there! Next time you think someone smells like a burger,you may be right.

How Much Is That?

Some slang words and phrases originally meant something other than the more commonly known slang meanings we associate them with today. For instance we use the word buttload as a hyperbole today to describe an unmanageable large portion of something that is usually unpleasant,like a buttload of housework. That meaning isn't terribly far from the original definition of the word. A butt (aka pipe) was two hogsheads which is 63 gallons and traditionally was used as a unit of volume for wine and other alcoholic beverages. So let's all gather a buttload of our favorite beverages and propose a toast!

Tokyo Wins

When I was researching the post on the sheep cafe,I happened upon more theme cafes in Tokyo and today I will tell you about a few. The one I found the most unusual was an owl cafe,as it turn out there are actually three  bird cafes,one with birds of prey (including owls,falcons and hawks) another features parrots,parakeets,sparrows and  cockatoos,and the last seemed like an odd combination to me...owls and lizards. They also have a goat cafe where you can feed the goats hay and on certain days of the week take them for walks. There is a bunny cafe where you can not only cuddle and feed the rabbits but can also purchase one for your very own. Last, and least of interest to me, is an amphibian/reptile cafe. So as you can see since the trend for animal cafes started six years ago Tokyo is way out front with both number of and variety of animal themed cafes. As one cafe owner explained it is a great way to relieve the stress of working in the concrete jungle.

Dog Germs

It is looking like Lucy (from the Peanuts comic strip) had it wrong when she complained of dog germs when Snoopy kissed her. Studies are being conducted on dog saliva and how it can lessen immune disorders including asthma. The research is to see if dogs could potentially work as a probiotic and help build healthy bacteria in humans. Researchers have noticed that immune disorders have increased in the Western world as the exposure to friendly bacteria has lessened. Previous studies have shown that infants in households with dogs have lower rates of allergies and asthma. If the study proves the theory to be significant you can ditch the yogurt in favor of a big sloppy kiss from man's best friend!