Researchers in Japan with the help of AI have analyzed the sounds made by chickens and deciphered six distinct emotional states, hunger, fear, anger, contentment, excitement and distress with 80% accuracy. If the study can also be applied to other animals as is the plan it could be a giant step toward making the world a much better place for animals.
Now that the Barbie binge has calmed down a bit it's time to examine another bizarre marketing ploy. In Brazil Burger King was offering for a limited time the Barbie Combo which consists of a pink burger, Ken fries, and dessert. The pink burger includes a burger patty, a slice of melted cheddar cheese, incredible smoky pink sauce topped with diced bacon on brioche buns. The dessert, the Barbie donut shake, is a vanilla milk shake with strawberry Nesquik topped with a pink donut. Reviews have been mixed with one customer calling it a "Pepto Bismol burger" while others thought it was delicious.
Bobbing for apples wasn't originally a Halloween activity instead it was a courting ritual. Each apple represented a different eligible bachelor and if the woman bit into the apple on the first try, the two would live happily ever after, succeeding on the second attempt meant the couple would be happy for a time but the love would fade, if it took three tries the union was doomed. This brings about the question why apples? The answer is twofold, the game was usually played at harvest time when apples were plentiful plus apples represented fertility which made me think why not use eggs instead? not biting into the egg but being able to get it out of the water with your mouth and of course most of you will think it's only bad eggs that float but that's not exactly true as older eggs float and they aren't necessarily "bad" and eggs are also associated with fertility. Okay, never mind we'll just save the eggs for Easter.
The rules of toasting are both vast and various, for instance in Italy it is essential to maintain eye contact, in South Korea one must accept their drink with both hands and contrary to popular belief glasses should not be touched when toasting for obvious reasons. So what about the word "toast" how does that figure in to the whole toasting deal? In the 16th and 17 centuries they actually put dried bread into their wine to soak up bitter or acidic sediment enabling them to consume more of the beverage. With that tidbit of trivia in mind try not to laugh next time someone proposes a toast!
Starbucks is beginning the process of phasing out their disposable cups which represent a big part of the company's overall waste and greenhouse gas emissions. They hope that by 2030 they will be using recyclable or reusable exclusively. The practice is already catching on in several locations where they have recycle bins outside their stores where the cups are collected and made into more recycling bins. The reusable cups go through a washer at the stores before being refilled and the customers get $1 off their purchase for bringing in their cup. With any luck this will set a trend so all the coffee shops will start their own programs.
Time for some quotes!
A woman's dress should be like a barbed wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view. Sophia Loren
There are weird rules for girls. We get all the uncomfortable crap. We get all the S&M clothes, like the high heels that make us easier to hunt. Sue Murphy
I base my fashion tastes on what doesn't itch. Gilda Radner
I hate clothes. I can't stand every day trying to come up with little outfits for myself. I think fashion won't even exist eventually, because anytime I see a movie or TV show where there's people from another planet, they're all wearing the same thing. Somehow they decided, "This is going to be our outfit: one-piece silver jumpsuit, C-stripe, and boots." Jerry Seinfeld
Nationwide Insurance has announced the 12 finalists for this years Hambone Awards which were named in honor of a dog who ate an entire ham while trapped in the refrigerator, at least the poor thing didn't starve! The nominees are voted on by people visiting the Hambone Award page which tells the strange situations the little dears found themselves in, for instance: Giles the cat found himself folded into a hide-a-bed, Josie the dog ran into metal bleachers while chasing a ball and Sunny the Labrador shimmied his crate 5 feet across the floor to eat 3 delicious phone charging cords. Voting ends on September 22 and the winner gets a trophy, gift card and donation to their owners favorite pet charities.
