Well Preserved

A school in Maine recently celebrated the 43rd anniversary of a Twinkie that was unwrapped for a science lesson in 1976. The teacher who unwrapped the elderly Twinkie retired in 2004 and passed it on to the dean of students who was in the class for the unveiling. The Twinkie is still the same size and shape as the day it was unwrapped though the color has turned grayish and the texture is rougher. Out of curiosity I looked up the recipe for Twinkies and the secret to their longevity isn't so much preservatives as it is that there isn't anything perishable in the ingredients. No real eggs,no butter or fat,no vanilla,everything is a petroleum derivative except for the sorbic acid which is the preservative that prevents it from molding.  Other than having no food value they would keep nearly forever in emergency rations!

Cruel or Kind?

I didn't realize Janus cats (diprosopus) aka cats with two heads were a fairly common occurrence but apparently they are. Duo was rejected by her mother at birth so her owner contacted a friend who happened to be a veterinarian to see if he thought the kitten could be saved.  There have been many problems with her eating as both mouths want to eat but they can't at the same time,she has had respiratory problems,a possible seizure,is smaller than a kitten her age should be but is otherwise surviving. Most cats born with this defect die within days other than Frank and Louie who lived to be 15. I'm just not sure if the quality of life is there in Duo's case.

Bam! Pow! Mobile

A 29 year old Batman fanatic in Australia with help from two friends built his own Batmobile complete with afterburner and adjustable suspension,but no grappling hooks or bombs in the tires. He was able to incorporate some of the parts from the original car and it is one of ten or so replicas but his is the only one that is street legal. In the true super hero fashion the man uses the car to visit dying children through the Make-a-Wish foundation.

Every Body Okay to TSA

Just a little weirdness to round out your day. Anyone who has flown since 9/11 has come to know the restrictions we all must abide by even though some of them may seem inexplicable. What the odd part is that it's okay to carry body parts or a skeleton even as a carry on. I suppose there isn't anything especially dangerous about either skeletons or body parts and neither one is illegal to have in most states unless they are Native American body parts or skeletons,and of course a few states and some countries have additional rules pertaining to body transportation. Maybe it's just me but why would a person want to bring a skeleton on vacation? or one woman always takes her foot bones from a prior amputation with her when she travels...maybe she doesn't want her foot to miss out?


A skeleton may be transported in carry-on and checked bags if it’s properly packaged, labeled and declared to your airline. We also strongly recommend that you contact your airline as they may have additional policies on traveling with this item. Safe travels, Kristin!

Living Funeral

A South Korean service is offering free funerals for the living with the idea of improving their lives by simulating their deaths. Since the start of the service in 2012 more than 25,000 people have participated. The ages range from teens to seniors,the seniors are more focused on dying well where younger people seem to realize that life isn't a competition and there is more than one path to follow in life. The service starts with the donning of shrouds and progresses to funeral portraits,penning their last testaments and lying in a closed coffin for ten minutes. It seems a little creepy to me but it made me think that having your own funeral before you die makes more sense that having it after you die.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

There's something about people thinking they need a golden toilet upon which they can perform their waste management procedures that just chaps my hide. This time a jewelry maker in Hong Kong has upped the ante and is offering along with the golden throne a bullet proof toilet seat with over 40,000 diamonds. The jeweler claims he did it for art purposes but if that were solely the reason he probably wouldn't have called Guinness World Records to document the toilet as most diamonds set in a toilet. This same man also made a guitar with 400 carats worth of diamonds valued at $2 million and a pair of shoes with 10,000 pink diamonds valued at $4.28 million,so why am I carping about a mere $1 million dollar shitter? I wonder if he ever heard the phrase"waste not want not"?

Catmospheric Pressure

Today's offering is some quotes about cats. I'm convinced my cats either think I have eyes in my feet or their plan is to make me fall so they can systematically shred my corpse for their dining pleasure.
I have cats because they have no artificially imposed,culturally prescribed sense of decorum. They live in the moment. If I had an aneurysm in the brain and dropped dead,I love knowing that as the paramedics carry me out,my cats are going to be swatting at that little toe tag. Paul Provenza
The problem with cats is that they get the same exact look whether they see a moth or an ax-murderer. Paula Poundstone
I don't see the purpose of cats. Dogs can protect you,can sniff out things,and can be your eyes if you're blind. Could you imagine a seeing-eye cat? The first person who walks by with an untied shoelace,and you're history. Christine O'Rourke
I've been trying to train my cat to understand the meaning of the word "no." Which seems to be roughly equivalent to teaching a dog Latin. Judy Brown