Saturday, 19 March 2011
INTERESTING STUFF – 19 March 2011
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” in the upper left corner of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I probably won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog if you have one.
BETTE DAVIS AND HER FAMOUS PILLOW
It always annoys me when people misquote Bette Davis's most famous utterance or mis-attribute it to someone else. Now we have the lady herself holding the pillow on which it was embroidered.
FURTHER PROOF THAT BILLIONAIRES ARE $%^&*
A good friend overheard a conversation among Wall Street investors last week as one of them made reference to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami:
"Well, I'm back in the city. I had to cut short my family spring break vacation to come back to the office because of this market mess."
BABY ELEPHANTS
This week's Interesting Stuff is heavy on cute animals. Maybe it's that I just need to wallow for a bit in something totally apolitical that no one can complain about.
IT'S NOT OVER IN WISCONSIN
Yesterday, a Wisconsin judge issued a temporary restraining order on the publication of the anti-collective bargaining law that Governor Scott Walker rammed through the legislature while the Democratic member were out of town.
A lawsuit has been filed questioning the legality of the speeded-up vote. You an read more here.
A DOG WORTH $1,623,514?
Or 1 million British pounds. He's a Tibetan mastiff named Hong Dong. Here's what else, according to the Guardian UK writer who has a mighty good sense of humor about this:
A million! What's it made of? It's a dog. It's made of dog.
Age: As a breed, ancient; in dog years, incalculable.
Appearance: Oversized Aslan plush toy, fresh from being washed and dried with a Manchester United jersey.
Funny looking lion: That's because it's a dog.
Go read the rest of the story – it's really funny.
BMI BASED ON YOUR BOOTY
I'm not kidding. There was a story in my local paper this week about how the size of your booty may be a more accurate measurement of body fat than the traditional body mass index.
Called the Body Adiposity Index (BAI), it is said to be “quite accurate” when compared to the dual energy x-ray absorption method. The formula is rather complicated and must be done in metric, but if you want to try it, you can read more here.
A PENGUIN'S MIGHT LEAP
Some of the people commenting at YouTube think this video is a fake. I have no idea, but it's sure worth a look.
ELDER EMERGENCY ROOMS
The New York Times reported this week about an emerging trend in emergency rooms suited to the needs of elders, like this one is Ann Arbor:
”Handrails line each wall, and a nonskid floor resembling hardwood reduces the risk of falls. Every bed has a thicker, pressure-reducing mattress and can be set to sound an alarm if a patient prone to wandering gets up.
“Room lighting is softer, and the clocks are larger. Each room comes furnished with a walker; patients can request reading glasses or hearing devices.”
Every time I read about improvements with elders in mind, I am struck, without exception, by how the changes would be good for everyone. You can read more about the coming emergency rooms here.
IT'S BEEN A LONG, HARD WINTER
William Weatherstone – The Diesel Gypsy – sent along this photo. If you have trouble reading the sign, it says, “If you have had enough cold and snow, please raise your hand.”
Posted by Ronni Bennett at 05:30 AM | Permalink | Email this post
Comments
Verify your Comment
Previewing your Comment
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
I think everyone needs a dose of cute animals now and then. The elephants are adorable and the Penguin is either brave or foolish.
I think paying over 1 1/2 million bucks for a dog that, at best, will only live 14 years is insane. He's going to have to perform so often to recover some of that money that he may not make it to the age of 14. :-)
The good news regarding the Wisconsin law's restraining order is that it will probably give the citizens time to recall enough Republicans that it will be voted down if when Walker tries to ram it through again.
It not only does not pass the smell test, it will never be found to legal under Wisconsin laws.
Did you see where Arizona voted down two more snarky immigration laws? As predicted, the first disgraceful one is tied up in the courts and has cost Arizona convention and tourist revenue. The legislators finally saw that actions have consequences.
Posted by: Darlene | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 08:33 AM
One more thing. If my BMI is going to be based on my booty I should have died from a stroke years ago.
Posted by: Darlene | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 08:35 AM
Loved the baby elephants and thankful the penguin made it across.
What is about animals and babies, and most particularly baby animals that pleases us so?
Posted by: Arlene | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 10:32 AM
Baby elephants are adorable no matter what they do - and those are precious!!
Posted by: kenju | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 10:54 AM
Thank God for the penguin clip. I'm inspired for another day.
Posted by: Larry | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 11:17 AM
Please forgive the OT response to janinsanfran from the previous column. She commented of the new subscription rate of the NYT.
The front page is still going to be free (so you will see the headlines, which is supposed to entice you to buy the subscription.) Just find a headline you like, copy and paste it into GoogleNews, and Google will provide a link for you.
Also I added NYT to my Twitter list. Immediate links.
Posted by: Marilyn | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 11:52 AM
Smow? Snow? What is this "snow" of which you speak?
Posted by: Peter Tibbles | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 02:25 PM
Loved the elephants; fake or real, I loved the penguin, too. My fav: "Hands" mutually affirming "Enough with the snow"! Thanks for day brighteners.
Posted by: Linda Skupien | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 02:29 PM
Irresistible elephants, a daring penguin (fake or not), and a zillion-dollar dog ... what else could we ask for on a Saturday?
Thanks, Ronni!
Posted by: SuzyR | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 03:49 PM
In a 1987 People magazine interview with Scott Haller, Davis is quoted as saying of her famous pillow: "That's the most important thing I own. All sorts of things happen to you when you get old. And there's nothing you can do but just take it." Four years earlier, Davis had survived what People described as a "devastating mastectomy and stroke," so she'd certainly walked her talk.
But, did the quote: "Old Age Ain't No Place for Sissies" originate with her, as much as she may have loved it and lived it? A minority (including the folks at http://www.great-quotes.com/quote/21679 ) believe that American wit H.L. Menken deserves credit for the quip. No matter. Whatever else she may have been, Bette Davis was no sissy!
Posted by: Tom Walsh | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 04:11 PM
Thanks for the Bette Davis quote -- that gal had more you-know-whats than any man I ever knew. Loved her. She was my hero.
Posted by: Miki Davis | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 07:25 PM
Loved the elephants!! still smiling over how CUTE that is!
Bette Davis reminded me of my own Mom...... tough as nails, super smart and "directness" personified.
Posted by: Celeste | Saturday, 19 March 2011 at 10:52 PM
"Well, I'm back in the city. I had to cut short my family spring break vacation to come back to the office because of this market mess." To me, the market mess is simply the ongoing correction / market decline, uncertainty, oil prices, etc. That's all the person might be referring to. Like a burger flipping coming off break to find a tour bus has arrived--rich or poor, we all face the office grind.
Posted by: John | Sunday, 20 March 2011 at 04:09 PM
John...
No, the man was specifically referring to consequences of the Japanese disaster inconveniencing his vacation.
Posted by: Ronni Bennett | Sunday, 20 March 2011 at 04:24 PM
I was so thrilled and proud to be chosen to be the maid for Bette Davis when she came to the Vacation Village (now called the Pacific Edge) in Laguna Beach, California for her annual holiday there. I was about 19 or 20 then. 60's. Hippie days. I remember (from making her bed every day) that she always had a special pillow on the bed that had some saying on it. But, alas... it was SO many years ago that I have no clue what it said. I don't think it was as big as the one in your photo. Well, I'll never know.
Posted by: Nikki | Friday, 25 March 2011 at 03:58 AM