People 50+ could be happier according to poll

NOTE TO SELF: LET A SMILE BE YOUR UMBRELLA

Never really gave it much thought but according to a British poll, Brits turn into grumps once they reach their 50th birthday. Actually, thinking further, many people are miseries earlier in life but that as they say, is another subject. The poll conducted by researchers from Glamorgan University surveyed the laughability of 2000 Britons. It would also be interesting to know what qualifies them as experts in this category and how much money the researchers received for conducting this study. British surveys do tend to cover interesting subjects. One wonders what the researchers are going to do with the results of survey. How do you convince those in the 50-plus age category to lighten up and laugh more?

The study claims that Brits laugh a lot less once they reach 52. Why 52 one asks or why not say...51...or 53. Furthermore, the researchers feel that the art of telling jokes is dying and good jokes are limited to one or two passable gags. Fourteen percent of people have never told a joke. Perhaps that's because some jokes go over like a lead balloon, as mine frequently do. There is nothing worse - IMHO - than telling a joke and nobody laughs, or you have to explain the joke. I mean, why be embarrassed!

Statistically, people laugh 300 times per day but only six times per day by the time they reach their teens. In other words, we take joy and find the world a happy place in which to live as children but learn otherwise once we reach adult-hood.

People in their 20's laugh a mere 4x per day but re-aquire a sense of humor when they have children. Once in their 30's, the average goes up to 5 laughs per day with almost 47% being people who have children. However, once we reach our 50's, our laughs decrease to 3x per day. Twice as many males turn into cranks than females when they reach their 50's. What is interesting is that being around children makes adults happier people.

So all of these stats leads one to wonder how they formed these conclusions. Did they interview people in the various age brackets and ask them to tell jokes and then rate the jokes, or ask them to keep a diary of the number of times per day they laughed, showed them comedies and gauged their reactions? There's no information on the criteria and also humor is subjective. What some people find funny, others find inane and stupid. Another thing to take into consideration is that this is a poll focusing on Brits. It would be interesting to know if polls have been done in other parts of the world and if the results are/were similar.

Basically and IMHO, this poll really can't be taken seriously and perhaps it's fitting given the subject matter being humor.

Dog receives communion - people outraged

NOTE TO SELF: SOME PEOPLE CAN BE SO UNCHARITABLE

So a man and his 5-year old pooch, Trapper, walk into an Anglican church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the man wants communion. Nothing wrong with that - right? Think so? The priest welcomed the pair and when it was time for the human to receive communion, his dog followed him. The priest, Margaret Rea, didn't see anything wrong with giving both human and pooch communion, an act which is causing an uproar.

Rea said she had nothing to add to the apology she has already offered to her congregation.

"The incident is done, it's over and I have no more comment about it," she told AFP. "I am not going to discuss anything about it."

Thing is, presumably, the offense is giving a non-human communion. One wonders if the Higher Power finds it as equally offensive as some church members. The whole incident has made some people smile but one parishioner took it further and filed a complaint with the Toronto Diocese.

There's a nice photo of Trapper who is luckily oblivious over the stir he caused here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100728/wl_canada_afp/canadareligionanimaloffbeat_20100728141055

Censorship in the 21st century - and for a rock star no less!

NOTE TO MYSELF: WHY IN THE WORLD DID ABC CAVE IN BASED ON THE OPINION OF 1500COMPLAINING VIEWERS AND INSTITUTE CENSORSHIP POLICY

Seems that ABC decided to cancel controversial (to some) rocker, Adam Lambert, appearance on Good Morning America, on November 25th. Lambert, who is openly gay, performed on the American Musical Awards show and made what some perceive as obscene gestures while promoting his single release. Given the open-ness and language used in lyrics by rap singers with absolutely no intervention on the part TV networks, this move by ABC is unwarranted and IMHO, dummmmb. The AMA show in itself is very open and nobody blinks an eye when any of the performers push the limits - and they do that. In cancelling Lambert, CBS immediately grabbed him.

Silly, silly ABC!

BTW - ABC received 1500 complaint phone calls from viewers who found Lambert's actions distasteful. Perhaps the viewers should have just clicked to another network. The late Elvis Presley, who was featured waist-up during his early performances on TV, must be laughing it up, somewhere, however those were in the staid and proper 1950's/'60's. Times have changed and ABC should know better.

BTW - in cancelling Lambert, CBS immediately grabbed him guaranteeing the network a large viewing audience. Silly, silly ABC!

"Slumdog Milliionaire" young star now homeless - makes you wonder

NOTE TO SELF: PASS ON RENTING "SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE"

Let's say... you're a film company who travels to Mumbai, India, to shoot a film focusing upon and that takes place in the Mumbai slums.

Let's say... you come accross some children living in the slums that would be perfect for your film and a decision is made to use them. The word "use" being the key word here.

The film becomes a huge success beyond everyone's wildest dreams and is nominated for an Academy Award. As a perk and perhaps even a promotional gimmick, the child actors are brought to the awards show all dressed up as movie stars usually are. Once the hoopla is over the young actors are returned home and back to their former lives of subsisting from day-to-day, living in shacks. One day a celebrity and now a homeless person.

Young 10-year old "Slumdog Millionaire" star, Azharuddin Ismail, was asleep when awakened and told to leave his family's home as part of a demolition of dozens of Mumbai shanties. It was among 30 shacks razed by city workers. As if that wasn't bad enough and according to Azhar, he was hit by a police officer. For their part authorities are saying that his family will be given a new home elsewhere.

Although the film earned US $326 million in box office receipts, the lives of the Mumbai "actors" haven't benefited from their appearing in the film.

"Slumdog" filmmakers set up a trust, called Jai Ho, after the hit song from the film, to ensure the children get proper homes, a good education and a nest egg when they finish high school. They also donated $747,500 to a charity to help slum kids in Mumbai.

Given this recent setback, it would seem that Azhar needs some of that charity money right away to get a roof over his family's head. Thing is - will he get it.

UK primary students urged to Twit, blog and Wiki instead of history lessons

NOTE TO SELF: WHAT ARE EDUCATORS THINKING?

The British education system is contemplating a change in its curriculum. This in itself is nothing earth-shattering but it's the subject that makes one wonder what are they thinking!

According to the Guardian newspaper, primary school students will be encouraged to learn how to blog, use Twitter and Wikipedia instead of history leassons.

Oh goodie! Yet another legimate reason this time, to allow and encourage students to surf the Net! What else!

Students will be required to know about blogging, podcasts, use Wikipedia (such a reliable information source!) which may or may not have the right information depending on the author, and Twitter(?) as their information sources for info. sources of communication.

Twitter? I use Twitter and it consists of a one line statement. Period. What's more - you have a limited amount of bytes in which to make your statement.

For example:"A cow when milked can give up to (insert correct number) gallons/litres per day. " Perhaps the students could be required to re-write the sentence using all the available Twitter bytes and in addition use it as a math exercise to calculate the amount of gallons/litres a cow will give. In addition students would then be required to Wiki as a means of finding background information about cows and/or milking processes.

The Guardian said the draft review requires primary school children to be familiar with blogging, podcasts, Wikipedia and Twitter as sources of information and forms of communication.

Uh-huh... Next thing you know - YouTube will become part of the curriculum as will texting. I mean - c'mon! Get back to your basic education, peeplz! There's nothing wrong with using the Net as an information tool but even to consider dropping a history course in favor of the Internet?

What's this? A fee to pee?

NOTE TO SELF: RYANAIR TO CHARGE PASSENGERS TO URINATE(?) WHAT NEXT!

Another of those "what-in-the-hell-are-they-thinking" stories that cause us to shake our heads in wonder and puzzlement.

The head of Ryanair, a budget airline I'm not familiar with, is toying with the idea of charging its passengers to use the bathroom. His rationale or excuse is that doing this will lead to "less passenger inconvenience during flights.

How he arrived at this conclusion is puzzling.

Last month, Michael O'Leary, Chief Executive admitted that the airline is looking into the possibility of installing - wait for it - toilet doors in its planes that can only be opened with the insertion of of a 1 pound coin (1.10 euros, $1.40). Now that some expensive pee break!

His logic is that an on-board change, he believes, means that more passengers would use airport bathrooms, leading to "less passenger inconvenience on board the aircraft."

Oh really? I dunno how he arrived at this conclusion. As anyone over 50 will attest, when you gotta go - you gotta go! Period! In my eyes it's an obvious greedy, money-grab. I mean - like passengers don't pay enough for extras already?

Seems that Ryanair is running an online competition to see what else the carrier can charge for on board.

Extras huh? Next thing you know, there will be a charge for using the soap dispenser in the pay toilet. You know - $1 per squish on the hand and still another fee for each sheet of paper towel used. Maybe they could offer a special discount for slightly used paper towels. Or perhaps a charge for sitting on a toilet seat after a certain length of time? The mind boggles at the possibilities.

"The suggestion I like best so far is a passenger in Sweden who has suggested that we should produce rolls of toilet paper with my picture on it," O'Leary said.

Indeed.

Photo of a Ryanair plane here: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/photos/slideshow/oddlyenough-photos.html?imageUrl=/afp/20090324/r_p_afp_od_other/pod-a-ryanair-passenger-air-6e4457fb4f90

Fox News should be ashamed!

NOTE TO SELF: AVOID FOX NEWS DUE TO GROSS INSENSITIVITY

Sometimes the ignorance of some news media makes me gasp in "what-were-they-thinking" mode. In this particular case, it's Fox News that has gone out on a limb to show its dumbness for lack of a better word in their assessment of the Canadian presence in Afghanistan.

Last week once again when Canadians were mourning the loss of four more soldiers, Fox News and more specifically, one Greg Gutfeld (who is this guy anyway and when did he seep out of the wood work?) who hosts some type of TV talk show, decided that it would be oh-so-much-fun to make fun of the Canadian military.

The five-minute segment, which aired recently on Fox News late-night program "Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld" and later posted on YouTube.com, features American panelists suggesting Canadian soldiers need time off for "manicures and pedicures."

The item aired after Gen. Andrew Leslie, the Canadian Forces Chief of Land Staff, told a Senate committee the military would need a one-year break from operations after the mission in Afghanistan winds down in 2011.

"The Canadian military wants to take a breather to do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white capri pants," Gutfeld said with a sneer. Another panelist Doug Benson said he was unaware Canadian troops were on the ground in Afghanistan.

"I didn't even know they were in the war. I thought that's where you go if you don't want to fight - you go chill in Canada," he said.

As a Canadian I'm disgusted with what they probably pass off as satire but in effect, is gross stupidity and far from amusing. There is a fine line between satire and insult and in this case, it has been crossed and then some. I do not, nor would I now for sure, subscribe to Fox News.

The show should be re-named, "Red Face with Shame."

Shame on Fox News! Canadians are NOT at all amused!

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/03/22/8847666-sun.html

Online www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJn5XlbSFk