Do you see a face or the word ‘liar’?

Who is the tallest?

Do you see four people?

Do you see the word lift?

What do you see? Eleven Ships or Three Ships and Eight Arches?

Thanks Anne-Marie!

May 26, 2008, 9:32AM
Successful new manager get bonus — all in cat food

Associated Press

TOKYO — A money-losing Japanese train company has found the purr-fect mascot to draw crowds and bring back business — tabby Tama.

All the 9-year-old female cat has to do is sit by the entrance of western Japan’s Kishi Station, wearing a black uniform cap and posing for photos for the tourists who are now flocking in from across the nation.

Her job makes cultural sense in Japan, where cats are considered good luck and are believed to bring in business.

Tama has done such a good job of raising revenue for the troubled Kishikawa train line that she was recently promoted to “super-station-master.”

“She never complains, even though passengers touch her all over the place. She is an amazing cat. She has patience and charisma,” said Wakayama Electric Railway Co. spokeswoman Yoshiko Yamaki. “She is the perfect station master.”

People have been snatching up novelty goods — postcards, notebooks and erasers — bearing Tama’s photos.

The cat had been about to lose her place to live, with the nearby store where she was raised being torn down. Now, the station is home.

The Kishikawa line had been losing $4.9 million a year as passenger numbers fell steadily to as low as about 5,000 a day, or some 1.9 million a year.

After Tama’s appointment last year passenger numbers have risen by 10 percent to about 2.1 million a year.

In December Tama was rewarded with bonus pay — all in cat food.

May 23, 2008, 11:45PM
Rescue dog gets a little bit of help herself

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, MO. — After years of helping authorities look for murder victims and survivors of natural disasters, a search-and-rescue dog named Molly has been rescued herself.

Surgeons at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine on Thursday installed a pacemaker in the 5-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever’s heart. She needed the surgery after being diagnosed with a complete electrical heart blockage.

Owners Allen and Alicia Brown of Saginaw were overwhelmed with offers to help pay the more than $2,500 in surgery, vet and travel costs after The Joplin Globe reported on Molly’s need for the pacemaker.

Medical technology company Medtronic Inc. donated the device, and a Kansas businessman offered to pay up to $2,000 of the cost anonymously.

“It surprises me greatly,” Allen Brown said. “There’s just been such an outpouring of public support for her.”

Molly was scheduled to return home Friday and be confined to her crate for two weeks. She will have limited activity for the next two months but should be able to return to full-time rescue work after that, Allen Brown said.

The Browns are volunteers with the Newton County K-9 search-and-rescue unit, which doesn’t have a budget. Allen, a paramedic, and Alicia, a nurse, put in hundreds of hours searching for bodies during emergencies. The unit has five certified dogs and three others in training.

The Browns noticed that the usually energetic Molly, whose full name is The Unsinkable Molly Brown, became lethargic and out of breath last month. Veterinarians believe she had a heart attack.

Patrice Graham, another member of the K-9 search-and-rescue team, spearheaded efforts to help the Browns pay for the surgery.

“I know that everyone is tight, but these people do a lot of volunteer work,” Graham said. “If she could save one more life or recover one more body for a family, it would be worth it.”

The debate continues, is it Art or a blot on the landscape?  

Vandalism or an artist’s endeavour to unearth a surface’s soul?

May 21, 2008, 9:32AM
Lost parrot home again after he recites his address

Associated Press

TOKYO 

When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught - recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help.

Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor’s roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.

He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet.

“I’m Mr. Yosuke Nakamura,” the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.

“We checked the address, and what do you know, a Nakamura family really lived there. So we told them we’ve found Yosuke,” Uemura said.

The Nakamura family told police they had been teaching the bird its name and address for about two years.

But Yosuke apparently wasn’t keen on opening up to police officials.

“I tried to be friendly and talked to him, but he completely ignored me,” Uemura said.

Because you asked, I wanted to ensure that your date had options too…

I’ve always loved fashion and I have always been interested in the latest styles.  There are those outfits; however, that I’m really not sure where I would wear…

Warm waves ripple through Perry

By MIKE KILEN • mkilen@dmreg.com • May 12, 2008

Tom Owens and Diana Helmer moved to Perry in December and engaged in an unusual habit. They knew no one but waved at everybody.”I’ve noticed the effects a wave has,” Helmer said. “When you wave it’s like a smile. A smile always changes your mood. You can’t smile and not be changed.”

OK, some might ask, what’s their angle?

Owens, 47, and Helmer, 45, said it’s not a psychological experiment. They aren’t building business contacts or keeping score, although that doesn’t stop a reporter from doing so during one of their twice-daily walks.We just wanted to be nice to people,” Owens said. “Be nice - that’s our secret plot.”Perry is big enough, population 8,700, to lean more toward the rarely waving, impersonal city than the obligatory, wave-happy Iowa town.Yet it seems strange that a friendly wave seems odd.

“Isn’t it interesting that this couple is friendly and people think they are nutty?” Perry Mayor Viivi Shirley said.

Shirley said the couple is for real.

“In my former life, I was a marriage and family counselor,” she said. “I have a high detector for fake. They are utterly charming and very earnest.”While walking toward downtown, the two head down Willis Avenue , the busy street they live on. They begin waving to every driver.Helmer lets loose an enthusiastic parade wave, arm overhead, bending at wrist and elbow. Owens goes overhead with a single swipe, all elbow.The first two car passengers return it.

Owens’ idea was born after the two moved to Perry from Marshalltown, the hometown they had returned to after living in Missouri, Wisconsin and Washington state.Even

“We didn’t want to be that way,” Owens said. “Everyone matters. No one is invisible.”The couple could have moved anywhere. Their jobs are portable - writers of nearly 80 children’s books between them - with no kids and two cats. They chose Perry for its smaller size.

Folks humbly apologized about the town and its recent troubles - the popular hotel, museum and gourmet coffee shop all closing.“Some were hanging in for the future, Owens said. “Some were longing for the past. We were happy for now.”“Diana has always been the more friendly and optimistic one. The hope I have has come from her.”What better way to be a friendly newcomer, what better way to battle the modern age’s disconnectedness, than offer a wholesome greeting?

As they talk and wave, responses are mixed.

“Sometimes people stare at their hands,” Owens said. “What just happened to me? Why am I doing this?”

Townsfolk began to notice when the couple missed a walk. It cheered them to see those two waving. People would shout “hellos” as they entered the cafe.One reason they both left journalism many years ago, they said, is because adults wanted to read bad news, children didn’t.But adults, they found, maintain a childlike spirit in a wave.

The walk’s unofficial tally: 45 waves and 21 wave-backs.

“I feel like we are winning,” Owens said.

Few would argue that the Internet is one of the most influential marketing channels ever created, allowing the customized and interactive message to reach its target audience on demand.  Benefits to consumers are also unparalleled allowing consumers to utilize numerous on-line conveniences to improve their lives. Even home improvement decisions are made easier by on-line tools that allow the homeowner to change the colour or a room to aid in their decision for perfection. Behavioural modeling is also highly beneficial to ensure utmost customization to meet the needs of the consumer. But, when does this convenience become an intrusion?  Despite the possible violation of privacy laws, how comfortable would you be with quiet tracking activities to provide you with more customized opportunities?