Author: Uncle John

Dog Shaved Like Lion Sparks 911 Calls

Too funny:

A dog shaved like a lion made for an eventful night for Norfolk, Va., dispatchers, when several people who saw the dog on Tuesday called 9-1-1 to report a lion on the loose, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports.

The newspaper obtained 9-1-1 call audio, in which one woman says, “There was a lion that ran across the street – a baby lion. It was about the size of a Labrador retriever.”

The dog’s owner, Daniel Painter, told the Virginian-Pilot that he shaved his pet to look like the mascot for Old Dominion University.

Too much. “It was about the size – and genus – of a Labrador retriever!”

But Wait, There’s More! (Infomercials)

They’re loud. They’re obnoxious. They’re mesmerizing. “Infomercials”— ads for silly household products have been a part of TV since the early 1970s, usually airing in the wee hours when ad time is cheapest. Here’s the story behind three memorable “as seen on TV” products.

5-Story-High Rubber Ducky in Sydney Harbor

Deep Rubber Ducky Thought:

“A rubber duck obviously doesn’t belong to anyone but to all of us. It’s a mutual friend. And I think in the time of globalisation that we live in, we have a mutual bath tub.”

Hear hear! Mutual bathtubs for everyone! Oh. Wait…

Anyhoo – here’s giant rubber ducky video video:

Four Interesting New Year’s Traditions

So the Mayan Day of Apocalypse was a big bust. The planet didn’t explode and, to make matters worse, you didn’t have any plans for new years. Here are four bizarre New Year’s traditions from around the world you could have sampled instead of sitting home (except…trust us, you should be glad that you didn’t.)

Burning effigies. In Ecuador, the custom is to build a scarecrow out of newspapers or wood to help scare away bad luck. Around midnight, celebrants gather outside of their homes, set their scarecrows on fire, and watch them burn to cinders as the clock strikes 12. In Panama, they prefer to burn effigies of public figures. Called muñecos, they can be anything from Olympic athletes to TV characters to politicians. Supposedly, these effigies represent the old year and burning them somehow chases away evil spirits that might cause trouble in the new year.

Stuff You Should Know

Last week, our very own Gordon “Uncle John” Javna was a special guest on the very popular podcast Stuff You Should Know discussing the Barbie doll (Listen HERE). If you haven’t heard Josh Clark and Charles W. “Chuck” Bryant’s highly informative and hilarious podcast yet, go to the SYSK website right now and subscribe to their podcast. Also, don’t miss the premier of their TV show on the Science Channel on January 19.

Meet the BRI: Jay

Meet the Bathroom Reader StaffIn honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.

 

Today we introduce Jay:

Q: How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?

A: I’ve been helping Uncle John make books since 1998. I’ve written hundreds of articles, edited thousands of pages, ran point on half a dozen books, and shepherded more than 30 covers to press.

Meet the BRI: Melinda

Meet the Bathroom Reader StaffIn honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.

 

Today we introduce Melinda:

Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?

A. Six-and-a-half years. I’m a developmental editor, which means I work with writers, designers, and a ton of other freelancers to put together some great books. I do a fair amount of writing too. My favorite book so far is probably “Plunges into Canada, Eh.” Long live the Great White North!

Meet the BRI: Thom

Meet the Bathroom Reader StaffIn honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.

 

Today we introduce Thom, better known as BRI T. on our FB page:

Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?

A. I joined the BRI in 2002 as a part time newspaper reader and story cutter-outer, the idea being to use news stories to generate ideas for articles. I had a long songwriting history by then, but none as a non-fiction writer. But I liked what I saw at the UJBR and within a few months I was surreptitiously handing in articles to Gordon – just awful articles. After I did this enough times he finally got annoyed and started training me to write proper UJBR articles. Been a writer and editor ever since. And since 2010 I’ve also been the main UJBR blogger.

Q. What is your favorite part about working on Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers?

Meet the BRI: Ginger

Meet the Bathroom Reader StaffIn honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.

 

Today we introduce Ginger:

Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?

A. 5 whole years, but it feels like it’s only been the blink of an eye. I’m responsible for the marketing here, which means I’m in charge of thinking about all the stuff that helps to put the books in front of your faces: the website, advertising, radio tours, social media, etc. I also do a bunch of stuff behind the scenes that helps to get the books into bookstores and online stores to get them in your hands or on your ereader.

Meet the BRI: Monica

Meet the Bathroom Reader StaffIn honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.

 

Today we introduce Monica:

Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?

A. I’ve been working with the BRI team since early 2007, but begged to be listed on the thank you page since 2002. When I first started working in the publishing group I sat outside Joann’s office and used to give her random facts all the time hoping she would use them in a story and that I would get credit!

Meet the BRI: Kim

Meet the Bathroom Reader StaffIn honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.

 

Today we want you to meet, Kim!

Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?

A. I joined the Bathroom Readers’ Institute in February, 2011, as Developmental Editor of new books for Uncle John’s For Kids Only line. I write, tell artists to draw things such as talking toilet paper rolls and fart fairies, ask writers to cut words I don’t like from their stories (“was” for example…that word gives me hives). Oh, and I surf the Internet looking for things that will make kids’ eyes pop out of their heads, like the fact that a snapping turtle can keep snapping for four days AFTER its head has been chopped off. (Note to kids: Don’t even think about trying that at home.)

Meet the BRI: Aaron and Annie

Meet the Bathroom Reader StaffIn honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.

 

Today we introduce you to two members, Aaron and Annie, who work on the product management side, including inventory and sales reporting.

Meet Aaron:

Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?

A. Since June 2012. Product Manager. Sit on my throne and handle our inventory, add/edit our titles in our database, create presentations, and run sales reports.

Meet the BRI: Trina

Meet the Bathroom Reader StaffIn honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.

Today we want you to meet Trina.

Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?

A. I’ve been with the BRI for 9 months. My job is to do the technical part of book production, layout, artwork, ebooks, all that geeky behind the scenes stuff. I am also known to play the occasional practical joke, update the Facebook page, and am the one who brings in the baked goods as a treat.

  1. Pages:
  3. ...
  4. 131
  5. 132
  6. 133
  7. ...