The Zipper

Quote: "The zipper displaces the button and a man lacks just that much time to think while dressing at dawn, a philosophical hour, and thus a melancholy hour." — Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

My parents were both born before the invention of the zipper...wow!

And I'm not talking about this Zipper.

 An Acoustic and Electric Rock Cover Band

This is the zipper I'm referring to: 

Who invented the zipper? Early in the 20th century, an engineer named Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundback (of Swedish extract, he was born on Sonarp farm in Ödestugu Parish, in Jönköping County, Småland, Sweden), built upon previous inventions to develop a better fastener. The "Hookless No. 2" was a series of interlocking teeth in which where the tiny projection at the top fit into the dimple at the bottom as a slider traveled up the row. On April 29, 1917, Sundback received a patent for the "separable fastener," which would come to be known as the zipper. Soldiers fighting in World War I used the first zippers, mostly for money belts, life vests and flying suits. The B.F. Goodrich Company incorporated the new fastener into rubber boots and gave them

the name "zipper," which was originally intended to indicate the kind of boot. It was in the 1940s that the zipper became more popularly used for the flies of pants and on skirts and dresses.

There are many other creative uses of the zipper that have come into use, however, see a few examples below.

The Zipper Pond of Taiwan

An artistically designed pond that looks like it could be zipped up at any time.

Designed by renowned Taiwanese sculptor Ju Chun, the Zipper Pond has become one of the most popular attractions at the Juming Museum, outside Taipei.  It does look absolutely amazing…I mean I’ve seen some beautiful ponds in my time, but a zipper pond? That’s special. (click the title to see more)

Like the Zipper Dress?

The Zipper Boat?

You don't have to roll up the sidewalks at night  if you can zip them closed.

So that's what's beneath those zipped up streets.

 This Zipper Piggy Bank is as solid as a rock.

Did your parents ever tell you to zip it?

OK, the zipper is photo shopped but the bifurcated tongue is real. 

Here's one way of achieving an open mind, but perhaps there are better ways.

Zipper Jewelry

The Zipper concept is even used in highway construction.

Now go see if you can come up with some more new uses.

Happy Zipper Day!

The Lucky One - Review

The Lucky One

(2012 - April 20)
1 hr 41 min.

Rated: PG-13 For some sexuality and violence, infrequent language
Information for parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ read more
Grade: B- 
Budget: $25 million
Box office: $36.3 million (as of posting)

Director: Scott Hicks
Writers: Will Fetters (screenplay), Nicholas Sparks (novel)
Stars: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner | See full cast and crew

U.S. Marine Sgt. Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) returns home from his third tour of duty in Iraq with the one thing he believes kept him alive: a photograph of a woman he doesn't even know. He learns the woman's name is Beth (Taylor Schilling) and goes to meet her, eventually taking a job at her family-run kennel. Though Beth is full of mistrust and leads a complicated life, a romance blooms, giving Logan the hope that Beth could become more than just his good-luck charm.

Based on Nicholas Sparks' bestseller The Lucky One, stars alongside and in this romantic drama directed by Academy Award®-nominated writer/director Scott Hicks ("Shine," "No Reservations").
U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Efron) returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq, with the one thing he credits with keeping him alive—a photograph he found of a woman he doesn't even know. Learning her name is Beth (Schilling) and where she lives, he shows up at her door, and ends up taking a job at her family-run local kennel. Despite her initial mistrust and the complications in her life, a romance develops between them, giving Logan hope that Beth could be much more than his good luck charm.

The PROS:

One of the first things I'd like to commend the for is its taking the high-ground. It doesn't stoop to foul language, gratuitous nudity and raunchy sex scenes. It does however, take the route of most of today's cultural mores, that being that premarital relations is the norm and expected behavior.
This is a neatly (perhaps too neatly) wrapped up heart warming story. Zac Efron turns in a very good performance as the Iraqi War vet on a mission. A thoughtful, determined, ethical and honorable young man dedicated to finding his guardian angel in the flesh. Blythe Danner is also strong as usual. Taylor Schilling looks perfect in her roll and does a good job with a simplistic, and predictable script. The other performers are adequate.

The CONS:
The script is too simplistic. There isn't enough there for the actors to really develop a fully fleshed out character. I have not read the Nicholas Sparks novel so I don't know what depth he has written into the characters. Having not read the book, I still found the script very predictable. That's not a problem if the characters are fully developed and the performances are stellar, after all, we all know what is going to happen in Shakespeare's works or the Greek classics, but it is all about the journey we take to get there.
    Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pale of water.
    Jack fell down and broke his crown,
    and Jill came tumbling after.
We know the storyline. If handled correctly it can still be dramatic, suspenseful, touching and moving. Therein lies the magic, the art of the storytelling.
That magic is missing here, for example without revealing anything, I knew the secret of the photograph long before it was revealed. It was just too obvious, and the tidy resolution of the Logan and Beth's family complications was a little to slick.
All that said, I still enjoyed the film.

Cast

     Zac Efron           Taylor Schilling

Logan                                Beth

       Blythe Danner    Riley Thomas Stewart

 Ellie                                   Ben

 Jay R. Ferguson

Keith Clayton

Production:
Director: Scott Hicks from a screenplay by Will Fetters ("Remember Me"), adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel The Lucky One. 
Producers: Denise Di Novi, who previously produced film adaptations of the Nicholas Sparks novels "A Walk To Remember," "Nights In Rodanthe" and "Message in a Bottle," and Kevin McCormick ("Arthur").
Executive producers: Ravi Mehta, Alison Greenspan and Bruce Berman.
Co-producer: Kerry Heysen.  The production's creative team also includes Cinematographer: Alar Kivilo ("The Blind Side")
Production designer: Barbara Ling ("No Reservations")
Editor: Scott Gray ("The Boys Are Back")
Costume designer: Dayna Pink ("Bruno")
Composer: Oscar® nominee Mark Isham ( "A River Runs Through It)
 
About the Author:
In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life. Is there really such thing as a lucky charm? The hero of Nicholas Sparks's new novel believes he's found one in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he's never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny. The chain of events that leads to him possessing the photograph and finding the woman pictured in it is the stuff of love stories only a master such as Sparks can write.

Chimpanzee - Review

Chimpanzee

Release Date: April 20, 2012
Studio: Disneynature
Director: 
Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield
Screenwriter: unknown

Starring: unknown
Genre: True Life Adventure
Rated: G
Website: Disney.com/Chimpanzee
Rating: B
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Production Stills: View here
 

Disneynature takes moviegoers deep into the forests of Africa with "Chimpanzee," a new True Life Adventure introducing an adorable baby chimp named Oscar and his entertaining approach to life in a remarkable story of family bonds and individual triumph. Oscar's playful curiosity and zest for discovery showcase the intelligence and ingenuity of some of the most extraordinary personalities in the animal kingdom. Working together, Oscar's chimpanzee family--including his mom and the group's savvy leader--navigates the complex territory of the forest.

 
The world is a playground for little Oscar and his fellow young chimps, who'd rather make mayhem than join their parents for an afternoon nap. But when Oscar's family is confronted by a rival band of chimps, he is left to fend for himself until a surprising ally steps in and changes his life forever. 

The PROS:
It was refreshing to see a Nature Film that didn't bow down at the alter of the environmentalist and PETA fascists. I was prepared for a damnation of mankind, but that wasn't the case. I can't stand it when you feel you are paying to be lectured by some elitist 'Holier than Thou'.  But there were no humans capturing and killing chimps and no footage of the rain forest being chopped down. Thankfully that is not what this story is all about. It's a snapshot of chimpanzee life in the wild (or is is it just life when they've grown accustomed to human observers).  You have much more interest in protecting Chimps when not being beaten over the head with the environmental message. It's so much easier to become emotionally invested in the animals themselves. They work their way into your heart as the use sticks like straws to get termites or ants out of mounds and  use rocks as nutcrackers. Their use of primitive tools that is remarkable, and young Oscar is enchanting as he learns the skill himself. The chimps ingenuity continues as they weave beds out of limbs high in the trees and settle in for the night. You really begin to get an appreciation for how intelligent these animals are.

"Chimpanzee" also shows the dark side of these animals. You see two troops of chimps viciously battling over territory. You see the chimps conduct a coordinated attack to hunt and kill a monkey for food. It's actually a bit shocking to see them tear apart the monkey and eat it. Not the cute and cuddly Chimps we see in other parts of the movie. As the film unfolds, you sense that you are getting a real picture of life in the animal kingdom, not just a sanitized Disney version.
The cinematography is breathtaking. As the movie rolls along, you find yourself wondering how the filmmakers got all of these amazing and intimate shots. They manage to get extreme close-up shots of their hands, feet, faces and their hair as they groom each other looking for ticks. There is amazing footage of the baby chimp's human like child's play. You sense of the personalities of the animals and wonder just how much footage it took to pull this off and just how much of it was staged. I really liked the  'making of' featurette during the credits, it gives you an appreciation of what the creators went through to get the footage, it's then you come to realize there wasn't as much staged as you might have thought.

I wondered if I was the only one asking the questions, "Does Oscar ended up leading the family? Does he even survive?" That made me realize that the film was effective in getting you to care about what happened to the chimps outside of the film. That is probably the most significant accomplishment of "Chimpanzee". 

UPDATE:

'Chimpanzee' star Oscar: Missing in action
USA TODAY‎ - 2 days ago

According to the director of the film, Mark Linfield, Oscar has not been seen since the the filmmakers left the Tai Forest of Africa's Ivory Coast in September 2011.

The CONS:
The Tim Allen narration. I'm not sure if it was his delivery or if it was the writing but I found it grating and distracting.
The G rating. Why? Because it quite intense in some parts. The film really plays up the fear of Oscar being in danger and the menace of the rival chimpanzees. The major event in Oscar's life...I don't want to spoil things here but most Disney movies, and "Chimpanzee" does nothing to end that trend, mothers don't fare all that well. I remember seeing Bambi  when I was a wee one, it was traumatic. My advice would be that if you have a kid 5 or under and they are the sensitive type... well, you may just want to pass on this one.
The LAST WORD:
All in all, "Chimpanzee" was an entertaining film. You and the kids may learn something along the way, so that makes it a winner overall.

Directed by:

Alastair Fothergill ("African Cats" and "Earth") and 

Mark Linfield ("Earth"), "Chimpanzee" swings into theaters on Earth Day 2012.

Happy Birthday Mom/Granny/Great-Granny/Great-Great-Granny

Today is the 96th birthday of our family matriarch.

Yesterday we had an open-house in her honor. She said she had a great time and thanks everyone who came to see her and those who sent Birthday wishes via cards and emails. 

At the time of her 96th birthday...

She has 9 children and one step-son

37 Grandchildren

110 Great-Grandchildren

(+2 on the way)

6 Great-Great-Grandchildren

 Mom and her younger brother Delmont 

Random photos from the open house

 

Your camera scares me!

Here is a brief look back at her life. Her early years and a few of the places she has traveled, it is certainly not an all inclusive and complete record, nor is it in chronological order.

Mom with her mother and sister-in-law (R toL)

Dad, Mom, Wendell, Georgia and Joe

Alabama Missionaries

 Mom and her brothers at Dad's funeral

Mom and second husband Russell Shurtliff

She has been a world traveler

 More evidence of her hostile and warlike nature.

With nephew Steven, at military base in England 1986

Martin's Cove, Wyomming

St. George, Utah

Mom and Dad on the Circle Line Cruise around Manhattan

 Mom and Dad on Wall Street, NYC

Nauvoo, Illinois

Natural History Museum, NYC

 Grua, Norway

 Viking village, Denmark, 2000

 Midnight sun on the North Sea sailing from Denmark to Sweden, 2000

Christina statue, Copenhagen Denmark, 2000

She has been to Denmark several times, also cruised the western Caribbean, been to many of the states of the USA including Alaska and Hawaii and most of western Europe and of course her resent Great China Adventure.

Tian'anmen Square, Beijing, China 2009

Kindergarten, Guilin, China 2009

Countryside near Yangshuo, China 2009

Tea Plantation near Xi'an, China 2009

The Sacred Way, Beijing, China 2009

 The Forbidden City, Beijing, China 2009

 The Summer Palace, Beijing, China 2009

 The Great Wall near Beijing, China 2009

 Mom at the Zoo with Dian Thomas, Beijing, China 2009

The Panda Habitat at the Beijing Zoo, Beijing, China 2009
 

 The Bird's Nest, Olympic Park, Beijing, China 2009

 Mom with Mr. Wong at his home in the Houtong, Beijing, China 2009

 Mom as a Terracotta Warrior, Xi'an, China 2009